Chapter Twenty-Four: The Rainbow Bridge (Please Keep Reading)

The sun pounded down, roaring, as a fishy froth spattered from Heng Ri’s mouth with every word.
"Come on, Xu Xing, use all your strength, pull it out!"
Blood dripped onto the sword hilt, and from the sword pit burst a brilliant rainbow light. At that moment, Xu Xing felt his whole body boiling, each fiber ablaze like a battlefield aflame.
The dazzling rainbow radiance erupted from the pit, wild and unrestrained.
Amid the crashing waves and the rising sun, a rainbow arched into being.
It stretched for miles, spanning from the sword pit straight to the base of the mountain in the sea.
Such an earth-shattering spectacle made the old man in the sky furrow his brow. He gazed heavily at the sword pit, lost in thought, then laughed aloud.
"This youngster truly is the tide that pushes the old—remarkable, indeed! Thirteen Thrusts of a Leaf, the one you’ve chosen is extraordinary."
The old man drew some medicinal powder from his sleeve and scattered it, each grain fusing with every corner of the sandy beach.
All phenomena calmed once more, then the old man vanished into the void, leaving not a single cloud behind.
"Come on, give it to me!" Xu Xing roared.
Within Xu Xing’s universe pouch, a decayed piece of wood emitted a dark green glow, sending waves of revitalizing energy wrapped around his body.
He felt utterly invigorated, and the jade bracelet on his wrist also glowed dark green, bit by bit merging into the sword.
The sword rose, and under the effect of the medicinal powder, the beach was cleansed as if by rain.
Upon the rainbow, the sword was gradually drawn out, and the sky was transformed.
Thunderclouds gathered, the sun withdrew, lightning flashed and thunder boomed, winds raged, and torrents poured down, as if to wash the rainbow from the sword pit away.
"Rise!"
The sword was entirely freed, and Xu Xing, using the last ounce of strength, let out a hoarse cry.
"Xu Xing, you did it, the sword is yours."
With the sword raised, the earth trembled, the sea erupted in fury, and birds scattered, migrating southeast.
He looked around after pulling the sword, his heart lost in confusion. The cold gleam radiating from the sword in his hand sent shivers through him.
The clouds dispersed, sunlight filtered through the white sky and shone upon the beach. Mist and seawater mingled, rising together, and the pure vapor formed a veil over the ocean’s surface.
With the sword lifted, Xu Xing’s scars began to heal, and the sword aura that lingered in the pit gradually dissipated, vanishing entirely.
Sensing the sword aura fade, Heng Ri excitedly watched Xu Xing, leaping down to embrace him, exclaiming with joy,
"You did it! Let’s drink, and roast a chicken as well."
"I don’t roast, but I endure."
Xu Xing smiled faintly, his spirits soaring as he spoke with understanding.

Looking at the five-foot sword in his hand, Xu Xing sensed the twisted power of its former owner.
Perhaps a great master had perished here, buried by the sea along with the sword.
But why had the sword chosen him...?
"Let’s go, time to leave. Are you alright?" Heng Ri asked with genuine concern. Xu Xing nodded gently, and with a leap, climbed out of the sword pit.
The beach looked as if it had been plowed, yellow sand and clay churned, with a cold, mysterious mist shrouding the surface of the sea.
A rainbow bridge arched from the sword pit, leading straight to the foot of the mountain in the sea.
The radiant colors cast shimmering light upon Xu Xing’s bruised body, highlighting his blue and purple scars.
"This... what is this?"
"I don’t know. This phenomenon appeared when you drew the sword, and it seems we can walk across this rainbow bridge into Shushan." Heng Ri answered, staring at the bridge.
Xu Xing lowered his gaze to the sword in his hand. As he sheathed it, ripples of music arose, the sound of zither and flute drifting from nowhere.
This sword was powerful—calling it sharp as cutting through iron like mud would be an understatement.
Perhaps if it were planted in the earth, it would forever mark its place, never fading.
"Is this a mythical weapon? Can I have a look?" Heng Ri grinned at the sword in Xu Xing’s hand.
Xu Xing raised his hand and offered the sword to Heng Ri.
He didn’t know what type of weapon it was, but as Heng Ri gripped it, the sword pressed his hand straight into the sand.
"Damn it!"
Watching Heng Ri trapped by the sword, Xu Xing chuckled. Perhaps, as Heng Ri had said, he had truly claimed the sword as his own—yet why did the spirit within remain silent?
Lost in thought, Xu Xing prepared to further contemplate the sword, but Heng Ri’s voice interrupted him.
"Take it back, my hand is getting crushed!"
Xu Xing snapped back, retrieved the sword, and fastened it to his waist, then questioned Heng Ri.
"Is this a mythical weapon?"
"No."
"How do you know?"
"Because it has a spirit, but no ancestral will. If there were, ancestral will would have flooded your mind just now. As it stands, it’s a high-quality weapon, you lucky devil...."
Xu Xing was speechless. He still didn’t possess a mythical weapon, though he had pondered their merits before.
The advantage: they could rapidly boost one’s strength.
The drawback: if one reached a bottleneck, the ancestral will might become an unbridgeable gulf, halting progress forever.
A weapon is a double-edged sword, for better or worse.

It would be better to cast aside ancestral will, follow one’s own path, and live freely, beautifully detached from all.
"So what do we do now? Without a guide, how do we get to the foot of Shushan in the sea?" Xu Xing asked, gazing wistfully at the mountain.
Heng Ri glanced at the rainbow bridge, which arched gracefully, linking mountains and waters, reaching to the base of Shushan in the sea.
"You mean we’re supposed to walk across the rainbow bridge? Is it even possible?" Xu Xing wondered.
"Just try it. You created it, so you should be the first." Heng Ri rubbed his nose.
The rainbow’s colors blended perfectly, each hue distributed with flawless balance.
Such a rainbow bridge, found only in legends, now stood before them—almost unbelievable.
Xu Xing stepped forward, placing a foot upon the bridge; it felt real, not made of light, but solid, slippery as a stone bridge after rain.
Excited, he placed his other foot onto the bridge, both feet off the ground, ascending onto the rainbow.
He squinted, only then noticing the subtle flow beneath his feet.
Seeing Xu Xing on the bridge, Heng Ri followed. The two looked at each other happily, chatting and laughing along the way.
On the bridge, colors streamed, harmonies blossomed, a gentle hum filled their ears, and walking there brought a sense of bliss, as if treading in paradise.
"You know, others have triggered rainbow bridges like this before."
"Oh? Who? Tell me—I know little about the North Sea Academy atop Shushan."
"Then listen closely..."
...
On Shushan, within a certain courtyard, red maples fell amid the evening frost.
Inside, a woman in a white silk pleated skirt rested her jade hand on the bedside, gazing at the fallen petals in the courtyard, sighing,
"Falling flowers are indifferent, yet people are not. I miss him so very much."
Just then, a maid entered her chamber, handing her a divine sigil. The woman took it, absorbing its energy.
The maid, timidly, murmured,
"Miss Mo, I think Young Master Li is actually quite good."
Hearing this, the woman’s eyes flashed. She drew the azure spiritual power from the sigil through her fingers, releasing it into the courtyard—maple leaves swept the sky.
"I’ve said it before: the one I love will walk across the rainbow bridge, riding auspicious clouds to marry me..."