Where the Sword Points, the Heart Follows-Forward Without Fear, the Sword Dao Endures Forever!

"It's me, Grandpa Village Chief."

Lu Xuan looked at the old man's trembling hands and tried to tug the corners of his mouth upward, attempting to squeeze out a smile.

But that smile was stiff and awkward, paired with those eyes that had witnessed countless slaughters and were as cold as an abyss.

Instead, he looked even more chilling than when he wasn't smiling.

"Child... just what have you been through all these years?"

The old village chief's eyes reddened as he looked at him, his gaze filled with heartache.

This was the child he had watched grow up!

That child who had once played carefree beside the stream at the village entrance, his laughter clear and bright.

He had only gone out into the world for a few years. How had he completely lost his former vitality and spirit?

The icy aura radiating from his entire body made him seem like an Asura who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Just what kind of cruel experiences could have driven a child to become like this?

Lu Xuan fell silent.

The bloody battles of those endless cycles flashed through his mind.

As did his repeated witnessing of life's birth, continuation, and destruction.

That fucking Divine Trial!

He could not tell the ordinary old man before him about that pain and those struggles.

Seeing Lu Xuan lower his eyes, unwilling to say more, the old village chief sighed and stopped pressing him.

He stepped forward and gently patted Lu Xuan's shoulder with his rough hand, his voice warm yet firm:

"If you get tired out there and can't hold on anymore, come back. This will always be your home!"

"All right." Lu Xuan's Adam's apple shifted slightly, and he nodded firmly.

"I want to go see Mom and Dad."

Lu Xuan spoke softly.

"Go on. Keep them company and talk to them." The old village chief wiped the corners of his eyes and stepped aside.

Lu Xuan followed the little path he remembered.

He came to the stream outside the village and found his parents' gravestone.

The gravestone had stood there for some years.

Although the villagers had been tending to it all along.

Under the wind and sun, the stone's surface had still inevitably become mottled with the marks of nature's erosion.

Lu Xuan crouched down, a gentle glow of Soul Power rising from his fingertips as he brushed them lightly over the gravestone.

Polished by his Soul Power, the once rough, mottled stone became smooth and even again.

Once he had finished, he paid no heed to his spotless clothes.

He simply sat on the ground without any concern for appearances, leaning beside the gravestone.

A breeze brushed across the stream, carrying wisps of moisture.

Lu Xuan gazed quietly at the names on the gravestone and began to speak softly.

Yet this conversation was destined to contain only his voice. No one would ever answer him gently again.

"Dad, Mom, I've come back to see you."

"I've been through a lot these past few years."

"My strength has grown very quickly. Now, I've become someone strong enough to truly hold his own on this continent."

"You don't need to worry about me down there anymore..."

Lu Xuan's voice was very soft, yet it carried an indescribable weariness and loneliness.

He sat beside the gravestone for a long time. Only when the sunset's lingering glow had dyed the stream orange-red did he slowly rise.

He took one last, long look at the gravestone.

Lu Xuan turned and left, the warmth in his eyes instantly receding, replaced once more by that chilling coldness.

Since I'm back in Nuoding City, I might as well take care of that hidden threat.

Lu Xuan quietly made his plans.

Judging by the timeline, Tang San was only eight or nine years old now.

And he himself had already successfully begun the Asura Nine Trials.

This meant that the Asura God was clearly on his side.

Since that was the case, he had nothing left to worry about.

Besides, he could also resolve his Soul Ring problem along the way.

Although that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's true form was rather pathetic.

It was still a genuine Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, better than nothing.

By the time Lu Xuan returned to the little courtyard in the village, the sky had already darkened.

To his surprise, the wooden table in the main room was already laden with steaming dishes.

"Xiao Xuan, you're back? Come, sit down and have something to eat! These are all your childhood favorites."

The old village chief emerged from the kitchen carrying the last dish and greeted him with a smile.

Lu Xuan did not refuse. He sat down silently, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and began eating.

The food tasted simple and homey, yet it brought a long-absent trace of warmth to his icy heart.

"How long are you planning to stay this time?"

The old village chief asked as he placed food in Lu Xuan's bowl.

"Not long. I'll probably leave tomorrow!" Lu Xuan took a mouthful of rice and answered calmly.

The old village chief's hand paused slightly as he served him food, then he sighed. "Be sure to stay safe out there."

He set down his chopsticks, his expression turning utterly solemn as he looked into Lu Xuan's eyes and said:

"Xiao Xuan, our ancestors in Sword Dao Village once left us these words: where the sword points, the heart follows. Forward without fear, the Sword Dao endures forever!"

"Today, Grandpa passes these words on to you."

"Child, remember this: if the conviction you hold fast to breaks, then your sword breaks with it!"

"So, whatever path you choose, you must walk it with resolve."

"If one day you truly grow tired and can't walk any farther, come back and sit for a while."

"This will always be your home!"

Lu Xuan's grip on his chopsticks suddenly tightened, his knuckles whitening slightly.

He raised his head and looked into the old village chief's eyes, filled with hope and acceptance, then nodded solemnly. "All right! I'll remember!"

After resting for a night in Sword Dao Village.

Lu Xuan ultimately still left Sword Dao Village.

Clang-!

The Asura God Sword gave a clear ring and hovered in midair.

Lu Xuan leaped onto the blade, and his violent Soul Power erupted in an instant.

Boom!

His entire figure became a dazzling streak of bloody light that tore through the night sky.

With an unstoppable momentum, he sped toward Nuoding City.

Meanwhile, at the gates of Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy.

A young boy and girl were walking out of the academy, chatting and laughing.

The boy had short black hair, ordinary features, and a slightly thin build, but his gaze was unusually steady.

The girl wore pink clothes, with a pair of rabbit ears standing playfully atop her head, looking lively and adorable.

The pair were none other than Tang San and Xiao Wu.

"Brother San, look up there!"

Xiao Wu had been skipping along when she suddenly stopped.

She pointed at the glaringly out-of-place streak of bloody light in the distant sky, which was approaching at a terrifying speed.

"Hmm?" Tang San looked in the direction Xiao Wu was pointing.

The next second, a deep purple suddenly veiled his eyes.

Purple Demon Eye, activate!

Through the Purple Demon Eye, Tang San clearly saw the scene within that bloody light.

His pupils violently contracted in an instant, and towering waves surged through his heart. "That's... someone flying through the sky on a sword?!"

"Someone flying on a sword?" Hearing Tang San's startled cry, Xiao Wu's heart abruptly skipped a beat.

An inexplicable sense of danger arose within her.

"Brother San, let's go back! I suddenly don't feel like going shopping anymore!"

Xiao Wu's face was pale as she clutched Tang San's sleeve tightly.

Her voice carried a trace of trembling and panic that she could hardly conceal.