LAVW – Chapter 55 The Black Greatsword

What’s going on?

Shi Qian lay there, utterly confused.

Only after hearing the sound of a sword tearing through the air did Shi Qian realize he had already arrived at the Sword Cavern.

But thinking back on how he had gotten here, he felt like all his previous efforts had made him look like a fool.

Too lazy to get up, Shi Qian sighed and said, “Squeak Squeak.”

Such disrespect for all my hard work.

On the other side, Long Ye, sensing Shi Qian’s presence, hurried over.

Seeing Brother Qian lying there motionless like a dejected little furball, Long Ye, although reassured by Shi Qian’s steady breathing and lack of visible injuries, still asked worriedly, “Brother Qian, are you okay?”

Shi Qian looked up at him. “Squeak Squeak.”

Nothing much, just don’t feel like moving.

“Was the sword practice too exhausting?” Long Ye picked him up and started massaging Shi Qian’s limbs with his fingers.

Lying in his hands and enjoying the massage for a bit, Shi Qian finally asked, “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, why are you still here?

At Long Ye’s speed, he should’ve reached the Sword Cavern long ago and started seeking out the spirit swords within. The place where Shi Qian was currently lying was still at the outer edge — not yet inside the real Sword Cavern.

“Oh, I was waiting for you,” Long Ye replied.

Shi Qian felt slightly comforted.

The trials of the Sword Sect could only be described as inhuman — aside from climbing the Stone Mountain, the challenges afterward were tasks no normal person could hope to accomplish.

The higher difficulty also meant they took much longer to complete. That Long Ye was willing to wait showed his faith in Shi Qian’s abilities.

Shi Qian said, “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, you truly are my good brother.

Then added, “Squeak—”

But next time, don’t wait for me. I almost couldn’t make it in.

Actually, Long Ye’s real motive was a little more selfish — he had been hoping to borrow some of Brother Qian’s “Treasure-Seeking Mouse” luck. Hearing this, he felt a little guilty. He quickly asked, “How did you almost not make it?”

“Squeak Squeak.”

At the end, wasn’t I supposed to perform a sword technique?

As he spoke, Shi Qian rolled over and sat up. “Squeak Squeak!”

That sword technique of mine — it was fake!

In Long Ye’s eyes, there weren’t many times when Shi Qian was genuinely hardworking.

But every day, without fail, Shi Qian had practiced swordsmanship while out at sea. Admittedly, this perseverance was partly due to the dual pressures of Mo Sanchi and Long Ye’s supervision — and partly because of the sheer boredom of life at sea — but effort was effort, and it wasn’t something to belittle.

Thus, Long Ye not only knew of Shi Qian’s love for spirit swords, but also understood that Shi Qian’s talent and sensitivity in the sword arts were fairly ordinary. The basic sword techniques prepared by the little ancestral master were already more than enough for him.

Shi Qian, who had honed his skills for ten years, could now actually tell whether a sword technique was real or fake.

What remarkable progress. Long Ye praised him earnestly, “That was an extremely difficult trial. Which disciple would ever suspect the Sword Sect’s techniques were fake? But you were able to tell. It shows you’ve gained a deep understanding of sword techniques, sharp eyes, and strong trust in your own judgment.”

Shi Qian: …

The truth was, he hadn’t figured it out at all.

Forget it, he thought. At least he managed to sneak through.

Shi Qian pulled himself up with determination and said, “Squeak Squeak.”

Let’s go find some spirit swords.

Long Ye nodded, thought for a moment, and then lifted Shi Qian onto his head.

Shi Qian: ?

Oh, so this was why he had been waiting for him.

Today’s treasure-hunting mouse was still performing steadily.

Shi Qian grabbed a handful of Long Ye’s hair with his paws, secretly venting his frustration, but didn’t expose Long Ye’s little scheme.

Next, Shi Qian pulled out his worn little vest from his storage necklace and put it on.

This vest had been through many storms; its outer fabric was already worn thin, revealing a brilliant layer of silvery sheen underneath.

More importantly, the vest was imbued with the auras of many spirit swords.

Sensing it, Long Ye asked curiously, “Xiao Yin and the others—”

“No, it’s just traces of their aura.”

Long Ye then picked Shi Qian up again and placed him in his hands.

