Grandpa, times have changed.

Chapter 673 There's no need to demand perfection in everything.

Didn't Master say this was just a simple sparring session?
If it were truly a 'simple' sparring match, why would the patriarch have come?
Master...

I don't think I'd go so far as to harm myself...?
"No need to be polite."

Looking at the nervous Zhou Kongming, Xu Xing spoke calmly.

But this only relieved his tension to a small extent.

After all, not everyone can see the patriarch of the immortal sect as often as Chi Jiuyu.

For ordinary members of immortal sects, the number of times they have seen the Sword Master of Dongzhen is extremely rare, let alone the founder of an immortal sect.

Seeing that the time was right, Du Ruoheng took the initiative to step forward:
"Kongming, this person... has traveled a long way to the Sword Sect just to witness the style of the Sword Sect's sword cultivators."

Kongming couldn't know about Senior Mengxuan's affairs, so her name was omitted.

"Just do your best, don't overdo it."

Although he rarely shows it, Kongming, as the number one on the Sword Sect's Returning to Emptiness Sword Ranking, still has a very high level of ambition.

So as his mentor, he had to give him a word of advice, lest he be too overwhelmed by the blow and unable to adjust his mood later.

However, Zhou Kongming was stunned when he heard this.

Just do your best?

Don't be reckless!
Master, are you sure you're not mistaken?
I am the number one on the Sword Sect's Returning Void Sword Ranking!
To put it bluntly, he didn't believe there was a cultivator in the Tai Xuan Realm stronger than himself at the Returning to Emptiness Realm.

Incidentally, the top Void Returner among the other immortal sects also holds this view.

After all, no one in their generation has shown absolute dominance over others.

"This disciple will do his best," Zhou Kongming said in a deep voice.

He adjusted his mindset quickly; in just a few words, the tension he felt due to the arrival of the patriarch had subsided considerably.

He couldn't help but look at his opponent.

But Mengxuan was dressed in a gray tracksuit and wearing a baseball cap. Even her appearance seemed unremarkable after her alterations.

Qi mechanism...

I didn't feel anything at all.

And there was no sense of danger emanating from her.

If his master hadn't told him beforehand that this person was going to challenge him, he probably would have thought he was just an ordinary person who hadn't entered the Dao.

That's impressive...

"Zhou Kongming, a sword cultivator from the Sword Sect, requests your guidance, fellow Daoist."

Fellow Daoist...

Du Ruoheng's eye twitched.

Even your master has to address people as "senior," but you, kid, come up here and call me "fellow Daoist."

“I am a cultivator from the Righteous Path Alliance. Please enlighten me, fellow Daoist,” Mengxuan replied with a smile.

He was unaware of the details, so it's normal for him to address him that way.

Moreover, retracing the path of cultivation and addressing these little guys as 'fellow Daoists' is quite a unique experience.

"Ahem!" Du Ruoheng coughed. "Let's begin then."

If we keep talking like this, this kid will be considered a senior to me!

After speaking, he turned to look at Xu Xing.

"I would be grateful for your help, Master."

"Ah."

Xu Xing nodded slightly and pointed forward with one finger.

moment!

Mengxuan and Zhou Kongming felt the surrounding scenery receding into the distance, and the space expanding infinitely.

In the blink of an eye, Yuan Jun, Xu Xing, and Du Ruoheng, who were just standing to the side, became an imperceptible dot and eventually disappeared into the hazy, indistinguishable space.

Looking around, everything was hazy, yet the sensations I felt were no different from anything I had ever experienced before.

At that moment, a piece of information appeared in Zhou Kongming's mind.

Death within this space is not true death; rather, one will be resurrected by the great power of the Sword Ancestor.

A chill ran down my spine!
This cultivator from the Righteous Alliance actually wants to have a 'life-or-death battle' with him!
That confident?!

"please!"

Before he finished speaking, a sword box as tall as him appeared in front of him.

With a slap of his right hand, the sword box opened, and the sword intent within his body surged into the sky, a mysterious array diagram rotating and expanding beneath his feet.

Groan!
Amidst the clear and melodious sword cries, nine flying swords resembling true dragons burst forth from their scabbards, moving and evolving in the gradually unfolding formation, transforming into the void.

Zhou Kongming's eyes gleamed with golden light, as if they could see through illusions.

"The Tai Xu Sword Formation, not bad."

Mengxuan nodded gently.

Facing the sword formation that was gradually extending towards her, she stood motionless until the sword formation was right in front of her...

She pointed forward with one finger, a trace of magic power swirling around her fingertip.

"Although it is already very perfect, there are still flaws."

As she spoke, Mengxuan's fingertips touched the sword formation.

The faint magical power swirling around the fingertips was like a firefly compared to the vast power of the Taixu Sword Formation.

however……

Buzz~!

