At the foot of the mountain, a group of cultivation powerhouses exchanged glances, a few even sighing softly in their hearts.
"Sixth Junior Brother, go bring this child down here." Xiang Yan instructed.
"Yes, Sect Master." Li Chunsong accepted the order.
Since there was a Restriction that Forbids Flight on Hidden Spirit Mountain, he could only use body movement techniques to ascend.
Chu Huaixu quickly seized the opportunity to pry for information, asking: "Sect Master, Xu Ziqing should be fine, right?"
"His life is naturally not in danger, but whether his Spirit Embryo has been damaged, that remains uncertain." Xiang Yan replied.
He gave Chu Huaixu a consoling smile, but it looked more like a sneer, as he said: "Rest assured. If anything really happens, we will... cough cough... give him a Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yinyin muttered inwardly: "As stingy as ever!"
In her eyes, the Sect Master was incomparably fair in the allocation of sect resources.
But to make him take out any of his personal resources— that was harder than reaching the heavens!Hearing the Sect Master’s reply, Chu Huaixu didn’t even know whether to hope Little Xu’s Spirit Embryo was damaged, or to hope he was unharmed.
"With that Innate Drug-taking Holy Body of his, if he eats another Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill, even if most of the medicinal effect goes toward repairing the Spirit Embryo, the remaining effect should still be enough for him to reach Mid-grade." He speculated in his heart.
After asking about his condition, naturally, he also had to inquire about the Bronze Sword atop the mountain.
"Sect Master, Elders, so with Xu Junior Brother in this state... does that mean he has obtained the sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor?"
Xiang Yan replied: "More or less."
He didn’t speak in absolutes.
The development of the situation was completely different from everyone’s expectations.
All had thought Chu Huaixu would be the one to claim the sword, yet he and the sword had taken an instant dislike to each other and clashed at the mountain peak.
Meanwhile, that youth whom no one had paid any attention to inexplicably unsealed part of it.
Xiang Yan glanced at Chu Huaixu, deciding it was appropriate to reveal a bit, and said:
"We originally thought you were the one most likely to claim the sword."
"But unexpectedly, it turned out to be this child."
"Chu Huaixu, I heard from Sixth Junior Brother that this Xu Ziqing, an outer disciple, was formerly a menial in your courtyard?"
Chu Huaixu nodded.
"He said you pitied his talent. Did you discover some special quality in him?" Xiang Yan asked.
Everyone fixed their eyes on the young man in black robes, awaiting his answer.
"Sect Master, Elders, previously, this disciple learned a Jianghu palm technique from Han Shuangjiang. Xu Junior Brother merely watched a few times from the side and fully comprehended it."
"He told me he came from a renowned Jianghu sword lineage, and since childhood, he could master any sword technique upon seeing it."
"Recently, I found that he possessed extraordinary talent in the path of techniques, his comprehension extremely high. His speed in learning techniques may even surpass mine."
The crowd immediately exclaimed in shock: "Even faster than you?"
From what they knew, Chu Huaixu had taken only a few days to practice two Profound-rank techniques to the Minor Accomplishment stage.
If Xu Ziqing was faster than that—what kind of monstrous genius would that be?!
"It seems you’ve indeed found my Dao Gate a hidden pearl from the sea." Xiang Yan exclaimed, deeply impressed.
Chu Huaixu immediately followed up, acting cute: "Then... could this disciple earn some Sect Contribution Points?"
Hearing this, everyone chuckled.
"Don’t push your luck!" Fifth Elder Zhao Shuqin scolded with a laugh.
Just then, Li Chunsong had already swiftly brought Xu Ziqing down from the mountain.
Chu Huaixu looked and saw that Little Xu’s hands were empty—the Bronze Sword was still atop the peak.
"Sixth Elder, why didn’t you bring the sword down?" he asked.
"You sure think highly of me. That sword—none of us can take it. Only when he wakes can he retrieve it himself." Li Chunsong waved his hand with a smile.
Hearing this, Chu Huaixu silently digested the information he had coaxed out.
"I was even thinking maybe someday I could borrow it for a spin." Chu Huaixu thought.
He figured that if he wielded it, wouldn’t the Bronze Sword’s Sword Spirit be so mad it’d explode?
Although, due to the Heart Sword in his Sea of Consciousness, he probably couldn’t grasp another sword.
"But if the sword in question is that one, and since the Heart Sword loathes it so much, maybe it would side with me. Then we could bully it together?" he joked inwardly.
Just as Chu Huaixu was about to continue prying for more, the Dao Gate seniors began sending people away.
