Jiang Wuchao followed behind him, still pondering his earlier words.
“Master… in your heart, what is a great cultivator?”
“One who sacrifices oneself for righteousness. To save one person is to save all living beings.”
After speaking, Ling Ningwu turned to Jiang Wuchao and said, “In half a month, we will depart for Xiyuan.”
“Yes. The Sword Master Haofu in Xiyuan Jingtian has been in seclusion for over 1,300 years. There are still no signs of him emerging. Xiyuan Jingtian needs to select a Sword Master to govern all immortal sects. The three major disciples under Sword Master Haofu are in constant dispute, which is not beneficial for opposing the demon forces.”
“The True Lord Faning of Xiyuan has invited renowned immortal sects from all four directions to come, hoping that under their witness, the selection of the Sword Master can be fair, while preventing Haofu’s three major disciples from destroying each other,” Ling Ningwu said.
“Master, please rest assured, this disciple will make proper preparations.”
Meanwhile in the Tailing Pavilion, Kunwu, who had been instructing disciples on elixir refinement, suddenly rushed out the door, summoned the spirit beast Jurao, and flew into the clouds.
He gazed toward Yechuan and let out a breath.
“It seems you have obtained your destined sword. As your senior brother, I don’t want you to bear too much burden, nor do I expect you to care for the world. Just hold this sword and protect your own heart.”
Eighty-one days later, the magma in Zhiye Mountain slowly lifted that sword.
Thunder and lightning flashed in the sky, and a heavy rain fell, moistening the entire cracked and parched Yechuan.
The boiling spirit sea calmed down as if it had been soothed.
That sword slowly floated up, quietly hovering above the spirit sea, with the sky casting its reflection on the spirit sea.
It was impossible to tell whether this sword was in the spirit sea or among the flowing clouds in the sky.
The quieter the spirit sea became, the faster Lu Xiaochan’s heart beat.
Shu Wuxi patted Lushu’s neck, and Lushu flew down, skimming the spirit sea.
Lu Xiaochan leaned down sideways, and in the passing moment, he grabbed that sword.
Shu Wuxi held his waist, preventing him from falling.
The spirit sea rippled as the Wuhen Sword left.
When Lu Xiaochan looked back, he noticed the spirit sea in Zhiye Mountain was gradually disappearing.
Through his wisdom eyes, he could see the spiritual energy spreading throughout Yechuan, flowing into the soil to sprout flowers, grass, and trees, and into ground fissures to bring water sources.
The barren Yechuan suddenly became full of life.
“Where is Immortal Lord Yehua?” Lu Xiaochan asked.
“His concerns are resolved, and his soul has returned to heaven and earth,” Shu Wuxi answered.
Lu Xiaochan lowered his head and gripped the sword tightly.
As if connecting with all living beings, when Lu Xiaochan’s fingers touched the sword tip, the entire sword resonated, producing countless overlapping spiritual rhythms.
His spirit and bloodline seemed to be purified by this sword, making his whole being feel lighter.
This sword was extraordinary.
He had seen Jiang Wuchao’s Minglan Sword and personally touched Ye Linshuang’s Linshuang Sword.
But when he gripped this sword, a voice deep in his heart said:
“I am the sword that belongs to you.”
Lu Xiaochan’s fingers gently caressed the Wuhen Sword’s blade, as if touching his own spirit.
“Brother Wuxi! How come this sword… seems to have no edge?”
Shu Wuxi raised his hand and patted Lu Xiaochan’s head. “No one can sharpen a supreme sword except yourself. When you become enlightened, it will develop its edge.”
“What? I need to become enlightened? Just crack open my skull, and I’ll be enlightened!”
“Don’t fool around.”
Although this sword contained spiritual light that Lu Xiaochan could see with his wisdom eyes, to others, it appeared to be an ordinary sword, and one without an edge at that.
“How silly of Immortal Lord Yehua! Since he forged the blade, why didn’t he properly forge a shaped hilt as well!”
Though Lu Xiaochan complained about this and that, in his heart he deeply respected Immortal Lord Yehua.
He knew that Immortal Lord Yehua was truly an enlightened immortal.
“What kind of hilt would you like?” Shu Wuxi asked.
“Brother Wuxi, where is your sword? Aren’t you a sword cultivator too? Yet I’ve never seen your sword.”
