After a moment of silence, the old man cleared his throat and spoke in a forceful tone, "I must have misheard you just now. Can you repeat what you said?"
"I said that I am not interested in joining the Holy Sword Clan," Yuan calmly repeated, shocking everyone there for a second time.
"Blasphemy! If youâre not interested in joining the Holy Sword Clan, why did you even bother with the metal plate?! Are you messing with me?!"
The old man exclaimed, his face flushed in redness. However, he didnât give up and continued trying to recruit Yuan.
"The Holy Sword Clan is the number one faction for swordmasters in the Nine Heavens! If you wish to become a Sword Emperor, your best chance lies with us. We not only house three Sword Emperors, but the majority of Sword Emperors in history have hailed from our clan!" the old man proclaimed, his tone filled with pride as he tried to sway Yuanâs decision.
"Iâll think about it after I finish training at the Holy Sword Temple," Yuan calmly responded.
"What? The Holy Sword Temple?"
The old man wore a dumbfounded expression on his face, but before he could speak further, Yuan retrieved the sword-shaped badge from his spatial ring and showed it off.
"This is my actual reason for approaching you," he said.
"Thatâs the Holy Sword Emblem! Where did you get that from?!" The old man exclaimed.
"Does it matter where?"
"Of course, it does! How do I know that you didnât steal it or find it by chance?"
Yuan didnât argue further and showed the old man his faction symbol.
"I got it from someone in my faction."
"Celestial Overlords!" The old man and those around him sucked in a breath of cold breath after seeing his faction symbol.
"Alright, come with me. Iâll take you to our headquarters to speak with the elders."
Yuan nodded and silently followed the old man into the depths of the Grand Sword Crater. After descending to the bottom of the massive fissure, they proceeded northward without pause.
Though the number of swordmasters within the Grand Sword Crater wasnât as overwhelming as outside, their presence was still significant, and Yuan couldnât go more than a few minutes without witnessing one practicing their sword techniques.
After several days of travel and passing by numerous members of the Holy Sword Clan, they finally arrived at the clanâs headquarters, located in the widest expanse of the Grand Sword Crater.
Sandwiched between two colossal walls of earth stood several sword-shaped buildings, each varying in height but radiating the same grand presence.
The old man brought Yuan to the tallest building and then had him wait inside one of the guest rooms.
"Wait here while I bring one of our elders here," said the old man before walking out and closing the door.
However, Yuan could tell that the old man didnât leave and remained outside for some reason.
A few moments later, the door opened, and the old man walked back inside.
"My name is Li Bowen, the 4th elder of the Holy Sword Clan," he introduced himself.
The old manâs unusual actions left Yuan speechless.
Li Bowen smiled and said, "Thereâs no need for the suspicious looks. I really am an elder."
He then took a seat right in front of Yuan and continued, "Alright, letâs get straight to the topic. The Holy Sword Temple."
Yuan quietly nodded.
"Although you have the Holy Sword Emblem, that is only one of the requirements to enter the Holy Sword Temple. Is that your true cultivation?" Li Bowen asked.
"Yes, it is."
"In all my years at the Holy Sword Clan, I have never heard of a mortal asking to enter the Holy Sword Temple, much less stand before one myself. Do you even know what youâre getting yourself into?"
"As long as I can learn Supreme Sword Aura, I donât care."
Li Bowen narrowed his eyes and said, "The Holy Sword Temple may serve as a training ground, but it is a perilous place where even Immortals can easily lose their life, much less a mortal like you. Iâm sure you already know that, so I wonât waste my breath trying to change your mind. However, I still have to test your qualifications."
"How will you do that?" Yuan asked.
"Itâs very simple and straightforward. I just need to test your Enhanced Sword Aura."
"Sounds good."
"Then follow me."
The next moment, they left the room, and Li Bowen led Yuan to another building. Within it lay a vast training ground, where several swordmasters were striking a towering wall with their Enhanced Sword Aura. Naturally, the wall was forged from a special material, similar to the metal slab Yuan had effortlessly split in two, but also vastly different at the same time.
