Shen Yi and the others all looked strangely at Ding Ning, so shocked they could not speak.

“This is only a possibility. There may not be the swords I spoke of in there. But I hope that you will remember my words. Also, if there are similar swords, do not pick the wrong one.” Ding Ning’s expression was still calm. He turned to look at Xie Changsheng. “You have to pay attention to a sword that seems to be made out of rutilated quartz.”

Xie Changsheng frowned and asked, “Rutilated quartz?”

“A rare kind of crystal. It looks transparent, but there are natural golden threads inside,” Ding Ning looked at him and said, “The sword hilt is made of a similar-looking crystal, but a different and unique material. There is a three-legged toad pattern on the hilt.

“If you cannot find this sword, look for a short one- pure indigo, about three feet long. It will have no patterns. Even if you do not channel any vital energy, it would naturally give off an indigo energy. If you cannot find even this sword, then you can slowly choose on your own.” Ding Ning then turned to Xie Rou and said, “If it exists, you can choose a light purple longsword which has minuscule lightning-shaped seal scripts. Or a sword with a hilt that looks like an ordinary steel sword, but its tip has many fine holes. If you are not looking directly at the sword tip, you will not be able to see the holes. If these two swords are not there, just pick a sword with a strong water energy.

“There may be an indigo broadsword inside. That sword is a mother-son sword. It will have a smaller sword embedded in the blade. If that sword is not there, find a crimson longsword with pine patterns. It will give off heat, and you will feel slight pain when you touch the sword hilt.

“Brother Xu, there is a sword that looks like it is made from snow and gives off a frost aura. That sword is the easiest to recognize. If not, find a sword that is deep green with seal scripts shaped like willow leafs engraved on it. If not, then do your best to choose a longsword with a narrow blade.”

Without any hesitation, it was He Zhaoxi, then Xu Heshan. After saying these words, Ding Ning started to walk.

Zhang Yi instinctively followed. While Ding Ning’s words to him were succinct, they stirred chaos in his thoughts, raising many a questions. Zhao Sword Furnace … why did Ding Ning tell him to pick a sword from the Zhao Sword Furnace? Why did Ding Ning feel that the swords from the Zhao Sword Furnace would be inside?

Suddenly, a burst of cold wind blew at his face. In the next moment, Zhang Yi discovered that Ding Ning had disappeared in front of him. Wrapped up by an irresistible primal energy, his body flew away. The scene before him suddenly changed.

Zhang Yi was usually very calm, yet when he saw the scenery in front of him, he gave off a dissonant cry like a chicken being killed. There were no weeds or halls. All that had disappeared. Around him was a patch of yellow sand like a desert.

Yet all kinds of swords were stuck in this desert! Thousands, tens of thousands of swords, were inserted into the yellow sand. The lights given off by the swords created layers of light. There seemed to be countless prisms in the air which reflected countless images of him.

Zhang Yi was horrified. He had never thought there would be so many swords here. The blades and energies of these swords felt like they could cut his perception into pieces. The dead air trapped this part of the world like sticky sugar. He could sense cold wind blowing, but the smallest grain of sand on the ground was pressed down until it was motionless.

This place was dead and lifeless. The swords stuck in the ground, straight or slanted, were like countless dead swordsmen.

His first feeling was that this was not a sword valley, but a mass sword grave, for a sea of sword corpses. His body and hands started to tremble. Then his gaze unconsciously started to search for the Sword Furnace sword that Ding Ning had spoken of.

The Zhao Sword Furnace had countless different swords, but only the swords that were like a furnace could represent the Zhao Sword Furnace.

The Zhao Sword Furnace was originally an ordinary blacksmith shop. That grandmaster of the Zhao Sword Furnace and his numerous direct disciples had personally made each sword. No one knew how much vital energy, primal energy, and the fires of the furnace had gone into the blade during the creation process. So the typical swords of the Zhao Sword Furnace would, even if they had fallen to the dirt, give off fiery energy like a furnace that emitted steam and heat.

In a blink, Zhang Yi saw a trio of crimson red fires rising into the sky like three enormous furnaces. At this time, Zhang Yi started to understand the origins of these swords, and why the Min Mountain Sword Sect would have an enormous sword grave.

He started to think … The Qin destroyed three dynasties. What a spectacular story it was. In the past years, how many powerful swordsmen have been easily wiped out by the sparse words of the history books? What kind of price had the Qin Dynasty paid to kill so many powerful swordsmen, and how many cultivators and soldiers had died?

The blood in his chest started to surge. His thoughts were full of magnificence. Yet he still could not understand how Ding Ning had guessed that these swords would exist here?

After stopping for a long while, he started to move towards those three enormous furnaces. Among these tens of thousands of swords may be famed swords from the cultivation records. Some may be exceptionally attractive to cultivators due to their unique legends. But if Ding Ning had not told him to take along a sword from the Zhao Sword Furnace, he may not have chosen any sword.

He already had a very powerful sword, especially a sword more valuable to him compared to all the ones here. But the swords of the Zhao Sword Furnace were worthy of respect from all cultivators in the world. So, when Zhang Yi respectfully came close to the three Zhao Sword Furnace swords, he bowed slightly.

These three swords were of crimson hue. Made from metal, they looked like they were burning fire crystals. Even in this sea of swords where the air was as sticky as sugar, the rippling heat coming off the three crimson longswords still caused Zhang Yi’s eardrums to ring.

The swords of the Zhao Sword Furnace were peerless swords, and it was difficult to find a difference. Zhang Yi did not hesitate too much. Feeling the heat of the three swords, he picked the hottest one.

While he was choosing the sword of the Zhao Sword Furnace, Nangong Caishu, deep in this sea of swords, was having difficulty making a choice. She felt even more shocked than Zhang Yi right now. There were too many swords in this sword sea. Yet the two sword Ding Ning had spoken of were both here. She had found them!

A small curved sword with a pale white blade and a silver hilt. A broadsword copper in color with many coin-shaped patterns on the blade.

“The choices of these people are very strange,” the young woman dressed in green jade robes could not help but say. The green jade palace she stood in was on the cliff above this sword valley. As the organizer of this event, she could clearly see the movement of any student in the sword valley.

“Even for me, the first time I entered this sword valley, I could not help but roam around for four hours in shock. These swords, to those who use the sword, are more attractive than anything else in the world. But their targets are extremely clear … They seem to know what swords are in here, and they just have to find those swords. Why is this?” she frowned deeply and asked the young man next to her.

This young man was her teacher, but he naturally could not produce an answer to a question she could not understand.

“This probably also has to do with the wine shop youth.”

She looked down, and considered for a while. Her expression suddenly froze and she said, “I only hope that there is no cheating, and someone did not leak the contents of the trial.”

Translator Ramblings: Ding Ning spoke for half of the chapter.