“My sword is left in a far-away place.”
“Then what is your sword hilt like? Does it have carved patterns? Or is it adorned with gems?”
Lu Xiaochan knew that in Shu Wuxi’s view, swords were just for forming arrays and eliminating evil – patterns and gems held no meaning.
But Lu Xiaochan still couldn’t help wanting to know what Shu Wuxi’s sword was like.
“My sword hilt is made from the heart of the Undying Tree, without any patterns or gems.”
“Can I also use the Undying Tree’s heart to make my hilt?”
“There is only one tree heart. If you want it, you can have my sword hilt.”
“Wait! Since it’s already your sword hilt and you’ve used it comfortably for so many years, how can you just give it to me? What if it recognizes its master and stabs my hand?”
“At the edge of Xiyuan, there grows another divine tree called ‘Earth Listener.’ Legend says it’s nourished by all the world’s waterways. Its heart would suit your sword hilt well.”
Shu Wuxi spoke casually, as if he could break or snap divine trees of the world at will.
“The hilt is a small matter, but sharpening is important! Surely I can’t have this sword be useless when people from the Demon Capital arrive?”
“Now that a supreme sword has been completed, how could the Demon Capital not send someone to investigate Yechuan?”
Just as Shu Wuxi finished speaking, Lu Xiaochan saw a large mass of black clouds rolling in heavily from the distant horizon.
“Xiaochan, do you remember the sword formation I used that day on Pengyuan Mountain?”
“Yes! The Sky-Piercing Sword Formation! You guided lightning into the formation – it was so powerful! Are you going to use it again?”
Lu Xiaochan was so excited he could barely sit still on Lushu’s back, eager to see Shu Wuxi demonstrate again!
“No. You will handle these evil clouds.”
“What? Me? How could I possibly?”
“Of course you can. Now that you have your own sword, these evil clouds should be scouts sent by the Demon Capital. Destroying them will end their intention to target your elixir core.”
Shu Wuxi’s hand left Lu Xiaochan’s waist and moved to rest on his shoulder.
“Xiaochan, feel your sword – it is a part of you. Your heartbeat is its heartbeat. Your blood flows through its body. Your elixir sea is its elixir sea. It is your connection to the present world, linking you to all things.”
Facing the approaching evil clouds, Shu Wuxi’s voice remained calm and steady, as if dealing with these clouds was as simple as brewing and tasting tea.
Lu Xiaochan had been somewhat nervous, but with Shu Wuxi beside him, he knew that even if he failed, Shu Wuxi wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
He closed his eyes and channeled his spiritual energy into the Wuhen Sword.
The Wuhen Sword guided his spiritual energy toward the entire world and all things within it.
Shu Wuxi’s palm pressed against Lu Xiaochan’s back as he guided him to borrow power from heaven and earth.
“Brother Wuxi, you borrowed lightning, but my cultivation isn’t advanced enough… I seem to only be good at borrowing water’s power!”
“Water, is water not the strongest force in this world? Gentle enough to nourish all things, fierce enough to move heaven and earth. Water transforms into vapor, vapor becomes clouds, clouds rise and transform into lightning.”
Lu Xiaochan took a breath, and his awareness was guided by the Wuhen Sword. When he opened his eyes again, he discovered water was everywhere in the world.
Whether in the flowing clouds above, the dense yet subtle moisture in the wind, or within flowers, grass, and trees… water was everywhere, which meant the power Lu Xiaochan could borrow was everywhere!
His heart followed his thoughts, spiritual energy racing from the blade to the sword tip, opening a sword formation. Water from all directions was drawn in as if pulled, converging like rivers flowing into the sea, producing a tremendous flowing sound. This sword formation appeared soft and gentle, without any killing intent, and was far less impressive than when Shu Wuxi had guided lightning into his formation that day.
Lu Xiaochan pushed the sword formation outward.
The evil clouds paid no attention to this formation, continuing their massive advance with the momentum to engulf Yechuan.
Lu Xiaochan twisted his mouth, thinking that with Immortal Lord Yehua’s level of cultivation, if this rabble really entered Yechuan, they’d just end up being refined!
Just as the sword formation was about to be swallowed by the surging evil clouds, it suddenly became forceful and strong, rushing forward like great rivers, refining a large mass of evil clouds, with countless pale blue spirit lights falling down.
