Evan Lin stretched out his hand and slammed his palm down on the sword platform.
"Sword, rise!"
A flash of sharp light flickered in Evan's eyes as he shouted in a deep voice.
The ancient sword that had been standing upright, half-buried in the platform, instantly shot skyward with the recoil from Evan's palm strike.
The entire ancient sword broke free from the thick iron chains binding it; the chains snapped apart in an instant.
As the ancient sword soared into the sky, an unimaginably ancient aura suddenly erupted from the once-unremarkable sword platform.
That aura seemed to come from the dawn of time itself, traversing countless ages to arrive at this very moment!
Evan's expression changed dramatically. The surging green lake water before his eyes vanished in an instant.
The stars spun, the world shifted, and heaven and earth changed color.
It was as if Evan stood atop a desert. He instinctively looked up at the sky—and saw, at the tip of a stone tower thousands of meters tall, a solitary woman standing alone.
Her silhouette was stunning, cold as frost, draped in blood-red robes, half a lotus beneath her feet, her slender neck raised as she gazed toward the distant sky.
In her hand she held a long sword, stained with countless drops of blood, facing a vast, indistinct sea of darkness.
"Since I have killed, I am unworthy to enter the immortal gate."
"I have fallen, so I am fit to slaughter immortals and extinguish Buddhas."
"If heaven wants me dead, I will defy heaven, kill gods, and become a saint alone!"
Her cold, killing words rang out between heaven and earth, exploding like thunder.
Evan's eyes widened as countless waves of heavenly pressure crashed down, like boulders pinning his body and soul.
But the most crucial thing was...
"Lyri... Lyria?"
Evan gazed across endless distances and ages, and though he could only see the woman's back, it was hauntingly familiar—just like her.
Evan's breath quickened as he stomped the ground, summoning a water dragon and soaring into the sky.
Bang!
But halfway up, Evan's whole body suddenly jolted, as if he'd slammed into something—an impossibly strong barrier that completely separated him from the woman atop the stone tower.
The force of the rules pressed Evan flat against the ground, pain wracking his body. He struggled to lift his head for one last look, but the woman on the tower never turned around.
She simply held her sword in one hand and, in a flash, was fighting the vast blackness at the horizon.
That ancient chasm of time collapsed in an instant, and the vision faded away.
Suddenly, Evan snapped back to reality, still surrounded by towering green water walls, the ancient sword now soaring overhead.
He ignored the ancient sword for now, focusing instead on the sword platform before him.
Only now did Evan realize that this sword platform was different from the others.
This was clearly a stone stele!
It wasn't that someone had stuck the ancient sword into the platform—it was that the sword had been used to pin down this stone stele! The sword was meant to nail the stele in place!
The scene Evan just witnessed was clearly a trace of divine sense sealed within the stele by the ancient sword.
When the sword rose, Evan caught that scrap of divine sense—only then did he see that vision.
But before Evan could study it closely, the ancient, timeworn stele crumbled to dust before his eyes and vanished.
Zing!
The ancient sword that had shot skyward finally dropped, its blade plunging into the ground before Evan.
"Lyria, one day, I will go to see you!"
Evan clenched his fist tight and let out a heavy breath.
Even that lingering scrap of divine sense carried such overwhelming archaic pressure that Evan felt chills—it was terrifying!
Under that heavenly pressure, Evan felt just how small he truly was in this life.
Evan turned his gaze to the ancient sword before him. Its blade, though countless ages old, was still pristine and razor-sharp, with intricate archaic characters etched onto its surface.
Dustleave.
The Ancient Sword Dustleave!
The sword is named Dustleave—does that mean it is meant to leave the mortal dust behind?
Evan muttered to himself, then smiled sharply. With a wave of his hand, the towering water walls parted to either side, opening a path for him.
He strode out from within the water walls.
In my last life, I opened the Heavenly Gate and traded my left arm for a dragon's arm. In this life, no matter what, I—Evan Nine Mysteries Lin—will open the Heavenly Gate again!
Evan steadied his mind, shaking off the lingering influence of the divine vision.
If you stay trapped in that divine sense too long, your Dao heart will falter. Only a fearless heart—pressing forward, unafraid of heaven and earth and true to yourself—is the real Dao heart!
...
"Why'd it go all quiet?"
"No idea. Wasn't it super intense just a minute ago?"
"Maybe he failed again. If he did, he probably won't make it out alive this time."
Outside the forest, the crowd had just seen trees collapse and water shoot skyward. Everyone was full of anticipation.
They knew they'd never own that ancient sword, but just seeing it with their own eyes would be bragging rights for life.
But after the water column burst apart, the forest went totally silent. Their already anxious hearts grew even more uneasy.
All eyes locked on the stone path leading out of the woods, staring at the far end, hoping someone would appear.
"Will he make it?"
Bella Xiao murmured to herself. The photo she'd just snapped of Evan's back—on her camera, he looked like a blazing fire!
"He probably won't come out, but anyone who could pass the first sword formation? I, Warren Wang, respect that." Warren Wang shook his head, not too optimistic.
Even Zane Wang looked hesitant and unsure.
Melissa Mu clenched her little fists, staring at the path, waiting for him to come out.
"I bet he's dead for sure. That punk doesn't know his place, trying to steal the Moore Family Ancient Sword?" Victor Moore sneered, full of contempt.
Uncle Victor Li sighed. Bob Moore glanced around, then turned to Drake Yu with a smile: "In that case, Drake Yu, you'll go in next and try for the sword."
According to my rules, on the ninth day, if no one can pull the sword, the remaining contestants will duel to decide the final winner.
Bob Moore's words carried extra meaning for those listening.
With Zack Guang injured and Zack Zhao missing, only Warren Wang was left. Could he really beat Drake Yu?
This was clearly Bob Moore giving Drake Yu an easy win. So even if Drake couldn't get the sword, as long as he walked out, he'd still be the winner!
That ancient sword would officially belong to Drake Yu and the Southriver Sword Sect, letting the Moore family's alliance with the sect reach a whole new level!
But the moment Bob Moore finished speaking...
He saw Drake Yu's face suddenly darken, eyes locked on the end of the stone path—where, in front of everyone, a young man strolled out of the woods, Ancient Sword Dustleave in hand!