Ignoring the two who looked ready to come to blows, Luke walked straight over to where the hunched ape had disappeared and picked up the longsword lying on the ground. After examining it, he remarked, "This sword is pretty good."
The moment he held it, he could tell it was different from ordinary weapons.
Master Yi stepped forward, took it from Luke, and examined it as well before nodding. "The blade has smooth, flowing lines, and the metal is solid and stable without the slightest trace of impurities. It must have been forged by an exceptionally skilled blacksmith."
That prompted Ahri, Akali, and Wukong to take turns inspecting it.
A longsword of this quality could fetch a handsome price outside Mistfall.
Even so, none of them had any intention of selling it. They tossed the sword back into Mistfall, leaving it for someone destined to find it in the future.
Luke simply considered it beneath him. The weapon was good, but only by the standards of mundane steel.
The weapon he sought did not necessarily have to rival the Snowglance Blade, but it had to be at least one tier below it.
The five of them continued deeper into Mistfall. Master Yi gradually sensed something and said softly, "That ominous feeling seems to be coming from the depths of Mistfall."
Luke's senses were not as sharp as Master Yi's when enhanced by the Seven Lenses of Insight. Hearing this, he nodded. "Then let's go take a look."
"That was my intention," Master Yi replied.
By then, the sky was gradually darkening. As night deepened, the five stopped and chose an open area to spend the night.
Mistfall was enormous, and Master Yi still could not determine exactly where the ominous presence was located, so they decided to rest for the time being.
Just like that, the night passed.
At dawn, pale white mist rose throughout Mistfall. Countless weapons appeared and vanished within the fog, making the place resemble a hidden mystical realm.
"I found it first!"
"Bullshit, I saw it first!"
"No, I did!"
"It was me!"
The sound of an argument came from nearby.
Among the group, Master Yi had risen earliest. He had awakened around four or five in the morning and begun meditating.
Akali woke next, followed by Ahri and Wukong, while Luke was only now opening his eyes.
"Sounds like people are fighting over there."
Akali looked toward the source of the argument. "Should we go see what all the fuss is about?"
"Let's go take a look!"
Luke immediately perked up. Hearing the argument continue, he wanted to see the drama for himself.
The five of them promptly headed in that direction.
When they arrived, they saw two men fighting over a finely crafted longsword. Streams of light flowed across its surface, and its unusual shape made it resemble an enchanted weapon. Even at a glance, it was clearly far superior to the sword they had found the day before.
Whenever either man tried to step forward and touch the longsword, the other would interrupt him with an attack.
Their battle seemed ready to erupt in earnest, anger burning in both men's eyes.
When they noticed Luke's group approaching, they immediately became more wary, apparently suspecting that the newcomers also intended to seize the luminous longsword.
Master Yi spoke softly. "Mistfall contains countless weapons. Why must the two of you fight so bitterly over a single sword?"
One of the men sneered. "There may be many weapons in Mistfall, but high-quality ones are difficult to find. I saw this longsword the moment I arrived, which clearly means I share an affinity with it. I was about to pick it up when this man suddenly appeared and tried to steal it."
"Bullshit!" the other man cursed angrily. "I was the one who saw it first. You were the one who charged over and tried to take it!"
Both seemed to have their own version of the truth, and they looked ready to start fighting again.
Suddenly, the longsword that had been quietly embedded in the ground began to glow, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
The next second, it shot into the air. Rather than flying toward anyone, it transformed into an arc of light and streaked deeper into Mistfall, vanishing from sight.
Everyone froze in surprise.
"That sword doesn't seem ordinary." Akali stared in the direction it had disappeared. She had never seen a longsword fly by itself before.
The weapons within Mistfall truly did possess a degree of spirituality.
Luke's eyes flashed as his interest surged. He had recognized that the longsword was extraordinary, but he had not expected it to fly on its own, much less at such speed.
Judging from that, its quality might have been even greater than he had estimated.
Master Yi looked at the two men. "Now that it has flown away on its own, does that not mean it was destined for neither of you?"
The two men's anger only intensified. They glared at each other and immediately drew their own weapons.
"If it weren't for you, that sword would already be mine!"
"Bullshit! That sword chose me in the first place!"
"Enough talk! I can no longer tolerate you. Fight me!"
"Heh, I don't have time to waste on you. Once I find that sword, I'll come back and fight you!"
