Chapter 1291: Sword Pond

Despite Zhang Jiuxiao's strength being far inferior to his own, he was definitely among the upper-middle tier of the group. With his various methods, Zhang Xuan had predicted he would last until the end. Yet, he was eliminated just ten minutes after entering the island...

Who was responsible? How could it happen so quickly?

"Let's see where he was eliminated; that should reveal something..."

With a flick of his finger, a drop of blood appeared before him. It was precisely the essence blood Zhang Jiuxiao had given him to test his lineage. His palm danced, and a series of hand seals imprinted on the blood. In the blink of an eye, the compass in his palm spun continuously, pointing in a specific direction.

Communication was forbidden on the isolated island, but using blood to track its owner was not. Zhang Jiuxiao's swift elimination upon arriving on the island greatly puzzled him. He flew swiftly in the indicated direction. The Tiger-Bone Beast, which had thought it was doomed, sighed in relief upon seeing its potential killer depart. It quickly tucked its tail between its legs and hid, no longer daring to swagger around.

After flying for several minutes, covering nearly a hundred miles, Zhang Xuan stopped.

"Why do I feel like I'm going in circles?" He furrowed his brows. After traveling for so long, even though the island was large, he should have reached an edge or a distinct area. Yet, for some reason, the scenery before him always felt familiar, as if his rapid journey had... always been in a loop.

"It's a formation..." He took a few more steps and quickly realized. This island actually contained a massive formation. Its scope was so vast that even he, trapped within it, hadn't noticed at first. "To be able to trap me and go unnoticed for a short while... it must be at least a quasi-eight-star level!" His understanding of formations had already reached the peak of seventh-tier, and with the subtleties of Heavenly Dao formations, he could easily set up some early eighth-tier formations. With such strength, he should have easily detected any formation. To be trapped for so long before realizing it... the formation's level had to be high.

"Eye of Insight..." However, no matter the level, once he knew it was a formation, the rest was simple. He raised his eyelids, and patterns flickered. Soon, fine lines of spiritual energy appeared before him. "It should be... the quasi-eight-star Riverside Illusion Array! And it covers at least several thousand miles. Such a vast formation... Where exactly is this place?" The Riverside Illusion Array was not only high-level but also incredibly vast in scope, typically used to conceal mansions or areas, much like the Poison Hall in Jingyuan City had hidden the entire island. One existed here, too, covering several thousand miles... Where on earth was this? A grand formation of this caliber would take centuries to set up; even for him, it would require at least a month's work. He had thought it was just an ordinary island; he never imagined it would be so formidable!

"Knowing it's a formation makes things simple..." He didn't know much about the Qianchong Empire and, after much thought, couldn't make sense of it. Zhang Xuan shook his head, choosing not to dwell on it. This formation could disorient people, trapping them in the same place and making escape difficult. Now that he knew its structure, he naturally wouldn't be confused anymore. He looked around, pinpointed a direction, traveled over ten kilometers, then moved seven or eight kilometers to the left, changing directions over ten times consecutively before taking a final step forward.

*Whoosh!* It was as if he had leaped out of some confinement. Although the scene before him was still forest with various vegetation, the spiritual energy was different from before; it had become denser, carrying a faint pressure and a sense of slaughter.

"It's sword qi!" His gaze grew serious. This aura was very familiar to him; it was precisely what sword qi produced. Looking in the direction the aura came from, he immediately saw a patch of fallen trees nearby, as if cut down by a single sword strike. In the center, a few drops of fresh blood were splattered on a rock, not yet fully congealed.

"It's Zhang Jiuxiao's blood..." He frowned. He had carefully studied Zhang Jiuxiao's blood; he could tell at a glance. With blood flowing here and traces of battle, could it be that Zhang Jiuxiao was eliminated here? But... weren't weapons forbidden? What about the sword qi? To cut down so many trees with one sword strike, even he would find it difficult. When did such a powerful individual emerge?

"Eye of Insight, track!" The patterns reappeared, searching the surroundings. The opponent had just used a sword technique here to eliminate Zhang Jiuxiao, indicating they hadn't gone far. Tracking their traces should yield something. Sure enough, a faint wisp of sword qi soon appeared nearby, gently extending into the distance. He darted in that direction. After only two steps, his ears vibrated again, and the voice continued: "Chi Yurui, jade token shattered, second elimination. Remaining... thirty-one!"

"He was eliminated too?" Zhang Xuan had some impression of this person. He was a peak Nascent Spirit realm expert from the Qianyun Empire, extremely strong and intelligent... He hadn't expected Chi Yurui to be eliminated just over ten minutes after Zhang Jiuxiao. It was too fast!

He continued forward, and another flattened area appeared before him. The sword qi here was even more rampant; a mere touch of his finger felt as if it could pierce his skin. Just as he intended to proceed, his heart stirred, his body swayed abruptly, and in the blink of an eye, he reappeared a hundred meters away.

