208: Chapter 77 The Young Master of the Mountain 208: Chapter 77 The Young Master of the Mountain Lotus Peak Courtyard.
Xie Xuanyi and Zhao Chunyang sat on wooden chairs, basking in the sun, as they watched Jiang Huang, not far away, joyfully chasing butterflies and dragonflies back and forth in the courtyard.
“Regarding the ‘comprehension’ of Xuanshui Cave Heaven, when do you plan to start?”
Zhao Chunyang was resting with his eyes closed, when he suddenly asked.
Xuanshui Cave Heaven would only open once every sixty years.
During other times, only the master of the Grotto Heaven had free access.
Now that Xie Xuanyi had become the master of Xuanshui Cave Heaven, he had yet to start “refining” it.
Not to mention refining…
he hadn’t even spent time to comprehend the Sword Intent in the Lotus River and Lotus Sea.
“There’s no rush.”
Xie Xuanyi sighed faintly and bluntly changed the subject, “Do you think, with Xu Nianning’s Sword Dao talent, after ten days of sudden enlightenment, he saw the Sword Immortal Li Xin from eight hundred years ago, and Duan Zhao, after twenty days, might have a chance to see the founder of our sect?
It’s been almost a month, and that kid is still in ‘sudden enlightenment’…
is this really normal?”
“For a normal sword cultivator, twenty days of sudden enlightenment is indeed abnormal.”
Zhao Chunyang was silent for a moment before saying, “But he is the son of the Wangyou Island Master, so…
this seems quite reasonable.”
Xie Xuanyi immediately picked up on the remark, “Why do you say that?”
“The fortune of Xuanshui Cave Heaven…
is reserved for sword cultivators.”
Zhao Chunyang looked seriously at his disciple and asked with amusement, “Do you think that kid, as of now, can be considered a sword cultivator?”
As soon as he said this.
Xie Xuanyi smiled.
At sixteen, he possessed a Golden Body that was a marvel not seen for ages.
It was a pity…
that the kid had been hoodwinked by his old man.
On the surface, he seemed to practice swordsmanship.
But in truth, he had practiced the entire Wangyou Island fist scripture.
This was an actual Martial Artist.
By rights, Duan Zhao should not have been involved in this fortune…
Yet, that Sword Qi bell toll from Xuanshui Cave Heaven granted him this chance of sudden enlightenment.
“The Sword Intent gathered by Xu Nianning in the second layer of Xuanshui Cave Heaven has dissipated into thin air after he left.”
Zhao Chunyang shook his head slightly and said indifferently, “There was no need to ask me those questions…
you already have the answer in your heart.”
Xie Xuanyi fell silent.
Indeed.
When he saw the dissipation of the Sword Intent, he had already guessed the outcome…
Duan Zhao would likely gain nothing from this session of comprehension in Xuanshui Cave Heaven.
“The Lotus of Xuanshui Cave Heaven has begun to tremble; that young man is about to break through.”
Zhao Chunyang raised his eyebrows, smiling and saying, “In fact for him, the Sword Dao of the exalted figures of the Sword Palace may not necessarily be suitable…
Although the fortunes have declined over a thousand years and Primordial Energy is waning, the people of today may not necessarily be inferior to those of ancient times.”
The Island Master of Wangyou Island sent Duan Zhao here.
The purpose was.
To cultivate the Sword Dao left by “Xie Xuanyi.”
By accident and coincidence, he indeed achieved that goal.
So…
The master Duan Zhao recognized was, from beginning to end, only Xie Xuanyi.
“Master, I don’t want to be a master.”
Xie Xuanyi sighed deeply.
He looked at the elder sitting beside him with a somewhat helpless expression, conveying a plea for help in his gaze.
“That young man is a good seedling.”
Zhao Chunyang smiled, “To just send him back to Wangyou Island would be quite a waste.”
Actually, Xie Xuanyi knew the answer his master would give.
When the Island Master of Wangyou Island came to visit, Sect Leader Pure Yang did not show himself, which tacitly approved the intention of the Island Master.
“If one day the Dachu Dynasty is no longer that peaceful, the Sword Palace will always need a ‘friend’.”
Zhao Chunyang got up, stretched lazily, and said lightly, “The predecessors plant trees, the successors enjoy the shade.
Consider it for the Sword Palace’s sake, as well as for me, and accept the young man as your disciple.”
