Chapter 14: Reacquiring the Sword Techniques

Summer Dust’s forehead was dripping with cold sweat.

A beast’s roar echoed in his ears as a lizard-like monster emerged from the pitch-black curtain, extending its long tongue. Soon, spirit beasts began to approach from all directions, surrounding him in a circle.

He stood frozen, not daring to make a move. Just as he hesitated, wondering if he should use a communication talisman to call for his master’s help, a familiar voice rang out: “Draw your sword.”

Summer Dust was stunned. Draw his sword? Was he supposed to fight these spirit beasts? Wouldn’t that be a death sentence?

Before he could make up his mind, the lizard rushed towards him. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him. He instinctively drew his sword and blocked it in front of him.

A long roar was heard, and waves of water rippled. In an instant, a massive blue dragon appeared before Summer Dust.

The dragon let out another roar, and the lizard seemed frozen, unable to move.

The low growls from the surrounding spirit beasts vanished, and an eerie silence filled the air.

After swirling around in the water for a while, the blue dragon raised its head and looked down with glowing blue eyes that sent chills down Summer Dust’s spine.

The dragon exuded an aura of authority, and the surrounding spirit beasts bowed in submission, slowly retreating.

Before long, the eyes in the dark disappeared, and the threatening aura faded.

The lizard, which had been frozen in place, seemed to have been released from whatever held it. It slithered down and retreated into the depths of the pool.

Summer Dust stood frozen, shocked by what he had just witnessed, unable to react for a while.

“You… what…” He slightly opened his mouth but was cut off as the blue dragon suddenly turned to face him, glaring angrily.

“You little brat, what are you doing here?” The dragon’s deep voice resonated in his ears.

Over the past two years, Summer Dust had drawn his sword many times, but the dragon had never appeared. He had assumed the dragon’s spiritual power had been damaged due to the formation.

But now, the blue dragon appeared fully charged with power, showing no sign of damage.

“Are you alright?” Summer Dust asked, not answering but questioning instead.

The dragon snorted. “That little bit of damage has long healed.”

“Then why…” Summer Dust was about to ask why the dragon hadn’t appeared, but quickly realized the dragon must be angry.

“You brat, you thought you could suppress me with that formation? You’re too full of yourself,” the dragon huffed, hot air spraying from its nostrils and hitting Summer Dust’s cheek.

Summer Dust smiled. “But you still saved me.”

The sword and its owner were bonded together, and when the sword was drawn, the owner’s fate was tied to it.

The dragon snorted but didn’t respond. Summer Dust, curious, asked again, “Why do all these spirit beasts fear you?”

The dragon sneered arrogantly. “I am the king of spirit beasts. How dare these mere creatures of the mortal realm act up in my presence?”

So that’s how it is. But such a powerful dragon—how did it end up as a sword spirit? Just as Summer Dust was about to ask, he saw the dragon’s cold and proud expression, so he swallowed his question.

It’s better not to provoke it.

At that moment, a squeaking sound came from the side. Both the dragon and Summer Dust noticed that a puppet was slowly approaching from within the formation.

Summer Dust smiled. “Looks like there’s one that doesn’t fear you.”

The dragon, provoked, opened its mouth and released a flame toward the puppet. The Three Realms True Fire burned fiercely in the water, but the puppet seemed unaffected.

The puppet, now a humanoid ball of fire, continued to advance. Summer Dust swung his sword, but the sword’s imposing aura seemed to vanish when it touched the puppet.

The overwhelming spiritual pressure released from the puppet stunned Summer Dust, leaving him unable to move.

“Is that… Full Circle of the Sun God Realm?” The dragon exclaimed in surprise.

At this point, the puppet, surrounded by flames, threw a punch. The dragon quickly raised a shield to block it, barely stopping the attack.

A mere puppet, yet it had reached the Sun God Realm? The dragon and the puppet were locked in a stalemate. Summer Dust’s mind raced, but he couldn’t come up with a solution.

Just then, a voice echoed in his mind: “Sheathe your sword.”

He was about to act but suddenly felt a strange chill. It was as though the spiritual pressure had vanished.

Sheathe his sword now? Without the dragon, wouldn’t he be doomed?

Just as he hesitated, the voice repeated: “Trust me.”

The earlier command to draw the sword, which had seemed like a suicidal suggestion, had saved him. Now, facing a powerful enemy, he was asked to sheathe his sword.

Summer Dust thought for a moment. The senior wouldn’t harm him, so he decided to take a gamble.

With determination, he sheathed his sword. In an instant, the blue dragon vanished. With the dragon gone, the shield blocking him also disappeared.

Summer Dust, nervous, braced himself for an attack. However, he suddenly felt the puppet’s aura weaken.

Taking a deep breath, he gathered his spiritual power into a glowing ball in his hand and struck the puppet. The impact shattered the puppet, sending it back several feet.

The puppet weakened. With this conclusion, Summer Dust gained confidence and sent several more spiritual flows toward it.

The once ineffective True Fire of Three Realms began to burn brighter, and the wood was charred, its blackened remnants dissipating into the water.

As the flames continued to burn, Summer Dust could feel the puppet’s spiritual power weakening.

Under the dual assault of spiritual power and flames, the puppet, nearly three men tall, soon collapsed into pieces and was reduced to a puff of black mist.

What was going on?

