The moonlight was like water.
The Qingping Sword rose into the air, along with its scabbard.
A purple and green mist suffused the air, completely tinting the sky.
The moment the voice from above the heavens fell silent, everyone present seemed to lose control of themselves, instantly standing up and gazing toward the sky!
Utter silence!
"For the Twenty-One Provinces to be connected by a backbone..."
Wenren Pingxin gazed blankly at the sky, where mountain ranges undulated. Her eyes were filled with tear stains, and she tenderly covered her crimson lips with a hand, uttering no word.
The Sword Sect Disciples felt an indescribable shock swell in their chests; it was as if they had never before felt such immense pride in being part of the Sword Sect!
Each of them raised their fists high as roars filled their ears!
"The parched earth is covered with bones, and spilled blood is the lament of the Sword Sect people!"
"No one ever sang their praises, nor remembered the sorrow of the Sword Sect buried beneath the stele at Inverted Heaven!"
"It was the Sword Sect that forged the backbone of the Twenty-One Provinces, the backbone of heaven and earth!"
Lin Duo's face turned instantly ashen. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the Sky Mirror above, his hands clenched tightly.
How could he not know whose voice was behind the Sword Sect?
What does Su Bei mean?
So many Sects in the world haven't stepped forward, so why are you singling out Wuhua Palace?
Countless gazes drifted towards Wuhua Palace. Lin Duo said nothing, his face dark as he watched the sky above.
Applause thundered. At this moment, members of large and small Sects alike were deeply shaken.
Without realizing it, their backs were drenched with sweat.
It was respect, a heartfelt respect for the once-glorious Underworld Sword Sect!
Broken swords lay everywhere. Elder cultivators who had either lived through or truly felt the events of a thousand years past found their spirits stirred once more by the mere memory. How magnificent was that era when the Wilderness Cultivators were indomitable, and the eight hundred Sword Immortals of the Sword Sect single-handedly stood against them?
It was also that battle that buried the Sword Sect's millennia of heritage!
The South Emperor's expression subtly shifted as he looked at the Stone Pendant on the Sword Maiden's chest, his eyes filled with profound meaning. Then he turned and quietly instructed the guard captain behind him.
In the Twenty-One Provinces, in every city, everyone's eyes held a hint of moisture.
Their reddened eyes—was it from excitement? Emotion? Or impulse?
Tears couldn't help but flow.
Even if they were just ordinary people, insignificant as ants, it didn't stop the blood from surging in their chests with passion as they witnessed this shocking scene!
"I'm drenched in cold sweat!"
"This is truly the most shocking opening ceremony I've ever seen. There's no other like it."
"The Sword Sect, silent until now? Its emergence astonishes the world?!"
"Underworld Sword Sect! Underworld Sword Sect! The Sword Sect truly deserves the title 'Underworld'!"
"Speaking of which, was this opening ceremony planned by Elder Su? Elder Su, indeed!"
Is cultivation to become an Immortal the way to eternal life?
At some point, this notion had already become deeply ingrained: cultivation was for carefree wandering, for transcendence, for escaping the cycle of reincarnation, for doing as one pleased, for one's words to become law, for roaming the myriad realms...
Yet today, through the spectacle in the sky, it seemed a word long forgotten by the world was awakened once more.
Cultivation is for the sake of all living beings.
The Sword Sect's opening ceremony had ended. As the Qingping Sword gradually faded from the sky, the swords trembling in everyone's hands finally quieted.
But everyone was looking on with anticipation, gazing at the heavens as if waiting for something.
The lights on the terrace suddenly dimmed, leaving only the moonlight, as bright as ever.
In the misty moonlight, a slender figure in a white robe embroidered with crabapple blossoms appeared on the high platform. A gentle breeze caressed his face. Su Bei stepped onto the platform, the humming Qingping Sword sheathed at his waist.
"It really is Elder Su!"
"As expected, yet also unexpected!"
Below the high platform, people sighed deeply, murmuring to themselves.
Wenren Pingxin's eyes flickered. She recalled the man on the high platform not long ago, who had gently brushed her tear-streaked eyes and told her that the Sword Sect would be alright, to trust her Junior Brother.
This man, who always appeared so effortlessly laid-back, forever bearing a gentle smile, yet whose very bones contained not a trace of cowardice.
He really did it... The elation of the Sword Sect Disciples still echoed in her ears—a long-missed sense of belonging, pride, and unity!
The little boy she had always cared for had truly grown into someone who could stand strong for the Sword Sect.
With tears swirling in her eyes, Wenren Pingxin said softly, a hint of a smile on her lips, "This is the best Sword Sect I have ever seen."
Atop the high platform, the Sacred Land Disciple forced down the shock in his heart, stepped forward, and looked at the hundred Sword Sect Female Disciples with a smile.
