Was That Village Chief from Crippled Old Village???

Before this Sword Intent, Chen Xin felt like a lone boat amid raging winds and towering waves, so insignificant that he was less than a speck of dust.

He had once believed that Yankang Imperial Preceptor's path of incorporating Arithmetic into swordsmanship was already the end of the sword path.

But now, facing this phantom, facing this Sword Intent known as "Su Muzhe"—

Chen Xin finally understood what it meant to stand at the pinnacle of the sword path!

The Imperial Preceptor's sword taught people how to follow heaven and earth and break free from their shackles.

But Su Muzhe's sword cared nothing for shackles or the laws of heaven and earth. Anything that stood in its way would be shattered by a single strike!

Two streams of clear tears ran down the wrinkles at Chen Xin's eyes.

They were not tears of sorrow, but the shock and emotion of hearing the Dao in the morning and being willing to die that evening.

"This old man has practiced the sword all his life. Today, I have finally seen a true god."

Chen Xin closed his eyes and knelt on both knees. Facing the gradually fading phantom, he willingly kowtowed once.

As the phantom dispersed, the peerless Sword Intent lingering in the writing turned into a thread of cool air and burrowed directly into the depths of Chen Xin's brow.

His newly formed, still somewhat weak golden Spirit Fetus instantly burst forth with dazzling radiance after absorbing that trace of Sword Intent.

In the Spirit Fetus's hand, the miniature sword condensed from vital energy became more solid, and its blade now carried an indescribably sharp aura.

Chen Xin slowly exhaled a breath of foul air and opened his eyes again.

He discovered that his back had already been soaked with cold sweat, yet he felt lighter and clearer than ever before.

The threshold that had stalled his realm for ten years was completely smashed apart by that wild Sword Intent at this moment.

Although he had no Soul Power now, he knew that as long as he had enough time to absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth, his achievements would definitely far surpass his former Rank 97.

Chen Xin carefully closed the ancient book, held it in both hands, and respectfully returned it to its original place on the shelf.

He rose to his feet and walked to the window.

The sky outside had already darkened. A streak of orange-red sunset hung on the horizon, casting the Imperial Academy buildings in a soft glow.

"Su Muzhe..."

Chen Xin repeated the name under his breath, his aged eyes shining with undisguised fervor and longing.

"What kind of peerless figure could have left behind such Sword Intent?"

"If I could meet him once in my lifetime and ask him about even one move or half a technique, this old man could die immediately without regrets."

With that excitement in his heart, Chen Xin turned and descended the stairs of the Library Pavilion.

Outside the main entrance on the first floor, the two old gatekeepers were still seated in their wooden chairs.

When Chen Xin emerged, the fat old man lifted his eyelids and gave him a glance.

At that glance, surprise flashed through the fat old man's eyes.

Before going upstairs, this old man from another land had possessed a certain sharpness, but he looked like an iron sword that had only just been sharpened, still carrying traces of rawness and confusion.

But now that he had come back down, all of that old man's sharpness had been drawn in.

He looked completely ordinary, yet anyone who came even slightly close could sense a terrifying Sword Intent that seemed perfectly natural, condensed but not released.

What good thing did this old man see upstairs? He's practically been reborn.

The fat old man muttered to himself, though he still politely nodded at Chen Xin on the surface.

Chen Xin returned the greeting with cupped hands and stepped out of the Library Pavilion courtyard.

Following the tree-lined path, he had not gone far before he smelled the rich scent of meat and liquor.

On a large bluestone ahead, Bashan Libationer sat with his legs spread wide.

He held an unknown beast leg roasted until it sizzled with grease, while that large wine gourd sat beside him.

The Azure Ox lay in the grass nearby with its eyes closed in a nap, its tail swishing back and forth to drive away mosquitoes.

Seeing Chen Xin approach, Bashan took a fierce bite from the beast leg and called out indistinctly.

"Yo, old man, finished reading?"

Bashan tossed the beast leg onto the stone slab, grabbed a cloth to casually wipe his hands, and sized Chen Xin up and down with eyes as large as bronze bells.

"Not bad. You took a stroll through the Library Pavilion, and these old bones of yours seem a few points sturdier."

"Those eyes of yours look much brighter than when you fought me this morning."

Chen Xin walked over to the bluestone and first gave him a polite bow.

He now held genuine respect for these great figures of the Imperial Academy.

"You flatter me, Lord Libationer. This old man merely read a few idle books upstairs and gained a little insight."

