Chapter 6: The Trial of the Valley of the Silent Sword

Unknowingly, ten days had slipped by.

After this period of arduous cultivation, Bai Yue Ning felt the bottleneck of the fifth layer of Qi Refinement begin to loosen; a true breakthrough to the sixth layer was now within reach.

She rose and opened the window, letting the dim morning light seep into the shadowed room.

Knock, knock, knock!

A sudden, urgent knocking shattered the brief tranquility within.

Bai Yue Ning’s heart skipped; alertness surged through her as she sprang to her feet and looked toward the door.

She sensed a slight tremor from the gray cloth-wrapped bundle on the table—a confused and wary thought surfaced from Ye Ming, just awakened by the commotion.

“Who is it? So early in the morning—what’s happened now?”

Outside, Zhou Qing Wan’s voice called, “Junior Sister Bai, open the door.”

“Hurry to the Hall of Attendants. Elder Li has summoned you. It concerns your previous mission... and your sword.”

Bai Yue Ning’s expression shifted; her gaze darted to the inconspicuous gray cloth roll on the table.

What was inevitable had come at last. As expected, Zhou Qing Wan had reported her.

That inexplicable sword strike, and those beast bones and fangs reduced to powder, had finally aroused suspicion.

She drew a deep breath, forcibly steadying her racing heart.

Ye Ming, too, grew tense, his usually brash tone now strained but trying to sound composed:

“Elder Li? The one in charge? If he wants to see us, so be it!”

“We haven’t done anything unforgivable. Just keep calm—don’t let anything slip.”

Bai Yue Ning ignored him, took a moment to compose herself, and replied as evenly as she could, “Understood, Senior Sister Zhou—I’m coming.”

She opened the door. Zhou Qing Wan stood outside, her expression as calm as ever.

Yet her gaze lingered on Bai Yue Ning’s face for a moment, then, seemingly by chance, swept over the tightly wrapped longsword in her hands.

“Let’s go. Elder Li does not tolerate tardiness.”

...

The side hall of the Hall of Attendants was steeped in solemnity.

At the head, behind a broad, dark wooden desk, sat the Outer Sect’s chief attendant elder—Li Qi Feng—whose cultivation had reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

His face was lean, his eyes deep and steady, and at his sides stood several disciples with measured presences.

Bai Yue Ning entered the hall, unconsciously tightening her grip on the gray-cloth-wrapped sword.

She could sense Ye Ming growing taut as well, his usual rowdiness much subdued.

“This old man is no simple character, and those around him aren’t easy to deal with either. Be careful—whatever you do, don’t act rashly!”

“Disciple Bai Yue Ning greets Elder Li.”

Li Qi Feng’s gaze swept over her, finally settling on the bundle she clutched.

His fingertip tapped lightly on the desk. A memory jade, which recorded the slaying of the Iron-Armored Rhinoceros, floated up and projected a blurred, wavering image.

The scene froze on Bai Yue Ning’s desperate, decisive sword strike.

The blade was dull and riddled with cracks, yet it had pierced unerringly deep into the massive beast’s open maw.

At last, Li Qi Feng spoke. “Fifth layer of Qi Refinement—facing a second-rank demonic beast, the Iron-Armored Rhinoceros, and you slew it head-on.”

“The image is unclear, but this result cannot be faked.”

“Zhou Qing Wan mentioned that your sword is quite unusual.”

“She also claimed you used some ‘ancient method’ to draw out the essence from beast bones and repair your blade?”

Bai Yue Ning steadied herself and recited the explanation she had carefully prepared on the way.

“Reporting to Elder, two days ago in the abandoned mine at the back of the mountain, I chanced upon this sword.”

“Beside it was a half-torn beast hide, covered with archaic script...”

“I could just barely decipher words like ‘spirit infusion’, ‘essence drawing’, and ‘nourishing the artifact’—I surmised it described a lost method for restoring damaged weapons.”

“Seeing how badly the sword was damaged, I decided to give it a try.”

“The method required special materials rich in pure vital energy. In my haste, I used the bone spurs and fangs of the Iron-Maned Boar to experiment with it, and to my surprise, it worked.”

“As for the battle with the Iron-Armored Rhinoceros, I acted out of fear for Senior Sister Liu’s safety, and struck with all I had. It was luck, nothing more. Regarding the sword…”

She lifted the gray-wrapped bundle slightly.

