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In a chaotic world, ceremonies were very important. The darker it got, and the colder it got, the more important it became to have fire. And that fire... could fuel the legacy of all humanity. That fire was the human bloodline, and it represented the very spirit of all humankind. Ceremonies represented the spirit of legacy. The more formal a ceremony, and the more holy it was, the deeper impression that legacy would give. It could be branded onto the soul itself, never to be dispersed. This was a swordsage ceremony, but at the same time, it was a ceremony for all humanity.

In the dome of heaven, the swordsages were organized by rank into two wings. The wing-like shape of their formation had significance; it was a symbol of how they offered protection. With their wings, they would offer shelter to humanity. Beyond that, they were willing to spread their wings wide and fly to the highest heights, all for the sake of humankind.

The nine swordsage elders had solemn expressions on their faces as they bore witness to the events playing out. That itself was part of the ceremony. There were four on each side, and one in the middle. Arrayed at different heights, they resembled a mountain or a sword. They represented the cutting edge of the swordsages. They represented the command sword. The sunrise glow illuminated them from behind. Combined with the divine likeness of the Grand Emperor, hīs gaze encompassing all heaven and earth, meant they were the protectors of the legacy of humankind.

Beneath the gaze of that god, standing 30,000 meters in the sky, was Xu Qing, his hand gripping the command sword. His clothes rippled in the wind, and his hair swayed around him. However, he stood unmoving. There was no need to use the words ‘energy’ or ‘aura’ to describe his grandeur. The look in his eyes, and the position upon which he stood, were more than enough.

That was because only one person stood in that paramount position on the staircase. Xu Qing.

His grandeur was profound. It was profound because of how the statue of the Grand Emperor seemed to superimpose over him. And it was profound because of the swordsage mission.

Normally speaking, this swordsage ceremony was not supposed to focus profound grandeur on a single person. After all, in the end, it was merely an entry ceremony for new recruits. True grandeur was supposed to come later, when a swordsage rose through the ranks and was promoted.

But then Xu Qing came along.

During the assessment process, he climbed higher on the staircase than anyone in history. The other candidates had to scramble to the top, but he was already there.

All he had to do was pick up one of the command swords. The moment he did so, he stopped being a participant and turned into a witness. He bore witness to what was happening on the stairs below, and all of the figures rushing up. There were now only two command swords left, which meant that only two people would succeed.

Xu Qing, of course, was the type of person who would seek revenge over the smallest grievance. He absolutely did not want Zhang Siyun to succeed. And the rules didn’t prohibit him from interfering. As long as he didn’t do anything too excessive, it seemed likely he could take action.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said calmly, “be careful of Zhang Siyun. He has a transposition magic that only requires line of sight to activate. In the ghast hollow, he used it on me in a very underhanded way.”

In response to his words, the expressions of the other candidates on the staircase flickered.

The Captain didn’t slow down an iota. Blue light flickered around him, and suddenly he blurred, making it difficult for anyone to be able to see him clearly. Then he accelerated dramatically, leaping 3,000 meters in a single bound. After that, he continued speeding upward.

His goal was the command sword 3,000 meters to the left of Xu Qing.

Zhang Siyun’s face remained expressionless. Because of his losses in the ghast hollow, he had fallen severely behind in the competition. He had also been badly hurt. As a result, he had planned to use his transposition technique to switch places with either Chen Erniu or Qing Qiu. After all, Xu Qing had already found a way to deal with his transposition technique, and beyond that, had taken the lead in the event. Then there was the fact that the grand elder had just said to ‘be on your best behavior.’ And finally, considering that holding a command sword meant that you were a swordsage, it seemed very dangerous to try to switch places with Xu Qing.

Unfortunately, Xu Qing had spoken so quickly that Zhang Siyun couldn’t possibly have been prepared. Before he could even use his transposition technique, Xu Qing interfered. Zhang Siyun was understandably shocked, but didn’t give up. Instead, he shifted targets to Qing Qiu.

Meanwhile, the Captain shot forward with blinding speed, seemingly ignoring the immense pressure weighing down on the staircase. In the blink of an eye, he reached the command sword and grabbed it excitedly. Then he turned to look at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing looked back at him.

They each grinned.

It wasn’t lost on Xu Qing that the swordsages above hadn’t done anything to interfere when he spoke moments ago. Therefore, he decided to speak again.

“Zhang Siyun, you coveted that pentagonal log cabin in the ghast hollow, and even planned to destroy it. What’s more, you know the ghast hollow like the back of your own hand. You might claim to be unaware of what lay down there, and you might want us to believe you didn’t have ulterior motives, except... no one believes you! Your plots, your schemes, and your very actions are all extremely suspicious! As a swordsage, I, Xu Qing, hereby request that the various elders of the Swordsage Court inspect Zhang Siyun!”

