From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 451 Trial Unexpectedly Triggers Crisis

As the blue light of the teleportation array enveloped us, Chu Qing's ginkgo leaf swayed on the hilt of her sword.

I reached out and tidied her hair, which had been ruffled by the spiritual energy, and touched the temperature of her earlobe—it was surprisingly hot.

"Instructor Xiao, look!" she pointed her sword out of the formation, "That tree is taller than the old ginkgo tree in the training ground!"

As the morning mist dissipated over the trial grounds, the branches of the ancient tree pierced through the clouds, and the spiritual patterns on its trunk glowed with a deep blue, as if the giant tree was wrapped in a layer of flowing stars.

Wang Erniu's Xuan Tie sword was already drawn, its tip trembling as it pointed at the leaping monkey on the treetop; Senior Brother Lin stood at the front of the group, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, his gaze sweeping over every swaying leaf—a habit he had developed when he was a guard, for danger always lurked in the quietest places.

The first half of the trial went more smoothly than I had expected.

The disciples gathered spiritual herbs in groups. Chu Qing, with three little girls, found three Ice Soul Grasses by the stream, their leaves still glistening with morning dew. Wang Erniu and several male disciples worked together to subdue the Red-tailed Sable that had stolen the spiritual fruit. The little beast huddled in his arms, its red tail drooping listlessly, as if he were the one being subdued.

“Instructor Xiao, I’ve smoothed out the red-tailed sable’s fur.” Wang Erniu ran over, his clothes covered in bits of grass. “It said…it said it won’t steal again next time.” His ears were bright red, clearly he had misunderstood the beast’s language.

I smiled and patted his head.

The wind swept through the ancient trees, creating a series of delicate bell sounds—the copper bell that Senior Brother Lin wore around his waist, which he used to warn the group.

But this time, the ringing of the bell was mixed with an unusual vibration.

“Instructor Xiao.” Senior Brother Lin suddenly turned around, the ginkgo leaves on his sword tassel swirling. “Something’s not right.”

Before he could finish speaking, the ground suddenly shook.

Wang Erniu stumbled into my arms, and the red-tailed weasel in my arms squeaked and puffed up its fur as it scurried up to the top of a tree.

Chu Qing's Ice Soul Grass was scattered all over the ground. One of the plants rolled to my feet, and the frost flowers on its leaves cracked open with a "rip"—it was frozen by some kind of cold aura.

"Back off!" I pulled Wang Erniu towards the center of the group, and out of the corner of my eye I saw that Senior Brother Lin had already drawn his sword.

His sword tassel was trembling, not from the wind.

A low growl came from behind the tree, like thunder muffled in a deep pool.

The mist was torn open, and I could see the outline of the thing: it was about two zhang tall, covered with bluish-black scales, and the edges of each scale were tinged with dark purple, indicating that it had been poisoned.

Its eyes were two dark green orbs without pupils, like two lamps hanging at the gates of hell.

"A monster!"

"Tier 3!" someone in the group shouted. "It's Fairy Zhou!"

She shielded her two terrified disciples as they retreated, the jade hairpin in her hair gleaming faintly—it was the Heart-Protecting Jade she had exchanged for with three months' worth of mission points, now emitting a pale blue light, protecting her from the oppressive power of the demonic beast.

Chu Qing's sword clattered to the ground.

I saw her holding her lower back, her knuckles white from pressing down—she had been hit in the waist by the wooden dummy during the martial arts practice the day before yesterday. I made her drink bone-healing soup for three days, but how can a broken bone heal so quickly?

"Chu Qing!" I lunged at her, but the monster's tail had already swept over.

A blade of wind, carrying a stench, came hurtling towards me. I spun around to avoid it, but my sleeve was slashed open, and my arm immediately burned with pain.

When she looked up again, Chu Qing was already lying on the ground, her forehead hitting a stone, blood streaming down her cheeks, staining the ginkgo leaf embroidery on her clothes.

"Senior Sister!" Wang Erniu rushed forward with red eyes, swinging his Xuan Tie sword crookedly.

The monster swung its head and rammed into him, sending him flying. He crashed into an ancient tree and fell to the ground, where he remained motionless for a long time.

Senior Brother Lin's sword pierced the monster's forepaw, but only a few sparks flew out—the scales were as hard as black iron essence.

"Gather behind me!" I drew the soft sword from my waist, my spiritual energy surging through my meridians.

This body has only reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and it already struggles to deal with third-tier demonic beasts, let alone protect fifteen disciples.

But when I saw Chu Qing curled up on the ground trembling, when I saw Fairy Zhou stuff the two little disciples into the tree hole and stand guard at the entrance herself, when I saw Senior Brother Lin gritting his teeth and rushing forward again, a fire suddenly burned in my throat—these children were handpicked by me from the servants' quarters, the kitchen, and the laundry room; they were the swords I had honed with them for three hundred days and nights in the training ground. I absolutely cannot let them perish here.

The monster's claws rose again, and the wind it generated snapped my hair tie.