Just as he was about to speak, a sarcastic voice came from Wuhua Palace's location below the platform. "The Sword Sect is truly so moving!" Lin Mo sneered. "What I admire most is Elder Su claiming to treat everyone equally, yet the two disciples he has taken under his wing are both gifted individuals. But now, it seems the Sword Sect is essentially no different from Wuhua Palace, is it? The disciples taking the stage, just as I expected, are all elites from the Sword Sect. Respect for the weak? Elder Su, you truly have double standards!"
Although everyone could only watch the opening ceremony through the Sky Mirror, seeing the Sword Maiden's commanding presence and the stunning performance just delivered by the Sword Sect Female Disciples, many shared Lin Duo's sentiment.
But isn't this all too common?
The Sacred Land Disciple on the high platform was momentarily stunned. No one had ever openly caused such a scene on an occasion like this. Even if two Sects were at odds, they would at least maintain a courteous facade.
The Saintess sat high in the Sacred Sanctuary, lightly crossing her left leg over her right, her cheek resting on her hand, squinting as she watched everything unfold.
The Sacred Land Elders grew restless. Fifth Elder Yumen Du stood up instantly, his cold voice directed towards Wuhua Palace, "How dare you!"
Elder Wang Tong beside him stood up and, stroking his beard, spoke to Yumen Du in a low voice, "Elder Yumen, why must you be so angry? Is Wuhua Palace wrong?"
Yumen Du's eyes turned frosty as he glared at Wang Tong. He snorted coldly, then sat down, saying indifferently, "Elder Wang Tong, you are indeed a fair elder."
The Sacred Land Disciple, watching the argument on the Elder's Platform, found himself in a dilemma, unsure what to say. Just then, Saintess Yao Yan's voice faintly rang out, "Proceed."
The Sacred Land Disciple wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiled, and, facing the Sky Mirror, approached the Sword Maiden. He repeated the same words as before, "Who exactly from the Sword Sect is taking the stage this time?"
Below the high platform, the disciples from the Peach Blossom Sect watched the Sword Sect members on the high platform with complex expressions, one of them saying softly, "Indeed, even for the Sword Sect, those taking the stage are still their elite disciples."
"When you think about it, isn't this the reality we've accepted since we were young? Why did we still harbor a sliver of hope today?"
A disciple from the Peach Blossom Sect chuckled, then fell silent.
Perhaps it was just that: when they thought they had glimpsed a sliver of dawn, reality would mercilessly extinguish it.
The disciples from the many smaller Sects nearby also seemed to recover from their initial shock, their gazes complex as they looked up at the high platform.
Just as the Sacred Land Disciple asked the question, the Sky Mirror focused on the Sword Maiden's face, allowing everyone to see her delicate features clearly.
The Sword Maiden looked a little nervous as she faced the Sacred Land Disciple, her small hand tightly grasping the corner of her dress. Her long eyelashes, like tiny combs, fluttered—sometimes her gaze was distant and hazy, sometimes bright as glistening snow.
Seeing this, everything that had happened before seemed like a fleeting cloud of smoke, vanishing into thin air. Only the Sword Maiden's figure remained in everyone's eyes.
Is this truly the same peerless figure from before?
When Empress Lin Jinyu on the Elder's Platform saw the Sword Maiden clearly, her body trembled involuntarily, her phoenix eyes filled with disbelief.
Isn't that the mute girl from the Sword-Washing Pond?
An idea flashed through her mind. She quickly scrutinized the other Sword Sect Female Disciples. In a daze, she recalled that afternoon, under the twilight sky: these girls, all with similar impairments, surrounding that peculiar man... like nimble sprites.
Her slender hand covered her crimson lips, her gaze complex as she looked at the smiling man on the high platform.
Ji Nanjue glanced at her, puzzled by her reaction.
The Sacred Land Disciple noticed the Sword Maiden didn't respond immediately. He saw her bright eyes widen, her small face flush red as she looked at him; then she timidly lowered her head and subconsciously shrank back.
It was her first time standing on such a prominent high platform, under the gaze of thousands.
Although the Sacred Land Disciple was puzzled, he thought perhaps he had spoken too softly. He coughed lightly and, this time much louder, asked again, "Who exactly from the Sword Sect is taking the stage this time?"
The Sword Maiden bit her thin lip lightly and glanced at Su Bei out of the corner of her eye. Seeing his eyes curved into a smile as he watched her, she took a deep breath.
Then, she began to use hand gestures to communicate with the Sacred Land Disciple.
A disciple with a slight limp walked forward, smiling.
A disciple whose eyes held the depth of worldly experience smiled at everything.
A disciple with scars and a ruined Dantian smiled gently.
One after another...
The Sacred Land Disciple stared in bewilderment at the hundred Sword Sect Disciples before him.
Broadcast by the Sky Mirror, everyone in the Twenty-One Provinces watched, stunned by what they saw.
The disciples from the Peach Blossom Sect were stunned.
Wuhua Palace was stunned.
Ji Nanjue was stunned.
Saintess Yao Yan was stunned.
The people of the Twenty-One Provinces were stunned.
Under the moonlight, the woman in the Silver Sea Embroidered Gold Daoist Robe, despite her fragile appearance, was beaming with happiness. She was mute.