The eighth floor of the Sutra Pavilion.
An old man with an immortal bearing sat cross-legged in silence. Moonlight poured in through the window, bathing his body as if he might ascend and leave this mortal world at any moment.
A powerful fluctuation surged from him.
Even with his eyes closed,
ripples spread outward.
"Boom!"
The fifth level of the Human Emperor Realm.
Achieved.
Chu Xun slowly opened his eyes. There was no joy, no sorrow in them, only calm. This breakthrough was entirely within expectations. He had been cultivating in the Sutra Pavilion for months on end.
Every day, nothing more than reading scriptures, comprehending the Dao, nurturing sword intent, practicing calligraphy…
Unmoved by wind or rain.
Unaffected by heat or cold.
If he couldn't break through with such diligence, that would be strange.
With this minor realm advancement, he felt countless insights surge within him,
especially regarding his palm techniques and swordsmanship.
He closed his eyes again.
Endless sword intent filled his mind.
Before, his sword had been confined to the image of a river.
Now,
he could see beyond it.
The sword could merge fully with the Dao.
Flowers and grass could enter the way of the sword.
Trees and plants could enter the way of the sword.
Even the gentle breeze could merge into sword intent.
All of it could be integrated into the River Sword's meaning, freeing it from rigid form and from being trapped in the imagery of a single river.
This was a transformation.
A transformation of mindset.
Not just sword intent,
but palm techniques as well.
Previously, he had still been somewhat puzzled by the Eight Desolate Palms.
Now, insights flooded in like a torrent.
Just as he was about to continue comprehending,
Footsteps sounded on the eighth floor.
"Elder Chu!"
"Hm."
Chu Xun suppressed the emotional surge brought by his breakthrough and opened his eyes. An old man in his sixties walked toward him, it was Elder Sun, the one he had entrusted with consignments for the auction.
"Elder Sun," Chu Xun said calmly, nodding.
Elder Sun sensed the powerful artistic conception surrounding Chu Xun and hesitated slightly. "Elder Chu, if you've gained insights, you can continue first. Don't mind me."
"It's fine," Chu Xun replied gently. "Speak."
"How did it go?"
His eyes were warm and tranquil.
"Hahaha!"
"Excellent, absolutely excellent!"
"I'm afraid you can't even imagine how high the Taixuan Sword was auctioned for!" Elder Sun exclaimed in amazement. Knowing Chu Xun was at a critical point in cultivation, he quickly summarized the matter.
"This is six thousand holy stones."
"And the items you asked me to bid on are all inside this void ring."
"I'll take my leave first!"
Laughing heartily, Elder Sun left the Sutra Pavilion in high spirits. He had originally wanted to exchange cultivation insights with Chu Xun, but sensing that Chu Xun was at a crucial moment, he chose not to disturb him.
As he left, Elder Sun couldn't help thinking:
The artistic conception around Elder Chu is terrifying. This doesn't look like someone who just entered the Human Emperor Realm… Could this be the accumulation of sixty years spent reading in the Sutra Pavilion?
Envy flickered in his eyes.
He knew,
another powerful figure was about to rise in Donglin Holy Land.
After Elder Sun departed, Chu Xun didn't immediately check the void ring.
Instead, he closed his eyes again.
Returning to deep contemplation.
Palm intent surged within him, his understanding advancing rapidly.
But not long after,
"Master!"
"Master!"
Another voice echoed on the eighth floor.
No need to guess who it was.
His disciple.
Jiang Chen walked toward him, face flushed with excitement. Without hesitation, he said with a grin, "Master, I attended an auction in Tianbao City a few days ago. I saw a divine sword that seemed perfectly suited for you, so I took it."
Buzz!
The plain, unadorned Taixuan Sword floated in midair on the eighth floor of the Sutra Pavilion.
Chu Xun froze.
Slowly,
he looked at his disciple with a strange expression.
He had just heard Elder Sun mention that the reason the Taixuan Sword sold for such a sky-high price was because two reckless individuals had clashed, with one suffering a huge loss before winning the sword.
Could it be…
that one of them was his own disciple?
…
…
Immortal Dao Sect.
Main hall.
Ye Chen lay seriously injured, his face pale and his breath weak.
"Uncle Zhao," he said faintly, "this junior saw a divine sword at the Wanbao Auction House and wanted to acquire it to gift to Master. Unexpectedly, someone interfered repeatedly, deliberately making things difficult."
"I was determined to obtain that sword, even at a sky-high price."
"I thought… money could resolve disaster."
"As long as I could present such a treasure to Master, it would all be worth it."
"But who would have thought"
"It was my former enemy, Jiang Chen. Relying on his status as the senior brother of Donglin Holy Land and the eldest son of the Jiang family, he brought his followers and openly injured me and my fellow senior brothers, forcibly robbing the Taixuan Sword we obtained at auction!"
"Hmph!"
In an instant, raging fury filled the hall.
Uncle Zhao,
a red-haired old man with fierce eyes.
He clenched his teeth and roared, "What audacity! Donglin Holy Land dares to instigate disciples to openly rob my Immortal Dao Sect's people? Do they really think my Immortal Dao Sect is easy to bully?!"
Whoosh!
A violent aura burst from his body, shooting straight toward Donglin Holy Land.
Ye Chen, who looked innocent and pitiful, let out a quiet sigh. But deep within his eyes, vicious hatred churned.
If not for that last powerful strike in Donglin Holy Land, the senior demon king inside my ring wouldn't have fallen into deep slumber… How could I have been robbed so easily?
No matter what, he would take back what was his.
If he couldn't do it himself, then the old monsters of the Immortal Dao Sect would do it for him.
An elder tried to stop him. "Wait,"
The red-haired old man sneered, flames blazing in his eyes. "There's no need. I've long wanted to see who exactly is sitting in Donglin Holy Land's Sutra Pavilion."
"Is it that Chu who's been silent for sixty years…"
"Or someone else?"
…
…
Inside the Sutra Pavilion.
After hearing the full account, Chu Xun was genuinely surprised.
Jiang Chen's actions were within expectation.
But the outcome,
was not.
Drawing from memories of his past life, when villains went to rob protagonists, they were usually humiliated, pretending to be pigs while being eaten by tigers.
Who would have thought that this time, the robbery succeeded so cleanly?
He glanced at his disciple's fortune.
It was far more solid than before.
If Jiang Chen stepped on the protagonist a few more times, the destiny of a "villain" might fully stabilize.
Chu Xun pondered inwardly.
It seems that as the villain's fortune grows stronger, the protagonist's fate becomes increasingly unstable. If I were to check the life evaluation again, it would surely be different.
Still… with the protagonist's temperament, suffering such a huge loss, there's no way he'll just let this go.
As these thoughts settled,
The eastern gate of the sect mountain suddenly trembled.
Rumble,
A terrifying aura swept across the mountain gate.
A blazing red streak of light descended violently upon Donglin Holy Land, shaking the land as layers of ripples rose to resist it. Cultivating disciples looked up in shock.
Within the crimson glow stood an old man, wrapped in red light, his expression fierce.
The visitor,
was clearly not here with good intentions.