Ch. 464 - Hong Tianfu

As soon as the white-robed man finished speaking, the dense crowd automatically split into three long lines.

Everyone started queuing up in an orderly fashion, each heading toward one of the three gates of the Sword Tower.

Xu Zimo asked around and learned that each of the three gates had a different purpose.

The first gate was for selecting a personal sword.

The second was for learning sword techniques.

The third contained rare items related to swords.

After thinking it over, Xu Zimo decided to enter the first gate.

As he approached the entrance, a man in a yellow robe stood at the gate distributing identity tokens.

“Place your right hand on this stone,” the man said to Xu Zimo.

Xu Zimo recognized the stone, it was a Memory Stone, commonly used to record information.

Since every person was allowed only one opportunity in their lifetime to receive a sword from the tower for free, the stone would record their data to ensure no repeat claims.

When Xu Zimo placed his hand on the Memory Stone, it emitted a faint white light and conjured an identity token.

“This is your token. Whether or not you find a sword, you’ll be forced out after three days,” the man in yellow said flatly.

Xu Zimo nodded, signaling that he understood.

When he walked through the first gate holding the token, everything ahead turned pitch black.

He felt a force pulling his body into another space.

Xu Zimo didn’t resist, and soon, his vision cleared.

He found himself in front of a castle.

He wasn’t the only one there, many other young people had also come to find their swords.

Listening to the whispered conversations around him, Xu Zimo learned more.

All the swords were kept inside the castle.

It had nine floors.

The quality of swords varied, some were universe-level, some heaven-grade, and more.

Any sword could be claimed for free, as long as it acknowledged the person as its master.

…

As Xu Zimo approached the castle, he could clearly feel the True God Sword fragment inside his body vibrating more intensely.

The castle was built in a medieval architectural style.

The top had three oval domes and was dark brown in color.

There were nine floors, with dozens of windows and balconies around each level.

The castle had four entrance doors, one in each direction.

Xu Zimo followed the crowd and entered through the east gate.

As soon as he walked inside, his field of vision expanded significantly.

He saw countless racks lined with densely packed swords.

Even the walls were hung with all kinds of swords.

They came in different shapes and styles, everything imaginable was here.

Upon closer inspection, Xu Zimo noticed that all of these were ordinary weapons.

Like iron swords forged by mortal blacksmiths, not suitable for cultivators.

“Friend, keep moving up. The swords on the first floor are useless,” said a young man in green robes beside him. “The higher you go, the better the sword quality. But it also gets harder.”

“Is this your first time here?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Everyone here is a first-timer. But I did my research before coming,” the young man laughed. “My name’s Hong Tianfu. May I ask your name?”

“Xu Zimo,” Xu Zimo nodded in return.

“Are you here alone?” Hong Tianfu asked again.

“I am. Why?”

“If you don’t mind, we could team up. That way we can look out for each other,” Hong Tianfu suggested.

“What’s the point of teaming up?” Xu Zimo asked, puzzled.

“There’s something you might not know. As we go higher, the swords will be protected by sword spirits,” Hong Tianfu explained.

“According to the Sword Tower’s rules, each sword has a guardian spirit. You must defeat the spirit to claim the sword.”

“But fighting the sword spirit doesn’t need two people,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.

“Still, you’ll need someone to watch your back during the battle. And I’ll need the same,” Hong Tianfu said.

Xu Zimo thought for a moment and agreed.

Not because he needed help, but because it’d be useful to have someone familiar with the tower.

The two chatted as they headed toward the second floor.

Xu Zimo learned that Hong Tianfu was a lesser son of the Hong Clan in Myriad Swords City.

Hong was frank, he’d come to the Sword Tower out of desperation, as he was constantly sidelined by his family.

…

On the second floor, Xu Zimo noticed a big change in layout.

Instead of open racks, there were now sealed display cases.

Inside each case were many swords, each labeled with a brief description.

They didn’t stay long. Hong Tianfu seemed to know exactly where he was headed.

He was looking for a sword on the seventh floor.

Xu Zimo, on the other hand, was searching for the True God Sword fragment, so he decided to accompany him all the way up.

When they reached the seventh floor, the scenery changed again.

They were now in a dense forest.

The trees here were sword trees.

Their shapes closely resembled swords, and they bore fruit called sword fruits.

Each sword fruit seemed to represent a sword.

Hong Tianfu searched carefully, examining nearly every sword fruit.

Eventually, he stopped at one tree.

After observing it closely, he smiled and said to Xu Zimo:

“I’m going to pick this sword fruit. I hope you’ll guard me, make sure no one interrupts.”

Xu Zimo nodded without saying much.

Hong Tianfu grasped the sword fruit, and his consciousness entered the world of the sword spirit.

His expression became tense, his brows furrowed and relaxed repeatedly. He was frozen in place.

Xu Zimo hadn’t expected anyone would try to interfere.

After all, the white-robed sword cultivator had clearly stated earlier:

“No one may disturb or attack others inside.”

However, shortly after Hong Tianfu began battling the sword spirit, Xu Zimo sensed three figures approaching.

At first, the three wandered aimlessly, pretending to stroll.

But as they got closer to Hong Tianfu, they suddenly unleashed their aura and attacked from three different directions.

Xu Zimo frowned. These three weren’t strong in his eyes.

With spiritforce gathered in his right hand, he casually swatted them away with a single palm strike.

The moment they flew off,

Ripples appeared in the sky, and the white-robed sword cultivator from earlier tore through space and reappeared instantly.

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