The sword-bearer's trial was filled with holiness and solemnity.
This was an orthodox ceremony of the human race. It was not something any sect could compare to. Different foundations naturally led to different standards for the ceremony.
The ceremony was even more important in a chaotic world.
The darker it was, the colder it was, the more flames would form. This fire … was the legacy of the human race. It was the fire of the human race's bloodline. It represented the spirit of the human race.
And the function of the ceremony was to pass down the spirit.
The more formal and holier the ceremony, the deeper the impression the legacy would leave. It would be imprinted in the soul and would not dissipate for life.
This was the sword-bearer's ceremony. It was also one of the ceremonies of the human race.
At this moment, the sword-bearers were in formation. They stood solemnly in the shape of two wings. The shape of the wings also had a special meaning to the sword-bearers. It was protection.
With their wings, they protected the human race. They were willing to become the wings of the human race and soar for the race's rise!
The nine sword-bearer elders had solemn expressions as though they were bearing witness. This was also a part of the ceremony. There were four of them at the side with one person in the middle. They were of different heights, forming a mountain and a sword.
They represented the sword-bearer's sharpness and the sword of command.
Behind them was a sky full of light and the statue of the Great Emperor that seemed to be able to support the world. He looked down on the earth and guarded the legacy of the human race.
Below the statue was Xu Qing, who was standing 100,000 feet in the sky with the sword of command in his hand.
His robes fluttered in the wind, and his long hair fluttered in the wind, but he stood there without moving. At that moment, his presence did not need to be formed by his aura. Just his gaze, just his position, could naturally rise.
This was because Xu Qing was the only one on the highest step.
But at the same time, the origin of this aura was very heavy!
It was heavy because of the overlapping of the Great Emperor's statue. It was heavy because of the mission of the sword-bearer.
Originally, the sword-bearer's ceremony should not have produced such a heavy and heavy aura on one person. After all, this was only the initiation ceremony of the sword-bearer. It would only be like this in other high-level occasions and promotions.
But this time, there was Xu Qing.
During the process of the assessment, he had reached a height that had never been seen in the history of the Royal Welcoming State. While others were still fighting for the position of sword-bearer, he was already standing on the highest step.
All he needed to do was to pick up the sword of command.
The moment he held the sword in his hand, he seemed to have changed from a participant to a witness.
At this moment, many figures were rushing up from the steps below.
There were only two command swords left, and only two people could succeed.
And with Xu Qing's personality, he would seek revenge for the smallest grievance. He didn't want Zhang Siyun to succeed, and the rules didn't say that he couldn't interfere. Clearly, as long as he didn't go overboard, there was a high probability that he could interfere.
"Everyone, be careful of Zhang Siyun. He has a type of teleportation technique that can only be used with his eyes. In the ghost cave, he used this technique on me. It's extremely sinister."
Xu Qing stood at the peak and said calmly.
As soon as he said that, the expressions of everyone on the stairs changed.
The Captain didn't hesitate for even a moment. His entire body began to shine with blue light, and his body became blurry, making it impossible for anyone to see him clearly. His speed increased, and in the blink of an eye, he was 3,000 meters away. Then, without pausing for even a moment, he charged forward again.
His target was the command sword three thousand feet to the left of Xu Qing.
Zhang Siyun's face was expressionless. Because of the losses he had suffered in the ghost cave, he had fallen too far behind, and his injuries were very serious. Therefore, he had indeed intended to use this technique on Chen Erniu or Qing Qiu.
After all, Xu Qing had broken his technique before, and had set a precedent in the Imperial Prefecture. Even the Grand Elder had said that he was doing a great deed. Now that he held the command sword, he was the Sword Wielder. Switching places with Xu Qing was extremely risky.
But Xu Qing's warning came too quickly, and he hadn't even fully unleashed his teleportation technique. However, his heart didn't waver, and he continued to unleash his technique. His target was Qing Qiu.
At the same time, the Captain charged forward, bearing the pressure from the stairs. He picked up the command sword, and his eyes shone with excitement as he looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing also looked at the Captain.
The two of them smiled at each other. Xu Qing realized that the Sword Wielder up in the air hadn't stopped him from speaking, so he once again spoke out.
"Zhang Siyun, you coveted the pentagonal log cabin in the ghost cave, and wanted to destroy it. You know everything about the ghost cave like the back of your hand. If you say that you didn't know about this beforehand, and that you didn't go there with an ulterior motive, no one would believe you.
"You've schemed for so long, and your actions and thoughts are suspicious!
"Sword Wielder Xu Qing earnestly requests the Elders of the Sword Wielder Court to examine Zhang Siyun!"
