Sword Dao

Rain pattered steadily as drops fell from the eaves like a shimmering silver curtain. The atmosphere within the main hall grew exceedingly subtle. Xu Yuan could not understand why silence had descended so abruptly, let alone why the three men beside him were staring at him without a word. They stood there exchanging blank looks. Glancing at Xu Yinhe in the head seat, then at Feng Jiuxuan standing by the door, Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked across the hall at Xu Changge with an inquiring expression. "..." Xu Changge completely ignored his gaze. When Feng Jiuxuan's sword had produced that almost imperceptible hum, he had sensed faint ripples, but they were far from clear. Although he also practiced the sword, his path was no longer pure. Furthermore, in terms of cultivation and attainment, he still lagged slightly behind his father and maternal uncle, leaving him unable to make a definitive judgment. *Clang—* With a light metallic chime, Feng Jiuxuan drew the sword at his waist with deliberate, unhurried grace. Xu Yinhe watched his movements in silence, offering tacit approval. The corner of Xu Yuan's eye twitched. The sight of his maternal uncle approaching him step by step with drawn blade felt far more oppressive than that giant block of ice ever had. *Tap.* *Tap.* *Tap.* The man clad in snow-white robes stepped across the flagstones, the quiet rhythm of his boots blending with the rain outside in an almost poetic tranquility. Amid the hush of the rain, Feng Jiuxuan stopped before Xu Yuan, holding Qingyuan—its blade shimmering with sharp radiance—in a reverse grip. He was likely worried the spirit sword was too sharp and might accidentally injure a sixth-rank weakling like Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan's eyes flickered for a moment before he slowly rose to his feet. "Uncle." Without speaking in riddles, Feng Jiuxuan simply lifted the hand holding Qingyuan. "Take it." "..." Silence fell. Xu Yuan looked at the hilt Feng Jiuxuan offered. Instead of taking it, he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Uncle, didn't you always forbid us from touching your Qingyuan?" Qingyuan was a sharp blade forged a century ago by Master Craftsman Qiansheng to celebrate the hundredth birthday of the Feng family's patriarch. Later, when his uncle began cultivating, Xu Yuan's maternal grandfather had bestowed it upon him. Over decades of companionship, it had nurtured a spiritual resonance. A spirit sword recognized its master. In plain terms, if anyone other than Feng Jiuxuan dared touch it, the sword would strike them on its own. Feng Jiuxuan was a man of few words and straightforward action. "It seems glad to see you. Take it and see." Hearing this, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Xu Yinhe in the head seat. Xu Yinhe nodded toward him. "..." Seeing that nod, Xu Yuan steeled himself and reached out. With two Saints standing right beside him, they surely wouldn't let a spirit sword hack him to pieces, would they? Thinking this, Xu Yuan took Qingyuan from Feng Jiuxuan's hand. The instant his skin touched the hilt, he felt the sword tremble. Yet the moment his grip closed fully, a soft fluorescent glow rippled across the glazed surface of the blade, and it settled down completely, showing no sign of lashing out. A thoughtful look surfaced in Xu Yuan's eyes. Amid the silence, Xu Yinhe spoke. "How is it?" Feng Jiuxuan looked back at him. "Changtian possesses Sword Charm within him. Qingyuan does not reject him." "Is it harmful?" "Harmless." With that, Feng Jiuxuan turned his gaze back to Xu Yuan. "Changtian, swing it with all your strength." Having grasped what the two elders were discussing, Xu Yuan hesitated. "Should I use a sword technique?" "Yes," Feng Jiuxuan nodded. "Your strongest." Xu Yuan cast a subtle glance at Xu Changge and asked, "Where should I swing it?" Since outsiders were barred from the inner court, any damage would have to be repaired by themselves. That left only one viable target: a living person. "Wherever you like," Feng Jiuxuan reassured him. "Nothing will happen." "..." Xu Yuan said no more. Taking a deep breath, he quietly circulated the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art. As his Source Qi surged, a streak of blood-red light gradually surfaced on Qingyuan's glazed blade. Blood-Ink Jade: Circular Dance. A splash of blood-ink appeared out of thin air, tracing a painted circle. Without warning, Xu Yuan slashed straight toward Xu Changge. "..." Xu Changge. *Hum—* The synergy between the technique and Qingyuan's sharpness made the strike feel capable of sundering anything. A sudden gust stirred the hall, whipping their long hair as the blood-ink dispersed in an instant. With two fingers pinching the blade, Xu Changge halted Qingyuan in its tracks, preventing it from advancing even a fraction of an inch. After a breath of locked eyes, Xu Changge gave Xu Yuan a profound look. "Changtian, you really have grown up." "..." Xu Yuan frowned and quietly retreated behind Feng Jiuxuan. "Enough, let go." Xu Yinhe cut off their exchange and looked at Feng Jiuxuan. "It seems that being taken by that Ran girl was a blessing in disguise for Changtian after all. Was it Tianmen Mountain?" As Xu Changge released his grip, Feng Jiuxuan casually beckoned Qingyuan back into its scabbard. "It is indeed the one from Tianmen Mountain." *Tianmen Mountain?