157. Myriad Swords Heart-Refining Formation

The four of them rested briefly before continuing forward.

Beyond the herb garden lay a somewhat crude and ancient corridor. Perhaps because of its remote and desolate location, lacking top-tier craftsmen, it had been constructed quite roughly. However, having survived the terrifying ordeal of the herb garden, none of the four dared to take the slightest liberty. They proceeded with extreme caution, moving almost a single step at a time.

In Fu Yuanqing’s manual of secret treasures, only the formation of the herb garden had been mentioned. From this point onward, they were entirely ignorant of what lay ahead.

To their surprise, they walked the entire length of the corridor safely and soundly, without a single mishap.

Lingyu pondered, "Could it be that this senior master of medicine did not set up any additional traps before passing away?"

Under normal circumstances, a cultivator's dwelling would have its defensive formations concentrated on the outer perimeter. Unless the owner was away from the dwelling, they wouldn't normally set up separate, internal mechanisms to guard against intruders. In some ancient ruins, if the master had been caught off guard and only the outer defensive formations remained intact, it was hardly uncommon.

"Hard to say," Fu Yuanqing observed the surrounding environment carefully. "Legend has it that the Senior Medicine King had ordinary cultivation aptitude, yet possessed peerless intelligence. If this place is truly the final resting place of that couple, it is impossible that it only features outer-layer defensive formations."

Duan Feiyu expressed his agreement: "Senior Brother Yuan makes complete sense."

Lingyu said no more, following closely behind them as they stepped out of the corridor.

Upon leaving the corridor, their field of vision suddenly widened. The four of them stared at the scenery before them in momentary daze.

Directly ahead was a small waterfall, its cascading stream like a strand of white silk, tumbling down from a height of some thirty feet and gathering into a pool of water below. To the left was a row of unassuming wooden houses, looking somewhat dilapidated, likely due to the passage of time. To the right was a vast expanse of grassland, interspersed with a few scattered, towering trees. Most bizarre of all was the sky above their heads. Clearly, they were deep within a subterranean mountain beneath the ocean floor, yet above them stretched an endless, boundless sky.

"What astonishing mastery of formations," Xu Zheng sighed after a long moment. "This senior... truly is breathtakingly brilliant."

To set up a dwelling that formed a small world of its own was not overly difficult; many grandmasters of formations could achieve it. But to make this small world so lifelike to such a degree was something ordinary people could never accomplish. The sunlight falling upon their skin—though they knew it to be illusory—carried a genuine warmth.

Lingyu's gaze fell upon the flora near the exit. She had a persistent feeling that these plants and trees followed a certain pattern, much like the herb garden they had just left.

"Be careful. There might be a formation here as well," she warned, eyeing the vegetation vigilantly.

Having witnessed her acute observation during the herb garden incident, Fu Yuanqing held a deep respect for her. He immediately checked himself to ensure he was fully prepared before taking a step forward.

The four of them had barely taken three or four steps when the surrounding scenery instantly shifted. They stopped dead in their tracks, gripped their flying swords, and pressed their backs against one another to form a defensive circle.

The sunlight had vanished, and the vegetation was gone, leaving only a gloomy, twilight sky and an endless, desolate wilderness.

"The Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation?" Xu Zheng muttered to himself.

"Senior Brother Xu, what did you say?" Duan Feiyu asked.

When faint multicolored lights began to shimmer across the sky, Xu Zheng confirmed his own suspicion: "That's right, it is indeed the Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation."

"The Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation?" Fu Yuanqing felt a vague sense of familiarity. After a brief moment of reflection, he was suddenly struck with terror. "The legendary Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation?!"

Xu Zheng did not reply, his expression turning grave and solemn to the extreme.

Duan Feiyu looked bewildered. "Senior Brothers, what on earth is this Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation?"

Fu Yuanqing barely managed to steady his nerves and replied, "The Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation is a unique, exclusive array used by our Zixiao Sword Sect for cultivators at the Core Formation stage. Disciples of our sect can cultivate within the Sword Pond all the way up to the Core Formation stage. Once the effect of the Sword Pond diminishes, they can proceed to the Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation. Many senior masters, after reaching Core Formation, would spend a period of seclusion within the Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation to comprehend the Sword Heart. It is no wonder Junior Brother Duan has never heard of it; given our current level of cultivation, we are not yet qualified to lay eyes upon it. I only learned a fraction of it by accidentally overhearing the Sword Lord mention it."