Zhang Siyun was charging forward at a speed of more than seven thousand steps, and at the same time, he cast his technique to change his target to Qing Qiu, who was about to reach nine thousand steps. When he heard Xu Qing's words, his heart finally wavered. He didn't care about Li Ziliang's Seed of Will, because it was all groundless. He just needed to be firm.
But … Xu Qing's words had not only revealed his true secret, but he had also directly asked the Elders to examine him. This was no longer a matter of Seed of Will. He was trying to checkmate him!
"Nonsense!"
Zhang Siyun knew that he couldn't give a lengthy explanation, and it wasn't suitable for him to do so now. However, he couldn't just keep silent, so he pretended to speak calmly and continued to cast his technique. However, the ripples in his heart still affected his technique.
The moment he cast Form Displacement Transposition, Red Maiden's eyes flashed, and she suddenly retreated.
There was pressure in front of her, so her speed wasn't fast. However, it was easy for her to move backward, as if she had been buffed. Her speed was fully unleashed, and in the blink of an eye, Qing Qiu had retreated more than three thousand steps.
Form Displacement Transposition!
Zhang Siyun had successfully moved from seven thousand steps to three thousand steps, and Qing Qiu had been moved to seven thousand steps.
Before the transposition, there had been a difference of two thousand steps. After the transposition, there had been a difference of four thousand steps.
The moment the transposition succeeded, an enormous evil spirit appeared around Qing Qiu's body. It had been accumulating power for a long time, and now it opened its mouth wide toward Zhang Siyun and swallowed him.
Zhang Siyun's body trembled as he was hit by a backlash. He couldn't help but pause, and his heart filled with rage. Qing Qiu's method was simple, but the simpler it was, the more unexpected it was.
Red Maiden Qing Qiu took advantage of this opportunity. Her entire body glowed with a red light, and she spared no expense in using a secret technique. Multiple afterimages appeared around her, and she coughed up seven mouthfuls of blood in exchange for incredible speed.
Eventually, she reached the top of the mountain and grabbed the command sword.
As soon as she grabbed the command sword, Qing Qiu coughed up another mouthful of blood, along with chunks of her internal organs. Clearly, the backlash from using the secret technique had been quite severe.
By now, she was completely listless, and seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. All she could do was prop herself up with the evil spirit scythe. She was incredibly weak, but her eyes shone with determination.
For some reason, Xu Qing felt as if he had seen this gaze somewhere before.
Even as Xu Qing was searching through his memories for the source of this sense of familiarity, Zhang Siyun saw that he had failed, and his heart burned with rage. He glared at Xu Qing, then looked up at the Sword Wielder up in the air.
"Xu Qing slandered me and interfered with my trial by fire. This matter …."
"I'll give you an explanation on behalf of my little Junior Brother. Zhang Siyun, I'm sorry, but it was all a misunderstanding. You're a good person."
The Captain blinked a few times as he finished Zhang Siyun's words. His expression was solemn, and he even sent a message to the panting Qing Qiu.
"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Qing Qiu?"
Qing Qiu loathed Mad Dog and Ghost Hand, but she also knew that this matter concerned her ranking.
"I also think it was all a misunderstanding," she said coldly. "Zhang Siyun, I'm sorry, but you're a good person."
Although they had said they were sorry, Zhang Siyun's anger didn't dissipate in the slightest. Instead, it transformed into a stifling feeling.
Just as he was about to speak, the middle-aged man from the Heavenly Left Wing Formation stepped forward.
He bowed to the Sword-Wielding Grand Elder. He noticed that the Grand Elder didn't seem to have made any judgments about what had happened down below. As someone who had been with the Grand Elder for a long time, he naturally understood what the Grand Elder was thinking. He was the one who had investigated Xu Qing's identity at the Daoist altar that day, and now remembered the way the Grand Elder had looked at Xu Qing.
He turned to look at the stairs, and then spoke in a solemn voice that echoed out into the air.
"The Sword Wielder Examination is complete."
As soon as the voice rang out, everyone on the 9999th stair vanished, except for Xu Qing and the other two. A vast power teleported them off the stairs and onto the ground below.
Zhang Siyun was the same.
He clenched his fists tightly. His eyes were bloodshot and his heart was filled with resentment. Next to him was the young man from the small sect, Ning Yan, who had attacked Xu Qing at the Absolute Beginning's Secluded Pillar. His face was pale and filled with bitterness, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of desire.
Most of the others were the same. They all had bitterness and desire, because they still had a chance!
But no matter how unwilling these people were, no one cared about them at this moment. Everyone's gazes fell on the sacred stairs.
Only Xu Qing, the captain, and Red Woman were there.
"Three Sword Wielder have been selected. They are Xu Qing, Chen Erniu, and Qing Qiu. Congratulations."