“…Additionally.”
Zhao Chunyang said calmly, “You won Xuanshui Cave Heaven in front of everyone.
This is your Cave Heaven; begin refining it sooner.
You don’t need to worry about the thoughts of the Law Enforcement brother, ‘Lotus Venerable’ is dead, this Cave Heaven should naturally be handed down to the later generations.”
…
…
When the second lotus of Xuanshui Cave Heaven bloomed, there were no unusual phenomena like the eruption of Sword Intent.
Duan Zhao opened his eyes in a daze.
The face that met his eyes was that of Xie Zhen’s.
“Quite a heavy sleeper.”
Xie Xuanyi looked around and somewhat laughingly said, “A full twenty days, what did you comprehend?”
Xu Nianning had a ten-day sudden enlightenment and advanced from the third level to the fifth level of the Cave Heaven.
Duan Zhao’s sudden enlightenment lasted twice as long as Xu Nianning’s.
However…
There wasn’t the slightest advancement in the aura emanating from the young man.
He remained the same as before the enlightenment — still at the initial stage of Cave Heaven, apparently wasting a grand opportunity.
“Twenty days?”
Duan Zhao blinked, a bit embarrassed as he scratched his head, “How did so much time pass by?
I thought it had only been two hours…
Eh, where’s Miss Xu?”
“She left early.”
Xie Xuanyi turned and walked toward the direction of the Lotus River.
Duan Zhao hurriedly followed, one after the other.
During the competition of Sword Qi, he had clung to Xie Zhen like this…
Although he did not know what had happened during this time, Duan Zhao could feel that Xie Zhen’s attitude toward him seemed to have changed.
“What did you see?”
Although he knew the answer, Xie Xuanyi couldn’t help but ask.
“I saw many Sword Immortals flying in the sky.”
Duan Zhao was spirited and earnestly said, “I was sitting on a lotus flower, heading toward the end of Xuanshui Cave Heaven…
Those Sword Immortals were surrounding me as if they were observing something.”
They were not surrounding you, but Xu Nianning…
Xie Xuanyi thought it was rather amusing.
He shook his head and asked, “Then what?”
Duan Zhao hesitated for a moment, appearing a bit awkward, but he still honestly said, “When they saw me, they shook their heads and just left.”
Xie Xuanyi paused his step for a moment.
He sighed softly, “What happened after that?”
“Afterward, I don’t know how much time passed, but suddenly the lotus boat capsized, and all the Sword Immortals were gone.”
Duan Zhao earnestly continued, “I swam alone in that sea for a long time, all the way to the end.”
Xie Xuanyi knew.
This was probably when Xu Nianning ended his sudden enlightenment, after the Sword Immortal Li Xin imparted the “Yin Fire Dao,” and then the myriad Sword Intent of Lotus River dissipated, no longer bestowing teachings.
This also meant…
Duan Zhao didn’t choose any fortunes, nor was he chosen by any.
He was probably the only one besides Xie Sheng who left Xuanshui Cave Heaven empty-handed.
“Did you just swim to the end relying on your physical body?”
Xie Xuanyi felt a bit regretful, “Didn’t you see anyone else?”
“…
not exactly.”
Unexpectedly,
Duan Zhao raised his face and said softly, “At the end of Xuanshui Cave Heaven, I saw a very tall figure.”
Xie Xuanyi was stunned.
“That person stood at the ‘other shore,’ surrounded by countless sword shadows.”
Recalling the scene, Duan Zhao couldn’t help feeling a bit palpitated and cautiously said, “That person was really tall…
as if he was as high as a mountain.”
“Did you see that person’s face clearly?”
Xie Xuanyi took a deep breath.
“…
I can’t remember.”
Duan Zhao shook his head honestly and said helplessly, “It seems like I looked up and saw his face, but it was as if I saw nothing.
All I remember now is that his eyes were as brilliant as stars, so captivating that one glance would make you unable to look away.”
What was at the end of the Lotus Sea?
Xie Xuanyi didn’t know.
But according to Sect Leader Pure Yang, those who could leave Sword Intent in Xuanshui Cave Heaven were all predecessors of the Sword Palace.
The stronger the Sword Intent they possessed in life, the more ancient their era was, the further they would be in the Lotus Sea.
Who else could reach the other shore?
“The first Sect Leader of Sword Palace?”