* Hearing that name between them, Xu Yuan froze. After a moment's contemplation, he spoke up: "Father, was the Heavenly Gate on Tianmen Mountain truly carved out by a person?" By now, Xu Yuan had witnessed battles between top-tier powerhouses. Back in the Qionghua secret realm, Tianyan and Yuchu had only been in the Origin and Transcendent Realms, but they still ranked among the pinnacle combatants of this world. Yet the destruction they caused was not even in the same league as the hundreds-of-zhang-tall Heavenly Gate on Tianmen Mountain. Xu Yinhe glanced sideways at him. "Why do you ask?" Xu Yuan answered plainly, "I'm curious just how strong a single person in this world can become." Xu Yinhe gave a concise answer: "A military array cannot leave behind something like Sword Charm." Though he stopped there, the meaning was clear: an army's tactical array could achieve that scale of destruction, but it could never leave Sword Charm behind. The Heavenly Gate truly had been cleaved open by a single sword strike. Feeling his breath quicken, Xu Yuan looked at the two Saint elders before him. "Could you and Uncle do it, Father?" Xu Yinhe remained silent. Feng Jiuxuan shook his head slightly. "Virtually impossible. That unknown master of the Sword Dao likely staked their very life to unleash that single strike, which is why Sword Charm remained etched upon the Heavenly Gate." *Virtually impossible* meant there was still a shred of possibility. Yet his uncle's words brought another question to Xu Yuan's mind. Since both elders knew that one could comprehend Sword Charm from the Heavenly Gate on Tianmen Mountain, why had they left it unattended? Though he did not yet fully understand what Sword Charm was, it clearly had something to do with Dao Charm. That meant the Heavenly Gate was a treasure on par with the Meishen cherry tree. Even if it lay deep within the Wanxing Mountain Range, how had no one laid claim to it? As if reading Xu Yuan's thoughts, Xu Yinhe gave a soft laugh. "The Heavenly Gate has stood for roughly ten thousand years. Aside from those with constitutions like innate sword bones, your uncle is the only one who can sense the Sword Charm upon it." With that, Xu Yinhe delivered his verdict on the Heavenly Gate's Sword Charm: "Useless to the strong, fatal to the weak." "..." Xu Yuan understood immediately. Figures like Feng Jiuxuan and Xu Changge would never abandon their own cultivated paths for the sake of that Sword Charm. Meanwhile, countless nascent cultivators with sword-aligned constitutions had likely perished on Tianmen Mountain in the past. Now that the cultivation systems were mature and established, who would be willing to wager their family's prodigies on a mere possibility? As he pondered this, Feng Jiuxuan, still clad in snow-white, suddenly spoke: "Since Changtian has comprehended Sword Charm, once I return from this journey, he will study the sword with me." He directed this not to Xu Yuan, but to Xu Yinhe. Without hesitation, Xu Yinhe replied, "Ask Changtian himself about that." Feng Jiuxuan looked over at Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan did not answer right away. Unlike his Prime Minister father, this maternal uncle was idle all day long. A Sword Saint offering personal, unreserved tutelage was an immensely tempting proposition. Still, Xu Yuan answered honestly, "But I already have a cultivation art." "Practicing the sword does not mean you have to change your art." Feng Jiuxuan smiled faintly and explained in a gentle voice, "A cultivation art only governs your cultivation base. That is not what I intend to teach you." Xu Yuan frowned. "Then what is it?" Feng Jiuxuan glanced at Xu Changge, then turned back to Xu Yuan. "Changtian, do you know why Changge can so easily dispatch opponents of the same rank?" Xu Yuan thought for a moment. "Talent?" Beside them, Xu Changge let out an ambiguous chuckle. Feng Jiuxuan offered a slight smile. "Talent and battlefield adaptability are certainly important, but they are not paramount. In this era, techniques and secret arts have essentially reached their absolute limit, yet the vast majority of so-called prodigies merely follow prescribed formulas. Take the sword technique you just performed. Its power is indeed formidable, but do you know why?" With that, Feng Jiuxuan unsheathed Qingyuan and waved it casually through the air. Instantly, a white splash of ink traced a circular dance out of thin air! "?" Staring at the sight, Xu Yuan's mouth fell open. H-His uncle had copied the Blood-Ink Jade: Circular Dance with just a single glance? Seeing Xu Yuan's dumbfounded expression, Feng Jiuxuan chuckled softly. "When I return, I will teach you the Sword Dao." With that, he sheathed his sword, turned, and walked out of the main hall, vanishing into the curtain of rain.