Trial Part 4

"I won!" Laying down on the ground on his back, Li Xian finally let off his sword and the laughter burst out of his mouth "Hahaha! I won. I won. I freaking won."

"I...…. won!" At this moment, tears gushed out of his eyes. He was happy, a dream to chase the sword was accomplished. Soon, he calmed down and muttered "I almost died. But I lived and I will live. I will till I accomplish my goal."

Li Xian tried to move his body and stand up. But suddenly, pain struck his nerve and he stopped moving. As his heart calm down, he shouted again with rage "But...…. Old man, where the hell are you? Come and help me!"

"Boy, I thought you would cry more. I didn't want to come and find you in a pathetic crying situation." Soon, a white fog appeared inside the room, and the old man emerged out of the white fog. But this time, he wasn't white fog.

His body was more human-like. He was an old man with wrinkles on his face. His hairs and beard were white. He looked at Li Xian covered in blood and spoke.

"Hey, I was really an idiot when I said the trial was so easy. You made a boy who only has sword aura fight against a Junior Martial Artist Third Stage powerhouses. I mean what were you even thinking when you build this trial." Li Xian chuckled with blood on his face and asked.

"This trial was supposed to be such trial. You haven't seen the horror of true geniuses in this world. If you were lucky enough to survive and get stronger, you find there are countless geniuses more talented than you in terms of sword dao, not to mention sword cultivation where you are complete trash."

Although his words stabbed right into his heart, he didn't think too much. He knew it couldn't change. His talent for sword cultivation is not equal to the talent of sword dao, not just equal, not even a percent close.

"Boy, open your mouth!" The old man shook his head and yelled.

Li Xian didn't understand his actions but still opened his mouth. Suddenly, a green round thumb-size pill entered his body. When it entered his body, it instantly melts in his throat. When it melted on his throat, warm energy burst out of it.

This warm energy entered his veins. Mixed up with his blood, it traveled throughout his body and slowly near his spine, few veins combined. These veins combined with a strange force that kept creating a vortex at the middle of these veins.

Time slowly passes, Li Xian stayed silent without asking a single question. Finally, after fifteen minutes, he found his wounds were completely healed. But the question in his heart still remained. Did he awaken Sword Meridian?

"Strange, strange, your talent for Sword Dao is very high. But how come you have no talent for sword cultivation?" The old man who had found every single detail in his body spoke. His eyes were a little down and gloomy. He felt pity at Li Xian when he found the details in his body.

But his words were like thunderbolts to Li Xian. At this moment, Li Xian's expression was completely blank. His eyes turned red and tears fell down his cheeks. He rose up a little and sat down on the ground.

His hands moved forward and his palm faced the sky. Tears fell on these hands as these hands smashed on his face wide open. Pulling his hands down, he looked at the top and roared. Tears were still falling down his cheeks.

"Why?"

The old man who was completely sunk on his own thought woke up with Li Xian's roar. He looked at crying Li Xian and immediately understood. He rushed near and spoke "Boy, I didn't mean you don't have any talent for sword cultivation. I just mean your talent is really bad."

"Even with Virtual Sword Meridian Pill, you only awakened a Profound Rank Meridian. And yes, you only awakened one meridian. It is the lowest talent but it is still better than the most. As long as you practice hard, you can improve your cultivation and increase your lifespan."

Hearing his words, those tears suddenly stopped. Li Xian rubbed his eyes with his forearm and muttered "Damn you old man! Curse you for making a swordsman cry!"

Although he was unhappy, he was relieved for having sword meridian. He knew the difference between having sword meridian and not having sword meridian. If he has sword meridians, there would be lots of opportunities to improve his cultivation realm.

He could perfect the cultivation techniques. He could find many resources. He could try life and death battles to enhance the chance of a breakthrough and get stronger. Getting stronger, he could search for resources that could literally improve his talent.

