Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 294 - 31: Why Did I Say "Again"?

January 20, 2018

The time quickly came to five days later.

In these few days, the atmosphere in the Shen Family Outer Courtyard was suffocatingly strange.

Even though everything seemed orderly: the Outer Courtyard instructors would start the assembly countdown each morning at random times, and every night, after training, over a hundred young boys and girls would still have to rely on their abilities to find lodging. It was just like the rhythm of the past decades, centuries.

However, those amidst it could clearly sense the pressure in the air, akin to the calm before the storm.

Especially as a certain highly anticipated genius of the Outer Courtyard hadn't appeared in the courtyard's training ground for several days.

According to official statements, Shen Qing claimed to have family matters to handle and took a few days off as annual leave to visit his family, but of course, the people in the Outer Courtyard didn't buy this.

Shen Qing, a prodigy who had consistently ranked in the top three in the Outer Courtyard, had received countless awards over the years. It wouldn't be surprising for his accumulated awards to be exchanged for a few months of annual leave, but he had hardly ever taken a vacation in the past decade, except for recently when he accompanied the Hong Hu Brothers on official business, taking the opportunity for a short break — and he was quite unwilling about it.

Therefore, it was absolutely impossible for Shen Qing to take annual leave immediately after a vacation.

In this regard, people in the Outer Courtyard would also discuss it during training breaks.

"Could he be familiarizing himself with the sword nature of Silver Frost?" someone speculated, "The Silver Frost Sword is said to be painstakingly obtained by Uncle Zicheng. Whether it's the sword embryo or the talisman, it has the level of an Immortal Treasure, and overall it possesses power close to an Immortal Treasure. Given time to nurture it slowly, in a hundred years, it will most likely become an authentic Immortal Treasure. Ah, truly enviable."

"Doesn't our family have no lack of Immortal Treasures as well? When the instructor took us to visit the Divine Weapon Vault earlier, there were seven or eight items on display."

An older one mocked, "You actually took those displayed goods seriously? Those are just specimens with form but no substance; many were relics unearthed from the Primordial heritage, and their Divine Power has long been depleted over thousands of years. The truly usable ones are all in the hands of the big figures, who can nurture and refine them day by day; not using good things is a waste."

Someone added, "Moreover, most of the Immortal Treasures on the Xiangzhou Continent today are inherited from the Primordial Era, truly hand-crafted by the Xiangzhou people, can be counted on one hand — even the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect sometimes couldn't craft a suitable Immortal Treasure in a lifetime. Uncle Zicheng crafting a Quasi-Immortal Treasure has practically immortalized his name in history."

"Primordial heritage, though undoubtedly powerful, also places harsh demands on its users; even if Divine Power remains in many Immortal Treasures, without compatible Heart Methods, it's hard to harness them. Now, in the storerooms of major families and sects, including the Saint Sect, most Immortal Treasures on display are like this. To possess an applicable Immortal Treasure is absolutely a rare blessing, let alone the approachable Silver Frost kind... Of course, even if approachable, attempting to harness an Immortal Treasure at the Cloud Flipping Realm level of cultivation, Brother Shen Qing must be having a tough time adapting. It's been five days, wonder how well he has adapted..."

Just as they were engrossed in the discussion, a commotion erupted at the door, prompting them to look over.

A delicate-looking young boy hurried in from outside the courtyard, saying to Shen Herong at the entrance while walking briskly, "Instructor, I need to borrow the Outer Courtyard Sword Chamber to quickly familiarize myself with the sword nature."

As soon as he spoke, a longsword nestled in an Ebony Sword Scabbard at his waist began to quake violently, causing Shen Qing's expression to change. His right hand filled with yellow sand as he forcefully struck the scabbard, causing it to shudder wildly at his waist before it finally calmed down after a moment.

Shen Herong was taken aback: "You really need to familiarize yourself with the sword nature properly."

Shen Qing forced a smile, "This sword has given birth to an initial Sword Spirit… it's a bit mischievous."

