Chapter – 32 ….
“Cough… cough!!”
The disciple looked at Lin Qingfeng and suddenly convulsed with violent coughing.
Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spilled from the corner of his mouth—his life force draining away at terrifying speed.
Lin Qingfeng: “Why are you looking at me? Forgot your lines? Say your lines! You won’t have a chance in a minute!”
The junior brother’s body trembled.
He mustered the last bit of strength and turned his head toward Su Ling’er.
The confusion and resentment in his eyes were gone—
Only a hollow, absolute despair remained.
He stretched a shaking hand toward Su Ling’er.
That hand trembled wildly in the air, as if reaching for something he could never touch.
“Why… did it turn out like this…”
Every word sprayed a mouthful of bloody foam, making his voice hoarse and broken.
“Lin Qingfeng… such cruel methods… I admit defeat…”
“However… little junior sister…”
“From the moment you entered the sect… I… had already fallen for you…”
“Aah…”
“Heavens… why so unfair!”
“Oh earth, why grant me the heart to protect her, yet deny me the strength!”
“She and I were destined to be celestial lovers… just wanting a carefree life together!”
“All say the universe has its order—why is there no place for a man of true devotion?!”
Su Ling’er stared blankly.
Wait—what? We’ve known each other for HOW long?
Didn’t I just join the sect?!
How did you fall for me?!
Where did this ‘celestial lovers’ nonsense come from?!
Do you have memories that DON’T EXIST?!
Devoted lover my ass!
If you’re gonna die, can you NOT drag me into it?!
Do we have ANY relationship at all?!
The dying disciple painfully lifted his other hand, pointing tremblingly at his chest—at the ancient sword still bleeding him dry.
“This is… cough— this is the consequence…”
His sentence was interrupted by blood, so he repeated himself.
“This is… the consequence… of failing to temper the body…”
“It’s all my fault… I was obsessed with external weapons… addicted to that broken sword… and forgot… that the physical body is the foundation, that the self is the true Dao!”
“If… if only I had cultivated the Forged Sword Art… then…”
“If my flesh had been refined to hardness like a magic artifact… how… how could I have fallen to Senior Brother’s sneak attack?!”
“How could he… possibly kill me?!”
“Junior sister… see clearly… this is… the fate… of not cultivating the Forged Sword Art…”
Blood dripped like snapped beads from his lips, his eyes dimming rapidly.
“You must… you must choose… the right path…”
His arm fell limply.
“Don’t… don’t repeat… my mistakes… don’t let… tragedy… happen again…”
“I have yet to attain the Dao… yet to ascend…”
“I… hate it… so much…”
“Junior sister… I don’t want… you to end up… like me…”
The wail ended abruptly.
His head tilted.
He stopped breathing.
Yet even in death, his eyes were locked on Su Ling’er, as if engraving her silhouette into his very soul.
His gaze still held faint traces of affection and warning—hoping she wouldn’t follow his path.
Until his pupils turned empty and lifeless.
Lin Qingfeng stepped forward and yanked the ancient sword free.
The so-called “devoted admirer” toppled backward, stiff as a board.
Blood spread beneath him, dyeing his disciple robes a deep red.
Even dead, he still stared at Su Ling’er.
Dying with eyes wide open.
As for the junior brother himself—he had already gone back to respawn.
The Sword Tomb fell silent.
Lin Qingfeng’s eyelid twitched.
What an embarrassing performance…
That junior really went overboard.
He wasn’t sure if the little junior sister could accept it.
But considering she accepted all his previous nonsense so easily…
Then maybe… probably… perhaps… it’d be fine?
He cleared his throat and checked the progress of the next mission.
【Unlocking next task…】
【Progress: 73%】
He then put away the ancient sword he had just named “Wait a Moment.”
Hands behind his back, he resumed the demeanor of a sorrowful, world-weary peerless master.
【Ancient Sword · Wait a Moment】
Grade: High Spiritual (Upgradeable)
Sharpness: Master-level — Cuts gold and jade, nothing can withstand it.
Banish Evil: Master-level — Righteous qi restrains demons.
Sword-Qi Amplification: Major — Greatly increases power, range, and duration of sword-qi techniques.
Durability: Spiritual-grade — Nearly indestructible.
Thousand Sword Shadows — Infuse spirit power to create countless illusory sword shadows.
《Blue Lotus Sword Song》 — An ancient sword immortal’s supreme art, combining beauty and slaughter.
Other abilities locked.
【Sword Verse · Forgotten】
Dust hides ancient graves, rust hides the lotus.
Unnamed blade silent—until drawn, ten thousand lotuses bloom.
A legend spoke of the Blue Lotus Sword Immortal, peerless in his time.
He created the Blue Lotus Sword Song.
One thought—flowers bloom, swords rain across the heavens—beautiful and deadly.
During a world-shattering calamity, he used the sword song to slaughter all demons—but in doing so stained the lotus with blood, his Dao-heart tainted.
In regret, he sealed away the sword and its techniques within a tomb and died there—hoping the world would forget this weapon that bore both glory and sin.
The divine sword fell silent, nameless.
Awaiting a new master to decide whether the lotus would bloom for salvation…
or fall into darkness again.
Lin Qingfeng looked at Su Ling’er’s blood-smudged little face and sighed:
“You saw it… just one wrong choice, and life or death hangs in the balance.
Junior Brother Zhan had great talent—one of our sect’s finest in battle intent.
But he relied too much on external weapons, on that greatsword of his, and neglected self-tempering.
Had he cultivated the Forged Sword Art—using the flesh as the scabbard and will as the sword’s soul—his body would already rival a magic artifact.
How could my slight counterattack have killed him so easily?”
“Had I known he admired you, I would’ve let you deal with him yourself.”
“For your sake, he even dared to strike at me. Truly pathetic and pitiful.”
Then he repeated his line:
“Since ancient times, love leaves only regret—an endless sorrow~”
Su Ling’er sideways-glanced at him.
Mister Senior Brother, you already said that line before!!!
Then Lin Qingfeng shifted the topic, gaze falling on her:
“Little junior sister… are you still hesitating?
You heard everything.
The Forged Sword Art may be painful, may be hard—but it will give you a chance to survive in this ruthless world.
Otherwise, if you fight someone and they strike back even a little harder, you’ll die instantly.
How will you ever walk the Dao?
And how will you let that junior brother—your admirer—rest in peace?”
Su Ling’er’s heart sank.
She didn’t believe the “love at first sight” nonsense.
Thinking back to the conspiracies she overheard at the Ascension Steps, she finally understood.
So THAT’S it!
Senior Brother brought her here…
just to stage this painfully awkward drama!
To force her into practicing that inhuman Forged Sword Art,
he even let someone die to put on a tragic show!
She absolutely didn’t believe he fell for her.
Either he’d been threatened, or controlled, or brainwashed—
just like those disciples thrown into furnaces or onto forging tables!
Otherwise why would he, while dying, stare at her with that disappointed “I hope you learn from my death” gaze—
instead of glaring at the guy who killed him?!
Bruh—I didn’t kill you!!
Why are you staring at ME?!
What does this have to do with me?!
One thing was clear:
If cooperating in a simple act already cost someone their life—
If she said even HALF a “no,” something far worse awaited her.
She took a deep breath, forcing down terror and panic.
How to stall?
How to delay practicing the Forged Sword Art?
She thought quickly—
then remembered that dying disciple’s “confession.”
Yes.
She’d go with that.
So—
