Lin Zhao's face lit up with excitement, just like the boy he was in the past. He suddenly sprang from the bed, his shoes landing on the floor with a thud. Then, in a respectful gesture, he cupped his fist towards the woman in white and said, "Lin Zhao greets Sister Bai!"
He smiled and continued, "Sister Bai, you've finally returned?"
"Mm, I have."
Bai Long Shen Nü looked at Lin Zhao's earnest demeanor, her eyes filled with joy. She chuckled, "I'm sorry, Xiao Zhao, for returning so late. I genuinely wanted to retrieve too many things, which is why I lingered too long in the Primordial Secret Realm."
"Primordial Secret Realm?"
Lin Zhao's eyes widened in surprise. Her words had touched upon a complete blind spot in his knowledge.
Sister Bai smiled, "In short, I, and the Dragon Slaying Sword, are much stronger now than we were a hundred years ago. Your feat of slaying the eleventh-realm Wu Yuanzi with the sheathed sword, and later shattering Gu Yanshu's Dao heart with a wisp of divine intent, both stem from this."
She chuckled, her dimples appearing, "Once the Dragon Slaying Sword is unsheathed now, it's an unstoppable force!"
Lin Zhao was overjoyed.
He opened the door and gestured outwards, "Sister Bai, this is our Mountaintop Villa. We already have many cultivators of our own here. There's the thirteenth-realm Sword Cultivator Huang Tingyu, the thirteenth-realm Scholar Gu Lingyu, the twelfth-realm Sword Cultivators Wu Zhi and Tang Guangjun, and a host of martial artists like Chen Ben, Yu Wanling, and Chu Yu."
"Mm-hmm."
Bai Long Shen Nü chuckled, "Although I was in the Primordial Secret Realm, a trace of my spiritual essence remained within the sword, so I naturally knew everything about you. I even know that my Xiao Zhao has now learned Elder Bing Lan's supreme sword technique, the Eternal Sword Scripture. The current Xiao Zhao is entirely different from the Xiao Zhao of a hundred years ago."
Lin Zhao scratched his head, "The Eternal Sword Scripture is too profound; I've only managed to grasp a sliver of its surface."
"That's already excellent."
Bai Long Shen Nü looked outside. Liu Liying and Dong Zang were preparing noodles for everyone. However, they could only see Lin Zhao and not Bai Long Shen Nü beside him, completely overlooking her.
"Young Master."
Liu Liying emerged from the kitchen, curtsied gracefully, and said, "You're finally awake? Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Mm, good. Thank you for your hard work, Liying."
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled gently, also noticing that Liu Liying couldn't see Sister Bai.
"There's no need to be surprised."
Bai Long Shen Nü smiled faintly and said, "I am neither a sage nor a phantom. Only those with destiny can see me. Ordinary people, even a fan-wielding goddess like Liu Liying, cannot see me."
"I see."
Lin Zhao said, "Sister Bai, would you like to try our Mountaintop Villa's eel noodle soup later?"
"Ah?"
Bai Long Shen Nü chuckled, "I haven't eaten anything for many years, so I'll pass."
"Oh, is that so..."
"Alright, Xiao Zhao."
Bai Long Shen Nü turned around, reached out, and ruffled Lin Zhao's hair, just as she used to do with him as a boy. She smiled, "Sister Bai is returning to the sword to nurture her sword intent. Don't slack off either. In this calamity of the fallen divine mountain, we will inevitably have to unleash this sword strike. This strike will certainly not be as simple as slaying the thirteenth-realm Bai Lan a hundred years ago."
Her beautiful eyes were like water, and she said softly, "This strike shall bring justice to both heaven and earth."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao solemnly cupped his fists and nodded, bowing to Sister Bai. When he looked up again, Bai Long Shen Nü had already transformed into a streak of white light and merged back into the sword, returning to the Dragon Slaying Sword.
However, Sister Bai's return made Lin Zhao's heart even more resolute. With Sister Bai's strike, his plans would undoubtedly be more secure. Previously, his chances of success might have been only thirty percent, but with Sister Bai here, that winning probability had increased to at least seventy percent!
Thus, Lin Zhao continued to diligently practice his swordplay and martial arts, his mind not dwelling on any feedback from the upper realm.
In fact, regardless of whether the upper realm chose to adopt Lin Zhao's strategy, he would still lead the cultivators of the Upper Five Realms from Xueyu Tianchi to face the formidable enemy. After all, Xueyu Tianchi and Mountaintop Villa were their homes, and they had no other choice.
...
Two days later.
A fine rain enveloped the small town, bringing a gentle coolness. The peach trees in the town seemed even more delicate and dewy. As raindrops slid down the peach leaves, the entire world was in a state of revival.
In the afternoon, an old gentleman arrived at Xueyu Tianchi.
He was tall and robust, dressed in a gray robe, with a wine gourd hanging from his waist. He wasn't particularly handsome, but his face was filled with kindness.
Under the light rain, the old gentleman's robe was damp, but he paid it no mind. He slowly ascended the mountain path, smiling as he observed everything around him. He had heard much about this place but had never visited before. Now that he was truly here, his heart was filled with anticipation.
Passing by the mountainside, he saw a Sword-Unburdening Stone standing by the roadside.
"Ah?"
The old gentleman looked at the large characters on the Sword-Unburdening Stone, appearing slightly bewildered. He glanced down at himself, realizing he hadn't brought any weapons or equipment. The only solid item he carried was an old jade pendant hanging from his waist, which was simple and unadorned but emanated a profound aura of righteousness.
"Well, I'm not a sword cultivator who can traverse heaven and earth, so there's nothing for me to unburden," he mused.
