Dugu Bo handed Chen Jianjun the things Xu Xiao had written.
Chen Jianjun had no doubts. Dugu Bo was right there, after all, and he didn't believe a single letter could do him any harm.
He wanted to see what it said.
Chen Jianjun slowly opened the envelope and took out the letter.
The moment he saw the first line, Chen Jianjun froze.
A heavy sword has no edge; great skill appears clumsy; return to simplicity...
...Grass, trees, bamboo, and stones can all be swords... Refine your skill step by step, until you reach the realm where having no sword is better than having a sword!
The more Chen Jianjun read, the more astonished he became. With every line, he seemed to witness the growth of a Sword Saint.
The sword intent around Chen Jianjun grew ever more keen, soaring skyward. Dugu Bo, standing nearby, was so frightened that he fell onto the ground.
The sharp sword intent swept through the air, battering the surrounding buildings.
Rumble! The great hall collapsed.
When Chen Jianjun reached the final line—"From technique to the Dao, from weapon to the heart. In the realm without a sword, all things are swords!"—
Whoosh!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Seven Kill Sword flew out from behind Chen Jianjun, beyond his control, and let out a buzzing roar. Its tip pointed skyward as it grew larger and larger, until Chen Jianjun's sword intent enveloped the entire room.
The aura around Chen Jianjun continued to climb, and his sword intent surged ever more fiercely.
Dugu Bo swallowed. "Big Brother, oh, Big Brother, what on earth did you write to him?"
Looking at the terrifyingly powerful sword, Dugu Bo was so frightened that he hid.
The terrifying aura around Chen Jianjun continued to rise.
The aura of Level 97 shook the air around him aside.
Crack!
It was as though one of the shackles around him had snapped at that very moment.
His Level 97 Soul Power seemed to take another step forward, breaking through the barrier he'd been unable to pass.
Level 98—he had completely entered Level 98.
Chen Jianjun had been stuck at Level 97 for far too long. He'd been so desperate that he'd nearly gone to challenge Qian Daoliu to a fight, hoping to find a breakthrough.
But now, a single letter from Xu Xiao—a letter describing the development of Dugu Qiubai's Sword Dao—had let Chen Jianjun attain enlightenment.
"Hahahaha!"
"The realm without a sword! What a realm without a sword!"
"From technique to the Dao, from weapon to the heart!"
"This is the path meant for me, Chen Jianjun!"
"Hahahahaha!"
His sword intent settled, and Chen Jianjun laughed aloud.
All the buildings around him had collapsed, but he didn't care in the slightest.
Chen Jianjun looked down at Dugu Bo. "Young friend Dugu, take me to the owner of this letter."
Even the way Chen Jianjun spoke had changed.
He wanted to meet that master of the Sword Dao. Now that Chen Jianjun had found the road ahead, if he could reach the state where having no sword was better than having one, he would break through to Level 99.
The other party had given him such a great gift. No matter what, he had to go and thank him.
Dugu Bo was still reeling. His big brother really was his big brother. A single letter had actually made a Title Douluo come looking for him.
"Of course, Senior!" Dugu Bo immediately agreed.
Chen Jianjun summoned his Seven Kill Sword, grabbed Dugu Bo, and left his residence.
Chen Xin had just arrived and saw them. He stamped his foot. "Father, take me with you!"
"Stay here and rebuild the house!" Chen Jianjun said.
With that, he vanished with Dugu Bo in a flash, leaving Chen Xin standing there, dumbfounded...
Chen Xin sighed. He'd better rebuild the house first.
Dad, oh, Dad—you really know how to wreck the place.
With just one letter, Chen Jianjun had stepped into Level 98, leaving him only one level behind Qian Daoliu.
With Chen Jianjun taking him along, the two traveled quickly. In less than a day, Dugu Bo brought Chen Jianjun to the group's temporary base in Sunset Forest!
