Duobao's Visit, Discussing the Dao and Sparring

The Heavenly Thunder Tribulation had nine bolts in total.

Each was thicker and more violent than the last.

The deep-purple lightning was like a whip wielded by the enraged heavens, seeking to smash the Acquired Merit Spirit Treasure that dared touch a taboo, along with its master.

Yet Xuan Chuan, standing atop the mountain with the newly forged Fate-Cutting Sword in hand, displayed a bearing that moved every onlooker.

He did not unleash any earth-shattering divine ability. He simply stabbed, slashed, lifted, and parried.

In his hand, the Fate-Cutting Sword seemed to come alive, its sword light pulsing with the purple-gold Dao rhythm of "Fate-Cutting."

Every strike precisely "severed" the most core and violent thread of the Law of Destruction within the tribulation lightning.

The first bolt was split down the middle by a single sword strike, its lightning scattering.

The second and third were drawn aside by the sword tip, falling into the mountains and blasting out two enormous pits.

From the fourth through the sixth bolt, Xuan Chuan began freely unleashing his sword intent. His sword light transformed into a fine purple-gold net that caught the tribulation lightning,

dividing and refining it. The remaining essence of lightning was instead absorbed by the Fate-Cutting Sword, making the silver-white lightning patterns on its blade shine ever brighter.

By the seventh and eighth bolts, the tribulation lightning had become as thick as giant palace pillars, powerful enough to grievously wound an ordinary Primordial Unity Golden Immortal.

Xuan Chuan's expression turned grave. With a long howl, his body and sword light fused into one, becoming a purple-gold bolt that tore through the heavens as it charged forward to meet the attack!

Where the sword light passed, the tribulation lightning was forcibly "cut" into two, then shredded apart by the sword qi that followed!

When the ninth and final bolt descended—a nearly pure-black strike that seemed to contain the might of all the previous eight—Xuan Chuan's aura had already climbed to its peak.

Mana surged within him. The exhaustion and hidden injuries he had suffered at Flowing Wave Mountain had unexpectedly recovered by more than half under the tempering of the heavenly tribulation. His aura also faintly broke through a bottleneck, stepping into an entirely new realm—Primordial Unity Golden Immortal!

"Excellent!"

Divine light burst from Xuan Chuan's eyes. He raised the Fate-Cutting Sword overhead, and every Dao pattern on the blade lit up in an instant. The fourfold Dao rhythms of chaos, lightning, merit, and Fate-Cutting fused perfectly.

They became an incomparably condensed purple-gold sword aura, as though it could sever the river of fate itself, soaring against the heavens!

"Sever!"

The sword aura crashed head-on against the black tribulation lightning!

There was no thunderous explosion, only a shrill cry sharp enough to make one's teeth ache, as though space itself had been sliced apart!

The pitch-black tribulation lightning was actually "cleaved open" down the middle by the purple-gold sword aura, like a hot knife through butter!

The split lightning poured to either side, directly vaporizing two small peaks behind Xuan Chuan. Yet the purple-gold sword aura remained undiminished, shooting into the heart of the tribulation clouds and stirring them into a violent upheaval!

The tribulation clouds seemed enraged, yet also as though they had exhausted their strength. In the end, they slowly dispersed in unwilling defeat.

The heavenly thunder's might vanished entirely, leaving only pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth flowing back to nourish him as sunlight spilled down once more.

Xuan Chuan stood with sword in hand atop the devastated mountaintop, his robes snapping in the wind. The aura around him was complete and lucid. He had unmistakably entered the early stage of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm!

The Fate-Cutting Sword's radiance withdrew, and its clear sword cry rang out. Having passed the heavenly tribulation, its quality had clearly risen another level.

He flicked the sword in a flourish and drew the Fate-Cutting Sword back into his body to nurture it.

This artifact refinement and tribulation crossing had not only given him a weapon suited to his hand, but had also allowed his cultivation to break through as naturally as water reaching a channel. It was truly a double blessing.

Just as he prepared to return to his cave abode and consolidate his realm, a hearty laugh drifted over from the horizon.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Xuan Chuan! Your treasure has just been forged, and your realm has broken through as well. A double blessing indeed—worthy of celebration!"

Before the voice faded, a figure in a bright yellow Daoist robe, wearing a fishtail crown, had already arrived on a cloud and landed not far before Xuan Chuan. His face was round and kindly, yet his eyes were deep and wise.

The newcomer's aura was as unfathomable as the sea and faintly carried treasure light. It was Jiejiao's foremost chief disciple, Duobao Daoist!

