Born with immortal seed

Chapter 238 Two Options
"Don't worry, Master said to leave this matter to him to handle... There's no reason to hand over a flying sword that's already in your hands."

Qi Yue remained noncommittal, speaking bluntly.

"Since the two most important figures, True Lord Tang Fei and True Man Yan Yuanzai, have not spoken, the opinions of others are merely to make their presence known."

"As long as Master can persuade Tang Zhenjun and Yan Zhenren, he can just agree to a few more conditions... Anyway, let's get the flying sword first, and we can deal with the rest later."

Bai Zichen nodded slightly; what Qi Yue said was similar to what he had in mind.

When I first came here, my only goal was to get the third-tier flying sword, but now that I have the Moon Whirl Sword in my hands, I'm hesitant to fight for it anymore.

It's truly a case of refusing a gift from heaven and suffering the consequences instead.

"Once I reach the Core Formation stage, I will use the Purple Star Thunder Sword Embryo as the target for the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword. With the Moon Whirlwind Sword, which has been hidden for a hundred years, fully cooperating, even if I cannot unleash the full power of a fourth-tier flying sword, it will definitely far surpass all third-tier flying swords."

Bai Zichen thought to himself that the gains from this trip to the Tianhe Sword Sect far exceeded his expectations.

Besides the Moon Spinning Sword and his greatly improved swordsmanship, another extremely important thing was that he had discovered some of the origins of the mysterious ancient secret realm in Black Mountain.

"From this perspective, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword's grade is about as high as I expected... at least fifth grade, otherwise how could the Yuexuan Sword possess such an attitude? Clearly, when it was in the hands of that Upper Realm Sword Immortal, their statuses were vastly different."

However, there was one thing that puzzled him greatly: the Ziwei Xuanlei Sword Embryo was clearly of a much higher grade than the Yuexuan Sword.

Why is it that now, one can still maintain the rank of a fourth-tier flying sword, while the other has directly fallen to the rank of a third-tier sword embryo, and is even about to fall into a permanent slumber?

If it had been a few hundred years later, the Purple Star Thunder Sword Embryo might have truly lost its spirituality and reverted to the most ordinary third-tier sword embryo.

This is why, as soon as Bai Zichen arrived, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo eagerly recognized him as its master without any hesitation or agonizing.

"There are roughly two possibilities: either the two secret realms were established by the upper-realm sword immortals at vastly different times, or the rules between the two are different, causing a difference in the rate at which the original power of the flying swords dissipates..."

He thought the latter possibility was more likely; otherwise, a fifth-tier flying sword with the Purple Star Thunder Sword Embryo would not have fallen to this state.

Several days later, a disciple came to inform him that the Supreme Elder and several True Immortals were discussing matters in the White-Haired Hall and summoned him over.

"Please let this junior brother lead the way."

Bai Zichen chuckled to himself. It seemed that news of his acquisition of the Moon Jade Sword had already spread throughout the entire Heavenly River Sword Sect.

The young disciple looked at him strangely, a mixture of admiration, jealousy, and resentment.

"Greetings to True Lord Tang, True Man Yan, and Sect Leader Danyangzi."

In this White-Haired Hall, only three members of the Heavenly River Sword Sect remain, and there is still no sign of True Person Ge Cang.

Bai Zichen was not surprised but pleased. It was impossible for Ge Cang Zhenren to abandon him. His absence from the Bai Shou Hall meant that he had reached a basic agreement with several high-ranking members of the Tianhe Sword Sect.

The remaining discussions were not of much concern to him, so he simply did not show up.

Tang Fei, the Supreme Elder of the Tianhe Sword Sect, has a legendary life. Upon entering the sect, he was hailed as an outstanding genius and attracted much attention.

His initial performance did not disappoint the Sword Sect's praise of him as a once-in-a-century genius.

He established his foundation at the age of twenty, obtained a third-tier flying sword in the Sword Tomb Secret Realm at the age of forty, and formed his core before the age of eighty, becoming the youngest True Person in the Sword Sect.