“After acquiring it, I sensed something strange about the blade. Fearing unforeseen consequences, I dared not show it to others, so I kept it wrapped.”

The hall fell silent.

Li Qi Feng’s fingers tapped unconsciously on the polished table, making a soft, rhythmic sound.

The attendant disciples behind him exchanged glances—some curious, some skeptical, and some showing interest in the so-called “ancient method.”

Bai Yue Ning felt the sword in her hands grow faintly hot. Ye Ming’s thoughts radiated intense unease and a barely suppressed urge to complain.

“Enough with the tapping! It’s making me nervous. Does he believe us or not? This story is so convincing, I’m almost buying it myself.”

“Just don’t ask for a demonstration—I don’t have any bones to use right now.”

“Spirit-infusing ancient method…”

Li Qi Feng repeated the words slowly, his eyes once more sweeping over the gray bundle. “I have never heard of such a thing. Where is the remnant scroll?”

“At the time, concerned for the sword, I only took it in my haste. The hide was left deep in the mine. I tried to retrieve it later, but it had been buried by fallen rocks—impossible to recover.”

Li Qi Feng fell silent, and an intangible spiritual pressure spread through the air.

Bai Yue Ning felt a tightness in her chest; even the flow of spiritual power inside her grew sluggish and heavy.

This was the natural suppression of a higher cultivation realm.

Ye Ming’s thoughts, too, felt strangled, his voice coming in broken fragments:

“This pressure is unbearable… He’s doing it on purpose!”

Just as Bai Yue Ning was about to collapse, Li Qi Feng abruptly withdrew his spiritual pressure.

He spoke dispassionately. “Enough. Accidents of fate are part of your fortune.”

“This method is strange, but if it can repair your sword and help you slay monsters, then so be it.”

“Still, external things are only aids. The foundation of a cultivator lies within their own strength! Do not become obsessed with clever tricks and neglect your true cultivation base.”

“Disciple will remember Elder’s teachings!” Bai Yue Ning exhaled in relief, quickly bowing in acknowledgment.

Ye Ming’s thoughts pulsed with the relief of one who’d survived a great calamity, though he kept himself from making any noise.

Was it over?

Li Qi Feng nodded faintly, his expression returning to placid stillness.

“You three have completed the temporary mission of defeating the second-rank Iron-Armored Rhinoceros well. According to the rules, your contribution points remain as earned. There is another matter.”

He turned to a nearby attendant disciple.

The disciple understood, producing a leaf-shaped token the size of a palm and presenting it to Bai Yue Ning.

The token was neither gold nor jade; its surface felt warm and slightly resilient, like living wood, and it bore an ancient character: “Yi.”

“In three days, the ‘Sunken Sword Valley’ at the back of the mountain will open—the Yi District trial quota. Are you willing to go?”

The Yi District of Sunken Sword Valley!

Among the myriad outer disciples of Azure Cloud Sect, only one in a hundred could enter the Sunken Sword Valley trial.

The valley was perilous, but full of opportunities—a perfect place to break through bottlenecks and temper one’s combat skills.

The Yi District was one of the core areas; it was said that disciples had once found fragments of ancient sword techniques and rare spiritual materials there.

This reward was unexpectedly generous, but Bai Yue Ning’s instincts immediately sounded a warning—such a benefit, right after being questioned?

At that moment, Ye Ming’s voice sounded, full of unfiltered confusion:

“Sunken Sword Valley? What kind of place is that? Sounds like a dump for broken swords and scraps…”

“Doesn’t sound like there’s anything good there… But, well, something is better than nothing, right?”

Ye Ming’s reaction was devoid of excitement, shaped only by the literal meaning of the name. This, paradoxically, set Bai Yue Ning’s mind at ease.

At least this sword spirit hadn’t started clamoring to “eat its fill.”

Perhaps Elder Li was simply following protocol with this reward?

But she had little choice.

Lack of resources was the greatest hardship for any outer disciple, especially one of her mediocre talent.

Any opportunity at hand had to be seized.

“I am willing,” Bai Yue Ning replied, stifling her doubts and bowing respectfully.

“Good. Keep the token safe. In three days at the hour of the dragon, gather at the valley entrance. You may go.”

She saluted again, clutching the token and the cloth-wrapped sword as she turned to leave the side hall.

Sunken Sword Valley—fraught with both peril and fortune.

No matter what, she must prepare thoroughly for entering the valley three days hence.