Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Defective Sword Spirit

[Polluted by impure qi?]

Ye Zhao Zhao had long been used to getting things without effort. When something needed real learning, she usually knew nothing. She showed a confused look and asked: “Polluted by impure qi, what does that mean?”

Seeing the strange looks on everyone’s faces, Ye Zhao Zhao spoke in a small, wronged voice: “Is it Senior Sister Li? Did she do something to Long Yan?”

She said it, but this time not even the most eager bootlicker, Chang Le An, echoed her.

Ye Zhao Zhao froze, and a bad feeling rose in her heart.

[Impure qi! What does that even mean!]

Immortal Ling Xu fell silent for a moment, then said: “A treasured sword has a spirit, so a Sword Spirit is born. Our Sword Sect’s Sword Pavilion has a special nurturing effect. It can make sure the sword embryos raised there will all give birth to Sword Spirits. But Sword Spirits differ in strength. A strong Sword Spirit has great potential. Once it meets a good master, the timing and fate line up, and it can soar to the ninth heaven.”

“As for weak Sword Spirits, some cannot be awakened at all, some have very limited potential, and some…” Immortal Ling Xu paused, then spoke slowly: “Some are born already polluted by impure qi, not a perfect spirit-body.”

As Ye Zhao Zhao listened, her pupils tightened.

[Master’s words, what do they mean?]

Curled up in the Sword Spirit Space, Long Yan felt a tremor in his heart. He did not wait for Ye Zhao Zhao to summon him and forced himself out of the Sword Spirit Space.

A spirit form is unstable to begin with. Forcing his way out made his figure flicker in and out.

Long Yan’s voice shook: “Born polluted by impure qi? No, that is impossible. Everyone knows I am a peerless Sword Spirit. After I woke up, I advanced by leaps and bounds. Li Shuang herself said that without me, she would never have reached what she has today.”

[He is so strong! How could he be a polluted Sword Spirit!]

Everyone knew it. A Sword Spirit polluted by impure qi sits at the bottom of the Sword Spirit chain.

Most of these Sword Spirits never awaken. Even the few who defy fate and wake up are tortured day and night by the impure qi that keeps growing inside them. Such Sword Spirits are the most defective among Defective Sword Spirits. Forget reaching Manifesting Reality. There are barely any who even manage a stable awakening.

Long Yan was the peerless Sword Spirit everyone envied, and the Dragon Roar Sword was the treasure everyone wanted.

How could he be a Defective Sword Spirit?

“Master, what does this mean? Can we remove the impure qi? Will Long Yan never get better?” Ye Zhao Zhao grew anxious.

Immortal Ling Xu said calmly: “Long Yan’s impure qi is produced from within his spirit body. He is a Sword Spirit born polluted, and the pollution is severe. By rights, he should never have awakened. I do not know what method Li Shuang used to wake him, and I do not know how the impure qi stayed so well suppressed all these years that even I did not see any sign.”

Immortal Ling Xu looked at Long Yan, his expression slightly cold: “But you truly are only a Defective Sword Spirit.”

In that moment, Immortal Ling Xu even felt a little sigh in his heart. His First Disciple had somehow raised a Defective Sword Spirit to this level.

If Long Yan had stayed with Li Shuang, perhaps the impure qi inside him would never have erupted.

But he broke his contract with Li Shuang and made one with Zhao Zhao instead.

Zhao Zhao does not know how to remove impure qi. This time he was provoked, and the impure qi that Li Shuang had suppressed burst out again.

This time… without Li Shuang, who could suppress it?

A trace of disbelief flashed through Long Yan’s eyes. His spirit form kept switching between solid and void. His expression grew dazed.

“Impossible, this is impossible. What impure qi, what Defective Sword Spirit, none of that is true,” Long Yan cried, his voice suddenly sharp: “Li Shuang clearly said I am the most gifted Sword Spirit she has ever seen. She said she believed I could become her best partner.”

Li Shuang had said it.

So he believed it.

He even began to feel that Li Shuang was not worthy of him.

But now, Immortal Ling Xu told him he was actually a Defective Sword Spirit, and without Li Shuang he would never have awakened at all?

Long Yan denied it by instinct. But in his heart he knew.

Given Immortal Ling Xu’s current relationship with Li Shuang, he had no reason to speak on her behalf.

If even Immortal Ling Xu said so, then there was only one possibility.

[This is the truth.]

[He, Long Yan, is actually just trash.]

Long Yan’s body faded further, almost turning transparent.

But now he could not even feel the pain of turning solid to void.

He fell fully into his thoughts and kept muttering: “This is impossible…”

Shen Yue sighed and said: “Senior Sister Li is indeed a peerless genius. Only she could raise a Defective Sword Spirit to this level.”

It was a polluted Sword Spirit.

Even awakened, the impure qi could regrow at any time. Yet all these years, Long Yan had never noticed its presence.

That could only mean that every time a trace of impure qi appeared, Li Shuang dealt with it at once.

How much effort did it take to do that?

No one could imagine.

No one dared imagine.

Ye Zhao Zhao bit her lip, and a twisted look flashed across her face.

[Damn it. Did Li Shuang do this on purpose? Why did she not tell me ahead of time that Long Yan was a Defective Sword Spirit? She traded swords with me on purpose just to watch me make a fool of myself? A polluted Sword Spirit, what use is that? Not only useless, he also takes the place of my life-bond sword. Damn, damn. Li Shuang really deserves it.]

On her face, though, she showed worry and said: “Master, what should we do? Long Yan’s state is wrong. He will soon lose his form.”

Immortal Ling Xu said evenly: “To remove impure qi, no one else can help. You, as his master, may try using your Sword Qi. Turn your spiritual power into Sword Qi. Sword Qi is sharp and may be able to remove the impure qi. During removal, your Sword Qi cannot be a bit more or a bit less. More will harm the Sword Spirit, less will not work. You must grasp the exact measure yourself.”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face changed.

Spirit-to-Sword Conversion.

Only a Sword Cultivator with some insight into the Way of the Sword could do that.

[She could not even do the first step.]

“Junior Sister, try it,” urged Sheng Yuan.

“Try first,” pressed Shen Yue.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s thoughts spun fast. She said quickly: “I do want to save Long Yan. But Master said the Sword Qi cannot be more or less. If Long Yan’s spirit body were stable, I could try slowly. In his state now, if I make even a small mistake, the result would be terrible.”

She changed her tone: “To remove impure qi, Senior Sister Li is the most skilled. Also, Long Yan’s spirit body was hurt this time because of her. Why not ask Senior Sister Li to help?”