Chapter 34: Inverted V

Li Mengze had another reason for following Wei Qingtong: the inheritance of sword cultivation. For Kunlun, this was of great importance. The reason so many elite sword cultivators in the Golden Core stage had come from Kunlun this time was partly to pursue this legacy.

Kunlun was renowned as the best training ground for sword cultivators, boasting countless sword techniques. Yet, ancient sword cultivator legacies were rare. If another sect obtained one, there was a chance to barter it back; but if a rogue cultivator claimed it, all hope was lost.

With the centennial competition fast approaching, Kunlun’s title as the top sect in cultivation could not be shaken. This not only affected future resources but also the territories under their jurisdiction, all of which would be redivided.

Ba Yicheng and Wei Qingtong were Kunlun’s leading sword prodigies. Either would be suitable for the inheritance, ensuring the legacy would not be interrupted as it had with the protagonist’s half-hearted guardians in the past.

Li Mengze was confident about the trial for the sword inheritance. There was no need for trickery; she believed she could obtain it outright.

As for the location of the sword legacy, Li Mengze knew it, but she could not lead them there so openly.

Fortunately, it seemed Wei Qingtong truly possessed remarkable luck. After choosing a few random paths, he drew ever closer to the heart of the inheritance site.

At the center was a Transmission Hall, resembling a twelve-story pagoda. There was no limit to how many cultivators could enter at once, but each chose a different passage inside. If one failed a trial, they would be automatically transported out. From the sixth floor onward, each level’s reward included a chapter of a technique. The spirit of the pagoda would select the most suitable recipient from those present. If only one entered, there was no choice to be made.

The loyal dog male lead had managed to obtain the inheritance previously because the pagoda’s spirit was about to dissipate and, out of necessity, chose him, though he was not the most suitable.

Now, the outcome was bound to change. With the protagonist’s golden finger weakened, would the heavens compensate her elsewhere?

Li Mengze chuckled to herself. Treasures were never so easily found; if one was lost here, it would not simply reappear elsewhere.

Both Li Mengze and Ba Yicheng were true misers, though for different reasons: one was born with a love for money; the other, raised as a successor, had grown used to managing resources for his peak and was sensitive to wealth.

The two were now in perfect accord, eager to dig up every inch of ground along the way. Even ordinary rainflower stone tiles were pried up and stowed in their storage bags. Xu Xiangyuan shook his head repeatedly, thinking with such future peak masters, Sword-Hiding Peak’s disciples would never lack for riches.

Wei Qingtong and Wen Yuanyuan were unfazed. One had grown accustomed to that stoic face—smiling only when necessary, always dignified in social situations, but otherwise remaining expressionless. The other was thoroughly familiar with their habits; Li Mengze, as a child, had tried to stuff every unfamiliar stone into her storage bag, claiming one should never miss unknown treasures. For a time, everyone speculated her childhood must have been terribly hard, or perhaps she was abused by her parents.

Later, when her parents visited, they realized some people were simply born with a love for wealth.

Li Mengze gazed at the pagoda that had appeared out of nowhere, then at the protagonist who had arrived at the same time.

She was exasperated—had they arrived late yet again, missing the crucial moment?

Bai Lian and Wang Mingzhe, upon entering the inheritance domain, had avoided the crowded main hall, choosing a quiet path few noticed. There, they stumbled upon the pagoda and, upon entering, discovered a world within. Though Bai Lian gained nothing, Mingzhe obtained an unexpected legacy.

Exiting the pagoda, Bai Lian and Wang Mingzhe said nothing, nervously departing while guarding against any sudden attacks from the others. After all, only the two of them had come out; no one would believe they had gained nothing. As they passed, Bai Lian wondered why the young female cultivator looked so familiar, but after much thought, she could not recall any meeting. Perhaps it was just a fleeting encounter.

Watching Bai Lian and Wang Mingzhe disappear, Ba Yicheng rubbed his chin, thinking he’d believed only he and his fellow disciples had avoided the main hall to search for treasures elsewhere. Now, it seemed no one was a fool. He glanced at the two elders who had gone to the main hall, reflecting that sometimes even smart people could make foolish choices.

His subtle gaze did not escape Xu Xiangyuan and Wei Qingtong. Wei Qingtong showed no reaction, since their purpose for entering the secret realm was not for amusement—they had their own needs and sect tasks, so they could not act freely. Even if they suspected the main hall was a decoy, they had to explore it. Luckily, they did not leave empty-handed.

