Surrounding him, the mountains towered steeply, like many great swords plunged into the ground. All the peaks emitted sword light, shooting upwards toward the sky.
Accompanied by the radiance of ascension, the female sword immortal stood aloft, her sword raised amidst the familiar grounds of her former sect, resonating with the many sword mountains, as if they might tear the inner realm apart.
Whoosh!
Wang Xuan ran away, with nothing to say. He didn't want to be the scapegoat. For Old Chen's sake, he had endured years of strikes, suffering immensely. But the debt of grievances had a source; his hard times should come to an end.
With a rush, Wang Xuan burst forth, surrounded by dense, mysterious energies. Then he noticed Qingmu had stopped dancing; was he slacking off now that no one was around?
Qingmu moved a chair and sat nearby, watching him nervously. In truth, he was terrified. Though he was close, he couldn't sense the inner realm or see the soaring sword light; he only felt that Little Wang seemed possessed.
Within minutes, Wang Xuan trembled slightly, moving slowly, then grasped the black sword, lifting it with a purpose that felt like he was about to strike Old Chen!
Startled, Qingmu rushed over, sensing something was wrong, ready to act, but he didn't dare move. He had heard that one shouldn't act recklessly in such situations.
Fortunately, Little Wang steadied himself and slowly lowered the sword, sparing Old Chen.
Wang Xuan ignored him, too preoccupied. Behind him, the fog of the inner realm expanded, threatening to ensnare him again. Indeed, this experience was different from before—strangely abnormal.
"Old Chen, have you revived?" Wang Xuan shouted, guessing that after so many years of exposure to the mysterious substance, Old Chen must be half-dead by now.
Despite his calls, Old Chen remained unresponsive, lying still like a corpse, utterly unaware.
Currently, Wang Xuan found himself in a unique state; his back was covered in rich, mysterious energy. Though he had left the inner realm, he hadn't returned to his body.
He feared that if he fully exited, he wouldn't be able to re-enter the inner realm.
He felt conflicted. How could he guide Old Chen? He realized it would be quite challenging.
No wonder the secret texts of various sects emphasized that even prodigies needed guidance from their masters to trigger a super-sensory state. There was indeed wisdom in this; Wang Xuan wasn't a master and didn't know how to bring Old Chen into the inner realm.
"I entered on my own back then, with no one to guide me. It was a special case; perhaps there are records in the Daoist and Buddhist texts not meant for the public. But there's no time to investigate now."
Wang Xuan speculated that he wasn't the only one; who had initially brought the first person into the inner realm? They must have accidentally stumbled in, bringing the practice of ancient techniques to a new height!
"Strictly speaking, aside from being less experienced than them, I relied on myself to enter. In the ancient splendid era, there should be some mention of this. In the long run, could I now be considered a minor master? Perhaps I could try bringing someone in."
In the inner realm, the female sword immortal hovered above, her radiant ascension light falling like divine rain, as the fog surged outward again.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Xuan made a decision and charged towards the lying Old Chen, propelled by a significant amount of dense, mysterious energy.
There was hope!
He hadn't been drawn back into his physical form, which meant that being near the inner realm while stirring up abundant mysterious energies allowed him to temporarily stand outside.
"Old Chen, wake up! Master Wang is here to guide you to ascend!" As he reached close, he felt fatigued and quickly activated the ancient practitioner's root method to absorb the incoming mysterious energies.
Then, he examined Old Chen's condition up close. The fissures in his organs had shrunk slightly, but they were still numerous, surrounded by crackling lightning. Even a light touch could trigger an explosion.
"Old Chen, you're actually hiding in your organs; no wonder I couldn't find you!"
Wang Xuan peered down, using the power of the inner realm to see Old Chen's internal state clearly. Old Chen's spirit was locked within his organs, not in his head.
At this moment, Old Chen didn't dare move, fearing the lightning would obliterate his spirit. The lightning within his organs was extraordinary, imbued with mysterious properties.
In a daze, he thought he heard Wang Xuan's distant voice, though it was faint and unclear.
"Is this an illusion? This young man is unreliable; after all this time, he still hasn't shown up. I guess I'm going to die." Old Chen sighed.
Wang Xuan was speechless. Old Chen had already guessed his secret long ago.
Reflecting on his recent experiences, he realized he had been careless. Even Sun Chengkun, before dying on the Great Black Mountain, could quote classics, suspecting he had entered the inner realm.
Who was Old Chen? A grandmaster of the ancient arts, his insight and knowledge from ancient texts surely surpassed those of the scholar, Sun Chengkun.
As a colleague, Wang Xuan was always in front of him, and Old Chen must have noticed his rapidly improving strength and deduced something.
Primarily, it was that Wang Xuan had no idea Old Chen was a grandmaster—someone so powerful. Had he known from the start, he would have run away and never gone to work.
Now, Wang Xuan's expression was mixed; he felt outwitted by his old colleague. Was Old Chen using his life as bait to "fish" for him?
"Forget it; I have no regrets. I went to the meeting with a sword, and after this battle, my claims of the New Techniques surpassing the old ones will be shattered by my sword, turning the tide for the ancient arts, and resources will start flowing in…" Old Chen murmured.
Wang Xuan caught onto his mindset.
His old colleague was ruthless; from a broader perspective, he was indeed guiltless. Old Chen went to the meeting at Congling, facing all the masters of the New Techniques alone, cutting through mechas and defeating three grandmasters. He had truly shone brightly.
He had shown everyone that the ancient arts could revive. Once revitalized, their brilliance would be dazzling, and he had carved a path for the ancient arts, leading to a critical turning point.
On a smaller scale, Old Chen had indeed been ruthless, not leaving himself a way out. After piercing through the realm of the New Techniques, he also triggered the issues within himself, using Wang Xuan as a backup.