"We’ll look after Xu Ziqing. His current state is special, so we need to observe him."
"Little Junior Sister, you escort Chu Huaixu back." Sect Master Xiang Yan instructed.
"Alright." Chu Yinyin immediately agreed—sending her own disciple home was nothing strange.
Unaware that her treasured disciple was secretly grumbling: "Second Master, you really have no standing. Driving me off is one thing, but they even kicked you out of the group chat along with me!"
"Peak of the Sixth Realm and still this useless—why can’t you be more competitive?!"
Before leaving, Chu Huaixu cast a deep look at Little Xu.
"Has the trajectory of fate truly returned to its original path? Is this really destiny?"
"Doesn’t seem entirely so!" he thought.
The loli Elder soared into the sky, carrying her future treasured disciple toward Medicine Mountain.
The crowd at the foot of Hidden Spirit Mountain raised their heads, watching their figures disappear into the distance, before beginning their discussion.
"Sect Master, this Xu Ziqing... how should we deal with him?" Li Chunsong asked.
Everyone had previously reached a tacit agreement to carefully nurture Chu Huaixu.
That day, when the dead gambling dog treated them all to drinks, they had acted in front of Little Junior Sister for so long, all for that very purpose.
With Sword Heart Clarity, plus having cultivated the 《Dao Canon》, and holding the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard, he was undoubtedly the best candidate to enter the Origin Spirit Realm.
But today, someone became a Sword Attendant.
And what’s worse—only... a half Sword Attendant?
Nangong Yue still stood with her arms folded across her chest. Looking at the others, she followed up on the Sect Master’s words: "With the Eastern Continent Grand Competition about to begin, Little Martial Uncle should return before it starts, right?"
"Of course. Little Martial Uncle knows how to distinguish priorities in great matters." Enforcement Elder Lu Pan said.
Eastern Continent, Mirror Country, Arid Northern Mountain Range.
Inside a most hidden cave-dwelling, corpses lay scattered across the ground, rivers of blood flowing.
The Storyteller, dressed in spotless white robes, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his white attire untainted.
The evil cultivators lying dead upon the ground had not only lost all vitality, but even their souls had been cut down and erased cleanly, annihilated from the mortal world.
The Storyteller lowered his head to gaze into the blood pool, faintly seeing his own reflection.
He stood like this for a long moment.
The Dao Gate’s Second Elder, who looked like a simple farmer, was at the side collecting Little Martial Uncle’s “spoils of war.”
Once he finished searching the corpses, he walked over to the Storyteller’s side and said: "I did not expect there to still be hidden evil cultivators in the Arid Northern Mountains."
Little Martial Uncle of the Dao Gate chuckled, saying: "Originally, they would have kept themselves hidden even deeper. But now, with the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth approaching, one after another has become much more active."
The big man nodded and asked: "Little Martial Uncle, should we continue returning to the sect?"
They had already departed from the imperial capital of Mirror Country the day before.
Passing through the Arid Northern Mountain Range, the Storyteller had sensed something, and this demon-slaying madman had charged straight into this concealed cave-dwelling, beginning the slaughter of these evil cultivators.
Though he had fallen from the Ninth Realm, he was still one of the strongest in the mortal world.
How could these evil cultivators possibly be his match?
Yet the big man had a bad feeling. He thought the journey would keep being delayed just like today, with constant stops along the way.
The Storyteller in white cast a glance at him.
The Second Elder of the Dao Gate instantly shrank his neck and dared not urge him further.
"By now, Xu Ziqing should be close to opening all Nine Apertures." the white-robed middle-aged man said.
"But with his False Spirit Embryo aptitude, to cultivate to the First Heaven of the First Realm and then ascend Hidden Spirit Mountain, it will still take him quite some time."
"No matter. Returning earlier is safer in the end."
Hearing this, the big man felt joy in his heart.
Sure enough, although Little Martial Uncle usually acted on impulse, when it came to great matters, he was still reliable.
The Storyteller shot his nephew a glance and said: "Let’s go."
After speaking, he was the first to stride out of the cave.
The rough-skinned big man quickly followed.
Once they left the cave, the two soared into the air.
Yet after flying for only a short while—without even leaving the bounds of the Arid Northern Mountains—the Storyteller furrowed his brows once more, and his figure vanished in an instant.
The big man muttered helplessly: "What, there are still more evil cultivators hiding here?!"
He could only comfort himself: "No matter, no matter. Little Martial Uncle kills quickly—it won’t delay too long."
"With our speed through the skies, even if it continues like today, we should still be able to reach the Dao Gate within about seven days, right?"