Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 349: Arriving at the Sword Pavilion

Three days later, a Sword Boat whistled through the sky above the sea of massive boulders.

"Damn it, the Sword Pavilion has found us!"

"The Sword Pavilion never used to care about us rogue cultivators, right?"

"Are they trying to force us into battle?"

The rogue cultivators despaired.

The Sword Boat picked up Pang Jian and Huang Qi before sailing away from the sea of massive boulders.

"Junior Brother Pang!" a tall Sword Pavilion disciple enthusiastically greeted. "I'm a disciple of Elder Guang He, just like Zhuang Yuyan. I'm her senior brother and my name is Yu Shi.

"I was escorting a group of outer sect disciples to the Third World to prepare for the war against the foreign races. My master sent me a message, instructing me to bring you back to the Sword Pavilion, so I hurried over."

Yu Shi was a tall, burly man in his thirties or forties, with Soul Wandering Realm cultivation.

Pang Jian bowed respectfully.

Yu Shi glanced at Huang Qi. "And this is?"

"A rogue cultivator, Huang Qi."

Yu Shi frowned.

"He's a friend of mine," Pang Jian added.

Only then did Yu Shi relax, smiling as he nodded. "In the future, rogue cultivators will have plenty of opportunities to join major sects and be treated as honored guests."

The Sword Boat soared through the sky.

The boat's layout was identical to the one that had entered the bizarre mist, except Yu Shi was the only one on board.

"I was originally going to escort a group of mortals and cultivators below the Profound Abode Realm from the Red Mountain Sect to the Heaven Awakening Continent in the Second World. But my master urged me not to delay, so I came to bring you up first," Yu Shi explained when he noticed Pang Jian's confusion.

"Thank you for the trouble, Senior Brother Yu." Pang Jian clasped his hands in gratitude.

"It's my duty." Yu Shi laughed heartily.

The two continued to chat, with Yu Shi asking about the Absolute Heaven and sharing news about the Sword Pavilion.

After a while, Yu Shi got up.

"You two chat. I'm going to replenish some spirit jades," he told Pang Jian and Huang Qi.

At that moment, Pang Jian recalled Qi Qingsong mentioning sect infighting back in cave dwelling number fifty-six on the First Peak of the Primordial Wilderness.

Qi Qingson had been slow to advance to the Innate Realm and had tactfully returned to being an outer sect disciple, only to experience the fickleness of human relationships.

According to him, inner sect disciples under the same master fought openly and covertly. There was no real harmony among disciples and plenty of underhanded schemes.

Despite this, all the Sword Pavilion disciples Pang Jian had encountered seemed quite kind, even the ones in Eternal Crossing.

He had not experienced any of the things Qi Qingsong had described.

Puzzled, Pang Jian quietly mentioned this to Huang Qi.

"That's because your status is high—you're a personal disciple of the Pavilion Master. It's only natural for your fellow disciples to fawn over you." Huang Qi chuckled. "If you were an outer sect disciple or a low-ranking inner sect disciple, you'd see how they'd really treat you."

Then, lowering his voice, he added, "If you were only an inner sect disciple, that person down there would've delayed for days before even considering giving you a ride.

"If you were an outer sect disciple, he wouldn't even pick you up. You'd have to figure out how to get to the Sword Boat yourself. And you'd have to arrive at the agreed-upon place and time, or they wouldn't even bring you along."

As a rogue cultivator, Huang Qi was well-versed in the unspoken rules and discriminatory nature of sects.

"If you hadn't said we were friends, do you think he would have even looked at me twice, given my status as a mere rogue cultivator?" Huang Qi sneered.

Pang Jian fell into deep thought.

A few days later, the Sword Boat stopped above the Heaven Awakening Continent.

Huang Qi expressed his gratitude to Yu Shi and bid farewell to Pang Jian. "Thank you. Until we meet again."

The Sword Boat continued toward the Sword Pavilion.

"He's from the Providence Sect," Yu Shi said after Huang Qi left.

Pang Jian turned his head, frowned, and asked, "Senior Brother Yu, is that a problem?"

"Not really." Yu Shi smiled and explained, "It's just that our Sword Pavilion destroyed the Providence Sect. The body-refining techniques of the Providence Sect were also collected and placed in our library. I'm just worried he harbors a grudge over the destruction of his sect and will cause you trouble in the future."

"Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother," Pang Jian responded casually.

"It's my duty, no trouble at all," Yu Shi said with a smile.

As the Sword Boat passed by majestic mountains and rivers, Yu Shi earnestly explained more about the Second World, "The three most powerful sects on the Heaven Awakening Continent are the Sword Pavilion, the Celestial Lagoon Sect, and the Skyveil Cliff Sect.

"However, even the Celestial Lagoon Sect and Skyveil Cliff Sect combined wouldn't match the strength of our Sword Pavilion.

"The aristocratic clans and noble families aren't even worth mentioning, so you don't need to worry about them, Junior Brother.

"The only sect we need to keep an eye out for in the Second World is the Demon Sect," Yu Shi explained.

Pang Jian gently nodded.

Half a day later, a nine-story pavilion came into view.

It resembled a giant spirit sword pointing downward and was suspended mid-air between the mountains.

It exuded an overwhelming aura of sword intent, which resonated with the surrounding mountains to form a unified array.

As the Sword Boat approached, Pang Jian noticed each towering mountain looked and felt like a sword.

Endless sharp sword intents shot toward the sky to link with the towering Sword Pavilion.

