Chapter 3 Sword-Shaped Pendant

In a fit of rage, the green-eyed giant snake sent everyone flying through the air. Zhang Bin had hardly any spiritual power left, and his body was seriously injured in many places.

Fortunately, he had swallowed the Fire Ganoderma beforehand. Its potent medicinal power was healing his wounds, but despite that, he was still violently spitting out blood.

His body fell into a ravine, the fall nearly breaking all his bones. The front of his shirt was already soaked in red. Zhang Bin didn't notice that as his blood touched the sword-shaped pendant, it mysteriously vanished.

Boom!

Another strike from the snake's tail, and Zhang Bin was sent flying again. This time he passed out, and the dragon-shaped pendant sank completely into his body, turning into a stream of light and vanishing.

The sword-shaped pendant burrowed into his Dantian, trembling continuously. The surrounding spiritual power rushed toward Zhang Bin, forming a small black hole in his abdomen that absorbed all the incoming spiritual power.

Some of the spiritual power that entered Zhang Bin's body coursed wildly, striking against his meridians. One must know that the spirit veins in his body were not yet opened, so when these stray powers entered, the pain was ten times worse than opening the veins by himself.

Zhang Bin was awakened from his unconsciousness by the pain. Gritting his teeth, he bore it, unaware of what had happened.

When he discovered the perpetrator, he nearly went mad; that small sword inside him was his pendant, and now it was frantically devouring spiritual power.

Although most of the spiritual power was swallowed by that small sword, the small portion that leaked out was more than Zhang Bin could handle.

"Damn, this is already at the ninth tier of Body Refining. If this keeps up, I'll break through to the Chong Vessel stage!"

Humans have nine major spirit veins that traverse the body. Only by opening these veins can spiritual power circulate within the body, creating strength.

Zhang Bin's cultivation rose rapidly, like being on a rocket, quickly reaching the peak of Body Refinement. Clenching his teeth, he prepared to use this power to strike at the spirit veins.

Enduring the pain, he concentrated his spirit, ready to attack the first spirit vein within his body. With his hands forming seals, Zhang Bin launched a full-strength assault, gathering the spiritual power within to strike at that first spirit vein.

Boom!

It was as if an invisible wall stood before him. The spiritual power was scattered, and Zhang Bin's cultivation rapidly declined, falling back to the third rank of Spirit Apprentice.

"Not again!" Zhang Bin roared unwillingly. He had already tried to break through twice and each time had been rebuffed. It seemed as though there was a mysterious force within him firmly locking him down.

"Once more!" Zhang Bin, determined not to be deterred, gathered the spiritual power in his body again and charged at the spirit veins.

Boom! Rumble!

The two forces collided inside Zhang Bin, creating a thunderous noise. He was hit by the force, spitting out another mouthful of blood.

At that moment, a gentle power emerged within him. Zhang Bin knew it was the medicinal power of the Fire Ganoderma. Thankfully, he had taken it in advance; otherwise, he would probably have died by now.

The spiritual power accumulated more and more within Zhang Bin, making his body feel incredibly swollen and painful.

"Damn it, you still absorb, stop it now!" Zhang Bin could now clearly see everything inside his body. He cursed anxiously, but that small sword showed no sign of stopping.

With so much spiritual power now, it should have been able to break through the blockade. Zhang Bin decided to try one more time to break through. But if he failed this time, his end would be being torn apart by the overwhelming spiritual power.

"I'm going all in. Even if there's a sliver of hope, I have to try it!" That was just the kind of person Zhang Bin was, never giving up until the very last moment.

This time, an endless wave of spiritual power surged like a torrent towards the unopened spirit veins.

Boom! The impact sounded like thunder, and black ripples appeared inside Zhang Bin's body. Twisting around his spirit veins, they formed a black lotus.

Mysterious and demonic. The black lotus emitted strands of black air, like thick ink, exuding an aura of ancientness, blocking the spiritual power from entering.

"What is this?" Zhang Bin's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the black lotus within him, "Why would I have such a thing inside me?"

He faintly guessed that his inability to unlock the spirit veins might relate to this mysterious black lotus. "Am I doomed to remain a Spirit Apprentice my whole life? I can't accept that!"

A surge of anger flooded Zhang Bin; he despised his fate, the black lotus within him, and he loathed that his destiny was controlled by someone else!

Buzz!

The small sword seemed to sense Zhang Bin's emotions and began to vibrate intensely. Its body emitted a dream-like glow, and with a flash of sword light, the black lotus was cleaved in two.

This—

Zhang Bin didn't expect the small sword to be so powerful that it could slice the mysterious black lotus in half. He immediately gathered his spiritual power and rushed towards the spirit vein.

With the obstruction of the black lotus gone, Zhang Bin managed to open the first spirit vein with his robust spiritual power. That vein, like a river, directed the spiritual power, forming a complete cycle within his body.

The small sword also stopped devouring spiritual power and floated inside Zhang Bin.

Everything had returned to normal.