Shi Qian hurriedly hugged himself. “Squeak Squeak!”

Don’t touch too much! Just a couple of pats are enough — save some for me!

Long Ye looked him over and chuckled, “Why didn’t you make one for me too?”

“Squeak Squeak.”

You don’t have clothes made from Star Silver Ore.

Shi Qian glanced at Long Ye’s clothes, then lightly scratched them with his paw — leaving a small tear.

Long Ye’s clothes clearly couldn’t withstand even a light brush from those spirit swords.

Shi Qian added, “Squeak Squeak.”

Originally, I was planning to let you touch my vest a couple of times to borrow some aura — but look at you, you didn’t even wait for me to offer!

Long Ye covered Shi Qian’s head with his hand and gave him a playful rub, laughing, “You little trickster! Always coming up with new games — no wonder you always wore that thing while playing with Xiao Yin and the others.”

Shi Qian wriggled free and began grooming his fur.

Then Long Ye pulled out a storage pouch from inside his robe. “Almost forgot — here, this is for you.”

Inside the storage pouch were all kinds of spirit ores.

During their time at sea, Long Ye had swept through the books collected by wandering cultivators. Along with following Sword Sect disciples around, he had picked up a lot of knowledge about spirit swords.

Shi Qian had prepared some materials himself, but nowhere near as thoroughly or extensively as Long Ye had.

Without any hesitation, Shi Qian accepted the pouch. “Squeak.”

Good Brother Ye, thank you very much.

As they talked, they approached the edge of the Sword Caverns’ entrance.

The sound of swords tearing through the air rang out from time to time, and a cold, fierce wind surged up from below, as if the very air was imbued with the aura of cold weapons.

Shi Qian stood up and soon took in the full view of the Sword Cavern.

From above, they could see a massive pit — the Sword Cavern — with a great road leading all the way down to its depths. On both sides of this main road were layered spaces, one above the other, and within each level, countless swords of all shapes and sizes were either embedded into the ground or suspended in midair, emanating an ancient, unyielding, and mighty aura.

Within the Sword Cavern, there were no divine artifacts from the current era, because any sword that entered here would be subdued.

And any cultivator should be as well.

Before stepping onto the main road of the Sword Cavern, Shi Qian and Long Ye stood frozen, awestruck.

Then their blood surged with excitement. Shi Qian cried out, “Squeak——”

Charge!

Long Ye set him down and said, “Brother Qian, you go ahead on your own.”

As he moved forward, Long Ye reminded him, “This road is also called the Path of the Sword. The deeper your understanding of swordsmanship or the stronger your cultivation, the farther you’ll be able to walk. The deeper you go, the higher your chances of being chosen by stronger spirit swords.”

“This isn’t like the Heart-Refinement Stage. On this path, don’t force yourself to keep going. Just go as far as you feel comfortable.”

Shi Qian found it interesting — one path led upward, one downward — yet both were among the Sword Sect’s most important roads, despite demanding entirely different things.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Got it. I’ll check later to see who gets the better spirit sword.

“Obviously, it’ll be me,” Long Ye said confidently.

Shi Qian glanced down at his own little vest, feeling just as confident. He was “one of their own” — he had a solid advantage this time.

Besides, Shi Qian wasn’t aiming to steal Long Ye’s thunder. He just wanted to get a really cool and powerful sword too — success was what mattered.

On the way here, he had already secretly siphoned a little aura off Long Ye.

Step by step, they walked downward along the Path of the Sword. The sound of the wind grew louder, and the clashing sounds of swords started to echo all around.

Shi Qian didn’t know how far they had gone when he started feeling a little uncomfortable.

He took one step back and immediately felt much better. He decided this was the spot where he would leave the main path and start searching for a spirit sword.

“Squeak Squeak.”

I’m heading off.

Shi Qian bid farewell, feeling a little nervous as he cautiously made his way toward the side spaces.

But no matter how carefully he moved, after just a few steps, he disappeared from Long Ye’s sight. Long Ye was struck by a sudden feeling of loss, like being left behind.

It was a bit like… raising a child—

No, stop. Brother Qian was someone who would introduce him proudly to his own mother.

Long Ye laughed and continued walking along his own part of the Path of the Sword.

