Chapter 90: Grave Name City Snow

The information Su Qianqian brought was incredibly valuable.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately realized his enemies weren't just at the level of Feng Kong and Shao Yi; there were thirty-three others in the Inner Yard. This was still within the Spirit Palace. Once outside, he would likely have to contend with the Zhang and Wen families of Tiansang City.

Xu Xiaoshou's head throbbed. He had never imagined a mere arena competition could sow such immense trouble for him.

"It's all because of that damn Wen Chong..." He covered his forehead, distracted.

Su Qianqian gazed at him with concern. After a moment of thought, Xu Xiaoshou decided to put it aside for now. He adopted a 'what comes, comes' attitude. These problems would have to be faced eventually, and perhaps even greater hardships awaited him as he grew.

"It's fine," he reassured Su Qianqian. Then he looked at the massive sword on her back, recalling the masked man from last night and Elder Sang's words.

"Can I see that sword?"

"Of course," Su Qianqian replied without hesitation. She drew the sword and handed it to him, adding, "But it recognizes people; it might not like you."

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou's hand touched it, and the sword suddenly vibrated violently. He recoiled as if shocked. "That's spooky!"

Su Qianqian chuckled. "That's spiritual awareness. The more powerful the sword, the more sentient it becomes."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered this. He pulled out his own 'Hidden Suffering' sword and chuckled, "So, my sword has spiritual awareness too."

Su Qianqian immediately became interested. She knew her 'Little Beast Brother's' black sword was only a ninth-grade weapon. How could a ninth-grade sword possess spiritual awareness?

"Watch this!" Xu Xiaoshou flipped the sword, pointing its tip at himself. Without any extra movement, the black sword began to vibrate.

"Buzz!"

He flipped the sword back, and the trembling immediately lessened.

"Buzz..."

Su Qianqian stared blankly. What kind of spiritual awareness was this? It was so bizarre!

"Suspected, Passive Points, +1."

"Don't believe it?" Xu Xiaoshou scoffed. "That's just your limited knowledge!"

He flipped the black sword back and forth.

"Buzz!""Buzz...""Buzz!""Buzz..."

Su Qianqian was utterly dumbfounded. This...

"Suspected, Passive Points, +16.""Suspected, Passive Points, +37.""..."

Now it was Xu Xiaoshou's turn to be surprised. Why so many passive points? He glanced around and realized that nearby cultivators, drawn by the commotion, had gathered around them after they landed. Some had already recognized Su Qianqian. The Outer Yard champion and Inner Yard's Su Qianqian together at Goose Lake — this was big news. Word spread quickly, and more and more people surrounded them.

Su Qianqian wasn't bothered; she had long been accustomed to being observed, as a genius always attracted attention wherever she went. Xu Xiaoshou felt the same way. The more people, the easier it was to earn passive points!

Ignoring the crowd, he forcibly took the trembling greatsword. Before he could examine it closely, the greatsword suddenly flew into the sky and returned to the sheath on Su Qianqian's back by itself.

Xu Xiaoshou froze for a moment. He looked at his own 'Hidden Suffering' and suddenly felt a sense of disappointment, like seeing a promising talent fail. "Look at that! That's spiritual awareness. Yours is just a desire to consume its master!"

Su Qianqian smiled, drew the greatsword again, and handed it to Xu Xiaoshou. "No fooling around!" Just as the sword began to vibrate, it suddenly fell silent at her words.

Xu Xiaoshou was amazed. He began to examine the sword closely. The greatsword was entirely white, with an unusually thick and heavy blade, completely unlike conventional greatswords. It resembled a thick slab or a tombstone. Even with his Innate Physical Body, Xu Xiaoshou could feel its considerable weight.

"What a sword!" he exclaimed. This sword was countless times better than his 'Hidden Suffering.' No, the two shouldn't even be compared.

Upon closer inspection, a desolate and sorrowful aura emanated from the now still, snow-white greatsword. Xu Xiaoshou found himself immersed. He seemed to see a vast, desolate desert, where beneath eons of unchanging white snow, a massive tombstone had stood since ancient times. Loneliness, solitude, ancientness...

His vision blurred, and the scene vanished instantly, leaving only the sword in his sight. Xu Xiaoshou shook his head, clearing his mind, and looked up.

"Suspected, Passive Points, +64.""Awe-struck, Passive Points, +89."

"Huh? What's going on?"

A glance from the corner of his eye revealed a layer of frost on Goose Lake!

"What the heck! It was summer, and the sun was still high in the sky!"

His senses gradually returned, and he heard Su Qianqian's urgent voice: "Little Beast Brother?"

But louder still was the clamor of voices:

"Damn, why did it suddenly get so cold? I felt like my soul was frozen!""Look! The lake is frozen?!""This is so weird, it must be Xu Xiaoshou's doing! But what exactly happened?""Can any big shot explain this to me? I'm completely bewildered!"

No one replied. Everyone looked bewildered, and Xu Xiaoshou was just as confused. Only Su Qianqian's small face was full of surprise. "You can see it?" She suddenly realized something. "Oh, that's right, Little Beast Brother also has Innate Sword Intent!"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't hide his shock. Was this the power of a famous sword? A single glance could pull a person into its world.

"Tombstone City Snow... a tombstone?"

"Yes," Su Qianqian didn't deny it.

"Can you tell me its story?" Xu Xiaoshou felt this sword surely had a tale to tell.

Su Qianqian smiled happily. She hadn't expected anyone other than her grandfather to enjoy listening to her stories. She took the sword and gently stroked it. The blade trembled softly, almost sighing, as if greatly enjoying it.

"In ancient times, there was a Sword Saint named City Snow. He had a close friend, also a Sword Saint, who followed the path of killing and was known as the Slaughter Sword Saint. One day, he succumbed to evil and accidentally killed City Snow. After realizing his mistake, the Slaughter Sword Saint was filled with immense regret. He erected City Snow's sword as a tombstone, suppressing it for eternity."

Xu Xiaoshou waited for a long moment, but Su Qianqian said nothing further. "Is that it?"

"Hmm?" Su Qianqian looked up, puzzled. "That's the story of 'Tombstone City Snow.' Did I miss anything?"

"..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt utterly bewildered. What she said made sense; the story was indeed finished, but he couldn't shake the feeling that... it shouldn't be so simplistic! Where were the details? Shouldn't the fall of a Sword Saint be more tragic and epic? The story was incredibly blunt and simple!

"That was excellent!""Very concise!"

Xu Xiaoshou offered insincere praise, then asked, "Are there any swords in Tiansang Spirit Palace more valuable than this one?"

Hearing the compliment, Su Qianqian's dimples appeared as she smiled, and she casually shook her head. "No."

"Think carefully. There's another sword, more powerful than this one!" Xu Xiaoshou said seriously.

Su Qianqian's smile faltered. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, then earnestly replied, "No."

"Really not?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank. He also thought there wasn't one, but there *had* to be! If not, then the sword the masked man was looking for had to be Su Qianqian's 'Tombstone City Snow,' right? That person couldn't even defeat many of Tiansang Spirit Palace's grand figures. If he now coveted Su Qianqian, would she have a good outcome?

"This is bad!" Xu Xiaoshou was burning with anxiety.

Su Qianqian's eyes darted, and she instantly understood. "Is Little Beast Brother worried about the masked man from last night?"