Beyond the Timescape [Wuxiaworld]

Noon had passed, and the sun had shifted. Sunlight no longer streamed down onto the Oath Hall. Instead, it was focused directly on Xu Qing. As he stepped out from the group of swordsages, he looked particularly eye-catching.

The Captain looked at him, sighing inwardly and feeling very pleased that this was his little Junior Brother.

Qing Qiu was in the crowd, and though she betrayed no reaction even underneath her mask, in her heart she felt a swell of dislike. Turning, she looked off in the direction of South Phoenix. She didn’t like sunny days; she preferred when it was snowing. That was because every time it snowed, she would look off into the distance and think back to a scrawny figure who would approach her in the shadows of the buildings and nod in greeting.

Big Bro Kid… It won’t be long before I can go back to South Phoenix and find you. None of these chosen can compare to you. If you could be here, you would be stronger than any of them!

As for all of Kong Xianglong’s friends, they looked at Xu Qing begrudgingly, as if they weren’t convinced he was worth any attention at all. Kong Xianglong was different, though. He smiled in approval and support. That wasn’t just his attitude toward Xu Qing. That was his attitude toward all his friends.

As everyone watched, Xu Qing walked forward nine steps. Then he clasped hands and bowed respectfully to the five people in front of him.

“Greetings, exalted ones.”

The deputy palace lord and the four honor guards were all looking at Xu Qing. Before he had stepped forward, they knew him by name only. After all, when the Dao Bell rang, it shocked the entire Swordsage Palace, and had prompted the governor himself to inquire about the situation. Now, seeing him standing there in the sunlight, clad in his white uniform with the red flame design, they all inwardly nodded in approval.

The deputy palace lord’s eyes glimmered with approval, and his facial expression softened.

“Xu Qing, during the assessment of the heart, you received a 30,000-meter pillar of light and the veneration of the Grand Emperor. That’s a first here in Sea-Sealing County. By the order of the palace lord, you are hereby appointed as the palace lord’s secretary-general! You will closely accompany the palace lord as he carries out his duties. This will be good training for you. Please do not fail to live up to the Grand Emperor’s praise, or the tolling of the Dao Bell!” [1]

“Yes, sir!” Xu Qing said somberly, once again clasping hands and bowing. This turn of events wasn’t a big surprise, but at the same time, it was somewhat disappointing. He didn’t really want to be a secretary-general. He would much rather be assigned to a department similar to the Violent Crimes Division.

However, the deputy palace lord’s words left many of the other new swordsages feeling very surprised, and they looked at Xu Qing with deep envy.

A secretary-general was essentially an administrative position attached directly to the palace lord. Occupying a post like that didn’t come with any direct authority. However, a secretary-general was a representative of the palace lord, and would be treated with utmost respect by everyone. What was more, there had never been a secretary-general in the Swordsage Palace before. Xu Qing was the first. This went to show how much the palace lord valued Xu Qing. Beyond that, it was a public announcement showing how significant it was to receive a 30,000-meter light in the assessment of the heart, and also the veneration of the Grand Emperor. Going forward, it was a given that all new swordsages would place much more importance on the assessment of the heart.

Although Xu Qing’s post came with a lot of glory, there were still swordsages who weren’t convinced he was deserving.

For example, Zhang Siyun. He glared at Xu Qing, revulsion filling his heart. The left side of his face was no longer swollen, but he could still feel the pain of his mother’s palm slapping him.

I’m not pathetic! he howled inwardly, grinding his teeth.

The deputy palace lord and the honor guards weren’t even paying attention to the reaction of the others outside the Oath Hall. Zhang Siyun’s Sect Grandfather was one of them, and not even he had spared a glance for Zhang Siyun.

“Xu Qing,” continued the deputy palace lord, “though you were given a post by the palace lord, and thus don’t need to take the test, you still need to attend all seven days of training.”

“Yes, sir,” Xu Qing said. He stepped back into the assembled swordsages. His professional manner earned him even more approval from the deputy palace lord and honor guards.

