Talk about inheriting the same lineage—this was it. You could tell who her master was the moment she opened her mouth...
Xu Xian sighed and compromised helplessly. "Fine, I’m interested. Go ahead and tell me."
Ye Xianyu’s thin lips curled upward, looking a bit like a villain who had just gotten their way. "See? I told you that you’d want to know," she said smugly.
Xu Xian rolled his eyes.
Ye Xianyu got back to the point. Pointing behind her, she spoke slowly. "Look at that chair. That is the seat of the founder of our Wendao Sword Sect, the Sword Ancestor. That old sword represents the old man himself. These ten chairs where I am are for the first-generation disciples—his personal disciples. The old man had ten disciples in total, and I am the tenth, which is why I sit on the far right."
She paused for a moment, looked down the hall, and pointed at the seats on either side one by one.
"As for the seats below, there isn’t such a clear distinction. They are for the second and third generations. However, even after ten thousand years, they have never been completely filled."
Xu Xian listened quietly. He didn't understand what any of this had to do with him being allowed to sit there.
After finishing her explanation, Ye Xianyu cleared her throat and continued, "There is an unwritten rule in our Wendao Sword Sect. Any personal disciple of the Sword Ancestor has the right to directly enter the Sword Pavilion and become a Pavilion Elder. So... do you understand?"
Xu Xian understood perfectly but pretended not to, shaking his head.
"I don't!"
Ye Xianyu naturally saw through his little scheme but didn't care. With a gentle flick of her finger, a stone chair at the very end of the hall came whistling through the air, crossing the hall and landing steadily right beside her.
A dull thud echoed, startling Xu Xian.
Ye Xianyu smiled half-mockingly. "It's fine. You'll understand in a moment."
As the boy stood there in confusion, Ye Xianyu looked out toward the entrance of the hall. A divine light flickered in her eyes. She didn't open her mouth, yet her voice resounded outside the Sword Pavilion like a grand bell, drifting far and wide, echoing through a thousand mountains and ten thousand peaks.
"Sword Pavilion Meeting!"
"All Pavilion Elders, convene immediately!"
This was the pinnacle of thousand-mile telepathy.
Throughout the Wendao Sword Sect, amidst the thousand peaks and ten thousand ravines, the reclusive Pavilion Elders all looked toward Sword Inquiry Peak. Their expressions shifted as they gazed at the towering Sword Pavilion. After a brief moment of surprise and bewilderment, they all rushed toward the location at the same time.
"A meeting...?"
"Disciple, I have business to attend to. I will be back shortly."
The moment those words fell, streaks of sword light shot out from various peaks and halls like daytime meteors. Many disciples in the fields and halls began to gossip and speculate wildly about the sight.
"That’s the Sect Master’s voice."
"A Sword Pavilion Meeting... has something major happened? It couldn't be those demons from the Great Desolation attacking, could it?"
"Shut your jinx of a mouth!"
On a certain peak, a female disciple asked, "Senior Brother, where is the Sword Pavilion? I’ve been in the sect for ten years, why don't I know about it?"
"Ten years? A Sword Pavilion Meeting hasn't happened in a hundred years. It’s normal that you don’t know. All you need to know is that to participate in Sword Pavilion affairs, one must be at the great ascension stage. Either that, or you have to be a disciple of the Sword Ancestor himself... Anyway, don't even think about it. With your talent, you should be thanking the gods if you can even manage core formation."
"Uh... Senior Brother, I'll work hard."
"If hard work was enough, how would the geniuses live with themselves? It’s fine, don't overthink it. Although your talent is average, at least your looks are average too..."
"......"
Outside the Sword Pavilion, a group of Pavilion Elders arrived one after another. They entered the Sword Pavilion together as the stone doors swung wide. Their figures appeared first, followed by the sound of their voices.
The group of old fellows from the sect whispered among themselves, discussing the situation.
"It’s been so many years. Why did the Sect Master suddenly think of calling a Sword Pavilion Meeting? Do any of you know what happened?"
"No idea. I haven't heard of any major events happening in the world lately."