"Senior Brother Duobao." Xuan Chuan cupped his hands in greeting, neither servile nor overbearing. He bore no ill will toward this nominal Eldest Senior Brother, but he also knew that Duobao's strength was unfathomable and his thoughts difficult to predict.

"Junior Brother, there is no need for such formality."

Duobao Daoist smiled as he examined Xuan Chuan, his gaze lingering for a moment at Xuan Chuan's dantian, where his natal sword resided. A trace of nearly imperceptible surprise flashed through his eyes. "The heavenly tribulation just now was no ordinary one.

The treasure you forged must be extraordinary indeed, Junior Brother. It actually drew down a tribulation from the Heavenly Dao for judgment. It is also a treasure of Acquired Merit, bearing both the rhythms of chaos and lightning. Truly remarkable! What is its name?"

"The sword is called Fate-Cutting." Xuan Chuan answered simply, offering no further explanation.

"Fate-Cutting... cutting into heavenly secrets, turning the numbers of fate? A fine name, a fine concept!" Duobao Daoist praised, clapping his hands. Then his tone shifted.

"Yet heavenly secrets and fate are hazy and hard to predict. If one forcibly seeks to seize them, one may suffer backlash. Though our Jiejiao bears the character 'cut,' meaning to 'cut out a thread of survival,' we also emphasize following the tide.

I wonder, Junior Brother, how does your Dao of 'Fate-Cutting' compare to our sect's fundamental teachings?"

Here it came. Xuan Chuan understood. This was a discussion of the Dao, but also a test.

After a brief pause, he slowly said, "Senior Brother speaks truly. Our sect's foundation lies in cutting out a thread of survival for all things. That is great compassion and great merit.

But where does that thread of survival lie? It lies in the struggle of all living beings to survive, in the gaps amid heaven and earth's transformations.

In this foolish junior brother's view, 'cutting' does not merely mean passively waiting to grant survival. It also means actively perceiving and grasping that ever-changing thread of opportunity.

That opportunity may be survival, fate, or a node of karma.

My 'Fate-Cutting' is the cultivation of this discerning eye and sword intent: among countless possibilities, to cut out the future path most beneficial to myself and to the sect.

It is not forcibly defying fate, but rather... seeking the most suitable tributary within the great torrent."

The smile on Duobao Daoist's face gradually faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

Xuan Chuan's insight was novel and bold. It elevated the Dao of "cutting" from the relatively passive act of "granting survival" to actively "choosing fate."

What immense power of deduction, insight into heavenly secrets, and faith in one's own path would that require?

"Within the great torrent, seeking the most suitable tributary..."

Duobao murmured the words, divine light shifting in his eyes. "Junior Brother's theory has something in common with the Dao I cultivate, that of 'gathering myriad treasures and deriving myriad laws.' Both lie in 'choice' and 'control.'

Only, I derive transformations through external objects, while Junior Brother points directly at fate itself. Wonderful, truly wonderful!"

When he looked at Xuan Chuan again, there was less scrutiny and more genuine appreciation and regard.

"Junior Brother has just entered the Primordial Unity realm and obtained a divine sword. Would you be willing to spar with me, to verify what we have each gained?"

Duobao Daoist suddenly proposed, his smile returning with a trace of eagerness.

Xuan Chuan knew that this "sparring" remained part of the test, but it was also an excellent chance to display his strength and earn respect.

He was now a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal and held the Fate-Cutting Sword in hand. Though he knew Duobao was unfathomable, he was not without the strength to contend.

"It is exactly what I wish for, though I dared not ask. Please instruct me, Senior Brother."

With a flicker of their forms, the two had arrived above a higher, more distant sea of clouds, standing face-to-face.

Duobao Daoist spoke no further. He simply raised a hand and pointed.

No treasure appeared in his hand. Yet light flowed at his fingertip, and in an instant, starlike points of treasure radiance condensed into the phantoms of countless sabers, spears, swords, halberds, bells, cauldrons, seals, and mirrors.

Though not physical, each contained a different flavor of law. They shot toward Xuan Chuan like a blanket covering heaven and earth! It was Duobao's famed divine ability—the Myriad Treasures Torrent!

Xuan Chuan's pupils contracted slightly. Senior Brother Duobao truly lived up to his reputation. Every gesture of his hand manifested laws, seeming both real and unreal, impossible to grasp.

He did not dare be careless. With a thought, the Fate-Cutting Sword leaped into his palm.