Shen Herong nodded, "Oh, then you must nurture it well. A Divine Sword with Spirit Communication, if it cannot resonate with your mind, it will not only be unhelpful in battle but cause trouble instead. Use the Seven Swords Chamber, there's a Sword Suppressing Stone inside specifically for taming those untamed Flying Swords."

Before Shen Qing could thank him, the scabbard at his waist began quaking violently again, like a rebellious bandit raising the banner of revolt.

This time, Shen Qing was not polite; his waist shook as he dropped the long sword onto the ground, and then both hands filled with yellow sand, the grains compacting into a rock with the weighty intent of thick earth, fiercely pounding on the Ebony Sword Scabbard.

Thud thud thud thud...

Each punch sent a tremor through the ground, rippling like water waves; after delivering over a hundred punches, Shen Qing's complexion had turned somewhat pale, and the Ebony Sword Scabbard dimmed, ceasing its struggle.

Shen Herong stood there, dumbfounded.

"Sorry for the show, everyone. Give me three days; three days later, I promise to wield this sword and reclaim honor for the Outer Courtyard!"

Shen Qing gritted his teeth, stood up, strapped the scabbard back to his waist, and strode swiftly towards the Seven Swords Chamber.

The scene fell silent for a long while before the chatter resumed.

Shen Qing's reaction was perceived as peculiar; was the Silver Frost Divine Sword truly inside that Ebony Scabbard? Why was it resisting its Young Master so vehemently?

Moreover, with Shen Qing missing for five days and only now starting to familiarize himself with the sword nature — what had he been doing all these days?

In Shen Garden, Shen Qing had always carried an air of coldness and mystery, with many mysterious rumors circulating about him — especially one gossip bomb Wanqing dropped after defeating Shen Feihong a few days ago, elevating Shen Qing's scandalous profile to new heights.

Nonetheless, before anyone could decipher the discussions, an urgent knocking echoed throughout the Outer Courtyard. Then, before the gatekeeper could verify the incoming person's identity, the two wooden doors, with many Defense Talismans fortified, were forcibly swung open.

Thereafter, a sporadic metallic clatter infiltrated the ear, revealing Shen Zicheng clad fully in handcrafted Bright Silver Armor, hastily running inside, shouting as soon as he crossed the threshold, "Has anyone seen my Silver Frost!?"

Shen Herong was left befuddled, sprayed with flying spit: "Zicheng, you..."

However, Shen Zicheng, seemingly in delirium, stepped forward, grasping Shen Herong's shoulders firmly, shaking him violently: "My Silver Frost, my Silver Frost is gone!!"

Shen Herong found himself shaken to the point of nearly having his brains spilled through his nostrils as he struggled to break free, only to realize the disparity in strength between them was so vast it was beyond contestation — cursed Shen Zicheng, relying on an all-powerful strength-enhanced Silver Armor, indeed had an invincible Divine Power. For a moment, Shen Herong's scar-covered face turned dark as iron, appearing exceedingly sinister.

Yet, Shen Zicheng remained oblivious, relentlessly shaking Shen Herong, with tears already glistening in his eyes: "My Silver Frost, where have you gone! It's your father's fault, I shouldn't have bought you such an ugly Ebony Scabbard, will you please come back! As long as you return, I'll blood sacrifice my wife and children to you!"

This statement was earth-shattering, striking fear in everyone who heard it. As for Shen Herong, he felt as if his brain was about to explode.

Fortunately, just as Shen Zicheng was about to snap, another person walked in from the doorway.

A graceful and beautiful woman with gentle features appeared.

But just as she appeared, and before people could marvel at her beauty, the woman delivered a punch to the back of Shen Zicheng's head, knocking the burly man in heavy armor to the ground without a sound.

"Sorry to embarrass everyone, my husband is not quite himself, please don't take it to heart." With that, the woman lifted Shen Zicheng single-handedly, threw him over her shoulder, and walked away.

