Immortal of the Ages

In the floating island of the Sea of Swords loomed the sword-shaped tower of Sword Heaven. Within the tower stood a modest thatched cottage, a stark contrast to the opulent building it was nestled inside.

A woman, clad in a gentle swirl of dark silk, lingered before the thatched cottage.

"Brother Feng," she glanced upwards, "I've told you all there is to know about the young man, Yun Xiao. What are your thoughts, hm?"

A gruff, hoarse voice echoed from within the dwelling, "Let's see the results of the Sword Soul test first, shall we?"

A subtle sparkle flickered in Ning Yan’s eyes, her nod obedient, as she contemplated to herself. No matter the circumstances, after Yun Xiao's falling out with Holy Son Chu, her Brother Feng’s willingness to test his Sword Soul was, in its own way, an approval.

Softly, sweetly, she replied, "I'll get everything in place then, Brother Feng."

"Make it quick I don’t want Xiao Yu getting the wrong idea," the headache palpable in the man's strained voice.

With a minor pout, she twisted elegantly on her heel and departed, her silhouette an undulating shadow against the stark backdrop. Unexpectedly, her exit from the courtyard became a confrontation; two figures emerged, approaching her.

One was a striking lady in a resplendent red gown, hair finely twisted upwards, her presence a blend of masculine fortitude and feminine elegance, her eyes gleaming sharply beneath furrowed brows. Beside her, a youthful maiden named Lin Lin, adorned in a sunny yellow skirt, emerged from the Forbidden Tower, her hand tenderly enveloped by the older woman.

Upon seeing Ning Yan, a cold smirk briefly danced across Lin Lin’s visage, a subtle scorn in her youthful eyes.

Ning Yan greeted hesitantly, "Sister Xiao."

"You’re seeking him again? Forgotten how our last meeting went, have you?" The older woman's voice was a forceful gust, her regality emanating a silent, yet suffocating aura, causing the atmosphere to tense perceptibly.

Ning Yan, with a flutter of her eyelashes and a playful roll of her eyes, countered, “When urgent matters regarding Sword Heaven must reach the Sword Lord, do I truly require approval from his wife—notably one emerging from the Forbidden Tower?”

A cynical laugh escaped the older woman, challenging Ning Yan further. “Well then, do share. What’s so pressing? If your words are unconvincing, I’ll presume you're simply back to shamelessly chase a married man.”

Ning Yan, poised with crossed arms and a veil of serene resolve, addressed the woman before her, “I’ve found a Sword Soul prodigy and introduced him to Brother Feng... the Sword Lord.”

The woman, swathed in palatial attire, perked an eyebrow, curiosity dancing in her eyes, "Oh? How promising is he?"

Lin Lin, standing adjacent, released a quiet, sardonic laugh, her eyes reflecting concealed knowledge, undoubtedly, the secrets whispered by Holy Son Chu.

Ning Yan lifted her chin, her cold eyes locking with the woman’s, “Untested. But he shattered a Rank Two Sword Stone. I predict him at the Planet grade. Perhaps, not falling short of your son, Lin Chen.”

The woman's gentle laugh, rich with subtle condescension, floated between them, “Planet grade? Quite impressive. From whence does this talent hail?”

"Umm..." Ning Yan hesitated, her expression wary.

Unwilling to relent, the woman pressed, her voice crisp and frosty, “No words? Is he from some sinister path? Let me remind you, Ning Yan, regardless of talent, those with nefarious ambitions won’t set foot in Sword Heaven!”

“He’s from the Azure Spirit Sword Sect! His beginnings may be humble, but his path is righteous,” Ning Yan bit back through clenched teeth.

“Azure Spirit?” The woman’s laughter was a punctuated, mocking chortle. She leveled a pointed stare at Ning Yan, “Under the tutelage of Zhao Jianxing, perhaps? The man who bartered your chastity for a jug of wine? To whom you gave a daughter?”

Ning Yan's eyes smoldered with restrained fury, her voice a withheld tempest.

The woman didn’t flinch, launching another barbed attack, “A Sword Soul prodigy from the modest Azure Spirit? Are you so eager to present your gifts to him that your own dignity is forgotten?”

“The boy will be here soon. You’re welcome to observe at the Jade Sun Tower!” At that moment, Ning Yan harbored a fervent wish that Yun Xiao would thoroughly dismantle the woman’s smug certainty. Without another word, she bypassed the two, an aura of icy defiance in her wake.

