Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Xiao Mengyu did not possess the Dharma Eye, so she couldn't see the threads.

Therefore, she could think like that.

But he couldn't.

Shen Ye composed himself and said in a deep voice,

"Let's speed up and try to find a suitable divine statue as soon as possible."

There weren't many people descending at this time.

He and Xiao Mengyu had ample time to find a suitable divine statue.

The earlier you start, the earlier you succeed in every step.

They still didn't know what the Tide of Lamentation was all about, so they must hasten their pace!

The horsehead that had appeared earlier had now disappeared without a trace.

After a brief discussion, the two started the Ghost Fire Motorcycle and flew in the opposite direction of Zhao Yibing.

The only thing they didn't need to worry about was the divine statues.

——The hills were littered with all sorts of statues in various states of disrepair.

The only difficulty was finding a suitable divine statue.

They asked five statues in succession—either they demanded human flesh, or they required temples to be built with gold, or they insisted on having hundreds of devotees.

"I think I finally understand that phrase in the mission description," Xiao Mengyu said.

"Which one?" Shen Ye asked.

"The most important part of this task is to find a 'suitable' divine statue," Xiao Mengyu replied.

This insight suddenly enlightened Shen Ye.

Shen Ye pondered for a moment then said, "The horsehead mentioned something earlier that caught my attention."

"Are you referring to—" Xiao Mengyu also recalled the memory.

"The lady beside you uses a sword; she would definitely suit his tastes. All you need to do is show some respect in front of him," Shen Ye repeated.

The Ghost Fire Motorcycle suddenly halted in mid-air.

In unison, they exclaimed,

"Resonance!"

Yes!

One must find a divine statue with compatibility that matched their own to gain the statue's recognition!

Xiao Mengyu was labeled with the evaluation entry "Sword Saint."

One of the effects of this entry was—

increased Resonance with Sword Artifacts by 10 points.

Although it was unclear what her base Resonance was, with an additional 10 points of Resonance with Sword Artifacts, she should be looking for divine statues related to Sword Artifacts!

As for himself—

His base Resonance was 9, and due to the Pupil Skill "Moonlight Divine Illumination" and the Legacy Resonance under the moon, another 20 points were added.

That made it 29.

He needed to look for Under the Moon Series divine statues!

Now, only one question remained.

——Were there any sword-related or Under the Moon Series divine statues here?

Shen Ye closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them.

He could now see the evaluation entries.

He could utilize the Pupil Skill "Moonlight Divine Illumination" to seek out such statues!

"I'll watch the front; you keep an eye on the surroundings. Call out to me if you see a statue with a sword,"

Shen Ye instructed.

"Call you? What do you mean?" Xiao Mengyu asked.

" I'll use the Dharma Eye to take a look. There might be some unexpected gains," Shen Ye explained.

"Alright!" Xiao Mengyu immediately agreed.

She stood up on the Ghost Fire Motorcycle, one hand on her sword and the other steadying Shen Ye, surveying the surroundings.

Meanwhile, Shen Ye focused all his attention on what lay ahead.

The Ghost Fire Motorcycle soared through the valley, launching off an inclined giant tree, crossing the misty mountains, and speeding ahead into the howling wind.

Figure after figure of broken statues retreated from their view.

——Thanks to the motorcycle, their efficiency was many times higher than that of the other candidates.

At this time.

The other candidates were also gradually finding ways to enter the Floating Island.

On a mountain path by the stream, two civilian candidates found a divine statue head the size of a watermelon.

They knelt before the head, pleading,

"Great deity, can you please ease the conditions a bit?"

"If we sacrifice our arms to you, our lives would be ruined."

The divine statue head responded indifferently,

"When the Tide of Lamentation comes, without my protection, you will all die."

"Now, I'm only asking for your arms. Why don't you hurry and—"

Whoosh!

A Ghost Fire Motorcycle blazed past the two candidates and the divine statue head.

But the next second.

It whipped around and came back.

Shen Ye jumped off the motorcycle, glanced at the two men, took a running start, and kicked out powerfully.

Thud!!!

The divine statue head was sent flying by his kick, cutting through the lush green mountains and falling into a ravine, disappearing from sight.

"Always demanding a person's hand, let it eat shit!"

After cursing, Shen Ye hopped back onto the motorcycle and twisted the throttle again——

The motorcycle roared and vanished on the rugged mountain path.

The two candidates remained dumbfounded.

"He, he, he—dared to lay hands on a deity—"

One of them stammered.

"Strange... his actions didn't result in ejection from the exam," the other mused.

"Hey, hey, hey? You're right, I think I understand now."

...

The Ghost Fire Motorcycle tore through the wind.

"Hey, you really have a thing against these statues,"

Xiao Mengyu, covering her mouth, laughed and said.

The image of him kicking that head flying was still before their eyes.

As his foot made contact with that face, it immediately lost all its prior grandeur and tranquility, filling with fear and dread.

Then, the head tumbled away, its expression uncontrollably warping as it flew off.

This scene struck Xiao Mengyu's funny bone.

"Of course, I'm angry. How do any of these statues resemble a divine spirit!"

Shen Ye grumbled as he continued to drive.

"A divine spirit should act like one!"

"What does a divine spirit look like?" Xiao Mengyu casually asked.

"You know, back in our hometown, those who don't behave like proper divine spirits, even if it's just getting drunk and teasing young girls, have to be demoted to live as pigs, carrying a load for a journey of eighty-one thousand miles," Shen Ye said.

