Chapter 124: This Child Was Truly Strange

Within the Purple Bamboo Forest, Chu Huaixu saw his future Martial Grandmaster,

that legendary man who attained Dao through killing, determined to slay demons for a full sixty years.

He wore a pure white robe, even his shoes were white, spotless and immaculate, exuding an ethereal aura.

Unfortunately, in the words of Earth, he belonged to that type of “shrimp man”:

——only edible after removing the head.

This Dao Gate’s Little Martial Uncle had no problem with his attire, and his height could not be said to be too short, though he certainly was not tall.

But his face… it was simply too ordinary.

Moreover, though he dressed with extreme meticulousness, not even a strand of hair out of place, for some reason he still lacked any hint of presence.

Many people said the highest level of handsomeness was——being handsome without being self-aware.

Because once someone became aware of their own good looks, it often turned greasy.

Yet what was truly fatal was looking ordinary, while still feeling very pleased with oneself, to the point of being excessively vain.

Jiang Zhi belonged exactly to this type.

Xiang Yan and the others, upon seeing Little Martial Uncle’s expression, secretly exclaimed in their hearts, “This is bad!”

They knew far too well—Little Martial Uncle was jealous!

Earlier, they had wondered why Little Martial Uncle would take in such a tall and handsome disciple up the mountain.

Now, everyone understood.

If both Xu Ziqing and Chu Huaixu fit the requirements of a Sword Attendant, they were certain that Little Martial Uncle would choose Xu Ziqing without hesitation.

Because that boy was small in stature, with features more delicate and feminine, having nothing to do with tall or handsome. One could even say he carried a faint trace of… beauty?

But Chu Huaixu?

The Black-Gold Robe crafted by Nangong Yue, worn on him, was not clothing that enhanced a person’s appearance. Rather, it was the person’s good looks that enhanced the robe.

Even Chu Yinyin, usually the most silly and careless, could only silently mourn for her beloved disciple in her heart.

“Ah, Chu Huaixu, why must you be born so handsome?”

But then she thought again, if he had been ugly, even if only one-third as ugly as the Sect Master, she would never have accepted him as a disciple—too much of a loss of face.

Because from childhood she had been influenced by her master’s preferences—she only liked… good-looking people!

When her master was still alive, she had once gossiped, asking why her master never liked Little Martial Uncle.

She could see clearly that Little Martial Uncle truly treated her master exceptionally well.

To the point where, loving the house, he even cherished its crow—he treated Chu Yinyin extremely well too.

His favoritism toward Chu Yinyin even surpassed that toward his only cherished disciple, Shen Man.

At that time, her master had only laughed and said, “Because your Little Martial Uncle is really too ugly. I, as your master, can indeed be moved, but when it comes to matters of the heart… such things cannot be forced.”

The young Chu Yinyin had foolishly asked,

“Ah? But Master, isn’t Little Martial Uncle only… not handsome? He just doesn’t look as good, right? He’s not as hideous as Third Senior Brother Xiang Yan, so why say he’s too ugly?”

Her master would then laugh and stretch out a finger, gently tapping her little nose.

Her eyes would curve into crescents as she giggled, her gaze full of liveliness and spirit, while exposing Jiang Zhi’s old secret:

“The him you see now has eaten vast amounts of Beauty Pills, Skin-nourishing Pills, Youth-retaining Pills… many pills! He eats more than I do. Before, he was as black as a lump of charcoal, hahaha!”

Inside the Purple Bamboo Forest, Jiang Zhi took two steps forward, but did not get too close.

The more he looked at Chu Huaixu, the more he disliked him, the more he found him an eyesore.

“How could this child be born so displeasing to the eye?”

In that instant, his impression of Chu Huaixu worsened further.

How was this child fit to be my disciple’s disciple?

At the others’ signal, Chu Huaixu respectfully stepped forward and bowed.

“Disciple greets Little Martial Granduncle.”

This time, he did not directly address him as Martial Grandmaster, nor did he deliberately try to flatter.

Because certain matters depended on the occasion.

Now, with all the high elders present, he needed to show proper respect.

But he was too proper. The golden embroidery on his Black-Gold Robe was like the finishing touch on a dragon painting, giving him a trace of noble bearing.

Jiang Zhi only felt as if he were looking at something filthy…

“You are Chu Huaixu?” His tone was stiff, his voice cold.

“Yes.”

“Close your eyes, calm your heart, and stabilize your spirit.” He spoke directly.

Little Martial Uncle spread his divine sense and immediately began his probing.