Lin Lin sneered, discarding her restraint, “One who cannot withstand a single strike from my Brother Chu hardly deserves the title of prodigy. How laughable.”

“Brazen woman! Bringing someone to test their Sword Soul? She’s deluded,” The woman remarked with icy disdain.

Lin Lin’s voice quivered with urgency, “Mother! Let him be tested. If he doesn’t come, how will I avenge Brother Chu? My brother and the others have already agreed to assist me!”

With a nod, the woman in regal palace attire affirmed, "Of course, we'll test him." Her eyes, cold and contemptuous, tracked Ning Yan's retreat. “And ideally, this treacherous woman will hoist herself by her own petard, and skedaddle out of Sword Heaven.”

“Her so-called genius? I reckon Brother Chu nearly shattered his Sword Soul by now. Planet grade? It’s laughable!” Lin Lin attempted to suppress her mirth with little success.

“Alright, I'm going to find your father. You, go to the Jade Sun Tower first,” the noblewoman directed, her voice trailing slightly with faint, veiled annoyance.

Lin Lin furrowed her brow slightly, a flicker of unease in her eyes. “Mom, Dad wouldn’t side with that... woman, would he?”

Ning Yan was no delicate blossom, and the palace-attired woman conveyed as much with a derisive snort. “He didn’t want her when they were young and vibrant. Why on earth would he want her now?”

Lin Lin's expression lightened, her words dipped in youthful admiration. “True! Dad always listens to you, Mom. You two are the epitome of marital bliss!”

“If that old coot even dares to converse with Ning Yan, I’ll ensure he’s set straight.” With finality in her words, the lady stepped into the thatched hut, leaving an unspoken threat hanging in the air.

Playfully, Lin Lin stuck her tongue out to the empty space her mother had occupied before quickly darting away. Not long after, a cacophony of thatches tumbling from the hut’s roof and a chorus of merciful pleas created a peculiar symphony.

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Jade Sun Tower.

When Ning Yan, her heart a fluttering bird within her chest, reached the top of the tower, she paused, taking in the bustling scene before her. “Such a gathering...”

Madame Xiao, swathed in her distinguished palace attire, sat at a prime position, leisurely sipping tea and exchanging light-hearted banters with those around her. Lin Lin, her charming daughter, was snuggled cozily by her side, a picture of petite loveliness.

A coterie of young men took their places quietly on the other side. Their silence was profound and sharp, each exuding an aura as stoic and formidable as unsheathed swords. Among them was the youth with the sword on his back, Lin Chen, his posture disciplined, eyes fixated beneath the tower.

Jade Sun Tower, prominently located at the entrance to Sword Heaven, overlooked an open square. There, three Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stones were displayed, a public arena where each individual entering or exiting Sword Heaven could test their Sword Soul at will.

A crowd of over a hundred influential figures converged, each carrying a notable reputation that weighed upon the atmosphere. Amongst them were Madame Xiao, several illustrious Sword Princelings numerous Great Sword Venerables comparable with Ning Yan, and other elder dignitaries of Sword Heaven. Their presence, an undeniable force within the realm.

Ning Yan pondered, her eyes frosting slightly, "I only spoke to Brother Feng about the Sword Soul test. How did word spread to gather such a crowd?" Her gaze hardened. "It must be Xiao Yu's doing, that devious woman.”

"Ning Yan's arrived!"

Faces adorned with cordial smiles greeted her.

"Sister Ning, come, sit here," Madame Xiao’s face radiated a warmth, a smile spanning from cheek to cheek, gesturing towards a seat beside her.

Though internally brewing a storm of curses against the woman, Ning Yan, on the outside, wove a facade of deep sisterly affection. She chatted, laughed, and seated herself, maintaining appearances amongst the gathered.

“You know, bringing such a rare talent to light and not telling us earlier!”

“If this old fellow hadn’t conveniently returned, wouldn’t I have missed all this excitement?”

The chatter among the Great Sword Venerables was hearty and vibrant.

Madame Xiao began, "You’re certain the lad has at least a Planet grade Sword Soul? That's monumental!"

Ning Yan offered a slight, nonchalant shrug. "Certainly not certain. We’ll just have to let the test results speak for themselves, won’t we?"

“Oh, such humility!”

“With your keen eye, today you will surely create a monumental achievement for Sword Heaven!”

Adulations fluttered through the crowd.

However, the harmonious atmosphere was slashed by an untimely and brash young voice.