With a resounding clang, the terrifying sword formation that was evolving into the void seemed to have been frozen in time.

In a mere fraction of a second, a weak point in the sword formation that could not be called a 'flaw' was precisely struck.

The sword energy surged like a torrent, enough to annihilate stars, yet it was perfectly dodged by this finger at this moment.

Nirvana.

A soft sound.

Zhou Kongming was shocked and utterly astonished.

That wisp of magical power actually infiltrated the Taixu Sword Formation along with the formation's momentum, attempting to pry open the entire sword formation, reverse its nature into a killing formation, and trap and kill him, the one who initiated the formation, within it!
how can that be!

Overwhelmed with emotion, he couldn't help but ask the question.

"You also know the Void Sword Formation!"

"I have some understanding of it."

"..."

Is this something you know a little about?

To have achieved this level, your mastery of the Taixu Sword Formation is even superior to mine.

If he were in his place, even if he were facing the Void Sword Formation he had set up, all he could do was violently resist or set up his own sword formation to withstand the attack.

A finger touched the weak point of the sword formation precisely, and a wisp of magical power could penetrate the formation and reverse it...

He believed that the person before him was in harmony with the Dao.
At that moment, he finally understood why his master had told him to "just do his best" and "not to overexert himself."

……

……

About half an hour later.

Mengxuan and Zhou Kongming ended their sparring session and returned to reality.

Mengxuan remained the same as when she arrived, with a slight smile on her face and a calm and relaxed demeanor.

On the contrary, Zhou Kongming's eyes were glazed over, and his magical power was churning erratically, as if he had suffered a major blow.

Four times!

In just over half an hour, he died four times!

And every time, they were easily defeated...

After so many years of cultivation, this was the first time he had ever been so disheveled.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses, his face showing bitterness, and he didn't even dare to look up at Xu Xing and Du Ruoheng.

“Reporting to the Ancestral Master and Master, this disciple has been lazy in his cultivation... far inferior to this senior.”

To lose to the Returning Void Realm of the Righteous Alliance in such a humiliating manner...

He felt that he had completely disgraced the Sword Sect!
"It's alright. This person is indeed not comparable to an ordinary Void Returning cultivator. There's no need to worry too much," Du Ruoheng comforted him.

But he couldn't help but complain inwardly.

He was calling me "fellow Daoist" just a moment ago, but now that he's been beaten up, he knows I'm a "senior."

Zhou Kongming opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Ordinary return to emptiness...

Has he finally been downgraded to the 'Ordinary Return to Emptiness' level?
However, in front of this senior, he seemed no different from the so-called 'ordinary' Void Returner.

His heart grew increasingly bitter.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something:
"May I ask, senior, will you be visiting other immortal sects afterward?"

There is such a powerful Void Returning Realm in the world. It would be too selfish to keep this to myself.

“We’ve already been there. The last stop was the Supreme Dao Sect, and the Sword Sect is the last stop,” Mengxuan explained.

She understood what Zhou Kongming was thinking.

Sure enough, Zhou Kongming's eyes lit up upon hearing this:
"So the result is..." "Pretty much what you expected." Mengxuan did not answer directly.

But Zhou Kongming still understood what she meant.

Supreme Daoist Sect...

He knew Xiao Yu's level all too well; even ten Xiao Yus wouldn't be a match for this senior!

There's only one possibility!
The moment I thought of this, the resentment and bitterness in my heart dissipated considerably.

"Thank you, senior!"

……

……

Not long after, Xu Xing and Yuan Jun left with Meng Xuan.

Zhou Kongming followed Du Ruoheng to another room in the sect master's hall.

He had barely sat down on the sofa when he couldn't help but ask:
"Who exactly is that senior of Master's?"

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

He was, after all, the number one on the Sword Sect's Returning Void Sword Ranking, yet he couldn't even fight back against that senior.

How could there possibly be such a powerful Return to Emptiness in the world!
Zhou Kongming walked to the chair behind the table and sat down:
"This is not something you should know."

The expected answer.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. How could a normal Void Returning cultivator possibly have both the Sword Ancestor and the Primordial Sovereign accompanying them?

"You just need to know that it's normal for you to lose to that senior, so don't be discouraged."

"Master, rest assured, I will not be discouraged by this."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Kongming sensed something was wrong.

and many more!

Didn't Master just address me as 'senior'?
He suddenly looked up at Du Ruoheng.

But he found Du Ruoheng looking at him calmly, seemingly unaware that he had just 'accidentally' let something slip.

"If you really want to know, then strive to become the sect leader after you achieve Dao integration."

Why do you have to become a sect leader after you've reached the Dao realm to find out?
It seems that senior's identity is extraordinary.

