***********

"What grandeur!"

Hong Qianqiu emphasized again, his voice resonating. Yu Ci narrowed his eyes, listening to the tale, feeling the atmosphere: on a desolate mountain peak, a half-drunk man gesturing grandly, his deep voice seemingly able to traverse twenty thousand years of distance. The only regret was that the man's words carried a hint of sarcasm:

"Eight thousand sword cultivators, their soaring sword lights transforming into a rainbow that spanned tens of thousands of miles, what was the result? Heh, nothing more than their swords buried in the sand. Of the eight thousand top sword cultivators, not one in ten could escape back to the eastern shore of the Sky Rift Valley. Even among these few hundred people, most were too ashamed to return east, choosing instead to remain in the Broken Realm Mountain Range, pleading for a piece of land from our Sect, where they closed the 'Gate of Death'."

"Hey, you can't be so harsh!"

Li You banged his liquor pot, his face full of displeasure: "What do you mean by 'escaped back'? What do you mean by 'too ashamed to return east'? They ventured to the Boundless Buddha Kingdom, eight thousand sword cultivators against countless Buddha soldiers, fighting bloody battles for a hundred days, turning the Glazed Paradise into Avici Hell. If it weren't for the Buddhist Practice staking their fate, sacrificing the Thirteen Ancient Buddhas to shatter the 'Six Realms of Rebirth', creating three thousand worlds, and banishing seventeen Sword Immortals into the Eternal Abyss, could they have won?

"Even in defeat, Predecessor Yuan Dao alone held back the enemy, wielding the Xuan Huang Killing Sword, repelling all directions, causing all kinds of gods, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats to retreat. It can be said that he was glorious in defeat!"

Hong Qianqiu snorted heavily: "Yuan Dao died soon after his return, how do you explain that?"

"That's because..."

"Uh, two Senior Brothers!"

Seeing Hong and Li about to quarrel over ancient people from twenty thousand years ago, Yu Ci had to interrupt their argument, scratching his head and asking: "Is the place where those Sword cultivators secluded themselves and were buried called the Sword Garden?"

Both Hong and Li shot each other a fierce look, and finally, it was Hong Qianqiu who answered: "More or less, these people were all injured in the western expedition, and felt aggrieved and lifeless. They died one after another not long after. Out of pity for their plight, the Sect did not reclaim that piece of land, but simply repaired it and made a cemetery for people to pay their respects. Of course, it's not an ordinary cemetery."

Li You continued Hong Qianqiu's words: "You should know that the original eight thousand western expedition sword cultivators almost exhausted the elite of the eastern Cultivation World. There were nineteen top Sword Immortals, nearly fifty Thunderbolt Tribulation Grandmasters, and hundreds if not thousands of True People and Vacuum Walking Cultivators. In the nearly twenty thousand years since, the Cultivation World has never been able to organize a force of such scale. Even if the western expedition was unsuccessful and they retreated to the eastern shore, buried in the Sword Garden were two Sword Immortals, fifteen Thunderbolt Tribulation Grandmasters, and an unknown number of True People and Vacuum Walking Cultivators. The legacy of these seniors, heh, must be quite impressive."

Yu Ci exclaimed, "Grave robbing!"

With a "poof," Hong Qianqiu sprayed Li You across the face with his drink. It was absolutely intentional, how else could he express his uproarious amusement?

Li You reacted oddly, merely wiping away the wine stains expressionlessly, and continued to speak to Yu Ci, "Junior Brother Yu, the Sword Garden is not as simple as you imagine. As for what exactly is inside, just wait a moment, Old Hong, go to hell!"

With that, Li You drew his sword and struck, the blade surged like a wave, tearing the gentle moonlight into shreds in an instant. Hong Qianqiu's eyes flamed up, as if ignited by fire, he laughed loudly, "I've been waiting for you!"

Facing the sword momentum, he didn't retreat half a step. A dark blue light swelled around him, clashing with the Sword Energy, the resulting shockwave blasted a hundred feet away. In this instant, his nine-foot-tall muscular body seemed to expand even further. With a wave of his hand, a Black Tide erupted, thundering like a tsunami, overwhelming everything in its path.

In the center of the two men's confrontation, Yu Ci performed a neat flip, avoiding to a distance of ten feet, while the whirlwind stirred up in the center of the battle circle came straight at him. The wine pot on the ground was blown directly off the cliff. Yu Ci knew, he couldn't stay here any longer!

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Brother Li, I'll wait for you at Sister Meng's place."

"Go ahead, I'll take care of Old Hong."

Hong Qianqiu wouldn't let him finish, a round of fierce attacks forced him to swallow the rest of his words. Li You fumed, his swordplay matched the aggression, illuminating half of the mountain with his sword light.