Lu Xiaochan’s fingers trembled – even his previous medical Sky-Piercing Spell hadn’t possessed such power.
But unexpectedly, with just one sword, the formed sword formation’s power was at least tens or hundreds of times greater than before.
Moreover, even as the formation’s momentum gradually dispersed, it continued refining the evil spirits that couldn’t escape in time.
Lu Xiaochan forcibly refined a huge gap in these evil clouds.
Sunlight fell down, landing on the Wuhen Sword’s tip, making it shine even more brilliantly.
Lu Xiaochan took a breath, completely unable to believe it.
“Just now… was that really my sword formation? Brother Wuxi, did you help me?”
Shu Wuxi raised his hand, brushing Lu Xiaochan’s messy hair behind his ear, and said softly, “Your cultivation is already considerable, and this sword’s power is immense. If it weren’t still unsharpened, refining these evil clouds would be effortless.”
“Being unsharpened just shows my cultivation isn’t advanced enough…”
Lu Xiaochan stroked this sword, feeling immensely joyful. At least when facing evil spirits, he was no longer powerless!
Previously, he had used his wisdom eyes to observe how Shu Wuxi formed arrays, seeing clearly how the spiritual energy circulated within him. Having just received Shu Wuxi’s guidance, even if Lu Xiaochan was just imitating, he could still achieve some results.
That mass of evil clouds suddenly gathered together, becoming deep and heavy – apparently preparing to deal with Lu Xiaochan.
Lu Xiaochan saw countless ghostly wails and wolf howls within these evil clouds, crushing and devouring each other, forming an extremely evil black sphere. Once it swallowed Lu Xiaochan and Shu Wuxi, it would be countless evils devouring together – the consequences unimaginable.
However, Shu Wuxi held Lu Xiaochan’s waist, directly lifted him up, and turned him around to sit facing himself.
“Bro-Brother Wuxi?”
“Look at me,” Shu Wuxi said.
“I am looking!”
“Today I’ll teach you another sword formation – Heaven’s Palace.”
When Lu Xiaochan heard this, he knew it was extraordinary!
Didn’t Heaven’s Palace mean the jade halls in the celestial court?
The pressure of celestial phenomena – what an imposing formation!
Lu Xiaochan saw Shu Wuxi’s elixir sea surging, his clothes rising with spiritual energy, rolling cloud waves falling down, drawing out an unstoppable sword formation.
Lu Xiaochan only noticed the flow of spiritual energy as Shu Wuxi formed the array. In the moment he connected with heaven and earth, his entire being seemed about to be submerged by the sea of clouds.
He was heaven and earth, and heaven and earth were him.
Instantly, as if thousands of celestial soldiers and generals charged out from the sword formation, the momentum was magnificent as they rushed into that black sphere.
Lu Xiaochan turned around, holding his breath.
He saw that black sphere collapse and disintegrate, with a battle taking place within every inch.
This was the “Heaven’s Palace Sword Formation.”
This was just to deal with some evil clouds – if a Demon Lord were standing here, would they have the ability to resist it?
Lu Xiaochan felt his cultivation was too far from Shu Wuxi’s – forming the Heaven’s Palace Sword Formation was either an unrealistic dream or a fool’s fantasy.
The dust and smoke had completely dispersed. If the Demon Capital had sent this evil cloud to discover whether Yechuan had forged another supreme sword, now that the cloud couldn’t return, the Demon Capital naturally knew the answer.
Everything had returned to its original clarity.
When Lu Xiaochan turned around, he almost fell off Lushu’s back. Before he could cry out, Shu Wuxi had already caught him and pulled him into his embrace.
“Brother Wuxi, why use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken! You used such a powerful formation just to deal with a mere evil cloud – you did it to teach me, didn’t you?”
Lu Xiaochan’s nose was nearly squashed flat, but he still couldn’t stop talking.
“I didn’t do it just to teach you,” Shu Wuxi said coldly.
“Then what for?”
“To let you know that no matter who you meet in the future, I am the most capable of protecting you.”
Lu Xiaochan was stunned for a moment, almost bursting into laughter while holding his stomach.
He had never met anyone more powerful than Shu Wuxi anyway.
However, you think you’re the most capable of protecting me.
But the one I most want to protect is you.
