Roar!
The only response to Li Xuan was a roar, and the next moment, those watching from outside the mountain peak exchanged embarrassed glances.
For at that moment, Li Xuan was fleeing in terror, pursued by a mystical beast.
"Sect Master, if I recall correctly, there shouldn't be any mystical beasts on Hidden Sword Peak," one of the men said to the elder.
The elder nodded slightly, "The ten spirit swords left by the Ancestor are all sentient and transformation is a means of expression. It's understandable for them to seek comfort."
The men nodded in agreement, their gaze towards the mountain peak now filled with curiosity.
They clearly remembered the ten spirit swords left by the Ancestor: Dong Qianshan, Wan Juan Shu, Jiu Ge, Po Jun, Xin Jian, Sha Lei, Qing Xiao, Bing He, Zhu Que, and Tian Zhan.
The one that had transformed into a mystical beast and was chasing Li Xuan was precisely Tian Zhan.
Legend had it that Tian Zhan could only be subdued by a destined one, and they were curious about what made Li Xuan so unique.
At this moment, Li Xuan glanced sideways at the pursuing mystical beast, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"Bind!"
The next moment, Li Xuan stopped abruptly and stomped his foot down.
Nine pillars of light shot up into the sky, instantly enveloping the mystical beast.
"This brat actually possesses such a technique, it has surprised this old man," the elder watching exclaimed with a laugh.
Roar!
The mystical beast, trapped within the formation, roared continuously, but its massive body was unable to break through the increasingly constricting pillars of light.
"If my spiritual energy weren't sealed, even a tenth-tier mystical beast couldn't break through my Spirit Binding Array. However, a ninth-tier mystical beast like you is just right for this," Li Xuan said with a sigh of relief, watching the Spirit Binding Array shrink, a faint smile on his lips.
It turned out that after entering the mountain peak, Li Xuan had keenly sensed its unusual nature. He had then, using himself as the origin point and cleverly utilizing the terrain, set up the Spirit Binding Array.
Although its power was greatly reduced without spiritual energy, array masters themselves did not require much spiritual energy. Furthermore, the spiritual energy density here was extremely high, and the longer it took, the stronger the Spirit Binding Array would become.
Hum.
As the Spirit Binding Array contracted, the mystical beast's body finally could not resist. The next moment, with a hum of a sword, the mystical beast transformed directly into a spirit sword.
"As expected, it was transformed from a spirit sword," Li Xuan smiled faintly. When he first saw the mystical beast appear, Li Xuan had been curious, as such a beast surprisingly had no trace of a beastly aura, which was quite unusual. His guess was now confirmed.
"I don't need you to submit to me; I only need you to follow. If one day you wish to leave, I, Li Xuan, will never stop you. Of course, if you are unwilling, I will not force you."
With a thought, Li Xuan stomped his foot again, and the vast Spirit Binding Array instantly dissipated.
After doing all this, Li Xuan's gaze fell upon the spirit sword.
At this moment, the spirit sword, as if understanding Li Xuan's words, hovered in mid-air. After a brief silence of several breaths, the spirit sword pierced through the air and flew to Li Xuan's side, stopping and hanging there.
Li Xuan smiled upon seeing this, then grasped the spirit sword with one hand.
"Tian Zhan, a good name," Li Xuan murmured as he stroked the name inscribed on the spirit sword, nodding slightly.
Hum.
Tian Zhan seemed to be pleased by this, and with a sword hum, it quickly shot towards the southwest, carrying Li Xuan along.
Li Xuan was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure and allowed Tian Zhan to lead the way.
"Sect Master, Tian Zhan was subdued just like that?" one of the men asked the elder in surprise.
The elder gave a wry smile, "The spirit swords left by the Ancestor are inherently sentient, and with so many years passing, how could we possibly know their true nature? From what we see now, this destined one has passed the assessment. Indeed, Tian Zhan cannot be subdued by just anyone."
"Sect Master, since this destined one has passed the assessment, why is Tian Zhan still leading him further into Hidden Sword Peak?" another elder asked, puzzled.
"I was indeed careless," the elder's expression changed slightly as he looked towards Hidden Sword Peak, then let out a wry smile and shook his head.
At this moment, Li Xuan had appeared, and behind Li Xuan, there were indeed ten spirit swords!