Just when everyone thought he was about to soar to great heights, Tang Fei traveled to the Central Region, only to be defeated by the holy son of another major sword sect.

His natal flying sword was shattered, his golden core collapsed, and he was almost rendered useless.

But even under such circumstances, Tang Fei, after thirty years of silence, actually rebuilt his Core Formation and cultivated the Tai Xuan Sword Scripture to the top among his peers.

Based on this, he stood out in the inheritance competition of the Tai Xuan White-Headed Sword and was chosen by a fourth-order flying sword.

After cultivating all the way to the peak of Core Formation, he fought a great battle with the holy son who had almost crippled him back then.

The two fought to a draw.

After both of them transformed into Nascent Souls, they fought dozens of times, with each winning and losing, but neither could defeat the other.

That holy son is now Xiang Ji, the Supreme Elder of the Killing Sword Sect.

Judging by appearance alone, someone meeting Tang Fei for the first time would certainly not be able to associate him with the number one swordsman in the Northern Region.

His body was hunched over, his hair was gray and messy, and a deep scar on his forehead stretched to the corner of his mouth, a mark he had received from Xiang Ji years ago.

To remember this grudge, Tang Fei did not take advantage of the opportunity to reshape his physical body after transforming into a Nascent Soul to erase the sword scar.

As for Danyangzi, the leader of the Tianhe Sword Sect, he was a kind-looking, plump cultivator.

However, his position within the sect is similar to that of Gu Xisheng before he became the head of the Qingfeng Sect, and he wielded considerable power when he served as the sect's general affairs manager.

It seems that all matters, big and small, in the sect are decided by the sect leader's word, but when it comes to truly important matters, his say is no different from that of an ordinary elder.

Especially for sects like the Tianhe Sword Sect that follow an elite route, the number of disciples is less than that of many Core Formation level sects, and the position of sect leader is even more leisurely.

“Nephew Bai, there’s no need for such formalities. We’ve discussed your matter several times and come up with two solutions.”

Danyangzi smiled, like a friendly uncle next door, showing no trace of the aura of a sword cultivator.

In fact, Danyangzi was the one with the worst swordsmanship among all the Core Formation True Persons of the Tianhe Sword Sect, and even his most powerful method was not flying sword.

He is truly an anomaly in the Tianhe Sword Sect.

"After hearing this, Fellow Daoist Ge also found it acceptable and had no objections... The specific choice is entirely up to you, but he said he wouldn't object no matter what you choose. So he simply won't come to the scene today to avoid disturbing your thoughts."

"The Heavenly River Sword Sect is a sacred place in the hearts of sword cultivators in the Northern Region. I have long admired its name even though I am far away in the northernmost part of Liang Kingdom. I have always admired the vision of True Monarch Heavenly River. I believe that the solutions given by the seniors will not be too difficult for me."

Bai Zichen immediately offered several compliments upon his arrival.

"The first option is to invite Junior Nephew Bai to join my Heavenly River Sword Sect... The Heavenly River Great Law and the Tai Xuan Sword Scripture are the most suitable cultivation methods for sword cultivators. With your aptitude, it won't take more than a few years to switch cultivation methods."

Danyangzi remained unaffected and went straight to the first option.

"Furthermore, your swordsmanship talent, Junior Nephew Bai, would be a waste if you didn't join a sword-cultivation sect... Uncle Tang has already agreed, as long as you come..."

"No need. Please tell me the second option, Sect Leader Danyangzi."

Bai Zichen interrupted directly, speaking without hesitation.

"Aren't you going to listen to what conditions our sect can offer you?"

"Danyangzi said curiously."

"It's just the status of a core disciple, granting me access to all the Sword Sect's scriptures and providing me with the cultivation resources I need for the future... Going a step further, they might even promise me a Nascent Soul Pill."

Bai Zichen laughed as he spoke, as if the events that had happened to Ge Cang Zhenren had now fallen on his own head in a different setting.

