Hall of Rewards
Gu Xuan arrived at the Hall of Rewards.
This trip was his second opportunity to intercept Hu Zhangfan.
Although it was morning, the hall was already bustling with activity. Disciples were coming and going, undertaking or transferring tasks everywhere. Most of them were inner disciples, and their strengths ranged from the True Spirit Realm to the Xuantong Realm.
It's worth mentioning that since Gu Xuan was designated as a true disciple and held a grand canonization ceremony, almost all the disciples in the entire Holy Land were aware of his presence.
So when he arrived, it immediately caused a stir.
"Gu Zhenzhuan!"
"It's Gu Zhen who has come!"
"We're honored to meet Gu Zhenzhuan!"
Inside the hall, the disciples bowed respectfully, their words filled with excitement and flattery.
"You don't need to be so formal; please, get up!" Gu Xuan waved his hand gently.
His kind demeanor seemed to lift the spirits of the disciples. Moreover, true disciples were a rare sight, which only added to the growing crowd eager to catch a glimpse of Gu Zhenzhuan up close.
Even if they didn't expect to gain Gu Xuan's favor, just having a few words with him would be enough to make them the envy of their peers during casual conversations.
As more and more disciples gathered, a deacon from the merit hall received word and respectfully led Gu Xuan into a quiet room, helping him avoid the throngs outside.
However, after the deacon left, many warriors outside continued to excitedly discuss Gu Xuan's arrival.
A few inner disciples who had spoken with Gu Xuan before proudly recounted their encounters, causing others to exclaim in envy.
Inside the hall, the deacon served tea and then respectfully asked, "Gu Zhenzhuan, may I ask why you have come here today?"
"I've made some progress in my training recently and feel ready to venture out. I'm looking for a suitable task to undertake during my travels," Gu Xuan explained.
"I see. Please wait a moment, Gu Zhenzhuan!" the deacon replied, nodding before departing to find an appropriate task.
His work was efficient, and it didn't take long for him to return with a collection of jade slips containing task information. "Gu Zhenzhuan, here are all the tasks that meet your requirements from the current merit hall!"
Gu Xuan picked up the slips and began to review them carefully.
Soon, he found a potential target.
"Go to Tai'an County and protect the Zhao residence!"
According to the task description, the Zhao Mansion had recently clashed with a practitioner of the Tong Xuan Realm named Master Lingguang during an expedition, resulting in significant destruction.
The ancestor of the Zhao family had been an inner disciple of the Holy Land in its early days. He had been granted protection for his great deeds, ensuring that the Holy Land would assist him in times of crisis.
Thus, when the Zhao Mansion requested help, the Holy Land could not ignore their plea and promptly dispatched disciples to assist.
However, Master Lingguang had not yet been located. The Holy Land was concerned about the safety of the Zhao Mansion, so they sent out a mission to guard it, preparing for any potential threats.
Although this mission was not the pursuit mission Gu Xuan had seen from Zhang Fan, he felt it was likely related to his goal.
This conclusion wasn't merely a guess; it was based on analysis.
Zhang Fan's original opportunity arose after he eliminated a target in Tai'an County and inadvertently obtained a technique to conceal his presence.
Master Lingguang's strength was only in the Profound Opening Realm, yet he had evaded the Holy Land's pursuit. The only explanation for this was that he possessed some sort of secret technique that allowed him to conceal his aura and whereabouts.
As for why the situation escalated into a chase mission, it was likely because the sect's dispatched disciples failed to capture Master Lingguang. Instead, he used his concealment technique to wreak havoc in Tai'an County, resulting in casualties among the Zhao family's forces. This infuriated the Holy Land, prompting them to escalate the mission to a pursuit and kill order, which Zhang Fan later took over.
In simpler terms, this highlighted Zhang Fan's capabilities as the destined individual and provided him with an opportunity.
Although Gu Xuan had made up his mind, he still double-checked all the tasks. After confirming that there was only one task available in Tai'an County, he decided to accept it.
"That's it!" Gu Xuan resolved.
...
Leaving the Hall of Rewards, Gu Xuan did not head directly out of the mountain gate but instead made his way to the Asking Pavilion.
His goal for this descent was to find a profound practitioner skilled in concealing their presence.
While Gu Xuan believed his strength was formidable, he wanted to prepare thoroughly to avoid any potential pitfalls.
Now that he had been promoted to True Inheritance and had learned the unique skills of the sect, he needed to select one or two techniques to enhance his abilities.
Upon entering the Asking Pavilion, Gu Xuan was greeted by the familiar sight of countless jade boxes floating around.
In contrast to his last visit, when he could only choose exercises from the white jade boxes, this time, his identity token granted him access to all the jade boxes, including the special ones.
"Seven Laws and Twelve Classics!"
The Seven Supreme Laws and the Twelve Ancient Heavenly Scriptures!
Each of these was incredibly profound and represented the essence of the sect in the Holy Land of Absolute Beginning. Mastering any one of them would be enough to allow one to reach for the stars and moon, looking down upon heaven and earth, transcending time and space.
Gu Xuan had been curious about these teachings for a long time, and now that he had the opportunity to choose, he couldn't wait to dive in.
He focused his mind and began to select carefully.
After a moment, he made his choice.
The Absolute Beheading Dao Sutra!
Although it was called a scripture, it was actually a supreme sword technique.
Legend has it that the Absolute Beheading Dao Sutra was created by Taichu Supreme, the founder of the Holy Land of Absolute Beginning.
In a time of darkness and turmoil, when the Dao Lineage was established, taboos were born from the sky, threatening to devour all living beings.
In response, Taichu Supreme left this world, leaving behind these sword techniques.
Although the descendants of the Holy Land have never fully mastered the Absolute Beheading Dao Sutra, it remains an incredibly powerful technique.
Throughout the tumultuous ages, many strong practitioners of the Absolute Beginning Holy Land wielded this Dao Beheading Sutra to vanquish countless formidable foes.
It could be considered one of the top sword techniques in the world!
Gu Xuan practiced kendo, and encountering such an unparalleled ancient scripture made him ecstatic.
Without hesitation, he focused on the golden sword that contained the teachings and began to accept the inheritance.
"Buzz!"
With a wave of ripples, Gu Xuan suddenly felt a blinding light in front of him.
When his vision cleared, he realized he was in an unfamiliar realm.
This place was vast, filled with stars like a river.
Countless stars stretched out before him, seemingly endless.
In the depths of this starry expanse, a blazing light suddenly appeared, faint at first but quickly growing in intensity.
In an instant, this light expanded, illuminating the entire galaxy.
It was then that Gu Xuan saw it clearly.
A golden figure, holding a sword, radiated golden light all over. The divine sword in his hand was particularly dazzling.
At that moment, the golden figure, sword in hand, swung his blade amidst the vastness of the stars.
Suddenly, light erupted, and the galaxy seemed to reverse.
Terrifying sword energy radiated outward, as if it were about to create a collapse that would turn the universe upside down.
Under this sword strike, the sun, moon, and stars appeared to lose their color; space trembled, and the void began to collapse.
The countless stars that fell within the path of this sword energy were shattered, completely obliterated and reduced to nothingness.