Su Xin has gained quite a reputation in Jiannan Province and Yunan Province.
Some local martial forces from these two provinces sent people to watch Su Xin's battle from afar,and they were all filled with lingering fear afterwards.
Luckily,they had warned their disciples not to join in the excitement;otherwise,their names would have been added to the record of achievements,and Su Xin would have gained more stepping stones.
At this moment,within the Famous Sword Villa in Jiannan Province,a young man sat with a sword in hand,listening to the maid behind him reciting the latest list of achievements.
This young man,roughly in his thirties,had a handsome face but a cold demeanor.His raised eyebrows and sharp eyes made him seem as sharp as an unsheathed sword,radiating a formidable aura.
He was the second on the list of achievements,known as the"Sword Young Master"He Xiu,the heir of the Famous Sword Villa.
He began practicing the sword at the age of three,achieved a basic level of swordsmanship at seven,ventured into the martial world with a sword alone at twelve,and his sword claimed the heads of thousands at the age of fifteen,earning him fame across the land.
This was the life of"Sword Young Master"He Xiu.If it weren't for the"Dao Enthusiast"Lin Changhe overshadowing him for over a decade,He Xiu would probably have been even more illustrious.
He Xiu sat cross-legged on the grass in the garden,gently stroking the sword at his knee.
His long sword was peculiar;the hilt and blade seemed to be cast as one,without distinct boundaries.The entire sword resembled a straight-bodied coiling dragon,with the tail as the tip and the head as the hilt,emitting a dazzling golden sheen.
This was He Xiu's sword,"Astonishing Dragon,"a genuine top-grade weapon crafted specifically for him by a master refiner from the Bashu Sword Pavilion,one of the five sword-holding sects.
The maid not only recited the list of achievements for He Xiu but also detailed the events of the battle two days prior.
After listening to this,a hint of proud disdain appeared at the corner of He Xiu's mouth.
While others might be astonished by Su Xin's achievements,He Xiu was not.Among the young martial artists in the entire martial world,apart from Lin Changhe,he didn't consider anyone worthy of his attention,including"Young Marquis"Xiao Huang,who stood behind him.
In his eyes,Xiao Huang was nothing more than a wastrel who enjoyed playing clever tricks.In this martial world,one ultimately had to rely on their sword.
"Find out where Su Xin is now,"He Xiu suddenly ordered.
His maid asked in surprise,"Young Master,do you intend to make a move against Su Xin?Is it for the sake of Di Yunfei?"
With He Xiu's current strength,apart from Lin Changhe,there was no one else on the list of achievements who could pique his interest.Therefore,it was unlikely that he was suddenly inspired to take action upon hearing about Su Xin's achievements.
The only explanation was that He Xiu wanted to do a favor for Di Yunfei.After all,their Famous Sword Villa had a good relationship with the Glinting Sword Alliance,and He Xiu was acquainted with Di Yunfei.
He Xiu sneered,"Make a move for that worthless person?Of course not.Di Yunfei isn't worthy of that.I just owe Di Jingfei a favor.Su Xin has offended the Glinting Sword Alliance this time,so I'll teach him a lesson,consider it repaying Di Jingfei's favor."
The maid nodded and immediately went to arrange for people to find Su Xin's whereabouts.
Meanwhile,Su Xin had already left Jiannan Province and arrived in Yunan Province,but he didn't continue traveling.Instead,he stopped halfway.
Passing through Deyang Prefecture,Su Xin encountered an opportunity-the Taoist lecture by Kunyang Zhenren from the Taiqing Temple outside Deyang Prefecture had begun again.
Kunyang Zhenren was a wandering Taoist.His Taiqing Temple only had a few young disciples to help clean up.His own strength was not particularly strong,only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
But despite being such an ordinary wandering Taoist,he had once discussed Dao with the heads of the four major Taoist sects.
Even the head of the Natural Daoist sect,a true martial master,"Pure Yang Daoist Venerable"Li Boyang,had once said that although he surpassed Kunyang Zhenren in martial arts,he couldn't match Kunyang Zhenren's understanding of the heavenly Dao.
So,even though he was an average wandering Taoist,he was respected by Taoist circles throughout the world.
Moreover,Kunyang Zhenren would publicly lecture every three years,open to all,regardless of status.This opportunity had led to over a dozen martial artists breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm over the years,making Kunyang Zhenren widely respected and attracting numerous martial artists.
Su Xin wouldn't miss such an opportunity.Therefore,he stayed in Deyang Prefecture for a day and went directly to Taiqing Temple to listen to Kunyang Zhenren's lecture the next day.
However,when Su Xin arrived at Taiqing Temple the next day,he found that he was a bit late.
Outside the not-so-large Taiqing Temple,there were layers of people packed tightly.Su Xin roughly estimated that there were nearly ten thousand people here.
