Ning Shuangrong looked again at Jiang Wang, and Jiang Wang lightly flicked his sleeve and followed after her.

...

Sikong Jingxiao left with a miserable look on his face. A few junior brothers and sisters chased after him, wanting to comfort him, but were all stopped by his outstretched hand. The Red Talisman Sword swayed unsteadily at his side, and for no reason he recalled the story of Emperor Liang Min, which drew a self-mocking smile from him.

Tang Jiming had been ordered to protect Xiang Qian and the others from disturbance, so he came to guide the way, leading them to the guest quarters and arranging a small courtyard for them to rest in.

The three people and one ox rested in the courtyard. Tang Jiming had nothing much to say to them; after serving tea and pastries, he went to stand guard outside the courtyard gate.

In the courtyard, Chu Yao was half-kneeling on the ground, gently stroking Bai Niu’s knee joint in distress and blowing on it. The poor Bai Niu gave a low moo; when had it ever faced the pressure of a True Man of the Age head-on? It still hadn’t quite recovered its senses.

Though Bai Yuxia was weak in the room, her sitting posture was still upright. She couldn’t help asking curiously, "You and Jiang Qingyang have also not seen each other for a long time. How do you know he will definitely win?"

Compared with the later "Wu An," those of them who had participated in the Yellow River Gathering in the same year as Jiang Wang were still more used to calling him Jiang Qingyang.

At this time Xiang Qian had already collapsed into the armchair, eyelids drooping, and drawled lazily, "There are many things I doubt I can accomplish, but every time I will ask myself—’What if it were Jiang Wang?’ Every time I ask that, I feel there is still a sliver of hope. Heh heh... what is Sikong Jingxiao in comparison?"

Bai Yuxia said with some envy, "It seems you’ve gone through a lot together."

Who hasn’t? Xiang Qian thought.

They had bared to one another their most painful scars, and they all still had a long road ahead.

But that thought only turned once, and then sank away.

He had already relaxed and fallen asleep.

...

...

Following behind Ning Shuangrong, he walked along the corridor that circled the mountain.

Layered clouds and distant mists lay beneath their feet. The Sword Tower of All Beings had long since disappeared from view.

Knowing this was the road leading straight to the Sword Pavilion of Years, Jiang Wang asked curiously, "I’ve long heard the name of the Heaven and Earth Sword Box. What kind of place is it?"

Ning Shuangrong thought for a moment and said, "A box for storing swords, a place for cultivating the sword. After all the sword Dao Schools of Names in the world, past and present, pass away, the Sword Pavilion will find ways to collect the swords they wore, and compile their life records and the swordsmanship they cultivated, recording them into the Heaven and Earth Sword Box. For thirty thousand years, this has always been the Sword Pavilion’s greatest expense."

"Then what does the saying ’all ancient and modern Sword Leaders have come to ask the sword at the Heaven and Earth Sword Box’ refer to?" Jiang Wang asked again.

Ning Shuangrong said, "Our Sword Pavilion has set up two Heavenly Gates and has always had the tradition of asking the sword. The so-called ’we refuse none who come’ is no empty talk. And at the Heaven and Earth Sword Box, there is always the strongest Sword Master of the Sword Pavilion in residence. Those who enter the Heaven and Earth Sword Box to ask the sword, if they win, may take away a volume of the Sword Manual at will; if they lose, they must leave behind a volume of Sword Manual... All those who have been famed as Sword Leader in the last thirty thousand years have come here to ask the sword, thus this saying."

"So that’s how it is..." Jiang Wang nodded, then asked, "Then the one in residence at the Heaven and Earth Sword Box—is it the Heartless Sword Master?"

Ning Shuangrong looked at him, and could more or less guess that this person before her meant to come challenge again after gaining Insight of Truth. Truly a very grudging person...

She said, "Among the five great Sword Masters of today’s Sword Pavilion, the Heartless Sword Master is ranked first. But in terms of battle power, the strongest is actually the Wanxiang Sword Master. The old man has long been stationed at the Heaven and Earth Sword Box, is proficient in all the swordsmanship within the Heaven and Earth Sword Box, and has already reached the Realm of the Myriad Aspects of the Self. Unfortunately, his true heart is only for the sword, close to madness... Or rather, it can’t be called madness; the old man is simply uninterested in anything outside of swordsmanship and can’t be bothered with it. So he is also known as the Sword Madman."

Jiang Wang inexplicably thought of Yan Chunhui.

Only, the first Human Demon had cultivated until he forgot everything and rarely had moments of clarity. This Wanxiang Sword Master, however, held only the sword in his heart.

After thinking for a bit, he still opened his mouth and said, "Fellow Daoist Ning, about today’s matter, I should..."

Ning Shuangrong waved her hand and said, "It is very hard for people to escape the influence of their identities. We met on the Discussion Platform and grew familiar on the Discussion Platform; better to begin well and end well, speaking only of swordsmanship and not of anything else."

Jiang Wang instantly relaxed and laughed aloud. "All the better, then."

Ning Shuangrong glanced at him and said nothing more.

They walked on.

Green clothes fluttered between the cliffs.

Embroidered cloth shoes stepped on the planks of the cliffside path, swaying slightly, creaking as they went.

As if passing through thirty thousand years of time.