Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 950: Silent Bastion

The silver vortex pulsed steadily on the flat mountain peak as the first batch of cultivators had demonstrated exactly how brutal the Starry Path could be. Nine out of ten had returned empty handed and completely exhausted. The crowd realized very quickly that this trial was not a simple vault of treasure waiting to be looted. It was a test of resonance and probably more importantly fate."The next ten may enter." The elder announced while he gestured toward the humming portal.

A new group of eager cultivators rushed forward. They stepped into the spatial tear and vanished. Ten minutes passed in tense silence before the portal violently expelled them as it did the first group. They tumbled across the stone floor just like the first group. This time not a single person had acquired a weapon. They all looked defeated but their auras were noticeably sharper like the first group.

The process continued for several hours. Batch after batch entered the void and faced the hurricane of ancient intents. The vast majority came out with nothing but spiritual exhaustion. A few lucky individuals managed to pull decent spiritual swords.

The crowd cheered politely for the successful few but the tension remained high. Each sword coming out would be closely evaluated by everyone around and everyone wanted to be the one chosen by the best sword of the day. After some time, they were waiting to see how the top geniuses of the younger generation would fare.

Crown Princess Yan Fei of the Blazing Edge Empire stepped out from the crowd. She wore her heavy red and gold armor and her expression was incredibly dark. Her empire had suffered greatly over the past few days and she desperately wanted to pull a legendary fire aspected blade to restore their honor in some form or another.

The crowd waited with bated breath. Ten minutes felt like an eternity.

The portal flared and Yan Fei was thrown out onto the stone plateau. She landed gracefully on her feet but her breathing was ragged like everyone who had gone in. Sweat poured down her face and her fiery aura flickered unsteadily. She looked down at her empty hands with frustration. She had failed to resonate with any of the ancient swords within.

"Fate is a fickle thing." The referee elder stated calmly from the side. "Your fire intent is incredibly strong but strength does not guarantee a match here. The swords must choose you."

Yan Fei gritted her teeth and bowed stiffly. She walked back to her delegation without saying a word to anyone else. The Blazing Edge disciples looked completely demoralized by her failure as they felt she had the best chance even though it was up to fate.

Li Mei decided it was time for the Li Clan to make an attempt. She stood up from her seat and smoothed out her immaculate white robes. She walked toward the archway and several elite Li Clan disciples followed her to fill out the batch of ten.

"I will see what those before me have left behind." Li Mei said while stepping into the swirling starlight with composure.

The outside world fell silent once again and Li Yu watched the portal intently. She was an Origin Awakening expert and the chosen heir of his father's clan. If anyone was going to pull a legendary weapon it would be her. Those in positions of power usually had better fate or luck than others.

The silver vortex hummed loudly and spat the Li Clan group out.

Li Mei stumbled forward slightly but quickly regained her footing. Her white robes were damp with sweat and her chest heaved. She looked at her empty hands and her perfectly neutral expression cracked for the first time since Li Yu had met her but it had only lasted for a fraction of a second. She had also failed. A deep sense of disappointment washed over the Li Clan.

"It seems the ancient masters do not favor our current peak talents." A Freeblade Alliance mercenary laughed loudly from the crowd.

Lead Envoy Ren stood up and stretched his massive arms. He grabbed his rusted blade and walked toward the portal while selecting nine other mercenaries to join him. They did not look nervous or burdened by expectations. They simply looked excited for a new challenge and some possibly free loot.

"Let us see if the dead care about proper manners." Ren grinned as he leaped directly into the spatial tear.

Ten minutes passed quickly and the portal violently ejected the mercenaries. They crashed onto the stone floor and laughed as they rolled onto their backs. They were completely exhausted but their spirits were high.

Ren pushed himself up from the ground and he was holding a new weapon in his left hand. It was a jagged and asymmetrical broadsword that looked more like a saw blade than a traditional weapon. It radiated a chaotic and violent Qi that matched his mercenary fighting style.

"Now that is a beautiful piece of metal." Ren laughed joyously. He swung the jagged sword through the air and produced a terrible screaming sound. "I think I will call it the Meat Grinder."

The Heavenly Sword Sect elders cringed at the crude name but they did not intervene. The sword had chosen him and there was nothing they could do. It was proof that the Starry Path did not only reward orthodox elegance.

The day dragged on and the sun began to sink toward the horizon. Only a few dozen had actually walked away with a new weapon.

Li Yu finally decided to enter the trial as the numbers were dwindling down. He stood up from his table and walked toward the archway. They all remembered the horrific bone sword from the night before. They were terrified to see what kind of demonic weapon he might attract.

Li Yu ignored the stares as he joined a random group of minor sect disciples and stepped into the silver vortex.

The world spun violently for a moment as the noise of the crowd vanished instantly. Li Yu found himself standing on a narrow bridge made of light. The realm itself was vast and completely dark. The illumination came from the bridge beneath his feet and the countless floating orbs of light scattered throughout the endless void.

