Chapter 26: Bestowing the Sword

"The Sword Saint left behind more than just swordsmanship; there were other things as well. Since this is the territory of your Mo family, these items can actually be given to you," Xue Yue said.

"I will protect this place well," Mo Xuan replied happily. Since someone had offered, he could certainly take more, and these were the treasures of a Spirit Sea Realm expert—many of which he desperately needed.

Xue Yue smiled in satisfaction.

Mo Xuan did not hold back. To be honest, there were quite a few things inside: not only many precious materials but also various magical artifacts and scrolls. Most of the scrolls were related to swords, as were many of the artifacts—though there were some blades as well.

He wanted to wait for Meng Yao. Perhaps she wouldn't care for these items, but adhering to the principle of shared discovery, he felt he shouldn't take everything for himself. He wandered around, picking out a few practical items. Even so, his haul was significant.

He had originally decided to wait longer, but was drawn away by a profound radiance. On a pedestal in the depths of the chamber, he saw a peculiar sword. It was black and gold, engraved with patterns of blue roses, with flower-shaped pendants hanging from it—it was truly exquisite.

Mo Xuan tried picking it up and unsheathed it, only to realize it was a pair of twin swords. It was a top-tier magical artifact, though it was too long for his personal habits and didn't quite suit his style. He decided to gift this artifact to Lan Bing. He had originally considered giving it to Meng Yao, but upon reflection, she might not care for it. After all, he had once seen Meng Yao use a fiery red sword of a level he couldn't even fathom, so he kept it for himself.

Two days later!

In truth, Meng Yao’s insight into the sword was remarkably high. In less than two days, she emerged from the Sword Saint’s inner sanctum. As for what transpired inside, no one knew. However, Meng Yao’s aura had become more resilient than before—or rather, more stable. Her cultivation had also reached the fourth level of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

To have such gains in just a few days made Mo Xuan quite envious. "Congratulations!"

"It is I who should be thanking you, hehe!" Meng Yao pursed her lips and offered a faint smile. Indeed, if not for Mo Xuan, she might have been swallowed up long ago; there would have been no such opportunity for her.

However, no sooner had she finished speaking than she hurried over to where the artifacts were stored. She had been happy, but she returned to Mo Xuan looking furious. "Did you take that sword?"

"What sword?" Mo Xuan was naturally puzzled, wondering why she was so angry.

"The one that was on the pedestal!"

Mo Xuan realized then. "I took it."

"Give it back to me!"

"No, I found it first."

"You don't even use a sword."

"I may not usually, but two swords are fine!" Mo Xuan had been influenced by Lan Bing to use short blades, and he intended to use these as a token of gratitude for her—though his previous gifts had been of too low a grade.

Although Meng Yao was unwilling, she had nothing more to say; it was her own fault for not taking it immediately. In a fit of pique, she swept up all the refining materials in the room. Mo Xuan didn't panic; since they had discovered it together, it was only fair that she took something after he had taken a good item.

***

Finally, the three of them paid their respects and prepared to leave, though Xue Yue decided to stay a while longer.

"Hey, I saw a blue-white clock appear on your body. What was that about?" Meng Yao nudged Mo Xuan with her shoulder and asked in a low voice.

Mo Xuan didn't know himself, so he remained silent and kept walking. Realizing she might have asked something she shouldn't have, Meng Yao quickly apologized. "Sorry, I won't ask. Regardless, thank you. If there is anything I can do for you, I will certainly do it."

However, Mo Xuan continued walking without a word, leaving Meng Yao feeling somewhat awkward. "Sigh..."

After Meng Yao’s questioning, Mo Xuan began to ponder. He wasn't entirely clear on that state himself, though the words "Time Execution" kept flashing in his mind. He was only at the Spirit Sealing Realm, yet he had managed to slay a beast of the Heaven Three Realms. In normal circumstances, this would be impossible; even for a genius, crossing such a gap was unheard of. He felt more and more that something was wrong.

One thing he was certain of was that the space had mutated—or rather, upgraded—because of Meng Yao. Perhaps there was some common origin between them. He stopped and looked at her, wondering what her connection to that space was and why her internal core could be repaired by it.

Outside the mine, the damaged areas had been mostly repaired, and the military was conducting further inspections. A large amount of fire crystal ore had been extracted or destroyed, essentially rendering the site worthless. Having lost such a treasure, the Mo family’s finances were in crisis; this mine had accounted for at least half of the family’s income.

*Bang!*

The collapsed section of the mine was blasted open by a burst of spiritual energy, revealing the original passage. "Finally out!"

When they emerged, there were hardly any guards left, save for a few Mo family members searching for anything useful. It was this sound that drew the attention of those outside. Seeing Mo Xuan, they were first surprised, then joyful. Given the massive collapse days prior, the fact that he was still alive was a surprise.