It wasn't until the woman's figure disappeared at the end of the street that Shen Herong finally shook off the dizziness and calmed his boiling head. Then, with effort, he stood up and shouted angrily at the onlooking crowd: "What are you looking at?! Hurry up and go train!"

After saying that, Shen Herong turned his gaze toward the Seven Swords Chamber.

Shen Qing, this brat, has never been a straightforward kid, and this time he really pushed the limits.

However, as this was a household matter, Shen Herong couldn't comment much. As an Outer Courtyard instructor, he only needed to handle matters within his jurisdiction.

Now, all he hoped was that the Silver Frost Divine Sword that Shen Qing worked so hard to borrow could truly win honor back for the Outer Courtyard.

In theory, there shouldn't be a problem... after all, this is the miracle of Shen Zicheng's life, the most outstanding crafted object of the Shen Family in nearly two hundred years. No matter how miraculous the Yuqing Taoist Armor is, it's at most equal to Silver Frost. In this way, it all depends on the cultivator's innate strength, and Shen Qing should have a slight edge over Li Wanqing in that regard.

As Li Wanqing mentioned, Shen Qing has undergone the most rigorous military training in Shen City since childhood, and his Child's Skill training is more solid than Li Wanqing's.

——

January 23, 2018

Three days later, Shen Qing emerged as scheduled.

At this moment, not only had the people from the Shen Family Outer Courtyard been waiting anxiously, but even the Li Family members had grown quite impatient.

They didn't travel from Cyan Cloud City to Shen City just to chat and laugh with the Shen Family members in the Outer Courtyard! Having left Cyan Cloud at the beginning of January, over half a month had passed, and they had not even caught a glimpse of Shen Ruoshi!

Being stuffed into the Shen Family Outer Courtyard by Shen Jinghai for ten days, by Shen Jinghai's reckoning, to resolve the feud between the two families, they should start with the young people. During this time, it was unquestionable that the Li Family members had dominated the scene in the Outer Courtyard, becoming the undeniable focus, and the young men of the Shen Family, no matter what they said, were still impressed deep down.

In addition, with the likes of a sociable figure like Li Wanqing in the group, she managed to win over Shen He on the first day and by the fifth day, had won over Shen Mingyue, Shen Qiulan, Shen Feifei, Shen... to the point where many men sadly declared that if this continued, the Shen Family would face extinction!

Neither the Li Family nor the Shen Family could wait any longer.

The life in the Shen Family Outer Courtyard needed to come to an end!

So, when Shen Qing walked out of the Seven Swords Chamber with a weary face, what he saw were nearly a hundred pairs of wolf-like eyes.

"Wh-what's going on!?" Shen Qing instinctively took two steps back, clutching the Silver Frost Sword tightly to his chest, "Did my dad post a sky-high bounty!?"

The people were silent, and the atmosphere in the field grew murderous, making Shen Qing feel as if he had returned to the Chaos Battlefield, with his hair standing on end.

It wasn't until he was ready to draw his sword that someone spoke in a low voice.

"Shen Qing, you have to win."

Next, there was a chorus of affirmations.

"Shen Qing, you have to win."

"You must win!"

With such encouragement, Shen Qing's tension eased, replaced by a rush of fury through him.

Yet, the youth still maintained a calm demeanor, nodding slightly: "Of course, I will win!"

——

Meanwhile, on the training ground, Li Wanqing, clad in full armor, had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Shen Qing approach slowly, Li Wanqing waved enthusiastically: "I've been waiting for you for a long time, I heard you borrowed an Immortal Sword, I can't wait to see it."

Shen Qing nodded, without any pleasantries, directly drawing the Silver Frost Sword from its Ebony Scabbard, its blade sweeping across the field like frost under the moon, displaying extraordinary divine power.

At this moment, Shen Qing suddenly noticed that Li Wanqing also brought a long sword this time.

The sword was three feet four inches long, two inches wide, white as jade, with restrained sharpness.

What kind of sword is this?