The Legendary Three-Foot Sword

The short old man clutched his wine gourd, forgetting even the immortal nectar within as he stared fixedly at the beast-pelt-clad youth below before the stone wall. The sword-intent emanating from the youth was so firm and unyielding, constantly resonating with the blazing row of characters upon the wall.

“Cross-generational transmission!”

“It’s Senior Beixing transmitting his sword-intent, and judging by the look of it, this beast-pelt youngster is accepting it quite easily—he clearly possesses a true sword-immortal heart.” The short old man took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, then immediately turned his head and transmitted directly, “Junior apprentice-brother Diancai, get your ass over here right now!”

“Get your ass over here!”

The sound pierced through the void, passing through layer upon layer of restrictions, directly into the ears of a black-robed, black-haired man who was sitting cross-legged on a jade bed.

“Oh?” The black-robed, black-haired man opened his eyes, a flicker of confusion passing through them. Then his expression cleared. “Elder apprentice-brother Wufeng seems to have just passed his nine-hundred-year tribulation. He sounds quite excited.”

The black-robed, black-haired man immediately took a step and vanished from the room.

In the night sky.

The black-robed, black-haired man trod upon the void, each step carrying him a hundred li. If one didn't look carefully, it was as if he didn't exist in the world at all.

“Elder apprentice-brother Wufeng.” The black-robed, black-haired man spoke.

The short old man glanced at him, blinked, and muttered, “You freak, you're getting stronger and stronger. In just over a hundred years since I last saw you, you've already reached this level. You're the most promising disciple our Black-White College has had since I joined—the most likely to become a Celestial Immortal.”

“The path to Celestial Immortal is incredibly difficult. All we can do is exhaust ourselves and gamble everything,” the black-robed, black-haired man said with a smile. “Junior apprentice-brother hasn't yet congratulated Elder Apprentice-brother Wufeng on surviving the nine-hundred-year tribulation.”

“I didn't call you here to talk about becoming a Celestial Immortal.” The short old man pointed downward. “Take a look.”

Diancai Immortal looked downward as well.

Down in the plaza, there were two people. One was before the black-and-white diagram stone wall, comprehending with visible gains. The other stood before one of the stone walls left by Immortals. That wall had a row of characters blazing with light, each word shining brilliantly while emitting a deep, profound sword-intent.

The row read: “The three-foot sword in hand, slaying all that is unjust. Written by Beixing.”

“Senior Beixing's cross-generational inheritance?” Diancai Immortal was startled.

As a once-in-a-million-years genius of the Black-White College and currently the most promising candidate to become a Celestial Immortal, Diancai Immortal had himself received the cross-generational sword-intent inheritance of Immortal Beixing when he first entered the sect.

“You received Senior Beixing's sword-intent inheritance back then too, didn't you?” the short old man laughed.

“Mm.” Diancai Immortal looked carefully at the beast-pelt-clad youth below.

His gaze was very focused.

He was scrutinizing this youth.

“Who is he?” Diancai Immortal asked.

The short old man knew he was asking about the youth below, shook his head, and said, “How would I know? I just came out of seclusion and happened to see this, so I immediately called you. But today is the day our college accepts new disciples. This beast-pelt youth should be a newly enrolled disciple.”

Diancai Immortal nodded slightly. Among the upper echelons of the Black-White College, everyone knew that ever since Diancai Immortal had received Immortal Beixing's cross-generational sword-intent inheritance upon entering the college and learned of Beixing's deeds, he had been utterly obsessed. He proudly regarded himself as Beixing's disciple, manically seeking out everything about Beixing—his techniques, his past… even following the places Beixing had once visited.

In this process, Diancai Immortal's strength had grown immensely, to the point where he was practically a second “Immortal Beixing.” The other Immortals of the Black-White College all recognized him as the most likely to become a Celestial Immortal.

“Well? Good enough to be your disciple?” the short old man asked with a smile, raising his gourd for a drink. This junior apprentice-brother of his had never accepted a disciple because he had once declared that only someone who could receive Immortal Beixing's cross-generational sword-intent inheritance would be qualified to become his disciple.

Diancai Immortal had cultivated for less than a thousand years. In recent centuries, there had been many who could sense the special nature of that row of characters, but none had received the sword-intent inheritance.

“He's not bad,” Diancai Immortal said softly. “But whether I'll take him as a disciple… I need to observe him more carefully.”

“Your standards are really too high,” the short old man shook his head.

Diancai Immortal said nothing, instead focusing on the youth below.

He watched silently…

Suddenly—

“Huum…”

The row of characters on the stone wall—“The three-foot sword in hand, slaying all that is unjust. Written by Beixing”—suddenly blazed with even greater light. Even more astonishingly, glowing characters flew out from the wall. These luminous words—“hand,” “three,” “foot,” “sword,” “slaying,” “unjust”…—all hung suspended in the air.

Each suspended glowing character looked like a word, yet every stroke seemed like a sword shadow. It was as if countless sword shadows had gathered to form these characters.

“The Three-Foot Sword Technique… the complete Three-Foot Sword Technique!” Diancai Immortal's eyes lit up instantly, brimming with joy.

“The sword technique… that legendary Three-Foot Sword!” The short old man's usual irreverence vanished, replaced by delight and fervor.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Almost simultaneously, three figures appeared in the night sky. One was a long-bearded elder wearing a tall crown, exuding an aura like an emperor on tour, naturally influencing his surroundings. Another was a child with a babyish face but radiating bone-chilling cold, his eyes impossibly ancient. The third was a tall, muscular man wrapped in chains.

All three stared downward.

“The Three-Foot Sword…”

“The Three-Foot Sword has reappeared!”