But as for the sect leader...

"Disciple understands."

Zhou Kongming stood up from his seat.

"The disciple retire."

"Okay, go back and get some rest."

"Yes."

Immediately afterward, Zhou Kongming turned and left the sect master's hall.

He couldn't wait to ask those scoundrels in the group chat!
They were all thoroughly defeated, yet there hasn't been a single word from them!

Those scoundrels are really good at hiding!
Incidentally, you can also mock that self-proclaimed protagonist from Lingyinfang and soothe your wounded heart.

……

……

the other side.

Xu Xing, Yuan Jun, and Meng Xuan, who had just emerged from the Sect Master Hall, were heading towards the Sword Ancestor Hall.

“We’ll need some time to make arrangements with the other juniors, so why don’t you rest at the Sword Sect today?” Xu Xing said.

"By the way, Senior Sister Ji is currently recuperating. If you are interested, you can go and visit her."

He remembered that the two of them had some kind of relationship.

"Ji Yue?" Mengxuan paused, then shook her head slightly. "Never mind, I won't see her this time."

Ji Yue is a very proud person, but also a very awkward one.

The Daoist brother might not know, but she knew it all too well.

In order to catch up with Yuanjun, he comprehended the so-called "unyielding" swordsmanship.

While it's described as 'unyielding,' 'competitive' would be a more accurate description.

Mengxuan felt that she shouldn't provoke someone as proud and awkward as her.

After all, because of the return of 'Tian' and with the help of Daoist Yijian, she had the opportunity to walk the path of cultivation again. However, due to Xuan's attack, the backlash from 'Knocking on the Immortal Gate' was further aggravated.

I don't know how long it will take to recover...

Based on all of the above, going to see her now would undoubtedly provoke him.

"Instead of going to see Ji Yue, I'd rather go see Xiao Jiu Yu and Xiao Yun Lu."

Ok?
Go see them?

“Back in the Three Realms, I traveled with the two of them for a while, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen them,” Mengxuan explained.

Those two little guys are quite interesting.

She paused in her tracks.

"I'll go by myself, so I won't bother you."

She smiled again as she spoke.

"As an 'outsider,' I shouldn't be judging, but I'll say something anyway."

Mengxuan's expression turned serious.

"Brother Dao, cherish the people in front of you. They all understand your concerns, but there's really no need to demand the best in everything."

In this day and age, there are very few people qualified to advise the Sword Ancestor.

But she just happens to be one of them.

"..."

Xu Xing remained silent and did not reply.

Mengxuan smiled again after she finished speaking.

"I hope you won't be angry that I'm saying this so suddenly, Fellow Daoist Sword Master."

“She’s not that petty,” Yuan Jun said calmly.

As he spoke, he glanced in the direction of the Sword Master's Hall.

……

……

Chi Jiuyu's cave dwelling.

living room.

Chi Jiuyu was lying on her back in a newly bought massage chair, looking completely relaxed.

A cyan-gold longsword floated behind her, its gentle sword energy constantly scattering, helping her relax her muscles and improve blood circulation in a peculiar way.

In the past few days, while writing the "Ascension Mission Feedback Report," the cyan-gold longsword took the time to learn a set of massage techniques, which it is now demonstrating to Chi Jiuyu.

On the sofa to the side, Yue Ling held a piece of cut fruit, glaring resentfully at the sword behind Chi Jiuyu.

Haven't I gotten a little tired of playing a few games lately?

Bored, she used the excuse of visiting Chi Jiuyu to ask her to recommend a few more fun games.

I'll also take advantage of the Xuanzhu Fruit Wine that Meizu gave to Chi Jiuyu.

Because it tasted so good, she finished her own jar not long after she got it back.

Not long after entering, they discovered that the cyan-gold longsword was going to massage Chi Jiuyu.

massage……

Listen!

Is this what a sword should be doing?
The sword's primary function is to assist the lord in killing enemies; the rest of the time, of course, it's for the lord to nurture it!

This is what makes a proper sword!
Where would a natal sword turn around and serve its master? That would be a complete reversal of the natural order!

"I said……"

As one of the ancestral swords of the Sword Sect in the game "Legend of Sword and Fairy"!

She needs to correct this.

Her main concern was that after being inspired by Chi Jiuyu, the master might also summon her for 'training'...

That's such a misunderstanding!

"The Xuanzhu fruit wine is in the cabinet on your right. Don't drink too much of it." Chi Jiuyu's words interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh."

Yue Ling jumped off the sofa and walked to the cabinet that Chi Jiuyu had mentioned.

Upon opening the cabinet door, several jars of Xuanzhu fruit wine were revealed inside.

Ok? !

How come there are so many!
wrong!

What was I just about to say?

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(End of this chapter)