After four hundred years, Xu Xian's figure reappeared at the mountain gate. The disciples he met treated him with as much respect as they did Li Qingshan.
The title of Little Grand-Uncle had long since become history.
The disciples of the sect now all addressed him as Old Ancestor.
There was no "Little" anymore.
In private, when the disciples discussed him, most called him the Leader of the Sword Dao or the Number One Sword Immortal.
The day he called out, "Sword, come!" and ten thousand swords flew from the Sword Mound was a tale that had been enthusiastically shared to this day.
Thus,
he had earned such a title.
Number one in the sword dao.
A living legend.
Now that he had become a saint, Ye Xianyu joked that the world should respect and call Xu Xian the Little Sword Ancestor; it was only fitting.
During those days after returning to the sect, Xu Xian went to see his old friends: Ruan Hao, Elder Yao, and several senior brothers and sisters...
Everyone was deeply moved.
The youth of yesterday had become a saint.
He was more composed.
And more powerful.
Whether in realm or strength, he now stood above them all.
Especially for Ruan Hao.
That day,
Xu Xian opened the furnace to forge a sword, and his level of craftsmanship had reached the ninth rank.
An immortal sword.
Forged in a single day.
Ruan Hao knew that Xu Xian's forging skills had far surpassed his own.
A ninth-rank master forger.
In the entire world, there were only four, and Wendao Sword Sect now possessed half of them.
Given time,
becoming a tenth-rank divine forger was within his reach.
The title of Ancient Sword Mountain as the holy land of forging would likely change hands.
His senior brothers and sisters watched Xu Xian, seeing that he had reached his current heights in a mere four hundred years.
Beyond their joy,
they were deeply affected.
To reach the ninth stage in four hundred years and see through the red dust—in all the world, he was the only one.
Naturally, they did not forget to use Xu Xian's name to spur Ye Xianyu on.
It was time for her to work hard.
Ye Xianyu remained silent.
She had no desire to compare herself to a freak like Xu Xian.
She couldn't compete even if she wanted to.
Other old friends also visited Zuiwan Residence to see Xu Xian.
Zhang Yang,
Lin Qianqian,
Wen Qingxue,
Liu Qinghui,
Yao Zhijian...
However,
meeting again after several centuries, things and people had changed.
There was less casualness,
and more polite formality.
But it wasn't surprising; Xu Xian had matured and was no longer the petty, eccentric, and free-spirited youth of the past.
And weren't they the same?
Some had become Peak Masters.
Some had become masters to others.
Their appearances remained unchanged, but their mindsets had transformed completely.
Yao Xiaoxiao,
Xia Chu Yi,
Tu Kongkong,
Knowing that Xu Xian had returned and moved back into Zuiwan Residence, they came as well, and of course, there was Lu Yuan...
Yet,
even so, Zuiwan Residence remained quiet. Everyone was busy with cultivation or secluded meditation.
Kongkong and Chu Yi, now grown into young women, no longer ran around the courtyard making noise like they did as children.
Yao Xiaoxiao no longer sat in the courtyard with a palm-leaf fan, tending the fire, pounding herbs, and refining pills as she used to...
Four hundred years of time had passed.
Xu Xian was not the only one who had been tempered.
None of them,
were children anymore.
Beside the spirit herb field, Xu Xian would often find himself sighing with emotion.
“I would buy osmanthus and carry wine along, but it is no longer like the travels of my youth...”
Four hundred years of passing seasons—the youth of a generation had vanished, never to return...
But,
the mountains never lacked laughter and joy, nor did they lack playfulness, and they certainly didn't lack boys who could only afford spiritual porridge.
No one can stay young forever, but in this world, there will always be someone who is a youth.
Inheritance!
At this moment, Xu Xian truly understood the meaning of inheritance.
The importance of legacy.
The multiplication of species.
The iteration of cultivation.
He gradually understood the painstaking efforts of his senior brothers and sisters.
He slowly realized why Senior Brother Yun Zheng had supported him back then.
Naturally, he also understood the choices made by his Master and his four senior brothers.
Inheritance
was truly important.
Just as now, watching Xiaoxiao, Chu Yi, and Kongkong gradually reveal their brilliance, Xu Xian began to silently look forward to them becoming strong enough to support their own corner of the world.
He,
would eventually have to leave.
Fanzhou
was the place where he was born, but it was not the place where he should stay forever.
Four hundred years ago,
he had taken up more than just the burden on his senior brothers' and sisters' shoulders; he had also taken up the burden from his Master's shoulders.
His name was Xu Xian,
the Old Ancestor of the Wendao Sword Sect.
And the leader of the sword dao in Fanzhou.
But he
had another unknown identity.
