After the four master-and-disciple members had eaten and drunk their fill, Ye Zifeng left the private room and went to the counter to settle the bill.
Just as Ye Zifeng was about to take out his money, a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"Young friend, please wait. We've already paid for your meal." An old man and a middle-aged man slowly approached from the distance. Both wore luxurious brocade robes, and faint sword qi radiated from their bodies, so subtle that it was difficult to detect.
"My name is Ye Zifeng. Thank you, seniors, for paying for my meal. May I ask what I can do for you?" Ye Zifeng knew at first glance that the two men were far from ordinary. Since they had taken the initiative to pay for him, they must have had some purpose, so he asked warily.
"Young friend, there's no need to be nervous. I'm merely an old man with a bit of money. The cost of that meal was insignificant. I simply wanted to meet Mr. Li. I wonder if you could introduce me to him?" the old man said with a beaming smile.
"May I ask why you're looking for my master?" Ye Zifeng asked cautiously.
"Old man that I am, I love the sword. I have devoted my entire life to it, seeking only the pinnacle of the Sword Dao."
"Yesterday, I saw the exquisite swordsmanship your master displayed during his duel with the Clear Sky Sect Master, and I was filled with admiration. That's why I wanted to discuss the sword with your master," the old man answered unhurriedly.
"Bring them up. They should mean no harm." Ye Zifeng had just been about to say that he would report to his master first when Li Changsheng's voice suddenly reached his ears.
His attitude changed at once, and he said respectfully to the old man, "In that case, Senior, please follow me." As he spoke, he led the two men to the room where Li Changsheng and the others were staying.
As soon as he entered the room, the old man bowed to Li Changsheng and said, "Mr. Li, this is our first meeting, and I have nothing good to give you. I can only offer you a modest gift." The old man took a Black Card from his robes and slid it across the table to Li Changsheng.
"Senior, you flatter me. You're older than I am, so how could I let you bow to me? Please, sit." Although he was in another world, Li Changsheng still remembered the Daoist customs of etiquette and rank. Seeing this, he immediately rose and invited the old man to sit down.
"No need to stand on ceremony. Mr. Li, your swordsmanship is exquisite, and you've walked farther than I have on the path of the Sword Dao. As they say, the accomplished are teachers." The old man waved his hand indifferently.
"May I ask why Senior has come?"
"Actually, it's nothing much. I simply wanted to discuss the sword with you. I wonder if you have the time."
"So that's all it is. No problem—we can do it now. I can sense that the sword qi in your body is—let me tell you a little about my understanding of sword intent."
With that, Li Changsheng began explaining his understanding of the Sword Dao.
As Li Changsheng's explanation of sword intent continually reached the ears of the old man and the middle-aged man, the auras surrounding the two of them steadily rose, and their sword intent grew increasingly dense. Only when the explanation ended did their auras gradually calm.
Seeing this, Li Changsheng said directly, "Senior, why don't we have a match?"
"Good! I've long wanted to experience Mr. Li's skills." The old man shouted happily.
On an empty stretch of level ground,
Li Changsheng and the old man wielded wooden swords and exchanged blows rapidly in the air. They moved so quickly that the three siblings watching and the middle-aged man could not keep up with them at all.
They fought until sunset, when the old man finally admitted defeat helplessly.
"Senior, I noticed that during our exchange, you were using your family's ancestral sword techniques."
"They mainly focus on sword moves, with each move flowing seamlessly into the next."
"What I want to tell you is that your Sword Dao realm has already reached a bottleneck. Those sword moves have become a kind of restraint for you. If you want to advance further, you can only abandon sword techniques and cultivate sword intent."
"Those sword moves are merely the techniques through which we release our sword intent. If our sword intent is strong enough, then every gesture and movement contains sword intent. In that case, why do we need sword moves?" Li Changsheng advised.
After saying this, Li Changsheng turned around and left with the three siblings.
The old man stared in the direction in which Li Changsheng and his disciples had departed, falling into deep thought. The middle-aged man ran to his side.
"Father, are you all right?" the middle-aged man asked worriedly.
Hearing his son's voice, the old man merely shook his head without speaking. In his heart, he silently recalled Li Changsheng's calm and effortless movements during the exchange. Although they had fought for quite some time, the old man understood that if Li Changsheng had wanted to defeat him, he could have ended the match with a single move. He had merely been using the fight to temper the old man's sword.
As the greatest swordsman in the Dust Clan over the past several centuries, his talent naturally needed no explanation.
Yet that had also led him to his current bottleneck. With no one to teach him, he did not know how to continue along the path of the Sword Dao. No one in the Dust Clan before him had comprehended sword intent. He alone had fortunately grasped a trace of the Seven Kill Sword Intent, so he could only grope his way toward the future, repeating his clan's Seven Kill Sword Technique every day while constantly refining and perfecting it.
Yet today, Mr. Li had told him that his Sword Dao had encountered a bottleneck, and that his sword moves had created an invisible restraint. If he wanted to break through again, he had to cast off the restraints of sword moves and begin cultivating sword intent.
After understanding this, the old man suddenly felt enlightened. The mist covering the path of the Sword Dao was pierced by sunlight, and he could clearly see the direction of his future cultivation.
The old man raised his head and looked toward the direction in which the four master-and-disciple members had left. With determination, he said, "It seems this old man's Sword Dao is about to improve again."
"Chen Xin, starting today, I'm going into seclusion to temper my sword intent. If I cannot cultivate my sword intent to mastery, I will never leave seclusion." The old man's fighting spirit surged, as though he had returned to his youth.
"Father, I understand. I'll work hard on my cultivation too." Chen Xin was also full of fighting spirit as he spoke.
After returning to Forget Worries Pavilion, the four master-and-disciple members sat down around a table.
"Master, who were those two people?" Second Sister Ye Hanxue asked curiously. The other two siblings also looked at Li Changsheng, equally curious about their identities.
"If my guess is correct, those two should be from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That old man should be the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sword Douluo—Chen Jianjun," Li Changsheng guessed.
The three siblings were astonished by this answer. Seeing this, Li Changsheng did not say anything more and merely told them,
"In a few days, I'll be leaving this place to hunt a soul beast at sea."
"You're going to hunt a soul beast yourself? How many years of cultivation does it have?"
"A million years."
"A-a million years!"
"Mm. A Deep Sea Demonic Whale King with a million years of cultivation."
Li Changsheng paid no attention to the three siblings' shock. With a smile, he said, "So, over the next few days, I'll put you through several days of devil training. Are you ready for what comes next?"
"We've been ready for a long time!" Ye Hanxue said excitedly. The other two siblings also nodded and echoed her, though they soon regretted their actions.
Before you continue