A Grand Vow, Qing Feng

"Senior Sister, quite the mood you're in."

Su Changqing walked towards Lu Xueqi, saying to her with a sheepish grin.

"Admiring the moon is one of the few things that can relieve the fatigue of my monotonous cultivation," Lu Xueqi replied with a slight smile to Su Changqing.

Su Changqing didn't answer. He leaped onto a branch and sat down not too far from Lu Xueqi, both looking up at the moon above.

"Why didn't you use your true strength today?"

After a period of quiet sitting, Lu Xueqi suddenly shifted her gaze to Su Changqing's face and asked him with a solemn expression.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Senior Sister?"

Su Changqing looked back in surprise, feigning ignorance as he asked Lu Xueqi, "Senior Sister, this is my true strength today. I'm only at the Foundation Establishment first realm. How could I possibly defeat Senior Sister Lu?"

"You're still lying to me!"

A hint of anger flickered across Lu Xueqi's beautiful face.

"I..."

Su Changqing's well-prepared excuses vanished from his mind under Lu Xueqi's anger. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond, feeling that anything he said would be wrong.

"You clearly withstood my move, and you even had the energy to continue fighting me."

Lu Xueqi rebuked Su Changqing word by word, "The outcome wasn't decided, yet you deliberately made your spiritual energy erupt, pretending to be injured and admitting defeat."

Su Changqing's brows furrowed slightly.

Was my acting that bad? She could see through it?

A long silence fell between them under the moonlight. Lu Xueqi's anger subsided, and she looked at Su Changqing intently, asking him very seriously, "So, Junior Brother, what exactly are you thinking?"

"Senior Sister."

The silence had also brought Su Changqing some clarity. He let out a soft sigh and countered, "Senior Sister, what do you see as the difference between the bright moon in the sky and the fireflies on the ground?"

"The bright moon is pure white, hanging high in the dark night with its brilliance shining brightly, while the fireflies only emit a faint glow across this vast land," Lu Xueqi replied after a moment of thought.

"Then, Senior Sister, do you wish to be the bright moon or the faint firefly?" Su Changqing continued to ask.

"The bright moon. If we don't aspire to be the bright moon, what's the difference between our arduous cultivation and that of ordinary mortals?" Lu Xueqi answered without much further thought this time, the same answer any cultivator would give.

Su Changqing smiled slightly and leisurely offered his own answer.

"Senior Sister, you all wish to be the bright moon, but I alone wish to be the firefly."

"The bright moon casts its brilliant moonlight, illuminating the dark night. Though the firefly's light is faint, it can still guide the way for those who are lost."

"The so-called attainment of the Great Dao and pursuit of eternal life is nothing but an illusion. Our righteous path should be to aspire to the Heavenly Dao, to establish hearts and destinies for all sentient beings under heaven. Only then can it be called the Great Dao."

Lu Xueqi remained silent for a long time after hearing this, her gaze, which had been fixed on the moon, now fell upon the fireflies dancing amongst the peaks.

"In my opinion, with such a heart for the righteous path, why bother with the distinction between the bright moon and the firefly? Hiding one's strength and being a transparent figure isn't necessarily bad. Silently cultivating until one steps through the door of the Great Dao and then bestows one's lingering radiance upon the world is what I desire," Su Changqing said with a smile to Lu Xueqi.

Some things, when kept hidden in the heart, only cause bewilderment. Now that I've spoken them, I feel much better.

"Junior Brother's grand aspiration, Senior Sister understands." After hearing Su Changqing's heartfelt confession, Lu Xueqi finally understood his intention to conceal his strength, and gradually, this grand aspiration settled in her own heart.

"Thank you for your understanding, Senior Sister. Please also keep this matter a secret for me." Su Changqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I will keep your secret, Junior Brother," Lu Xueqi nodded lightly and seriously.

Then, Lu Xueqi retrieved a sword box from beside her and handed it to Su Changqing. To his surprised gaze, she explained, "I said I would give you a gift today. This sword is the gift I want to give you."

Su Changqing took the sword box and opened it.

There lay a sword, entirely green, resting quietly within. Its blade, illuminated by the moonlight, emitted a brilliant glow, giving one a sense of the formidable sword intent radiating from it.

It can be considered a peerless sword!

"This sword is named 'Qing Feng,' and it was forged from the same origin as my immortal sword 'Tian Ya'."

"Legend has it that a piece of iron from the Ninth Heaven fell to the mortal realm. Senior Ku Xin obtained it in the Arctic ice fields and forged it into the immortal sword 'Tian Ya.' Afterward, Senior Ku Xin fought a mighty demon cultivator with 'Tian Ya' for a day and a night, establishing 'Tian Ya's' reputation as an immortal sword. All cultivators dreamed of obtaining it, and eventually, it came into my possession, and 'Tian Ya' recognized me as its master."

"However, while the world knows of 'Tian Ya,' they are unaware that Senior Ku Xin forged another immortal sword back then, which he kept hidden. Now that it has reappeared in the world, it is 'Qing Feng,' in your hands." Lu Xueqi explained the origins of both swords to Su Changqing.

Su Changqing was inwardly stunned. He certainly knew the name 'Tian Ya'; it was Lu Xueqi's immortal sword, a peerless sword recorded in the 'Ten Volumes of Exotic Treasures,' worthy of being ranked among the top ten famous swords in the world.

In the story, 'Tian Ya' twice made a name for itself. The first time was when Senior Ku Xin used it to defend against the Demonic Cult's Black Heart Elder, as Lu Xueqi mentioned, making it a renowned treasure of the righteous path. The second time was when Lu Xueqi used 'Tian Ya' and became a world-famous female sword immortal.

However, Su Changqing was unaware that besides 'Tian Ya', there was another immortal sword, 'Qing Feng'.

At this moment, it was lying on his lap.

No wonder he felt its extraordinary nature the moment he saw this green longsword. Now that he knew it came from the same lineage as 'Tian Ya', it was no longer surprising. Since 'Tian Ya' ranked among the top ten famous swords in the world, it meant 'Qing Feng' was also among them, it was just that the world didn't know of this sword's existence.

"Senior Sister, you're really giving me such a precious gift?"

Su Changqing was extremely fond of 'Qing Feng', but he also knew how valuable this sword was, and it wasn't an ordinary item that could just be given away.

"I said it's a gift for you. Are you going to make Senior Sister go back on her word?"

Lu Xueqi said to Su Changqing very seriously.

"No way. I love 'Qing Feng' dearly. Even if Senior Sister asked me to return it, I wouldn't agree."

Seeing her attitude, Su Changqing playfully hugged 'Qing Feng' and said to Lu Xueqi, pretending to be afraid that she would take it back.

For sword cultivators, the importance of a good sword is self-evident.

Su Changqing's current sword was a common one he received from the sect when he first started practicing the sword. His cultivation was not high before, so he hadn't thought about finding a suitable good sword.

Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, he had long planned to get a better sword. Who knew his Senior Sister would gift him an unparalleled immortal sword!

Su Changqing deeply cherished this kindness and would never forget it in his lifetime.