Chapter 652: Chapter 652: Wandering Soul

On the outskirts of Qingyun Town, there was a dense forest where three people were running through at top speed. Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi seemed to be trying to test Song Jian, without slowing down their pace.

However, to their surprise, Song Jian’s running speed was hardly slower than theirs, keeping only two or three steps behind them.

Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi exchanged glances, both seeing the astonishment in each other’s eyes.

Although the two of them were not speed-type Swordmasters, their physical fitness had greatly increased after reaching the first level of Combat Power, which ordinary warriors could not match.

What they didn’t know was that although Song Jian had not reached the first level of Combat Power, his physical fitness was only slightly worse than theirs. With the attribute bonus from his Ant Emperor Ancestor Set, there wasn’t much difference between their body attributes. In some individual attributes such as strength and agility, Song Jian’s were even slightly higher;

Though Song Jian’s equipment had been unlocked in the equipment column, it could be hidden, leaving no trace on the surface, and even someone using Mental Strength to search for it would find no sign of it.

However, the downside was that in this world, Song Jian could not obtain any attribute bonus from his equipment, and could only use them as if they were cosmetic items.

The further they ran, the heavier Song Jian’s heart became, as they were running straight towards the Sword Control Hall;

“I must have terrible luck. The ancient ruins they discovered might be the Sword Control Hall!” Song Jian thought to himself.

After acquiring the map, Song Jian had been preparing to explore the ancient ruins of the Sword Control Hall and making the Great Sun Golden Light Sword Array for that purpose.

He had not expected that his two senior brothers would discover the Sword Control Hall before he was ready.

“The ancient ruins we’re exploring this time are an abandoned hall. There are countless monsters around the hall, as if they were endless. We fought for three days and nights before, but we couldn’t kill them all.” Chang Qinghe said to Song Jian while running beside him, “Inside the abandoned hall, there’s an imposing aura with divine lights shining from within. There must be plenty of treasures!”

“Junior Brother, if I set my sights on any treasure, you can’t fight me for it!” Jian Qi glanced at Song Jian and said loudly.

“No, if it’s something my senior brothers want, I’ll back down!” Song Jian smiled.

“Hehe, wise choice!” Jian Qi’s face showed a satisfied smile.

Chang Qinghe also smiled slightly at Song Jian’s words. They had brought him along not only because of their master’s order but also because Song Jian was weaker than them and would not fight for any treasure with them.

Otherwise, anyone would be unhappy if a treasure that originally had to be shared among two people now had to be shared among three.

“Don’t worry, Junior Brother. If we find anything suitable for you, we’ll let you have it!” Chang Qinghe assured him with a smile.

Song Jian smiled and said nothing. His current goal was to complete the assessment and improve his strength along the way.

Just being able to learn about Sword Formations here was a bounty in itself. Since his senior brothers had discovered these ruins earlier, he wouldn’t hold any illusions about them.

If it weren’t for the similarity between the name of these ruins and his “Sword Controller” occupation, Song Jian might not have even followed them here.

Soon, the three of them passed through the forest, crossed a lake, and arrived in a hilly area.

Deep within the hills, there was a half-buried hall surrounded by hundreds of ghost-like monsters that wandered around it;

“These are the monsters. As long as we get close to the ruins, they’ll attack us furiously…” Chang Qinghe pointed ahead and frowned.

Song Jian was now sure that these ruins were the same ones marked as “Sword Control Hall” on the map. The entire hall was almost buried in sand and stone. It was difficult to notice its existence unless one looked closely. His two senior brothers might not even know that this hall was the Sword Control Hall;

“So, shall we eliminate these ghosts first?” Song Jian asked.

“Of course, we won’t be able to enter the ruins without killing them,” Jian Qi added immediately. “But to kill them, we have to work together.”

“Eldest Senior Brother will deal with the ghosts in front, I’ll deal with the ones on the left, and the right ones will be left to Junior Brother, how about that?” Jian Qi turned his head and asked Song Jian.

Song Jian looked at the dense ghosts ahead, a slight smile spreading across his face, and nodded, “No problem, leave it to me.”

Seeing Song Jian agree, Chang Qinghe and Jian Qi exchanged glances, seemingly relieved;

“Remember not to be greedy, don’t go too deep, and if you’re in danger, just shout for help, and we’ll come to your aid!” Chang Qinghe instructed.

“I know!” Song Jian nodded and went towards the right group of ghosts.

“What do you think? Can he handle that big guy?” Jian Qi whispered as he watched Song Jian’s departing figure.

“Even if he can’t, he should be able to buy us some time. Just one tea’s time will be enough for us to rush into the ruins. After that, whether or not he survives will depend on his luck!” Chang Qinghe’s face darkened as he muttered, staring at Song Jian’s figure.

“We don’t seem like good senior brothers!” Jian Qi suddenly laughed lightly.

“Hmph, good senior brother? Do you think I can’t see through it?” Chang Qinghe said unhappily, “Our master didn’t have good intentions when he accepted him. Have you seen our master teach him anything all this time? He didn’t even reach the first level of combat power when he was thrown into the Sword Array Hall to fend for himself. It’s just that we didn’t expect him to turn things around.”

“It’s really strange. He hadn’t even reached the first level of Combat Power, yet he managed to become an official Sword Array Stone. And I heard he could even independently make Moonlight-grade Sword Array Stones. What an anomaly!”

“That just means his Mental Strength is superior. That’s just his talent. There’s no point in being envious!” Chang Qinghe sighed, “It’s just like Sword Intent. Only one person in the entire Qingyun Sword Sect can have Sword Intent. Dear Junior Brother, if you must blame something, blame yourself for having possession of a valuable treasure.”

“Sword Intent, huh? I haven’t seen what his Sword Intent really looks like yet!” Jian Qi said with a hint of regret.

“Stop daydreaming. Sword Intent is not something we can aspire to!” Chang Qinghe said seriously, “When we go back, just say that something unexpected happened. Our master probably won’t blame us too much.”

“Alright, Senior Brother, let’s get to work, or we’ll regret it if the opportunity arises and we’re hindered by these monsters!”

“Alright, be careful yourself, these ghosts are very difficult to deal with, don’t get overwhelmed by too many…”

After speaking, the two of them charged towards the wandering ghosts outside the hall;

…