Chapter 20: The Grave Under the School
Sector 7 of Star-Sea University was a restricted zone, a jagged scar on the otherwise pristine floating island. It was a canyon filled with grey mist and the rusted remains of thousands of swords.
Jiang Chen stood at the entrance. The air here was thin and sharp. A gust of wind blew past, and a shallow cut appeared on his cheek.
"Sword Intent," Jiang Chen wiped the blood. "Lingering for five hundred years."
He stepped past the warning signs.
[Warning: High-Pressure Zone.]
Most students who came here sat at the very edge, meditating safely. Jiang Chen ignored them. He walked deeper.
The pressure increased with every step. It felt like walking into a storm of invisible needles.
Slash. Slash.
His clothes were shredded. His skin, toughened by the 10th Stage Body Tempering, began to crack.
"Good," Jiang Chen grinned, the pain sharpening his mind. "My body is a forge. This pressure is the hammer."
He unlatched his case.
Clang.
He drew the Cold-Iron Heavy Sword.
He didn't use Qi to shield himself. He used his sword to deflect the intent.
He swung at the empty air.
Ding!
Sparks flew as his sword hit an invisible blade of wind.
"I see it," Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. "The intent isn't random. It flows."
He continued walking, swinging his massive sword in a rhythmic dance. Block. Parry. Step.
[System: Sword Intent Absorbed.]
[XP +100.]
He was eating the pressure.
At the 500-meter mark, the mist cleared. He entered a circular clearing surrounded by jagged obsidian cliffs.
In the center of the clearing sat a skeleton.
It wore ancient, tattered robes. A rusted sword lay across its lap.
[Remnant Will Detected.]
[Identity: Guardian of the Outer Tomb.]
[Strength: Qi Gathering 3rd Stage.]
The skeleton's eye sockets flared with blue ghost fire. It stood up, bones creaking.
"Leave," the skeleton hissed. Its voice sounded like metal scraping on stone.
"I'm here for the fragment," Jiang Chen said, pointing his sword.
"Then die."
The skeleton moved. It was a blur.
Whoosh.
It appeared behind Jiang Chen. Its rusty sword aimed for his neck.
Jiang Chen didn't turn. He slammed his heavy sword backward, under his armpit.
CLANG.
He blocked the strike blind.
"Too light," Jiang Chen mocked.
He spun, turning the block into a horizontal slash.
The skeleton leaped back, floating like a feather. "Brute force. Crude."
"Effective," Jiang Chen retorted.
He charged. He didn't use fancy footwork. He used the momentum of his heavy weapon to create a zone of death.
The skeleton danced around him, landing small cuts on his arms and legs. Blood sprayed.
But Jiang Chen didn't slow down. He was analyzing.
The skeleton attacks the gaps. It flows like water.
"System. Analyze pattern."
[Pattern Identified: Flowing Water Sword Art.]
[Weakness: The transition between flow and strike.]
"Gotcha."
The skeleton lunged for his heart.
Jiang Chen dropped his sword.
THUD.
The 300kg weapon hit the ground, shaking the earth. The skeleton faltered for a microsecond, thrown off by the tremor.
Jiang Chen stepped forward.
Demonification: Right Arm.
His arm turned black. He punched the skeleton in the face.
CRACK.
The skull shattered. The blue fire extinguished.
The skeleton collapsed into a pile of dust.
[Guardian Defeated.]
[Loot: Rusted Iron Sword (Contains Trace Sword Intent).]
Jiang Chen picked up the rusted sword.
"System. Absorb."
The rusted blade dissolved into light and flowed into his Cold-Iron Heavy Sword.
Hum.
His heavy sword vibrated. The black metal grew darker, denser.
[Weapon Upgrade: Cold-Iron Heavy Sword +1.]
[New Trait: Armor Breaking (Ignore 10% Defense).]
"Nice," Jiang Chen re-sheathed his upgraded weapon.
He looked deeper into the canyon. A massive stone gate blocked the path to the Inner Tomb.
"That's where the S-Rank objective is."
But as he approached the gate, he stopped.
Someone was already there.
Standing in front of the gate was a girl.
She had long, silver hair that shimmered in the gloom. She wore a modified white uniform that was spotless. She wasn't meditating. She was examining the runes on the gate with a cold, analytical expression.
[Warning: High Threat Detected.]
Jiang Chen gripped his sword. "Hey."
The girl didn't turn around. "You're noisy. You fight like a barbarian."
Her voice was soft, melodious, but utterly indifferent.
"I fight to win," Jiang Chen said. "Who are you?"
She turned slowly. Her eyes were pale blue, like frozen lakes.
"I am Bai Xi," she said. (A fake name).
"This gate is sealed," she continued, tapping the stone. "It requires a key. Or overwhelming force."
"I have force," Jiang Chen stepped up next to her.
"You?" She looked at his bloodied clothes. "You're a meat shield. But..."
She looked at his heavy sword.
"Maybe you can be useful. I need someone to take the hit while I crack the runic lock."
"I don't work for free," Jiang Chen said.
"50/50 split on the loot," she offered.
"Deal."
"Good," she stepped back. "Because the second Guardian is waking up."
RUMBLE.
The ground shook.
From the shadows of the gate, a massive figure emerged.
It wasn't a skeleton. It was a Suit of Animated Armor. It stood ten feet tall, wielding a greatsword that matched Jiang Chen's in size.
[Boss: The Iron Sentinel.]
[Strength: Qi Gathering 5th Stage.]
"5th Stage," Jiang Chen tightened his grip. "This is going to hurt."
"Don't die," Bai Xi said, drawing a slender, translucent ice sword. "I hate working alone."
Jiang Chen grinned. His demon blood boiled.
"Let's break some metal."