The deck of the cloud ship suddenly fell silent.
The gray-robed old man remained silent, his expression calm, revealing no hint of his emotions.
He was certainly furious inside. The Drunken Immortal Pavilion had never been treated like this before. Though angry, he dared not show it.
A Sword Immortal!
The mysterious woman was very likely a Sword Immortal. If she truly was, then the Drunken Immortal Pavilion definitely could not afford to provoke her.
The Drunken Immortal Pavilion could muster all its strength to fight against a Sword Immortal, but that would only be enough to hold their ground. And who knew whether this Sword Immortal had friends or belonged to a powerful faction?
Even if she had no friends and no faction, she alone was enough to bring the Drunken Immortal Pavilion to ruin!
A Sword Immortal!
The combat power of such a person was terrifying beyond measure.
In this world, the ones you shouldn't provoke the most, besides the Heaven and Earth Guardians, were sword cultivators! And the very last you'd want to provoke was a Guardian Sword Cultivator.
Therefore, even though the mysterious woman's words were a slap in the face, the gray-robed old man did not dare to respond.
Sword cultivators had notoriously unpredictable tempers, and if he said another word, he might not live to see another day!
The gray-robed old man pulled his thoughts back and glanced at Ye Xuan. Clearly, the mysterious woman had spared them, mostly because of this young man.
Sword cultivators tended to be solitary, but once they had disciples, they were no longer alone.
A disciple of a Sword Immortal!
The gray-robed old man had a complicated expression. Such a person was someone they should have tried to befriend, but now it had come to this.
With that thought, the gray-robed old man walked up to Ye Xuan. He looked at Ye Xuan, then flicked his fingers, and a purple card appeared before Ye Xuan. "Young friend, the matters between you and my Drunken Immortal Pavilion are now in the past. This is our VIP card, a small token of appreciation. Please accept it."
Beside him, Han Xiangmeng suddenly explained, "This is a Purple Card. With it, you can get a fifty percent discount on any item purchased from our Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the future. Moreover, when selling items, we will waive all transaction fees. There are many other benefits, which you'll come to know in time, Young Master Ye."
Ye Xuan did not refuse. He accepted the Purple Card and cupped his hands, "I will take my leave now to rest. Goodbye."
With that, he took Ye Ling's hand and turned to leave.
After the siblings left, Han Xiangmeng and the old man beside her slowly knelt down.
The gray-robed old man slowly closed his eyes, "Your grandfather used to be under my command. Of course, I never considered him a subordinate; I treated him like a brother. You are his granddaughter, which makes you half my granddaughter."
Han Xiangmeng lowered her head slightly, not daring to speak.
The gray-robed old man shook his head, "You are his only bloodline. I do not wish to kill you, but you must no longer meddle in the affairs of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Return to the imperial capital and reflect on your actions."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiangmeng's face turned deathly pale.
Years of effort had turned to dust!
The gray-robed old man looked at the river below, clenching his right hand slowly, "A Sword Immortal... I never imagined I'd meet one in my lifetime, and in such a manner..."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the sky.
On the deck of the cloud ship, Han Xiangmeng let out a sorrowful laugh, "Was I wrong?"
The old man beside her said in a deep voice, "Miss, the world is unpredictable. There is no need to blame yourself too much."
Han Xiangmeng shook her head, "Had I been sincere in befriending him from the start, with his potential and the backing behind him, it would have been easy for me to enter the core of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the future... Unfortunately, I calculated too much and missed this opportunity to change my fate and the fate of my family!"
The old man bowed his head slightly, saying nothing.
Han Xiangmeng stood up and looked at the distant horizon, "Forget it. Today was a lesson."
With that, she turned and left.
Ye Xuan brought his sister Ye Ling back to their cabin, the same modest room as before. They had no desire to move to a luxury cabin!
Inside the room, Ye Xuan coaxed Ye Ling to sleep before entering the Boundary Prison Tower. As soon as he entered, he sensed something was wrong!
He noticed that the second floor had shifted slightly!
Seeing this, Ye Xuan's expression changed. Just as he was about to speak, the mysterious woman's voice echoed again, "Do you feel relieved now?"
Ye Xuan bowed deeply, "Thank you, Senior, for saving me!"
The mysterious woman said coldly, "Saved you? Do you know why I acted?"
Ye Xuan shook his head.
The mysterious woman said, "Do you remember what I asked you earlier? I asked if you knew the consequences of drawing that sword."
Ye Xuan nodded.
The mysterious woman said, "If you had not drawn your sword then, I would not have stepped in today!"
Ye Xuan was stunned, confused, "Why? If I hadn't drawn my sword, perhaps the matter would have calmed down."
"Hmph!"
The mysterious woman snorted coldly, "Calmed down? It's one thing to be tactful, but if your loved ones are treated like that and you still worry about the consequences, what right do you have to wield a sword? Moreover, if you hadn't drawn your sword then, the resentment would have shattered your Sword Heart, and you'd never have a chance to become a powerful sword cultivator."