“Listen up, everyone,” the deputy palace lord said, looking over the group of new swordsages. “The command swords you received back in your respective Swordsage Courts are also communication devices. They keep track of your battle credits, and will also serve as the foundation of your sword pavilion. In a moment, you can go below the city and erect a sword pavilion. That pavilion will be with you for your entire life, even when you receive your outside assignment.

“The higher a sword pavilion is, the greater glory it represents. I truly hope that one day, one of you will have a 30,000-meter-tall sword pavilion. It will only disappear if you end up sacrificing your life in the line of duty. But even if that happens, your name will remain in the Oath Hall for future generations of swordsages to see when they swear their oaths.”

With that, the deputy palace lord flicked his sleeve, and the hall behind him glowed with brilliant light as the door opened.

The hall had a dimensional space inside that was much larger than the exterior. Inside of it were innumerable command swords. Some were intact. Others were severely damaged. Some were only fragments. Apparently some of the command swords had been completely destroyed when their wielders died, and were represented by memorial tablets. A brave and heroic aura surged out from inside the hall. There were simply too many memorial tablets and command swords to take in. They were everywhere. They represented all of the swordsages who had fallen in battle throughout the countless years that had passed in Sea-Sealing County. All of them had been top chosen among humankind, and each one had their own soul-stirring story to tell. [2]

When Xu Qing looked at the command swords and memorial tablets, his heart swelled. All of a sudden, astonishing soul fluctuations surged out of the hall, sweeping over Xu Qing.

He could hear countless swordsages crying out in the moment before their death, and he could see innumerable white-clad figures. They stood in front of humankind, prepared to die in battle rather than fall into retreat. It was absolutely stunning. Even as they died, they smiled and shouted at their enemies, reciting their oath without any regrets.

“I am willing to become a swordsage, loyal to my post, not afraid to sacrifice my life.

“I am willing to become a swordsage, never to betray humankind, always ready to fight.

“I am willing to become a swordsage, to fight for humanity, to defend my people.

“I am willing to become a swordsage, to sever the doom of dawn, to cause the light of heaven and earth to blossom.”

As the swordsages spoke, their words grew louder and clearer, like a natural music that could shake the universe. At the same time, the new swordsages standing outside of the hall began instinctively reciting the same words. Gradually, all of the voices combined until they were one united voice. It almost seemed like whatever lofty ambitions and heroic goals these fallen swordsages had left behind in death were now being transmitted through time and space in the form of a legacy. This was the oath sworn by new swordsages.

At some point, Xu Qing left the Swordsage Palace, hardly aware of what he was doing, considering the words and images that continued to fill his mind. This was completely different than when he had joined Seven Blood Eyes.

Xu Qing wasn’t the only one having his experience. It was the same with the Captain and all the other new swordsages. Even Zhang Siyun. Everyone looked like they were in a daze.

Xu Qing returned to the subsidiary sect and entered his residence. Only then did he start to recover. Looking out into the night sky in the direction of the Swordsage Palace, he took a deep breath.

He knew why he was reacting in this way. The Oath Hall had been emanating astonishing soul fluctuations. There were too many heroic souls inside, and they didn’t bear even a scrap of ill will toward the new swordsages. Some had given voice to their regrets, or goals they had never accomplished. By doing so, they were telling the new swordsages... what it meant to be a swordsage!

Xu Qing’s heart was pounding. On the journey here, Chen Tinghao had already given him a taste of how different the swordsages were from sect cultivators.

Xu Qing sat there quietly, thinking about it. He wasn’t inclined to instantly feel connected to any organization, whether it was his sect or the Swordsage Palace. Wherever he went, he always kept his guard up. He needed time to observe things before making a decision about anything.

Eventually, Xu Qing took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. Then he took out his swordsage command sword.

After reporting for duty and swearing his oath, the command sword was different. Its internal functions had been activated. After inspecting it, he sent divine will into it, which was when he saw all the details about military credit.