*Whoosh!* From the spot he had just left, a sharp aura immediately shot out from underground, soaring towards the sky as if to tear space itself apart. He quickly looked and saw a long sword floating up from beneath the ground. Seeing that it hadn't struck anyone, it seemed displeased.

"A peak Nascent Spirit realm mid-grade Saint artifact? How could it be here?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. He had thought it was some master teacher secretly hidden underground, launching a sneak attack on him. He never dreamed it was just a mid-grade Saint artifact that had reached the peak Nascent Spirit realm! Such entities, like the Golden Origin Cauldron, possessed sentience. Detecting someone tracking it, it had hidden to launch a sneak attack. Fortunately, he had the ability to foresee danger and had long since detected something amiss. Otherwise, even if he wasn't injured by a sword thrust, he would certainly have been in a sorry state.

"Hmph!" Zhang Xuan, displeased, grabbed at the air, and a surge of power swept forth. Seeing him make a move, the long sword didn't hesitate. With a twist of its hilt, it attempted to burrow back into the ground.

"Stab me and then try to escape... not so easy!" The surrounding space immediately solidified. The long sword seemed to have fallen into mercury, unable to move an inch, completely immobilized. "Come here!" Immediately, a fierce suction force transmitted. The long sword trembled twice, then could resist no longer, flying straight towards Zhang Xuan. It landed in his palm, and he tapped it several times. *Buzz*, with a soft hum, what had initially tried to escape became docile in moments. It had been refined!

"Was it you who ambushed Zhang Jiuxiao and Chi Yurui?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Not me, it was Morning Rain Sword!" The long sword twisted, emitting a crisp sound.

"Morning Rain Sword? What's your name?" Zhang Xuan was surprised. Could it be... that besides this sword, there were other mid-grade Saint artifacts?

"I'm called Evening Cloud Sword!" the long sword replied.

"Morning Rain, Evening Cloud... How did you two end up here, and what exactly is this island?" Hearing the names, he knew they were likely a pair of treasures. Frowning, Zhang Xuan continued to ask. Not only was there a grand formation, but also long swords launching sneak attacks; it was truly too bizarre.

"We came here many years ago. This is the Qianchong Empire's Sword Pool!" Evening Cloud Sword replied.

"Sword Pool?" Zhang Xuan was stunned again. Earlier, Hall Master Xing had told him that the geniuses selected by the Combat Master Halls of the Four Great Empires had the opportunity to cultivate in the Qianchong Empire's Sword Pool. He had thought it had nothing to do with him, never expecting the re-match venue to be set here!

"Yes, there are many swords here, and also sword intent left behind by many powerful experts... You trespassed here, and you carry something that attracts us, so naturally, we had to ambush you!" Evening Cloud Sword explained.

"Something that attracts you?" Remembering something, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist and pulled out the jade token. "Are you talking about this?"

"This item contains a wisp of sword intent. If we devour it, it helps our sentience grow, which is why... we thought of shattering it!" Evening Cloud Sword explained.

"Sword intent?" Zhang Xuan's spiritual sense spread into the jade token's interior. Sure enough, he sensed a wisp of sword intent on it. Though faint, it was a domain-realm expert's comprehension of the Way of the Sword, which held immense appeal for swords.

"So that's how it is..." Zhang Xuan suddenly understood. By setting the re-match here, Zhao Xingmo's apparent goal was to have master teachers fight each other to the death. In reality, he had secretly prepared a contingency, using the long swords in the Sword Pool to ambush people! Coupled with formations and such... a slight carelessness would lead to falling into a trap, with no way to defend oneself! Zhang Jiuxiao had likely just been unlucky, encountering that Morning Rain Sword, which shattered his jade token, thus eliminating him and disqualifying him.

"Where is the Sword Pool? And how many swords of your caliber are there?" Understanding the situation, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask.

"The Sword Pool is over a hundred kilometers from here. There are over a hundred long swords like me!" Fully subdued, Evening Cloud Sword held nothing back.

"Over a hundred... peak Nascent Spirit realm long swords?" Zhang Xuan's eyes widened. Swords at the peak Nascent Spirit realm had already reached mid-grade Saint artifact level. There wouldn't be many throughout the entire Qianchong Empire, yet there were over a hundred here. If he could subdue them all, his combat power would surely skyrocket again.

"The Qianchong Empire's Sword Pool was left behind by the Sword Elder many years ago. It contains his legacy and countless sword intents and techniques... Every year, countless strong practitioners of the sword come here, hoping to obtain opportunities. However, no one has ever seen what the legacy truly looks like, nor has anyone ever obtained a complete opportunity..." At this point, Evening Cloud Sword's tone became low: "Here, sword qi runs rampant, and sword intents and moves vary. Staying for too long can cause conflicts in principles, leading to significant harm for sword practitioners. Moreover, it's a mixed bag of people, making conflict unavoidable... Many sword cultivators who came here never left, losing their lives in vain... The master of Morning Rain Sword and I died here like this..."