"I swear, I will never harbor any intention to harm Chen Jinshu. Otherwise, may I be reduced to ashes instantly!"
The sword spirit's childish voice rang out, easing Chen Jinshu's mind somewhat.
"That was... surprisingly straightforward. Could there still be another trap?" she muttered, her guard not completely lowered—though it had eased considerably compared to earlier.
She placed a Vajra Talisman on her body—if the sword case attacked her again, she would activate it immediately. Then, she placed her Lüqi Zither in front of her, a silent shield.
In truth, her master had given her a protective jade pendant capable of withstanding several attacks from a Golden Core cultivator. With it, she had some confidence—but such defensive items were consumables. Better to save them if possible.
A moment later, Chen Jinshu circled the hall and entered the backyard from the side.
There, she saw the wooden box had somehow opened on its own. The sword case floated out of it, suspended within a golden barrier.
"It can't escape, yet its attacks passed through the barrier...?" she thought, staring at the still-perfect formation.
In fact, her earlier worry was unnecessary. If the sword case couldn't pass through the formation, how could it harm her?
The earlier sword blasts were only at the level of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
So, while the sword case indeed housed a sword spirit, it had likely lost much of its sentience after being sealed for so long.
"Come out from that sword case! Let me see what you look like," Chen Jinshu called out cautiously to the sword case glowing faintly blue.
The sword case seemed to react, turning toward her. Then, a streak of blue light emerged from within, transforming into the phantom image of a small blue sword, hovering before her.
"So it really is a sword spirit," she mused, eyeing the three-inch, finger-thick translucent blade. It was almost comical.
The small blue sword bumped gently against the barrier and said in a pleading tone, "Human, let me out. I've sworn my oath, and I'm weak. I just want freedom!"
"You can survive outside the sword case?" Chen Jinshu asked, ignoring its begging.
"Yes. I suffered great damage when I first separated from the sword body. But it was worth it—to avoid being tainted by that demonic blade. This case is just a temporary home. I can leave it, just not for long."
"Tell me your story. Maybe, if I like it, I'll consider letting you out."
"...Fine." The small blue sword trembled slightly, a gesture of reluctant agreement.
Half an hour later, steam from the backyard hot spring gently stirred Chen Jinshu from her thoughts.
Her gaze toward the sword spirit had grown... complicated.
Its original form was the Xuanqiong Ice Sword, forged a thousand years ago by the prestigious Sword Edge Sect, using the essence of an ancient Frozen Soul Pond.
But just before its completion, a demonic sect ancestor attacked, stealing the nearly finished sword. He planned to forge the legendary Demonic Xuanqiong Sword using the lives of ten thousand cultivators.
The sword spirit had just awakened when it witnessed the demonic slaughter. Fearing contamination from so much bloodlust, it forcefully separated from the sword body, hiding itself in a humble cold jade sword case—even at the cost of damaging its own essence.
It drifted through time, unconscious, until it awoke again—only to find itself sealed in a wooden box, its spiritual energy suppressed. Only recently, when the seal on the box weakened, could it absorb a little qi and begin to heal.
Chen Jinshu frowned. There seemed to be no connection between this story and the woman who once owned the Ink Plum Courtyard.
"This is your first time coming out?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes. The box's seal trapped the sword case completely. Without someone opening it, I couldn't leave."
"Swear it."
"I swear—this is the first time I've been released in a thousand years."
Chen Jinshu's confusion deepened. Her alchemy-prodigy senior sister had suddenly taken up sword cultivation—why? If not influenced by the sword spirit, something else must have happened.
But that was long ago. There was no way to find the truth now.
"You'd be better off staying in that sword case and recovering your essence before trying to come out," Chen Jinshu advised.
"I can recover faster by bonding with a proper spirit sword. Absorbing spiritual energy from the earth vein will take who knows how long," the sword spirit replied, its little form bending in frustration.
"And if I let you out, where would you go? You'd probably get snatched up by some cultivator."
"Human, why not make a deal? I know many sword techniques—I can trade one for a spirit sword."
"You said you left your sword body right after awakening. How do you know sword techniques?"
"I had awareness, just no physical form. My sword was nurtured in Sword Sect halls for a hundred years—I absorbed knowledge over time."
"I'm not a sword cultivator. Sword techniques are of little use to me," Chen Jinshu replied, shaking her head.
"I remember a sword technique that combines music and swordplay—very powerful, unstoppable."
The sword spirit eyed the ancient Zither in front of her.
"A musical sword technique? That sounds... intriguing."
Though she didn't specialize in swordsmanship, she was quite skilled in music. Perhaps this technique would suit her. Of course, she didn't reveal that interest out loud.
Casually, she tossed a spirit sword into the formation. "I'm only giving you this because you're pitiful. Use it to restore your essence."
"Now recite the technique's incantation."
"Shang note to pluck the tassel, Yu note to shatter the guard!..."
Chen Jinshu frowned as she listened. The technique blended music and swordplay, but it wasn't written as sheet music—just verbal incantation. She'd have to recompose it into a proper sword song.
Still, thanks to her cultivation-enhanced memory, she quickly memorized the entire chant.
"The Nineteen Phrases of Falling Notes... the name's not bad. But converting it into a real sword composition won't be easy."
"Isn't it powerful? I heard a Sword Sect elder once used it to fend off numerous foes."
"It's... somewhat useful, I suppose," she chuckled. "But I use a Zither, not a sword. This is a sword technique, after all."
Still, she did use spirit swords for support. A music-based sword art might be easier for her to learn.
"Don't worry—the sword I gave you isn't very high-grade. Consider it a fair trade for the technique."
As the blue sword spirit heard this, it turned into a streak of light and entered the spirit sword.
Chen Jinshu couldn't help but laugh.
She glanced at the faintly glowing blue sword, then turned away without breaking the barrier. She headed back toward the front yard.
Her plan was clear—adapt the Nineteen Phrases of Falling Notes into a true sword melody. If successful, it could become her trump card in the upcoming tournament. Perhaps her master would even see her in a new light.