Xiao Mengyu's eyes curved into crescents, and she smiled lightly, amused once more.

A pig?

Carrying a load for eighty-one thousand miles?

This guy was speaking complete nonsense!

Suddenly.

"Wait—look over there!"

Xiao Mengyu shouted.

Shen Ye immediately snapped back to reality and turned the motorcycle around.

After a short while.

The two stopped in front of an ancient, sword-bearing pottery statue.

The statue was battered and incomplete, missing its head and left arm, and was covered with moss and dirt.

Its right hand gripped a large sword, the blade mottled with verdigris, blending bright whites and yellows together.

"This will do?" Xiao Mengyu asked uncertainly.

Shen Ye glanced at it.

He saw two rows of small characters above the statue:

"Dragon Head Gold and Silver Bronze God Statue Soul Calming Sword."

"Sword Spirit attached."

Shen Ye looked closely at the sword, indeed, the hilt was carved into the shape of a dragon's head.

—Sword Spirit?

This was no divine entity.

Could it work?

Hold on!

Why was the Evaluation Entry for this statue a sword?

"You try," Shen Ye said.

Xiao Mengyu stepped forward, looked up, and respectfully greeted the statue, "I am Xiao Mengyu, wishing to ask for your protection for my friend and me through the upcoming Tide of Lamentation."

"If you require any offerings, please let me know directly."

The statue remained still.

"It's not working," Xiao Mengyu said, disappointed.

"You're addressing the wrong object; it's the sword you should be talking to," Shen Ye pointed at the large sword.

"The sword? You sure?"

"Just try," Shen Ye persisted.

Xiao Mengyu saw his insistence and repeated her plea to the large sword.

After a moment.

Still no response.

Xiao Mengyu sighed, about to say something, when the hefty sword slightly shifted, shook off dust, and rose into the air.

"It moved!"

The two exclaimed in unison.

The large sword flew to a nearby tree without paying any mind to them and inscribed several large characters with swift strokes:

"Use me to slash ten times, stab ten times, dance ten times."

Xiao Mengyu paused, then asked again, "Is that all it takes? Is there nothing else required?"

"No need," the sword etched the words.

Xiao Mengyu and Shen Ye exchanged glances.

Could the requirements be so low because the Resonance was just right?

"Considering its size and weight, it might be very difficult to handle," Shen Ye speculated with hesitation.

"Anyway... I'll give it a try," Xiao Mengyu said.

She stepped forward, carefully taking the sword into her hands.

The sword stayed motionless.

It allowed her to grip it tightly, hold it steady with both hands, and then she stood at the edge of a clearing in the woods.

"Here I go!"

Xiao Mengyu took a deep breath and announced.

The sword emitted a faint humming, seemingly in response to her.

Xiao Mengyu swung the sword with all her might, executing a slashing sword move.

A strong wind stirred by the sword created a mist, drifting far away.

After one strike, Xiao Mengyu seemed momentarily stunned.

"What's wrong?"

Shen Ye asked anxiously.

The large sword had a Sword Spirit.

It would be best if nothing unusual happened.

Xiao Mengyu stood still, silent for several breaths, then suddenly turned to him with a smile.

"I understand."

"It has endured long years, witnessed endless solitude; seeing me has awakened memories of its past," she said.

"—It wants to be used as a sword again."

As she spoke, Xiao Mengyu once again began swinging the sword.

Continuous strikes!

A full-on thrust!

Xiao Mengyu danced with the spine of the sword, releasing Sword Blossoms on this desolate island.

Ten slashes, ten stabs, ten dances—

Done!

The sword let out a high-pitched, clear clang, carrying a strong wind as if harkening back to the days of battle.

Xiao Mengyu couldn't bear to put it down and simply raised it high, pouring all her Sword technique into it, drawing forth strands of Sword Qi.

One with the sword, she began to move again!

Sword Qi surged, the sword's brilliance intense.

Even the light from the Candlelight Flame seemed dim in comparison.

Hum—

The sword broke free from Xiao Mengyu's grasp and streaked like a dragon, Soaring into the Clouds, freely roaming for a while, then piercing the sky with a succession of soaring sword cries.

Xiao Mengyu laughed out loud, her sword techniques flowing from her hands, her voice as clear as a bell, "I have one sky-reaching sword move left, let's use that too!"

As the words fell.

The large sword darted through the sky above, continually performing Sword Moves, then suddenly descended, floating in front of Xiao Mengyu.

It leaned forward like a person, tilting the hilt towards her as if to bow.

"No need for thanks, no need at all!"

Xiao Mengyu hurriedly returned the bow solemnly.

Watching this, Shen Ye suddenly had an epiphany.

— Now, Xiao Mengyu's Resonance with the sword must have surpassed a certain threshold, almost as if the sword would willingly brave all dangers for her, accompany her in battling the Ten Directions!

All because Xiao Mengyu understood it.

And it too realized that Xiao Mengyu was a true Swordsman!

— No.

She had become a Sword Saint!

So it was.

This test was well-conceived.

All of this was designed to teach the meaning of true "Resonance."

"What a splendid lesson," Shen Ye reflected.

But he saw Xiao Mengyu finish the bow, casting off her usual calm and collected demeanor, her eyes smiling, like a true fifteen-year-old girl, happily carrying the sword back to Shen Ye.

"It's willing to help us."

Xiao Mengyu said, holding the sword up, her eyes sparkling.