Meanwhile, Shi Qian entered one of the side spaces and found himself staring at a battlefield of swords that looked straight out of the primordial era.

Countless swords were either stabbed into the ground or floating midair. Around each blade, different sword auras swirled. The wind carried the scent of iron and dust, and seeing it all up close was an entirely different kind of shock.

The moment Shi Qian barged in, a few lively spirit swords paused in the distance — and then started flying toward him.

Shi Qian didn’t even realize he had already drawn “attention.”

He looked at the nearby swords, picked one that looked nice, sat cross-legged in front of it, and prepared to start “comprehending” the sword.

Only by first comprehending the sword and resonating with its sword dao could one earn a spirit sword’s recognition and take it away.

Comprehending a sword wasn’t exactly difficult, but it demanded true spiritual intuition.

According to what Long Ye and the Sword Sect disciples had said, all you needed to do when comprehending a sword was to think about your own sword path — how you would use a sword in the future.

As for picking a sword? Pretty much the same — rely on intuition and feeling.

Shi Qian summed it up in one word: go with the flow.

Since it was all about going with the flow, he might as well do whatever he liked.

Full of excitement, Shi Qian tried comprehending each of ten very cool-looking swords, one after another — but not a single sword responded.

A few spirit swords did come over in between, but it was clear they only wanted to sneak a few bites of his star-silver vest, and Shi Qian mercilessly drove them off. Some others drifted over just to spectate, but didn’t get close.

Shi Qian simply ignored those swords and focused on his own business.

After repeated failures, Shi Qian reviewed his attempts and wondered if it might be because of his appearance — maybe the swords just didn’t like how he looked?

Surely, there had to be some swords that specialized in speed and wind, right?

The swords he had picked all looked light and agile.

Shi Qian thought to himself — since he had a natural talent for running away, he actually had some real insight into speed and wind. Back in the flying squad at sea, he had been an outstanding pilot for nine years straight.

Or was it a lack of perseverance? But that level of strictness was rare among spirit swords.

After a lot of thinking, Shi Qian concluded: it was the aura — he just looked too cute!

So he decided to switch to a different style of sword.

Anyway, there were plenty of spirit swords in the Sword Cavern.

Shi Qian approached a small sword. It was an emerald green jade sword, delicate and beautiful, and Shi Qian immediately liked it at first glance.

This time, he finally got a reaction.

But the emerald jade sword had a fiery, explosive heart — totally incompatible with Shi Qian’s sword path.

Shi Qian muttered, “Squeak Squeak.”

Although it was another failure, it seemed he was finally heading in the right direction.

Shi Qian continued to search for the next sword of fate — but suddenly, a spirit sword intercepted him.

It was a silver-white flying sword, sleek and handsome, with a dragon’s head carved into the hilt.

The flying sword circled around Shi Qian excitedly. Overjoyed, Shi Qian reached out his little paw. “Squeak Squeak!”

Come on, fly into my hand!

But the flying sword pulled back, keeping a distance, as if it wanted Shi Qian to follow it somewhere.

Shi Qian immediately sensed something was off — this flying sword was clearly acting like “bait.”

Unless it was pure coincidence that someone else happened to be seeking a sword at the same time and place, all spirit swords in the Sword Cavern were ownerless.

This sword wasn’t being controlled by someone else, so — what exactly did it want?

Curious, Shi Qian decided to follow it, already imagining some heroic “saving a sword” storyline in his mind.

If you save a sword’s life, surely it must pledge itself to you!

Shi Qian followed the silver-white flying sword for quite a distance.

They seemed to be heading steadily downward to the deeper levels. Generally, the deeper the sword, the stronger the spirit swords became — though not absolutely, since spirit swords were free by nature and could roam wherever they pleased.

Moreover, as Shi Qian followed the sword downward, he didn’t feel any pressure at all — it felt almost like coming home. He was very much at ease.

But the journey didn’t include any rest stops. Shi Qian, tired and panting, finally asked, “Squeak Squeak?”

Are we… there yet, Sword Bro?

Inside the Sword Cavern, space was chaotic — teleportation techniques didn’t work, and only spirit swords could fly in the air. Shi Qian could only rely on his own legs, and by now, it felt like he had literally run his legs longer.