“We spent eighty-one days in Yechuan, and thinking back, we didn’t eat anything good! Brother Wuxi, let’s go somewhere and get some good food!”
Shu Wuxi lowered his head. Lu Xiaochan thought he was unhappy about his focus on food and fun, but unexpectedly, Shu Wuxi said, “Then let’s rest near Zhang Mountain.”
“Really?” Lu Xiaochan grabbed Shu Wuxi’s collar, his eyes curved like crescent moons.
“Mm.”
“I thought you would be eager to take me back to that place where you grew up.”
Wasn’t that place supposed to be cold and empty, with nothing there?
That’s why Lu Xiaochan wanted to enjoy all the food and fun he desired along the way, lest he become restless after going to that desolate place with Shu Wuxi.
If he couldn’t settle down properly, Brother Wuxi would surely be unhappy.
And if he was unhappy, Lu Xiaochan would be sad.
“In the past, I always wanted to keep you in one place. Now I think, you enjoy these worldly things, so I should just accompany you. As long as you’re by my side, don’t hate me, don’t tire of me, what does it matter where we are?”
Lu Xiaochan threw his arms around Shu Wuxi’s neck.
“Brother Wuxi truly is a wise senior! Look how open-minded you’ve become!”
“You’ve always been the most open-minded one. You laugh when you’re happy, leave when you’re not. If I want you to stay by my side with a smile, this is the only way.”
Lu Xiaochan finally understood that it wasn’t that Shu Wuxi didn’t care about taking him back, but rather that he was compromising for his happiness.
“Brother Wuxi…”
“Hmm?”
“Since you’re with me now, I’ll be good to you.”
Lu Xiaochan nuzzled his nose against Shu Wuxi’s chest.
“You’re already very good to me.”
Lushu slowly descended from the clouds. Lu Xiaochan saw that Zhang Mountain was covered in forests, and there were also many animals in the woods.
It seemed this Zhang Mountain was truly blessed with natural beauty and talent.
“Brother Wuxi, did you choose to rest at Zhang Mountain because it has trees and animals, and isn’t desolate?”
“No. You have a new sword, how can you not have a scabbard?”
“A scabbard? Right! Without a scabbard, I can’t contain the spiritual energy of the Wuhen Sword. Although it isn’t sharpened, so the spiritual energy isn’t obvious. But if someone with high cultivation, like Ye Linshuang or Mo Qianqiu, they would definitely see that this sword is extraordinary!”
Such a supreme sword forged by Immortal Lord Yehua was now in the possession of an unknown figure like him, which could cause unnecessary trouble.
But how could an ordinary scabbard contain the spiritual energy of the Wuhen Sword?
“Zhang Mountain has spirit wood that grew in ancient times. It withered ten thousand years ago and has now petrified, containing both softness and strength – it’s the best material for making a sword scabbard.”
“Then why not use it to make the sword handle as well?”
“It’s good for sealing spiritual energy, but if made into a handle, when you grip it, it would actually inhibit the resonance between you and the Wuhen Sword.”
“Oh, I understand. It’s a dead object that has condensed spiritual energy, so it can seal spiritual energy but can no longer resonate or feel. But the spirit tree ‘Earth Listener’ in Xiyuan is still alive!”
“Correct.”
By this time, Lushu had entered the forest.
At the foot of the mountain was a bustling town called “Zhang City.”
“Let’s not rush to find the spirit wood. You must be hungry, right?”
“Yes! Yes! Let’s quickly go to Zhang City and see what good food they have!”
Although Lu Xiaochan was reluctant to part with his sword, carrying the Wuhen Sword without a scabbard would be too conspicuous in the city, so he gave it to Shu Wuxi, who stored it in his qiankun bag.
These days, Lu Xiaochan had been riding Lushu continuously. Now that they were finally reaching a lively place, he wanted to walk around by himself. Before he could say anything, Shu Wuxi already knew what he was thinking.
He said to Lushu. “Stay here in Zhang Mountain. Come out when I call for you.”
Lushu had long grown tired of carrying Lu Xiaochan. In its view, this little thing was like having knives on its back, always restless. Twisting this way and that, his bones digging into its back was extremely uncomfortable.
As soon as Shu Wuxi finished speaking, Lushu gleefully disappeared.
Lu Xiaochan tilted his head. “I feel like Lushu really hates me.”