Summer Dust was baffled, but before he could think further, a box appeared before him. His eyes lit up as he hurried to open it, revealing a book. He was delighted. “It’s the other half of the sword technique!”

He closed the box and was about to leave when he felt a cold sensation at the bottom of the box, as if there were a metal object embedded in it.

Turning the box over, he found a silver clasp with a pear blossom pattern on the wooden box, the center slightly raised like a button. Curious, he pressed it.

Nothing happened to the box, but a ring of light suddenly appeared from the ground, surrounding Summer Dust. The ring extended upward, forming a hemispherical light prison.

He tried to leave, but the light wall blocked his way—another formation.

Summer Dust cursed to himself and punched the formation’s wall. It vibrated with a hum, and a burst of light flashed. He was struck with a ringing in his ears and dizziness, feeling as though the world was spinning. Moments later, he fainted.

When he woke up, he found himself lying in a room.

Had he returned to the sect?

Confused, he got up, feeling the dizziness subside. Slowly, he stepped outside.

The sound of chanting came from the main hall. He followed the sound and saw his fellow disciples sitting inside, all chanting the “Nan Hua Sutra.”

Master, slender and gaunt, stood with his hands behind his back, his jet-black hair cascading over his pale robe.

The figure turned to face him and gave a slight smile. “You’re awake? Hurry up and join us. The morning session has already started.”

Still puzzled, Summer Dust saw Master continue, “Yesterday, Du Ziming and the others brought you back. After the morning session, you should go thank them.” With that, Master waved at him.

So that’s it. It seemed he had slept through the entire night.

He quickly went to his spot and sat cross-legged on the meditation mat. Behind him, Xu Wenmin patted his shoulder and whispered, “After the session, Zhuang Shixiong and I are going to the back mountain to pick the Rainbow Fruit. Do you want to come?”

Summer Dust was surprised. Since when did this guy start being nice to him? Seeing the other’s eager expression, he couldn’t help but nod.

He thought they must be setting a trap for him, planning some scheme, but after half a day, nothing seemed unusual.

They really did take him to pick spirit fruits, and their friendly behavior left him dumbfounded.

What was going on?

That evening, after visiting He Meng Hall to report to Master, he should have left, but Master kept him behind for a few more words.

“You’ve surpassed your peers in the Golden Dan stage. With this sword technique, you’ll certainly stand out in the sect competition. All the past trials were for your sharpening. Now you can stand on your own. I no longer need to worry about you.”

When had Master become so kind? Not only did he praise him, but his concern was evident in his words.

Summer Dust felt a bit dazed. Then he heard Master add, “But remember, don’t let pride consume you. Go now.”

Time passed in a blur, almost feeling unreal.

The sect competition arrived, and he effortlessly swept through his peers.

Standing on the stage, the cheers from the crowd grew louder. He glanced at his Master in the stands, who smiled at him with encouragement and affirmation.

Summer Dust closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

Something didn’t feel right.

He pinched his arm hard. It hurt. This wasn’t a dream?

The disciples in the stands were all showing sincere joy, and Master, who had always had a cold, icy expression, now looked kind and approachable.

This was impossible.

Even after the competition ended, he remained in a daze.

He anxiously approached Master.

“Master…” he had a suspicion that he needed to verify to feel at ease. “I have a question, and I’d like Master to answer.”

Master smiled gently, nodding, “Speak.”

“Du Ziming’s master—who is it?”

“Naturally, it’s Master Qiu.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I want to know Master Qiu’s full name.”

He didn’t know what Du Ziming’s master was called, only that his surname was Qiu. If everything was as he suspected, then Master wouldn’t be able to answer.

Master’s expression shifted slightly, and he coldly said, “Why don’t you ask Du Ziming?”

His eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, “Does Master not know?”

Master avoided his gaze, not answering.

Just as he had suspected.

“Master, have you forgotten your own senior brother’s full name?” he pressed.

Master, flustered, snapped, “How dare you question your elders?”

Summer Dust’s expression was stern as he coldly snorted, “Master knows your senior brother’s name, but the only one who doesn’t is me! You’re not my Master; you’re an illusion created from my memory. Everything here is an illusion!”

With that, he drew his sword and lunged. Master quickly retreated.

This action confirmed his suspicion. The real Master wouldn’t need to retreat.

He increased his speed, channeling spiritual energy into the sword’s blade. In a flash, he heard a muffled grunt, and red light radiated from Master’s chest. Master showed an expression of disbelief.

The surrounding scene began to distort and fade like a wet ink painting.

Daylight disappeared, and he was back in the dark pool, with nothing around him. Looking around again, the formation had vanished.

The illusion had beautified his memories, keeping him trapped in a false dream. Unfortunately, it was too perfect, which made it all the more unreal.

A surge of spiritual light came from the box in his hand. Confused, he opened it again, only for flames to shoot out instantly. Before he could react, the book was engulfed in flames and burned to nothing.

He let out a startled cry, his heart in his throat.

But in the blink of an eye, a new scroll appeared in the box, this time labeled with the words “Flying Rainbow Sword Technique.” A golden flash passed across the words.

He hurriedly opened the scroll to inspect it but found nothing unusual.

What did this mean?

Just then, Du Ziming’s voice came from behind: “Did you succeed?”

Summer Dust turned around sharply and swung his sword.