The flying sword noticed him falling behind and circled back, urging him to keep up.

Shi Qian looked at the sword coming and going: “Squeak Squeak.”

Let me hitch a ride, won’t you?

Though they didn’t share a language, Shi Qian had become skilled at playing charades, and he believed the flying sword could understand him.

After a flurry of gestures, the flying sword indeed seemed to get it — but its blade trembled as if very unwilling.

Shi Qian: ?

If you want a spirit beast’s help, you’ve got to act like you want a spirit beast’s help.

Shi Qian stopped moving entirely, refusing to take another step: “Squeak——”

I’m not walking anymore. You figure it out.

The flying sword flew agitatedly in a circle, emitting a series of clear sword cries.

Dust nearby kicked up, and quite a few spirit swords pulled themselves out of the ground and relocated to other spots, as if avoiding the commotion.

Shi Qian remained unmoved, steady as a rock — after all, these spirit swords couldn’t actually harm him.

The Sword Sect might be ruthless toward outsiders, but internally, they maintained a peaceful atmosphere. Even the recruitment earlier had been focused on fostering mutual help among disciples, not on fostering violence and backstabbing.

The flying sword finally grew desperate — but instead of carrying Shi Qian itself, it let out three sharp “zeng” cries.

Four black flying swords shot out, lifted Shi Qian by his limbs, and carried him into the air.

“Squeak——!”

What the heck?!

Shi Qian tucked his hind legs in tight and stretched out his front paws to shield himself.

Once he found his footing, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked blankly at the leading flying sword.

Then he glanced at the four black swords carrying him.

From the looks alone, these four black swords didn’t have dragon-head hilts like the silver one, but otherwise, they seemed to be made to the same specifications.

“Squeak Squeak?”

Could it be… you all came from the same forge? Brothers?

Of course, the flying swords didn’t answer. They simply continued to carry Shi Qian forward.

Shi Qian opened his map locator and checked — he was steadily getting closer to Long Ye.

However, before he could actually reunite with Long Ye, the black swords dropped Shi Qian onto the ground and then retreated to the sides.

Shi Qian noticed he had landed in a clearing.

The obvious difference here was that the surrounding spiritual energy was extremely thin — unlike elsewhere in the cavern, where it was dense and comfortable.

On the ground and floating in the air nearby, apart from the few swords that had brought him here, there was also the original silver-white sword and dozens of black swords.

The silver-white flying sword lifted itself, then swung its blade at the ground, releasing a burst of sword intent that scattered the thick layer of dust, revealing a patch of dark black underneath.

Shi Qian instantly understood — this was what they had brought him here for.

He hesitated a moment, then carefully stepped closer to examine the black object buried in the dirt.

Whatever it was, it was so large that he couldn’t make out its full shape. Shi Qian used a few wind spells to sweep away more of the dust, and finally managed to roughly discern —

Buried beneath the ground was a gigantic black sword.

The entire sword was a simple, solid black, without a single ornament — exuding an overwhelming aura of dominance.

Standing atop the black sword, Shi Qian felt as small as a soccer ball on a football field.

This was also a spirit sword — and a frighteningly powerful one.

But it was strange: why was such a powerful sword buried underground? Why was there no sword aura or sword intent surrounding it?

With a look this commanding, how could no one have claimed it already?

Shi Qian was puzzled and thus remained wary. He asked cautiously: “Squeak Squeak?”

What’s the meaning of this?

The silver-white flying sword pointed at Shi Qian, then pointed at the giant black sword.

The meaning couldn’t have been clearer — it wanted Shi Qian to attempt to bond with the black sword.

But Shi Qian hesitated. This wasn’t the kind of storyline he had imagined at all.

Moreover, the black giant sword looked way too fierce — a style that didn’t match Shi Qian’s more agile and fluid combat approach.

It just wasn’t a good fit!

While Shi Qian was still wavering, the silver-white sword began to hum loudly, and several more black swords darted out from the surrounding corners, assembling into a formation in front of the black giant sword.

The scene was awe-inspiring, like a small army gathering in solemn respect.

The sharp, intertwining sword intents formed a square formation, yet all maintained a respectful distance from both Shi Qian and the black sword beneath him.