Yu Ci gave a wry smile, no longer concerned about the two, he went down the mountain on his own. As he descended from the peak, the night sky suddenly brightened. Looking back, the two had already flown into the sky, under the bright moon, they fought with abandon, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

**********

Under the slanting sunset, Yu Ci strolled alone. Suddenly, he heard a call:

"Is that Yu Ci ahead?"

"Indeed, it is."

"I heard you say the number of faces on the Sword Fete Card. Today, I want to compete with you for the card in a sword duel!"

Yu Ci halted in his tracks, glancing back. Ever since the day he seized the title at the Touching Sky Peak, Yu Ci's life had become a whirlwind of activity. Particularly after the news of his possession of a "Sword Fete Card" spread, a constant stream of visitors from the Empirical Department, eager to challenge him for the title, started to pour in.

These cultivators were men and women, young and old. Their commonality was that they all wielded swords, whether for close combat or for casting flying swords, each exhibiting remarkable mastery.

This was a tradition of the Empirical Department: to participate in the Sword Garden, one's cultivation level must be above the Nature-Connecting Upper Stage but below the Vacuum Walking Realm, with years of sword practice and a certain level of achievement. In addition, one must possess at least one Sword Fete Card, with a total of ten tokens being distributed. Among the cultivators in the Empirical Department who met these conditions, there were more than two hundred!

The fierce competition was evident.

According to the rules, if someone challenged him, he could not refuse without a valid reason. Yu Ci was not considering refusal, and was about to accept, when someone nearby stood up for him. "Hey, hey, little brother, it's not enough to bully the weak, are we going to have a gang fight? When did our Empirical Department lose its dignity to this extent?"

"What do you mean?"

Upon seeing the challenger's confusion, a passerby chuckled, "Junior brother, you're out of the loop. Haven't you heard? The day before yesterday, Senior Brother Zhang Yan challenged Junior Brother Yu to a duel, using the Sword Fete Card as a stake in a bet. The duel is scheduled for tonight."

"Senior Brother Zhang Yan? The notorious gambler Zhang?"

The brash challenger was taken aback, "Isn't that bullying the weak?"

No wonder the challenger was surprised. In the Empirical Department, although Senior Brother Zhang Yan was not as dazzling as Zhou Yu, Li Hong, Wang Jiu, Hong Qianqiu, or as talented as the recent comer Li You, he was still a confirmed Golden Elixir cultivator, a respected senior brother. How could he stoop so low as to challenge Yu Ci, an outer disciple, to a sword fight?

It is known that there are about forty Golden Elixir cultivators in the Empirical Department, of which only fifteen practice the sword. Among these fifteen, there are third-generation disciples like Yu Zhou who generally don't join in the fun. The ones who are truly interested in the Sword Garden are just a few fourth-generation disciples, totaling no more than five. Of the ten Sword Fete Cards, five are reserved for them, and Zhang Yan is one of them.

Thus, this person should be devoid of desire and demand, yet he insists on squabbling with an Outer Disciple. Is there any dignity in that?

"So, you see. Our Junior Brother Yu is at a critical time of cultivating his spirit and energy, why are you meddling?"

The brash challenger indeed has no face left, and can only slink away. Yu Ci gives a slight smile, thanking this Senior Brother who stood up for him. To his surprise, the Senior Brother grins widely, laughing as he pats his shoulder, "I've long been fed up with that rotten gambler Zhang. I've put a pound of mysterious iron on you, equivalent to betting a lone ding. Little brother, you must assist me!"

Yu Ci is speechless.

In fact, even he doesn't know why that infamous Senior Brother Zhang Yan chose him. However, with the Sword Garden event imminent, Yu Ci wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world.

That night, Li You and Hong Qianqiu were busy fighting, only managing to explain half of the matter. But when Yu Ci later asked Meng Wei, he finally understood the whole story.

The so-called "Sword Garden" meeting, in its original sense, should be a day to enter the Sword Garden, where the ancestors are buried, to pay respects and clean the area. However, after tens of thousands of years of evolution, its meaning has greatly changed. It has become a grand event for all practitioners of Sword cultivation, or to put it broadly, an opportunity for all Sword cultivation practitioners to seek their fortune.

Within the Sword Garden, not only are the remains of the predecessors buried, but also hundreds of unique and high-quality sword scriptures and secret methods, which have long become ownerless. Moreover, it is rumored that in that gloomy graveyard, the thoughts left by the great supernatural powers have turned into immortal spirits, wandering around. Once touched, one would gain insights into the Sword Way that have been accumulated over hundreds or thousands of years, saving a century of cultivation effort.

Such temptation, who among those committed to the Sword Way could refuse?

Even Yu Ci, who doesn't value external things, is incredibly drawn to it.

Meng Wei's summary is very concise: one's position in the sect, elders' approval, and character can all be seen clearly during the Minor Incantation Ceremony. But to confirm one's Cultivation Level, test one's will, and self-assess one's standard, at this stage, nothing compares to the Sword Garden.

How could Yu Ci miss such a thrilling spectacle?

...