Lu Xuan pushed open the heavy door.
He walked out of the sealed chamber where he had been cultivating in seclusion and entered a broad corridor.
Sunlight he had not seen in a long time poured down.
It stung his eyes, making him narrow them slightly.
He stretched out a hand into the sunlight and felt its warmth, yet the confusion in his heart remained undispelled.
On the continent today, the most renowned swordsmen are my teacher, Qian Daoliu, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
Lu Xuan's gaze sharpened slightly as names flashed through his mind.
No, among the Lower Four Sects, there's also the Wind Sword Sect, which reveres the sword above all!
It seems shutting myself away and building a carriage behind closed doors won't help me comprehend my sword heart. I must travel the continent and see the paths of other sword cultivators!
He had already made his decision.
First, he had to see Qian Daoliu.
But ever since Qian Renxue had begun her Angel God Trial, Qian Daoliu had personally watched over her path, appearing like a divine dragon whose head could be glimpsed but whose tail remained unseen.
Ordinary people could not find any trace of him.
However, Lu Xuan was often nowhere to be found either. All one could say was that they truly were master and disciple.
Yet, to Lu Xuan's surprise...
He actually found Qian Daoliu.
Beneath the enormous Angel God Statue, Qian Daoliu sat quietly cross-legged, his entire body bathed in sacred golden light.
It was as though he had been waiting there all along.
"Teacher, don't you need to watch over Xiao Xue's Divine Trial yourself?" Lu Xuan approached and asked in puzzlement.
"This time, I came here specifically to wait for you."
Qian Daoliu slowly opened his eyes.
Those eyes, which seemed to have seen through all the vicissitudes of the world, regarded Lu Xuan with calm, profound depth.
"Wait for me?" Lu Xuan was slightly taken aback, growing even more puzzled.
"Your aura has grown stronger, but your heart is in turmoil." Qian Daoliu's voice, ethereal yet majestic, echoed through the hall.
"There are distracting thoughts and doubts in your heart. No one else can help you cross this hurdle. You must find your own way through."
He raised a hand slightly, motioning Lu Xuan forward. "Ask. What did you want to ask me?"
Lu Xuan drew a deep breath, his gaze turning utterly earnest.
"All right! Teacher, I want to know-what exactly is the reason that sustains you in wielding your sword?"
"My reason for wielding a sword..." Qian Daoliu lifted his head, his gaze seeming to pierce the vaulted ceiling and reach into the distant past.
"In my early years, I was brimming with ambition. I wielded my sword to defeat all the heroes beneath heaven and become the greatest in the world, thereby proclaiming the supreme majesty of our Spirit Hall!"
At these words, the golden light around him suddenly blazed. An imperious aura that looked down upon the world erupted, only to return to calm an instant later.
"But now, I wield my sword to protect. To protect the bloodline of our Qian Family, passed down for ten thousand years, and to protect Spirit Hall's immortal foundation, built over countless millennia!"
Lu Xuan's heart shook as he listened. "Then... can the conviction behind wielding a sword change along the way?"
"Why not?" Qian Daoliu smiled faintly, his gaze gentle yet full of strength.
"People grow. If you gain new ideals and shoulder greater responsibilities, there is nothing unreasonable about changing!"
"What matters is whether you have the resolve strong enough to carry out the convictions you hold now!"
"All right, I understand. Thank you for answering my questions and clearing up my doubts, Teacher!"
As though a blockage had suddenly cleared in his mind, Lu Xuan bowed respectfully, then turned and strode away from Qian Daoliu, leaving the Worship Hall.
"Teacher's sword is now a sword of protection. It could change because his convictions deepened and his responsibilities settled more heavily upon him..."
Lu Xuan murmured to himself as he walked.
Next, there was a place he needed to visit.
Of the Lower Four Sects, only the Elephant Armor Sect was located in the Heaven Dou Empire.
The other three sects were all within the Star Luo Empire. His first destination on this journey was the Wind Sword Sect!
In this era, there were only so many sects and powerful individuals who truly devoted themselves purely to the sword. He had to see them all, one by one.
Not long after Lu Xuan left...
Tap, tap, tap...
Accompanied by heavy, powerful footsteps, an exceptionally burly figure, like an iron tower, slowly emerged from the hall's shadows and came to stand behind Qian Daoliu.
The newcomer was none other than Spirit Hall's Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo!
A Super Douluo who had reached level 98!
In age and seniority, he was even a generation above Qian Daoliu, a true elder statesman of Spirit Hall.
He was unwaveringly loyal to Spirit Hall, without the slightest divided allegiance.
His own Martial Soul was a super Martial Soul possessing a portion of golden bloodline-the Golden Crocodile King!
"Elder brother, you wanted to see me." Golden Crocodile Douluo lowered his head slightly, his voice as deep and resonant as a great bell.
"Yes." Qian Daoliu did not turn around, merely gazing in the direction Lu Xuan had left.
"I would like you to follow that child Xiao Xuan in secret."
"With that child's current strength, even an ordinary Titled Douluo might not be his match. Surely he is strong enough to travel the continent unhindered?"
"Why do you still need me to go personally?" Golden Crocodile Douluo asked in confusion, his thick brows furrowing slightly.
Qian Daoliu clasped his hands behind his back and let out a long sigh.
"That child is now at a crucial stage in comprehending his sword heart, and his heart is lost in confusion."
"If he cannot find his true heart, then when he encounters a genuine life-or-death crisis, his strength will be reduced by at least half."
Qian Daoliu turned around and looked solemnly at Golden Crocodile Douluo.
"So I need you to watch over him in secret. That child has a bearing on Spirit Hall's future. Entrusting him to you puts me most at ease!"
"Understood." A sharp gleam flashed through Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes, and a bold smile curved his lips.
"It has been a full fifty years since this old man last left Spirit Hall."
"This is a perfect opportunity to get out and see what remarkable figures have emerged on the continent these days!"
With that, Golden Crocodile Douluo turned, transformed into a streak of golden light, and vanished from the hall in an instant.
Outside Spirit City.
A light breeze brushed past as Lu Xuan stood atop a rise, spreading out a yellowed map of the continent in his hands.
"Let me see... the Wind Sword Sect is located in... the western Star Luo Empire!"
His finger slowly traced across the map, outlining a clear route.
"After leaving western Star Luo, I can circle north to Fasinuo Province in the Heaven Dou Empire."
"That will let me stop by Sword Dao Village on the way and visit Grandpa Village Chief and the others..." Thinking of those simple, honest villagers, Lu Xuan could not help a gentle smile rising to his lips.
"Finally, I'll go to Heaven Dou City and visit Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
Having settled on a precise route for his travels, Lu Xuan put away the map, his gaze becoming utterly resolute.
"Time to set out!"
Clang-!
With a thought, the Asura God Sword, radiating an endless aura of slaughter and icy cold, shot out through the air.
It gave a sword cry that shook heaven and earth, hovering steadily in midair.
Lu Xuan leaped up and landed firmly on the broad blade.
"Go!"
With his low shout, violent Soul Power erupted.
In an instant, Lu Xuan became a brilliant streak of blood-red light that tore through the heavens.
With unstoppable momentum, he charged into the clouds in a spectacular ascent.
He vanished completely beyond the far edge of the sky over that region.
Before you continue