The young man left, leaving the door open behind him...
In the courtyard.
The girl gazed at the sky, twirling half a fallen petal in her fingers. The light in her eyes flickered between brightness and shadow, as if she were lost in deep thought.
"It has been five hundred years..."
Counting carefully, the Wendao Sword Sect had been in her hands for nearly five hundred years.
Five hundred years—that was five hundred cycles of spring, and the blooming and withering of flowers for two hundred generations.
Everything was changing.
Yet the Wendao Sword Sect remained the same Wendao Sword Sect.
It seemed as if it had never changed.
But in truth, it had.
To the south, a battle had been fought in the Central Province; a sword hung over Cangwu to execute the imperial family, and a Half-Inch Startling Thunder had shamed the Three Sects.
They had won, but their relationships had only grown more strained.
To the east, a war had been waged in the Great Desolation; Yun Zheng’s single sword had swept through the East Desolation, severing the demon race's fortune for five thousand years.
They had won again, but her Senior Brother was gone.
The younger generation of the sect had suffered heavy casualties. Others might not have noticed, but how could she not know?
The Demon Abyss was biding its time, its resentment festering.
That fight on the shores of the North Sea, though undecided, had only intensified the conflict.
Looking further up, her Master and four Senior Brothers were facing their approaching life tribulations.
The everlasting lamps in the Immortal Pavilion could flicker out at any moment.
To the rest of the world, the Wendao Sword Sect appeared to be at its zenith, flourishing and powerful.
But internal troubles and external threats were just as numerous.
Wolves circled outside, while their internal combat strength was withering away.
The future of the Wendao Sword Sect could be described as precarious.
It wasn't just Ye Xianyu; the Pavilion Elders in the mountains knew in their hearts that the current Wendao Sword Sect was strong only in appearance, its strength declining day by day.
The old were too old, their life source nearly exhausted.
The young were too young, unable to shoulder heavy responsibilities.
Every one of them was thirsty for talent.
This was why no one had opposed the matter of the auspicious beast back then; they all wanted to raise it.
The Wendao Sword Sect needed talent far too desperately.
Li Qingshan barely counted as one, while Wen Qingxue’s batch was utterly unremarkable.
In the entire sect, only Xu Xian was truly exceptional, but one person was too few—far from enough.
So, they added an auspicious beast.
At the very least, it provided some psychological comfort.
When their generation of disciples succeeded as Sect Masters, Senior Brother Yun Zheng had spoken three sentences to each of them.
If you wish to be a guardian of the status quo, follow the established path.
If you wish to be a revitalizing sovereign, forge ahead through the rapids.
If you wish to be a world hegemon, your only choice is to take a radical path.
The meaning was self-evident: your actions should match your capabilities.
Now that the sect was in your hands, you should do what you felt you were capable of.
Since Yun Zheng, although they were all heroes of the world and peerless experts, they considered themselves inferior to their Senior Brother.
Just as their Senior Brother considered himself inferior to their Master, they all chose to be guardians of the status quo.
This was their choice.
But it was also their helplessness.
They all knew that the Wendao Sword Sect should not remain content in a corner, and they all understood that if the sect continued like this, it would never be enough to aspire to world dominance.
They all wanted change.
But alas, their abilities were insufficient.
Since their abilities were lacking, they could only choose to protect this family legacy and follow the rules set by the Sword Ancestor.
Everything followed the established path.
They kept things exactly as they were supposed to be.
Now that it was Xu Xian’s turn, it would be the same; whatever kind of person he wanted to be and whatever he wanted to do would be his own choice.
However, Ye Xianyu could see that this Little Junior Brother of theirs was different from them.
Setting aside the fact that his talent, opportunities, and encounters far surpassed theirs, his personality alone suggested that if he ever became the master of the Wendao Sword Sect, he would never be content to stay in one corner.
He would surely bring his sword to the world and become a peerless hegemon.
Demon-Slaying City.
Demon Suppression Abyss.