"...So that's how it is." The more Duan Feiyu thought about it, the more terrified he became. "This is a formation meant for Core Formation cultivators to train in? Then won't we..."

"Do not panic!" Xu Zheng shouted in a low voice. "I have entered the Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation within the sect before. It was far more powerful than this one. We still have a chance of survival!"

"Is that so..." The expressions of Duan Feiyu and Fu Yuanqing improved slightly. Xu Zheng's words naturally commanded their trust.

Lingyu, however, acutely sensed something amiss and involuntarily turned her head to look at Xu Zheng's stern profile. According to Fu Yuanqing, the Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation was a training method used only by Core Formation cultivators. Why had Xu Zheng ever entered it? Everyone she had met claimed that Xu Zheng was the apple of Zhaoming Sword Lord's eye, pampered and doted upon in every possible way. Yet the inadvertent details leaking out continuously suggested that the training Xu Zheng underwent was unimaginably harsh.

For instance, although Fu Yuanqing was clearly higher in cultivation than Xu Zheng, he instinctively trusted Xu Zheng's judgment. Logically speaking, as sword attendants, they ought to be the ones protecting Xu Zheng; yet, they functioned more as assistants to him. Most suspiciously, Xu Zheng had entered a Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation meant for Core Formation cultivators, while the others showed no trace of astonishment or suspicion, accepting it as absolute fact.

Could it be that Zhaoming Sword Lord's way of showing affection to Xu Zheng was precisely this? To forge him into an supreme talent of swordsmanship and inherit his position? Put that way, it made a certain kind of sense...

"Listen!" Xu Zheng's calm voice rang out. "The core of the Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation lies in the word 'heart-refining'. No matter what you encounter, you must not evade it, nor may you retreat. Even if the opponent is a hundred times stronger than you, you must meet them head-on. Ten thousand swords refining the heart—what is being refined is the heart of a sword cultivator. If you fail to hold your ground, death is the only outcome!"

Yuanqing and Duan Feiyu answered solemnly. At this moment, it was as if any friction or discord among them had ceased to exist.

The multicolored brilliance in the sky grew increasingly bright. Everyone gripped the flying swords in their hands tightly, bracing themselves for the moment danger would strike.

Lingyu pushed aside her chaotic thoughts and sank her spiritual consciousness into the Kanli Sword. Red fire, blue water, and white ice—these three elemental auras circulated endlessly within the Kanli Sword, vibrating and pulsing with excitement in response to the sensed danger.

A sword must be tempered through continuous combat, nurtured and grown upon the blood of its enemies.

The multicolored brilliance finally converged completely, transforming into massive points of light suspended mid-air. Suddenly, streams of colored light separated from the points of light and darted toward them.

Sword lights!

An instant later, Lingyu felt an icy, piercing sword intent.

Four streams of sword light, targeting each of the four individuals separately!

Xu Zheng made his move first. With a flick of his Purple Thunder Sword, he leapt high into the air, meeting the sword light descending upon him.

"Screech—" Lightning flashed, swallowing the sword light whole.

Fu Yuanqing and Duan Feiyu hesitated no longer, raising their swords to meet the incoming sword lights.

Beneath the approaching, bone-chilling sword intent, Lingyu felt her own sword intent surge to unprecedented heights. It filled her entire being, making her feel as though she had transformed into a flying sword herself. A cyan sword light, accompanied by the illusory dance of countless green leaves, struck toward her. She closed her eyes, jerked her arm, and met it with a pale purple sword light.

A sharp, shrill screech tore through the air, caused by the friction of colliding sword qi. The two torrents of sword qi crashed into each other and instantly vanished.

Lingyu's sword-bearing arm felt slightly numb, and she let out a breath.

What a fierce stroke of the sword. Had she not carefully pondered and studied sword intent beforehand, she feared that under the suppression of this sword intent, she would have lost the initiative entirely. And this was merely a replica of the Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation! Furthermore, it was only the very first sword strike, yet it was already this formidable. What on earth must the original version be like?

She couldn't help turning her head to glance at Xu Zheng. Had he truly entered the original Ten-Thousand-Sword Heart-Refining Formation?

The second sword strike arrived, this time taking the form of white sword light.

Before the sword qi even reached her, Lingyu could already feel an oppressive sharpness and killing intent. This was a force sword—a force sword bearing down with the weight of ten thousand jun.

She closed her eyes, using her mind to experience it. She felt both her own sword intent and the opponent's killing intent.

The heart of a sword cultivator must not evade; it must not retreat.

