"What do you think?" The masked man handed the Empyrean Overlord that was emitting a totally different aura compared to moments ago back to Yuan.
Yuan swallowed nervously before accepting the Empyrean Overlord.
When he first acquired the Empyrean Overlord, there was always this feeling of it being incomplete to him, like it could be improved. It was a very minor feeling that didn't bother him, but it was there nonetheless.
However, the moment he touched the upgraded Empyrean Overlord, he immediately realized why he had that feeling.
He didn't think it was possible, but the Empyrean Overlord felt even more comfortable in his grasp, and there was even this sense of nostalgia from it.
"Don't be fooled by it." The masked man suddenly said.
"What do you mean?" Yuan looked at him with a puzzled face.
"Its seal may have been released, but it's not fully awakened just yet. In order to fully awaken it, you'll need to feed it lots of spiritual energy. You can do that by killing magical beasts or… other Cultivators." Although it was blocked by his mask, there was a grim smile on his face as he spoke.
"Though, it's still more powerful than the previous Empyrean Overlord even in its current state."
Yuan stared at the sword until a notification popped up.
<Awakened Empyrean Overlord>
<Rank: Soul Weapon>
<Growth Rate: Very Slow>
<Awakening Progress: 0%>
<A godlike weapon crafted by the God of Refinement and wielded by the Sword Emperor. It possesses tremendous power that surpasses all logic. However, it has yet to reveal its true name— its true potential>
<Unique Ability: Qi Devouring Blade>
[Qi Devouring Blade: Activately devours the Qi of your targets after a successful hit]
"A beautiful sword, right?" The masked man asked.
"Indeed." Yuan nodded.
"The Empyrean Overlord and I have experienced and surpassed countless tribulations together in the past. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I wouldn't have survived many situations if it weren't for her."
"Her?" Yuan raised an eyebrow. Why would he address a sword in such a manner? Almost like it had a gender.
The masked man smiled, "About that… You will learn about it eventually."
"Why can't you just tell me now?"
"Because that would ruin the surprise and fun."
"All of you are like this…" Yuan sighed. "What's the point of keeping secrets to yourself?"
The masked man shook his head, "Although we all share the same soul, I wouldn't say that we're all the same individual. At one point in all of our lives, we had a different personality and lived different lives, so you can say that we're all unique in our own ways. Even if we eventually recover our memories and become nearly identical, it's not completely the same."
"There's a slight difference, and that difference, no matter how small, makes us unique."
Yuan felt some weight lifted from his heart after hearing such words, as he was always worried about returning to his old self— that he had no personality of his own.
"Anyways, the Sword Pagoda will collapse soon now that it has been cleared." The masked man suddenly said as he began walking towards Yuan.
"Here, take this."
The masked man handed a key to him.
"What's this key for? I also received one from the Seven Swords Trial."aid as he retrieved something from his pocket.
"Here, take this before you leave." The masked man handed him a golden key.
"I also got a key from the Nine Swords Trial…" Yuan mumbled.
"What does it do?"
"Collect 9 keys and go to the core of the tomb. Some of the answers that you seek will be there."
Yuan was bewildered. He didn't expect the masked man to actually give him a proper answer.
"Then… Are there any specific trials that I must pass to receive these keys?"
"Yes, there are, but there's no need to worry about it and just do whatever you want in here. You'll eventually find all of them, anyways."
"Are you saying this is the work of fate?"
However, before he could receive an answer, Yuan found himself teleported outside of the Sword Pagoda with Xiao Hua and the others returning to his body.
Once Yuan was outside, he could immediately feel countless gazes staring at him, causing his body to naturally tense up.
He looked around with a look of disbelief on his face, as there were tens of thousands of people there, and they were all staring at him with wide eyes.
After a brief moment of silence, almost as though everyone there snapped out of their daze at the same time, they all began bombarding Yuan with questions.
"What happened on the sixth and seventh floor?!"
"Why did it take you a whole week to pass the sixth floor?!"
"What kind of rewards did you acquire?!"
"Did you pass the seventh floor?!"
"Why did the Sword Pagoda suddenly collapse?!"
"SHUT UP!"
A deafening voice filled with an intense pressure suddenly rippled, startling everyone there and forcing them to hold their breaths.
A few seconds later, Yuan watched as a handsome silver-haired young man approached him with a group of new faces following behind him.
"I will keep this short since it would take too long if I said everything on my mind. Congratulations, Xiao Yang. Not only did you defeat me, but you've also become the first person in the Nine Heavens to defeat the Sword Pagoda. As promised, I will now answer all of your questions." Long Chen said to him with a defeated smile.
However, Yuan didn't say anything and merely extended his hand, almost as though he was asking for something.
Long Chen chuckled when he saw this, as he immediately realized what Yuan wanted from him.
He reached into his spatial ring and retrieved exactly 10 pebble-sized Royal-grade Spirit Jade before placing them on Yuan's open palm.
The spectators watched while salivating, as these 10 small Royal-grade Spirit Jades were worth over a hundred million spirit stones easily.