Chapter 2284: Please Draw The Saber
Not only did youths and younger people try to draw the saber, but some elders also tried. Age meant nothing, and some people tried every single chance they received until their deaths, as they did not want to ever stop trying.
Many people watching mocked the elders who participated in the Saber Ritual, as even if they succeeded, they would still be old. However, there were some people who would try anything, and some even believed the Xia family might be hiding some deep secret.
Also, the Xia family had powerful Progenitors, and it was not impossible for a Progenitor to have the ability to rewind time and restore youth to the elderly. Still, it was all pure fantasy for those who tried to draw the saber.
The students from Virtue Archives were visiting Shenwu's Sky as part of an exchange program, and the timing coincided with the Xia family’s ceremony to worship their ancestors and the Saber Ritual, which could be considered lucky for the students. Unfortunately, while they had been eagerly anticipating observing the Saber Ritual after learning of it, they had since learned that it was impossible, and they now felt that it had been a waste of time.
Lu Yin continued his conversation with Xia Shenfei, but all of a sudden, silence fell upon the entire area. Everyone was staring at the broken saber with strange expressions.
Even Xia Shenfei was staring at the blade in shock.
Lu Yin looked over and saw that Xia Xing was also participating in the Saber Ritual. He wanted to try to draw the blade?
"The sect master actually wants to try to draw the saber? This is very unusual for the sect master." The members of the Xia family all started gossiping about Xia Xing’s actions.
"Every sect master is a genius who ranks at the top of their generation from birth until they become the sect master. Over the years, they’ll start as the top youth, and then they’ll become one of the elders before eventually becoming the sect master. During those various periods, they’ll have had numerous chances to participate in the Saber Ritual, and Xia Xing hasn’t participated after becoming the sect master. I didn’t expect to see him step up today."
"If the sect master fails, it will damage his reputation."
…
No one from the Xia family understood why Xia Xing was eager to participate in the Saber Ritual, not even Xia Shenfei. The only person who understood the sect master’s thoughts at this moment was Lu Yin.
The Xia Xing who had stepped out was not the Xia Xing from the past, but rather a clone who had replaced the main body. He had done so with the help of Progenitor Chen's blood, which meant that, technically, Xia Xing was no longer only himself, but also—in part—Progenitor Chen.
Instead of saying that Xia Xing was attempting to draw the saber, it would be better to view it as Progenitor Chen making the attempt.
Did Xia Xing’s actions mean that Progenitor Chen had never drawn the broken saber? Or was there another possibility?
As Lu Yin tried to analyze the situation, Xia Xing had already arrived at the saber’s hilt, eagerness filling his eyes. Xia Xing’s previous main body had long since abandoned any hope of drawing the saber, but the new main body possessed a trace of Progenitor Chen's blood, and Progenitor Chen had been recognized as the most talented individual from the Xia family throughout its entire history. His talent was likely no worse than Progenitor Xia Chan. Progenitor Chen had been invincible across the universe, and he had even inherited two Mountains and one Sea. If one were to guess which Xia family member was the most likely to draw the saber, then no name would be considered before Progenitor Chen’s. Could he draw the saber?
As Xia Xing’s mind raced, his eyes went wide. He reached down and set his hands upon the saber’s hilt, and instantly, an invisible ripple swept through Shenwu's Sky and far into the distance.
This ripple was not an attack, nor was it any sort of power like stellular energy, but was instead an invisible wave. It was an indescribable aura, or even… a voice.
Lu Yin's pupils constricted as he realized that the broken saber had released a sound.
Lu Yin was not alone, as everyone else had felt it as well. The broken saber shifted, and as it did so, the imprisoned jiao high overhead opened its eyes and slowly looked down to stare at Xia Xing. A terrible mental pressure fell upon everyone and shook all of Shenwu's Sky.
Xia Shenfei, Xia Ziheng, and everyone else had their mouths fall open. Had Xia Xing really just moved the blade?
The God of Food, Semi-Progenitor Chai, Wu Yao, and all of the other powerhouses present were equally stunned. At this moment, everyone present within Shenwu's Sky was staring at the broken saber in a daze. That blade, which had not moved in countless years, had actually just shifted.
Xia Ziheng was the first to react. "Sect Master, draw the saber."
"Father, draw the saber!" Xia Shenfei shouted.
As soon as the silence was shattered, the rest of the members of Shenwu’s Sky started shouting as well, and the echoes all overlapped and converged into a single whole that swept towards Xia Xing. "Sect Master, draw the saber."
"Sect Master, draw the saber."
"Sect Master, draw the saber."
