"Good stuff, truly good stuff..."
Wen Wen knew that within this crystal lay the lifelong learning of a powerful swordsman. If he were to absorb this sword qi crystal, his swordsmanship would undoubtedly advance greatly.
To gain immense power with just a reach of his hand was a tremendous temptation for anyone. Yet, Wen Wen felt a subtle resistance towards this sword qi crystal.
"I feel that if I use this, I'll never find my own sword in this life..."
"But if it can elevate swordsmanship to such a level, does it matter if it's my own sword? In the end, swordsmanship is merely a means for me, so the stronger the better..."
A struggle flickered in Wen Wen's eyes. If he were to weigh the pros and cons, he would naturally take the sword qi crystal, but he simply couldn't bring himself to reach out.
At this moment, he recalled Xun Ying's words to him: "If you cannot find your own sword, your swordsmanship will end here."
Wen Wen let out a long sigh, his eyes clearing: "I still... don't want it to end here..."
At this point, the sword qi crystal was no longer a rare treasure in Wen Wen's eyes, but a hot potato.
With his decision made, Wen Wen suddenly felt much lighter. The sword qi within his body also underwent a change at that instant. An invisible flow of energy circulated around him, causing Barcode to instinctively retreat until he was pressed against the wall.
Wen Wen drew the Frost Sword from his cloak. The sword qi flowed lightly along the blade, as if possessing life. This cold longsword seemed to have gained emotions as well.
"So that's it, so that's it..."
"The so-called 'own sword'... is not just a sword that belongs to oneself, but also having a sword in one's heart. It's about the desire from the bottom of one's heart to explore the path of the sword, rather than treating swordsmanship as just another tool like other abilities..."
"Once I understand this, even if the Containment Facility disappears, even if supernatural powers vanish, my sword will still be there!"
"All the power possessed by superhumans before the 'True Self' realm is merely a bequest from others."
"Only the strong in the 'True Self' realm can break through the fog of power, escape the influence of predecessors, find their true selves, and thus achieve transcendence of power."
"Can this be considered that I have obtained something of my own before the 'True Self' realm?"
It was only now that Wen Wen understood how invaluable Xun Ying's guidance had been.
This was equivalent to giving Wen Wen a glimpse of the 'True Self' realm in advance. Even if it was just a glimpse, it was incredibly precious.
Afterwards, Wen Wen sheathed his sword and began to complain. Why had that scoundrel Xun Ying explained things so vaguely? If he had been clearer, Wen Wen wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble.
But Wen Wen didn't know that if Xun Ying had explained everything clearly that day, Wen Wen would not have reached this realization today.
Barcode didn't know what Wen Wen had gone through, only feeling that Wen Wen's aura seemed to have changed, becoming sharper amidst the terror.
"This sword qi crystal, do you want it or not?" Barcode asked tentatively.
Wen Wen ignored Barcode and made a phone call. After several busy signals, the call was answered: "It's four in the morning. I finally got a good night's sleep. What's so important that you're calling me?"
"Ah... Old Xun, I have something to tell you. Don't get angry when you hear it." Wen Wen preemptively prepared the other person.
On the other end of the line was Xun Qing. As soon as he heard Wen Wen's words, he jumped out of bed. Judging by Wen Wen's tone, it seemed something major was about to happen.
"Just say what you need to say."
"Mmm... your ancestral grave has been dug up." Wen Wen spoke directly, following Xun Qing's lead.
"What?"
There was a ten-second silence on the phone before Xun Qing composed himself and asked Wen Wen, "What exactly happened? Tell me clearly."
Next, Wen Wen omitted the matters related to the red-bearded man, recounted his chance encounter with Barcode, being chased by the Absurd Words, and then finding the sword qi crystal, telling Xun Qing everything.
Barcode's legs trembled as he listened. Wen Wen had connections with the Xun clan, and he had brought people to dig up the Xun clan's ancestral grave...
After listening, Xun Qing's emotions calmed down and he asked, "They only took the sword qi crystal, and didn't do anything else, right?"
Wen Wen turned to ask Barcode, who immediately said, "We were entrusted by someone and had no choice. We were respectful throughout and dared not harm the remains of the deceased..."
"Then there's no problem," Xun Qing said with relief.
Wen Wen felt something was amiss: "Is that it for the matter of digging up your ancestral grave?"
Xun Qing said matter-of-factly, "It's done. What else can be done?"
"The remains and swords of Xun clan members who entered the path of the sword are all buried in the Sword Mound, and are offered sacrifices to by Xun clan disciples every year."
"The outer tombs are merely cenotaphs, used to allow Xun clan relatives who cannot enter the Sword Mound to express their grief. As long as nothing excessive was done, it's fine. I don't wish to pursue it."
Wen Wen scratched his head. In his understanding, when the ancestral grave of a prominent aristocratic family was dug up, it should have resulted in an irreconcilable feud. Even if it was just a cenotaph, Xun Qing's reaction was too strange.
"Since it's just a cenotaph, why is the sword qi crystal there? Do you want to come and take it back yourself sometime?"
Xun Qing pondered for a few seconds, then said to Wen Wen, "Don't worry about the sword qi crystal. Whoever wants to snatch it can have it. But you absolutely must not take it and use it yourself."
Wen Wen exclaimed in surprise, "I heard that whoever obtains the sword qi crystal can possess the swordsmanship attainments of that senior. Such a thing, you guys..." Sudan Novel Network
Xun Qing sighed and said, "If this thing were truly so good, would we have left it in the outer tombs and abandoned it without using it..."
"However, since you discovered this matter and did not pocket the sword qi crystal, consider it a personal favor I, Xun Qing, owe you. Additionally, the metal surrounding the sword qi crystal is an excellent material for sword forging; you can take it..."
After giving these instructions, Xun Qing hung up the phone. Wen Wen held the phone, his expression towards the sword qi crystal becoming subtle.
Although Xun Qing didn't explicitly state it, Wen Wen understood his meaning completely.
This sword qi crystal, placed in a cenotaph without any protective measures, was a pit that even the Xun clan didn't want to deal with, and a big one at that!
If Wen Wen had been blinded by greed before, he might have fallen into this trap right now.
Thinking back, if he hadn't been blinded by the sword qi crystal, and had viewed it from an outsider's perspective, the fact that the Absurd Words knew the Xun clan's secret and easily sent people to steal the sword qi crystal was itself quite absurd.
Considering Xun Qing's strange attitude, perhaps the supposed miraculous effects of the sword qi crystal and the information about its burial place were leaked by the Xun clan themselves!
"Such cunning old foxes... A family with a thousand years of history is indeed not simple. It's not easy to take advantage of them. I am indeed still too young," Wen Wen lamented, shaking his head.
Barcode stood aside, feeling somewhat speechless. He could only hear what Wen Wen was saying, so he didn't understand what was happening.
He just wanted to know when Wen Wen would finally take the sword qi crystal and let him leave, after all this dawdling.