Chapter 86: A Love-Struck Sword Heart

"Disciple of Ten Thousand Swords Peak, Li Qingran, requests an audience!"

Standing before the tightly shut gates of the Scripture Pavilion, Li Qingran bowed with cupped hands.

After the lesson she had learned from the ancestral hall, she no longer dared underestimate anything—no matter how rundown it appeared.

Or rather, was it possible that the more dilapidated something was in the Sword Pavilion, the more mysterious and unfathomable it became?

"Ten Thousand Swords Peak? It’s been a long time since I heard of a disciple from there."

"Enter."

Crash—

With a loud crack, the wooden doors of the pavilion fell off their hinges and slammed onto the ground.

Li Qingran stared at the fallen doors for a moment, then silently stepped inside.

Since she was part of the Sword Pavilion now, she had to get used to its peculiarities.

Doors that fell downward?

As long as they opened, that was all that mattered.

The interior of the Scripture Pavilion was dimly lit, but one figure stood out—an elderly man with long, white hair.

He stood in the center of the hall, clad in a dark green robe. His shadow stretched behind him into the darkness. His hair was tied in a ponytail, his narrow eyes sharp like an eagle’s. One was covered by an eyepatch, while the other had an unusually small pupil, with the whites of his eyes taking up most of the space. Combined with his deep-set features and aged face, he exuded a fierce and intimidating aura.

Li Qingran bowed once more.

As she lowered her gaze, she noticed something unusual—

Hanging from the elder’s waist was not a sword, but a withered wooden branch.

"The old man’s name is Jiong Yuanmo," the elder introduced himself. "I am the elder who oversees the Scripture Pavilion. Unlike the other elders, I do not conduct lectures in the main plaza. You may simply call me Elder Jiong."

"Elder Jiong."

"Hmm." Jiong Yuanmo nodded slightly, his hands clasped behind his back. "There are rules to follow within the Scripture Pavilion. The first and second floors are open to all. However, from the third floor onward, one must undergo the Trial of the Sword Heart to proceed. If you cannot find a suitable technique, I can recommend one for you—but you only get one recommendation."

Without hesitation, Li Qingran replied, "Elder Jiong, I’m looking for a detoxification pill recipe. Preferably one that can cure all poisons. Do you have any recommendations?"

Jiong Yuanmo’s brow twitched, his expression darkening.

"You came to the Sword Pavilion’s Scripture Pavilion… looking for a pill recipe?"

"You would waste your one and only recommendation on an alchemical formula?"

Under the weight of his piercing gaze, Li Qingran felt a chill run down her spine.

But she still steeled herself and said, "Yes, I need it to cure my master’s poison."

"Your master… is not from the Sword Pavilion, correct? Who is he?"

"He was once a Senior Grand Elder of the Sword Pavilion."

"What?!"

Jiong Yuanmo’s voice shot up eight octaves.

Li Qingran earnestly explained, "I have already confirmed this with the Sect Master. My master was the first-generation peak lord of Ten Thousand Swords Peak—Chen Huai’an. However, he left the sect to travel many years ago. Even the Sect Master’s memory of him was vague, but we did find his memorial tablet in the ancestral hall."

"So that’s it… The one who inscribed the words on the Ten Thousand Swords Peak stele?"

"Precisely."

Jiong Yuanmo’s stern expression softened significantly.

The reason he had been displeased earlier was his suspicion that Li Qingran was being used by outsiders.

After all, the Sword Pavilion’s Scripture Pavilion held the most ancient manuals and texts in the entire Cangyun Realm, second only to the Holy Lands.

And the pavilion was open to all Sword Pavilion disciples.

Even those who had external masters could enter, pass the trials, and take techniques with them—without ever being forced to return them.

In the past, there had been cases of spies sent by rival sects to infiltrate the Sword Pavilion and steal techniques, only to leave afterward under flimsy excuses.

Though Sect Master Su Qinian didn’t care much about it—

Jiong Yuanmo did.

Especially when those same spies used their one and only recommendation to have him personally select techniques for them—only to leave the sect right after.

Disgusting.

But upon learning that Li Qingran’s master was once a Senior Grand Elder of the Sword Pavilion, his attitude shifted.

No one in their right mind would dare lie using the Sect Master’s name.

And besides—

His eyes were still sharp.

He could tell at a glance whether a disciple was lying.

In his view, Li Qingran had gone from a suspicious thief to a devoted and filial disciple.

"Wait a moment while I think."

Jiong Yuanmo sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, closed his eyes, and began deep contemplation.

Li Qingran, understanding the gravity of the moment, did not move or fidget.

She simply waited quietly against the wall.

Moments later—

The entire Scripture Pavilion trembled violently.

Outside, powerful winds howled, sending leaves spiraling into the air.

Inside, countless spectral scrolls flickered into existence around Jiong Yuanmo.

Then, from the elder’s head, a golden, translucent figure emerged—

A perfect replica of himself.

The spectral scrolls began whirling around the golden projection in a chaotic dance.

"An Out-of-Body Yang Spirit?"

Li Qingran blinked, murmuring to herself.

This elder was no joke.

A cultivator had to reach the Nascent Soul Stage to even attempt separating their Yang Spirit.

It was said that once the Yang Spirit left the body, it could comprehend all things in an instant.

And now, Jiong Yuanmo was using it to search every single scroll in the Scripture Pavilion at once.

But even among Nascent Soul cultivators, very few could do this.

Reaching Nascent Soul was merely the threshold.

Those who could freely and stably project their Yang Spirit were all ancient monsters within their respective sects.

Roughly one incense stick’s time later—

The strange phenomena within the Scripture Pavilion gradually faded.

The winds outside settled.

Jiong Yuanmo opened his eyes.

Deep within them, a trace of exhaustion flickered.

This was the first time he had searched for a pill recipe.

It was far harder than locating a sword manual.

"I searched through 337,600 scrolls within the Scripture Pavilion and found something useful on the fifth floor."

Standing up, he led Li Qingran up the stairs to a shimmering light barrier.

"The scroll is called ‘Danxin Annotations’. Within it, there is a pill formula that may cure all poisons. However, the rules of the Scripture Pavilion cannot be broken—if you wish to retrieve the scroll, you must pass the Trial of the Sword Heart on this floor."

Seeing Li Qingran pressing her lips together, he assumed she was nervous.

He offered some encouragement.

"As long as your sword heart is steadfast, and your Dao unwavering, the trial is not difficult. Go forth."

Before he even finished speaking—

Li Qingran had already unsheathed her Su Xian Sword and stepped in.

Jiong Yuanmo clasped his hands behind his back, shaking his head.

He estimated that she would need several hours.

The Trial of the Sword Heart was a mirage realm where one had to battle a reflection of themselves at the same cultivation level.

Most disciples were crushed at first—forced to question their own convictions before gradually overcoming the trial.

This girl was smart, but she’d probably need at least two hours, right?

CRACK!

A shattering sound rang out.

Jiong Yuanmo’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched Li Qingran step out of the broken light barrier.

Her fair face was perfectly composed as she entered the fifth floor.

"So fast?!"

Jiong Yuanmo immediately reconnected with the formation to inspect the trial logs.

His expression turned strange.

"So this little girl’s sword heart is entirely fixated on her master?"

"She didn’t hesitate. She just swung her sword and instantly destroyed the mirage."

"Gods… she’s like an unstoppable force…"

Then, shaking his head in disbelief, he muttered,

"Has this girl even considered… that her master is at least several hundred years older than her?"

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