"Hurry up and pick up that Vault of Divine Sword Heart and fuse it into your body!"

Loris also followed, roaring hoarsely, "Taryn, hurry and pick it up!"

"If someone else discovers it, won’t you be finished?!"

"If you take it back now, there’s still time!"

"Pick it up! I’m begging you, hurry and pick it up..."

The elders, every single one of them, wore faces full of life-doubting despair. They even started pleading.

However, no matter how they shouted and screamed, Alex fundamentally couldn’t hear them. He just scrutinized that precious sword and walked off on his own, disappearing from the range of the light curtain.

The elders looked at each other, then looked at the Vault of Divine Sword Heart lying quietly on the ground like a piece of garbage.

Their faces full of life-doubting despair.

It was estimated that even the Vault of Divine Sword Heart itself never expected this.

After experiencing thousands of years, reappearing in the mortal realm under the highly anticipated gaze of the masses, it was actually treated like garbage and casually tossed to the side.

...

After Alex was the first to reach the summit and seize the championship, the mountain peak fell into a long period of tranquility.

After a long while, a woman was finally seen walking over from the distance. None other than Aya Cale.

Originally, seeing the mountain peak silent and devoid of human presence along the way, Aya was still excited in her heart.

But after arriving and seeing that the treasure chest had already been opened, her eyes instantly dimmed, she couldn’t help but sigh.

"I didn’t expect that even after rushing desperately and going all out, I was still one step slower than someone else."

"Truly, there is always someone better, and a heaven beyond heaven."

Aya pondered secretly about who had reached the summit and opened the treasure chest one step ahead of her.

Was it Senior Sister Isolde, who had entered the sect long before her and had already broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm? Or was it that Blair, publicly acknowledged as the dark horse most likely to win the championship?

Just as Aya was silently guessing, her peripheral vision suddenly noticed a burst of dazzling white light.

"Hmm?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"What is this?"

She revealed a look of suspicion, bending down to pick up the Vault of Divine Sword Heart from the ground.

"Such... such pure sword intent!"

"Could it be that this is some leftover scrap the champion intentionally left behind for me after taking the fortuitous encounter?"

While muttering to herself, Aya probingly released a mass of spiritual energy, pouring it from her fingertips into the Vault of Divine Sword Heart.

In a mere instant, she suddenly felt as if she were situated above the starry Vault of Divine. What lingered around her body were not brilliant stars, but streaks of boundless light swords, permeating with intense sword intent.

Aya was completely stunned, at a loss for what to do.

After a long while, she finally raised her hand probingly, watching the starlight sword brilliance flow down along her fingertips. Regaining her senses, she abruptly discovered that a dense sword intent was already flowing within the blood in her body.

It was as if she had suddenly gained an entirely new comprehension toward the Dao of practicing the sword.

...

Hiding in the shadows, Alex watched Aya fuse with the Vault of Divine Sword Heart and begin accepting the profound mysteries of the Nine Stars Divine Sword Technique. He stroked his chin and nodded with a satisfied smile.

"Not bad. It seems this girl’s compatibility with the Nine Stars Divine Sword Technique is fairly decent."

"Handing the Vault of Divine Sword Heart over to her, I can be considered at ease."

At first, Alex had intended to fuse with the Vault of Divine Sword Heart himself to obtain the Vault of Divine Sword Body and the Nine Stars Divine Sword Technique. But on second thought, he dropped the idea.

Firstly, he already possessed the Vault of Divine Mirror and the Vault of Divine Magatama, and could summon the Vault of Divine World-Destroying Sword at any time.

If he fused with the Vault of Divine Sword Heart on top of that, wouldn’t he completely become a carbon copy of the Evergreat Sword Ancestor?

It was true that Alex pursued formidable power, thirsting for it and resorting to any means necessary.

But to have him completely replicate someone else’s path, and even be called the Evergreat Sword Ancestor Reborn by the people of the world? Alex was absolutely too lazy to do such a thankless task.

Secondly, this Vault of Divine Sword Heart was the fortuitous encounter Knox obtained in the original novel.

To prevent Knox’s Protagonist Halo from activating and causing the Providence Luck to affect him, most of the fortuitous encounters belonging to Knox that Alex snatched away, he wouldn’t keep for himself. He would instead distribute them to his subordinates.

For example, the Innate Poison Cloud he obtained previously in the Thousand Poisons Demon Cave. Alex had given it to Joanna, allowing her to obtain the Innate Poison King Saint Body. The Vault of Divine Sword Heart was the same.

After all, these resources originally belonged to the protagonist.

If he, the ultimate villain, occupied them, there was a risk of being retaliated against by the Protagonist Halo.

But if an insignificant supporting character from the original novel obtained them, then he wouldn’t have this concern.

"Hmm, although this girl isn’t a disciple of my Hale family, and I can’t be certain whether she will be loyal to me in the future..."

"Forget it, forget it."

Alex waved his hand and yawned lazily. "Whether she is loyal to me or becomes an enemy of this seat, it doesn’t matter."

"Just consider it the reward for you delivering food and drink to me every day for the past month. Bringing so much good wine and good food."

...

In mid-air, after seeing this scene through the Divine Secret Sphere, the crowd of elders were all completely dumbfounded.

"The Vault of Divine Sword Heart... was picked up by a little girl?"

"This luck is a bit too good, isn’t it?"

"Speaking of which... who is she?"

When the assessment just started, everyone’s attention was mostly on Blair, the dark horse who had long been talked about with great relish.