…
The entirety of Shenwu's Sky gathered to produce a tremendous momentum. They acted as a single body, and a shout that seemed to come from a giant rattled the earth, urging Xia Xing to draw the broken saber.
The trapped jiao's head hung down so that the beast could stare at Xia Xing. Its massive eyes seemed to replace the sky itself as it released a blazing breath, but it was instantly smothered before it could destroy Xia Xing. Even the jiao wished for someone to draw the broken saber, as it felt that such a thing would free it.
Everyone was staring at Xia Xing. He was the first person from Shenwu's Sky who had managed to trigger any response from the broken blade in countless years. This was the first human to gain the attention of the jiao.
Standing next to the saber’s hilt, Xia Xing gathered himself up and grabbed hold of the handle once again. He let out a loud roar as he pulled. His blood surged, his face flushed red, and his veins bulged across his entire body as he used his full power to pull on the saber.
Everyone held their breath. Even Bai Weiwei and the other students from Virtue Archives stared on in a daze. First, they had witnessed someone complete the Sky Beyond the Sky trial, and at this moment, someone was drawing the broken saber of Shenwu’s Sky. Just what was happening in their era?
At this moment, Lu Yin was feeling extremely nervous. What would happen if Xia Xing managed to pull out the broken saber? Would it draw Xia Shenji’s attention? Would he see the Death Seal within the sect master’s body and remove the restriction that Lu Yin had placed on the man? That would eliminate Lu Yin’s control of the sect master, and given the man’s status, the fact that he was a clone who had usurped the main body would not matter even if it was exposed. The main body did not really matter, just like how Xia Ji had allowed Xia Luo to replace Xia Jiuyou.
All that mattered was that both the clone and the main body were members of the Xia family.
Unrestrained, Xia Xing would instantly expose Lu Yin.
At this moment, the entire Xia family hoped to see Xia Xing draw the broken saber, as that would lead the Xia family to even greater glory. Lu Yin was the person most desperate to see Xia Xing fail, as not even Wu Yao and the other Semi-Progenitors could match Lu Yin’s feelings at this moment.
Instantly, countless thoughts flashed through the minds of everyone present. However, every last one of them, no matter if they prayed for Xia Xing’s success or failure, could do a single thing at this moment other than watch and wait.
The moment was brief, but it felt like forever.
Shenwu’s Sky remained utterly silent, but the saber did not move a second time.
Xia Ziheng and the others stepped forward and stared at the broken blade. Had it moved? No.
They turned to look at Xia Xing, and they all saw the disappointment and frustration on the man’s face. He had failed.
Xia Shenfei clenched his fists. "Father?"
Still standing next to the broken saber’s hilt, Xia Xing looked over at Lu Yin for the first time. The only chance he had to successfully draw the saber was Progenitor Chen’s blood. He had only absorbed a small bit of the blood, but Lu Yin should still have more of it. If Xia Xing could replace all of his blood with Progenitor Chen’s blood, then it would essentially make him the second Progenitor Chen. Then, he would definitely be able to draw the broken saber.
As he thought of this, all of Xia Xing’s disappointment and frustration disappeared, and he immediately cheered up. He looked down at everyone who was in Shenwu’s Sky, including the gathered Semi-Progenitors. Everyone was staring up at him. The sect master lifted his head. "I’ve exhausted myself too much today. We will end the Saber Ritual here for now. I will try again soon."
Everyone in Shenwu's Sky stared at the man, stunned. The sect master had announced that he would try again, and since he had managed to shift the blade once, he would definitely be able to draw the saber the second time.
The disappointment that had overcome Xia Ziheng after seeing Xia Xing’s failure blossomed into new hope. "Sect Master, you will definitely be able to draw the broken saber."
Xia Shenfei also cheered up, and he set aside his gourd of wine. "I also believe that my father will definitely be able to draw the broken saber."
Xia Xing nodded, and then tore his eyes away from Lu Yin while smiling. He forced himself to look at Wu Yao and the other Semi-Progenitors. He would be able to draw the broken saber, which meant that the powerhouses from the other forces all had to be panicking. It had become clear to all that Xia Xing would eventually be able to fully draw the broken saber, which would draw the attention of the Xia family’s Progenitor. That would also provide Xia Xing with the greatest chance of becoming a Progenitor himself. He dreamed of succeeding where the main body that he had replaced had failed.
Lu Yin felt a wave of relief, but said, "This time may be a pity, but the sect master will definitely succeed next time."
Xia Shenfei spoke up, "Father will draw the broken saber while you, Yu Hao, have already passed the Sky Beyond the Sky trial. It’s time for our Shenwu Sky to rise up as well."
Lu Yin nodded. "Yes, it's time for Shenwu’s Sky to rise up and surpass the Celestial Frost Sect."
