"Senior, I'd like to thank you again for stopping me before." Yuan mumbled in a dumbfounded voice after the Sword Graveyard's fury ended.
"..."
Tian Suyin was still in a state of shock, so she didn't hear him.
"I think that was our cue to leave. It's been two weeks, anyway." Tian Yanyu said.
"Oh, about that… I would actually like to stay a little longer." Yuan then said.
"Really? How long?" Tian Suyin immediately snapped out of her daze.
As terrifying as what had happened was, it wasn't enough to deter her from the Sword Graveyard, as she has yet to gain anything from it.
"I can't say for sure. How about another two weeks for now?" Yuan said after a moment of pondering.
Tian Suyin and her daughter agreed.
After their decision, they returned to the Sword Graveyard. The other cultivators also made their way back to their respective positions, but with a sense of unease grasping their heart. Their movements were stiff and careful, caused by a newfound hesitation and a growing apprehension of the unfathomable power that lay hidden within the swords.
Unsurprisingly, Tian Suyin returned to the Silvermoon Soulblade. The cultivators present with her purposefully distanced themselves from her, as they were also frightened of Yuan's presence.
Tian Suyin didn't complain since this gave her more breathing room, allowing her to focus more easily on the sword.
As for Tian Yanyu, she decided to try her luck on a new sword after two weeks of no progress from her previous sword, even going for a lower grade sword.
Yuan wanted to go back to studying the swords as well, but he has yet to resolve his problem regarding the lack of time in this place.
'Hmm… What should I do?' He continued to ponder but to no avail.
In the end, he decided to only study the swords that resonated with him the most.
The first sword was a mere Heaven-grade sword.
"Heavenly Ice Sword…"
Yuan mumbled its name as he sat before it.
The sword emitted a chilling aura, and as it brushed past him, Yuan felt a sudden, inexplicable shiver race down his spine.
Then, his earliest memories with this sword began appearing inside his head.
A woman stood before him. She was stunningly beautiful with a commanding presence that made her hard to ignore. She has sharp, angular features that gave her an almost sculpted appearance, and a cool, unapproachable demeanor that only adds to her allure.
Her eyes were piercing and seemed to have the ability to see through even Heaven itself, their light blue color perfectly complementing her pale, flawless complexion. Her lips are full and perfectly shaped, but one glance and anyone could tell that she rarely smiled.
Despite her cool exterior, there was a sense of overwhelming strength to her gaze that suggested she was not someone to be trifled with, and in her grasp was the Heavenly Ice Sword.
"Why are you here?" The beauty asked him in a nonchalant voice.
"Your family is worried sick after your sudden disappearance, so they asked me to find you."
"Out of the millions of people they could've asked for help, they decided to ask for your help? I don't buy it."
Yuan chuckled, "If you don't believe me, you can go back to your family and ask them with me."
The beauty suddenly unsheathed her sword and pointed its cold blade at him.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
"I wouldn't dare."
"Hmph. If you want me to go back, defeat me."
"Are you sure?"
"I have always wanted to fight you, who is proclaimed as the number one genius by many."
"If you say so…"
Yuan retrieved his sword the very next moment.
'Ah… I know this sword… It was also in the Sword Graveyard.' He thought to himself as memories continued to flow inside his head.
Three hours later, Yuan slowly opened his eyes, muttering a name as he came to his senses, "Bingjie…"
After wiping the tears from his eyes, Yuan stood up and scanned the Sword Graveyard until he found a certain sword.
It was the sword he wielded when he clashed with the cold beauty.
"Red Dragon Fang."
Yuan quickly submerged himself in its memories.
In the blink of an eye, three weeks passed.
Even though they were supposed to leave a week ago, Tian Suyin and Tian Yanyu decided to stay longer when they noticed how engrossed Yuan was with the swords, and they were afraid to disturb his trance.
"I wonder what kind of techniques he is learning from them…" Tian Suyin's sigh carried a subtle hint of envy— a longing for something that seemed just out of her reach.
"I'm sure he'll tell us about it once he's done." Tian Yanyu smiled.
They returned to their own studies shortly after.
In the third week, after staying at the Sword Graveyard for a little over a month, Yuan received a notification.
<Your longing for a reunion has been heard by the spirits within the Sword Graveyard. Would you like to receive their response?>
Yuan was taken aback by this notification that felt different than usual.
"Yes, I do." He answered a moment later.
The very next second, the swords within the Sword Graveyard began to tremble once again, shocking the cultivators there.
"I-It's going to punish someone again!"
The trembling intensified as the cultivators began scrambling out of the area, and the swords soon began to glow with an otherworldly light, their blades pulsing with an energy that seemed to defy explanation. It was as if the swords themselves were alive, reacting to some unknown force that only they could sense.
Within seconds, all of the cultivators exited the Sword Graveyard— all but a single young man who stood at the center of the place with a nonchalant expression on his face.
"Xiao Yang?!" Tian Yanyu cried out loud at the sight of his lone figure in the graveyard, her heart beating so hard it was on the verge of bursting through her chest.