Chapter 44: Thunderfire Sword Technique

Thinking of this, Jiang Min looked around warily, then found a secluded cave and took out the jade box that sealed the Thunderfire Dagger. On the jade box was a talisman, suppressing all auras.

“Thunderfire Dagger, Thunderfire Seal—is there a connection between the two?” Jiang Min’s eyes shifted as she weighed the pros and cons. At last, she removed the talisman.

A surge of thunder and fire erupted from the jade box, resonating with the thunder and fire prohibition at the volcano’s mouth. Startled, Jiang Min’s vision blurred, and her entire body vanished on the spot.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself before a sea of molten lava, yet this time things were different. She now stood in a grand underground hall, on a stone bridge flanked by pools of magma. At the end of the bridge stood a high platform.

Upon the platform, a massive stone sword was fused with the ground, its blade entwined with violet lightning and scarlet flames.

Suddenly thrust into this unfamiliar world, Jiang Min’s vigilance was heightened. Yet before she could react further, the jade box in her hand opened of its own accord, and the Thunderfire Dagger soared out, flying toward the high platform.

There, a towering figure condensed from thunder and fire slowly took shape, reaching out to catch the Thunderfire Dagger. As the figure appeared, a terrifying aura descended, nearly forcing Jiang Min to her knees, a trace of fear rising unbidden in her heart.

“As expected, my token has awakened the remnant of my will…” the thunderfire shade murmured softly. “A five-spirit root cultivator, is it?”

He stowed the Thunderfire Dagger, then looked to Jiang Min and said, “Young lady, since you have obtained my token, you and I are fated. By virtue of this token, I can grant you one wish. What do you desire? Spirit stones? Cultivation methods? Sword techniques?”

Hearing this, Jiang Min was momentarily stunned. Was this place a legacy ground? Could the volcanic eruption have been triggered by her bringing the token, thus awakening this remnant will? Was there truly such fortune as a pie falling from the sky, a chance encounter merely through a token? And how had that female cultivator acquired it?

A flurry of questions swirled in her mind, but there was no one to answer them.

“No matter whether I believe it or not, I am no match for this mysterious senior. Better to follow his words for now…” After all, she was already here.

Jiang Min’s eyes flickered. She cupped her hands and replied, “Thank you, Senior, for bestowing such a treasure. I am deeply grateful. Recently, I have been seeking a method to refine a sword within my dantian, to forge a weapon truly my own. Forgive my boldness, but may I ask, Senior… is there a suitable sword art you might impart?”

“Oh? You wish to practice the method of refining treasures within the dantian?” The thunderfire shade studied her, and Jiang Min instantly felt an overwhelming spiritual pressure sweep over her. She worried the secret of the Peach Branch would be discovered, but the pressure soon receded, and the shade made no mention of it.

“Indeed, you have already cultivated a body of flames, the foundation for refining treasures in the dantian. Are you a sword cultivator?”

“I am not, Senior, but I aspire to follow the sword path,” Jiang Min replied respectfully.

This was a decision she had pondered for a long time, one that suited her best. She wished to refine the Peach Branch into a sword. The sword path was arduous and fraught with hardship, but its power was unrivaled, overwhelming all peers. She had always yearned for the legendary realm where a single sword could shatter all techniques and soar across the heavens.

The shade, hearing her answer, nodded in satisfaction. “You have chosen the most difficult method—a true sword cultivator’s entryway. Only by refining one’s sword within the dantian, merging sword and self, can you truly embark upon the sword path. I do possess some sword arts. Here, see if any suit you.”

He pointed into the air, and three rows of large characters, forged of thunder and fire, materialized before him.

“Pure Yang Sword Formation of Bing Fire”
“Five Flames and Nine Palaces Sword”
“Ten Thousand Swords of Thunder and Fire”

The first two were fire-attribute sword arts, the first being a rare sword formation technique. But Jiang Min’s gaze settled on the third: “Ten Thousand Swords of Thunder and Fire.” Since this senior cultivated thunder and fire, this art must be intimately connected with his legacy. Moreover, when she further cultivated her Wind and Thunder Body, this sword art might harmonize perfectly with her path.

She cupped her hands, testing, “Senior, may I choose the ‘Ten Thousand Swords of Thunder and Fire’?”

“Oh? You have set your sights on the ‘Ten Thousand Swords of Thunder and Fire’?” The shade paused, then said, “The first two sword arts I can gift you outright, but this one is the culmination of my insights into the forces of heaven’s thunder and fire during my Nascent Soul stage, a technique I created myself. If you wish to obtain it, you must first pass my trial.”

“Furthermore, this sword art is the most difficult of all. Cultivating it is most arduous and painful. Are you certain you wish to choose it?”

Jiang Min took a deep breath and asked hesitantly, “Is the ‘Ten Thousand Swords of Thunder and Fire’ the most powerful among them?”

The shade laughed heartily, pride in his tone. “Of course! I spent centuries creating this sword technique. With it, I was invincible among cultivators of my level!”

Hearing this, Jiang Min’s heart beat faster. Her expression grew serious and earnest as she said, “Senior, I wish to attempt your trial.”

The thunderfire shade gave a knowing smile. “Before you, many have tried to pass the trial and claim the ‘Ten Thousand Swords of Thunder and Fire,’ but all failed. The trial is not easy. I will not see my life’s work sullied by the hands of the incompetent.”

“Please, Senior, grant me the chance to try,” Jiang Min replied without hesitation, her resolve unwavering.

She truly wished to discover just how difficult and agonizing this trial would be. Suffering? Hardship? She feared nothing but her own weakness.

“Very well.”

With a flick of his finger, a mountain of blades and a sea of fire unfurled before Jiang Min, spreading from her feet along the stone bridge to the high platform.

But this was no ordinary mountain of blades; the edges gleamed with a chilling purple light. Nor was the fiery sea a simple illusion; the flames atop the blade mountain were a strange, dark red, and a heart-stirring pressure radiated from the fire.

“Fear not injury. This mountain of blades and sea of fire is but an illusion. If you can cross it and reach the platform, I shall teach you the ‘Ten Thousand Swords of Thunder and Fire.’ But if you give up halfway, you shall not only be denied that art, but all others as well. If you are determined, then walk forward.”

With these words, the thunderfire shade fell silent, waiting.

Jiang Min understood that only by passing this trial would the senior acknowledge her, and only then would she receive the legacy. If she failed, all opportunities would vanish.

She gazed at the blade mountain and sea of fire ahead. The mere sight of them stung her eyes—how much more painful would it be to set foot upon them? Many had tried before her and failed; the difficulty of the trial was clear.

Yet in her eyes flickered a fiery excitement. “No matter if this senior is toying with me or truly wishes to impart his art, I must try.”

Even if there was but a sliver of hope, she would not abandon it.

She took the little grass from her bosom and placed it on the stone bridge. With an outsider present, the grass remained motionless, appearing as nothing more than an ordinary fire-attribute spiritual herb. Yet it possessed spiritual awareness; if she brought it with her, it would suffer whatever pain she endured.

She took a deep breath.

Would she brave it?

She would!

She had crossed rivers of magma and faced death countless times—what fear had she of a mountain of blades and a sea of fire?

With resolution, Jiang Min stepped forward, her foot descending into the trial.