Chapter Fifty-One: The Mystic-Grade Dagger

The curtain had fallen.

The wind had risen.

Everything had ended, and yet it seemed nothing had truly begun.

Still reeling from the shock that Kong Mo had been the one to drive away the Mo Clan’s patriarch, Ziyan gave Xu Xing’s chest a gentle pat, snorting, “Junior brother, why do you look so dazed?”

Hearing this, Xu Xing shot her a glance, arching his brow. After consuming his essence blood, Ziyan had regained her original appearance, greatly lifting Xu Xing’s spirits. But there were still so many questions. Had Ziyan truly not known Kong Mo’s identity from the start? Why had she kept it hidden for so long, leaving him in the dark? He’d rather have been hidden under a quilt than left in the dark like this...

Yet thinking more deeply, meeting Ziyan had brought him much laughter and joy, and had allowed him to grow a little in his own confusion. The thought made the corners of his lips lift slightly. Because of Ziyan, Xu Xing had learned what it meant for a man to shoulder responsibility. He’d come to understand how one could give of oneself for someone they cared about—something no one else could have taught him.

“No, I was just wondering if Kong Mo brought any wine,” he replied.

Gazing into the distance, Kong Mo had already vanished. There were still so many questions Xu Xing hadn’t had the chance to ask, but the truth had already surfaced.

Yet more and more questions remained. Why had Kong Mo jumped into the sea back then? Why had he hidden his identity?

“Master, you’ve come,” Ziyan’s gentle voice drew Xu Xing back from his thoughts.

Turning around, it was that old man Kong Mo! And he hadn’t brought any wine.

Looking at Kong Mo, he hadn’t changed a bit—still hunched as ever, with a hint of slyness about him.

“So you’re the sect master? Kong Mo, how long have you been deceiving me?”

Xu Xing folded his arms across his chest, treating Kong Mo entirely as a friend.

In the arena, the elders had ordered the new disciples into the second phase of testing—controlling objects. They had no time to pay attention to what was happening on Xu Xing’s side, each busy with their own affairs.

One of them happened to glance over, and seeing Xu Xing and Kong Mo’s stance, broke out in a cold sweat, whispering in astonishment, “Is… is this what it means to be favored by the heavens? To dare slay the Mo Clan patriarch’s beloved son, and speak face to face, so intimately, with the sect master—how enviable.”

At that moment, the small group centered around Xu Xing suddenly vanished from the square.

In truth, they hadn’t left at all—Kong Mo had simply created a small barrier, isolating them from the outside world. Outsiders could see nothing of what transpired within.

Kong Mo showed none of a master’s lofty airs; he was affable, approachable—almost endearing. He strode over to Xu Xing, shouting,

“What did I deceive you about? Didn’t I say from the start that I was the sect master? If you didn’t believe me, there was nothing I could do.”

Seeing Kong Mo again, Xu Xing felt a faint sense of estrangement—perhaps the contrast was too great to accept all at once. Once, they had leaned on each other beneath the moon, drinking wine, even sharing the same bed. Now the other had become the sect master, while Xu Xing himself was still an obscure nobody! How absurd.

At this point, Xu Xing couldn’t help but want to cry out to the heavens, “Why do you mock me!”

But aren’t there always things in life that can’t be changed? Like walking alone down a dark alley, when a gang of burly men appear, and you…

Surrender your weapons—what else can you do but compromise? Why not simply close your eyes and enjoy it?

“Forget it, Kong Mo, I accept it. I know you’re the sect master now. But I’m heartbroken—nothing less than a few hundred Nascent Soul divine runes, thirty or fifty earth-grade mythic weapons, and a hundred or so breathtakingly beautiful maidens can heal my wounded heart.”

“Oh, and the maidens are for my good brother Hang Ri, don’t get any ideas.”

Xu Xing’s performance was heartfelt, his eyes brimming with the threat of tears—a sham display, hoping to squeeze something out of Kong Mo.