Just as the battle seemed about to begin, one of them suddenly turned around and chased after the luminous longsword.
The other refused to fall behind and hurried after him.
"So Mistfall has weapons like that too."
Akali watched the two disappear, still thinking about the longsword that had flown away by itself. The sight had truly broadened her horizons.
"Let's follow them and take a look," Luke said.
He was also quite interested in that sword.
The others nodded and followed the direction in which the longsword had flown.
That route also led deeper into Mistfall. Time passed slowly as they continued onward.
They advanced at an unhurried pace throughout the morning and encountered many people along the way. Some were arguing, some had obtained abundant rewards and were preparing to leave, and they even came across several dead bodies.
Judging from their wounds, they appeared to have been killed by other people.
It was not difficult to understand. Had the luminous longsword not flown away, the two men from earlier would almost certainly have fought to the death over it.
Mistfall was already dangerous, but the source of that danger was not necessarily anything within Mistfall itself.
Ionia's laws were relatively lenient to begin with. Inside Mistfall, there was even less to restrain the darker side of human nature.
By afternoon, Luke and the others seemed to be nearing Mistfall's depths.
Akali could not help sighing in amazement. "Mistfall certainly lives up to its reputation. We must have passed several thousand weapons along the way."
Her horizons had been thoroughly broadened. They had encountered an enormous assortment of bizarre weapons in every imaginable shape and size. The most distinctive were the gigantic weapons, which seemed to appear everywhere.
"Something magnificent must have happened here long ago," Ahri said.
The scene she saw was different from what the others perceived. She did not merely see the weapons, but also the lingering remnants of the powerful souls that had once wielded them.
She could sense that one mighty warrior after another had fallen here, including the owners of those gigantic weapons.
At the same time, she detected a faint disturbance among the souls. A vague sense of unease spread through her, leaving her restless.
She explained what she had sensed to the others.
"You felt it too?"
Akali frowned slightly. Her perception was not nearly as powerful, but she trusted Ahri.
Now that even Ahri had sensed something, did that mean some enormous danger truly lurked within Mistfall?
Master Yi gazed ahead. Through the Seven Lenses of Insight, he took in everything around them before saying, "It should be just ahead. We will know once we go there."
"Exactly. If some monster or demon is hiding in Mistfall, I'll smash it out of existence, body and soul, with one strike of my staff."
Wukong drew his enchanted staff and spoke with great bravado.
"You?" Akali chuckled, saying everything she needed to without another word.
Wukong raised an eyebrow and bared his teeth. "Just watch. If there's any danger up ahead, let me handle it first!"
As the group continued forward, the sounds of numerous arguments drifted toward them from ahead.
After advancing farther, Luke and the others reached a broad mountain clearing. Weapons covered the ground here as well, but their quality was substantially higher than those near the entrance. Among them were several extraordinary weapons that shimmered with faint light.
More than a hundred people had gathered here, as though everyone who had ventured into Mistfall's depths had converged on this location.
The commotion came from an area to the left, where roughly a dozen people were glaring at one another with open hostility.
Many others were secretly observing from the surrounding area, while some farther away were simply watching the spectacle.
"More people have arrived. Looks like they were also drawn here by that luminous longsword."
"That sword certainly is tempting."
"I wonder who will claim it today."
"Forget it. People like us should just watch. We'll never win it."
The discussions reached Luke and the others, allowing them to understand the situation.
Looking more carefully, they spotted the luminous longsword that had flown away earlier. It was embedded in a raised hill, seemingly looking down upon everyone below. It resembled a prize awaiting the victor's arrival.
Luke swept his gaze across the area and discovered quite a few experts observing from the shadows. Some were meditating in place, some had formed groups, and one swordsman wearing a conical hat was dozing against a tree, giving Luke a strange sense of familiarity.
He also noticed another group.
Linju and the disciples of the Ancient Sword School she was leading.
Had they also come here to join the excitement?
Master Yi moved closer to Luke and whispered, "The ominous presence is not here, but it is not far away either. There is something else hidden in this place."
Luke nodded without revealing anything. "We'll observe for now. There's no need to rush."
Master Yi clearly intended to uncover the truth behind that ominous presence.
As his temperament continued to mature, Master Yi had come to understand that possessing great strength meant protecting the First Lands was his responsibility.
As the saying went, with great power came great responsibility.
At that moment, the sounds of fighting rang out.