He took a single step forward and the pressure crashed down on him immediately. It was not a physical weight though. It was a hurricane of invisible blades tearing at his mind. Thousands of remnant sword intents lashed out at his soul.

He felt the burning heat of sword fire arts and the freezing cold of forgotten ice techniques. He felt rigid dogma and chaotic slaughter all blending into a storm of spiritual pressure. Unknown to him, the other cultivators in his batch immediately roared when this happened. They flared their own sword intents to the maximum limit to create a protective barrier around their minds and to refine their sword intent.

Li Yu did not have a sword intent to flare. He did not walk the traditional path of the blade at all. He used the flying swords as weapons but there was real sword technique behind that, it could be any weapon really, he just happened to have swords due to his family. The trial was technically useless for him. He could not polish a sword intent that did not exist.

He simply walked around and endured.

Li Yu circulated his rivers of Qi and reinforced his mind with his monstrous soul strength. He treated the invisible hurricane like a natural disaster that couldn’t be avoided. He did not try to fight it or harmonize with it, he simply built a fortress in his mind and let the storm rage uselessly against his walls.

He walked slowly down the starry path while he watched the glowing orbs drift past him in the dark. Each orb contained a slumbering weapon waiting for a master. It did not mean that each weapon here had a spirit, it was the natural draw that a weapon has to someone that resonated with it.None of the lights reacted to him and they drifted by without a single flicker of resonance.

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It made sense to him that they did. He was a fraud in this environment. Li Yu was not a true swordsman in the eyes of these weapons.He reached the halfway point of the bridge and prepared to simply ride out the rest of the time limit. It was an interesting experience and while he didn’t have much to gain, it still opened his eyes a bit further.

Suddenly, a massive shadow detached itself from the dark void high above. It did not glow with a brilliant light and it did not radiate a piercing sword Qi. It simply fell toward the bridge like a dying meteor at the end of its journey. It moved incredibly slowly but it carried a terrifying sense of mass.

Li Yu stopped walking and watched the object descend at its painfully slow pace. It stopped right in front of him and hovered silently over the bridge of light. The faint illumination from the path revealed the weapon.

Li Yu stared at it in confusion.

It was a sword but it was unlike any sword he had ever seen. It was absolutely massive. The blade width was a tad wider than his entire torso, he could disappear behind it and not be seen. The weapon was also taller than Li Yu himself by a full half meter. The metal was completely covered in thick layers of dark brown rust as well.

It had no real edge. The sides of the blade were incredibly thick and completely blunt. It was essentially a giant rectangular slab of rusted metal forged with a hilt and no crossguard.

Li Yu remembered the heavy lessons he had learned on the Peak of the Forge. Master Tie had drilled a fundamental truth into his head. A weapon was created with a specific goal. A sword was meant to cut or pierce. A hammer was meant to smash. A shield was meant to block.

This weapon defied that logic entirely and would probably cause Master Tie to split up blood.

It was clearly meant for smashing with how it looked. The mass and the lack of an edge made it a blunt force instrument. Yet, the ancient smith had gone through the trouble of forging it into the shape of a sword instead of a simple hammer or a heavy club. It was a walking contradiction and that is not even mentioning the amount of materials that was probably used up to create such a large weapon.

The spatial realm trembled slightly and the trial directly imprinted the sword's name into Li Yu's mind. ‘The Silent Bastion.’

Li Yu reached out to inspect the weapon. The sword did not radiate any spirit and it did not hum with power or project an aura of intent. It sat there completely dead and quiet. It was the exact opposite of the terrifying bone sword that he had.

He wrapped his hand around the thick leather grip of the hilt and he tried to pull the sword toward him. The physical weight of the weapon nearly ripped his arm out of its socket. Li Yu gasped and immediately circulated his Qi into his muscles.

He braced his legs against the starry bridge and pulled with all his might. The heavy slab of metal slowly moved and he managed to lift it slightly off the ground. It was unimaginably heavy, thoughts of the weapon his mom gave him came to mind but this one was even more heavy than that.

He did not know why this bizarre weapon had chosen to resonate with him but he was happy to get anything at all. He poured his Qi into his Koi Sanctuary and willed the massive sword inside. The Silent Bastion vanished from the bridge.

A moment later, the ten minute time limit expired.

The spatial array grabbed Li Yu and violently threw him out of the void. He flew through the silver portal and crashed heavily onto the stone plateau. He rolled across the ground and pushed himself up onto one knee.

He was drenched in sweat and his muscles ached terribly from the physical effort of moving the giant sword. Li Yu looked like everyone else coming out of the trail but for a completely different reason.

