The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Then she stopped.

Yang Wanqing followed and stopped as well.

The mural covers the entire wall. It is six meters wide and three meters high. The carving technique is exquisite, and each figure has clear facial features and an independent posture.

The image depicts... a procession of the entire Jinque Yunzong sect.

One hundred and eighty-nine people.

Each person stood on a flying sword.

One hundred and eighty-nine flying swords, arranged in a formation of wild geese, streaked across the sea of ​​stars.

A golden light appeared beneath the feet of the white-clad figure leading the way... the Chang Geng Immortal Sword.

Each disciple following behind had the same posture: feet on flying swords, tips pointing forward, bodies slightly tilted, flying on their swords.

There were no mounts. No magical flying boats. No talismans.

Pure sword control.

A formation of 189 sword lights drew a magnificent golden arc in the sea of ​​stars.

Yang Wanqing stood in front of the mural, his mouth slightly open, unable to speak for a long time.

The live stream was silent for several seconds.

Then the live chat exploded.

"Holy crap..."

"This is what a sword immortal should be like!"

"The entire sect flies on swords! Not a single one is exempt!"

"He's so handsome I cried, I really am so handsome I cried!"

"The scene in my dream came true."

"This is the true sect of sword immortals."

"Wearing white robes and wielding a sword, with the starry sea as his path—this is cooler than any cultivation novel!"

"The greatest swordsman of our time is none other than Chang Geng Tianzun!"

"No, it belongs to the Chang Geng Immortal Sect! The entire sect is made up of sword immortals!"

Chen Siyao stood in front of the mural, her gaze slowly sweeping across it from left to right.

One hundred and eighty-nine people. One hundred and eighty-nine swords.

In ancient times, this sword cultivator squad set off from the Chang Geng Realm, traversed the sea of ​​stars, and landed in the northwest of the Thirty-Third Heaven.

Swords are never out of their hands. From birth to death, from beginner to Celestial Venerable, the people of the Golden Cloud Sect dedicate their entire lives to only one thing.

Practicing swordsmanship.

Flying on a sword.

Asking the question with a sword.

Chen Siyao's right hand hung unconsciously at her side, her five fingers slightly clenched, making a sword-gripping motion.

She stared at the white-clad figure leading the mural, Chang Geng Tian Zun.

A sword, a white robe, and a sea of ​​stars.

This image is etched into her mind. She can't shake it off.

"Yao Yao." Yang Wanqing gently nudged her from the side. You were stunned.

Chen Siyao snapped out of her daze. She withdrew her right hand, her fingers slightly numb; she had been unconsciously tense for too long.

"It's nothing," she said. "I was thinking about something."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about the sword manual here and that polishing mirror... I'll probably spend more time on them later."

Yang Wanqing pursed her lips. "I knew you'd say that. You're practically marrying yourself off to a sword."

Chen Siyao ignored her.

She turned to the photo crystal and quickly summarized the day's exploration of the Golden Palace.

"Jinque Palace belongs to Jinque Yunzong, which originated from Chang Geng Jie, which is Venus."

"Sect Master Chang Geng Tianzun is a being at the Refining Void and Merging with the Dao level, who entered the Dao through the sword."

"The core of the sect is the sword cultivation system, and everything from training facilities to cultivation philosophy revolves around the way of the sword."

"Important discovery: The sword of Chang Geng Tianzun, the 'Chang Geng Immortal Sword,' is one of the two great divine swords of the ancient cultivation civilization, on par with the Zhuxian Sword. However, this sword has been taken away and is not kept in the Golden Palace."

"We acquired thirty-six swords of no less than the level of spiritual weapons in the Sword Pavilion, as well as a large number of sword manuals and instructions on how to use the training facilities. I will focus on swordsmanship and will further my training in the training area of ​​the Golden Palace."

The comments section became lively again.

"Yaoyao is going to practice her sword here!"

"Sword cultivators practice sword cultivator's sword manuals—it's a good match."

