Ruan Tang's body stiffened.
At so unknown point, an elderly woman with white hair had appeared by the door. She smiled kindly and said, "Tangtang, what would you like to eat today?"
Ruan Tang burst into tears.
Everything before her was too real, so real that Ruan Tang felt like she was in a dream. Her outstretched hand trembled.
It was the old woman's hand, covered in age spots, that took Ruan Tang's wrist. Wiping away her granddaughter's tears, she asked with concern, "Why are you crying? Who bullied my Tangtang? Grandma will teach them a lesson for you."
"Grandma!"
Ruan Tang threw herself into the old woman's arms, crying her eyes out.
* * *
Xu Lai exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Unlike the Retrocognition Technique of the past which only consud a tenth of his Spiritual Power, this ti, it had consud a full forty percent. Moreover, it required a continuous flow of Spiritual Power to sustain it.
This was equivalent to an Obsession Barrier, where the people and scenery had all once truly existed.
But they were also illusions.
This was a fragnt of ti severed from the long river of history; Grandma had long since been reincarnated.
There are no two identical leaves in the world.
Even as an Emperor Realm expert, Xu Lai couldn't resurrect the grandmother from that ti. This was all he could do.
"I don't know if I'm helping or harming you," Xu Lai sighed softly, gazing at Ruan Tang, who was leaning against him, trapped in the Obsession Barrier. "The mortal world is a grand dream, but this dream... cannot last forever." He gently wiped the tear stains from her face.
"Sister—"
Ruan Lan's voice ca from outside. She had recovered her composure quickly. Pushing aside the curtain, she walked in and asked in a hushed voice, "Is my sister asleep already?"
"Yes."
Xu Lai said, "She's chatting with Grandma. Do you want to join her?"
Ruan Lan's expression grew wary, and she took a small step back. "You rotten brother-in-law, what kind of beastly thing are you planning to do to your beautiful younger sister-in-law? You even want to kill !"
"..."
Xu Lai didn't feel like explaining. Feeling a bit weary, he waved his hand dismissively. "Why don't you go back to the west wing and rest."
"I refuse!"
Ruan Lan looked left and right, then asked, "Where are Yiyi and Beibei? I didn't see them earlier."
"By the river."
"Oh."
Ruan Lan took off at a run. "I'm going to play too! Don't wait for the three of us for dinner. I'll take them up the mountain to catch a wild boar."
Muttering to herself as she ran off like a gust of wind, she added, "I wonder if that little wild pig that chased for three miles when I was a kid is still alive. This lady is going to roast you today!"
Inside the old house, only Xu Lai and Ruan Tang remained.
Suddenly, he seed to sense sothing.
He looked toward the Shushan mountain range.
This place was a Holy Land in the hearts of countless Martial Artists in Hua Country, all because Xu Yanyang had established a Sky Ranking here. On the Sky Ranking were inscribed the nas of nearly every Martial Ancestor from Hua Country over the past three hundred years, along with a strand of their 'montum' left behind at the mont of their breakthrough.
To gather the montum of the masses and forge it into a single sword. A strike that could shake the heavens!
This was one of Hua Country's openly displayed trump cards.
Of course, not all Martial Ancestors' nas were on it. For example, those from the One School, Three Sects, and Nine Pavilions were not included.
Last year, Xu Lai had left a Sword at Shushan that corresponded with the Sky Ranking. It was known as the Sword Ranking.
The overwhelming Sword Intent attracted countless Sword Cultivators. Even Divine Gate Realm experts from the Penglai Sword Pavilion had attempted to leave their nas on the Sword Ranking.
But... not one had succeeded.
To this day, the Sword Ranking bore only a single, flamboyant character: 'Xu'.
Many Sword Cultivators had built straw huts at the foot of Sword Ranking Mountain, ditating day and night on the Sword Intent, attempting to achieve a breakthrough.
They were of all levels, from First Grade Martial Artists to Ninth Grade Sword Sect masters, and most were over thirty years of age.
With the destruction of the Sword Pavilion, even more people had co to the Sword Ranking to comprehend the sword in the last two days.
