Chapter 686: Moon Burial
If it were possible to cultivate within the Sword Pavilion for several months, it would naturally be a dream come true for any sword cultivator.
However, Zhang Ruochen did not dare to do so.
Although he had now reached the fifth change of the Fish-Dragon Realm and had opened a second sacred meridian, the sacred qi within his body could only sustain the transformation of his appearance for at most five days.
Beyond five days, he would revert to his original form.
Within the Sword Pavilion, not only was Moon Burial Sword Saint guarding the tower, but there were also nine Sword Holders. Additionally, several half-saint-level sword cultivators with profound cultivation were in seclusion within the pavilion, striving to elevate their realms.
If Zhang Ruochen were to remain in the Sword Pavilion for several months in a row, his identity would undoubtedly be exposed.
Yet, giving up this opportunity would also be a tremendous loss for Zhang Ruochen.
After careful deliberation, Zhang Ruochen said, "I can agree to represent the Liangyi Sect in the Sword Discussion Assembly, and I am very much looking forward to entering the Sword Pavilion to cultivate. However, I also have a condition—I’m just not sure if you can agree to it?"
Gai Tianjiao’s face lit up with joy. "As long as your condition isn’t too unreasonable, I believe the Sword Saint will surely agree. Of course, before that, you must also gain the approval of Moon Burial Sword Saint. Come on! Follow me to pay respects to Moon Burial Sword Saint."
Zhang Ruochen turned his head once more to glance at the altar at the center of the square before following Gai Tianjiao up the white stone sacred cliff, heading toward that towering pagoda.
Originally, Zhang Ruochen had wanted to investigate that altar to uncover the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Altar.
After careful thought, as long as he could gain the approval of Moon Burial Sword Saint, he would naturally have plenty of opportunities in the future, so there was no need to rush.
Through his recent period of cultivation, Zhang Ruochen’s "Formless and Featureless Thirty-Six Transformations" had improved further. His control over his aura, bones, flesh, and martial soul had reached an extremely refined level. As long as he was cautious, he should be able to deceive Moon Burial Sword Saint.
The Sword Pavilion appeared to be a tower, but in reality, it was an extremely powerful sacred artifact. Both its defensive and offensive capabilities far exceeded ordinary imagination.
Standing at the base of the Sword Pavilion, even with Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation, he felt a suffocating pressure. That ancient, sacred, and sharp aura could suppress even half-saints, forcing them to bow their heads and walk forward.
The gate on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion opened, and from within, strands of white mist surged out, forming a bridge of mist. Within that mist bridge, white, cyan, and blue swords flew about, producing a "whoosh, whoosh" sound.
Gai Tianjiao bowed three times toward the Sword Pavilion before striding straight through the white mist and heading toward the pavilion’s entrance.
Zhang Ruochen also bowed three times and followed behind Gai Tianjiao, stepping through the gate of the Sword Pavilion.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the scene before Zhang Ruochen’s eyes transformed. He found himself inside a massive hall.
The hall was square-shaped, one hundred zhang in both length and width. Ten golden pillars stood in a grid pattern, supporting the structure. The floor was inlaid with golden stone slabs, while the surrounding walls were made of a material resembling white jade.
Within the hall, rows of bookshelves were arranged, filled with various sword manuals.
"Wenxin Sword Art."
"Clear Spring Sword Manual."
...
There were paper sword manuals, iron-bound books, and some inscribed on jade, tortoise shells, and bones, with extremely ancient script.
Seeing the shocked expression on Zhang Ruochen’s face, Gai Tianjiao said, "The first floor of the Sword Pavilion has a total of seventy-two chambers. Among them, thirty-six chambers store various sword technique manuals, along with insights and experiences left by sword cultivators throughout the ages."
"The other thirty-six chambers are more miscellaneous. Some store 'Famous Swords of the World,' some store 'Sacred Intent Diagrams,' some store treasures that aid in comprehending sword techniques, and some are reserved for Liangyi Sect sword cultivators to go into seclusion and cultivate."
"The place we are in now is the Qingzi Number One Chamber."
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze shifted to the wall of the hall, where the characters "Qing Yi" were embossed.
"Isn’t the space on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion a bit too vast?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
If all seventy-two chambers were as enormous as the Qingzi Number One Chamber, then the space on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion would be truly astonishing.
Clearly, the Sword Pavilion was a time-space treasure with a vast internal space.
Zhang Ruochen had sensed this the moment he stepped into the Sword Pavilion.
The reason he deliberately showed a puzzled expression and asked the question was entirely to appear as normal as possible. Wouldn’t a normal person be surprised to see a time-space treasure?
Gai Tianjiao led the way ahead, saying, "The Sword Pavilion is certainly not just a tower. The place we are in now is merely the first floor. The space on the second floor is several times larger than the first."
Zhang Ruochen carefully sensed his surroundings and noticed that the flow of time on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion was also different from the outside world.
Two days inside the tower equaled one day outside.
Of course, such a temporal change could only be detected by Zhang Ruochen.
"No wonder the Taiji Dao headquarters and the three great sects all want to seize the Sword Pavilion. Just the temporal change alone is enough to significantly boost the strength of a superpower within a hundred years."