If it was before, he might not believe it. But now he understands there are some rare treasures that can improve his talent just like Virtual Sword Meridians Pill. While he was falling into deep thoughts, the old man spoke "Boy, I know you have a powerful talent for sword dao."

"After watching your fight, there is one thing that I would like to point you out. Life is significant. If you lose it, you will never ever get a single chance to do what you want to do, to achieve what your dreams are, and to protect people dear to you."

"You are starting your life from this moment on. You will face many challenges, many life, and death situations, and many heartbreaking moments. In these challenges, if you give up. It doesn't matter. You lose something, then you can back and restart."

"The best thing about cultivation is restart. It doesn't matter whether you are a hundred old or sixteen, if you have a chance you can restart and change your life as you want. This is something a mortal can't achieve. His life is dependent on his continuous journey."

"Of course, until forty or fifty, he can fails several times and get up and try harder. But after that, there is no meaning. Even if there are some people, these people will live the life till hundred old men and eventually die. They just have two days of life where they can enjoy themselves to the fullest."

"But for us, cultivators have such life forever. If you can continue cultivation, then there might a stage or realm where you will never die. And that is something you should for. It might not be your dream but it is the goal of every cultivator in this world."

"That fight wasn't worth living. No, it might be worth your life from your perspective. But I can see something greater, something better inside of you and that is something that makes this fight meaningless."

"So, if you ever get into such situations, think and think and think, and think to decide whether your choice to fight was right or not? Because if it's not worth it and you die. You will lose power, status, wealth, love, pleasure, cultivation, and your dreams."

"Everything that you love and everything that you yearn for would no longer be with you. You have chosen the affectionate swordsman. It's all about protecting your loved but if you die then you'll never be able to protect them."

"Even if you want to get back, and protect them, you can't. Because you would be dead at that moment. Remember your life is precious, so don't give up your life for meaningless situations."

Finally, the old man turned silent. He sighed and floated in the air while Li Xian fell into deep thought. He didn't realize his choice was foolish. But suddenly, a trace of determination flash in his eyes and he slowly got up.

"Elder, thank you very much for giving me this chance. Although it might not be worth it in your eyes, it's something that has changed my destiny. Sometimes, I questioned myself about my life. But the only answer that I get was 'to fight'."

"Fight, endless fight, cultivation is all about fighting. You fight for strength, you fight wealth, and you fight for resources. Everyone is fighting and I want to fight as well. Because I don't want to die. If I remain weak if I remain coward, and if I remain helpless. I will never succeed."

"I must fight for everything I desire. For now, my desire to talent. And for talent, I must fight. Because if I become a coward while fighting for something that I desire, I will never be a swordsman that wants to point his sword at the world and ask for defeat."

"Hahaha! Wahahaha! Wahahaha"

"Ask for defeat! Ask for defeat! A swordsman who wants to ask for defeat." Suddenly, the old man's clone shone in an old light. Slowly, it changed. The old man changed into a completely middle-aged handsome man.

He was tall, toned, and handsome. His clothes were the same as other elders of the sect and there was a sword in his waist. His eyes gazed at Li Xian and said "Boy, you are right. We swordsmen must fight. When I cultivated my sword, I only challenged people who were equal as me and now my sword was stuck."

"It was a simple truth that I couldn't find. I always thought life was precious but I forget what I chose was a ruthless Kendo. Boy, the sword is just a beginning, Kendo is the final form. When you realize the ultimate sword, you would need to search for Kendo."

"Since you are asking for defeat, I will ask for death. Boy, train your ultimate affectionate kendo and when you reach your dream, find me. Let's have the battle between Affectionate Kendo and Ruthless Kendo."

Slowly his body began disappearing. Li Xian looked at everything with shock. Suddenly, his face twitched when the middle-aged man's face reappeared and he spoke.

"By the way boy, there is a ring at the corner of the room. I have stored all working treasures from previous participants into it. Bye, bye, kid, don't die otherwise world will be boring."