This thought emerged, making Xie Xuanyi curious.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Did you just meet and not say anything?”
“He asked me where I came from, who my teacher was, and why I didn’t comprehend the Sword Intent above the Lotus Sea.”
Duan Zhao wiped his nose and laughed, “I said, I come from Lotus Peak, my teacher is ‘Xie Xuanyi,’ and those Sword Immortals above the Lotus Sea didn’t fancy me, nor did I fancy them.”
Xie Xuanyi’s expression became somewhat complicated.
It turned out this kid was never foolish.
He knew that the Sword Immortals circling around him in the Lotus Sea were selecting.
He also knew that this enlightenment was a great opportunity.
He knew everything.
“Xie Zhen, should I still call you a senior brother?”
Duan Zhao suddenly asked a question that was beyond comprehension.
“…”
Xie Xuanyi came to a complete stop, looking back at the youth trailing behind him like a little shadow, and asked with a frown, “Otherwise?”
“Although I tell others that Xie Xuanyi is my master, I know…
Xie Xuanyi has died, and I’ve been without a master for a long time.”
Duan Zhao tilted his head, clutching the Wind and Thunder Bracelet, feeling its fierce pulsations, and said softly, “My mother said that the person who teaches me the Sword Dao in Sword Palace is my master.
You taught me swordsmanship and even took me to see the lotus in Xuanshui Cave Heaven…
It’s only right and proper in both emotion and reason that I should call you master.”
Master?
This was the first time Xie Xuanyi felt the power of this word.
“Let’s forget about ‘master’…”
Xie Xuanyi shook his head and said calmly, “I’m not worthy of these two words yet.
In the last few days, I merely casually showed you a couple of moves.
If you don’t like the sound of senior brother, then call me junior sect leader.”
Da Sui Sword Palace has four main peaks.
Each main peak has one large and one small sect leader.
When Xie Xuanyi had just joined Sword Palace, his master was the large sect leader, and he was the junior sect leader; this title of junior sect leader was “in name only,” with no real authority.
Later on,
he practiced desperately, topped the Heavenly Pride List, became the Sword Dao Leader, and then became the large sect leader of Lotus Peak.
That peak no longer had a junior sect leader.
And now…
as Huang Su became the new sect leader and he took charge of Xuanshui Cave Heaven, it was only natural that he became the “junior sect leader” of Lotus Peak.
Ten years, in a flash.
“Junior sect leader?”
Duan Zhao blinked and grinned, “This title is really strange, but strangely nice to hear.”
Xie Xuanyi smiled and didn’t say anything more.
This title, he had “worn” for many years.
Now, after going round and round, he had returned to Sword Palace.
And the title “junior sect leader” had also returned to his hands.
Sometimes, fate is such a strange thing, the more you care about something and run forward for it, the less likely you are to get it.
And once you let go and stop caring,
the things you crave for will come into your hands one by one.
“Junior sect leader.”
Duan Zhao suddenly spoke, “That lofty person standing at the other shore of Xuanshui Cave Heaven entrusted me with a message for you.”
This was somewhat unexpected for Xie Xuanyi.
He raised an eyebrow, curious.
Was that figure at the other shore of Xuanshui Cave Heaven the first Sect Leader of Sword Palace?
The first Sect Leader, entrusting Duan Zhao with a message for him?
“That person said, now that you have become the new master of Xuanshui Cave Heaven, why not take a look at the myriad paths of the Sword Dao in this Lotus Sea yourself?”
Duan Zhao spoke earnestly, “Is it because you’re dissatisfied with the millennia of Sword Dao foundation of Sword Palace, or because there is no ‘Dao’ in Lotus River that you wish to see?”
“…”
Xie Xuanyi looked back towards the second layer of Xuanshui Cave Heaven.
His expression was complex.
Indeed.
He was the master of this abundantly fortunate Cave Heaven; the Lotus River was full of countless Sword Intents, coursing through the millennia.
Xie Xuanyi had rung the bell for the world with Sword Qi.
But he had never rung it for himself.
“Let’s wait a bit longer,”
Xie Xuanyi sighed and said, “I’ll make a trip to Golden Turtle Peak after a few days.”
Duan Zhao was confused and didn’t understand.
He didn’t know.
How was ringing the bell for himself with Sword Qi and contemplating creation related to Golden Turtle Peak?
What exactly was the junior sect leader Xie Zhen struggling with?