Shi Qian: absolutely floored by the coolness.

He looked at the massive black sword lying there and reasonably guessed that it must be one of the legendary Sword Kings — a king among spirit swords.

Shi Qian couldn’t resist the temptation anymore and let go of his hesitation: “Squeak Squeak.”

Since I’m already here, let’s give it a try.

After all, the selection was mutual — spirit swords could choose Shi Qian, and if he found it unsuitable, he could reject it too.

Sure, the sword was huge, but it was also incredibly handsome; besides, size could always be adjusted.

First, see if their sword daos (sword philosophies) matched — Shi Qian persuaded himself this way.

He sat down to meditate, allowing the black giant sword to sense his own sword dao.

Shi Qian’s sword intent carried the joy of racing with the wind, the desire to draw his sword to uphold justice in illusions, but overall, it was gentle, not aggressive.

He also revealed his talents and shortcomings — like his natural affinity for escape techniques and excellent control over wind, as well as his weaknesses, such as his inability to master certain swords and spells.

Shi Qian neither liked nor excelled at violence and bloodshed.

Since once a spirit sword chose its master, they were bonded for life unless the master ascended, Shi Qian opened his heart sincerely, not wanting to deceive the sword.

If the spirit sword didn’t like him, so be it — he would move on to the next one.

However, Shi Qian didn’t sense any rejection; instead, he glimpsed the sword’s own intent — an endless, all-consuming loneliness that pierced the heavens.

The giant sword cut through space, traveling endlessly, yet no matter how far it went, it found nothing but barren emptiness.

It crossed the same stretch of space over and over again, encountering nothing, with only eternal solitude as its companion.

Shi Qian, feeling a deep sadness for the sword, also keenly latched onto one crucial point:

— It could travel through space at incredible speeds!

A runaway artifact! Shi Qian couldn’t help but feel an explosion of excitement in his heart.

This surge of joy seemed to be sensed by the giant sword. It shook, scattering the dust around it, and in a single breath, brought Shi Qian soaring to a high altitude.

Standing atop the black giant sword, Shi Qian could overlook vast distances, as if he were standing above the Sword Cavern itself — only now, he was even closer to the sword intents of thousands of spirit swords, because he was truly among them.

Below him, the two silver-white flying swords and the array of black swords followed the giant sword from afar.

Shi Qian: This feels so prestigious.

But he didn’t let the moment get to his head. He continued communicating with the black giant sword, asking why it had chosen him.

After a laborious back-and-forth, Shi Qian finally understood — The silver-white flying sword and the “little brothers” of the giant sword had mistaken Shi Qian’s clever little gestures as something normal. Seeing he was so young yet already at the late Gold Core stage, they assumed he was a prodigy of the Sword Sect — and so they “kidnapped” him here.

Especially since, recently, the Sword Cavern had been filled with newcomers, each weaker than the last, making Shi Qian stand out all the more.

Then the black giant sword conveyed, somewhat shyly, its own meaning — It was an old acquaintance of the Qingfeng Sword and had thus been extremely picky, refusing to bond until now.

Shi Qian also asked about Long Ye — who was surely even more talented.

The giant sword let out a loud, resonant hum: “Zheng——”

It had already been claimed by another sword.

Then it sent Shi Qian a spirit sword contract; all he had to do was agree, and they would form a master-servant bond.

An old friend of the Qingfeng Sword — this couldn’t be an ordinary sword!

Shi Qian silently thanked all the other new Sword Sect disciples for being so, well, ordinary and making him look good by comparison. He accepted the black giant sword’s invitation without hesitation.

As soon as the contract was formed, Shi Qian’s cultivation level surged again.

He entered meditation, solidifying his foundation on top of his original cultivation.

Strengthen the foundation first — only then can the tower be built without collapsing.

After three days of cultivation, Shi Qian’s realm was now only a hair’s breadth away from the Nascent Soul stage. One small fluctuation, and he could break through.

But his cultivation wasn’t what fluctuated — it was his emotions.

Shi Qian realized: he had been tricked by the black giant sword.

After the bond was sealed, Shi Qian could see the sword’s complete sword dao.

The sword had been born from a hundred battles, grown in bloodshed, a natural-born god of slaughter. But after all the battles ended, only endless silence remained. And yet, after a time, the cycle of slaughter would begin anew.

