Whoever awakens first from the great dream
understands an entire lifetime.
Inside the Sutra Pavilion.
Chu Xun put down the book in his hands.
Thousands upon thousands of insights surged through his heart.
Day after day, he read scriptures, recited them, and contemplated their profound meanings. Though his cultivation level did not visibly increase, his inner realm continued to rise steadily, especially his comprehension of the various Dao.
These scriptures were not limited to sword arts alone. They covered palm techniques, finger arts, divine abilities, even fragments of alchemy. Each held its own truths, and when gathered together, they embraced all rivers.
His state of mind rose naturally and without obstruction.
The only thing still lacking,
Was cultivation itself.
Inside the Sutra Pavilion, the number of disciples coming and going had increased day by day. Normally, they would borrow a couple of scriptures to take back, or read quietly and commit them to memory. But recently, once they entered the pavilion, they no longer wished to leave, as if this place had become their home.
This left the elders guarding the other floors feeling both helpless and amused. Watching those disciples who appeared to be reading, but were in fact trying to find a way to curry favor with Elder Chu, they could only shake their heads and sigh.
"What a pity… such a great time wasted."
The elders of the Sutra Pavilion understood Chu Xun's temperament well. He valued purity and freedom above all else. The fact that he had accepted Jiang Chen as a disciple was already astonishing to them. As for taking in another disciple, utterly impossible.
Shaking their heads, they felt pity for these hopeful youths.
In truth, Chu Xun paid no attention to what was happening downstairs. As long as no one sneaked into the Sutra Pavilion like the Fat and Thin Venerables had done, it was difficult to draw his notice.
Like now.
After reading for a while,
Coupled with the insights gained over the past few days,
He felt a fullness gathering in his chest.
He knew it was time to balance stillness with movement, and to cultivate elsewhere.
So,
He rose and left lightly.
He did not go to the back mountain.
Instead, he came to the riverbank.
Once, this had been nothing more than an inconspicuous little stream, flowing quietly through the mountains behind the sect. Who would have thought that after his River Sword Intent merged into it, it would transform into a sacred land of sword cultivation?
Many sword cultivators now sat obsessively by the river, comprehending its supreme meaning. There were two great inheritances here, one from Elder Jiang, the other from Chu Xun's River Sword Intent. These stood at the peak; all others were mere details.
Standing atop a small rock, Chu Xun looked at the disciples sitting cross-legged along both banks and smiled faintly. That the disciples could gain something here was, in itself, a good deed.
Watching the once-narrow river, barely ten feet wide, now transformed into a mighty torrent surging forward, emotions stirred within him.
He closed his eyes.
Chaotic sword intent surrounded him.
It came from every sword cultivator present,
Some sharp.
Some domineering.
Some restrained.
Some sorrowful.
Each person understood the Dao of the sword differently.
Countless variations.
Like ten thousand scenes.
Unfathomable.
"Kendo…"
Chu Xun murmured softly.
Then, silently, he thought: One chance for enlightenment.
"Buzz!"
"The host still has one opportunity for enlightenment!"
"Use it or not?"
"Yes."
Chu Xun nodded lightly.
After reading five hundred volumes, he had received three rewards: the Taixuan Sword, the Eight Desolate Palms, and one opportunity for epiphany. The first two had already been used—only this enlightenment remained. Even now, it felt like the perfect time.
The River Sword Intent had been cultivated for many days.
To break through further, an opportunity was needed.
And this epiphany,
Was opportunity itself.
The moment it was used,
The sword intent around him became clear and pure. Where before it had been chaotic and difficult to distinguish, now it lingered in his heart, clean and untainted.
He extended his palm.
A breeze stirred,
Like the stroke of a sword.
His eyes were closed.
Yet what appeared in the void of his consciousness was not a sword.
It was a small flower.
Chu Xun frowned slightly,
Then the flower bloomed.
Petals swayed gently, releasing fragrance.
It transformed into a blade of grass,
Stubborn and upright in nothingness, never bowing even as the environment grew harsh.
Then it became a drop of water,
Flowing, surging, evolving into a stream, then a river, then the sea.
It froze.
It evaporated into rising mist.
Then it changed again.
Paths interlinked.
All things merged as one.
Kendo was merely a part of it.
He immersed himself completely.
This kind of enlightenment was utterly different from wandering blindly in darkness, carving out a path alone. It was like a teacher clearly pointing out where to go and how to go, revealing the road ahead.
A mysterious, ineffable aura gradually filled his entire body.
The first to be affected were the disciples closest to him.
They had been comprehending the Dao of the sword,
When suddenly,
Their thoughts cleared.
A bottleneck they had been stuck at shattered instantly.
Sword intent surged skyward.
As they tried to search for the source, their consciousness sank deeper into the enlightenment field. Soon, they gave up investigating and focused fully on comprehension.
The range continued to expand.
Ten feet.
Twenty feet.
Fifty feet.
Before long, aside from the roaring river, no other sound remained. Everyone had fallen into enlightenment, unaware of how it had begun, only seizing every fleeting moment, desperately comprehending.
Meanwhile, those accustomed to hearing sudden outbursts of sword intent from the river began to glance over in confusion.
"Why is the river so quiet today?"
"Maybe everyone went to the Sutra Pavilion?"
"I heard it's packed recently."
"People who really want to borrow scriptures can't even get in…"
…
Those cultivating by the river knew none of this.
Chu Xun not only comprehended the Dao of the sword during his epiphany, but also unconsciously spread a mysterious enlightenment domain, allowing nearby disciples to benefit as well.
"Hah!"
"River Sword Intent!"
"One step further!"
Exhaling a turbid breath, Chu Xun slowly opened his eyes.
Previously, the Eight Desolate Palms had suppressed the River Sword Intent, allowing him to kill Zhao Huangchao with a single strike. Now, after using the enlightenment opportunity, the River Sword Intent advanced rapidly once more, suppressing the Eight Desolate Palms in turn and reclaiming its place as his strongest trump card.
He nodded in satisfaction.
Then looked around,
And froze.
So many disciples… all in enlightenment?
In an instant, realization dawned. The residual aura of his Human Emperor–level enlightenment was more than enough to grant these disciples a great fortune. He immediately restrained the thought of further displaying his sword intent.
As he withdrew,
He left.
Disappearing from the riverside.
Not long after he departed,
By the riverbank,
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Clear, brilliant sword qi shot straight into the sky.
Even the elders within the sect were stunned, staring toward the Sword River in disbelief.
"What's going on? Normally, a sudden enlightenment happens once every three to five days… but today it's like bamboo shoots after rain, one after another?!"
...
Another chapter coming later today