That evening, the setting sun cast its glow on a young girl carrying a wooden sword on her back. She was no older than six or seven.
She had a lovely na: Xu Die.
The girl ignored the strange looks from the surrounding Sword Cultivators and walked step by step until she was one mile from the Sword Ranking. As she drew closer, the odd looks from the surrounding Sword Sect mbers faded, replaced by surprise and solemnity.
This was because the closer one got to the Sword Ranking, the more intense the sword pressure beca. Without a certain level of mastery in the Martial Dao, one simply couldn't withstand it.
In mild cases, blood would stream from one's facial orifices; in severe cases, one would die and their Dao would be extinguished.
Those who could approach within a mile of the foot of Sword Ranking Mountain were at least Seventh Grade Sword Sect masters, and there were even two or three Ninth Grade masters among them.
Their eyes were fixed on Xu Die.
Suddenly, one of them had a realization and exclaid, "I know who she is! That little girl is Xu Die, and she's suspected of having an Innate Sword Body. She once unleashed a sword strike that caused the Sword Heart of Deng Shu, the leader of Penglai Sword Pavilion's younger generation, to nearly collapse!"
At this, the eyes of several old Ninth Grade Realm n turned red with excitent.
They were all sword masters, and none of them had a disciple.
This young girl before them was exceptionally talented. Although her cultivation boundary was not at the Seventh Grade, the strength of her Sword Intent was by no ans weaker than a Seventh Grade Sword Sect's!
Otherwise, she couldn't have made it this far.
Thus, three old Ninth Grade Sword Sect elders surrounded her, each wanting to take her as their disciple.
"Little girl, I am the president of the East Mountain Martial Dao Association. Are you willing to enter my tutelage?"
"Don't listen to him. The Martial Dao Association is dirt poor. I trade in rare spiritual treasures. As long as you're willing—"
"Get lost! Are you really trying to get a six-year-old girl to say 'I'm willing'? Have you no sha?"
"...That's not what I ant."
The three old n began to bicker.
The Seventh Grade Sword Sect masters watched with envy. These old n were usually so haughty they wouldn't even deign to speak to them. Yet today, they were arguing without any regard for their reputation or status, just for the chance to take a disciple.
"If you want to be my master, that's fine," Xu Die said, pointing at the Sword Ranking with an indescribable seriousness and stubbornness. "I want to leave my na on the Sword Ranking. Which of you can help do that?"
"..."
The three Ninth Grade Sword Sect elders stiffened.
Last year, Rong Sanyue, the most legendary Supre Elder of the Sword Pavilion at the Divine Gate Realm, had attempted to ascend the Sword Ranking and inscribe her na.
But she had failed.
Despite using every ans at her disposal, she couldn't leave the slightest mark on the Sword Ranking.
Even Rong Sanyue had failed. How could the three of them possibly succeed?
"Little girl, it's good to have dreams, but you can't achieve everything overnight," one of the Ninth Grade elders said persuasively. "Beco my disciple. In twenty years, reaching the Divine Gate will be within your grasp. At that ti, you'll have a good chance of reaching the summit of the Sword Ranking and leaving your na."
"Twenty years..."
Xu Die shook her head. "That's too long."
Ignoring the pleas of those around her, she pushed against the pressure from the Sword Ranking and forcefully advanced another three hundred ters.
Now, Xu Die was only two hundred ters from the Sword Ranking.
Enduring the pain of the invisible Sword Intent scraping across her skin, she took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged, and placed the wooden sword across her knees. She closed her eyes and began to ditate.
* * *
The Sword Ranking was ford from a sliver of Emperor Realm Sword Intent.
Although it was not the core Qingfeng Sword Intent from the Emperor Scripture that Xu Lai created, it opened a true path of the Sword Dao for the Sword Cultivators of Hua Country.
Xu Lai had even left a few opportunities hidden within the Sword Ranking, though it was unknown who might be fated to find them.
Xu Die. Will she be the first?
Xu Lai withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to Shushan, and looked instead at Ruan Tang in his arms.
He gently stroked Ruan Tang's hair, his eyes filled with tenderness.
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