Military credits were very important to swordsages. Anything they wanted to get from the Swordsage Palace had to be purchased with military credits. Xu Qing even saw life lamps and imperial-class technique legacies. However, the military credit cost for those things was immense. What was more, some of them required battle credits.

Military credits and battle credits were different.

The former could be earned through all sorts of missions, whereas the latter... could only be awarded. What was more, there were five grades of battle credits.

Grade one battle credits were the rarest. Grade fives were the most common.

Xu Qing scanned the basic information, then looked at the legacies that were available. Eventually, he found Mount Daybreak.

To get into Mount Daybreak I’ll need 3,000,000 military credits and a grade three battle credit.

Seeing that, his eyes filled with determination.

I have to think of a way to start building up a lot of military credits.

***

A similar scene was playing out with the Captain, who was currently in his own residence. As he studied the information in the command sword, his eyes started to shine.

So much good stuff!

Breathing unsteadily, he looked through all of the imperial-class techniques and similar things, until eventually he saw something that caused his eyes to light up with intense desire.

A fragment of the Ancient Dao Righteous Bestowal Edict! I looked around forever for this technique. I can’t believe it’s here in Sea-Sealing County!

As his eyes glittered, faces appeared in his pupils, their eyes just as wild as his. Eventually, he composed himself, took a deep breath, and looked in the direction of Xu Qing’s residence.

Little Ah Qing, your Eldest Brother said he would travel the world with you, and I’m going to do everything I can to make it happen. As long as I can get this Righteous Bestowal, then I really can... travel the world with you.

***

Three days after the swearing of the oath, the seven-day period of training began. It was held in the Swordsage Palace in a study hall and started at dawn. All fifty-one of the new swordsages were there waiting. No one was late.

The study hall was different from an ordinary hall. It was filled with tables and looked like a classroom.

Xu Qing sat on the right-hand side, behind the Captain. To his left was Qing Qiu, and to his right was Kong Xianglong.

As always, Qing Qiu pretended Xu Qing didn’t exist, while Kong Xianglong chatted with him amiably.

“Back when I was a servant,” he said, “I studied a lot of the things that they’ll talk about in this training. They’ve come in handy on many of my missions throughout the years. If there’s anything you don’t understand, Xu Qing, just ask me and I can help.”

Xu Qing clasped hands gratefully.

The Captain turned around and eyed Xu Qing. “You can ask me, too, little Junior Brother.”

Kong Xianglong chuckled but didn’t say anything.

Xu Qing looked at the Captain and nodded.

The Captain seemed pleased and was about to say more. Instead, he quickly swiveled and faced the front, as did all the other swordsages. Someone had entered the study hall.

It was a middle-aged man in a black daoist robe. He was thin, with sallow skin that made him almost seem sickly. Though he had a Nascent Soul cultivation base, he coughed as he trudged along. Walking through the desks, he reached the front where he sat down and looked out at the assembled swordsages.

“I don’t like being interrupted when I lecture,” he said. “So if there’s something you don’t understand... it means your powers of understanding are weak. Anyone who interrupts me will be asked to leave. Oh, right. You can call me Ailing Ghost. I’m responsible for teaching you a swordsage secret magic used for storing items.”

Ailing Ghost coughed again, and this time, his blood sprayed out. There was a poison hidden in the blood... that surreptitiously spread through the hall.

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted.

1. The title assigned to Xu Qing is a made-up title that essentially conjures the image of a high-ranking attendant of some sort. It literally means something like “follow along to keep a record of (and give) orders.” ☜

2. Memorial tablets are fairly self-explanatory, but if you haven’t seen what they look like, here’s an image. They’re usually ‌small enough to fit on a table in front of an altar. ☜

Deathblade's Thoughts

Considering the comments I'm seeing, I'm adding this note to clarify that, yes "Righteous Bestowal" uses the same Chinese characters as the ability of the same name from ISSTH. That doesn't inherently mean there's a connection between the two.

Many thanks to blingobobby for the review!

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