Chapter 11: Breaking the Sword.

Chapter 11: Breaking the Sword.
"Revered Elder, I wonder if I can receive this sword?"
Chang Le remained calm, but Jian Ming smirked and said, "This kid must be shocked beyond belief. In just two months, he went from being a waste to becoming a cultivator at the Yellow Stage Fifth Tier. Although he's still pretty useless, he's much stronger than those so-called geniuses in your village."
Xu Jing was stunned for a while, then his expression returned to normal. "Follow me to the sword room," he said.
"No trouble, Mr. Xu." Chang Le kept up with Xu Jing's pace and entered the sword room.
Entering the Sword Room, Xu Jing stopped a short distance from the entrance and turned back to say to Chang Le, "
Go choose one, I'll wait for you here.
" Chang Le nodded and continued walking inside alone... Nope, he continued walking inside with Jian Ming.
The Sword Room is dimly lit, and numerous sword cases are nailed to the walls, seemingly without an end in sight in the darkness.
As Changle stepped inside, the aura he sensed in the main hall grew even stronger. These auras were probably emitted by a few spiritual swords within this vast sea of swords, attempting to disturb his state of mind.
Various colors appeared in Changle's eyes, and he couldn't help but reach out his hand, wanting to touch one of the sword sheaths.
"Wake up, kid," Jianming's voice suddenly appeared in Changle's mind, restoring his eyes to their previous clarity. "Don't let these broken swords control you."
Chang Le withdrew his hand dejectedly and focused his mind, releasing his true qi to guard it, and continued walking forward.
"Old Swordmaster, which sword should we take?" Chang Le asked Sword Ming in his mind. "I feel like the one we just encountered might be a spiritual sword."
Chanle is not a fool. Old Sword's vision is definitely much higher than his own. Asking him will surely yield a better choice than picking blindfolded.
"I sense a familiar aura," Jian Ming paused for a moment and spoke, "If it were up to me, I would choose the one on the left side of you."
A stream of true energy gently points to a sword sheath in front of Chang Le, which is covered with a thick layer of dust on the surface.
Chang Le walked straight towards the wooden sheath, waved her hand to clear the dust on it, and when she opened it, she was coughing repeatedly due to the remaining dust.
Chang Le waits for the accumulated dust to settle, and gazes fixedly at a broken blade lying silently in a brocade cloth. Its length is less than two feet, and it is extensively damaged; the hilt, which was once engraved with characters, is now too worn to discern their shape.
"How could there be a broken sword here?" Changle was speechless as he picked up the broken sword from the sword case and waved it in the air a few times. "Old man, don't fool me. This sword is not even as good as an ordinary iron sword. Look at the blade, it's so blunt that my kitchen knife is sharper."
"...then choose it," Jianming's voice sounded more excited than usual after seeing this sword, "it is better than all these swords combined."
"Is it true? I can't tell," Chang Le said with skepticism, "What's the story behind this sword?"
"I don't remember," Jian Ming replied calmly.
Chang Le cursed under their breath.
"Is it abnormal to forget things after living for too long?" A surge of true qi from Jianming struck Changle's head. "My intuition tells me so."
Changle stared at the sword without saying a word. After a long time, he closed the sword case and picked it up.
"Old man Jian, if this sword isn't as good as you say, you owe me a spiritual sword." Constant Joy believed in Jian Ming's intuition, but his tone still carried a trace of resentment.
In reality, Constant Joy's heart was not as calm as he appeared on the surface; it silently surged and churned with emotions. Reply: It seems that Constant Joy has doubts about the quality of the sword and holds some resentment towards Old man Jian. His emotions are conflicting within him.
Chang Le wondered why this old swordsman, Sword Master, knows so much about Crippled Sword Village. Who is he exactly? And why is he following me?
Ever since Chang Le met Jian Ming on the first day, these questions have been buried deep in his heart.
Chang Le shook his head and chose not to dwell on it. It was not something he could currently comprehend, so he decided to take it one step at a time. He was grateful to Jian Ming; without him, he would never have made it into this Sword Chamber.
Back at the entrance, Chang Le deeply bows to show respect. "Master, I have made my selection."
Xu Jing glanced at the sword case in Chang Le's arms and fell into brief contemplation. Having managed this hidden sword chamber for so many years, he had some impression of every sword. Suddenly, he thought of something and with a furrowed brow, he said to Chang Le: Translation:
"Are you really going to choose this sword? There aren't many good swords here, but there are still some that are better than the one you have in your hand, not to mention that this is a broken sword."
"Yes, I respect the elderly," Changle silently complained in his heart. He didn't want it either. He brought the sword old man, this lucky charm, with him just to choose a spiritual sword. Who knew that the old man wouldn't like anything else? "Kid, just choose this one."
Chang Le and Xu Jing walked back to the lobby. Xu Jing looked at the sword box in Chang Le's arms for a long time.
"Alright, I respect your choice," Elder Jing slid a piece of paper from his sleeve and flung it into Chang Le's hand, "Sign your name as proof that you have already received a sword from the Sword Storage Room and are not allowed to come back."
Chang Le took the pen from the hall, dipped it in ink, and signed his name.
"Alright, you may leave now, young one from the Chang family," Xu Jing issued the order to dismiss the guest.
"Respected elder, I shall take my leave now," Chang Le bowed and prepared to exit the hall, but then turned back around. "Respected elder, I kindly request that you keep today's matter of me obtaining the sword a secret from others."
Upon hearing Xu Jing's words, Chang Le and he exchanged a long, silent gaze. Suddenly, Xu Jing burst into laughter and waved his hand.
"Hahaha, good kid, go ahead, I'll keep this matter confidential until the big competition, is that enough?"
Chang Le also smiled and gave another deep bow, "Thank you for your guidance, Elder."
With that, Chang Le carried the sword box and left the Sword Chamber.
Xu Jing looked at the empty main hall of the Sword Chamber, smiling and shaking his head.
"Well, young people are still interesting."
(End of this chapter.)