“Our Black-White College has gained another remarkable disciple.” The three looked at Ji Ning below with anticipation and excitement.

Diancai Immortal and the short old man also stared downward.

These five all looked down, none of them making a sound.

Whoosh!

Another figure appeared—a white-robed youth with an almost demonically handsome face. After appearing, he first spoke respectfully: “Greetings, uncles and senior uncles.”

“Don't make a sound.” The short old man waved directly.

The white-robed youth nodded. Although he was the honored College Lord of the Black-White College, in front of these five he still acted with the courtesy of a junior and obediently stood aside, saying nothing.

“Hand,” “three,” “foot,” “sword,” “slay,” “unjust”… One by one, the glowing characters formed from gathered sword shadows suddenly shot forward, each one flying into Ji Ning's eyes.

Ji Ning closed his eyes.

And the row of characters on the stone wall—“The three-foot sword in hand, slaying all that is unjust. Written by Beixing”—became ordinary, no longer emitting any aura. Perhaps in some future age, when a new disciple appeared who could receive its sword-intent inheritance, it would once again reveal its extraordinary nature.

“It's done,” the short old man laughed. “Senior Beixing's complete Three-Foot Sword has been transmitted to this kid.”

“Indeed, the complete Three-Foot Sword.” The tall-crowned, long-bearded elder also sighed. “So many years. The last time the Three-Foot Sword appeared was thirty million years ago. Finally, another disciple has inherited the complete Three-Foot Sword.”

“The Three-Foot Sword… slew countless demons and fiends, turned the sky dark and the earth dim, shook the entire Grand Xia Dynasty, and even carved a path out of our major world.” The tall man wrapped in strange chains spoke in a low, rumbling voice. His eyes also held longing. Even among Immortals, there were vast gaps in strength and status.

An existence at the level of Immortal Beixing was no weaker than a Celestial Immortal; some Celestial Immortals even felt fear toward him. Such a being… killing half of all Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals was like killing chickens.

That was why, even after endless ages, the Black-White College's admiration for Immortal Beixing exceeded even that for the only Celestial Immortal in the college's history.

“The Three-Foot Sword,” Diancai Immortal said slowly. “Legend says it has nine stances. Our Black-White College has recorded copies of the first six. But the final three stances… were what truly made Immortal Beixing invincible and unmatched. They cannot be preserved through written records or diagrams—they can only be passed down through the profound, mysterious transmission of sword-intent.”

“This child possesses a sword-immortal heart,” the long-bearded elder said, looking down at Ji Ning. “His Dao-heart is exceptionally pure and firm, and his soul is powerful. With these three things, he is capable of inheriting such a sword technique as the Three-Foot Sword.”

The child-like figure nodded. “Throughout the generations, our Black-White College has had disciples with firm Dao-hearts and powerful souls. But those with a sword-immortal heart are far too rare.”

“A sword-immortal heart is the awakening of a true swordsman. It is the awakening of the heart,” the short old man said emotionally. “And awakening one's own sword-immortal heart is also the prerequisite for stepping onto the Grand Dao of the Sword.”

“Junior apprentice-brother Diancai, if you don't want this fine disciple, I'll take him,” the long-bearded elder said with a smile.

“Junior apprentice-brother Diancai, I want this disciple,” the child-like figure said, eyes burning. “Even though he can't use the Three-Foot Sword yet, it has already been transmitted into his soul. As long as his realm is sufficient, he will be able to execute it. I very much look forward to training a sword immortal who wields the Three-Foot Sword technique.”

“Junior apprentice-brother Diancai…” Another also spoke up.

Diancai Immortal glanced at the other four. “I have never accepted a single disciple. And you want to compete with me over this one?”

The other four all laughed.

“Bihai,” Diancai Immortal looked at the white-robed youth beside him.

“Uncle,” the white-robed youth responded.

“Who is that little fellow down there?” Diancai Immortal asked with a smile.

The white-robed youth, Bihai Daoist, immediately replied: “He is one of two disciples my Black-White College has just accepted. His name is Ji Ning, from the small Ji Clan tribe in the Yan Mountains of our Anchan Commandery. Both his parents have passed away. He displayed extraordinary genius from a young age—at eleven, he killed the Zifu Disciple Beizi Shan, who was on the Yinglong Guard's wanted list. Later, because the Fire Dragon Immortal went into secluded breakthrough within the Ji Clan's territory, a Primal Stone Vein appeared there. This provoked a branch of Snowdragon Mountain to attempt to annihilate the Ji Clan, but Snowdragon Mountain ultimately lost a Wanxiang Adept and over twenty Zifu Disciples there. The main reason for such heavy losses was this Ji Ning. After making the acquaintance of a direct descendant of the Beishan clan, Beishan Baiwei, he fought a battle in the Wuyou Caverns that revealed his comprehension of the Dao had reached the Domain of the Dao level. He is sixteen this year. The other disciple who entered our Black-White College this time, Mu Northson, is fourteen.”

The five Immortals listening all nodded.

Ji Ning's growth sounded quite monstrous, but in the eyes of the Immortals of the Black-White College, it was merely decent. After all, they had seen quite a few reincarnated Immortals.

“This Ji Ning shall be my disciple,” Diancai Immortal said, looking at the others. “I ask my four senior apprentice-brothers to yield.”

“Haha.”

“I thought you would never take on a disciple, Diancai.”

“We won't fight you for him. You have the deepest understanding of Senior Beixing's sword technique. If not you, who would teach him? If we taught him, wouldn't we be leading him astray?”

With the exchange among these Immortals, Ji Ning's apprenticeship was settled.