Leaving the small courtyard, Ye Xianyu took Xu Xian on another impromptu flight through the air, riding the wind.
She was even faster than Li Qingshan. Before Xu Xian could even react, they had already landed.
It was a hall standing on the edge of a precipice, looming there like an ancient sword.
A square lay before it.
Huge stone statues stood on either side.
They depicted armored swordsmen, holding their blades as guardians. A long corridor stretched between them, leading straight to the hall's entrance.
The mountain was high and the peak precarious, so the wind was fierce, whistling through the air.
Xu Xian's hair was a mess, and his thoughts were equally chaotic.
Ye Xianyu remained silent, her steps light and elegant as she walked straight toward the hall. Xu Xian followed closely, not forgetting to look around. As they reached the front of the hall, he looked up.
Two large characters caught his eye, and he whispered them softly.
"Sword Pavilion!"
If one were to ask what Xu Xian's greatest gain from his four-year brief dream was, it would be literacy.
And not just in one script.
On the land of Fanzhou, he recognized every script ever seen in any literature; he even understood the incantations of the demon race, the devil race, and various spirits.
He was a rightful master of literature.
He thought to himself.
Even if he left the mountain now and entered the mortal world, finding work as a translator of ancient texts or something similar should make it easy to support himself.
As for why he suddenly knew these things? Xu Xian did not know the underlying logic either.
If you asked if it was reasonable?
Come on, classmate, even physics has ceased to exist here. What's reasonable or unreasonable anymore?
Open your mind.
Broaden your perspective.
As he followed Ye Xianyu up the final long flight of stairs, the magnificent doors of the hall emitted a dull, heavy sound. With a series of clicks and rumbles, they swung open on their own without a push...
Xu Xian marveled at the sight and quickened his pace.
The scenery within the hall flooded his vision.
High.
Broad.
Grand.
Everything exuded solemnity and dignity.
Aside from black and white, no third color could be found within... well, the candlelight probably didn't count; that was light, illuminating the entire hall exceptionally well.
When the wind whistled through the hall, the candles inside were not affected in the slightest, not flickering even once.
Just as Xu Xian's front foot stepped into the hall, the stone door closed behind him with a loud bang, giving him a start...
Xu Xian became inexplicably nervous, his palms instinctively breaking into a sweat.
The hall was empty.
Many stone chairs were placed on either side.
Further ahead were three steps leading to a platform with ten stone chairs. Above that were another three steps, where only a single stone chair stood, right in the center of the hall at its highest point.
It looked like a dragon throne.
It symbolized absolute authority.
However, that chair was different from the others. While the other chairs were empty, a sword lay horizontally across this one—an ancient, rust-covered sword.
As she walked, Ye Xianyu slowly asked, "Do you know how many realms there are in the path of a cultivator?"
Faced with the question, the answer surfaced automatically in Xu Xian's mind. He spoke it out loud immediately:
"For mortals seeking immortality, there are nine realms in total. The first is body refining, the second is qi refining, the third is foundation establishment, the fourth is core formation, the fifth is nascent soul, the sixth is soul transformation, the seventh is body integration, the eighth is great ascension, and the ninth is tribulation transcendence."
After a slight pause, the youth looked up, staring at the woman ahead of him, and added with emphasis, "Beyond that, one becomes an immortal, capable of ascension in broad daylight and achieving eternal life."
Ye Xianyu's lips curled slightly upward. "Correct. Then do you know in Fanzhou, at which realm one can be called an immortal?"
Xu Xian froze, shaking his head in confusion.
"I don't know."
People of the world.
They would call themselves sword immortals, book immortals, dao immortals, buddha immortals, spear immortals at the drop of a hat... all sorts of strange titles existed. But a title was just a title, usually meaning they had just realized a few slivers of heavenly immortal intent and their abilities far surpassed ordinary people.
But...
In the memories Xu Xian had obtained, there were no true immortal realm experts in Fanzhou—meaning tenth realm existences.
Just then.
Ye Xianyu reached the first set of steps and walked up. She sat down gracefully in the first stone chair on the right, smoothed out her skirt, and looked down at him...
She looked quite like a powerful female sovereign.
Xu Xian, being sensible, stopped below the long steps and looked up at her silently.
Her voice was gentle as she spoke slowly, her words echoing through the empty hall, adding an invisible layer of majesty.
She said, "The eighth realm."
The youth raised an eyebrow slightly.
She continued, "In Fanzhou, whether it be the Three Sects or the myriad clans and sects, anyone who enters the eighth realm of great ascension can consider themselves an immortal. And... those in the ninth realm of tribulation transcendence can act as a patriarch. They are all titans of their regions, old beasts who dominate their territories."
Fanzhou had no true immortals.
Those at tribulation transcendence were supreme.
It made sense.
Xu Xian nodded instinctively.
Ye Xianyu paused for a moment, her eyes curving with a hint of pride. "And I am a cultivator of the ninth realm, the tribulation transcendence stage."
Xu Xian raised his right hand, gave a thumb up, and said seriously, "That’s incredible!"
Ye Xianyu was dazed for a moment, then she chuckled once she came to her senses.
If it were any other disciple.
Hearing her realm, their eyes would be filled with either shock or a burning yearning and worship. But the Xu Xian before her was different; his eyes were as calm as a still well.
It was as if he had already known she was a ninth-realm tribulation transcendence cultivator.
Of course.
This wasn't entirely surprising.
Her cultivation level was no secret in all of Fanzhou.
What puzzled her was Xu Xian's indifference, as if he were saying the ninth realm was nothing special.
But then again...
He was Xu Xian, so it was understandable.
After all.
Xu Xian was different from others. The Xu Xian in the illusion, the Xu Xian before the sword stele, and the Xu Xian standing before her now—he was a child who was impossible to see through, always capable of providing surprises beyond expectations.
Not just a genius.
His temperament was also far from ordinary.
She continued, returning to the main topic, speaking slowly, "This is the Sword Pavilion, the most sacred and solemn place of our Wendao Sword Sect. Whenever there is a matter of paramount importance in the sect that requires discussion and decision, it is held here. For tens of thousands of years, every major event and decision of my sect has been finalized in this place..."
Xu Xian understood instantly.
So it was a conference hall.
Similar to a parliament or a cabinet.
"...To enter the Sword Pavilion and have a chair here, one's cultivation must reach the eighth realm of great ascension. That is the starting requirement for joining the Sword Pavilion. Setting aside other factors, as for the rest of the disciples, they are forbidden from entering at any time."
Having said that.
Ye Xianyu stared at Xu Xian meaningfully.
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow and pointed at the door. "Then should I leave?"
Ye Xianyu rested her chin on her hands and gave an answer that didn't match the question, "However, besides that, there is one other way. You can sit here without needing to reach the eighth realm. I wonder if you are interested?"
Xu Xian pondered for a moment. Sensing the deep meaning in Ye Xianyu's eyes, he felt an inexplicable sense of dread. An ominous premonition welled up within him, and he said weakly, "Maybe I should just leave?"
Ye Xianyu was taken aback.
"You don't want to know?"
Xu Xian shook his head.
"No."
"You really don't want to know?"
Xu Xian shook his head again.
"I really don't."
Ye Xianyu was silent for a moment, then asked for the third time, "Are you sure you don't want to know?"
Xu Xian took a deep breath and said heavily, "I am very sure."
Ye Xianyu's long eyelashes fluttered as she closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she said seriously, "No, you want to know."
Xu Xian: "I said I don't..."
Ye Xianyu: "You're lying."
Xu Xian: "..." You've got to be kidding me.
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