Wordless Golden Paper; The Art of Nurturing a Sword

You Su had no idea where she was going or where she had passed through.

Occasionally, a dazzling light would appear, and the pitch-black mist in his eyes would resemble a black curtain billowing in a raging wind, floating and carrying You Su to a quiet place.

You Su blinked and looked at his raised hand. He couldn't see his hand, but he could see the countless scrolls. They seemed to appear directly in his Sea of Consciousness, without needing to be seen with his eyes at all.

You Su looked around and found himself enveloped in a vast sea of books. These ancient texts together created an ancient and profound aura. Any one of them, if picked out at random, would be a secret manual that would cause cultivators to scramble for it in the outside world.

This is the millennium-old heritage of the Xuanxiao Sect, the number one sect in the Central Yuan Continent...

According to Elder Liu, all True Disciple who enter this sect will receive a book.

You Su's fingers brushed across the densely packed spines of the books, feeling the feedback they gave him.

They were neither cheerful nor resistant, just bland. Occasionally, a few books would be full of charm, but You Su would shake his head, glance at them briefly, and put them down.

You Su knew that this sacred library was not a place to be visited easily, so the books he could obtain here were of paramount importance. More importantly, what he sensed outside the door was not these books.

Just then, that the Unseen calling resurfaced, You Su, sensing something, looked into the depths of the sea of books—

It was less a book and more a piece of paper, a piece of paper radiating a sacred golden light.

Without the golden light, it would be almost impossible to notice it sandwiched between books.

You Su stepped forward and released his Mystic Qi towards it. The Golden Paper seemed to sense this and floated straight towards You Su.

You Su took it and examined it closely. The Golden Paper looked strange, as it was completely blank.

You Su hesitated. Should he trust his intuition and choose a book without words, or put it down and pick a hidden manual that might offer him real improvement?

The Golden Paper in his hand, however, made the decision for You Su.

It suddenly rose into the air and flew away. You Su was startled for a moment and hurriedly gave chase.

After a brief chase, the Golden Paper suddenly disappeared into a book, You Su leaped high into the air, grabbing the book in his hands.

Between the yellowish pages, the Golden Paper tucked inside the book stood out conspicuously. It fluttered twice, the golden light dissipated, and it became an ordinary old piece of paper, as if it had always been a page from this classic text. The only incongruous thing was that the paper was still completely blank.

You Su closed the book. The cover was ancient and simple, with five large characters written on it in a flowing, Five Continents Script that You Su could recognize: <Sun Yang Sword Nurturing Art>.

Looking at the Golden Paper that had fallen silent between the pages of the book, You Su sighed inwardly at how extraordinary this item truly was. With that, he no longer needed to hesitate. He stopped lingering, turned around, and walked back the way he had come. The vast sea of books in his eyes gradually disappeared, as if they had never existed.

"This..."

Elder Zhu stared blankly at the vanished You Su, speechless.

Elder Liu was the same, his face solemn. He looked back at the incense altar again.

That was a magical Law Artifact personally crafted by the Sixth Elder, who was an expert in Artifact Refining Technique. The sandalwood incense stick in the altar was not real; it was an image that would never stop burning. Every time the sandalwood incense burned out, a wisp of ash would appear, and then the incense would start burning again. And since You Su began to break down the door, the second incense stick had only burned halfway.

"How could a blind man have such a firm will?" Elder Zhu exclaimed, regaining his senses.

Although Elder Zhu was not in charge of reporting on the True Disciple, he was very familiar with this sacred mountain gate that was only open to True Disciple, since he had opened this gate when he was young.

The more determined one's will, the faster the door will open. And the speed at which You Su opened the door is enough to place him among the best in thousands of years of history.

"Perhaps it's because he's blind."

After Elder Liu finished speaking, he took a deep breath, trying his best to calm the turmoil in his heart. He understood this sacred mountain gate far better than Elder Zhu, and speed was not the biggest shock You Su had given him.

He had worked with this door for nearly a century, and countless True Disciples had come and gone through it. But whether they ultimately faded into obscurity or made a name for themselves on the sacred mountain, without exception, they were the ones who opened this door themselves.

And this blind boy from a remote place actually made the ancient gate of the sacred mountain open on its own!

"Lotus Sword Venerable has taken on another excellent disciple... Her position as Grand Elder is likely to be secure now."

"Old Zhu, don't speak ill of the Grand Elder. We're both practically half-buried; do you think we can still dream of the Grand Elder's position?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Zhu smacked his lips twice and patted his belly in a disgruntled manner.