Xia Shenfei went stiff for a moment, and he reflexively glanced over towards Wu Yao and the other Semi-Progenitors. The greatest obstacle within the Celestial Frost Sect was not Bai Wangyuan, but Bai Xian'er. That woman was so cunning that she had even successfully plotted against the Lu family. In order to surpass the Celestial Frost Sect, they needed to first find a way to deal with Bai Xian'er. Unfortunately, there was too great a gap between them, which meant that Xia Shenfei was not qualified to even try to handle Bai Xian'er.
Additionally, as soon as the four ruling powers started fighting each other, the rear battlefield would be lost.
What a hassle!
While Xia Xing had indeed failed to draw the broken saber, he appeared fully confident. Everyone, both those from Shenwu’s Sky and all of their guests, fully believed that the sect master would succeed in fully drawing the blade during his next attempt, and this belief transformed Xia Xing's status in everyone's eyes.
In the past, he had simply been the sect master of Shenwu's Sky and the current generation’s patriarch of the Xia family. At the moment, he was suddenly regarded as a future Progenitor.
Since ancient times, even for groups like the four ruling powers, the Nong family, the Liu family, and even the Lu family, which had ruled supreme over all, the possibility of one of their patriarchs becoming a Progenitor was vanishingly small. It was not so much that patriarchs had a lower chance of becoming a Progenitor than other people, but rather that the chances of anyone becoming a Progenitor were already minuscule. On top of that, the patriarchs were tasked with overseeing the administration of their family. People subconsciously abandoned hope of becoming a Progenitor when they accepted the role of a family’s patriarch.
However, Xia Xing had broken this standard. As soon as he successfully drew the broken saber, Shenwu's Sky would do their best to raise him up to become a Progenitor.
"Congratulations, Father," Xia Shenfei called out to congratulate the sect master when he saw the older man approaching.
Xia Xing felt quite content at this moment. He had become accustomed to overseeing and managing the affairs of Shenwu's Sky at all times when he had merely been another clone, but he had just shown himself to be able to draw the broken saber. The manner in which all of Shenwu's Sky viewed the sect master had changed, especially Xia Ziheng. The Semi-Progenitor no longer looked down upon the sect master.
"How was your chat with Yu Hao?" Xia Xing asked.
Xia Shenfei answered in a respectful tone, "After the sacrifices have been offered to our ancestors, your child will swear an oath and complete a blood pact with Yu Hao to become sworn brothers who will live and die together."
Xia Xing glanced at Lu Yin and then started scolding his son, "Nonsense! Yu Hao is here to participate in the ceremony to honor our ancestors. You two are from different generations—there’s no need for you two to become sworn brothers."
While Xia Xing had declined Xua Shenfei’s request before the Saber Ritual had started, the stance taken was not as vehement as it had become. Xia Shenfei was a bit stunned at his father’s adamant position, but he did not dare to talk back.
Lu Yin and Xia Xing glanced at each other. Xia Xing's eyes were incredibly admiring at this moment, as Lu Yin would be the one to determine whether Xia Xing would be able to successfully draw the saber. It was a given that Xia Xing would do his absolute best to help Lu Yin remain hidden.
Lu Yin was lucky that he had replaced Xia Xing’s main body with the captured clone when he had. Otherwise, Lu Yin would have never been able to avoid being exposed by Xia Shenfei.
"Yu Hao, I'll leave this next matter to you. You can deal with those people however you wish," Xia Xing told Lu Yin while pointing over at Xia Zhitong and the other eleven people.
As soon as the sect master had spoken, everyone’s attention was diverted to a certain corner. Some people felt sympathy, others regret, and still others were upset. Regardless, no one expressed any negative reactions.
Xia Ziheng waved a hand, and Yu Chuan was led out from another direction.
As soon as Lu Yin saw the old man, he excitedly moved towards him. "Old man!"
Yu Chuan stared back at Lu Yin and reacted with equal excitement, "Little Hao!"
Lu Yin grabbed Yu Chuan’s arm to help the old man along, and then pointed to a certain corner. "Grandfather, those are the people who destroy our Yu family's reputation. That’s the woman who drove father mad!"
Yu Chuan looked at where “Yu Hao” indicated, and his eyes locked onto the group of people who were on their knees. As soon as the old man saw Xia Zhitong, his eyes were filled with powerful resentment and overflowing killing intent. This woman had turned his Yu family into a joke! She was the one who had driven his son mad and forced his grandson to his death! Yu Chuan knew that the Yu Hao standing beside him was an imposter. His grandson was already dead, forced into the ground by the woman kneeling before Yu Chuan.
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