"Sword Bearer?"
Xu Xian's brain stalled for a moment.
His brows gradually knit together as he whispered the words to himself, "Sword Bearer..."
He lowered his gaze in thought for a moment before looking up again and asking, "Who... are you?"
Even though he already had an answer in his heart.
He still asked.
When Xu Xian posed the question, the other four people also slowly opened their eyes.
Their complexions were sallow, their cheeks gaunt, and the wrinkles at the corners of their eyes were as jagged as crags.
There was not a single ripple of emotion on their faces.
Only their eyes flickered with a flowing light, even though their bodies were no different from withered grass.
Those eyes remained deep and piercing, full of spirit.
Though old, they were not declining.
Though withered, they were still flourishing.
They tilted their heads and looked up, their gazes converging from across the void onto the youth's body.
It was as if they were respectfully welcoming a young king.
One by one, they spoke, announcing their identities.
"Sword Protector, Li Taibai."
"Sword Attendant, Yan Yi."
"Sword Attendant, Wu Shuang."
"Sword Attendant, Feng San."
"Sword Attendant, Chen Si."
Li Taibai, Yan Yi, Wu Shuang, Feng San, Chen Si...
What familiar names.
In the immortal pavilion of Tianjian Peak, on the fifth floor's everlasting lamps, these five were at the very front.
Sword Ancestor Li Taibai.
The first ancestor, Yan Yi.
The second ancestor, Wu Shuang.
The third ancestor, Feng San.
The fourth ancestor, Chen Si.
Only after them came Yun Zheng...
In other words, these five before him were Xu Xian's master and his first, second, third, and fourth seniors...
Xu Xian thought to himself that it was indeed as he suspected.
Even hearing it with his own ears and seeing it with his own eyes, his heart still could not help but throb.
Specifically, those three unfamiliar terms left his thoughts in a state of confusion.
Sword Bearer,
Sword Protector,
And Sword Attendant?
In the past, the story told by the old tortoise mentioned that the Heavenly Li Clan guarded the Sword Tower left by Ye Wujiang, calling themselves the Sword-Guarding Clan.
Now it seemed.
Li Taibai was exactly as he had thought, indeed hailing from the Heavenly Li Clan of the upper realm.
Li Taibai was not a being of Fanzhou, and these other four might also have come from the heavens.
In fact,
Before this, Xu Xian had always harbored a suspicion about whether Li Taibai was the same kind of person as himself.
After all, the name Li Taibai was simply too...
Before coming here, he had even thought that upon seeing Li Taibai, he would definitely say a certain line.
'Odd changes, even stays the same...'
However,
He had not expected them to meet in such a manner, nor had he expected them to look like this.
An unexpected scene,
An unexpected encounter.
Naturally, he was no longer in the mood for jokes, and he felt it would be inappropriate.
Standing at the edge of the abyss, he cupped his hands in a deep bow, paying his respects to each of them one by one.
"Xu Xian greets Master."
"Greetings, First Senior Brother!"
"Greetings, Second Senior Sister!"
"Greetings, Third Senior Brother!"
"Greetings, Fourth Senior Brother!"
Xu Xian's actions caused the five people on the elevated platforms to startle, and a hint of suspicion entered their deep eyes.
They looked at one another,
Completely bewildered.
Master?
Senior Brother?
Senior Sister?
What was going on?
Although it was not surprising that the newcomer was from the Wendao Sword Sect.
Breaking the endgame chess and entering the sect were rules established many years ago.
Over these years, they had ignored worldly affairs, sitting here in closed-off, withered meditation.
Yet they could still sense that the mountain-protecting formation was still there and that the sect's fortune endured.
They could understand if Xu Xian called them Grand-Ancestors or even Martial Uncles, but where did this talk of Master and Senior Brother come from?
"Did Little Five recruit a disciple on his master's behalf?" one of them whispered to the others.
"Perhaps?"
"Young people really know how to have fun..."
Although their voices were not loud and the surroundings were noisy with the sound of iron chains, hot wind, and lava explosions, Xu Xian still heard them clearly.