Lin Xuan slowly exhaled a breath and completely relaxed his mind. The scene that had just unfolded was so unbelievable that he still dared not trust his own eyes.

"What exactly is that black lotus, and why did it appear inside my body?" Lin Xuan couldn't figure it out. There was also the sword-shaped pendant; how did it make its way into his body, and it seemed to hail from an origin even more mysterious than the black lotus.

This sword-shaped pendant was given to him by his father, and it had just aided him in severing the black lotus, allowing him to open his Spirit Vein. Therefore, Lin Xuan felt that the mysterious small sword was unlikely to harm him.

Lin Xuan checked his body and discovered that his injuries had long healed, and his cultivation had reached the Late-stage of the First-level Mystical Realm. He would soon break through to the Second Rank.

"No matter what, I've opened my Spirit Vein now and will be able to cultivate from now on. I must return to Sword Pond Prefecture to fulfill my father's last wish!"

He was originally from Sword Pond Prefecture, and it was due to someone's scheme that he was driven out. Now that he could cultivate, he was no longer worthless, so he had to take back everything he had lost!

"If I can become a core disciple of the Xuantian Sect, I should be able to return to Sword Pond Prefecture smoothly." With this decision made, Lin Xuan immediately set off for home. The class system within Xuantian Sect was strict; there were Outer Disciples, Inner Sect Disciples, and Core Disciples. It was not easy for Lin Xuan to stand out among the countless young disciples.

"At the start of each month, there is an entry-level assessment. Passing the exam allows one to become an Outer Disciple." Lin Xuan had been here for three months and had already figured out the basics. He leaped up and rushed in the direction of the sect.

...

In the woods, several young men in white robes ran away in a sorry state, their once-clean clothes now stained with blood and dirt.

"Damn it, we were so close to dying here!"

"If it hadn't been for that Green-eyed Giant Snake startling another Fierce Beast and intercepting it, we would have been finished today!"

These bedraggled young men were Zhang Bin and his companions. They had managed to survive, but of the original dozen or so people, now only four remained.

"It's all because of that Sword Slave named Lin Xuan that we've come back empty-handed, wasting a Fire Ganoderma for nothing!"

"I wonder if he's dead. I hope he's still alive so that I can let him know what's worse than death!"

"Hmph, a Third-rank Spirit Disciple subject to such an attack would have died long ago. How could he still be alive? Let's go, we must hurry back. With so many Sword Slaves dead, it's urgent we replenish the fresh blood."

The four rested briefly before running back. They did not stop along the way and finally emerged from the Dark Forest.

"Eh, Brother Feng, look at that person!" A young man exclaimed.

Chen Feng and Zhang Bin looked ahead. To their left front, there was a figure covered in mud, faintly recognizable as someone in gray linen clothes, rushing towards the Xuanjian Sect.

"It's him, he's not dead!" Chen Feng shouted in shock. "Damn it, I'll see how I'm going to kill him!"

"Let's go, let him know that my Fire Ganoderma isn't so easy to steal!" Zhang Bin said with a dark expression.

Swoosh, swoosh!

The four quickened their pace, kicking up a strong wind, and soon they caught up with Lin Xuan.

Huff—

The four surrounded Lin Xuan. With a vicious smile, Chen Feng said, "Boy, I didn't expect you to still be alive, but that's better. I want to kill you slowly!"

"Don't kill him. He's eaten the Fire Ganoderma, so his blood should be filled with medicinal properties now. If we bring him back and draw his blood daily for our cultivation, wouldn't that be even better?" Zhang Bin's demonic and eerie laughter echoed.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath and moved his hand to the hilt of his sword. Xuantian Sect was now in sight, but unexpectedly, he had still been ambushed.

The four facing him included Zhang Bin, whose strength had reached the Third Level of the Mystical Realm, equivalent to a Third-rank Spirit Warrior. Zhang Bin was Second Rank, while the other two were similar in strength to Lin Xuan, all at the First-level Mystical Realm. Under normal circumstances, Lin Xuan was undeniably destined to lose.

Yet, Lin Xuan was not panicked. His expression was calm, his hand holding the sword steady and strong, and his gaze landed on Chen Feng in front of him.

They were now very close to the sect. As long as he could break through and enter, he was confident he would be considerably safer.

These people underestimated him, so they wouldn't take things too seriously; this was his chance to make a move. Once he acted, he had to succeed because they would not give him a second opportunity—in other words, he only had one chance to strike.

With this thought, a surge of excitement rose in Lin Xuan's heart. What kind of power would his sword technique, which he had practiced for three years, have with the aid of Spiritual Power?

"First, break his legs, so he can't run!" Chen Feng drew his Longsword, sweeping toward Lin Xuan's legs.

But at that moment, Lin Xuan moved. He swiftly drew his sword and leaped into the air, like a meteor streaking across the sky, flashing by in an instant.

Puff! Lin Xuan thrust out with his sword and, without looking back, ran towards the sect. His speed surprised everyone.

"Ah! My hand!" At the same time, Chen Feng, holding his right arm, screamed continuously as copious amounts of blood spilled forth, staining the ground red.