【Sword Bearer】
To hold the sword for all living beings and sweep away the darkness.
Just like the sentence on the first page of that Nameless Sword Scripture.
【Heaven and earth possess righteous qi; the sword rises to the twelfth floor.】
Twelve floors,
and now he was only on the fifth.
There were still seven floors left.
He had never slacked off, nor did he dare to.
Putting aside what lay beyond the heavens, even in this mortal world, there was a pair of eyes in the shadows, watching him at all times.
It was restless, waiting for a chance at every moment.
Xu Xian was building the floors.
While It was breaking the seals.
This matter
would have to be settled eventually.
Time was never on his side.
...
That night.
The bamboo was green, the sky was clear, and the moon was as bright as day.
On the eaves of Zuiwan Residence, Xu Xian sat alone, drinking wine. Just as he was becoming slightly tipsy, Li Qingshan arrived uninvited.
He landed beside him.
Sitting down casually,
he looked up at the starry sky.
Xu Xian's brow twitched.
How novel.
Li Qingshan actually didn't try to snatch the wine from his hand.
Fine.
With a thought, Xu Xian tossed a jar of ordinary strong wine from the mortal world, which landed steadily in Li Qingshan's hand.
Li Qingshan glanced at it and offered a word of thanks.
“Thanks!”
He was being quite polite.
“Aren't you drinking?”
Li Qingshan hesitated for a moment before peeling off the seal. He took a small sip and said casually, “The wine you're drinking now is pretty poor.”
Xu Xian smiled but said nothing.
It was just a taste. After several hundred years, it had long since faded...
Li Qingshan set the wine aside and lay down.
Xu Xian took a sip and made small talk. “I don't seem to see you drinking much lately. Why... did you change your hobbies?”
“Hobbies?”
Xu Xian clicked his tongue. “The world says you, Li Qingshan, have three loves: wine, swords, and showing off...”
Hearing this, Li Qingshan wasn't annoyed; instead, he laughed.
“Heh.”
There were no three loves.
Wine and swords
were just used for showing off.
In the end,
there was only one hobby: manifesting before others.
“What are you laughing at?”
Li Qingshan adjusted his arms behind his head and glanced at Xu Xian, who still looked like a youth. He countered, “You used to be so shameless; aren't you less so now?”
Xu Xian's face darkened. “Can you talk like a normal person?”
Li Qingshan shrugged nonchalantly and said to himself, “It's true. Before, every time you came back and saw me, didn't you ask me for money? And this time, you've been back for several days—five days, ten days—and you haven't said a word about it.”
The contract from four hundred years ago.
The agreement for ten thousand a month.
Xu Xian had remembered it for over a decade, from the core formation stage all the way to the great ascension stage...
On the eve of his challenge to the world,
he still had it on his lips every day, chasing him all over the mountain to collect his pay.
If Li Qingshan hadn't mentioned it, Xu Xian would have forgotten. But now that Li Qingshan did, Xu Xian laughed.
Thinking back to those times,
he really was quite something.
He joked, “Oh, so you're the one being shameless now?”
He held out his hand lazily. “Fine then. Pay up?”
Li Qingshan shook his head and took a deep breath, speaking in a meaningful tone. “People change. They always do...”
Xu Xian nodded in agreement and clicked his tongue softly. “It's good. As the Sect Master, you should be a bit more mature.”
Li Qingshan rolled his eyes. “I'm only doing it because I'm taking the fall for you.”
Xu Xian retorted casually, “You're putting your master's debts on my head? How original.”
Li Qingshan didn't press the matter; it was just a few jokes after all.
The words left the speaker in a daze
and the listener confused.
“Where have you been all these years?”
Xu Xian tilted his head, acting mysterious. “I came from the red dust, returned to the red dust, and then came back from the red dust once more...”
Li Qingshan was speechless and complained, “You went to fool around in the mortal world, yet you make it sound so profound. Typical.”
“Haha!” Xu Xian laughed heartily.
Li Qingshan spoke with both envy and grievance. “I really envy you. You left for the red dust for three hundred years. As for me, for four hundred years, I haven't been able to do anything. Being this Sect Master is truly exhausting...”
Xu Xian comforted him, “You're still young, and the days are long. Don't worry, there's plenty of time...”
Li Qingshan was amused. “I'm older than you.”
Xu Xian said seriously, “So what if you're older than me?”
“Hmm?”
Xu Xian continued, “Even though you're older than me, you're still weaker than me!”
Li Qingshan: "..."
Li Qingshan: “I was wrong.”
Xu Xian: “Hmm?”
Li Qingshan: “You haven't changed at all.”
Xu Xian: “Oh?”
Li Qingshan: “Your mouth is as sharp as ever...”
Xu Xian: “Heh...”
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