From these few events, one could see that his ambition was by no means as indifferent as it appeared on the surface.
When he did things, he either didn't do them at all, or he did them thoroughly.
When he acted, he either didn't act, or he acted big.
It would be the same if the sect were handed to him.
Since he was destined to be a dominating hegemon, the Wendao Sword Sect would naturally be his strongest support.
They certainly couldn't hold him back.
Each generation had its own tasks to perform.
Different people had different pursuits.
Ye Xianyu knew that a Wendao Sword Sect content in its corner would always view those not of their kind with suspicion.
Ye Xianyu didn't know what a Wendao Sword Sect that dominated the world would look like.
But she understood that it certainly shouldn't look like it did now.
She also knew that if the Wendao Sword Sect wanted to restore its glory from ten thousand years ago, reach a higher level, and face all its troubles with ease...
Then it could only happen under Xu Xian’s leadership, opening a new chapter.
He was a talent not seen in ten thousand years.
He was the person their Master had been waiting for.
He was also the person the Wendao Sword Sect had been waiting for.
Yun Zheng, Jiang Wanyin, Lei Yunche, Yao Xiqiao, Lin Fengmian, and even she, Ye Xianyu, had guarded the Wendao Sword Sect for nearly ten thousand years, waiting for someone who could lead the sect to greater heights.
Now, they had found him.
Then they should let him try boldly.
Auspicious beasts, the demon race, or even spirits and the demon race—what did it matter?
As long as he could control them, that was his skill.
Senior Sister Jiang Wanyin had said something that she felt was very right.
As his Senior Brothers and Sisters, they didn't necessarily have to help him or lift him up, but at the very least, they shouldn't stand in his way.
Throughout history, every existence capable of completely changing an era was, without exception, a madman or a fool in the eyes of others.
They were crazy, they were stubborn, they were reckless; they didn't follow the common path and weren't bound by worldly conventions.
They would break the rules, shatter the order, and then establish a new order and set new rules.
And then.
They would tell the world:
My rules are the rules.
Taking risky moves, choosing the radical path.
Establishing the new after destroying the old, heralding a new birth.
The sword stele stood right there at the mountain gate.
For ten thousand years, it was visible to all who entered the sect.
.............
Ye Xianyu felt that Xu Xian was such a person, or rather, she hoped and expected Xu Xian to become such a person.
Because the Wendao Sword Sect needed such a person.
The entire Fanzhou needed such a person as well.
Just as that dark room on the sixth floor of the Immortal Pavilion needed a lamp.
Of course.
He was still young and still needed to grow.
He needed people to help him.
He needed the steadiness of elders and the hot-bloodedness of youth.
Elders like her, like Yun Zheng...
As for the youth, he should choose them himself. Lu Yuan could count as one, perhaps Xia Chu Yi could as well, or maybe Tu Kongkong...
She didn't know.
She would let him be.
At the head of Longevity Bridge, the noise continued as before. The disciples on the square were waiting expectantly, and a group of Elders was burning with anxiety.
Across the bridge, the new disciples were already impatient.
Xu Xian returned, moving slowly and unhurriedly.
The thoughts in his mind hadn't stopped for a single moment.
From the initial question of whether to save her or not, he had moved on to whether to accept her or not.
The answer.
There was none.
He wasn't sure.
Until he stood at the bridgehead and looked across the distance, seeing Chu Yi and that child holding hands, talking and laughing. The light in their eyes was bright and clear, as pure as the blue sky above.
Xu Xian knitted his brows.
He thought.
Even if she were to die, there should at least be a reason, but that reason shouldn't just be because she was born a demon.
"Fine, I, Xu Xian, will be a good person for once."
He landed at the head of Longevity Bridge. The crowd of children looked at him as if he were a god, their eyes filled with fervent intensity.
The Deacon in charge bowed with cupped hands.
"Little Junior Martial Uncle!"
Xu Xian nodded and signaled to the man, saying, "You may step down. I will conduct the Sword Inquiry personally."
"Understood!"
Rate on N.U.