Zhang Siyun was currently speeding past the 7,000th stair. At the same time, he was targeting Qing Qiu, who was around the 9,000th stair. When he heard Xu Qing’s words, it struck him deeply. Not even Li Ziliang’s Will Implantation techniques worked on him, mostly because they were based on lies. That made the technique easy to resist.

But... Xu Qing didn’t just openly reveal his own secrets. Beyond that, he actually requested that the elders inspect him! This was no Will Implantation. This was outright humiliation!

Zhang Siyun knew that he didn’t have time for a lengthy explanation. But at the same time, he had no idea how to smooth things over in the heat of the moment. But he couldn’t say nothing!

Therefore, he tried to stay calm. “That’s absolute nonsense!”

Then he kept working on his transposition technique. Unfortunately, what had just played out caused big problems for his ability to focus mentally.

Exactly as his transposition technique locked onto Qing Qiu and activated, her eyes glittered, and she shot backward at high speed.

The further one got up the stairs, the greater the pressure, and the slower one moved. But moving backward was easy. Considering that she was actually attempting to accelerate backward, that made it so that, in the shortest of moments, she was able to drop back down to roughly the 3,000th stair.

The transposition technique worked!

Zhang Siyun successfully moved from the 7,000th stair to roughly the 3,000th. Meanwhile, Qing Qiu switched to the 7,000th!

Before, they had only been about 2,000 stairs apart. Now they were about 4,000 stairs apart!

In the blink of an eye, an evil ghost suddenly appeared above Qing Qiu. It had previously been building up power, and now it looked back at Zhang Siyun, opened its mouth, then snapped it shut.

A tremor passed through Zhang Siyun as his defenses automatically fought back against the attack. At the same time, the backlash from his own technique hit him, forcing him to stop in place. Qing Qiu’s method of dealing with his transposition technique was simple. But the simpler such methods were, the more difficult they were to anticipate.

Meanwhile, Qing Qiu took advantage of the moment to employ a secret magic. Red light glowed around her as numerous shadowy projections of herself appeared. Then she spat out seven mouthfuls of blood to achieve a dramatic acceleration. Using that boost, she shot to the top of the stairs and grabbed the third command sword.

The moment she grabbed it, she coughed up a huge mouthful of blood which contained chunks of internal organs. Obviously that secret magic had come with a huge price, and a dangerous backlash. She sagged in place so unstably it seemed like she might collapse. However, by leaning against her evil ghost scythe, she was able to remain standing. Though she was very weak at that moment, her eyes shone with determination.

For some reason, Xu Qing felt like he had seen that exact same look before, though he wasn’t sure where.

As Xu Qing searched through his memories, Zhang Siyun stood there in defeat. Fury burned in his heart as he glared at Xu Qing. Looking up to the swordsages in the dome of heaven, he cried, “Xu Qing slandered me! He interfered with the assessment! This matter—”

“I’ll step in to explain things for my little Junior Brother,” the Captain interrupted, sounding very serious. “Sorry about all this, Zhang Siyun. It was all just a misunderstanding. You’re really a good person!” The Captain blinked a few times, then looked over at Qing Qiu who was currently gasping for breath. “What do you think, Fellow Daoist Qing Qiu?”

Qing Qiu hated Mad Dog and Ghost Hand, but she also knew that this matter related to her own position in the final standings.

“I agree that it was a misunderstanding,” she said coldly. “Sorry about that, Zhang Siyun. You’re a good person.”

Both had openly called Zhang Siyun a good person. However, that didn’t do anything to dispel the rage in Zhang Siyun’s heart. In fact, it made it worse. He was just about to say something further when a middle-aged man stepped out from the left wing. It was the same man who had previously read out the name list.

He clasped hands and bowed to the grand elder. Obviously, he had noted that the grand elder didn’t say anything regarding what was going on. Given how long he had served with this grand elder, he could tell what the man was thinking. In fact, he was the very same person who, that day at the altar, the grand elder had asked for more information about Xu Qing. Even back then he had been able to discern from the look in the grand elder’s eyes what he thought about Xu Qing. [1]

Turning to the staircase, he spoke in a solemn voice that echoed through heaven and earth.

“The swordsage recruitment event is now over.”

The other candidates on the 9,999-step staircase all vanished and reappeared down below. Including Zhang Siyun. He stood there with his hands balled into fists, his eyes bloodshot, and his heart bursting with rancorous energy. Next to him was Ning Yan from the small sect, who had previously tried to attack Xu Qing on the pillar. Ning Yan’s face was ashen, and his expression one of disappointment. However, deep within his eyes, there was still a bit of hope.

It was the same with all the other candidates. They were all sad but hopeful. After all, they still had a chance. That said, no matter how defiant and emotional they were, nobody was paying any attention to them right now. All eyes were on the figures atop the holy staircase.

There stood Xu Qing, the Captain, and Qing Qiu.

“On this day, three people have been selected as swordsages. Xu Qing. Chen Erniu. Qing Qiu. Congratulations to all of you.”

