Chapter 123: A Ball of Unknown Light

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: A Ball of Unknown Light

Yao Zhi was the type of person who might or might not do something, but if he chose to act, he made sure the other party knew they owed him a favor—and that they’d better remember it.

Such people are very pragmatic.

But there was one good thing about him: he might be a genuine scoundrel, but he would never be a hypocrite.

From their brief interaction, Chu Fan had already made his judgment.

Chu Fan sat up on the boulder and then climbed to his feet, appearing somewhat weak. He gave everyone a slight bow with cupped hands and said, "Thank you all for your help. I will certainly repay this kindness if I have the chance."

"Who are you, friend? And why are you here?" Yao Zhi asked.

"My name is Chu Fan. I’m from the Eastern Domain. I was in an Ancient Pool when a mysterious force pulled me here. Do any of you know the way out?" Chu Fan’s story was seventy percent true and thirty percent false.

The moment everyone heard he was from the Eastern Domain and had arrived by accident, their expressions changed.

Two of them even had a hint of disdain in their eyes.

In the eyes of the Central Domain People, the Eastern Domain was a barren wasteland. They looked down on anyone from outside the Central Domain.

And these people were prodigies from the Central Domain’s major Sects and great Noble Families!

A flicker of disappointment crossed Yao Zhi’s eyes, but his expression remained placid. "Were you in some kind of trance? What exactly happened?"

Chu Fan looked toward the plaza and said, "There’s a character for ’Sword’ carved on that stone pillar. The moment I saw it, my vision went black, and it felt as if my soul was adrift in another world. There was nothing in that world but endless Sword Intent."

This time, Chu Fan’s story was ninety percent true, with only a small omission. He told them the truth partly out of a sliver of goodwill, wanting to repay their help by offering them a chance at this opportunity.

"Sword Intent?" Yao Zhi also looked over in that direction, lost in thought.

"You understand the sword? And you’re talking about Sword Intent? A swordsman never parts with his sword. Where’s yours?" The speaker was Chen Min, who had helped Yao Zhi carry him here.

"I don’t know much, just a move or two," Chu Fan said humbly, then deliberately patted his sides. "My sword... where’s my sword? That was a gift from my master before he passed away."

That last sentence earned him even more contempt from the others.

A man without a master was a man without backing.

Chu Fan hurried to search for it. He found it in a pile of rubble—where he had placed the Juntian Sword beforehand—and squatted down to pick it up.

"Thank goodness my sword isn’t lost. Thank goodness."

When the others saw the rusty, notched, broken sword he picked up, they practically had the word "contempt" written on their faces—all except for Yao Zhi, whose reaction was less obvious.

"You said that when you saw the character for ’Sword’ on the stone pillar, your consciousness entered a world of Sword Intent?" Yao Zhi asked, seeking confirmation.

"Mhm."

Chu Fan nodded. ’I’ve given you the chance. Whether you can grasp it, and how much Sword Intent you can comprehend in there, is up to you.’

As for Chu Fan himself, he wanted to enter the Sword Dao Space again, but for his own safety, he decided it was better to wait.

They returned to the large plaza and stood beneath the stone pillar. Aside from Chu Fan, Chen Min also stayed behind, while the other six people all looked up at the character for "Sword."

However, the "Sword" they saw was just an ordinary character, nothing like the mystical phenomenon Chu Fan had described.

"Are you messing with us?" a woman from the group named Bian Wanru accused him angrily.

Chu Fan frowned, a possible reason dawning on him. ’This ’Sword’ character is standing here... perhaps only someone who has comprehended the Third Layer Realm of Sword Dao can have their consciousness enter the Sword Dao Space?’

’Or maybe it requires some other kind of trigger?’

However, Chu Fan offered no explanation, simply saying placidly, "That’s what happened to me. As for why it’s not happening for you, I have no idea."

"Perhaps we just don’t have the right affinity for it," Yao Zhi said, stopping the others who were about to lose their tempers. He then turned to Chu Fan. "We’re going to look around and see if we can find anything else. Brother Chu, would you like to join us?"

"Of course," Chu Fan readily agreed.

After all, he owed them a favor, so he couldn’t very well refuse.

Chu Fan followed the seven of them, and together they began to wander through the Secret Realm.

Aside from Yao Zhi, who would occasionally exchange a few trivial words with him, the others couldn’t even be bothered to look his way.

Chu Fan, of course, didn’t care. Since the deaths of his master and senior brothers, his life had been turned upside down. He had endured more than his share of mockery and scorn.

Although they weren’t much different from him in age, in his current state of mind, ’what’s the difference between them and mere children?’

He followed them through countless ruined halls, not a single one of which was intact.

And they found nothing of value.

As night fell, a bright light in the distance caught their attention.

They sprinted toward the light.

When they got closer, they discovered what must have once been the cultivation chamber of some important figure.

The chamber was vast, constructed according to the layout of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. In the very center sat a ten-foot-square meditation platform.

Patterns were engraved on the platform’s surface, with an abstract Yin Yang Diagram in the middle.

Surrounding the meditation platform was a moat-like channel, about three feet deep and three feet wide, crossed by eight small, exquisite stone bridges.

One could imagine that back when this place was intact, the channel must have been filled with some kind of Spirit Liquid.

The glow emanated from the meditation platform itself.

It illuminated everything within a hundred-foot radius, and it was so bright it could be seen from miles away in the dark of night.

"What is this?" Yao Zhi walked forward, about to reach out and touch it.

The light was so brilliant that it was impossible to see what lay within it.

"Don’t move!" a sharp voice barked from behind them.

A group of more than ten people approached. Shen Yidu and Ding Xun were among them, acting with fawning deference toward the man in the lead.

The leader was indeed remarkably handsome, dressed in a long robe of alternating dark red and ink-black fabric.

He exuded an air of ineffable nobility at first glance.

"Yao Zhi, do you not know to bow before the Commandery Prince?" Shen Yidu snapped at Yao Zhi’s group.

Yao Zhi shot Shen Yidu a glare before leading the other six in a bow toward the man.

"Yao Zhi of the Heaven-Facing Sect greets Prince Fuling."

"We greet Prince Fuling."

Prince Fuling gave a slight nod, his gaze fixed on the shimmering light.

Shen Yidu and his group hadn’t noticed Chu Fan before. But now, with all seven members of Yao Zhi’s party bowing, Chu Fan stood out like a sore thumb. It was impossible to miss him.

"Insolence! Do you not bow when you see the Commandery Prince?" Shen Yidu snapped at Chu Fan.

In truth, he was startled to see Chu Fan. But then he remembered Prince Fuling was present, and with so many people on his side, he could use this as a pretext to have the prince deal with him.

"Bow? You want me, a non-citizen of the Hua Xu Empire, to bow to a Commandery Prince of the Hua Xu Empire? Are you joking?" Chu Fan said, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Prince Fuling tore his gaze from the shimmering light and turned it to Chu Fan. He sized him up with great interest.

"Not a subject of the Hua Xu Empire? Then where are you from?"

His tone was clearly that of a superior questioning an inferior.

Chu Fan shot him a sidelong glance and said coolly, "What business is it of yours?"