“Great Sword Venerable Ning is parading a genius who got thrashed by Holy Son Chu of the Forbidden Tower, and we're calling this a monumental achievement?”

All eyes swung towards the speaker. Lin Lin, a youth in a cheeky miniskirt.

Laughter, hearty and free, spilled into the gathering, with even Lin Chen, the Sword Princeling, breaking from his cool expression as he stiffled a chuckle.

"Erm..." The elders shared a glance, a subtle exchange amidst a blossoming awkwardness.

They had already pricked their ears to the younger generation’s gossip, absorbing the scandalous tales of Yun Xiao's combat history. However, wisdom and courtesy dictated a silent understanding rather than voicing such topics, especially when it might place Ning Yan, the Great Sword Venerable, in a discomfiting light.

Amidst the ruckus from Sword Heaven's younger crowd, Ning Yan's visage twisted curiously.

"Holy Son Chu?" Her voice barely masked her bewilderment. She hadn’t misheard, had she? Who was the one who got thrashed?

Understanding dawned on Ning Yan as she recalled Lin Lin's romantic link with Holy Son Chu, fostered by the ever-matching hands of her mother. A crisp laugh escaped her, too, edging into the room with a slightly mocking tone.

"Holy Son Chu, that little punk... How shameless can you get?" Ning Yan thought cooly to herself. "He's dug himself into a hole with this lie. If he doesn't kill Yun Xiao, there'll be no stopping the truth from coming out." She shifted swiftly, addressing the crowd with a polished, diplomatic air. "Friends, my acquaintance with the young man is merely a fleeting one; recognizing a semblance of talent, I offered him a chance. His future? That remains firmly in his own hands!"

Mild laughter and awkward smiles traipsed through the onlookers.

"Realizing your nose is dripping when it’s already reached your mouth, it’s a bit late to wipe, isn’t it? Let her face the music!" Lin Lin mischievously pulled a face at her mother, barely masking her schadenfreude.

"Young ladies should mind their words to be found charming," Madame Xiao chided gently.

"Yes, Mother." Lin Lin, detecting an undercurrent of awkwardness, stealthily whispered into her mother's ear, "Theoretically speaking, combat skill and Sword Soul talent aren’t inherently linked, so Yun Xiao's Sword Soul might still be of a notable level, right?"

"Mhm," Madame Xiao nodded faintly, "Given the decayed state of the Rank Two Sword Stone, having it shattered suggests a reasonable probability of a Moon grade, yes."

Lin Lin, with eyebrows raised slightly in a mischief-bred curiosity, tossed a casual question into the otherwise placid room. "If he ranks at the Moon grade, what then?"

Madame Xiao’s laughter, sharp and cold, sliced through the apparent camaraderie between mother and daughter. "Sword Heaven teems with Moon grade Sword Souls. No sense tangling with Holy Son Chu over one."

"I’ll send him straight to Brother Chu after the Sword Soul test!" Lin Lin's voice rippled with a youthful, devil-may-care excitement.

"Indeed, I'll permit it," Madame Xiao responded, her voice the very embodiment of succinct authority.

Lin Lin, allowing audacity to spark another query, asked, "And, should he be of the Planet grade, would Sword Heaven shield him?"

In a moment barren of hesitation, Madam Xiao’s words lunged forward, predatory and stark. "Shield him? Not a chance. A Planet grade menace would be extinguished immediately. No use allowing such a pestilence to strain the harmony between Sword Heaven and the Forbidden Tower."

Lin Lin, still for a breath, faced a sudden and unwelcome understanding. Her mother, a person bred from the shadows of the Forbidden Tower, harbored ambitions for her to wed Holy Son Chu. Not a mote of conflict could be permitted between the two powerhouses, lest her mother’s disdain be wrathfully known.

"So," Lin Lin's thoughts whispered, a secret, cruel delight burgeoning within her, "whatever the test unveils, this pitiable creature’s destiny is sealed... in death."

A proclamation severed her dark musing: "Yun Xiao has arrived!"

"Has he?" Ning Yan’s heart flitted erratically like a caged bird against its prison.

Swiftly, a palpable gravity descended upon the Jade Sun Tower. The youthful chatter of Sword Heaven’s juniors wilted, replaced by a frosty, expectant gaze downward.

Within Madame Xiao's eyes, a lethal gleam flickered, her lips curving into a scarcely perceptible, malevolent grin. "Have him brought to the Jade Sun Tower," she declared, her voice a subtle, terrifying promise of forthcoming tempests.