He also understood.
It turned out that the tradition of recruiting disciples on behalf of the master did not start with Senior Brother Yun Zheng; it was he who had single-handedly created it.
The people before him were unaware.
In the center, on the golden platform, Li Taibai asked, "Xu Xian?"
"Yes," Xu Xian replied respectfully.
Li Taibai's withered hand slowly rose, and he pointed his index finger forward.
Beneath Xu Xian's feet, a golden bridge pointlessly materialized.
It extended from nothingness into the depths of the natural chasm, reaching the very center of the five platforms.
"Come closer to speak."
Xu Xian bowed with cupped hands and stepped onto the bridge of flowing golden light.
The moment his feet touched the bridge,
Xu Xian could feel a majestic spiritual aura enveloping his entire being.
The scorching heat dissipated, replaced by a cool and refreshing sensation.
Even the sounds of the thundering lava waterfalls and the bubbling magma vanished.
The world became quiet, and all sounds died away.
Xu Xian approached step by step until he reached the center and stood still.
Looking back, the path he had come from was gone.
Instead, a golden green lotus grew beneath his feet.
All along, Xu Xian had thought the Sword Ancestor should be of the wood attribute.
That was why there was the Green Lotus Sword Song, yet he never expected him to have a gold sword spirit root.
It was no wonder his swordplay was so masterful.
However,
This display was truly unnecessary, as Xu Xian was currently at the great ascension stage.
Crossing through the air, sitting in the sky, and blocking out noise were all well within his capabilities.
Nevertheless,
Since Li Taibai had shown such consideration, he naturally accepted it with pleasure.
As the distance between Xu Xian and the others closed, what he saw became even clearer.
The towering Sky Gate, the five-colored cold chains, and five saints who looked as if they were at the end of their lives.
He seemed to understand now.
The Wendao Sword Sect was already so powerful, yet his senior brothers and sisters were still incredibly anxious every day.
Especially Senior Brother Yun Zheng, who did not hesitate to sacrifice his life to trade for the peace of the East Desolation.
The gazes of the five people were filled with scrutiny.
Li Taibai's gaze was the sharpest; he looked Xu Xian over several times, from top to bottom and back again.
"A sword spirit root?"
"How rare."
"It is a perfect match for the Innate Sword Body left by the Ancestor, so it is no wonder it is you..."
Xu Xian's gaze remained reserved.
The Ancestor?
That should be Ye Wujiang.
Before Xu Xian could respond, Li Taibai continued, asking, "I heard you call me Master just now?"
"Yes."
"What do you mean by that?"
Xu Xian explained, "Master may not be aware, but after you left, anyone who enters the Sword Mound and returns with an immortal sword can be initiated under your name. Since Master is not present, your youngest disciple recruits them on your behalf."
The group understood; it was much as they had suspected.
Li Taibai nodded thoughtfully. "I see." Then he asked curiously, "How many are there?"
"Thirteen."
After saying that, he quickly added, "I am ranked eleventh."
The eyes of the five people wavered as they silently calculated. Thirteen?
Excluding Little Five, there were eight others.
In that case, over these nearly ten thousand years, eight people had already retrieved immortal swords from the Sword Mound.
Looking at it this way,
The Wendao Sword Sect's fortune was quite good; even a small place like Fanzhou could produce such peerless talents.
Of course,
This might also be related to the decline of the heavens and the fortune flowing back into Fanzhou.
"Not bad,"
Li Taibai said slowly, then asked, "So you are the same?"
Xu Xian shook his head in denial. "I am not..."
The others cast curious glances at him.
"Oh?"
Xu Xian said, "I broke the endgame chess and gained enlightenment from the sword stele before being initiated under your name. I am the only exception."
When he said this, Xu Xian's tone carried a hint of pride.
He was the exception, and the only one.
However, speaking of breaking the endgame chess, the interest in the eyes of the group grew even stronger.
Before Li Taibai could speak, Senior Brother Yan Yi on the green chain platform asked:
"You say you broke that endgame chess? Quickly tell us, how did you break it?"
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