"Pang Jian!" Qi Qingsong shouted from a mountain peak, waving with a mischievous grin.

His master, Liu Junhong, also nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Pang Jian!" Zhuang Yuyan called from another peak where she stood with her master, Guang He. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

More people appeared on several other mountain peaks to glance curiously at Pang Jian.

A tall, thin man in blue clothes with an aloof expression called out from the highest peak, "Over here."

Yu Shi steered the Sword Boat to a stop.

"We've arrived. This is the Pavilion Master's Heaven Departure Peak and this is Senior Brother Chen," he explained to Pang Jian. Then, bowing respectfully to the tall, thin man, he said, "Senior Brother Chen, I've brought him."

"Hmm." The tall, thin man named Chen Weihuang nodded. As Pang Jian landed, he handed him a brand-new sword token and said, "This is your inner sect disciple sword token."

Pang Jian respectfully accepted the sword token and bowed. "Greetings, Senior Brother."

"Our master is still handling affairs in the First World." Chen Weihuang pointed to the towering nine-story Sword Pavilion and said seriously, "With this token, you're granted one chance to enter the Sword Pavilion and freely choose a sword.

"If a divine sword chooses you, that's your good fortune."

Yu Shi looked utterly shocked.

"Qi Qingsong, Zhuang Yuyan, and the other survivors of the bizarre mist came out alive thanks to Pang Jian," Chen Weihuang said coldly, glancing at Yu Shi. "The information they brought back and the contributions they made are more than enough to earn Pang Jian an opportunity to choose a sword."

"I understand!"

Yu Shi quickly piloted the Sword Boat over to Guang He's side.

The four elders, Guang He, Liu Junhong, Wang Ce, and Xu Yu, all stared expectantly at the Sword Pavilion. It was clear they already knew about this.

"Can he really choose a divine sword?" Yu Shi could not help but ask.

"A divine sword has a soul. He's not choosing the sword—the sword is choosing him." Guang He snorted. "The so-called opportunity to choose a sword is actually just the chance to be chosen. I'd like to see whether the one Qi Qingsong and Zhuang Yuyan have praised so highly, and whom the Pavilion Master has taken as his final disciple, is worthy of being chosen."

"Master, how many people in our recorded history have been chosen by a divine sword?" Zhuang Yuyan asked in a low voice.

Guang He sneered, "How many divine swords are there? How many can be chosen?"

***

Liu Junhong pressed his fingers to his forehead and used his divine soul to study Pang Jian. "I can't quite gauge his cultivation realm. I can't directly enter his sea of consciousness to investigate, but his divine soul feels different from yours.

"You refined your divine soul with divine sense imbued with divine essence, but the aura of your divine soul is still faint and ethereal.

"But he's different. His divine soul's aura is solid and much more refined.

"That's not typical for a cultivator in the Spirit Condensation Realm," Liu Junhong said, slightly perplexed. "Even some Soul Wandering Realm cultivators don't have that aura. It's strange."

Qi Qingsong scratched his nose and laughed. "I guess my talent isn't quite on par."

"No, it's not just about talent." Liu Junhong shook his head.

Qi Qingsong pondered aloud, "There are only three divine swords left. Do you think Pang Jian can win one of their approval?"

"Getting a sacred sword would already be quite an achievement." Liu Junhong frowned., "There are only a few exceptional cases, like that freakish girl from the Li Family. Most people can't expect a divine sword to recognize them right away. Don't aim too high and lose sight of reality."

***

"So, that's Pang Jian, the new personal disciple of the Pavilion Master."

"I heard the Pavilion Master holds him in very high regard. Supposedly, his potential surpasses even Senior Brother Zhao's and he's likely to inherit the Pavilion Master's legacy. Some elders have even said he'll restore the Sword Pavilion to its rightful place."

"Is the Pavilion Master planning to pass down his position to him?"

Several female disciples of the Sword Pavilion watched the distant Heaven Departure Peak, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Elder Wang Ce stood nearby, and hearing their conversation, said calmly, "In our Sword Pavilion, we value both cultivation talent and one's talent with the sword."

***

On the Heaven Departure Peak, Pang Jian's senior brother, Chen Weihuang gave a few instructions before coldly saying, "Go on. Many are watching. Don't bring shame to our master, and don't let anyone question his judgment in choosing you."

"I understand," Pang Jian acknowledged

Everyone Pang Jian had met so far from the Sword Pavilion had been warm and friendly toward him, and Chen Weihuang was the first person to treat him indifferently.

After reflecting on it, Pang Jian realized that Chen Weihuang did not need to be particularly kind to him due to his status as Li Zhaotian's eldest disciple and his late-stage Soul Wandering Realm cultivation.

Pang Jian grasped his new sword token, infused it with spiritual power, and used it to rise into the air.

Whoosh!

He flew straight toward the nine-story Sword Pavilion.

"My disciple, I wish you the best of luck. Bring back a divine sword and make your master proud." Li Zhaotian's cheerful voice echoed from the sword token.

Curious and scrutinizing gazes from the surrounding mountain peaks converged on Pang Jian as he sped toward the Sword Pavilion from the Heaven Departure Peak.

As Pang Jian flew, he sensed dozens of faint soul threads, like strands of seaweed, lightly resting on his shoulders and back, attentively monitoring his every move.

Boom!

Pang Jian landed on the ninth floor of the Sword Pavilion.

A cacophony of strange noises erupted around him the moment his feet touched the ground.