"Shatter my Sword Heart? Why?" Ye Xuan asked in confusion.
The mysterious woman said, "A sword cultivator cultivates both the sword and the heart. Your true heart is the most genuine 'heart.' At that moment, you wanted justice for your sister, you wanted to kill, but if you hesitated due to the consequences and acted tactfully to calm the situation, you would have betrayed your true heart. You might not think it would affect you, but the truth is, your sword would be bound by yourself, and the clarity of Sword Heart you just attained would vanish instantly."
Ye Xuan gave a wry smile, "Senior, if all sword cultivators were that uncompromising, wouldn't they have short lives?"
The mysterious woman replied softly, "That's exactly why there are so few sword cultivators in this world, especially true Sword Immortals! It's also why I told you that the path of the sword is harder than you can imagine!"
Ye Xuan took a deep breath. He could feel it now.
The mysterious woman continued, "I shouldn't have intervened. Since I did, do you know the consequences?"
Consequences?
Ye Xuan was stunned, "What consequences?"
The mysterious woman said, "I told you earlier that the seals of this tower were already weakening. By intervening, the seals on every level of this tower have been affected. Simply put, the seals will break earlier. To put it more plainly, the seal on the second floor will break completely in four to five months at most. By then, if you haven't found a Dao Law, you will die without a doubt. Don't think about relying on me. If I help you deal with the entity on the second floor, all the seals will loosen, and the consequences will be severe. Moreover, I won't ruin the seals of this tower for you. Understand?"
Ye Xuan was silent for a moment before asking, "Senior, you can't intervene again?"
The mysterious woman said, "Until you find a Dao Law, I can't act, nor can I leave this place. Even if I could, I wouldn't. To be blunt, I helped you before because you dared to draw your sword for your sister's sake, and because I found that person annoying. Do you understand?"
Ye Xuan nodded, "I understand."
He was well aware that one must rely on oneself. He also understood that just because someone helped once didn't mean they would help a second time. He had no right to demand it.
The fact that she helped once was already an immense favor!
Ye Xuan wasn't the kind of ingrate who believed others were obligated to help him, nor did he expect someone to bail him out every time he had trouble!
Strengthening oneself was the way to go.
As such, he had no thoughts of relying on anyone else. On the contrary, the mysterious woman's words made him understand one thing—everything must be handled by oneself. Placing hope in others was unrealistic and foolish!
But dealing with the seal... Dao Law, Dao Law... To find a Dao Law, he needed to quickly reach the Qi Controlling Realm or even the Soaring Realm, because right now, the mysterious woman had said he lacked the strength to subdue a Dao Law!
It was quite a troublesome matter!
Ye Xuan sighed. He had a lot to deal with—his sister's illness and the seal of the Boundary Prison Tower.
He had sensed something unusual with the tower and could feel the seriousness in the mysterious woman's voice. He knew she wasn't joking; if the seals broke, she wouldn't help!
This was something he had to resolve on his own!
Suddenly, Ye Xuan asked, "Senior, what is Sword Heart Clarity?"
He hadn't forgotten the mysterious state he had entered earlier.
After a moment of silence, the mysterious woman said, "Sword Heart Clarity is like looking into a mirror. Normally, you don't know what you look like, but when you look in the mirror, you see yourself clearly. Sword Heart Clarity is similar. You now clearly understand your path of the sword, and you know what your swordsmanship truly is. Simply put, it means you've gained a clear understanding of yourself and your swordsmanship."
Ye Xuan asked seriously, "Is that useful?"
The mysterious woman said, "You seem to have forgotten one thing. When you used the 'One Sword to Decide Life and Death' earlier, your body didn't suffer the severe backlash as it did before!"
Hearing this, Ye Xuan was stunned.
Indeed!
Earlier, he had used the 'One Sword to Decide Life and Death,' yet his body hadn't suffered as much as before—he only felt a bit tired!
The mysterious woman's voice echoed again, "Sword Heart Clarity is a sword cultivator's mental state. When fighting opponents in the future, illusions and deceptions will be useless against you—though, of course, if your opponent's strength vastly exceeds yours, that's another story. Besides that, with a clear heart, your harmony with your sword will be much higher, making your sword techniques more effective... I'm tired; I don't want to explain these basic things. Go practice with the shadow, and you'll understand!"
Ye Xuan: "..."
A moment later, Ye Xuan went to practice with the shadow.
When he made his first strike, he was stunned.
It felt different, and not just a little. When the shadow made its first strike, he was stunned again because the feeling was different once more—a feeling he couldn't quite describe. If he had to put it into words, it would be that this sword felt so simple...
After a while, Ye Xuan stopped.
In front of him, the shadow had a long sword embedded in its chest!
The next moment, the shadow slowly dissipated.
Ye Xuan bowed his head slightly, remaining silent.
After a long time, he put away the Lingxiao Sword. Looking at it, he whispered, "Now it finally feels like this sword is truly mine..."
…