The expressions on the faces of the four governing gods were profoundly grave as they talked about
Master Sword.
In the ancient times, Master Sword was the supreme ruler of the Sword Cosmos and had reigned over
it for a long time.
He was superior to all beings in the Sword Cosmos, and was the only name that mattered in his time. It
was no exaggeration to say that he was the most powerful warrior across this cosmos, and had the
strongest cultivation base. No one could be considered a match for him.
This opinion still prevailed in the Sword Cosmos. In fact, his rule had left an impression that went
deeper than just his legacy.
It was widely acknowledged that if it weren't for Master Sword's sudden disappearance, the Sword
Cosmos would still be under his rule even to this day!
However, after his disappearance, the dynamics had shifted, and now, the Sword Cosmos was
controlled by four major forces.
They were named the Sky Sword Sect, the Ximen Clan, the Flying Immortal Sword Sect, and the Long
Sword Sect.
Their own past wasn't too honorable either. They had once colluded with each other to deal with Master
Sword's fifth disciple. This was after they had found that Master Sword and four of his disciples were
missing.
Later, they had even colluded with creatures from other supreme universes and allowed them to enter
the Sword Cosmos.
With time, the enmity had grown and now, the four forces were sworn enemies of Master Sword.
They had spent years investigating the whereabouts of Master Sword and his four disciples.
They were worried that if he and his four disciples were still alive and came back some day, they would
be doomed.
What scared them further was the fact that even just one of his disciples came back, handling him
would be incredibly challenging for them.
"Since this matter is related to Master Sword, it's by no means insignificant.
I suggest that we join forces to deal with this guy. No matter what happens, we can't let him leave the
Sword Cosmos alive.
It's best that we capture him as soon as possible and torture him for the information we need."
Rollins spoke in a slow and gloomy voice. There was a childish sort of tone to his speech that was
creepy for anyone who heard it.
"Maybe we are overreacting.
I mean, Master Sword and his four disciples disappeared a long time ago and not even rumors have
been heard of them ever since.
It's most likely that they are all dead,"
Nash said with a frown.
"No!
We cannot let the man who broke our rules so blatantly get away!
Even if he has nothing to do with Master Sword, he still dared to sneak into the Divine Sword Mountain.
That alone is enough to grant him the sickle of death,"
Elder Cunning from the Flying Immortal Sword Sect proclaimed.
"Seconded!
We must inform all the forces of what we know and ask them to catch this guy at any cost! If trying to
catch him alive fails, they must kill him!"
Rollins pounded the table.
The other three governing gods nodded in agreement.
With a decision reached, the group used their omnipotent skills to send a message to the senior
leaders of their respective forces.
"What the hell?
Listen up! A young man has sneaked into the Divine Sword Mountain. He might have something to do
with Master Sword,"
a loud voice echoed inside a majestic divine mountain deep in the void. This was the headquarters of
the Sky Sword Sect.
"Anything related to Master Sword is top priority.
Tell our men to catch him at all costs. This is an order!"
the voice ordered.
"Bring that brat back here at all costs!"
Similar messages also sounded in the headquarters of the Ximen Clan, the Flying Immortal Sword
Sect, and the Long Sword Sect.
Moments after these orders had been passed, hundreds of sword cultivators, emitting sharp sword
auras, rushed towards the Divine Sword Mountain one after another. They were going to hunt Austin
down no matter what it took.
Most of them had been sent to guard the void around the Divine Sword Mountain.
They had been stationed there since climbing the mountain was forbidden for the common folk.
Only a few top masters from the four major forces were qualified to do so.
At that moment,
in the Divine Sword Mountain,
Austin and Sword Son Curry, who was the fifth disciple of Master Sword, continued to climb up along
the zigzag path.
Since Sword Son Curry's real body did not come back to the Sword Cosmos, what accompanied Austin
was just a spiritual soul mark.
Even without his real body, the man had a clear understanding of the secrets of the Divine Sword
Mountain.
This had allowed him to be of immense help to Austin.
"Sir, it looks like four very powerful masters have targeted my aura."
Austin suddenly stopped.
"That's correct.
There are four governing gods on your tail as we speak.
But don't worry. You have already passed the test of the first sword servant. This has given you the
preliminary qualifications needed to climb the Divine Sword Mountain.
Furthermore, you are in the middle of a test. That means even the governing gods of the Sword
Cosmos can't harm you.
They can't attack you unless you fail the test
or leave the Divine Sword Mountain.
At least for now, you are safe,"
Sword Son Curry assured him.
"I see."
Austin nodded in acknowledgement.
Austin wouldn't have been too afraid of the governing gods if they were still in the other parts of the
Sea of Chaos.
However, he didn't have much confidence when dealing with a governing god of the Sword Cosmos.
The Sword Cosmos was a supreme universe.
The governing gods here were naturally more powerful than governing gods in other parts of the Sea of
Chaos.
As they were talking,
an old man clad in grey robes suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Sir."
He bowed slightly to Sword Son Curry in greeting.
Sword Son Curry had ruled the entire Sword Cosmos before and was a frequent visitor to the Divine
Sword Mountain. His status was exceedingly high.
"Ha-ha! There's no need to be so formal with me,"
Sword Son Curry responded immediately in a polite tone as a smile appeared on his face.
"Nice to meet you, sir."
Austin stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the old man.
"Young man, if you want to climb the Divine Sword Mountain, you must pass my test."
The old man turned his sharp eyes towards Austin.
He was calm and emotionless as if he would never be moved or affected by anything.
"I am aware of that, sir. I would be glad to take your test,"
Austin replied.
"Very well. Your task is simple.
You must enter this world of swordsmanship filled with various kinds of swordsmanship moves and
skills.
The total number of skills inside is thirty six thousand.
Each of them is marked by its own characteristic strengths and weaknesses.
Your challenge is to break them all.
Remember, you must only use your swordsmanship skill to fight.
If you try to use any other methods,
you fail,"
the old man instructed.
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a huge world slowly appeared out of thin air and began floating
in midair.
It was constantly spurting dazzling sword aura from its surface and looked incredibly unique.
"What? Thirty-six thousand skills?"
Austin gasped in shock.
"Sir, I don't have much time left here.
If I am not allowed to use any other method, I don't know how long it will take for me to break through
thirty-six thousand kinds of sword moves and skills,"
he confessed with a frown.
Austin did not lack the confidence to pass the test. However, he was running out of time.
It had taken him more than two months just to comprehend the swordsmanship in the ten sword
shrines after entering the Sword Cosmos.
And he had to leave here and go back in about fifteen days. Otherwise, he would miss the day when
Ronnie returned to the Sea of Chaos.
Once that happened, no one knew what would happen to the Sea of Chaos, and the three thousand
big and small universes would be in a great deal of trouble.
"Young man, you don't have to worry about time.
This world is a simulation that I created.
I control the time inside it.
How about I make a little concession for you? I will adjust the rate of time inside such that a hundred
years there are equivalent to just two hours outside.
Does that work for you?"
the old man proposed.
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