"Thirty-six swords of spirit weapon level... enough to arm a small squad if we bring them back to Earth."

"The key is the sword manual! A sword manual from an ancient sword-cultivation sect! Its value is immeasurable!"

At the end of the square stands a three-story pavilion. Above the entrance is the inscription "Hall of Listening to Swords".

Yang Wanqing ran to the door of the pavilion and pushed it open—but the door didn't budge.

It's not locked. There are patterns on the door panel.

Chen Siyao walked up to it and probed the array pattern with her energy. The array pattern lit up slightly, then went out again.

"A broken formation. Insufficient spiritual power to operate it."

"What should we do then?"

"Wait." Chen Siyao squatted down and carefully examined the patterns of the array.

Chang'e's cultivation notes contain chapters about formations; she had flipped through a portion of them last night. This formation...

"It's a spirit-locking array. It's not complicated." Chen Siyao took out two mid-grade flame spirit stones from her Qiankun bag.

She couldn't convert the Flame Spirit Stone into spiritual energy like her brother, but she could use the simplest method: shatter the Flame Spirit Stone directly.

After Chen Siyao shattered the Flame Spirit Stone, with a hum, the energy of the Flame Spirit Stone was absorbed, the array patterns lit up, and the door panel slowly slid open to both sides.

The sight inside made them both stop in their tracks.

A three-story building. The walls of each floor... are covered with swords.

It's not a physical sword. It's a sword mark.

The walls were covered with countless sword marks, each emitting a faint glow.

Some were cyan, some were white, some had a dark gold tinge, and some had streaks of bright red.

The moment Yang Wanqing stepped inside, she was enveloped by an invisible pressure.

It wasn't murderous intent.

That is the meaning.

Sword intent.

"Yaoyao—" Yang Wanqing's voice was a little tense, "This thing feels like it's cutting me."

"Stand still." Chen Siyao also sensed it. The sword intent remaining in the sword marks, though tens of thousands of years had passed.

But it remains sharp. For those at the Meridian Opening Realm and Golden Body Realm, standing here is tantamount to passively honing their spiritual consciousness and physical body.

Chen Siyao tried taking a step forward.

The sword intent intensified.

The feeling... wasn't pain, but an extremely subtle cutting sensation. The surface of spiritual energy was being sliced ​​away, strand by strand, and the edges of divine consciousness were being ground down.

She stopped and closed her eyes.

Three breaths later... she got used to it.

The spiritual energy circulated automatically, forming a protective shield on the body, isolating the sword intent from the outside.

"Qingqing, try circulating your internal energy."

Yang Wanqing did as instructed. He circulated his spiritual energy around his body, protecting it. The cutting sensation indeed lessened.

But it didn't completely disappear.

"It's still there." Yang Wanqing frowned. "Spiritual energy protected the outside, but what about the divine sense..."

"Yes." Chen Siyao opened her eyes. "This place isn't for hurting people. It's for training."

She looked around and finally understood the purpose of this "Hall of Listening to Swords".

The disciples of the Golden Cloud Sect cultivate here, passively enduring the tempering of sword intent.

Spiritual energy protects the body from external injuries, and the divine sense withstands the erosion of sword intent... Over time, the divine sense will naturally become more solid and sharp.

This is a training ground for sword cultivators.

The comments section has already started flooded with messages.

"Sword Intent Refinement Formation!"

"Holy crap, isn't this the Sword Tomb from a wuxia novel?!"

"No, no, no, it's superior to the Sword Tomb; this is the true sword intent left behind by ancient sword cultivators!"

"Yaoyao, you guys stay inside a little longer!"

Chen Siyao said to the crystal for the photo, "Wanqing and I need to get used to things here. It might take a while."

She found a spot and sat down cross-legged. Yang Wanqing followed suit and sat down next to her.

The feeling of sword intent seeping into one's consciousness was unpleasant at first. It felt like someone was poking at one's brain with a fine needle. But after getting used to it...

Chen Siyao discovered that her consciousness was becoming "thinner" at an extremely slow rate.