Outside of Time

The trial of the sword holder is full of holiness and solemnity.

This kind of orthodox ritual of the human race cannot be compared with any sect. The different backgrounds make the specifications of the ceremony naturally different.

Rituals are even more important in troubled times.

The darker the night, the colder the winter, the more flames must be formed. This fire... is the fire inheritance of the human race, the fire of the blood of the human race, and represents the spirit of the human race.

The function of the ceremony is to pass on the spirit.

The more formal and sacred it is, the more impressive this inheritance will be, until it is imprinted in the soul and will last forever.

This is the ritual of the sword holder, and it is also one of the rituals of the human race.

At this moment, in the sky, the sword holders are arrayed in the shape of two wings, standing solemnly. The shape of the wings also has a special meaning for the sword holders, which is protection.

Use your own wings to protect the human race, and you are more willing to become the wings of the human race and fly for the rise of the race!

The nine sword-holding elders looked solemn, as if they were witnessing that this was also part of the ceremony. Four on the side, one in the middle, with different heights, forming a mountain and a sword.

It represents the edge of the sword holder and the command sword of the sword holder.

Behind them is the glow of the sky and the statue of the great emperor who seems to be able to support the heaven and earth. He looks down on the earth and protects the inheritance of the human race.

Under the statue is Xu Qing, standing thousands of feet high in the sky, holding a commanding sword.

His clothes were fluttering in the wind, and his long hair was swaying in the wind, but his body stood there motionless. At this moment, the aura did not need breath to form. Just his eyes and just his location were natural. Ascend.

Because Xu Qing was the only one on the highest step.

But again, the origin of this momentum is very heavy!

What is thick is the overlapping of the statue of the great emperor, and what is thick is the mission of the sword holder.

The original ceremony of the sword holder should not produce this kind of momentum and heaviness gathered on one person. After all, this is just the entrance ceremony of the sword holder, and it needs to be like this in other higher-level occasions and promotions later.

But this time, Xu Qing appeared.

During the assessment process, he reached a height that had never been seen in the history of Yinghuang Province. While others still had to sprint to compete for the sword holder's spot, he was already standing on the highest step.

All he needs to do is pick up the command sword.

The moment he held the command sword, he seemed to change from a participant to a witness.

Witness the figures rushing towards you on the steps below.

There are only two swords left, and only two people can succeed.

And Xu Qing's character is retributive. He doesn't want Zhang Siyun to succeed, and the rules don't say that he can't interfere. Obviously as long as it's not excessive, it is possible with a high probability.

"Everyone, be careful of Zhang Siyun. He has a method of transfiguration, which can only be performed by looking at him. In the ghost cave, this person used this method on me. He is extremely vicious."

Xu Qing stood at the top and spoke calmly.

As soon as the words came out, the expressions of everyone on the stairs changed.

The captain didn't hesitate at all. His whole body shone with blue light, and his body became blurry, making it difficult for others to see his figure. His speed also exploded, leaping thousands of feet in an instant, and then rushed out again without any pause.

The target is the command sword thousands of feet away to Xu Qing's left.

Zhang Siyun had an expressionless face. Due to the losses in the ghost cave, he was too far behind and seriously injured, so he indeed planned to use this technique, targeting Chen Erniu or Qingqiu.

After all, Xu Qing had broken his law and pioneered the Yinghuangzhou. The great elders all said the word "Great Goodness". Now he is the wielder of the command sword. He and Xu Qing changed positions, which was extremely risky.

But Xu Qing reminded him too quickly and said in one breath that his method of transposition had not yet been fully launched, but there was no wave in his heart and he still cast the spell, targeting Qingqiu.

At the same time, the captain's figure arrived quickly at that extreme speed, carrying the pressure from the steps of the sprint stage, picked up the command sword, with excitement in his eyes, and turned to look at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing also looked at the captain.

After the two looked at each other and smiled, Xu Qing realized that the sword holder in the sky did not stop him from speaking before, so he spoke downwards again.

"Zhang Siyun, you are coveting the pentagonal wooden house in the ghost cave and want to destroy it, and you know everything about the ghost cave. If you say that you didn't know about this in advance and didn't go there with a purpose, no one will believe it."

"You are so deliberate here, your actions and thoughts are both suspicious!"

"Xu Qing, the sword holder, kindly asks all the elders of my sword-wielding court to check on Zhang Siyun!"

Zhang Siyun was galloping forward at more than 7,000 steps. At the same time, he cast a spell to change the target to Qingqiu, who was almost 9,000 steps. At this moment, hearing Xu Qing's words, his mind finally stirred. He didn't care about people like Li Ziliang. The methods of thinking are all unnecessary, you just need to be firm.