The swordmasters in the room struck the wall with meticulously controlled Enhanced Sword Aura and had been doing so for several hours now, yet not a single one of them managed to leave even the faintest scratch.
"This wall is forged from a unique material with unparalleled resistance to slashing attacks. Donât even think about comparing it to the metal slab you cut through a few days agoâthis is at least a thousand times more durable," Li Bowen explained with a somewhat proud look on his face.
"So, how deep does the cut need to be for me to qualify?" Yuan asked.
Li Bowen smiled and replied, "One inch. If you can somehow manage to leave a cut that deep on this wall, Iâll personally take you to the Holy Sword Temple. But thereâs a conditionâyou can only use a Spirit-grade sword and rely solely on your Enhanced Sword Aura. No martial techniques, no powerful treasures."
"Fair enough."
Li Bowen retrieved an ordinary Spirit-grade sword that one could purchase from anywhere and handed it to Yuan.
"Whenever youâreâ"
Li Bowen abruptly paused mid-sentence, his expression tightening.
Sensing several unfamiliar auras entering the building, he turned toward the entrance, and his eyes widened in disbelief after seeing their faces.
"W-What are they doing here?!" he muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with shock and unease.
Meanwhile, those training at the wall halted their training and quietly bowed to the group.
Yuan followed Li Bowenâs gaze toward the group that had just stepped into the building.
There were six individuals in total, but all eyes were naturally drawn to the two at the frontâa strikingly beautiful young woman and a handsome young man, both adorned in the distinguished robes of the Holy Sword Clan.
"Iâll be back. Donât do anything until then." Li Bowen said to Yuan before approaching the group.
"Greetings, Holy Sword Maiden, Holy Sword King, and everyone else."
"Elder Li, itâs been a while," said the handsome man, who was known as the Holy Sword King within the Holy Sword Clan.
"Yes, itâs been around 150 years. What brought you guys to the Seventh Heaven?"
"The Sword Emperor Qualifications, of course. I know there are still a few years before it begins, but we decided to come down earlier," he explained.
"I see..."
"Do you mind if we use the training grounds for a bit?" The Holy Sword Maiden suddenly said.
"Of course not... but at your level..."
"We wonât be the ones to use it," she elaborated, looking at the other four behind her.
"Oh, I see. In any case, feel free to use it. If you need anything, donât hesitate to call me."
"Thank you."
Li Bowen returned to Yuan shortly after and said to him, "Sorry, but weâll have to do your qualifications another time."
"But it wonât even take a minute... I just need to hit the wall once," Yuan said.
Li Bowen responded with voice transmission, "I know, but this isnât about that. Do you see that beautiful woman with silver hair and that young man with the short red hair? Theyâre the Holy Sword Maiden and the Holy Sword King. Their status within the Holy Sword Clan is only below the Sword Emperors. While the Holy Sword Maiden might not mind your presence, the Holy Sword King is known for being easily irritable. I am doing this for your own good. If you offend them, you can kiss your chance to enter the Holy Sword Temple, even with a referral. Donât worry, I doubt theyâll stay for too long."
Yuan found it a pain in the ass, but heâd rather wait a few days, even weeks, if it meant not causing any unnecessary trouble.
"I donât mind waiting a little," he said.
"Thank you for your understanding. You can stay in one of our guest rooms for now," Li Bowen said.
The next moment, Yuan followed Li Bowen to the exit.
"Whoâs that?" The Holy Sword Maiden asked one of the swordmasters who had been training there before their arrival.
"Iâm not sure. He arrived only a few moments earlier than you guys, but I think he was trying to qualify for the Holy Sword Temple."
The Holy Sword King laughed and said, "Thereâs no way. That guy was a mortal."
"Oh... then I donât know... Sorry."
"Itâs fine." The Holy Sword Maiden shook her head.
After leaving the training ground, Li Bowen brought Yuan to his guest room.
"You can stay here for now. Iâll contact you when they are finished with the place, which shouldnât take too long."
Once Li Bowen left and he was alone, Yuan sat on the ground and closed his eyes.
âI might as well use this time to perfect my Enhanced Sword Aura,â he thought inwardly before immersing himself in Tian Xinâs memories.