As he spoke their names, he looked from one to the other, though his gaze lingered longest on Xu Qing. Then he clasped hands and bowed to them.

The rest of the swordsages did the same. Expressions solemn, they bowed. It was a welcoming bow that did not relate to matters of seniority. All new swordsages were treated with the same respect.

Looking very solemn, Xu Qing and the others returned the bow.

“Henceforth, the three of you are officially swordsages.” the middle-aged man continued. “Furthermore, by resolution of the Swordsage Court, disciple Ning Yan, you are hereby declared a runner-up, and are now an adjunct swordsage. You will be sent to the Swordsage Palace in the county above for your appointment and further training. There, you’ll have another chance to acquire a command sword and possibly become an official swordsage.

“By further resolution of the Swordsage Court, disciple Zhang Siyun, you are hereby appointed as a swordsage despite not passing the assessment. However, there are only three command swords in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. Therefore, you will be sent to the Swordsage Palace in Sea-Sealing County to request your command sword.

“Now, the two of you approach.”

Ning Yan hurried out and started climbing the stairs. As he ran up, his eyes shone brightly, and he was trembling.

Everyone in the audience looked, moved.

Meanwhile, the other candidates sighed with regret. All of them had been hoping to be declared a runner-up. After all, there were always runners-up in swordsage recruitment events. Although not every adjunct swordsage who was sent to the county above would end up receiving an appointment, at least it was an opportunity.

Zhang Siyun was the only one who looked just as angry as before. Walking forward, he climbed up the stairs along with Ning Yan. When he reached the top, he stood off to the side.

Xu Qing looked over calmly at Ning Yan.

When Ning Yan noticed that, he shrank back a bit. He had been excited, but now he suddenly felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured on his head. He didn’t even dare to meet Xu Qing’s eyes.

Xu Qing then turned to look at Zhang Siyun, and noted the coldness in his eyes. Xu Qing, meanwhile, looked completely expressionless. Finally, he turned his attention to the dome of heaven as he waited for the ceremony to finish.

Somehow, the middle-aged man’s voice grew even more somber as he continued, “And now, as all swordsages here bear witness, the five of you will approach the divine likeness of the Grand Emperor. There, your heart will be assessed and you will make your pledge. After, you will receive a blessing from the Grand Emperor.”

Apparently, this part of the ceremony was of utmost importance to the swordsages.

“This is the final and most critical aspect of becoming a swordsage. The Grand Emperor will observe you closely, therefore, all of you must answer with utmost sincerity and from your heart. None of us will be privy to what you say in response. Only you and the Grand Emperor will know. The divine likeness of the Grand Emperor will shine light based on your answer.

“However high the light shines, that will represent how much the Grand Emperor approves of your answer. From ancient times until now in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, new swordsages usually provoke light from between 180 to about 3,000 meters.”

The Captain leaned over to Xu Qing and blinked a few times. Given the solemnity of the occasion, he didn’t dare to speak out loud, so instead, he projected a message to Xu Qing via divine will.

“Hey, little Ah Qing. Guess what? It’s a total sham when they say you get a blessing.

“You listen to me. There are two purposes to this part of the event. The first is to make sure that you’re actually human. The other is to serve as a swearing-in ceremony. Trust me, all you need to do in response to the Grand Emperor’s question is make yourself look as good as possible.

“The results don’t affect your status as a swordsage, and there’s no actual reward. At most, you might gain some face.

“That said, you have to think carefully about how you brag. Even though it won’t affect your status, I’ve heard that they record the results in your official record, and that it can affect further promotions and whatnot. So think long and hard before you answer.

“As you might imagine, though, I don’t need to do anything like that. I’ve been preparing for his moment for a very, very long time. After we got here to Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, I spent a lot of money to get a list of all the questions the Grand Emperor has asked over the past several thousand years. I even got some of the questions from other prefectures. In total, I got access to 1,789 commonly asked questions.

“With those questions, I, your Eldest Brother, was able to spend time thinking about the absolute best answer to all of them. Then, I memorized those answers. I can recite each one perfectly!

“Hmmmphh! You might have taken first place just now, but in the next section, I can tell you ahead of time that my light will shine the highest!”

The Captain’s eyebrows danced up and down as he looked at Xu Qing, seemingly extremely pleased with how far-reaching and all-encompassing his strategic skills were.

Xu Qing ignored him. He didn’t care how high that light ended up shining. If it didn’t affect his status as a swordsage, and there was no reward, then it was essentially meaningless. Therefore, he would just answer from his heart.

As Xu Qing pondered that, the middle-aged cultivator’s somber voice echoed from above.

“All of you advance 300 meters!”

Xu Qing began to walk, as did the others, until they were all getting very close to the divine likeness of the Grand Emperor.

1. In chapter 355 the grand elder asked about Xu Qing. Note that there are actually two instances in that chapter of one person telling another about Xu Qing. The grand elder is in the second scene. ☜