But... Xu Qing's words not only revealed his true secret, but also directly implored the elders to check. This kind of thing is no longer a matter of thought, he is sending his army!

"Nonsense!"

Zhang Siyun knew that this matter could not be explained in a long way, and it was not suitable to explain it at this moment, but he could not say a word, so he pretended to be calm and continued to cast the spell, but the waves in his mind still had a slight impact on the spell.

At the moment when the transformation was unfolding, the red girl's eyes flashed in front of her, and her body suddenly retreated rapidly.

There is pressure here, and the speed is naturally not fast, but it is extremely easy to follow the trend and move backward. As if being blessed, the speed is fully developed, so in the blink of an eye, Qingqiu's body has retreated to more than 3,000 steps.

Displacement!

Zhang Siyun successfully moved from more than 7,000 levels to more than 3,000 levels, while Qingqiu was moved to more than 7,000 levels by him.

Before the change of positions, the difference between them was two thousand steps. After the change of places, the difference between them was four thousand steps.

At the moment when the position change was successful, a huge evil ghost appeared on Qingqiu's body. It had been gathering momentum for a long time. At this moment, it opened its mouth to Zhang Siyun from behind and swallowed it from the air.

Zhang Siyun's body was shaken, and there was a backlash in his body. He couldn't help but stop his steps, and his mind was extremely anxious. Qingqiu's method was very simple, but the simpler it was, the more unexpected it was.

The red girl Qingqiu took advantage of this opportunity, her whole body glowed with red light, and she launched the secret method at any cost. Multiple ghost images of herself appeared, and she spat out seven mouthfuls of blood in exchange for the ultimate speed.

After one ebb and flow, he finally reached the top and grabbed the third command sword.

The moment the sword was in her hand, Qingqiu spurted out a large mouthful of blood again, and there were even fragments of internal organs inside. Obviously, the secret technique this time had a huge backlash for her.

At this moment, her whole body was sluggish, and she seemed to be unable to stand still. She could only hold the devil's sickle on the ground, and barely stood there. She was extremely weak, but her eyes showed persistence.

This look made Xu Qing feel that he had seen it before for some reason.

Just when Xu Qing was tracing his memory and looking for this familiar source, Zhang Siyun saw his failure, and his heart was filled with rage. He stared at Xu Qing, then raised his head on the stairs, looked at the sword holder in the sky, and spoke loudly.

"Xu Qing slandered me and interfered with my trial. This matter..."

"I'll explain this to you on behalf of my junior brother, Zhang Siyun, I'm sorry, it turned out to be a misunderstanding. You are a good person." The captain blinked, took Zhang Siyun's words, and spoke with a serious expression. He spoke to the breathless Qingqiu.

"Fellow Daoist Qingqiu, what do you think?"

Qingqiu hated mad dogs and ghost hands, but she also knew that this matter was related to her ranking, so she spoke coldly.

"I also think it's a misunderstanding, Zhang Siyun, I'm sorry, you are a good person."

Obviously they all said they were sorry, but the anger in Zhang Siyun's heart did not dissipate at all. Instead, it turned into a deep sense of grievance, and he was about to speak.

But in the left wing array of the sky, the middle-aged man who had read out the list before stepped out now.

He bowed to the great elder holding the sword and noticed that the great elder had no judgment on the matter below. As someone who has been with the great elder for a long time, he naturally understood the great elder's thoughts. He was the one who was speaking to the great elder holding the sword that day. In front of the altar, the person who went to check Xu Qing's identity also thought of the way the great elder looked at Xu Qing that day.

So he turned around and looked at the stairs, and a solemn voice came from his mouth, echoing around the world.

"The sword holder will be assessed and the ceremony will be completed."

As soon as the voice came out, in an instant, except for Xu Qing and the other three people on the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine colorful stairs, the figures of the others disappeared instantly. They were moved by a vast force and were driven directly out of the steps and appeared on the ground. .

The same is true for Zhang Siyun.

He clenched his fist fiercely, his eyes were bloodshot, and his heart was filled with strong resentment. Next to him, Ning Yan, a young boy from Xiaozong, who had attacked Xu Qing in Li Youzhu at the beginning of Taichu, looked pale at the moment. His expression was full of bitterness, but deep in his eyes, there was still a trace of desire.

Most of the others are like this too, and there is a desire in the bitterness, because they still have a chance!

But no matter how unwilling these people were and how their emotions fluctuated in their hearts, at this moment, no one paid attention to them, and all eyes fell on the sacred stairs.

There were only three people, Xu Qing, the captain, and Hong Nu.