He did not bother with pleasantries, only hastening the process to drive the boy away as soon as possible, out of sight and out of mind.

But the moment his divine sense swept through, he immediately sensed something wrong.

“The spiritual energy within the Spirit Embryo Secret Store is as though cultivated through a Heaven-rank method. Yet why is there still spirit hidden within the body’s shell?”

“What’s stranger still is that the two are nearly equal in total amount, balanced in a delicate harmony of inner and outer cultivation.”

“When has my Dao Gate ever possessed such a First Realm cultivation method!” Jiang Zhi narrowed his eyes, his thoughts darkening.

Why did this variable carry so many problems upon him!

At once he spoke out to question, “Chu Huaixu, what cultivation method are you practicing?”

Chu Huaixu opened his eyes, replying earnestly, “Reporting to Little Martial Granduncle, this disciple obtained his cultivation method from the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion.”

Jiang Zhi gave a cold snort. “Speak its name.”

The next instant, he heard an utterly unexpected answer.

“This disciple practices the 《Dao Canon》.”

The Dao Gate’s Little Martial Uncle’s brow instantly furrowed. 《Dao Canon》! It was actually 《Dao Canon》?

Without another word, he once again forced his divine sense into the youth’s body.

And this time, his divine sense was far stronger than before, determined to fully see through this young man.

For 《Dao Canon》 was considered the Dao Gate’s thousand-year unsolved mystery.

The sudden invasive probing left Chu Huaixu a little unprepared.

Instinctive resistance rose within him—that was human nature.

Though once he realized, he quickly restrained himself, but how could he possibly escape Jiang Zhi’s eyes?

“Sword Intent?” Dao Gate’s Little Martial Uncle could not help but speak aloud.

At the mere Fourth Heaven of the First Realm, and already he had comprehended Sword Intent?

“What a strange Sword Intent!”

Sharp, forceful, advancing with unstoppable momentum, fearless!

“No, it’s not just Sword Intent.”

He spoke again: “Close your eyes again, open your Sea of Consciousness, restrain your divine sense, and do not resist.”

The Sea of Consciousness differed from the physical body. Even if Jiang Zhi was unreliable as a person, in this regard he still knew restraint—otherwise he might harm the other.

Chu Huaixu was like a good student of both conduct and learning, unafraid of having his results checked.

Chu Yinyin, upon hearing this, had already started laughing in her heart. Her expression gradually grew smug.

Her invisible little tail had already curled skyward, and she was eager with anticipation.

As expected, with the Little Martial Uncle’s breadth of knowledge, even he could not suppress his shock:

“Within the Sea of Consciousness hides a sword—Sword Heart Clarity!”

This child was truly strange!

The wind blew, rustling the bamboo leaves within the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Jiang Zhi’s heart was in turmoil.

“How can a human body contain a Sword Spirit?”

Naturally, even the Dao Gate’s Second Elder was no exception.

The first time he saw Chu Huaixu, his shock far surpassed that of the somewhat more knowledgeable Little Martial Uncle.

“No wonder Sixth Junior Brother said none were left behind, only one added.”

“Who would have thought, he truly brought back a monster by sheer chance!”

The circumstances of Chu Huaixu’s body exceeded everyone’s understanding.

But Jiang Zhi quickly saw through it all, saying: “Your Spirit Embryo is special—it actually holds a Spirit Embryo Divine Ability.”

“A Spirit Embryo Divine Ability of Sword Heart Clarity? And then you yourself even comprehended a new Sword Intent?”

His eyes narrowed, shock in his heart: “Does that not mean, in the future, he might even produce a second Sword Heart!”

The world truly held such bizarre matters?

Li Chunsong, upon seeing this, felt his opportunity had arrived.

He hastily tried to remedy his earlier mistake, saying, “Little Martial Uncle, it is true that Chu Huaixu cultivates the 《Dao Canon》. This, we have all verified.”

“His spiritual energy surges within, even far surpassing the standard of a Heaven-rank method of the First Realm.”

“Perhaps in this past millennium, only he has walked the correct path, cultivating the Divine Skill of the Dao Ancestor.”

The more he spoke, the more excited he became.

Look, the one I brought back, when rounded up, was the only person in this thousand years to inherit the legacy of the Dao Ancestor.

And what he cultivated was none other than the 《Dao Canon》!

Jiang Zhi frowned, unable to stop himself from taking a few steps closer, beginning to scrutinize Chu Huaixu more carefully.

The closer he came, the more displeased he grew.

For some people, from afar they looked fine, but upon closer inspection, they fell short.