The group that had been arguing endlessly had finally decided to determine ownership of the luminous longsword through strength. A chaotic melee erupted in an instant.
More than a dozen people fought one another, each pursuing their own interests. They seemed prepared to crack skulls and fight until only one remained standing.
Master Yi sighed softly at the sight. "To turn your blades against your own people over a single weapon, is it truly worth it?"
He stepped forward and finally intervened.
However, he did not stop the battle. Instead, he transformed into a streak of light and rescued someone who had been defeated.
His movements were so swift that they instantly intimidated several people and attracted even more attention. Countless gazes settled on Master Yi.
The appearance of another expert would naturally make him a target in the eyes of everyone weaker than him.
"I will not interfere with your contest. I simply cannot bear to watch you sacrifice your lives for it."
Master Yi carried the defeated man away from the center of the battle, then spoke calmly. "Those who lose should leave."
He had no desire to play the saint. He merely acted according to his conscience.
He believed that living, breathing people should not throw their lives away here. Along the journey, he had seen many corpses, all of whom had died because of such conflicts.
He could do nothing about what had already happened, but he would do everything within his power to stop what was happening before his eyes.
After rising to his feet, the swordsman Master Yi had rescued bowed to him. He gave the luminous longsword one last reluctant glance before finally turning and leaving.
Master Yi quietly stood outside the battlefield.
His actions earned the sincere respect of many people. Those competing for the luminous longsword no longer paid him any attention and continued fighting.
Whenever someone was outmatched and fell into mortal danger, Master Yi would intervene and rescue them. He never failed, revealing tremendous strength through every movement.
Just as the battle among the original dozen was about to produce a victor, some of the experts watching from the sidelines could no longer restrain themselves and joined the fight.
The battle immediately became impossible to stop.
The only thing that remained unchanged was the green streak racing across the battlefield.
No matter who ultimately obtained the luminous longsword, Master Yi had already earned everyone's highest respect.
Luke watched him with admiration in his eyes. A master did not achieve greatness without reason.
"Hahaha! In the end, I won!"
As time passed, an ecstatic laugh rang out. The final victor had been decided.
A short-haired saber wielder radiating the aura of an expert walked toward the luminous longsword one step at a time. No one attempted to stop him.
He was quite powerful and had single-handedly defeated most of his competitors.
He soon reached the luminous longsword and extended his hand. Before he could touch it, the sword suddenly erupted with light once more.
With a sharp whoosh, it streaked away in another direction and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.
The saber wielder froze, feeling as though victory had been snatched from his grasp at the very last second.
Everyone else stared in bewilderment.
It had flown away again?
"This is going too far! Flying away once was bad enough, but what is the meaning of doing it every time? Is that sword playing with me?"
The saber wielder flew into a rage.
"Mistfall contains several weapons that possess spirituality like this one. Countless people have sought them over the past several centuries without success. How could obtaining one possibly be so simple? At most, you have passed the first stage of its trial. More trials still await you."
A voice rang out. Everyone looked over and saw Linju slowly stepping forward.
The saber wielder looked at her and sneered. "Trial after trial? I think the Ancient Sword School is manipulating things behind the scenes. Since you cannot bear to let these spirit weapons fall into outsiders' hands, why open Mistfall at all?"
"If one of these spirit weapons truly chooses someone, I will not feel the slightest reluctance to let it go."
Linju looked at him and spoke calmly. "However, these spirit weapons all originate from Mistfall's core region. Their final trial is also located there."
The saber wielder could not help asking, "What kind of trial?"
"Those who are interested may follow me."
Linju turned and walked in the direction where the luminous longsword had disappeared.
Everyone present followed her. The journey was not long, only a few hundred yards.
When they arrived, they found an enormous stone giant standing before them. It was not like the statue near the entrance, which consisted of nothing more than a head.
This stone giant possessed a complete body. It stood there gripping a massive sword nearly fifteen feet long in both hands, as though guarding something.
Behind it, however, was a dead end surrounded only by jagged mountain walls.
"This guardian statue was forged by the founding masters of the Ancient Sword School. It was placed here to protect the weapons in the core region from being destroyed. Only someone capable of awakening it can open the path into the core region," Linju explained after noticing everyone's confusion.
Someone immediately asked, "How do we awaken it?"
"Only a true expert can awaken it. Someone who has studied weapons to the utmost and comprehended weapon intent will be able to resonate with the statue."
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