He did not attempt to block or shatter the seemingly endless phantoms of treasure light. Instead, purple light flashed in his eyes as The One That Escaped and his Fate-Cutting Sword Intent sensed with all their might.

The next instant, he moved.

The sword light flashed forth, not vast or majestic, but precise, swift, and strangely aimed at several inconspicuous "nodes" within the Myriad Treasures Torrent.

Those nodes were the "pivots" where the laws of different treasure-light phantoms intertwined and their power circulated!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Where the sword light passed, those nodes shattered at once.

The Myriad Treasures Torrent, which had originally been a seamless whole with overwhelming momentum, immediately faltered slightly. Several discordant "fault lines" appeared within it, greatly weakening its power.

Xuan Chuan moved like a swimming fish, easily slipping through the gaps in those fault lines. With a backhand slash, a condensed purple-gold sword aura shot straight at Duobao's face!

Duobao uttered an "Eh?" Instead of being alarmed, he was delighted. With a sweep of his sleeve, the phantom of an ancient bronze shield appeared before him.

The sword aura struck the shield phantom, erupting in dazzling light before both vanished.

"Sharp eyes! Fine sword intent! You actually saw through the key points of my Myriad Treasures Torrent's circulation!"

Duobao praised him, but his hands did not slow. His divine ability changed again. Sometimes finger, sometimes palm; sometimes illusory, sometimes real. At times treasure light descended like mountains to suppress him, at times spiritual currents wound around him like silk, displaying a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal's initial application of laws in exquisite detail.

Xuan Chuan, meanwhile, pushed the Dao of Fate-Cutting to its limit, combining the mana of a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal with the enhanced The One That Escaped.

He was always able to find a thread of "flaw" or "deviation" in what seemed like a dead end, then break it with the Fate-Cutting Sword.

His movements were elusive, his sword light appearing and vanishing like a ghost. Though he remained on the defensive, his defense was watertight. Even his occasional counterattacks forced Duobao to take him seriously.

In the blink of an eye, a hundred exchanges had passed.

Duobao Daoist suddenly retreated a step. The heavenly phenomena filling the skies dispersed, and he clapped his hands as he laughed heartily. "Enough, enough! Junior Brother truly is formidable!

You have only just entered the Primordial Unity realm, yet already possess such combat power and insight, along with such a wondrous treasure. Given time, your future will be limitless!"

Xuan Chuan also sheathed his sword and stood still, breathing slightly harder. Those hundred exchanges had seemed evenly matched, but in truth, he had consumed far more mana than Duobao, while his divine sense had been stretched to its absolute limit.

Senior Brother Duobao had clearly not used his full strength, but Xuan Chuan had displayed sufficient strength and potential as well.

"Senior Brother overpraises me. Xuan Chuan was merely fortunate."

Duobao Daoist's smile faded slightly. His gaze swept over the surrounding sea of clouds, as though confirming that no one was spying on them. Only then did he transmit his voice.

"Junior Brother's talent has already won Master's recognition. You also act decisively and have rendered merit to the sect. This senior brother is greatly gratified. Only..."

His tone shifted, lowering somewhat. "A tree that stands above the forest will surely be broken by the wind. Junior Brother's recent actions have touched the interests and pride of many people.

Though four of the Seven Attendant Immortals have departed, those remaining, such as Jin Guang and Spirit Tooth, may not truly be convinced.

There are also some who have long remained in the Inner Sect and pride themselves on their origins or seniority. They have secretly grown dissatisfied with Junior Brother's 'new rules' and prestige.

Junior Brother must be more cautious in your future conduct. Do not give others cause to criticize you."

Xuan Chuan's heart tightened. He solemnly cupped his hands. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. Xuan Chuan will remember it."

Duobao nodded, resuming his smiling expression. "Good. It is enough that you understand.

The sect is in troubled times and requires unity from top to bottom. Very well, this senior brother will not disturb you further. Junior Brother, properly consolidate your cultivation."

With that, he nodded to Xuan Chuan, then leisurely departed on a cloud.

Xuan Chuan watched Duobao's figure vanish. Standing upon the clouds, his gaze narrowed slightly.

Senior Brother Duobao had come today with congratulations as the surface, discussion and sparring as the lead-in. His true purpose was likely this final warning.

"Inner Sect... those who are dissatisfied... the remaining faction of the Seven Attendant Immortals..." Xuan Chuan murmured, but a cold curve rose at the corner of his mouth.

It seemed the winds upon Golden Turtle Island had never truly settled.