Through countless years, countless cycles of slaughter and silence, all that remained was a deep, abiding weariness.

Its creator had meant for it to become an Overlord Sword — a sword before which ten thousand swords would bow.

But the sword rebelled. It abandoned its old “Overlord” title and somehow ended up in the Sword Cavern.

Those flying swords around it — they had all been forged by the same swordsmith. Though not kings themselves, they were generals among swords. Their creator long gone, the lifeless swords had gradually birthed faint souls of their own.

All that spatial travel, all that lonely wandering through desolation — that was only one tiny corner of the black sword’s true power.

This big guy was seriously strong. Qingfeng Sword was truly its old acquaintance — the kind that constantly challenged it to duels, though the giant sword never accepted.

However, despite its strength — the problem was: it also wanted to slack off.

It was willing to accompany Shi Qian precisely because it was looking for an easy life — and a chance to see the outside world.

“Squeak Squeak!”

You damn liar!

Shi Qian was so furious that he slapped the black giant sword hard.

At some point, the black giant sword had returned to the ground, letting its little master smack it freely, even generously communicating to him:

“Zheng——”

You can hit harder if you want.

Shi Qian: …

Shi Qian, who had originally prepared a lot of rations for his spirit sword, made a snap decision at that moment: I’ll eat it myself.

After calming down a bit, Shi Qian poured his spiritual energy and divine sense into the sword, pointing it in the direction of Long Ye.

As for himself, he sat down, pulled out some newly purchased spirit fruits and sunflower seeds, and began to cool off.

“Crack, crack——”

Shi Qian gnawed on the sunflower seeds, letting the shells fall onto the giant sword.

From the direction where Long Ye was, a faint dragon’s roar could be heard, making Shi Qian perk up his ears. Unfortunately, after that, there was no more sound, leaving him itching with curiosity.

When his mouth got dry from the sunflower seeds, Shi Qian switched to munching on spirit fruits.

As he bit into a fruit, he casually glanced downward—

All the sunflower seed shells were gone.

The giant sword under him sent over a wave of good cheer.

“Zheng.”

Tasty. More, please.

It didn’t even mind eating the sunflower seed shells. Shi Qian made a reasonable guess:

“Squeak Squeak.”

Did you eat too much spiritual energy, and that’s why the other swords wanted to kick you out?

“Zheng——”

No way, we’re all brothers.

Shi Qian: I don’t believe you.

But at this point, being scammed was a done deal. Fine, he thought — he’d just toss the fruit pits to it too.

As the black giant sword moved away from its original spot, the once-thin spiritual energy there began to slowly thicken. Given enough time, maybe it could recover.

The black giant sword leisurely traversed through several layers of space, eventually locating the Long Ye, Shi Qian had mentioned.

Long Ye had just subdued his own spirit sword, and his expression looked a little strange.

When he turned and saw Shi Qian, his face lit up with happiness:

“Brother Qian! You’re here!”

Then he sized up the black giant sword with his eyes, flashing a look of amazement and praised:

“What a great sword! But it’s a little too big — why not have it shrink down a bit?”

Shi Qian thought that made sense, so he flew lower, infused spiritual power into the sword, and had it shrink.

When spirit swords grow larger, they use spiritual energy to assume a transformed, illusory form — enlarged forms are actually weaker than their true bodies.

However, this black giant sword was already naturally massive. Shrinking it was much harder — it required compressing the actual body.

Still, it wasn’t a big problem — The black giant sword was skilled in the way of space manipulation, so after folding and compressing itself several times, it finally began to shrink.

The black giant sword worked hard, trying its best to match its little master’s size — and eventually shrank to twice Shi Qian’s height.

“Zheng zheng——”

That’s the smallest it can get.

Shi Qian looked at the result — In front of him stood something that, after being forcibly folded and compressed, had lost its sharp, elegant edges and turned into a roughly rectangular slab… complete with a handle.

He really didn’t want to admit this was his sword.

Help… whose enchanted blackboard brick is this?!

“Pfft——”

Beside him came the sound of Long Ye trying (and failing) to hold back his laughter. He was seriously struggling to keep it in.

Shi Qian: …

Goodbye, cultivation world.