It was coming!

She leapt high into the air, her pale purple sword light spinning and splitting into a hundred sword glows before merging back into one, meeting the white sword light head-on.

This formation claimed to refine the heart with ten thousand swords, but the technique she practiced was none other than the *Five Elements Ten-Thousand-Sword Art*! If a single stream of sword qi could not match it, she would win through sheer volume!

The two streams of sword qi collided—one white, one purple—producing an instant impact as if the earth itself were shaking.

When both streams of sword qi finally dissipated, Lingyu dropped heavily, crashing hard against the ground.

"Cough!" Feeling her vital energy churn tumultuously, she searched her storage pouch, retrieved a medicinal pill, shoved it into her mouth, and forcibly suppressed the rising blood.

If she were to cough up blood, destabilize her qi and blood, and leak her vital energy, it would be extremely difficult to handle what came next. Lingyu climbed back to her feet, gripped her sword tightly, and stared fixedly at the multicolored brilliance in the sky.

By this time, the other three had all successfully repelled the second sword strike. Xu Zheng's gaze swept over her for a brief pause before shifting away, refocusing entirely on his own trial.

The third sword strike descended swiftly—an orange sword light, looking as though glowing rosy clouds were dancing through the air.

Lingyu took a deep breath and met it once more.

Then came the blue fourth sword, the golden fifth sword...

After eight sword strikes, Lingyu felt her true essence nearing exhaustion. Could the ten-thousand-sword heart-refining process literally mean ten thousand swords?

As she entertained this thought, before she could voice the question, someone else spoke it aloud: "Senior Brother Xu, how many sword strikes do we need to endure? It can't possibly be ten thousand, right?"

Xu Zheng was faring slightly better than them, but beads of sweat dotted his brow as well. Cultivation levels were laid out right before them; no amount of experience could make up for the absolute gap.

"No. The formation itself will judge how many strikes are necessary. We only need to keep holding on."

This answer was hardly any better than ten thousand swords. Having an exact number would at least give them a direction to strive toward.

Lingyu felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her, but she immediately forced herself to rally her spirits, gripping her sword tighter.

Her entire body was already soaked through, and her hand gripping the sword was slick with sweat. Yet the closer she came to this juncture, the more cautious and vigilant she had to be.

Lingyu raised her somewhat dizzy gaze to look at the multicolored radiance in the sky, only to find that her vision was blurring. This was by no means a good sign; it indicated that her physical stamina had reached its absolute limit and would soon give out entirely.

She bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain temporarily recalling her wits, and her field of vision snapped back into clarity.

The points of light suspended mid-air suddenly flashed in unison, bursting apart simultaneously to transform into countless specks of radiance. After a brief pause, they plunged downward with ferocious speed!

Lingyu blinked, suspecting she had misseen, but the overwhelming, approaching sword intent told her with absolute certainty that she had not misread the situation at all!

Ten thousand swords unleashed simultaneously?!

"What is the meaning of this?!" Fu Yuanqing cried out in dismay!

All four of them were struck with sudden, profound panic, never expecting such a development. Enduring a single sword strike one by one was already difficult enough; with ten thousand swords striking simultaneously, was there any path of survival left?

The sword lights plummeted at a terrifying speed, on the verge of piercing them through.

Xu Zheng suddenly roared, "The Sword-Sealing Box!"

The Sword-Sealing Box? The Sword-Sealing Box!

The more critical the moment, the clearer Lingyu's mind became. Reaching into her storage pouch, she pulled out the Sword-Sealing Box she had acquired through trade and hurled it upward with all her might.

Xu Zheng had said that as long as the Sword-Sealing Box was thrown out, it could absorb and store sword light. She could only pray that his deduction was correct and that the Sword-Sealing Box could capture these sword lights.

But would it truly work? If it failed, would she be buried right here? Cold sweat poured down Lingyu's back as every ounce of her strength was cast upward along with the Sword-Sealing Box.

Suddenly, the various rare ores embedded in the Sword-Sealing Box burst into brilliant illumination, echoing and resonating with the multicolored radiance above. As if guided by an invisible tether, the descending torrents of sword light swerved and slashed directly into the Sword-Sealing Box.

"Boom—" A massive shockwave surged toward the four of them. Just as an agonizing wave of pain struck, Lingyu saw a clear, serene purple Qi rise up, transforming into a protective light barrier overhead.

Then, her body lifted into the air and was sent flying backward.

Thud, thud sounds echoed. She lost consciousness entirely.