I bit my lip and gathered my spiritual power, and a faint golden light shone on my soft sword—this was the "Cloud-Breaking Style" that Wen Chen taught me. He used this move to cleave open the barrier of the Demon-Locking Tower back then.

Before I could even thrust out, the monster suddenly let out a sharp cry and slammed its front paws heavily on the ground.

The ground cracked open with spiderweb-like fissures, and the ground beneath Zhou Xianzi's feet suddenly collapsed.

She staggered to the side, but before falling, she pushed the entrance to the tree hole tighter.

The monster's claws grazed her left shoulder, tearing the fabric to reveal a bleeding wound underneath—no, it didn't just graz her; she bumped into the claws half an inch herself.

"Fairy Zhou!" I cried out, and the soft sword finally pierced the monster's left eye.

It roared and shook its head, throwing me into a tree, my back throbbing painfully.

But my gaze remained fixed on Zhou Xianzi, who was clutching her left shoulder. Blood seeped from between her fingers and dripped onto the bluestone slab, like a small red flower blooming.

After the monster shook its head, its emerald green eyes fixed on her again—it remembered this "mother beast" who dared to stand in front of her cubs.

I stood up, using the tree for support, and my spiritual energy surged in my dantian.

We need to drag Chu Qing and Wang Erniu to a safe place first, then we need to get Senior Brother Lin to organize the remaining disciples into a formation, and... we need to find a way to distract this monster.

But as my gaze swept over the scattered ice-soul grass, the shattered medicine bottles, and the blood-stained ginkgo leaves, I suddenly remembered what Elder Li had said on my shoulder in the council hall the day before: "These children are the swords you've forged."

A sword is meant to cut through thorns and brambles. But now, I'm the one who should be their scabbard.

I gripped my soft sword and charged toward the monster's throat.

The moment I charged toward the monster's throat, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Its low, rolling growls in its throat made my eardrums ache, and the fishy smell of decaying leaves filled my nostrils—this beast must have swallowed a rotting corpse, for even its breath carried the poison of the dead.

When the tip of the soft sword was still three inches away from its scales, it suddenly shook its head, and I was swept away, crashing into an ancient tree and then falling heavily into a pile of rubble.

"Instructor Xiao!" It was Senior Brother Lin calling out.

I pushed myself up on my knees and tasted rust in my mouth—I had just bitten the tip of my tongue.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Zhou Xianzi. She was leaning against a tree hollow, her left hand forming a magic seal, while her right hand pressed tightly against the wound on her left shoulder. Blood seeped from between her fingers, staining the bluestone slab with a dark red pattern.

Sweat dripped down her forehead in strings, and the blue light of the jade hairpin in her hair had dimmed to the point of being like a candle flame about to go out.

The monster's green eyes fixed on her again, its front paws carving half-inch-deep furrows in the ground—it was gathering its strength to deliver a fatal blow to this "mother beast."

"Zhou Qing!" I staggered and lunged forward, but suddenly something grabbed my calf.

Looking down, I saw Chu Qing.

She had crawled over at some point, the blood on her face already forming dark scabs, but she was still grabbing my trouser leg with her uninjured right hand: "Don't... don't worry about me..." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but the temperature of her fingertips was alarmingly high—she had just hit her head and was probably delirious from the fever.

"Let go." I squatted down to hug her, but someone suddenly bumped into my lower back.

Wang Erniu rolled over from the side, still clutching the Xuan Tie sword in his hand, the hilt stained with blood: "Instructor Xiao, I... I can handle it." His left eye was swollen shut, and there was a crack at the corner of his mouth; as he spoke, beads of blood trickled down his chin.

But his hand was still trembling as he reached for Chu Qing's wrist, trying to drag her into the tree hole.

Senior Brother Lin's sword tassel swept past my eyes.

He somehow managed to get to the side of the monster, and with the tip of his sword, he used a piece of gravel to smash it into its eye.

The monster turned its head in pain, and Senior Brother Lin took the opportunity to grab my arm and lead me behind a tree: "Form the Three Talents Formation!" He shouted to the remaining disciples, "Xiao Tao, A Fu, protect the wounded!" Several disciples stumbled over, and Xiao Tao knelt down beside Chu Qing with a medicine bag in her arms. She dipped her fingertips in the Golden Wound Medicine and applied it to Chu Qing's forehead, but her hands trembled so much that she spilled half a bag of powder.

"Xiao Yao!"

The cold shouts sounded like ice picks piercing the eardrums.

I looked up and saw Hall Master Zhao rushing over from the direction of the teleportation array. His black Taoist robe was being lifted by the wind, and the bronze token at his waist was gleaming coldly.

Two sword-wielding disciples followed behind him, but their eyes were fixed on me: "Do you think this trial is child's play?"

"If even a third-tier demonic beast can infiltrate the secret realm, it will be a disgrace to Xuanxiao Peak!"

"Hall Master Zhao!" Senior Brother Lin stepped in front of me, "A demonic beast suddenly emerged from the crack in the earth's veins, we..."