In such circumstances, although Wang Xuan wanted to hit him, he couldn't bear to see him perish. Despite Old Chen's calculative nature, his big-picture perspective demonstrated a kind of valor; the light of humanity was undimmed. Not many could achieve such a feat.
Old Chen's concerns for himself never strayed from the ultimate goal of reviving the ancient arts in all their glory. He was genuine; no one could be a single shade; everyone was complex.
"This old guy…" Wang Xuan sighed lightly.
Then he approached Old Chen and saw his spiritual realm, which indeed had a grand presence, swirling like a white mist around him.
"Old Chen!" Wang Xuan called out, in this special state, the obstacles of the present world seemed unable to hinder him.
"Little Wang, is that you?" Old Chen was excited, his spiritual realm undulating as he said, "You finally came! I knew I didn't misjudge you."
Hearing this, Wang Xuan felt like hitting him. "Old Chen, I truly misjudged you!"
Old Chen sighed, "Little Wang, you must understand, an old man whose love for the ancient arts surpasses even his own life has an obsession that runs deep. If I can't see the ancient arts revived in my lifetime, I'll die with regrets. I waited here just to witness and confirm that you've truly found the right path."
Wang Xuan was moved.
But soon, he became alert again. His old colleague had always been a master of theatrics; while he was expressing genuine emotion now, who's to say he wasn't simply following his habitual patterns?
"To hear the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening!" Old Chen's words rang out, resounding through the air, causing the entire spiritual realm to resonate with brilliant light.
Wang Xuan sighed, "Do you know what I sacrificed? To save you and open the inner realm, I burned my own life potential."
Old Chen immediately expressed deep gratitude. "If you open the inner realm again, be sure to call me. I'm willing to burn all my potential to light your path!"
"Old Chen, enough! You're getting overly sentimental." Wang Xuan shot him a sidelong glance, wondering if this old colleague intended to rely on him again.
"Do you know the root method of the ancient practitioners?" he asked.
"I've practiced it for decades!" Old Chen replied straightforwardly.
Wang Xuan wasn't surprised; Old Chen had undoubtedly faced significant experiences to reach this point.
"Alright, don't waste time. Quickly circulate the root method and enter!" Wang Xuan urged, their mental exchange occurring in an instant.
"Where? How do I enter?" Old Chen was puzzled.
"Right in front of you! Can't you see the inner realm?" Wang Xuan questioned, skeptical.
"I really can't see it!" Old Chen became anxious and quickly explained, "Even after forming my spiritual realm and entering a super-sensory state, I only saw it once in a blur. It's so hazy; I want to approach it, but it always keeps its distance, and I can't step in."
Wang Xuan was astonished; it seemed he truly had some unique abilities.
"Forget it, I'll guide you in!"
Upon hearing this, Old Chen quickly cooperated, becoming silent and relaxing himself.
Wang Xuan tried to pull him along but nearly exhausted himself, having only made it halfway.
"Old Chen, can't you move on your own? Follow me!"
"Okay!" Old Chen quickly responded, but the distance between them grew vast; the inner realm lay just before Wang Xuan's feet, yet Old Chen seemed increasingly distant and unreachable.
"Stop!" Wang Xuan yelled.
This was truly bizarre. To Wang Xuan, it was close at hand; to Old Chen, it felt like an impassable chasm.
"Don't move! I'll guide you over!" Wang Xuan couldn't let him struggle; otherwise, they'd both end up exhausted and unable to enter.
Soon, Wang Xuan was nearing exhaustion, gasping for breath. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and stop moving; he had never felt this fatigued.
After a moment, he seriously considered kicking Old Chen away; this truly wasn't a task for humans. He felt like he might collapse, as if he were about to disintegrate into dust. Just barely, he managed to get Old Chen to the edge of the inner realm.
"Old Chen, from now on, you must call me Master Wang!" Wang Xuan panted. If it weren't for Old Chen's dire situation, he wouldn't want to endure this torment.
He finally realized how difficult it was to bring someone into the inner realm; the challenge was astonishing. No wonder ancient texts stated that only figures of master level could guide others in.
"Little Wang, Master!" Old Chen, with an incredibly thick skin, called out without batting an eye. Then he added, "I've covered for you multiple times; today is finally different."
As they were about to enter the inner realm, Old Chen was filled with excitement, like a pure-hearted child dreaming of a beautiful future, finally about to fulfill his long-held wish.
"Old Chen, once we're inside, don't say anything. Just circulate the ancient practitioners' root method and directly heal your injuries," Wang Xuan instructed. He felt himself nearing the brink of death; it was time for Old Chen to take over, and he needed to enter and recover.
He also considered that while the female sword immortal was powerful, she ultimately couldn't interfere with the present world. Even if countless sword lights fell upon Old Chen, they likely wouldn't kill him; they would only cause him immense pain.
Moreover, Old Chen already had combat experience and had received the "baptism" from the ghost monk, so he should handle this well.
With a serious tone, Wang Xuan said, "During the battle at Congling, I saw your swordsmanship was extraordinary, even able to cleave through mechas. It's truly a pity you're not following the path of the sword immortal. You must express your gratitude to me properly this time; I've gone to great lengths to find you a sword immortal mentor. Be humble and respect your role as a disciple!"
Upon hearing this, Old Chen suddenly became respectful, taking it seriously.
Wang Xuan used the last of his strength to send him into the inner realm.
As Old Chen stepped in, he finally saw the surroundings clearly, no longer feeling as though there was an insurmountable chasm. Now, he was overwhelmed with excitement.
"I've finally entered! From now on, the sea is wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky high enough for birds to fly! Old Chen is here!"