“Does it matter whether it hates you or not?” Shu Wuxi asked in return.
Having spent so much time with Shu Wuxi, how could Lu Xiaochan not know what he was thinking?
He immediately continued Shu Wuxi’s thought. “As long as it doesn’t dare to overstep and obediently follows our orders, who cares who it likes or doesn’t like. Right?”
“Mm.” Shu Wuxi softly agreed.
Lu Xiaochan grabbed Shu Wuxi’s hand tightly and ran forward happily.
“Slow down, Xiaochan.”
Seeing that he was about to trip on loose stones, Shu Wuxi had to quickly pull him back.
Lu Xiaochan turned back and smiled.
“Brother Wuxi, do you know? Last time when we went to see the lantern festival and listened to fireworks together, I wanted to hold your hand just like this.”
“Hold my hand?”
“Yes. Whenever I taste, hear, or see anything I think is good, I want to know that you’re by my side.”
Shu Wuxi stood there stunned, looking at Lu Xiaochan’s smiling face.
Suddenly, Lu Xiaochan pulled him again, making him stumble slightly.
Lu Xiaochan broke into a bright smile. “Brother Wuxi, you were distracted! What were you thinking about just now!”
“I was thinking about you.”
Lu Xiaochan’s smile grew even wider.
Zhang City indeed met all of Lu Xiaochan’s expectations.
Even at night, the restaurants were full of guests, and the streets were lined with various vendors and street performers showing their skills.
Lu Xiaochan held Shu Wuxi’s hand while trying to squeeze through the crowd.
Shu Wuxi disliked crowded places and didn’t want Lu Xiaochan touching strangers, so he pulled him back directly.
“Brother Wuxi! I haven’t seen everything yet!”
“Just trivial skills, what’s there to see?”
Lu Xiaochan tilted his head, seeing a father carrying his child on his shoulders, and tugged at Shu Wuxi saying, “Carry me on your back! If you carry me, I’ll be able to see!”
Before Shu Wuxi could turn around, Lu Xiaochan had already eagerly climbed up using both hands and feet.
Shu Wuxi held his knees and lifted him up, carrying him on his back.
Lu Xiaochan gripped Shu Wuxi’s shoulders, full of excitement.
It turned out the performance was stone-breaking on the chest!
Lu Xiaochan already knew the tricks behind this, but the performing father and daughter told a heart-wrenching story that moved the audience to tears.
The daughter had caught the eye of a local bully, who deliberately caused trouble by claiming that the father had injured his waist during the performance. The bully demanded ten taels of silver in compensation, and when the performing father and daughter couldn’t pay, the bully said the daughter would have to sell herself to repay the debt.
Lu Xiaochan wasn’t sure if the story was true, but he could see that the spiritual light around the father and daughter was dim, suggesting they were genuinely sad.
“There’s something strange about this girl’s voice… but I can’t quite place what’s odd about it…” Lu Xiaochan pinched Shu Wuxi’s ear.
After finishing the story, the performing father lay on the ground, and his daughter really brought a large stone to place on her father’s chest.
Lu Xiaochan couldn’t see inanimate objects, but he heard the crowd’s gasps, so the stone must have been very heavy.
When the daughter lifted the iron hammer, Lu Xiaochan became nervous and grabbed Shu Wuxi’s ear.
“Brother Wuxi, what kind of person is this bully anyway? The performing girl is so strong she can lift an iron hammer – why doesn’t she just smash the bully instead! Why go through all this trouble performing stone-breaking on the chest!”
Shu Wuxi’s expression remained unchanged even with both his ears being grabbed, he just held Lu Xiaochan’s legs to prevent him from falling while swaying and craning his neck.
The daughter swung the large hammer, and the stone shattered with a crash.
Her father started coughing, and she helped him up and patted his back.
The watching townspeople, seeming to sympathize with their difficult life, started throwing coins – one wen, two wen at a time.
Lu Xiaochan tugged at Shu Wuxi’s ear and whispered. “Brother Wuxi, where’s your money?”
“There’s some loose silver in my belt, given by Kunwu.”
Lu Xiaochan immediately went to pull at his belt, feeling around his waist.
At first, he was just looking for the loose silver, but he got carried away feeling the belt.
This was Brother Wuxi’s waist after all – though not soft, it felt particularly good to touch!
Full of strength and resilience, truly unyielding!