Just then, You Su, looking calm and collected, stepped outside, and the magnificent gate behind him closed, the heavy, resounding sound of the door closing carried by the wind rushing towards them.

"Elder Liu, I have retrieved the book. Is the report now complete?"

As he spoke, You Su half-raised the book in his hand as a gesture.

"It's done... You Su, perhaps you can serve as a role model for all physically disabled cultivators in the world."

Elder Liu made no attempt to express his admiration for You Su.

"I will certainly live up to Elder Liu's high expectations." You Su smiled freely.

Elder Liu glanced at You Su and said, "The end of the reporting process only means that you are recognized by the Hall of Sutras as the True Disciple of the Thirteenth Elder, but it does not mean that you are recognized by everyone in the Xuanxiao Sect."

You Su put the book down again and asked, "What else do you want?"

"Your name will be announced tomorrow. If no one in the entire sect objects after seven days, you will be a true True Disciple."

You Su frowned. "Why go through all this trouble?"

"True Disciple are the true core of the Xuanxiao Sect. To obtain this status, one must put in the effort required and demonstrate the strength commensurate with it. Taking on disciples at will, which you may think is a matter of fate, will have endless consequences. Things are not that simple on the Divine Mountain. If you want to get closer to the Divine Mountain, there will naturally be more rules and regulations." Elder Liu explained patiently.

You Su nodded and said, "This junior understands."

"Don't listen to his bluff, kid. It's not that complicated." Elder Zhu leaned closer and smiled kindly. "Normally, as long as you have no past grudges, which of those Outer Disciples or Registered Disciple would dare to cause trouble for True Disciple? Your status as True Disciple of the Great Elder is different from ours as junior elders. No one would dare to disrespect your master. So just relax and wait for these seven days to pass without any trouble."

Elder Liu glanced at his grinning old friend and shook his head inwardly. It was true that other Grand Elders rarely encountered problems during the public announcement period when their disciples received their True Disciple, but this suddenly appearing Thirteenth Elder was a different story...

You Su then put away the book, clasped his hands in return, and said:

"Thank you for your guidance, elder. May I ask who you are...?"

"Just call me Elder Zhu."

Elder Zhu chuckled and patted You Su on the shoulder, his fat face jiggling. He then handed You Su a special, gleaming silver talisman, saying:

"I am an elder of Ancient Moon Residence. With this talisman, you will be a distinguished guest of Ancient Moon Residence from now on. You can order any dish below Grade A at half price!"

"You Su has no merits, how can he accept such a generous gift from Elder Zhu?" You Su hurriedly pushed back the hand that Elder Zhu offered.

Elder Zhu, eager to cultivate a good relationship with this destined-to-be extraordinary young man, maintained his smile and increased his strength, laughing as he said:

"What's so special about this gift? You're quite handsome, young man, with the same air as I was in my youth, and you're also the second True Disciple of the Thirteenth Elder. Your coming to Ancient Moon Residence for a meal will surely bring many people along. Isn't that a merit?"

Looking at You Su's cheerful and refined face, Elder Zhu realized that the majority of the disciples You Su brought for the meal would probably be women. He needed to quickly get his disciples to rack their brains and come up with some new dishes that women would like to eat.

You Su looked helpless and was about to decline when Elder Liu interjected and advised:

"Please accept this. It's not a large gift, but True Disciple of the Xuanxiao Sect needs one. Ancient Moon Residence isn't some celestial restaurant; it's the dining hall for the Xuanxiao Sect disciples. Having this will make your meals more convenient."

Although the Xuanxiao Sect is the largest sect, most of its disciples are at the Channel Opening or Spirit Platform stages, and they still need to eat. Once they reach the Water Condensation stage, they can rely on the solidified Mystic Qi to abstain from food for extended periods. Only those who reach the Feather Transformation Realm can truly achieve Grain Avoidance.

Therefore, Ancient Moon Residence is a cornerstone for the Xuanxiao Sect. The dishes are divided into four categories: A, B, C, and D. The lower the category, the more common and cheaper the ingredients.

Elder Zhu was so angered by his old friend's undermining words that he glared and said:

"Bullshit! Do you think what I give You Su is the same as what I give others? Oh, I forgot to mention, this talisman grants free access to all dishes below Grade B!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the runes on the talisman in his hand became much more complex, and shone with an even brighter silver light than before.

Elder Liu smiled noncommittally, thinking to himself that this fat man was really generous; even the Grade C dishes were beyond the reach of ordinary disciples.

Unlike Elder Liu, You Su was unable to perceive Elder Zhu's subtle manipulation of the talisman's power with a mere gesture. Since both had urged him to accept, he no longer refused, took the talisman, and thanked them.

