Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Black Abyss Sword Spirit Awakens

Long Yan still could not move. He stared at Li Shuang in a daze.

The Li Shuang who once spent endless effort on him and always shielded and encouraged him was now, for the sake of a Black Abyss Sword Spirit that had not even awakened, pointing a sword at him. What had once been his treatment would belong to someone else now.

He forced out a rough sound and said: “I…” He seemed to want to say more.

Inside Black Abyss, the tiny Sword Spirit leaped with joy as points of light appeared over her. Li Shuang standing up for her filled her with pure happiness. The light gathered, and the Sword Spirit’s eyes slowly opened.

Li Shuang had been about to turn back into her room, when she paused with a flash of joy between her brows. [The Black Abyss Sword Spirit… is about to awaken?] She stopped in her tracks.

Long Yan’s eyes lit up, and hope rose again. [Did she change her mind?] But the very next moment his expression shifted.

The Black Abyss Sword’s dark blade suddenly shone. Those with experience reacted at once; someone cried out: “A Sword Spirit. A Sword Spirit is about to awaken.”

People murmured: “This Black Abyss Sword followed Ye Zhao Zhao for years and never awakened a Sword Spirit. It has been with Li Shuang for, what, half a month? And the Sword Spirit is awakening already,” and another voice said: “So the Black Abyss Sword Spirit could not awaken before because the Master was wrong?”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face turned black. She stared hard at the Black Abyss Sword. [Damn it, damn it, damn it.] When she had first gotten Black Abyss, she had tried more than once to awaken the Black Abyss Sword Spirit. But this spirit was like a salted fish; no matter how she called or provoked it, there was no response at all. Otherwise, why would she have sealed the sword away? Yet after such a short time with Li Shuang, it was about to awaken.

Her expression twisted; she was on the verge of losing it. [I am a Transmigrator. I was born to call the wind and rain in this world. Why is everyone and everything suddenly aimed at me?] Her teeth ground together, and her eyes went faintly red.

Even so, she told herself not to panic. She had tried so long, and even then the Black Abyss Sword Spirit had never awakened, which showed the spirit’s talent was limited. Even if Li Shuang woke it, so what. [It might be a Sword Spirit even more useless than Long Yan.] She locked her eyes on that glow and did not leave. She wanted to see what the Black Abyss Sword Spirit looked like after awakening.

Long Yan also stood frozen, staring at the Black Abyss Sword without blinking. A new Sword Spirit? [Can a new Sword Spirit be more in sync with Li Shuang than me? I do not believe my place in her heart can be replaced so easily.]

Li Shuang had no time for anyone else. The Black Abyss Sword’s Sword Spirit was about to awaken, and all her mind focused on the blade.

In recent days, she had slowly noticed changes in the Black Abyss Sword Spirit. As her own Way of the Sword deepened, she first condensed a Sword Domain and then stepped into Emotionless Sword Dao. The Sword Spirit’s Spirit Body had become more solid, though it always felt like it lacked one last step to wake.

Li Shuang was not anxious. She had learned that every time she won a fight, the Sword Spirit moved one step closer to waking. If she kept winning again and again, the awakening would be only a matter of time.

But today, without any sudden insight into the Way of the Sword and without winning a battle, the Black Abyss Sword Spirit awakened with no warning.

This was not her first time waking a Sword Spirit, yet Li Shuang was still a little nervous. When a Sword Spirit first takes form, the cultivator and the spirit will be tested for how well they match.

Under the rules of the Heavenly Dao, the first instant a Sword Cultivator and Sword Spirit make contact, signs will appear. According to their compatibility, different colors of light will show. The lowest is white, followed by green, blue, and orange. Orange Radiance marks top level compatibility.

Above orange, so the legends say, some people have once seen Purple Radiance when they awakened a Sword Spirit. Purple Radiance is extremely rare. It means the Sword Cultivator and Sword Spirit share Perfect Affinity and have one hundred percent trust in each other. Both are required for Purple Radiance.

If that happens, the Sword Cultivator and Sword Spirit will, under the witness of the Heavenly Dao, form a Heavenly Dao Pact that stands above ordinary rules. With a Sword Spirit of Perfect Affinity, the chance of reaching the Third Tier realm called Man and Sword as One in the future rises far beyond others.

But Purple Radiance is almost impossible to meet. Over endless years, the records across the Nan Yan Continent mention only two or three cases. Even the founding Ancestor did not get Purple Radiance when awakening a Sword Spirit.

With this in mind, everyone grew curious about what level of match Li Shuang and the Black Abyss Sword Spirit would show.

Shen Yue murmured: “Back then, when Senior Sister Li awakened Long Yan, it was Blue Affinity, right?” Blue Affinity was already quite good. Most Sword Cultivators saw green or blue when awakening a spirit. Both white and orange were very rare.

Long Yan pressed his lips together and said: “Maybe Black Abyss and Li Shuang will only have White Affinity,” and he even found himself looking forward to that. If it was only White Affinity, maybe Li Shuang would choose again.

Ye Zhao Zhao snorted, and for once her thoughts matched his. The best outcome would be White Affinity. White Affinity means the Sword Cultivator and Sword Spirit are an awful match; if they force it, they will only drag each other down. Only if it was White Affinity would she feel a little better.

The answer was about to be revealed. Everyone held their breath and waited in silence.

Soon, a Phantom Stage appeared above the Black Abyss Sword. The Sword Spirit was a little girl. Her hair was tied into two buns, her cheeks were round, and her eyes were clear enough to see to the bottom. A festive red dress rippled over her small frame. She looked like a cutie who had just run out of a New Year print.

The little girl spotted Li Shuang at once and gave her a sweet smile: “Sister Li Shuang.”

She hopped and ran toward Li Shuang. Li Shuang’s eyes softened without her noticing, and she gently reached out her hand. Since a Sword Spirit is still a phantom, you need spiritual power to touch her, so Li Shuang covered her palm with ice attribute spiritual power. Ice power is known for its chill, yet in Li Shuang’s hand it gave off a soft glow.

The little girl placed her small hand into Li Shuang’s palm without any hesitation.

Long Yan’s pupils shrank tight. [So… what level will their affinity be?]