Such people were pleasant at first glance, yet not enduring, not worth a second look.

But one ranked Second on the “Must-pick Companion List”, naturally, did not fall into such a category.

Chu Yinyin began to stir trouble at the side: “Little Martial Uncle, why don’t you ask him—besides cultivating the Dao Ancestor’s 《Dao Canon》, what else he took from Hidden Spirit Mountain?”

Jiang Zhi immediately saw through her antics.

Had it been someone else, he would already have lashed out.

But since it was Chu Yinyin, he merely stared silently at Chu Huaixu.

Chu Huaixu, under that gaze, felt his heart grow uneasy, sensing an inexplicable hostility from this Little Martial Granduncle.

That look in his eyes, he had seen it before—in the eyes of many play-companions who perished upon being exposed under the light.

The Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard, at this moment, he had stored inside his Storage Token.

As mentioned before, some cultivators’ life-bound items were like a Pikachu that refused to stay in a Poké Ball, requiring the cultivator to carry it constantly, else the artifact spirit would throw little tantrums.

Zhegutian was exactly like that.

But the Black Bead was harmless, for all it ever did was… complain of hunger.

Chu Huaixu was not afraid of him seeing through the Black Bead.

For the bead had been on the mountain for so long, he surely had already seen it before, and evidently paid no heed to it.

If he really did see through it now, then Chu Huaixu would simply admit it outright, feigning indifference.

After all, he had already recognized it with blood!

A good mentality decided the life of a good man.

Ever since he had comprehended the Fearless Sword Intent, he had unknowingly changed in certain ways.

Thus, Chu Huaixu straightforwardly took out the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard from the Storage Token.

Jiang Zhi, upon seeing the scabbard made of black wood, could not help but have his pupils contract slightly, his emotions surging violently.

The Dao Gate’s Second Elder was even more stunned, exclaiming, “The Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard!”

The Dao Gate’s Little Martial Uncle began questioning again: “That item was sealed upon the stone platform. How did you take it down!”

“Disciple does not know. It seemed to resonate with the spiritual energy within my body. When I touched it, I was able to take it.” Once again, he told the truth, but left out one small, crucial detail.

“Then why does the scabbard only hold spirituality, with the life-bound artifact spirit not yet nurtured?” he pressed.

“Disciple does not know,” Chu Huaixu replied.

I am but a disciple of the First Realm—how could I possibly understand the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard?

It was originally just an ordinary scabbard of black wood. Yet after being by the Dao Ancestor’s side for so long, it had gradually become a Supreme-grade Spiritual Artifact, far beyond the comprehension of artifact refinement.

How could I compare myself to the Dao Ancestor?

It was only natural that I did not know, indeed—I should not know!

Jiang Zhi’s divine sense swept across the scabbard, but again found no flaws.

The scabbard had been nourished by the Dao Ancestor himself, and within Chu Huaixu’s body there lay a similar power.

Thus, between the two there was an indistinct resonance, very much like a life-bound item.

Jiang Zhi raised his head toward the bright moon in the night sky, his heart falling into confusion.

“Could this child truly bear the semblance of a Dao Ancestor’s Legacy Successor?”

By sheer accident, Li Chunsong had returned with someone who inherited both the 《Dao Canon》 and the Sword Scabbard?

“Indeed, just as he said, it was not one less person—but one more.”

Yet for some reason, he simply could not bring himself to like Chu Huaixu.

“Moreover, only one may enter the First Layer of the Origin Spirit Realm.”

“In the end, the Dao Ancestor’s Sword must not be compromised!”

“All of this… is because of this variable!”

With that thought, he spread his divine sense, sweeping across the peak of Hidden Spirit Mountain.

He was not only inspecting that sword, but also every detail upon the mountaintop—formations, restrictions, and more.

His immense divine sense shrouded the entire summit, and in an instant, everything was laid “completely bare,” without omission.

Upon the Bronze Sword, the restriction had already taken effect, and it had fallen into slumber.

“The restriction has split into two, the Sword Spirit likewise divided into two. This is already set in stone!”

“Because of countless variables, the entire arrangement has been thrown into chaos. This sword and the Sword Attendant should not have been this way. Yet the Xuanhuang Realm needs the existence of a Sword Attendant—all of this is for the greater picture.”

But soon, Jiang Zhi noticed an additional line of writing carved upon the Gentleman’s Monument.

The handwriting was crooked and ugly, yet it echoed the Little Martial Uncle’s thoughts, striking his heart and even his Dao heart:

“『The gentleman makes use of objects, not is used by them.』”

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