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he looked at Xu Qing and the other two. His gaze lingered on Xu Qing for the longest time. Then, he clasped his hands and bowed to the three of them.
Then, all the other Sword Wielder did the same. Their expressions were solemn as they bowed.
This was a bow to welcome the Dao. There was no distinction between seniority and seniority. This was the respect that every Sword Wielder received when they entered the sect.
Xu Qing and the other two's expressions were solemn as they bowed to the Sword Wielder in the sky.
"From today onward, the three of you are officially Sword Wielder," the middle-aged man in the sky said calmly.
"According to the decision of the Sword Wielder Court, human disciple Ning Yan has been granted the qualifications to be a Sword Wielder. He is allowed to go to the Sword Wielder Palace in the Upper Province to be honed. If he succeeds, he will receive the command sword and become an official Sword Wielder.
"According to the Sword Wielder Palace, human disciple Zhang Siyun is exempt from the test to become a Sword Wielder. However, there are only three command swords to welcome the Emperor State. You need to go to the Sword Wielder Palace in the Sealseal County and get the command sword yourself.
"Now, the two of you come forward."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Yan's figure charged forward and quickly jumped up the stairs.
As he ran, his eyes revealed an intense light. His breathing was rapid and his body was trembling.
Everyone on the ground was shocked. As for the other trial takers, they all sighed helplessly.
They had been waiting for this opportunity to make an exception. Every time the Sword Wielder Selection was held, there would be such an exception.
Although not all Sword Wielder would be able to be honed in the Upper Province in the end, this was at least a chance.
Only Zhang Siyun's heart was still filled with resentment. At this moment, he took a step forward and stepped onto the stairs. He reached the highest point after Ning Yan, but he was standing at the edge.
Xu Qing calmly turned his head and looked at Ning Yan.
Under his gaze, Ning Yan's head shrank back and his heart trembled. The ecstasy he had felt earlier was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. He didn't dare to look into Xu Qing's eyes.
Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhang Siyun. What he saw was the coldness in the depths of Zhang Siyun's eyes.
Xu Qing's face was expressionless. There were no ripples in his eyes. He withdrew his gaze and calmly looked at the sky, waiting for the ceremony to end.
"Now, the five of you will walk to the Emperor's statue under the witness of all the Sword Wielder. You will take the Sword Wielder's oath and receive the Emperor's blessings." The middle-aged man's voice slowly spread out. At this moment, the solemnity in his voice was even stronger.
It was as if this segment was extremely important to the Sword Wielder.
"This is the final and necessary segment to become a Sword Wielder. Under the Emperor's gaze, you must not be distracted. You must follow your hearts and answer the Emperor's questions in your mind.
"We don't know your answers. Only you and the Emperor know. The Emperor's statue will also emit light according to your answers.
"The height of the light represents the Emperor's acknowledgment of your answers. Since ancient times, the Sword Wielder who has received the least amount of light from the Emperor Province has received a light of six hundred feet. The highest amount of light has reached ten thousand feet."
As the middle-aged man's voice spread out in the sky, the captain secretly winked at Xu Qing. Even in such a solemn situation, he still had the guts to send a message to Xu Qing.
"Lil 'Ah Qing, I know about this segment. It's called a blessing, but in reality, it's all just to confuse people.
"Let me tell you, there are two purposes to this segment. The first is to check whether or not you're really a human. The second is like an oath. When the time comes, the Emperor's statue will ask us questions in our minds, and we'll just have to brag.
"This result won't affect our status as Sword Wielder, and there's no reward either. At most, it'll just give us face.
"But you'll have to think about how you'll brag. After all, even though it won't affect us, I heard that it'll be recorded in our resumes. It'll be useful when we get promoted in the future.
"So you'll have to think about it carefully. But I'm different.
"I've been preparing for this for a long time. After I came to the Emperor Province, I spent a lot of money to buy all the questions the Emperor has asked over the past thousands of years. I also found a way to get the questions from the other provinces. There's a total of 1,789 common questions.
"At that time, your eldest senior brother had already planned far ahead and started thinking about what to say. I've already memorized all the answers, and every single one of them is perfect!
"Hmph, you won just now, but this time, I can announce in advance that I'll definitely shine the brightest."
The captain was pleased with himself. He raised his eyebrows at Xu Qing, looking as if he was the one who came up with the strategy and was incomparably wise.
Xu Qing ignored him.
He didn't care about the height of his brilliance. Since it didn't affect his status as Sword Wielder, and there was no reward, then he would just answer according to his heart.
While Xu Qing was thinking this, a solemn voice resounded in the sky. "You're right.
"All of you, move forward three hundred feet!"
Xu Qing looked up and strode forward. The others did the same. One by one, they moved forward three hundred feet, getting even closer to the Emperor's statue.