"Old Niu, isn't your Shadow Hall responsible for intelligence? What, you haven't heard even a whisper? Give us a hint."
The black-robed old man called Old Niu gave Li Qingshan, who was walking in front of him, a faint glance. "Ask him."
"Hmm... Junior Brother Qingshan, long time no see."
Li Qingshan remained as cold and aloof as ever. He strolled casually, pretending he couldn't hear them and ignoring their presence.
"Ignoring us?"
"This kid is getting more and more arrogant. Haha!"
"Alright, we’ll find out once we go in. Asking is pointless."
One after another, they stepped into the main hall. They first walked to the center, cupping their hands and bowing slightly to Ye Xianyu on the dais before finding their respective seats on either side.
Men.
Women.
Old ones.
Even older ones.
There were more than twenty people in total...
At this moment, except for Li Qingshan, everyone else's eyes were fixed on Xu Xian. Their gazes were full of scrutiny and assessment, accompanied by a low murmur of chatter.
"Who is this boy? Why is he here?"
"No idea. Doesn't look familiar."
"Why does he look so familiar to me? I feel like I've seen him somewhere, but I can't remember."
"I have to say, he's quite handsome and talented-looking. He looks exactly like I did when I was young."
"Give it a rest. You're thousands of years old, have you no shame?"
"Is it a crime to tell the truth?"
"Don't talk to me. You're annoying..."
Being scrutinized by so many eyes, Xu Xian felt immense pressure and became inexplicably nervous.
Even though he was a transmigrator who had seen his fair share of things, every single person here was an eighth-realm great ascension expert.
Every single one was an old beast who had lived for thousands of years. Every single one was a being capable of moving mountains and draining seas at a whim.
And this was just within the Wendao Sword Sect.
If they were in any other sect or clan, any one of these people would be an ancestor-level existence—the absolute ceiling of combat power.
They could destroy a nation or slaughter a city in an instant.
This was enough to show that the Wendao Sword Sect’s foundation was incredibly deep. It truly lived up to its ten-thousand-year history. To the entire Fanzhou, it was indeed a massive colossus.
Furthermore, these were only the ones who had come.
Xu Xian thought there must be others traveling abroad who hadn't returned.
At the very least, the nine chairs in front of Ye Xianyu were all empty.
Those few were probably even more formidable.
He retracted the complaints he had made outside the mountain gate. With a lineup like this, it would be difficult for the Wendao Sword Sect to go under!
He subconsciously straightened his back and pretended to be relaxed, trying to look as normal as possible.
Ye Xianyu scanned the hall. Seeing that everyone had arrived, she spoke.
"Everyone is here, so let us begin."
The crowd fell silent, sitting upright and shifting their gazes from the boy to the front of the hall.
Ye Xianyu said to Xu Xian, "Introduce yourself to everyone."
Xu Xian blinked and pointed at himself.
"Me?"
Ye Xianyu nodded slightly. Everyone's eyes fell on Xu Xian again, filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and even more anticipation.
Ever since they entered the hall and saw the extra chair on the second tier of the Sword Pavilion next to Ye Xianyu, they had already guessed the purpose of today's meeting.
They just weren't certain yet.
It was mostly because the boy before them, aside from being handsome, was far too ordinary. He looked to be sixteen or seventeen, yet his cultivation realm was that of a mere mortal.
Because Xu Xian's appearance had changed significantly, they didn't immediately realize he was the same mischievous little boy from four years ago.
Of course, very few of them had even seen Xu Xian back then.
There was a massive difference between an Elder and a Pavilion Elder.
In the Wendao Sword Sect, one could become an Elder upon reaching the nascent soul stage.
But to enter the Sword Pavilion, one had to be at the great ascension stage.
Usually, these people lived in seclusion within grotto-heavens and blessed lands, rarely concerning themselves with the affairs of the mountain—let alone a common disciple recruitment ceremony.
Thus, it was only natural they didn't recognize him.
Xu Xian mustered his courage, braced himself, and followed etiquette by cupping his hands to all sides, saying modestly, "My name is Xu Xian. Greetings, seniors!"
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