Sword intent filled the air. Chen Jianjun made no attempt to hide his imposing aura.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, come with me to meet the senior!"
Xu Xiao had already sensed the terrifying pressure and hurried outside.
Chen Jianjun and Dugu Bo landed. When Chen Jianjun saw the three Xu brothers, he furrowed his brow. "Young friend Dugu, is this the person who asked you to deliver the letter to me?"
Dugu Bo nodded obediently.
Xu Xiao stepped forward. "This junior, Xu Xiao, pays his respects to Senior."
Neither servile nor arrogant, he stood before Chen Jianjun. Chen Jianjun examined the three of them carefully. One had 14 levels of Soul Power, one had 12, and one had 10.
None of them seemed very strong.
Could someone like that really have written such insights?
Xu Xiao couldn't have written them himself, but he knew them. There was nothing wrong with borrowing someone else's words.
"You wrote the letter to me?" Chen Jianjun looked at Xu Xiao calmly.
Xu Xiao nodded without fear. "I did, Senior."
"I knew you were fond of the sword, so I shared a few shallow insights. I wonder if they were of any help to you?"
Chen Jianjun gave a slight nod. Dugu Bo wouldn't dare lie to him, so it seemed this young man really was the one before him.
"No one taught you?" Chen Jianjun asked.
Xu Xiao nodded. "Someone did—or, more accurately, he told me about it. That senior's name was Dugu Qiubai."
“He never lost in the Sword Dao, so he called himself 'Qiubai'—Seeking Defeat.”
"I don't know if the old senior was bragging, but I heard him talk about a lot of things back then."
Of course, Xu Xiao had made all that up to fool Chen Jianjun. Dugu Qiubai—who cared whether he was real or not?
As long as he sounded impressive, that was all that mattered.
Even Little Scumbag's Mysterious Heaven Skill could be called a divine skill. If Dugu Qiubai showed up, wouldn't he cleave the Douluo Continent in two with a single sword strike?
Dugu Qiubai?
Chen Jianjun's heart stirred. He was certain this person existed. Otherwise, he couldn't have said such things. Chen Jianjun had merely grasped his own path, and he'd already broken through to Level 98.
That senior was surely a supreme master of the Sword Dao. Chen Jianjun truly wanted to exchange thoughts with him.
"Little friend Xu, where is that senior Dugu Qiubai now?"
Chen Jianjun asked in a hurry.
Xu Xiao smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know where Senior Dugu is now. Perhaps he's pursuing a higher level of the Sword Dao."
"Of course, he might also have sat in meditation until he passed away."
Hearing this, Chen Jianjun felt a wave of disappointment. What a pity, what a pity. Such a powerful master, and he'd never get the chance to meet him.
Chen Jianjun looked at Xu Xiao and said, "Regardless, your letter helped me break through to Level 98. I owe you for that!"
"Young man, you wouldn't have written to me for no reason, either."
"Tell me what you need. I can grant you three requests."
"After those three, we'll owe each other nothing!"
Chen Jianjun pursued the supreme Sword Dao. Xu Xiao had helped him see his path clearly, so he owed him a debt of gratitude. He'd wanted to meet the strongest master of the Sword Dao, but it seemed the other man's whereabouts were unknown.
Of course, Chen Jianjun had his own concerns. If he failed to repay this debt, his sword heart might be clouded, making it difficult to break through the great barrier at Level 99.
No matter how you looked at it, Xu Xiao had done him a kindness, and he had to repay it. He cultivated no merciless sword. Some things simply had to be done.
Chen Jianjun had put it plainly enough. Xu Xiao knew what to do.
He understood that Chen Jianjun cared only about Dugu Qiubai. Xu Xiao had merely stumbled into telling him about the man.
Chen Jianjun didn't want to get too involved with a weakling who had only 14 levels of Soul Power—unless Dugu Qiubai himself really appeared.
Getting Chen Jianjun to agree to three requests was already beyond Xu Xiao's expectations.