Earth-grade weapons were no ordinary things. Weapons and cultivation arts were ranked heaven, earth, black, and yellow. Generally, if someone in the Qi Refining stage possessed a yellow-grade weapon, it was rare indeed; a Foundation Establishment cultivator might have a black-grade one.

As for earth-grade weapons, even among Nascent Soul cultivators they were seldom seen.

Kong Mo heard him out, took a step back, clung to the elder beside him, and cried, “You rascal, even the bandits of Mount Liangshan would shed tears at your words! Look at me, a frail old man—what weapons could I possibly have to give?”

Xu Xing let out a sigh, scrunched up his nose, feigning tears, looking utterly pitiful. “Don’t you know how many life-and-death battles I’ve been through along the way? Don’t you pity a hardworking junior like me, at least for the sake of all the wine I’ve shared with you? Just give me a weapon that suits me, and maybe a few cultivation arts.”

Seeing Kong Mo’s expression waver, Xu Xing redoubled his efforts: “Please? Kong Mo, Kong Mo dear, you’re the best!”

“……”

Knowing he’d soon be entering the Central Plains, soon to leave this place, how could he not take this last chance to shamelessly milk Kong Mo for all he was worth?

“Kong Mo, please? You’re the best! Giving me a treasure isn’t really a loss for you. Think about it another way—this is just a different method for you to stay by my side.”

Ziyan and the elder both broke out in goosebumps, shivering involuntarily. Xu Xing’s antics were truly nauseating.

If not for the last shreds of his dignity, they might have thrown up for real.

“If it really won’t do, then I’ll take that short sword in the sky—I feel it’s a perfect match for the sword I recently acquired.”

Xu Xing pointed to the short sword hanging beneath the blue sky. He had coveted it at first sight! But only the champion among the new disciples could claim it!

That was an undertaking as difficult as climbing to the clouds on foot.

Perhaps it was Xu Xing’s shamelessness that moved Kong Mo. He pointed skyward and said mildly, “Fine—seeing how wretched your fate is, I’ll give you this short sword. With your talent, no one will think I’ve shown you undue favor.”

The sword in the sky.

It should have been the reward for the champion among the new disciples, yet now it had become Xu Xing’s second weapon? The thought made Xu Xing burst out laughing, almost like a madman.

As the sword entered his domain, the short sword vanished, replaced by a colossal sword.

The pressure, aura, and power emanating from this giant sword were ten times what the short sword had possessed.

Kong Mo handed the short sword to Xu Xing, who took it, running his fingers over every inch of the blade. It was so smooth—it felt almost like first love.

Xu Xing’s smile bloomed as radiantly as a flower.

Suddenly, a thunderous commotion exploded in the sky.

Xu Xing looked up at the giant sword hanging there, puzzled—when had this sword replaced the short one? Was it some hidden reward?

“Kong Mo, what’s with this giant sword? Are you giving me that too? That’s incredible!”

He said this as he pounced toward Kong Mo, like a gentle, obedient kitten.

“At first, I wanted to give you that earth-grade giant sword in the sky, but you insisted on the black-grade short sword. With you wailing and sniveling, I had no choice. So now the freshmen of the North Sea Academy are stuck with a giant sword they can’t even use for the time being.”

“What!?”

Ziyan and the elder looked at Xu Xing’s comical, stupefied expression and burst out laughing—a spectacle that was amusing in its own right.

Xu Xing, hearing this, wailed, “That’s not what I meant! In fact, I’m the last person who’d want anyone to suffer. Why don’t we swap? Let me have the earth-grade giant sword—since they can’t use it right now anyway, I’ll take the loss!”

“No. Da Mie, your idea doesn’t work. Some things, once inserted, can’t just be pulled out again—wouldn’t that mean it was never inserted at all?”

“What I mean is, if a sharp sword pierces the body, pulling it out doesn’t mean the wound never happened. If you keep this up, you’ll end up with nothing at all.”

Kong Mo’s expression turned stern, as though about to lose his temper. Xu Xing stroked the short sword in his hand and pouted.

“All right,” he conceded.

At that moment, up in the sky, Li Chunyi, who was controlling objects, couldn’t help but laugh.