Thinking of this, Xu Xiangyuan felt quite pleased and let Ba Yicheng’s “foolish” look slide. Who was truly the fool remained to be seen.

But upon turning and seeing Wei Qingtong’s stoic face, Xu Xiangyuan’s mood plummeted. This fellow was someone the whole nation envied and admired to no end. When the gap in ability was small, one could strive to catch up, but when the difference became insurmountable, he truly felt a sense of resignation.

Nonsense, he was no failure; he was still the dream elder of many Kunlun Mountain junior sisters—handsome, elegant, and impressive.

Wei Qingtong, Li Mengze, and Wen Yuanyuan ignored the two buffoons, focusing on the pagoda before them.

Wei Qingtong thought: This pagoda appeared out of thin air. Though it’s part of the secret realm, it should be a magical artifact. Perhaps, after refining it, it could be carried about. The peak master of Ten Thousand Sword Ridge was rumored to possess such a portable palace, obtained by refining a jade slip in a secret realm. This may be of the same kind.

Wen Yuanyuan mused: The pagoda gleams brilliantly with subdued radiance. Who knows what materials were used to forge it? Perhaps, after emerging, one could forcefully pry a piece off.

She began weighing whether she had any artifact capable of breaking the pagoda.

Li Mengze wondered: Is this sword inheritance meant solely for the protagonist, off limits to all others? Many claim that fortune is truly a mysterious thing. How then should she prevent Kunlun’s reputation from waning during the centennial competition?

Just then, as the group pondered, a passage opened in the center of the pagoda, wide enough for one person.

A hoarse elder’s voice echoed: “Trial Tower is open. Four disciples may enter: cultivation levels are mid Golden Core, late Golden Core, mid Nascent Soul, mid Nascent Soul. Please proceed.”

Li Mengze looked around—was even the artifact spirit ignoring her? Did she count for nothing? Though she knew her current body couldn’t withstand any intense trials, it was still hard to accept being so disregarded.

Li Mengze saw the others stifling their laughter and resigned herself to squatting aside, drawing circles.

Even as the others entered the Trial Tower, they could not ignore Li Mengze; she was now so frail that even a mortal could defeat her. Her safety had to be ensured.

Wei Qingtong, being the most versatile among them, set up a comprehensive formation for protection. Li Mengze felt grateful to him, appreciating the thoughtful arrangement that gave her space to move rather than just a cramped spot.

During this period, Li Mengze did not idle. Though she could not enter her spatial domain—

Indeed, ever since the elemental fire was unsealed, she had been unable to access the space. At first, she thought it had been burned away, but after calming down and communicating with the artifact spirit, she learned that another part of the seal had formed, requiring time to restore itself and refusing entry to any living being.

Unable to enter the space, she sat in the formation, slowly absorbing and refining the elemental fire, aided by high-grade spirit-restoring pills. She managed to repair some of her consciousness, damaged by the fire, and finally regained a bit of spiritual power to activate artifacts, ensuring she had some means of self-defense.

At this moment, inside the Trial Tower, Wei Qingtong stood amidst a sea of fire, holding a pitch-black longsword. If Kunlun disciples saw it, they would be puzzled—it was not his usual white-bladed sword, but another, never seen before.

Wei Qingtong was immersed in his consciousness. In this illusion, he was discovered using demonic techniques and, branded a traitor, expelled from Kunlun and ostracized by the righteous path. Former brothers now turned their swords against him.

His father was controlled by other Kunlun cultivators and imprisoned on the Reflection Cliff; his mother, with his newborn brother, was also shunned by the sect. Forced into the Demon Realm, he became a hunted outcast.

When he was ambushed and wounded, a mortal girl saved him, not knowing he was a demon cultivator. She cared for him wholeheartedly. Over time, they fell in love and married, eventually having a lovely son. He thought life would remain peaceful, and when he broke through to the Divine Transformation stage, he would establish his own sect and their days would improve.

One day, his wife took their child out. He was on the verge of breaking through, deep in cultivation, when a wave of killing intent arose behind him.

His wife, face twisted with madness, stared at him: “All these years enduring you, bearing your child, it was only to lull you into complacency. We are from opposite paths—righteous and demonic. I’ve longed to destroy you. How could I ever love you?”