"Are you the only ones here?" Mo Xuan asked.

The Mo family members were excited, and one of them briefly explained the situation over the past few days. Mo Xuan chuckled; it seemed the military hadn't sent any particularly strong cultivators, or they wouldn't have made such a hasty judgment. "Haha, good, that saves me endless trouble."

Just as he finished speaking, Lan Bing appeared beside him with lightning speed. "Haha, you rascal, you certainly have a charmed life!" She didn't do anything overly dramatic this time, merely patting Mo Xuan on the head.

Mo Xuan handed the black-gold rose sword to her. "This is for you!"

Lan Bing inspected it. "Oh, this is a top-tier spiritual artifact! It seems you’ve had some good luck! It’s a bit long, though... wait, it’s a twin set? Thank you." Seeing it was a pair, she accepted it without further hesitation.

Seeing how close Lan Bing and Mo Xuan were, and how happily they were talking, Meng Yao seemed a bit jealous. Furthermore, Mo Xuan had given the top-tier artifact to Lan Bing but not her, which made her angry. "Hey..."

As Meng Yao turned to leave, Mo Xuan chased after her, wanting to ask for a favor, but Meng Yao was having none of it. "What do you take me for? Go away, keep your distance, I won't do it!"

"Didn't you say that if there was anything you could do, you would do it? Now you want to go back on your word?"

"That wasn't..." Meng Yao was at a loss and kicked Mo Xuan hard. "Want me to help? Keep dreaming."

"Sigh, sigh, sigh!" Mo Xuan didn't strictly need their help; he was just testing the waters.

Lan Bing, who was standing nearby, laughed to herself and walked over. "What did I hear? I didn't expect you two to have developed to this point so quickly."

"What are you thinking!" Mo Xuan glared at her. There was no such thing between them, just a transaction. Afterward, he sent someone to fetch the Seventh Elder while he waited.

About an hour later, the Seventh Elder arrived. Seeing Mo Xuan was unharmed, he was quite moved. "Oh, you've already reached the eleventh level? I never expected this, haha, good lad."

A year ago, Mo Xuan had been a "useless" person at the sixth level of the Spirit Opening Realm; now he was at the eleventh level of the Spirit Sealing Realm. As an elder who cared for him, he was naturally delighted.

"Seventh Elder, you're too kind. Although the outer perimeter is devoid of fire crystal ore, there is plenty inside. Here is the detailed layout. While we don't have the strength to go deep, we can still mine ore, provided we dig new passages." Mo Xuan handed the sample to the Seventh Elder.

"This... I cannot accept this for now." The Seventh Elder had his reasons; Mo Xuan had been expelled from the Mo family. Even though he had been helping out while living in Huanxi Town, he was technically an outsider.

"In that case, how about this: consider me the boss, and you all are the miners I've hired!" Mo Xuan offered a compromise, to which the Seventh Elder agreed.

Three days later, Mo Xuan was there giving instructions on where to start and end, and which areas were dangerous. Just as he was about to leave, a white figure flew out from the depths and landed on a rock.

"Sister Xue, you've come out!"

Xue Yue nodded. Seeing so many people mining, she emphasized that the tomb should not be destroyed. Mo Xuan assured her he knew his limits; the place was hidden, and even with the full strength of Qingluo City, no one could reach that deep. After expressing her thanks, she left.

A few days later, Lan Bing returned the items she had stolen from the Mo family to Mo Xuan. What Mo Xuan cared about most was the upgradeable secret technique called the "Canglin Art," which started at the early Spirit Opening stage. She explained why it had taken so long to return; Lan Bing had grown to trust Mo Xuan and revealed the misunderstanding.

Mo Xuan understood. Lan Bing was a vital part of their trio; without her, they wouldn't be the "Three Phantoms of the Underworld," nor could they have fought against the Heaven Three Realms. The other two had been reluctant to let Lan Bing follow Mo Xuan, but eventually, they agreed.

The Canglin Art could increase one's strength by two levels for three minutes. This technique could be upgraded, eventually reaching a maximum boost of five levels, applicable to all stages, though there were limitations at higher levels. Don't underestimate these two levels—it allowed one to ignore cultivation gaps. Even at the Heaven Three Realms, crossing levels was difficult. Mo Xuan knew this well; when Xue Yue fought the Lava Turtle, if not for the turtle's sluggishness, she would have been defeated.

With this technique and his eleventh-level Spirit Sealing Realm strength, if he encountered Chen Pengfei again, he would finally have the power to fight.

When he summoned his Primordial Spirit this time, he noticed a strange phenomenon. After practicing the Seven-Heart Technique, his spirit had turned from the color of the night to a light blue, but now it had turned the color of crimson flames. Even so, there was a trace of light blue intertwined like flowing water—it was quite beautiful.