I followed Zheng Chen through the winding corridors, the air carrying a faint mingling of sandalwood and spiritual energy. The closer we drew to the Repository Pavilion, the more pronounced that scent became — as though each breath carried the sweet richness of pure qi.

"Senior Ethan, the Repository Pavilion is just ahead." Zheng Chen slowed his pace and stepped to the side, gesturing for me to proceed first. He had long since become a core disciple of the Azure Dragon Hall, and his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation wrapped him in a faint, gossamer aura of cyan light — yet in my presence, he maintained his respectful bearing without exception.

I gave a slight nod, my gaze settling on the great door ahead, carved from a single block of ink jade. The panels bore no ornamental carvings, yet spiritual energy flowed across them in effortless, natural waves, like a great beast in slumber — merely approaching was enough to feel the crushing weight of its pressure.

"This gate was forged from ten-thousand-year ink jade," Zheng Chen explained when he noticed my gaze. "It possesses an innate divine ability called 'Heart Discernment.' Anyone whose intentions are impure will suffer a backlash the moment they draw near." As he spoke, he produced a token engraved with the pattern of an azure dragon, channelled spiritual energy into it, and pressed it against the door panel.

Hmmm——

A low, resonant hum rose from the ink jade gate. Intricate runes bloomed across its surface, and then the two halves slowly parted, revealing the world within.

The interior of the Repository Pavilion was far more vast than I had imagined. No matter how far I looked, there was no end in sight. Tens of thousands of jade shelves stood in orderly rows, laden with spirit artifacts of every conceivable kind — spirit tools, jade slips, spiritual materials. Some blazed with brilliant light; others were plain and unassuming, yet radiated a faint, heart-trembling pressure all the same. The spiritual energy in the air was so dense it verged on liquefaction, pooling into wisps of white mist that drifted along the floor.

"Senior Ethan, the meteoric iron slab you are looking for is in the corner of Section Bing." Zheng Chen led me between the jade shelves. Attendant cultivators stationed throughout the pavilion came forward to offer salutes as we passed, their eyes catching on me with a mixture of curiosity and reverence.

The deeper we ventured, the higher the grade of the stored treasures. I noticed a flying sword resting upright in a jade stand, arcs of thunder coiling ceaselessly around its blade.

"Here we are, Senior Ethan." Zheng Chen stopped at an inconspicuous corner and pointed to a black iron slab resting on the lowest tier of a jade shelf.

I crouched down and examined the so-called meteoric iron slab carefully. It was roughly the size of an adult's palm, its surface pitted and uneven, its colour a deep, lightless black. At first glance it looked like nothing more than a chunk of scrap iron — small wonder it had been filed away as a smelting material and left forgotten in a corner.

System, scan this meteoric iron, I commanded inwardly.

Ding! Resonance detected with a homologous energy signature! Target: Spirit Treasure Fragment — Sword Body (anterior section). Compatibility with host's War-Surge Blade meteoric iron anvil plate (sword body, medial section): 85%! Contains residual Dao Ancestor Sword Intent.

The system's chime sent a jolt through my chest. As I had suspected — a homologous fragment. And it was the sword tip at that.

Suppressing the surge of excitement, I slowly extended my hand. The instant my fingertip made contact with the iron slab, everything changed.

Hmmm——

The iron slab, dull and lightless a moment before, erupted in a blaze of dark-gold radiance — several times more brilliant than the meteoric iron anvil plate I carried. Within that light, countless profound sword-patterns flickered in and out of existence, writhing and weaving across the surface of the iron like living things, forming a vast and majestic map of the Sword Dao.

"This — what is happening?!" Zheng Chen cried out, shock flooding his eyes. At late-stage Foundation Establishment, he could naturally sense the terrifying sword intent that had surged forth without warning. The supreme pressure contained within it was enough to fill him with involuntary awe.

I did not answer. Instead, I channelled more spiritual energy into my fingertip. In that same instant, the meteoric iron anvil plate at my waist began to resonate in kind, emitting a low, continuous hum. The dark-gold runes on the anvil plate and the sword-patterns on the iron slab reached toward each other across the distance, forming an invisible bridge between the two.

Ding! Resonance between the two fragments detected. Dao Ancestor Sword Intent is merging. Current fusion level: 10%... 20%...

As the fusion percentage climbed, the spiritual energy throughout the entire Repository Pavilion began to surge wildly, drawn into a great vortex centred on myself and the iron slab. The spirit artifacts that had rested silently on their shelves thrummed and keened as one, as though paying reverence to a sovereign.

"Senior Ethan, what — what exactly is this thing?" Zheng Chen's voice held a faint tremor. He had never witnessed anything so uncanny.

I drew a slow breath and withdrew my hand. The radiance on the iron slab gradually receded — yet its dark-gold undertone could no longer be concealed. The sword-patterns had retreated, but they had left faint traces etched into the surface, as though they had always been there.

"Zheng Chen, I have need of this piece of meteoric iron. I will be taking it with me." My tone was composed, though an inner tempest raged beneath the surface. Two fragments confirmed. Then where in the world was the third?

Zheng Chen looked at me, then at the iron slab now breathing with its quiet, mysterious aura. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "If Senior Ethan has need of it, then of course there is no issue. I will go and register it now."

He returned shortly, holding a yellow jade slip, which he had me press a drop of blood onto — the formality required to complete the retrieval procedure.

"Senior Ethan, the Director has instructed that if you require anything at all, you are welcome to come to me at any time." Zheng Chen handed me the jade slip, something more complex now residing in his gaze. He was plainly brimming with questions about the strange phenomenon he had just witnessed — but he had the good sense not to voice a single one.

End of Chapter 70: The Meteoric Iron Fragment