"This time, three people have been selected to hold the sword. They are Xu Qing, Chen Erniu, and Qingqiu. Congratulations."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he looked at Xu Qing and the others, his eyes resting on Xu Qing the most, then he clasped his fists and bowed to them.

Then all the sword holders around him bowed in the same manner, with serious expressions.

This is the greeting of worship, regardless of age or inferiority. It is the respect that every sword holder enjoys when he or she enters the ceremony.

Xu Qing and the other three looked solemn, and bowed back to the sword-holders in the sky.

"From today on, the three of you will officially become sword bearers." In the sky, the middle-aged man who read these words spoke calmly.

"According to the decision of the Sword Holding Court, Ning Yan, a disciple of the human race, has been granted special qualifications to hold the sword. He is allowed to go to the Sword Holding Palace in Shangjun for training. If he succeeds, he will receive the command sword and become an official sword holder."

"According to the order from the Sword Holding Palace, the human disciple Zhang Siyun is exempted from taking the exam to become a sword wielder. However, there are only three imperial swords in Yinghuang Province. You need to go to the Sword Holding Palace in Fenghai County to get the sword by yourself."

"Now, you two come forward."

As soon as the words came out, Ning Yan's figure rushed out and jumped quickly towards the stairs in front. While running, there was a strong light in his eyes, his breathing was rapid, and his body was trembling.

Everyone on the earth was in shock, while other testers sighed helplessly.

What they were waiting for was this opportunity to make an exception. Every time a sword holder was selected, there would be such an exception.

Although not all would-be sword holders will be able to successfully seal themselves in Shangjun in the end, this is at least an opportunity.

Only Zhang Siyun was still full of resentment in his heart. At this moment, he took a step forward and stepped onto the stairs. He and Ning Yan reached the highest height one after another, but their positions were on the edge.

Xu Qing turned his head calmly and glanced at Ning Yan.

Under his gaze, Ning Yan shrank his head and his heart trembled. The previous ecstasy was like a basin of cold water being poured on his head at this moment, and he did not dare to look into Xu Qing's eyes.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhang Siyun again. What he saw was the coldness deep in Zhang Siyun's eyes.

Xu Qing's face was expressionless, and there was no wave in his eyes. He withdrew his gaze and looked calmly at the sky, waiting for the end of this ceremony.

"Now, the five of you will walk towards the statue of the emperor under the witness of all the sword holders, take the sword holder's heartfelt oath, and receive the emperor's blessing." The middle-aged voice slowly came out, solemn at this moment, More intense.

It seems that this link is extremely important to the sword holder.

"This is the last and necessary link to become a sword holder. Under the gaze of the Emperor, you must concentrate on everything, follow your own heart, and answer the Emperor's questions in your mind."

"We don't know your answers. Only you and the Emperor know. And the Emperor's statue will emit brilliant light based on your answers."

"The height of Huaguang represents the Emperor's recognition of your answer. Throughout the ages, the sword holder with the least Huaguang in the Imperial State has gained sixty feet of light spread, and the one with the most has reached over a thousand feet."

As the voice of the middle-aged monk spread in the sky, the captain secretly winked at Xu Qing. In this solemn occasion, he still had the courage to send a message to Xu Qing.

"Little Aqing, I know this level. I say it's a blessing, but in fact it's all confusing."

"Let me tell you, this level has two purposes. One is to finally check whether it is really a human race, and the other is just like taking an oath. When the time comes, the statue of the Great Emperor will ask us questions in the mind, and we will brag."

"This achievement does not affect our identity as sword holders, and there is no reward. At most, it is just face."

"But you have to think about how to brag. After all, it won't affect you, but I heard that it will be recorded in our resume, which will be useful when we get promoted in the future."

"So you have to think about it, but I'm different."

"I have been preparing for this for a long time. After I came to Yinghuang Prefecture, I spent a lot of money to buy all the questions that the emperor had asked for thousands of years. I tried my best to get them from other prefectures, a total of one thousand, seven hundred and eighty. Nine Frequently Asked Questions.”

"At that time, your senior brother and I had already begun to think about my words with great foresight. I had already memorized all the answers, and every one of them was perfect!"

"Hmph, you won just now, but this time, I can announce in advance that I will shine the brightest."

The captain was proud and raised his eyebrows at Xu Qing, looking like he was strategizing and extremely wise.

Xu Qing ignored it.

He doesn't care about the height of Huaguang. Since it doesn't affect the identity of the sword holder, and there is no reward. It's just a false name, so he can answer everything according to his heart.

While Xu Qing was thinking this, the solemn voice in the sky resounded throughout the sky.

"Wait, come forward a hundred feet!"

Xu Qing raised his head and stepped forward. Everyone else did the same, stepping forward a hundred feet, getting closer to the statue of the Great Emperor.