"Then I, You Su, will respectfully accept your offer. If the two elders ever need anything from You Su in the future, You Su will do my utmost."

"Why would you associate yourself with something I gave you?" Elder Zhu patted his belly again and asked, Qi Ingestion.

You Su smiled and said, "Elder Liu also helped me a lot. It was just that I was being lazy and mentioned it all at once."

Elder Zhu wasn't really angry, and muttered, "What help am I giving you? This is what he should be doing."

Elder Liu, too lazy to argue with his old friend, said to You Su:

"This back hall is called the Book Mountain Pavilion. It is no ordinary object; it possesses a certain divine power, and it often bestows upon those who come with the most suitable or necessary books. I recall receiving the <Wind-Stabilizing Profound Skill> back then, which truly benefited me for a long time. You have received Book Mountain Pavilion; you should study it carefully."

Elder Zhu's eyes darted around, and he chimed in, "That's right, that's right! I'm still using the <Rootless Breathing Technique> I got back then!"

You Su chuckled lightly. These two elders seemed to be sharing their experiences of obtaining books, but in reality, they were curious about what book You Su had acquired. They were deliberately avoiding asking directly out of consideration for privacy.

You Su didn't feel there was anything shameful about the book he had obtained. Besides, as a successor of the Mandarin Sword and a disciple of the Lotus Birth Sword, learning a new Swordsmanship might distract him. The Sword Nurturing Art, however, was different. It referred to nourishing the sword with one's spirit and energy, focusing on strengthening the connection between the sword and one's own soul. It could be said that the Sword Nourishing Manual was the most suitable Way of the Sword book for him at this moment.

He then held up the ancient book and showed it to the two elders.

"The Sun Yang Sword Nurturing Art?!"

Elder Liu's expression instantly became interesting as he read those words aloud, Elder Zhu did the same, his gaze sweeping over You Su.

You Su couldn't see the changes in their expressions, but he could sense Elder Liu's surprised yet amused tone, and asked in return:

Is there anything special about this book?

Elder Liu did not answer directly, but instead asked:

"You already have dao companion, don't you?"

You Su sensed something was amiss. Why would this seemingly respectable old man ask such a question? If they were really talking about dao companion... his junior sister should be considered a dao companion.

"Indeed."

Both elders wore expressions of "I knew it," and Elder Liu's gaze swept strangely over You Su's lower body as he said:

Do you know who the author of your book is?

You Su shook her head.

"He was the renowned Sun Yang Venerable seven hundred years ago."

The sword -Sword Nurturing Art written by Void Glimpse Venerable is no ordinary thing, You Su replied:

"I never imagined I would be so lucky to obtain the Venerable Sword Manual."

"Don't be so happy yet. Do you know who Sun Yang Venerable is?"

You Su shook her head again.

"You dao companion, so you should understand that the world today doesn't openly promote dual cultivation, and some even regard it as Evil Dao. But seven hundred years ago, dual cultivation existed as a normal cultivation method. The reason for this change in people's perceptions is because of Sun Yang Venerable."

What did he do?

Elder Liu shook his head with a hint of regret. "The Sun Yang Venerable was exceptionally talented. His self-created Sun Yang Sword was virtually unmatched among cultivators of the same realm, slaying countless Evil Cultivators. Unfortunately, he was deeply tainted by lust. In his old age, unable to the Heaven Awakening Realm, he turned to dual cultivation, causing countless tragedies. Many male cultivators followed his example, and for a time, all female cultivators in the world lived in fear. Just as he was about to break through to the Heavenly Awakening Realm, he was killed by the combined forces of the female cultivators he had defiled. After that, dual cultivation could no longer be practiced openly."

"Can the Cultivation Method of such a person be collected in the Book Mountain Pavilion?"

"Others have problems, but the Sun Yang Sword has no problems; that's why the <Sun Yang Sword Technique> and <Sun Yang Sword Nurturing Art> are kept here."

You Su nodded. Before being ensnared by his obsession, Sun Yang Venerable was indeed a righteous cultivator. His crazy behavior in his old age should be separated from his previous achievements.

But You Su still didn't understand the source of Elder Liu's strange tone, and Elder Liu stopped keeping her in suspense:

"The reason I'm so amazed is that this Sword Nurturing Art has other uses as well."

"What's it for?"

"Ahem... Sun Yang Venerable, even in his old age, practiced dual cultivation and could still enjoy the company of several highly skilled female cultivators at night. His secret was the Sun Yang Sword Nurturing Art. It could nourish both the sword and the 'sword' itself..."

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