At present, the first floor of the Sword Pavilion alone had a twofold time acceleration.
What about the second floor?
The third floor?
Zhang Ruochen set aside his thoughts, striving to remain calm as he followed Gai Tianjiao to the Qingzi Number Eighteenth Chamber.
The Qingzi Number Eighteenth Chamber was also a hall one hundred zhang in length and width. At its center stood a cylindrical platform.
Atop the platform sat a refined-looking man who appeared to be around fifty years old. He wore a purple robe, his skin was extremely fair, and his purple hair was tied up with a purple-gold Taoist crown.
Seated up there, he seemed to absorb all the light and heat of heaven and earth, as if he had become the center of the universe, causing everything in the hall to pale in comparison.
This man was one of the three great sword saints of the Eastern Domain—Moon Burial Sword Saint.
"Greetings, Sword Saint."
Gai Tianjiao and Zhang Ruochen simultaneously bowed to Moon Burial Sword Saint.
Moon Burial Sword Saint opened his eyes, revealing two brilliant purple pupils. He glanced at the two of them and then smiled, saying, "No need for formalities. Please, sit."
Gai Tianjiao and Zhang Ruochen sat down on two meditation cushions, one on the left and one on the right.
Only then did Zhang Ruochen look up at Moon Burial Sword Saint above him, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Atop the platform, there was not a person but a mass of qi.
Moon Burial Sword Saint’s true body was not present here.
Moon Burial Sword Saint’s gaze, like two sharp swords, fixed on Zhang Ruochen, and he chuckled, "Lin Yue, I have heard of you. You obtained three ancestral sword intents during the coronation ceremony. Seeing you today, you are indeed a remarkable prodigy. No wonder even Grandmaster Taiyi speaks highly of you."
Zhang Ruochen quickly replied, "Junior is unworthy of such praise."
"Those who are too humble cannot become sword cultivators. A sword cultivator needs a spirit of unyielding forward momentum—only then can they shatter all obstacles in the world," Moon Burial Sword Saint said.
Gai Tianjiao cupped her hands toward Moon Burial Sword Saint and asked, "Master, do you think Junior Brother Lin Yue is fit for the great task?"
"There is no one more suitable. In my view, he is a prodigy born for the sword," Moon Burial Sword Saint said, still wearing a smile.
Born for the sword!
Gai Tianjiao was slightly startled, never expecting Moon Burial Sword Saint to hold Lin Yue in such high regard. Just this one comment, if spread, would be enough to make Lin Yue famous throughout the Eastern Domain.
Moon Burial Sword Saint’s eyes shone like stars, bright and clear. "Lin Yue, are you willing to take me as your master and represent the Liangyi Sect in the Sword Discussion Assembly?"
If he could take Moon Burial Sword Saint as his master, he could naturally do as he pleased within the Liangyi Sect. Who would dare to defy the Sword Saint’s authority?
The key point was that sword saints were extremely cautious when taking disciples, considering many factors.
Moon Burial Sword Saint had decided to take him as a disciple after just one meeting, which was quite rare. Even Gai Tianjiao was very surprised, unable to understand why Moon Burial Sword Saint would do this.
Zhang Ruochen was also quite astonished, but he immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Moon Burial Sword Saint. "Thank you for your high regard, Senior. However, I already have a master, so I fear I cannot take you as my master. But as a disciple of the Liangyi Sect, I am naturally willing to represent the sect in the Sword Discussion Assembly and will do my utmost to defend the Sword Pavilion."
A cultivator, from weak to strong, could not have only one master.
Taking a master was for learning.
Only by gathering the strengths of many schools and comprehending various martial arts could one go further on the sacred path.
However, Zhang Ruochen had already taken Xuanji Sword Saint as his master, and Xuanji Sword Saint was as renowned as Moon Burial Sword Saint. If Zhang Ruochen also took Moon Burial Sword Saint as his master, it would be disrespectful to Xuanji Sword Saint.
If a disciple did this, wouldn’t it imply that Xuanji Sword Saint’s strength was inferior to Moon Burial Sword Saint’s?
Although Zhang Ruochen was now in the identity of "Lin Yue," and outsiders did not know he had taken Xuanji Sword Saint as his master, he himself would never do anything disrespectful to his master.
Unless the two masters Zhang Ruochen wanted to take were vastly different in strength. Or if the two masters had extraordinary achievements in different fields.
Only then would a cultivator not be criticized by the world for taking different masters.
Moon Burial Sword Saint squinted his eyes, clearly not expecting Lin Yue to give up the opportunity to take a sword saint as his master, and couldn’t help but laugh.
In fact, if Grandmaster Taiyi hadn’t personally intervened, Moon Burial Sword Saint wouldn’t have taken a disciple so easily.
"I know you are a disciple of Zixia Half-Saint, but you should understand that if Zixia Half-Saint knew you had taken me as your master, she would only be happy for you, never resentful," Moon Burial Sword Saint said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Before my cultivation surpasses my master’s, I will never take a second master."
Since Lin Yue had refused, Moon Burial Sword Saint did not insist further. "Very well! Having your own persistence is a good thing. A sword cultivator should have such a stubborn resolve."