The crowd leaned in closely and they had been waiting anxiously to see what the ruthless son of Canghai had acquired but saw him holding nothing. Unlike the others, he actually had a bit of time to actually put it away but he knew that he should share what he had gotten like everyone else had done. Li Yu stood up and took a deep breath as he tapped his chest and summoned his new weapon.

The Silent Bastion materialized in his hand and the massive weight immediately dragged his arm down. The rusted tip of the giant sword slammed into the stone plateau with the impact cracking the reinforced floor tiles and sent a deep tremor through the ground.

The entire assembly stared at the weapon in stunned silence.

It was not a demonic blade of slaughter. It was not a legendary artifact glowing with holy light or righteous aura. It was a rusted and blunt hunk of oversized metal. A loud burst of laughter erupted from the Blazing Edge Empire delegation. The disciples who had been glaring at Li Yu all morning were now pointing and mocking him openly. They had been waiting for a chance to get back at him in one way or another.

"Look at that piece of junk." Yan Bo shouted over the crowd. "The Starry Path gave him a rusted iron door. It doesn't even have an edge."

Several others from their group joined in the laughter but the other factions didn’t join them. However, everyone was incredibly relieved that Li Yu had not pulled a world shattering weapon. They felt a deep sense of satisfaction for one reason or another when they saw him struggle with a useless slab of metal.

The Heavenly Sword Sect elders did not laugh because they had never seen this sword before. They stepped forward and surrounded Li Yu. They were sword experts and they possessed incredibly sharp eyes. Nearly everyone here did in fact when it came to the sword.

The Sovereign realm referee knelt down and inspected the rusted metal closely. He ran his fingers over the thick and blunt side of the blade. His expression was a mixture of confusion and respect.

"The crowd laughs because they are ignorant." The referee elder said quietly but everyone could hear him. "This weapon does not radiate Qi but the raw materials used to craft it are extraordinary. The density and strength is unbelievable. The materials alone are worth a fortune and I can’t identify all of the materials used. Who would craft this thing when they could have made at least ten or fifteen amazing swords. A complete waste of valuable resources!"

Another elder nodded in agreement. "The materials are indeed very high grade. But I do not understand the shape. Why use such precious metal to create a blunt slab?"

"I think it is meant for smashing." Li Yu answered and shared his thoughts on it. He grabbed the hilt with both hands and hoisted the giant weapon onto his shoulder. The stone floor cracked again under his shifting weight. "It is a heavy weapon that crushes whatever it hits."

The elders murmured among themselves. They were baffled by the weapon but they could not deny the quality of the raw materials. It was a strange and contradictory prize but it was a prize nonetheless. Worse case, the boy could melt it down and craft some truly great swords.

Li Yu did not care about the mocking laughter from others. He did not care that the sword was rusted and lacked a sharp edge. He was happy that he had acquired anything at all from a trial that was not meant for him. Li Yu willed the massive weapon back into his Koi Sanctuary as the crushing physical weight vanished from his shoulder.

He offered a polite bow to the elders and walked calmly back to the Li Clan pavilion.

The Li Clan disciples looked at him with mixed emotions. They were slightly disappointed that their people had not pulled a better sword but they were also relieved. They did not want to see him wielding another terrifying weapon when he wasn’t even on the sword path. It felt like a waste of a great sword.

"That was an interesting choice." Lead Envoy Ren called out from the Freeblade tables. He raised his jug of wine. "It looks like you could flatten a mountain with that thing."

"I intend to find out eventually." Li Yu smiled and took his seat.

The referee elder returned to the archway and the trials resumed. The afternoon passed as more batches of eager cultivators entered the Starry Path.

Young Master Feng Mian of the Violet Gale Clan finally took his turn. He stepped into the vortex with his trademark speed. When he was expelled ten minutes later, he was holding a sleek and incredibly narrow rapier. The blade was almost completely transparent and radiated a piercing wind intent. The Violet Gale Clan cheered loudly for their leader's success.

The core disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect also entered the portal in organized groups. The results were mixed even for the host sect. Some acquired beautiful blades that matched their rigid forms while others returned completely empty handed. It reinforced the truth that the Starry Path answered only to fate.

The sun finally dipped below the jagged peaks and cast long shadows across the plateau. The silver vortex slowly spun down and faded into nothingness. The special event had officially concluded with some winners but mostly losers.

"The Starry Path is now closed." The referee elder announced to the weary crowd. "You have all faced the trails and polished your sword intent. Those who claimed a blade have formed a karmic bond with our very history. We look forward to seeing your future growth."

The cultivators began the long walk back across the suspension bridge. The atmosphere was completely different from the morning. The bitter rivalries and the tense hostility had been replaced by exhaustion and quiet reflection.

Li Yu walked silently among his clan members and he thought about the rusted and giant sword. He closed his eyes and breathed in the cold night air as they reached the guest pavilions. The seventh day was over and he was halfway through the conference and wondered what the remaining days would bring.