"Shut up!" Hall Master Zhao interrupted him with a flick of his sleeve, his gaze sweeping over the wounded scattered on the ground, his brows furrowed so tightly they could trap a mosquito. "First, clear yourselves of any responsibility?"

"If anything happens to your disciple, it's naturally your fault." He took out a communication talisman from his sleeve, flicked his finger with spiritual energy, and the talisman burned to ashes with a "whoosh." "I've already sent a message to the Enforcement Hall, wait a moment..."

"Roar--!"

The roar of the monster shook the treetops.

I turned my head, and its front paws were already raised in the air, the tips of the paws gleaming with a purplish-black light—if this attack were to land, the tree hole where Fairy Zhou was would definitely be smashed to pieces.

"Get out of the way!" I pushed Senior Brother Lin aside and recklessly poured my spiritual energy into the soft sword.

The Cloud-Breaking Style that Wen Chen taught me requires drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but with my current cultivation level at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, I'm afraid I can't even sustain half of it.

But Zhou Qing was still at the entrance of the tree hole. When she crashed into the monster's claws, the light in her eyes was just like the one I saw in the servants' quarters that year. She held up her faded sword and said, "I want to become someone who can protect others."

"Ah Yao, the essence of the Cloud-Piercing Style isn't the chopping, it's the guiding."

Wen Chen's voice suddenly rang in my ears.

That was three months ago. He stood on the observatory teaching me swordsmanship, moonlight filtering into the wrinkles around his eyes: "The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is water, your sword is the channel, follow their flow..."

I stared at the purple poison on the tip of the demonic beast's claws—it was a poison nurtured in the cold, damp earth veins, resonating with the spiritual energy of the earth veins.

The soft sword suddenly trembled. I twirled the sword in the direction of the poisonous mist, and spiritual energy flowed from the tip of the sword into the cracks in the earth's veins.

The monster's claws froze in mid-air, panic flashing in its green eyes—its prized poisonous mist was seeping into the ground through my sword.

"Now!" I shouted, my soft sword drawing a half-moon.

The spiritual energy within the earth's veins was fully activated, flowing like an invisible river towards the demonic beast.

It let out a piercing scream, was thrown against an ancient tree, its scales shattered on the ground, revealing the bleeding red flesh beneath.

"Instructor Xiao!" Zhou Xianzi's voice was choked with sobs.

I turned my head, and she was standing up, leaning against the tree hollow. Her left shoulder was still bleeding, but the light in her eyes was brighter than a jade hairpin: "I can hold on!"

Wang Erniu suddenly grabbed my sleeve: "That beast... is shaking."

I turned around.

The monster huddled at the foot of the tree, its scales trembling. The blood seeping from its wounds wasn't red, it was black—it was forcing the venomous blood from the earth's veins out of its body.

Its green eyes stared intently at me, and it made a whimpering sound in its throat, as if it was gathering something.

"Senior Brother Lin!" I wiped the blood from my face. "Take the disciples behind the tree to form a formation, and gather the wounded in the deepest part of the tree hole."

Xiao Tao, give all the remaining Bone-Regenerating Pills to the injured; A Fu, you guard the teleportation array, if things go wrong...

The monster suddenly attacked.

It crashed into half of an ancient tree, and the broken branch fell down with a whooshing sound.

I spun around and pushed aside the nearest junior disciple, taking a solid blow to my back.

The excruciating pain made my vision go black, but only one thought remained in my mind: I had to protect them behind me, I had to get these children out of here alive.

"Listen to my orders!" I gritted my teeth and stood up, the soft sword burning in my palm. "Zhou Qing, you take three disciples and use wood-based magic to reinforce the tree hole; Wang Erniu, you and Senior Brother Lin guard the left flank; Chu Qing..." I turned to look at Chu Qing, only to see that she had been helped into the tree hole by Xiao Tao at some point, and was holding a medicine bottle and pouring medicine into her mouth. When she saw me looking over, she even tugged at the corner of her mouth at me—it was all bloody, like a withered flower.

The monster's low growl grew closer.

I gripped the soft sword tightly, my spiritual energy surging through my meridians.

This time, I saw what was in its eyes: not just ferocity, but... fear?

Or perhaps it's some kind of awakened instinct?

"Prepare to form ranks!" I shouted to everyone, my voice hoarse like a broken gong.

But the disciples' echoes drowned out the roar of the demon beast—Zhou Qing's wooden vines had already wrapped around the edge of the tree hole, Senior Brother Lin's sword tassels were fluttering in the wind, and Wang Erniu stood at the front holding the Xuan Tie sword. Although his legs were still trembling, he completely turned his back to the people behind him.

The wind carried the stench of blood into my nostrils.

Looking at these children, covered in wounds yet still stubbornly holding on, I suddenly smiled.

Wen Chen said that the scabbard is used to protect the sword, but at this moment I suddenly understand—when these swords are willing to draw their sheaths for each other, they themselves are the strongest scabbards.

The monster's forepaws have already touched the edge of our defensive perimeter.

I took a deep breath, and the golden light on the soft sword became even brighter than before.

This time, I'll show it—anyone who dares to hurt me, even the heavens, I'll strike them down.