At that moment, a low, gravelly voice, like metal grinding against stone, suddenly echoed deep within his mind: "Kid, enjoying watching others steal the spotlight? Want me to give you some special treatment?"
Finn's whole body stiffened—it was the Sword Stone! The existence hidden deep within his consciousness that called itself the Gatekeeper of the Seven Swords. So his experience on the lone mountain before losing consciousness had not been a dream!
"Didn't we already meet? Why so shocked? Don't tell me you thought that was just an illusion!" The Sword Stone's tone carried a hint of displeasure. "That brat who rushed to speak—being able to understand the ancient language of the Xuanyuan Realm is just dumb luck. But don't envy him. I'll engrave the common language of the Xuanyuan Realm directly into your soul right now—guarantee you'll handle it even better than him."
Before Finn could react, a vast yet gentle stream of information surged into his mind like a tidal wave. Countless obscure syllables and words instantly rooted themselves in his soul. There was no barrier to understanding, yet the sheer volume made his head feel like it was about to explode. His body lost control, collapsing toward the ground.
At that moment, a soft and fragrant figure caught him. The alluring scent snapped him partially back to his senses. Once he steadied himself, the figure immediately stepped away.
"Are you alright? Is it a side effect of the teleportation?" It was the black-clad woman who looked like a celestial maiden.
"Thank you, I'm fine," Finn replied quickly.
"My name is Lin Yue. What about you?" The black-haired woman smiled. Her radiant expression, like sunlight, caused Finn to momentarily lose himself. The crushing pressure of survival in the apocalypse had left him with no experience of romance, yet that single smile made him vaguely understand what it meant to feel his heart stir.
He froze for a moment before hurriedly answering, "Oh, I'm Finn, from the United States."
"Hehe, in a place like this, what does it matter if you're American or Chinese? Come on, don't fall behind." Lin Yue covered her mouth as she laughed softly.
As the two caught up with the group, Finn was astonished to find that he could now understand the conversations of the elders.
"…This young man carries himself well and understands our language. Perhaps he is a talent worth cultivating."
"Indeed. His soul appears pure, with faint Spiritual Qi leaking from it. His aptitude must be decent."
"And that black-haired girl—her aura is steady, her gaze clear. She is no ordinary person either. As for the others, their differing hair and skin colors suggest they are from the Western regions, not natives of our Eastern lands…"
"Perhaps this is truly an opportunity for our sect's revival…"
Hearing this, the tension in Finn's heart eased slightly—at least for now, things did not seem to be heading in the worst possible direction.
"Well? Impressive, right?" the Sword Stone's voice rang out again.
"That hurt like hell! I almost embarrassed myself. Can you at least give me a warning next time?" Finn retorted inwardly, annoyed.
"Hahaha, forgot you're still a weakling. I'll keep that in mind next time."
At this moment, a female elder following behind Sect Master Zhang Qing approached the group. She wore a light green gauze robe, her features delicate and her temperament gentle. A kind smile rested on her face. She appeared no older than twenty, yet her voice was steady and experienced, and her eyes carried the weight of time—her true age impossible to discern. A pale blue longsword was strapped to her back, and the surrounding cultivators addressed her as "Elder Shuiyue."
Elder Shuiyue said to Lin Feng, "I will take you there by flight. If you travel on foot, it would take two to three days. Tell them not to move recklessly during the journey—falling off the flying sword would be troublesome."
After everyone nodded, she gave a light shout: "Heavenfall, unsheathe!"
The longsword behind her floated forward on its own, instantly expanding to over twenty meters in length. Ripples like flowing water shimmered across its pale blue blade, surrounded by swirling Spiritual Qi.
The eight stood frozen in place. Even Finn, who had encountered the Sword Stone, swallowed hard—this was his first true experience of a cultivator's power, and the first time he truly realized his own weakness.
"Alright, get on. Don't keep the Sect Master waiting," Elder Shuiyue urged.
Snapping back to their senses, the group awkwardly scrambled onto the blade. Their clumsy movements drew loud laughter from the surrounding cultivators.
"Hmph!" Elder Shuiyue let out a cold snort. "Do you have nothing better to do? No cultivation to attend to?"
The laughter ceased instantly. The cultivators bowed and saluted before stepping onto their own flying swords, transforming into streaks of light as they shot off into the distance.