“Someone asked me this question before you.”

“My answer then was the same, and my answer now is the same, without the slightest change… I am self-sufficient and do not need anything from outside.”

Danyangzi was slightly startled, gave him a deep look, and continued, "Very well, the second solution is for Junior Nephew Bai to make a vow of Dao heart... If the Tianhe Sword Sect is in trouble in the future, he will definitely lend a helping hand three times; if he passes away before the Nascent Soul stage, please ask someone to send the Moon Spin Sword back to the sect before he dies."

"If one breaks the agreement, inner demons will arise, cultivation will regress... After death, one can only fall into the boundless hell, with no hope of reincarnation."

Upon hearing Danyangzi's second solution, Bai Zichen did not reply immediately but remained silent.

It's not that the conditions are too harsh, but rather that they are too lenient.

This plan is based on the gamble that Bai Zichen will eventually become a Nascent Soul cultivator and that he will keep his promise and return the Moon Spin Sword.

The Heavenly River Sword Sect's only expectation of him is to become a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Even if a Core Formation cultivator makes 3300 moves and lives at the foot of Sword Mountain every day, always at the beck and call, it wouldn't be worth one-tenth or one-twelfth of the Moon Spin Sword's value.

The fact that the Heavenly River Sword Sect could propose such a plan shows that their confidence in Bai Zichen is comparable to that in themselves.

The expectation for him is to reach the Nascent Soul stage and then aspire to become a deity.

Bai Zichen himself had full confidence in every step before reaching the Nascent Soul stage because he understood the mysterious sacred body.

The higher-ups of the Tianhe Sword Sect were unaware of the inside story.

This inexplicable confidence left him completely baffled.

"What's wrong, Junior Nephew Bai? Are you wavering...? Do you want to abandon the second option and choose the first one again, to become the new generation core of this sect?"

Seeing that Bai Zichen didn't reply for a long time, Danyangzi teased him.

"Sect Leader Danyang, please stop making fun of me. I choose the second option..."

Bai Zichen thought to himself, "It's like someone who hasn't reached the Nascent Soul stage can use the Moon Swirl Sword for free for hundreds of years. I don't believe the Heavenly River Sword Sect would go so far as to ask a Core Formation cultivator for help."

He achieved the Nascent Soul stage by exchanging three promises for a fourth-tier Moon Whirlwind Sword.

"I believe that you seniors will not regret the conditions you have set out today."

“You’re good. My judgment might be wrong… but it’s impossible for the three fourth-tier swords, the Xuanbai Sword, the Xingyao Sword, and the Yuexuan Sword, to all be wrong at the same time.”

Tang Fei suddenly sat up from the recliner, his voice hoarse and hollow.

It is said that his vocal cords were damaged by a scalp that year, and his tendons in his hands and feet were severed, leaving him with many sequelae.

"Although the emotions emanating from the Tai Xuan White-Headed Sword are very faint, I can clearly sense that it is an extreme joy and happiness... It is very likely that if you stand in front of the Tai Xuan White-Headed Sword and give a shout, you can really summon it away."

“Junior Nephew Yan’s Star Jade Sword should also be able to sense a similar situation.”

"That's right. I was most impulsive when I saw it here the other day, and I almost rushed out with the Xingyao Sword."

Yan Yuanzai made no attempt to hide anything and spoke frankly.

"It's much better today; we've finally managed to get it under control."

His relationship with Xingyao Sword was mostly one of cooperation, and his control over Xingyao Sword was always characterized by a lack of power and a tendency to let it fly freely.

When something unexpected happened, the Xingyao Sword was the first to shake.

"Such swordsmanship talent, just by looking at it from afar, can make a fourth-order flying sword bow down in submission... In my entire life, I have never seen anything like it, not only in the cultivation world, but also in any ancient texts!"

Tang Fei Zhenjun was slightly excited and stood up abruptly.

(End of this chapter)