Of course,ninety-nine percent of these people were acquired martial artists.Su Xin didn't know why they had come here.
For acquired body tempering,the fastest way to cultivate was to endure physical training or swallow elixirs obediently.Eventually,when internal energy reached its peak,breaking through to the acquired realm would come naturally.What use was it for them to listen to Kunyang Zhenren's lecture here?Could they even understand it?
However,whenever Kunyang Zhenren lectured,the acquired martial artists from the surrounding Deyang Prefecture were the most frequent attendees.
As Su Xin exuded his aura,the crowd quickly made way for him.Even though they were here to listen to Kunyang Zhenren,there were still distinctions in hierarchy.The closer one was to the front,the stronger their martial prowess,while those on the outskirts were weaker.
By the time Su Xin reached the innermost circle,there were already two to three hundred Nascent Soul Realm martial artists gathered there,an astonishing number.
Among these Nascent Soul Realm martial artists were not only those from Yunan Province but also from other provinces who had come out of curiosity.
However,some of the Nascent Soul Realm martial artists here turned pale upon seeing Su Xin arrive.Among them were those who had participated in the siege against Su Xin before.Although Su Xin would likely not remember them,they couldn't hide their fear upon seeing him again.The image of that demonic figure and stunning archery from a few days ago still lingered in their minds.
The other Nascent Soul Realm martial artists also cautiously assessed Su Xin.After all,he was the recent sensation in both Jiannan and Yunan Provinces.To defeat hundreds with just one sword was unimaginable to them.
However,their attention to Su Xin was short-lived as a more prominent figure arrived.
A young man dressed in a blue Daoist robe walked in.He had a handsome face,but his eyes were peculiar,as if stars were twinkling within them,drawing people in involuntarily.
Upon seeing this young man,someone whispered,"Lin Changhe,the Dao Enthusiast!I didn't expect him to be here!"
"Lin Changhe is obsessed with the Dao.When the esteemed Daoist master,Kunyang Zhenren,holds a lecture,how could he not come?"
After Lin Changhe arrived,he casually found a place to sit down.His gaze was fixed on the entrance of the Taiqing Temple,as if he didn't care about anyone else.
However,those who truly understood Lin Changhe knew that it wasn't that he didn't regard others highly;it was just his personality.Besides his obsession with the Dao,he didn't care about anything else.
After a while,a young Daoist disciple brought out a mat and placed it at the entrance of the temple.An elderly Daoist in a gray robe came out and sat on it.
This Daoist looked quite different from the image of Kunyang Zhenren that Su Xin had imagined.He appeared to be just an ordinary old Daoist,and his hair and beard seemed like they hadn't been groomed for a long time,giving him a somewhat unkempt appearance.
Upon seeing Kunyang Zhenren,everyone present respectfully bowed to him from the heart.This gesture wasn't mere formality.Martial artists from martial sects and noble families progressed faster because they had various cultivation resources and the careful guidance and mentorship of their elders.These were privileges that wandering martial artists didn't have.They had to explore on their own,and the insights and experiences they gained were even more valuable than martial arts scriptures and techniques,which couldn't be easily obtained by outsiders.
Now that Kunyang Zhenren could set aside prejudices and selflessly lecture to everyone,the martial artists present were genuinely grateful.
Kunyang Zhenren smiled and began,"It's the day of the triennial lecture again.This old Daoist has gained some new insights recently,so it's a good opportunity to share them with everyone.Some have asked me what the Dao is,but even I can't fully explain it.However,I have a slight understanding to share with you all.The so-called Dao is the rules that govern the operation of this world,from birth to death,from growth to decline.Therefore,in my opinion,everything is Dao."
At this point,Kunyang Zhenren shifted his focus,"Since everything in the world can be considered Dao,does that mean that humans themselves are a form of Dao?Shakyamuni Buddha said,'In heaven and on earth,I alone am honored,'and'Everyone can become a Buddha.'So,why do we practitioners of the Dao seek enlightenment elsewhere?In fact,we ourselves are Dao."
Kunyang Zhenren spoke at length,using simple language without the complexities of Daoist classics,interspersed with humorous remarks that elicited laughter.Especially when it came to Buddhist classics,Kunyang Zhenren showed a deep understanding,effortlessly incorporating various allusions,creating a seamless narrative.
Traditionally,Daoists and Buddhists were at odds,but Kunyang Zhenren managed to maintain an objective perspective,which was truly commendable.
Just as Su Xin was benefiting from the lecture,a sudden exclamation came from the outskirts.The crowd parted,and a young man wielding a sword walked in,his sword intent unparalleled,as if he himself were an unsheathed sword.
Someone whispered in confusion,"He Xiu,the Sword Young Master?What's he doing here?"
The path of sword cultivation was vastly different from that of the Dao.Among the five sword-holding sects,only the Qingcheng Sword Sect had some connection to the Dao.So,what could He Xiu be doing here?
