Clumps of thick fog saturated the air, as an atmosphere of mystery lingered about an endless and narrow pathway. It stretched throughout the void as if trying to reach infinity. Across both sides of the path, there were swords erected uniquely as if representing soldiers welcoming the long-lost heir of royalty.

Within the path, there was a string of impressions shown on the coarse ground. Looking closely, one could see that these dents were footprints and if one were to zoom out a little bit further, they would notice that this trail continued from an even distant point of origin.

Following these footprints, the figure of a man appeared to be struggling to traverse the long pathway. It was as if the world was pressuring him to submit to a more significant force beyond his limit, but, because of his firm will-power, he remained focused on his course.

If one looked at his face, they would see something unusual. His pupils, that should have been focused and filled with determination, seemed to be dilated as if they had lost all forms of focus. His body was swinging itself on its own accord further traversing the harsh pathway.

Suddenly, a transparent form appeared out of the blue. It looked at the figure and shook its head slightly while observing the youth.

"An act of instinct, such incredible willpower!" The figure sighed in amazement at Feng Yu's unconscious form strutting about the pathway. It waved its hand towards Feng Yu, following which a stream of energy washed over his body instantly recovering his wounds and exhausted state.

"Consider this as me being a bit more generous kid. The path of swords is now over! Phase Two has been failed!" after a loud shout, the narrow path soon disappeared replacing the entire misty space with a field of gravestones, each with different swords placed within them. The area was vast and had no apparent boundaries.

Feng Yu quickly woke up after having his body healed by the mysterious figure floating in the air. Feeling a bit confused about what was happening, he looked towards his hands, after a short moment he soon regained his chain of thoughts. Feeling a bit disappointed, he gripped his fists tightly while clenching his teeth.

"Sigh, so I didn't manage to pass the second phase in the end. A pity, I wanted to try and at least gain candidate position," He complained about his failure while looking around. Noticing the floating form looking at him, he quickly made a polite and thankful gesture.

"Senior, Junior Feng Yu gives his thanks for the allowance in the participation of this Trial. However, I have failed in completing the second phase. Thus, I hope this junior hasn't disappointed the expectations of the senior." Feng Yu said while cupping his hands.

Observing Feng Yu's gesture and hearing his words, the floating form smirked, "Oho! What are you complaining about? Have you already forgotten the rules? You have two more chances remaining. Seeing as how you have successfully managed to pass the first phase of the Trial while also making it to a distance of 95 kilometers in the second phase meant for aura disciple level candidates, you have earned this Spirit's respect. As such, instead of waiting for you to pass the second phase I will give you an extra privilege."

It pointed once more towards Feng Yu causing a small token with the carving of a sword to appear before him, giving off a sharp aura that permeated its entirety.

"Quickly take that sword token. You can consider it as a sign of acceptance as you have proven yourself worthy to be one of the candidates."

Feeling excited at the Spirits words, Feng Yu quickly took the sword token in his hands politely cupping his hands towards the spirit once more.

"Junior thanks senior for his graciousness once more," Feng Yu said.

"Enough! You do not need to thank me and stop calling me senior as I am the remnant will of the Dual Sword Pagoda. You may refer to me as Uncle Sword." the spirit said smugly.

Feeling a bit more curious about the token and pagoda Feng Yu asked: "Uncle Sword! What do I use this token for? What is the Dual Sword Pagoda?"

The Sword Spirit looked towards Feng Yu with a pleased expression on its face it seemed to like the title 'Uncle Sword.' Quickly replacing its appearance with a more solemn look, it responded.

"As you have proven yourself worthy as a candidate for mastering Sword Legacy, I have bestowed unto to you the 'Sword Token.' This token is a unique creation crafted by master in the past for his disciples. It will allow you to enter the 'Sword Pagoda' anywhere you are in the world. However, that is only upon meeting certain conditions. As you are not a real disciple of the master, it will only allow you to enter the Trail fields. There are three levels, each corresponding to the three phases. As you have already cleared the first phase, that option is voided. The remaining conditions will be activated upon reaching the 5th tier of True Foundation level as well as the 3rd Cycle of True Soul realm," The Sword Spirit explained as it pointed towards the sword token Feng.

"As for the Dual Sword Pagoda, once you have reached the required level and have successfully cleared the requirements for true initiation, I will explain to you about its true origin. Have you grasped everything?"

After carefully digesting all the information given to him by the sword spirit, Feng Yu then looked towards the sword spirit once again "Thanks, Uncle Sword, I now have a clearer understanding. If I wish to earn this master’s inheritance, I will have to completely clear the trials once I have reached the required cultivation standards."

"Good! Now that we have cleared all of the information, I will be sending you on your way. Young Phoenix, where would you like to go?"

Thinking for a bit, Feng Yu responded, "Uncle Sword, I would like to be sent outside of the cavern away from the region around the cavern if possible."

____

End of chapter teaser, check out my website or amazon to read the full chapter and more:

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