After Being Reborn, I Refuse To Be The Holy Son Of The Sect Anymore

Chapter 22:

Within the Azure Sun Secret Realm, below the Sword Platform, Xiao Yang stepped decisively onto the first step.

The moment his right foot touched the step, an invisible pressure descended upon him.

It was a familiar pressure, a familiar staircase, a familiar Sword Platform, and the same sword that had pierced his heart in his previous life.

In that life, he had died beneath the Azure Sun Sword.

The old man guarding the swords watched Xiao Yang nervously.

In the Azure Sun Sword Sect, the Holy Son was groomed to be the next sect master. However, being the Holy Son didn’t guarantee the position.

Just like in the previous sect master’s succession, the former Holy Son had failed to claim the title.

That was because Jiang Qitian had drawn the Azure Sun Sword.

The rule was simple: whoever could draw the Azure Sun Sword would become the next sect master. If no one succeeded, the Holy Son would inherit the position by default.

Now, if Xiao Yang, as the Holy Son, could draw the Azure Sun Sword, it would be a perfect resolution for everyone.

The last succession struggle had left the Azure Sun Sword Sect severely weakened.

If such a conflict happened again, the sect might not recover.

When the old man snapped out of his thoughts, Xiao Yang had already climbed twelve steps.

By then, the pressure on him had increased significantly.

The formations on the Sword Platform had been activated, but Xiao Yang continued climbing steadily.

“This boy is no ordinary talent. The moment he meets an elder like me, he transforms into a dragon!”

The old man watched Xiao Yang’s back with a mix of astonishment and joy.

Xiao Yang soon reached the thirty-third step, where the pressure enveloping him had increased by at least tenfold.

The Sword Platform was now drawing upon the spiritual energy of the entire secret realm.

Sword marks began to emerge on the platform, releasing an even more intense pressure.

At this point, Xiao Yang felt as though an invisible mountain were pressing down on him. With each step he took, the weight on him grew heavier.

“I’ve mastered the tenth level of Sword Intent. I refuse to believe I can’t reach the top!”

Xiao Yang released his Sword Intent, instantly reducing the pressure on him.

He remembered that in his previous life, Qin Fei had managed to ascend the Sword Platform and draw the Azure Sun Sword because he had reached the Divine Martial Realm and mastered Sword Intent before Xiao Yang.

Why had Qin Fei surpassed him?

Because the sect master, Jiang Qitian, had sent his favored disciple, Qin Fei, into the secret realm, bending the rules for him.

Jiang Qitian never made such exceptions for Xiao Yang.

It was blatant favoritism.

Everyone favored Qin Fei.

In this life, Xiao Yang had used the opportunity created by Li Xingyao’s challenge at Azure Sun Mountain to secure his entry into the secret realm.

Qin Fei truly was a prodigy, born with an innate Dao body, the chosen one.

But what Xiao Yang had fought tooth and nail for, Qin Fei had obtained effortlessly.

Xiao Yang refused to accept it.

In both his past and present lives, he refused to submit.

Why?

Why should it be that way?

Ascending the Sword Platform and drawing the Celestial Sword?

In his previous life, Qin Fei had done it. In this life, Xiao Yang would do it too.

Xiao Yang climbed steadily, neither hurried nor delayed.

Before long, he reached the fiftieth step.

His entire body radiated Sword Intent, now at the third level.

Thirty-one steps remained.

Xiao Yang looked upward without stopping, his steps firm and steady.

At the sixtieth step, he was forced to unleash his fourth-level Sword Intent.

“How does he know that Sword Intent can counteract the platform’s pressure?”

Below the platform, the old man guarding the swords looked up at Xiao Yang in confusion.

Climbing the Sword Platform relied on Sword Intent, a key trial for those attempting to ascend.

The closer one got to the top, the greater the pressure.

When Xiao Yang reached the seventy-ninth step, he finally stopped.

Even his ninth-level Sword Intent could no longer withstand the immense pressure of the platform.

“If that’s the case, I’ll go all out!”

Xiao Yang raised his head and let out a resounding roar.

A sword mark appeared on his forehead as he unleashed his tenth-level Sword Intent.

Buzz!

At that moment, countless swords within the secret realm began to tremble.

Even the Azure Sun Sword embedded in the platform vibrated, emitting dragon-like hums.

“The resonance of ten thousand swords—it really is you!”

The old man guarding the swords watched Xiao Yang excitedly.

However, he quickly activated the forbidden land’s formations, sealing the Sword Intent radiating from Xiao Yang within the area.

The old man didn’t want to cause a stir or let others know that Xiao Yang was the prodigy who had once triggered the resonance of ten thousand swords.

Xiao Yang stepped onto the eightieth step.

It felt as though his entire body was on the verge of collapsing under the unimaginable pressure of the platform.

“You want me to bow?”

Xiao Yang’s gaze locked onto the sword embedded at the center of the platform.

“In this life, whether it’s people or swords, I’ll never bow my head!”

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes turned bloodshot. Summoning every ounce of his strength, he lifted his right leg.

Lifting that foot felt like hoisting a mountain. His leg was unimaginably heavy, and his whole body trembled from exertion.

Below the platform, the old man clenched his fists, staring at Xiao Yang with unblinking eyes.

“Almost there…”

“Come on, boy, give it one last push!”

The old man’s excitement was palpable.

If Xiao Yang could take this step, he’d be halfway to success.

Ascending the platform was only the first step in drawing the sword.

If one couldn’t even climb the platform, there was no chance of drawing the sword.

Xiao Yang, now barely able to stand, found his tenth-level Sword Intent almost ineffective against the platform’s pressure.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for him.

But when his right foot landed on the eighty-first step, all the pressure on him vanished in an instant.

Xiao Yang let out a long breath, feeling as light as a feather.

“Refreshing!”

Unable to contain himself, he roared in triumph.

Striding forward, he reached the Azure Sun Sword, gripped its hilt firmly, and pulled with all his might.

The Azure Sun Sword didn’t budge.

“Huh?”

Xiao Yang froze, then began applying more strength.

Even when he used all his power, the sword embedded in the platform remained immovable, as though it had fused with the stone.

“So, you refuse to be drawn by the Azure Sun Sword Technique?”

Xiao Yang’s lips curled into a smile.

He switched to the Futian Sword Control Technique.

Unlike conventional sword techniques, the Futian Sword Control Technique used the person to command the sword, not the sword to guide the person.

Without hesitation, Xiao Yang activated it.

In an instant, the Azure Sun Sword trembled violently in his grasp.

This sword, which had killed him in his previous life, seemed to fear him now.

The sword was afraid of him?