The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

After Lu Sangjiu and Xie Ningyuan moved away from the others, she closed her eyes and focused on searching for the aura of the Domination Map.

Unfortunately, the Sword Tomb was filled with Spirit Swords and suppressed by the Muxian Sword. The Domination Map itself might have also been sealed, making it extremely difficult for Lu Sangjiu to sense its location.

After a moment of effort, she could only open her eyes in disappointment.

”It’s no use. My Divine Sense can’t detect the Domination Map’s location... We’ll just have to search for it slowly.”

Xie Ningyuan saw the sweat on her forehead and gently wiped it away with his sleeve. ”Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. As long as we know it’s here, I’ll find another chance to come back and get it for you, even if we fail this time.”

There was nothing offensive or intimate in his gesture, so Lu Sangjiu didn’t pull away.

She just glanced up at him and shook her head. ”Even for you, finding another opportunity would be difficult, wouldn’t it? Besides... even if you did find it, the Domination Map might not acknowledge you.”

Although the Domination Map hadn’t yet developed a Sword Spirit, it already had a consciousness of its own, and its personality was fiercely untamable.

Forget Xie Ningyuan—even she, in her current state, wasn’t very confident.

After all, her body had been remade and the aura of her Divine Soul had changed. Even things like the Devouring Spirit Sand from her old immortal cave had to be subjugated anew, so there was no guarantee the Domination Map would still recognize her.

’So... I can’t pin my hopes on Xie Ningyuan. This is my only chance.’

”Let’s split up to search. The Sword Tomb isn’t that large, so we’ll have time to regroup if either of us finds anything.”

Xie Ningyuan considered it for a moment. Believing there wasn’t much danger here, he nodded and said, ”Alright, but be careful of the Sword Qi.”

Lu Sangjiu grunted in agreement. ”It’ll take more than that to give me trouble.”

With that, the two separated and continued their search within the Sword Tomb.

Lu Sangjiu’s power and talent were both exceptional, so as she walked through the Sword Tomb, she was often met with the humming of Spirit Swords calling out to her.

But unfortunately, each person could only take one sword from the Sword Tomb. Even when impatient swords flew toward her of their own accord, she had to carefully dodge them and make absolutely sure not to touch them.

As Lu Sangjiu walked, she continuously scanned the vicinity with her Divine Sense but still found no trace of the Domination Map.

Before long, she heard the sudden ring of a sword from within the Sword Tomb. Turning her head, she saw a brilliant flare of light in the distance.

Looking closer, she realized it was Yang Cheng, who had found his Spirit Sword.

’A Mid-grade Treasure... The quality isn’t bad.’

Lu Sangjiu saw from afar that the Spirit Sword was flaring with brilliant light, while Yang Cheng had unleashed his full aura, striving to subjugate it.

The sword was clearly something special, causing a minor commotion in its small corner of the tomb.

Fortunately, Yang Cheng was also quite powerful, and it wasn’t long before he completely subjugated it by his own strength.

She saw him grasp the Spirit Sword in his hand. The sword, which had seemed somewhat defiant, shed its dazzling white light, becoming restrained and docile.

Soon after, Yang Cheng’s figure vanished from the Sword Tomb.

’So that’s it... He chose his Spirit Sword and was ejected from the Sword Tomb.’

After that, two more of the top three from the Golden Core Stage also chose their swords.

As time passed, the remaining people grew increasingly anxious, having failed to find their own Spirit Swords.

Lu Sangjiu felt a surge of anxiety, too. She and Xie Ningyuan had scoured nearly every corner of the Sword Tomb but had found neither the Domination Map Blade nor the Muxian Sword.

Others were clearly also after the Muxian Sword. Finally, one of them lost his patience and questioned aloud, ”Don’t tell me the Gold and Silver Gate was just lying? Where is this Muxian Sword?”

”Damn it! I think the Gold and Silver Gate has just been using the Muxian Sword as a gimmick to attract cultivators. It’s all a fake!”

The speaker was the first-place winner of the Golden Core Group, a cultivator from the Golden Elephant Sect.

It was unclear if it was because he was a Body Cultivator and had a weaker connection to Spirit Swords, or if he had only ever been interested in the Muxian Sword from the start, looking down on all the others.

In any case, while the second and third-place winners had already claimed their Spirit Swords and left, he still had nothing to show for his efforts.

Growing more anxious as time ticked by, he muttered a few coarse curses, then his strength suddenly surged, and he slammed a fist directly into the ground.

The punch was immensely powerful, and though it struck the ground, the surrounding Spirit Swords were inevitably caught in the shockwave.

Though they weren’t in danger of being destroyed, they all began to hum and vibrate, as if crying out in pain.

Seeing this, the Body Cultivator from the Golden Elephant Sect burst into excited laughter. ”Some Sword Tomb! All these Spirit Swords, and not one can withstand a single punch from me!”

He wouldn’t dare actually destroy the swords, but he had no problem punching the ground a few more times to vent his frustration.

And so, for a time, all the Spirit Swords around him suffered while he, on the other hand, was having a grand time.

Lu Sangjiu wasn’t too far away and naturally heard the commotion. She was utterly speechless.

She was just thinking of moving farther away when, at that exact moment, she suddenly sensed a powerful strand of Sword Qi hurtling toward the Golden Elephant Sect cultivator!

Lu Sangjiu froze, whipping her head around to shout at the cultivator, ”Watch out!”

The Golden Elephant Sect cultivator didn’t quite register what was happening. He subconsciously looked back, and just as he was about to speak, he too felt the danger approaching. His expression changed instantly as he retreated again and again, activating all his defenses.

Almost simultaneously, the strand of Sword Qi slammed into his Protective Shield, letting out a tremendous ROAR.

The sound immediately drew the attention of everyone else left in the Sword Tomb, and they couldn’t help but stop and turn to look.

Fortunately, the Golden Elephant Sect cultivator was, after all, a Body Cultivator with powerful defenses. Despite the massive impact, he wasn’t seriously injured. Now, he was cursing up a storm, his voice booming.

But Lu Sangjiu’s attention was no longer on him at all. When that strand of Sword Qi had appeared, she was sure she had sensed the aura of the Domination Map!

’That Sword Qi just now... it seemed to come from... over there!’

She immediately sprinted in that direction, but the trace of the Domination Map’s aura she had just sensed was now gone.

Just then, the Body Cultivator from the Golden Elephant Sect, clearly even angrier for having been struck, couldn’t stop himself from punching the ground again after a string of curses.

His action seemed to provoke the displeasure of some entity, as another powerful strand of Sword Qi appeared, heading straight for the Body Cultivator.

This strand of Sword Qi was clearly more powerful than the last. Despite having all his defenses active, the Body Cultivator was still injured and fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

But Lu Sangjiu had no mind to watch him, because this time, she had completely pinpointed it... ’There!’

Lu Sangjiu’s gaze was fixed on an unremarkable, downright ugly Spirit Sword on the ground as she recalled the description of the Muxian Sword from the book.

’The Muxian Sword disguises itself, sealed away among a thousand blades. Though it seems ordinary, a person with true destiny will be able to see its extraordinariness.’

’Could it be... that this ugly Spirit Sword before me is the Muxian Sword in disguise?’