Chen Xin hesitated, but he still could not suppress his curiosity.

He stepped half a pace closer and lowered his voice.

"Lord Libationer, this old man saw an annotation in an ancient book in the Library Pavilion."

"May I ask if you know who this Su Muzhe is?"

The moment those three words were spoken—

Bashan, who had been casually preparing to drink, abruptly froze.

Not only Bashan, but even the Azure Ox dozing beside him suddenly opened its eyes, its ears standing straight up.

The easygoing roughness on Bashan's face vanished in an instant.

He slowly set down the wine gourd, turned around, and looked at Chen Xin with an extremely complicated expression.

That gaze contained reverence, regret, and even a trace of deep fervor.

The tree-lined path of the Imperial Academy suddenly fell silent.

A breeze swept past, carrying several withered yellow leaves in circles around their feet.

On Douluo Continent beyond the Sky Screen, there was also complete silence.

Inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's main hall, Ning Fengzhi's hand holding his teacup froze in midair as his eyes locked onto the Sky Screen.

"Even that unreasonable brute, Bashan Libationer, wears that expression upon hearing this name."

"It seems Uncle Sword has truly encountered a remarkable figure this time."

Ning Fengzhi spoke softly, and Bone Douluo beside him nodded in deep agreement.

Bashan's unusual reaction had thoroughly whetted everyone's appetite. All eyes gathered on the Sky Screen, waiting to hear a world-shaking legend.

Within the Sky Screen, Bashan let out a long sigh and patted the bluestone slab beside him, signaling for Chen Xin to sit.

"You actually saw the writing he left behind."

"Looks like your fortune runs even deeper than I imagined, kid."

Bashan stroked the thick beard on his chin, his voice turning somewhat low.

"Su Muzhe... this name has not been something anyone in Yankang Kingdom, or even in the entire world, has dared mention lightly for a very long time."

"Old man, weren't you awed by the Imperial Preceptor's swordsmanship this morning and willingly stayed behind to serve?"

Bashan turned to Chen Xin and grinned with a rather playful look.

"Then do you know that the Imperial Preceptor you revere as a god—"

"Had to respectfully address Su Muzhe as Senior when he met him?"

What?!

Those words were like a thunderbolt exploding directly in Chen Xin's mind.

The people of Douluo beyond the Sky Screen all sucked in a cold breath in unison.

Yankang Imperial Preceptor was a peerless powerhouse known as the "strongest beneath the gods."

He was a man who dared carry a sword and sweep through the sects of the world, who formulated grand plans for reform alongside the emperor.

Such a person actually had to call Su Muzhe Senior?

Then just how high was Su Muzhe's sword path? How terrifying was his strength?

Chen Xin's mouth went dry. He swallowed, his voice trembling slightly.

"Even the Imperial Preceptor admits inferiority? Then where is this old Sword God now? Is he also cultivating in seclusion within the Imperial Academy?"

A fire ignited in Chen Xin's heart. All he could think about now was meeting that true god of the sword path.

But Bashan merely shook his head at those words.

He raised the wine gourd and took a huge gulp of strong liquor, his gaze turning toward the sunset gradually being swallowed by the night.

"Meet him? Don't even think about it."

Bashan's voice carried deep desolation and loneliness.

"That old Sword God is a true madman."

"He could not stand the rules of this world, and he despised those fellows in the heavens who called themselves gods even more."

"Decades ago, he carried a sword and charged alone into the Ninth Heaven."

"I heard that battle turned heaven and earth dark, and he even split the sky open with a gash hundreds of miles long."

Bashan paused, his tone becoming exceptionally heavy.

"But there were too many old monsters in the heavens."

"In the end, he was only one man."

"After that battle, the old Sword God was gravely wounded and near death."

"Both his arms were severed, and both his legs were cut off."

"His earth-shaking meridians were broken inch by inch."

"Some say he died in the heavens. Others say he fled back to the mortal world with his last breath, hid in the depths of the Great Ruins, and became a crippled old man who could only lie on a stretcher and wait for death."

Bashan sighed and patted Chen Xin on the shoulder.

"Old man, being able to comprehend something from his writing is already a tremendous fortune."

"As for meeting him in person, just treat it as a story."

"A useless man without arms or legs—if he is even alive, his sword must have rusted long ago."

After saying that, Bashan ignored Chen Xin's reaction and directly picked up his broadsword before mounting the ox's back.

