Shao Yue rushed out of the cave. Liezhu stood next to the entrance, looking up at the sky. She had been standing guard, making sure nothing interrupted the smithing of Shao Yue's sword. Shao Yue followed her gaze.
Black clouds gathered above their heads, swirling together. Lightning danced in the center, which was positioned directly over Shao Yue. Or, more specifically, the sword in her hand.
"Sword Tribulation?" Shao Yue asked.
Liezhu nodded. "That sword... It's too powerful for this world's laws. It's not something that's supposed to exist here. The heavens want to destroy it. If they succeed, well, the result is obvious. If they fail, the sword will be baptized in lightning, and its power will grow."
Shao Yue tightened her grip on the sword and glared at the clouds. "I understand."
"There's a bit more. It's not useful to you now, but it might be later." Liezhu turned her gaze to the sword. "If it transcends the tribulation, there will be another tribulation ten thousand years from now. If it transcends that, it can attain human form."
Shao Yue gaped. "A sword? Attaining human form?"
Liezhu nodded. "Anything can become human. Plants, animals, swords, pills." She then grew pensive. "Though, I'm not sure what will happen to the Spirit in the sword if the sword becomes human. My memories don't cover that."
Shao Yue lifted up the sword and ran her fingertips across the flat of the blade. "Ten thousand years is a long time. But, you're my first grade eight sword. I won't let you be destroyed. Let's get you a human form!"
She then looked deeper into the blade, at the Bashe Spirit. "As for you, I'll save you if anything bad is going to happen."
Shao Yue then jumped in fright, turning to stare at the Black Sky Butterfly who had suddenly appeared next to her without warning.
"Good sword," the human-form butterfly said.
Shao Yue nodded, her wariness increasing. "Do you want it?"
She shook her head. "It's bonded to you. I'm here to take a bolt of tribulation lightning."
Shao Yue nodded again, then did her best to ignore the butterfly's presence. One lightning bolt wouldn't affect the outcome of the tribulation, and depending on when it was taken, could actually provide help.
She shot off to an empty plain on the mountain where the tribulation wouldn't disturb others.
After a few minutes, the first lightning bolt fell.
Shao Yue raised her sword and cleaved it in half, each side burrowing into the ground around her.
"Weak," she muttered, thinking back to her Heavenly Realm tribulation. "But if I want to get the most out of it, I have to fight using only my sword."
The Sword Tribulation wasn't a test for her cultivation, or her body. It was a test for her sword. Her qi, her Spirits, her bloodline, they all counted as external factors. If she used them, she could transcend the tribulation easily, but she wouldn't get the gains she desired from it.
One lightning bolt after another descended, then multiple started falling at the same time. Shao Yue stood her ground, sword flashing, static crawling all over her body. She was far too used to tribulations.
In all likelihood, it was the first time a Sword Tribulation had happened in the world. However, to anyone who looked over, they would only see someone transcending a Heavenly Realm tribulation. As such, it didn't attract that much attention.
Liezhu, Grandmaster Liu, the Black Sky Butterfly, and a few other bored cultivators were all that observed. Lai Qiao came over after he noticed it was Shao Yue.
YOU ARE READING
Second Time
FantasyShao Yue, one of the world's strongest cultivators, reached her limit. To push further, she had to take drastic measures: going back in time, possessing her childhood self, and starting over again from scratch. As Shao Yue goes through life a second...