Just as he was about to leave, he saw a Mountain Lord emerge from the nearby Mountain Lord's Shrine. Dressed in white, with an heroic countenance and unparalleled grace, he appeared like a celestial being.
However, upon seeing the old gentleman, Su Shan Jun's body trembled, his Dao heart nearly faltering. He fell to his knees with a thud, knocking his head repeatedly on the ground. While doing so, he glanced towards the sky, "Old Han, what are you waiting for? Kowtow!"
"Oh, oh..."
From within the clouds, the eleventh-realm Cloud Master Han Buyu descended gracefully. He knelt alongside Su Shan Jun, continuously kowtowing.
"Alright, alright..."
The old gentleman couldn't help but chuckle, "Su Shan Jun, Sword Immortal Han, there's no need for such formalities. We in the Confucian school don't emphasize these things. You simply need to hold your ground and fulfill your duties."
"Yes!"
Su Shan Jun repeatedly nodded, "We shall heed your teachings!"
The old gentleman continued up the mountain.
His steps were steady. Although his appearance was aged, he possessed a robust vitality. His sturdy physique even seemed somewhat incongruous for a scholar; paired with a sword, he would be mistaken for a martial artist.
He walked all the way to the outer gate of Bai City. There, a disheveled man with a defiant demeanor lay atop the gate. Now serving as the Grand Commander of the Bai City South Gate Guards, his gaze fell upon the old man slowly ascending the mountain. Tang Guangjun nearly had a heart attack. The density of his sage path was something Tang Guangjun had never witnessed before!
Tang Guangjun, a distinguished figure from the ancestral hall of military scholars, had accompanied his master and sect leader on several visits to the Confucian literary world. He knew several of the heads and deputy heads of the Confucian literary world. However, the saintly aura emanating from those old scholars paled in comparison to this old gentleman before him.
He could tell with his toes who had arrived. With his presence, the literary fortune of the entire human realm had increased by a third!
"Thud!"
Tang Guangjun flipped off the city wall and knelt, refusing to rise.
The old gentleman glanced at him and couldn't help but smile, as if looking at a piece of excrement. He skirted around Tang Guangjun and entered the small town.
Tang Guangjun did not raise his head, sweat beading on his forehead. This person's cultivation was higher than his sect leader's, and his combat power might even surpass his sect leader's. He had also heard that his temper wasn't the best, making him an absolutely formidable figure not to be provoked!
Fortunately, he hadn't kicked Tang Guangjun's posterior, which made Tang Guangjun feel quite uplifted and fortunate.
...
In the small town, the old gentleman wandered around.
He admired the peach blossoms by the River God Shrine. He hadn't experienced the scenery of the human world's wind and rain for far too long and found it quite pleasing. He then walked onto the stone bridge. The surface of the bridge was damp from the fine rain. The old gentleman scraped the mud from the soles of his shoes on the bridge steps and then stood on the bridge, gazing at the flowing water below.
In the depths of the flowing water, the River God Niangniang, Madam Xu, dressed in a light golden long skirt and with a visage resembling a girl of twenty, held her breath. Having suffered too many setbacks, she had long since learned her lesson. Those who appeared unremarkable were more likely to be of the Upper Five Realms, true celestial beings.
Moreover, as soon as the old gentleman arrived, Madam Xu's heart became immensely agitated. This feeling was akin to facing Qin Suihan in the past, or Gu Lingyu standing on the bridge now. It was the feeling of someone arriving with a mind full of knowledge, intent on telling her what was right and wrong. This feeling greatly annoyed her.
Now, with the old gentleman standing on the bridge, Madam Xu's agitation was even greater than when she faced Qin Suihan. Her Dao heart was on the verge of shattering. By inference, this old man's realm was likely even higher than Qin Suihan's was back then. How terrifying would that be?
Therefore, Madam Xu knelt in the depths of the water, not daring to move.
Fortunately, the old gentleman didn't even glance at Madam Xu. He simply watched the flowing water and the swimming fish, saying with great emotion, "It flows and flows, never ceasing day or night. It has always been this way. The origin of all things is merely reincarnation."
As he spoke, he looked up towards Mountaintop Villa. Within the flowing water of this mortal realm, there would always be a few fish that leaped out of the water, astonishing an era. And his own grand-disciple was one of them.
Actually, he didn't need to descend to the mortal realm. The cost of a fifteenth-realm being descending to the mortal world was unimaginable. However, the old gentleman understood that he had to make this trip, not only to bestow an imperial decree but also to meet this grand-disciple. Otherwise, as the teacher of his teacher's teacher, it would be rather inappropriate.
In a small alley, a storyteller was reciting a tale.
A group of children, sitting on small stools in neat rows, listened intently to the storyteller.
The story the narrator was telling was from legends circulating in the martial world, recounting the tale of Lu Chen of Shuzhou. However, it had been significantly "embellished." For instance, the Lord of Xueyu Tianchi's Mountaintop Villa was portrayed as invincible with his Dragon Slaying Sword, making the fourteen-realm demon race cry out in misery. Ultimately, he subdued the human sinner Gu Yanshu with a single punch.
The old gentleman applauded and chuckled. "Wonderful, wonderful!" He then listened for a long time.
...
Tianran Ju.
Lin Zhao, who was drawing talismans at his desk, suddenly felt a surge of literary fortune within his spiritual sea. His sword heart hummed, a wave of profound righteousness echoed within his body, and the books on his desk were continuously flipped by a gentle breeze.
Clearly, a sage of the literary path had arrived at Xueyu Tianchi, and likely a super-sage!
He immediately stood up and said, "Everyone, ascend the mountain! Accompany me to the foot of the mountain to welcome our distinguished guest!"