"Let's go, Niu Niu. Back to camp for drinks."

The Azure Ox slowly got to its feet, carrying Bashan as it gradually disappeared at the end of the tree-lined path.

Chen Xin remained sitting blankly on the bluestone slab, Bashan's words echoing over and over in his mind.

"Both arms severed, both legs cut off, perhaps hiding deep within the Great Ruins..."

"Turned into a crippled old man who could only lie on a stretcher and wait for death..."

It was not only Chen Xin.

On Douluo Continent beyond the Sky Screen—

The moment they heard those descriptions, every viewer, from the lofty Pope Bibi Dong to a street vendor selling roasted sweet potatoes—

Instantly had an image flash through their minds.

It was a broken, dilapidated little village.

In the open space at the center of the village lay a shabby bamboo bed.

An old man in a clean white robe lay on that bed.

That old man had no hands and no feet.

Every day, he lay there quietly, gazing at the sky with clear eyes.

And every night, that ten-year-old little monster Qin Mu would stand respectfully before the old man's bamboo bed and listen as he explained cultivation methods concerning Spirit Fetuses and Divine Treasuries.

Plop!

On the Shrek Academy training ground—

The half-eaten sausage in Oscar's hand fell straight into the mud, rolling twice and becoming covered in dust.

But he did not even glance at it. He could only stand there with his mouth hanging open, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground.

He stiffly turned his head and looked at the others beside him, who were equally dumbstruck.

"I... I didn't hear that wrong, did I?"

Oscar's voice trembled as though he had been frozen in a cold wind for three days and nights.

"No hands, no feet, lying on a stretcher, living in the Great Ruins..."

"Th-this fucking sounds exactly like the Village Chief from Crippled Old Village, doesn't it?!"

Boom!

The moment that speculation emerged, the entire Shrek Academy exploded into uproar.

Yu Xiaogang abruptly leaped up from the steps. He rose so violently that he nearly pitched headfirst onto the ground.

His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the Sky Screen in midair, breathing heavily.

"The Village Chief, the Village Chief who looked the most insignificant and only knew how to lie there in the sun..."

Yu Xiaogang's scalp went numb as an indescribable shock shot up his spine and into his head.

"So he was the world's greatest sword!"

"The old Sword God Su Muzhe, whom even Yankang Imperial Preceptor had to call Senior?!"

It was not only Shrek Academy.

Within Spirit City—

Bibi Dong abruptly rose to her feet. The Soul Power she inadvertently released sent a crack through the Pope's throne behind her.

In her mind, scenes previously shown by the Sky Screen rapidly came together.

She recalled the Village Chief's clear gaze when he looked at Hu Liena, a gaze that seemed able to see through to the depths of her soul.

She recalled Qin Mu saying that if the Village Chief became angry, even the night of the Great Ruins would make way for him.

"So that's it. So that's it!"

Bibi Dong took a deep breath, her stunning face full of disbelief.

"Crippled Old Village, Crippled Old Village."

"That village not only has a skinning witch and an unfathomable Pharmacist."

"Even that seemingly most useless old man without limbs was once a terrifying existence who charged alone into the God Realm and slew gods!"

"What kind of heavenly village is this?!"

At this moment, every Douluo viewer was left utterly stunned numb by this earth-shaking reversal.

Anticipation swelled madly in everyone's hearts like a volcano about to erupt.

Everyone could hardly wait to see what would happen if, one day, Chen Xin truly entered the Great Ruins and walked into Crippled Old Village.

What kind of marvelous expression would he wear when he discovered that the greatest sword in the world, whom he revered as a god and worshipped, was actually a crippled old man lying on a stretcher?

Even more eagerly anticipated was the day this old Sword God might grip a sword again. What a world-shattering sight that would be!

Meanwhile, on the Sky Screen.

The bells of the Imperial Academy rang out slowly.

Night fell, and scattered lights lit up in the surrounding teaching buildings.

Chen Xin sat on a large bluestone, then slowly rose to his feet.

He did not know that Crippled Old Village existed, much less that the old Sword God he had been longing for was sunning himself in a remote corner of the Great Ruins.

He raised his head, looked at the star-filled night sky, and clenched his fists.

"Whether the old Sword God is dead or alive, since such a pure path of the sword once existed in this world."

"Then I, Chen Xin, will follow this path, one step at a time."

"One day, I'll go up to the heavens and see what those gods really are!"

Chen Xin straightened his clothes, turned, and strode into the night.