Chapter 78 - 78 78 Solely the Way of the Sword

78: Chapter 78: Solely the Way of the Sword 78: Chapter 78: Solely the Way of the Sword Hearing Li Xuan’s answer, the woman slightly raised her delicate eyebrows, her eyes revealing a rare glint of admiration, “To have such a realization, you are indeed worthy of the sword in your hand… hmm? Sёarᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What are you, this youngster, looking at?” The woman in white shifted her gaze and noticed a young man who had been frightened into dropping his sword by She Slave was now staring blankly at the scroll in her hand. He squinted hard, trying to make out the words on the scroll in her hand amidst the dim environment. He vaguely saw the words “Sword technique” and couldn’t help but be extremely curious about the sword moves that instantly killed She Slave and where they came from. The originally praised Li Xuan instantly became as delighted as a naive child who had received a teacher’s compliment, excited and jubilant. However, the moment he heard these words, he was so startled he nearly jumped out of his skin. He thought to himself that there was such an impudent disciple under his tutelage, daring to recklessly stare at this important person—it’s as if he doesn’t want to live! Before Li Xuan could react, the young man’s face turned red, not expecting that his surreptitious actions had been sharply caught by the woman. Immediately he stammered uncertainly, “I… I… I was looking at the sword manual in your hand, very curious… what kind of powerful swordsmanship it is.” Once the topic turned to swords, the woman’s expression brightened, no longer indifferent like someone unconcerned. She lifted the scroll in her hand, chuckled lightly, and said, “Oh, you mean this Lingxu Swordsmanship?” The young man originally saw a playful smile in her eyes and felt a surge of eagerness. But upon hearing the words “Lingxu Swordsmanship,” his expression suddenly stiffened, and the eagerness in his heart was washed away completely. He thought to himself, could this woman be jesting with me? The name Lingxu Swordsmanship certainly sounds cool and impressive. Those unaware might think it’s a legendary secret tome. However, he was a disciple from the Immortal Sect of Lihe Sect who had cultivated for over a decade. At the foot of Lihe Sect’s mountain gate, even a vegetable selling lady in the mortal market would disdain to buy this so-called Lingxu Swordsmanship. Seeing the young man’s reaction, the corners of the woman’s mouth relaxed slightly, and she shook her head regretfully, tucking the sword manual into her bosom. She thought to herself that not everyone was as interesting as the deer-raising youth. The Lihe Sect youth was unaware that he had inadvertently missed a rare opportunity. After such an incident, Li Xuan no longer dared to let his disciples continue down. He gave instructions, ordering those disciples in the Kaiyuan Realm to lead the disciples in the Seeking Tao Realm out of this place. As for him, he intended to continue deeper into the ancient cave’s Abyss in search of his treasured daughter. He really had no choice; he had a daughter in his old age, and this girl was also promising, with a Spirit Root talent that could be considered exceptional among Tier 3. Moreover, with the transmission of skills from an elder within the sect, being able to reach the Kaiyuan Realm at such a young age was his one and only consolation. Even if it meant risking his old life, he would definitely find his daughter! The woman in white looked down at the little deer with its head raised in confusion, thinking it odd how most people in the world would go out of their way to stay by her side, yet lacking the chance. How come with you, this little deer, you so reluctantly behave as if I’m forcing you to agree? With an imperceptible curl of her lip, she rather rudely mounted the little deer’s back and lazily rode on it. She lightly stroked the little antlers on the deer’s head and spoke leisurely, “Li Xuan, you need not worry about your daughter. Five days ago, I found a young man unconscious in the South Sea. His sword was none other than your daughter Jiujiu’s Autumnwater Sword. The Autumnwater Sword has recognized that young man as its master. I believe the Autumnwater Sword was personally given to him by your daughter. Since she had the leisure to bestow her sword, it seems she has left the Demon Cave safely.” The disciples, who were about to disperse and prepare to use Sword Control to depart, suddenly showed very odd expressions on their faces. Everyone sneakily glanced at Sect Master Li Xuan, whose face was as constipated as it could be, and decided it was best to keep their mouths shut. Nonetheless, they couldn’t help but grumble to themselves. A young man? Where did this young man come from? How did he get the Senior Sister’s sword? Poor Senior Brother Lu had been infatuated with Junior Sister for so many years and had never seen Junior Sister gifting him any personal belongings. How could it be that she had gone out for a little cultivation journey and ended up gifting away her personal sword? Poor Senior Brother Lu. As if she hadn’t noticed the change in Li Xuan’s complexion, the woman in white continued, “Furthermore, the Endless Sea is not tranquil at present, the sky above is full of Yin Crows, your tender disciples are like young cabbages, not enough for even a single round of their picking.” Li Xuan’s face stiffened as he awkwardly smiled at the woman, forcing himself to say, “Is the elder certain that the sword in the hands of the young man in the sea belongs to my Jiujiu’s Autumnwater Sword?” The woman’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, displeasure apparent on her face as she said, “Do you think I would mistake a sword?” Li Xuan’s heart sank, realizing he had asked a very unnecessary and foolish question at that moment. He hurriedly laughed awkwardly, “It’s the junior’s folly! I asked a stupid question.” A foolish master often teaches equally foolish disciples. The woman’s expression did not show much improvement. A Lihe Sect disciple muttered quietly under his breath, “That great person seems very impressive. Why would she care about which sword the Senior Sister is using? Is it the Autumnwater Sword?” Though his voice was low, he believed no one else could hear him. But what level were Li Xuan and the woman in white? Instantly, Li Xuan’s face became exceedingly stiff, and he wished he could slap the foolish young man twice harshly! The corners of the woman’s eyes moved slightly, and the smile on her face grew even fainter. She petted the little deer’s head, her eyelids low, long eyelashes perfectly shielding those sparkling eyes, their emotion unreadable. “I, for one, have no interest in life; I don’t like music, chess, calligraphy, painting, nor do I fancy astrology, playing zithers, or pinning flowers. Only the way of the sword captivates me endlessly. I delight in remembering sword names, memorizing sword manuals; in this world, there is no sword I cannot recognize, no swordsmanship I do not know. This explanation… are you satisfied?” The Lihe Sect disciple’s face flushed with embarrassment, wanting to retort proudly. But recalling the magnificent Sword Butterfly technique that had astonished everyone earlier, he involuntarily touched his head and decided it was better to stay silent. Just then, a woman’s sneering laugh echoed from diagonally above everyone’s heads. The group, including Li Xuan, was startled and quickly looked up to pinpoint the sound. Only the woman in white appeared to have detected it long before and showed little change in expression, casually sifting her hand through the little deer’s fur as if searching for a louse to play with. As people looked up, they saw bizarre rocks strewn across the cavern’s rocky top. The bloody remnant moon outside the cave, partially devoured by dark clouds, seemed to regain some of its body. The crimson moonlight penetrated at an angle from outside the cave, and as it filtered through the jagged rocks, it sliced the red hue into silhouettes akin to the passage of time, cascading in strands upon her red garment. The woman in red stood atop a protruding rock, leaning against the mountain wall, her eyes deep with a verdant melancholy.