Chapter 384: Speak My Name and Be Frightened!
"Huh? To think it's already managed to condense this far?"
The small figure of mist standing atop the altar tilted its head, sounding genuinely surprised.
A youthful voice echoed from within the black mist—not quite male, not quite female, but clearly sentient.
Across from the figure, Luo Wusheng and Ling Shuangxue exchanged a brief glance.
That one look said it all: 'So this is what changes when all the trial's conditions are met?'
And what had appeared… was unmistakably a Soulblade Specter.
Despite lacking the grotesque, corrupted form typically associated with its kind, the aura it radiated was eerily familiar. Peculiar, sharp, distinct—it carried the same twisted essence they'd come to associate with specters born from sword intent.
It was just... cleaner. More refined. And clearly sapient.
Luo Wusheng immediately analyzed its strength.
'Roughly early Nascent Soul Realm… So the Sword Emperor's broken sword must've been the source—probably all the residual energy it leaked during the process.'
That made sense.
When Luo used the broken sword directly, the resulting Soulblade Specters usually clocked in around mid-stage Nascent Soul. This time, since the energy had just been "bled out" into the altar rather than actively wielded, the results were naturally weaker.
Still, the real surprise wasn't its power.
It was its personality.
Clear self-awareness. Complex emotions. And… it could talk.
Then again, Luo Wusheng wasn't too shocked. In a world like theirs, if a rock could talk after cultivating long enough, then why not a specter?
Still holding tightly to Ling Shuangxue's hand—ready to retreat the moment anything felt off—he remained silent, choosing instead to watch closely.
The Soulblade Specter's first move?
To glance at the broken sword it had so disdainfully tossed aside.
"Tch. Quit your whining. I only used a bit of [Sword Principle]. The rest will return on its own. Keep fussing and I'll make sure you never get it back."
The second it finished speaking, the whining in Luo Wusheng's mental link vanished.
For the first time in minutes, peace.
No more screaming. No more crying. No more childish threats from the resentful blade.
Just… quiet.
Well, not quite. One final burst of spiritual protest echoed in his mind:
"Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi—don't bully the broke sword!"
Then… absolute silence.
The sword had given up.
Luo Wusheng gave a faint shiver. He definitely felt like he was being stared at.
Sure enough, the little Soulblade Specter was now looking directly at him.
Its gaze narrowed.
"The Heavenly Emperor…? No. The karma's too scattered… but just as annoying."
A pause.
"…You've got death following you like a tail. Honestly, just looking at you gives me a headache."
Then came the criticism.
"No sword heart. No sword body. Zero spiritual affinity. With talent this bad, how did you even enter the Sword Emperor's legacy, let alone get chosen?"
"And that sword intent of yours… ugh. Even after being soaked in [Sword Principle], it's barely at major success stage— Wait. Hm?"
The specter stopped, voice shifting slightly.
"Hold on. There's another one?"
Luo Wusheng's mouth twitched.
In all his years as the Demon Sect's Holy Saint, this was the first time someone had audibly dunked on his talent like this.
—And the worst part?
It wasn't even wrong.
He was already mentally preparing a comeback when the Soulblade Specter suddenly began drifting toward him.
That was when a flash of silver-blue light erupted in front of him.
Ling Shuangxue stepped forward.
Her sword gleamed like frost under moonlight.
Her presence turned cold, sharp—like the first snap of winter ice.
In an instant, the gentleness she reserved for her disciples and Dao Companion vanished. What stood before the Soulblade Specter now… was the Peak Master of Frosty Snow Peak, her expression unreadable, her aura unwavering.
The black mist figure came to a halt.
"…Are you asking who I am?"
It paused, as if seriously contemplating the question.
Then, in a puffed-up display of pride, it lifted its chin.
"Speak my name—"
"—And be frightened!"
Luo Wusheng instinctively blurted out the punchline before it could finish.
The effect?
An immediate wave of silence.
One unreadable stare from the mist figure.
And one unmistakably exasperated look from his wife.
Luo Wusheng shrank back with a sheepish grin, muttering under his breath, "Couldn't help it…"
Thankfully, the little Soulblade Specter didn't seem offended.
In fact, it murmured thoughtfully:
"'Be frightened'… hmm, not bad."
And then, to Luo Wusheng's complete bewilderment, it gave him a small nod of approval.
Somehow… that was even weirder.
Then came the declaration—loud and clear, echoing through the trial grounds:
"My title… Most later generations simply referred to me as the Sword Emperor, but back when the Heavenly Gate still stood, my full formal name was: Eastern Mystic Heaven's Calamity-Suppressing, Army-Breaking Martial Sword Emperor."
The youthful voice reverberated through the chamber like thunder in still water.
Sword Emperor?
This time, Luo Wusheng was genuinely startled.
His first instinct?
This has to be a bluff.
After all, no matter how hard he looked, this proud little misty figure didn't fit any image of the legendary Sword Emperor he'd ever imagined.
Not to mention… didn't the thing just yeet its own sword onto the ground without a shred of ceremony?
Was that really how a legendary sword sovereign treated the weapon from his previous life?
Then again… maybe it was.
Luo Wusheng had joked before that the Sword Emperor probably grew up in some twisted environment.
At that moment, a calm voice echoed through his mind, relayed via the sword embryo:
[What do you think?]
Ling Shuangxue's spiritual voice—cool and steady.
He glanced at the still-pouting broken sword lying on the floor, then at the smug little Soulblade Specter standing like it owned the room.
After a second's consideration, he replied:
[That broken sword—supposedly the Sword Emperor's—is still sulking and ignoring me, so I can't confirm anything directly. But... this is the Sword Emperor's legacy realm. And it doesn't look like anyone else has ever made it this far. Even if this isn't the Emperor himself, he's definitely related. For now, the safest move is to treat him as the real deal.]
But before Ling Shuangxue could respond—
"That's good enough."
The distorted, ageless voice cut in, sudden and sharp.
Both Luo Wusheng and Ling Shuangxue froze.
They turned toward the misty figure with stiff, mechanical movements.
The little specter gave an exaggerated sigh. Clearly amused.
"I can hear your conversation. Your sword embryo's technique has been modified, sure, but its base is still rooted in sword scripture—and I'm the one who created the original form."
"Reading bits of it is child's play."
It tilted its head slightly, seemingly savoring the moment.
"Admittedly, the technique you're using is quite… crude. But there's something in it I haven't seen before—some odd mixed-in disciplines. Even now, I can only glimpse parts of it. Fascinating."
It paused.
Then slowly turned to face Luo Wusheng again.
"Tsk."
A single click of the tongue. Judgmental. Displeased.
"Your talent really is… lacking."
The blow landed cleanly.
"Still, you have some strange qualities. Maybe that's what the Sword Ancestor's successor saw in you. Or maybe it's just karma being annoying again."
"Either way… I suppose you'll have to do."
A pause.
"I'll grant you my sword—hm?"
Just as it was about to speak further, the figure stilled, as if picking up on something new.
Its head slowly turned toward Ling Shuangxue.
"...You're the Sword Ancestor successor's teacher?"
A beat of silence.
Then—
"How delightful."
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD[1]
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 532: What On Earth Is Master Talking About?[2]
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[1] https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549