I was a mineral prospector in Chengdu, who transmigrated into the body of a mortal sword immortal.

Li Bai slowly exhaled a long, drawn-out breath, carrying a faint, nascent sword's cry. He tried to move his stiff fingers, the joints making a slight cracking sound, but the newly generated, condensed, and vibrant spiritual energy within him gave him an unprecedented sense of fullness and power. He lowered his head, gazing at the faint blue lotus pattern on the broken sword on his lap, his fingertips lightly brushing the cool blade. The broken sword emitted a pleasant, clear murmur, as if responding to him, as if echoing the wisp of sword intent that had merged into his brow. The wind on the peak was still biting, but it no longer caused the bone-scraping pain. He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the thinning clouds, looking towards the eternally gentle light of the secret realm, quietly waiting. Waiting for the figure that would pronounce the final verdict and guide him to the next stage of his journey.

The clouds parted silently.

The High Priestess stepped out from the void, her black robes still spotless, her silver-grey eyes calmly fixed on Li Bai, who sat cross-legged on the ground. She did not speak immediately, her gaze first sweeping over Li Bai's entire body—his posture, though weary, was unusually upright; the hidden sharpness between his brows; and the unique rhythm of the Azure Lotus Sword Intent lingering in the air, incongruous with the surrounding sword energy yet subtly dominant.

Her gaze finally fell on the broken sword at Li Bai's knee, lingering for a moment on the faintly visible blue lotus pattern.

"Of the three days allotted, half a day remains." The high priest's voice rang out, calm and unwavering, revealing neither joy nor anger. "You have completed it ahead of schedule."

Li Bai took a deep breath and tried to get up to pay his respects, but a gentle yet irresistible force pressed down on his shoulder.

"No need." The High Priest took two steps closer, looking down at him with a gaze that seemed to pierce through his skin and reach the depths of his soul. "On the Path of Inquiry, you, with a soul from another world, confronted your true self, though bewildered, you did not lose your truth. On the Platform of Wisdom, you used the stones from other mountains to solve the millennia-old mystery of my divine kingdom, though using shortcuts, it was in accordance with the ultimate truth. And this Sword Intent Peak…"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the crisscrossing sword marks on the platform, as if she could see the scene not long ago where sword energy surged and a lone figure stood against the enemy.

"You not only endured the hardship of being tempered by sword energy, but also, at the limit, captured and initially integrated the most core, and most elusive, nascent form of the 'Azure Lotus Sword Intent' of this place. This is beyond the reach of brute force; it requires comprehension, opportunity, and even more so... a clear and enlightened sword heart." The High Priest's tone finally showed a very subtle fluctuation, an almost admiring recognition. "Your perseverance, comprehension, and affinity with the sword path need no further verification."

She stretched out her hand, palm up, towards Li Bai.

"Congratulations, Li Bai. You have passed all three trials. Now, come with me to receive what you deserve... the beginning of your inheritance."

Li Bai's heart skipped a beat, a complex mix of excitement, anticipation, and a sense of relief welling up inside him. He forced back the broken Qingming sword to his waist, then, supporting himself on his knees, he stood up somewhat unsteadily. His legs were sore and numb from sitting for so long and the previous intense pressure, but he stood firmly.

The high priest did not urge him, but waited for him to adjust his breathing before turning around and gently flicking his sleeve.

The scene before them rippled and distorted once more. The biting wind, rough rock face, and invisible sword energy of the Sword Intent Peak vanished instantly, replaced by a warm, moist air carrying the scent of ancient bronze and fresh vegetation. The light also changed; it was no longer the eternally uniform, soft skylight above the secret realm, but rather dappled beams of light filtering through the layers of leaves, interspersed with tiny golden particles of light, like fireflies.

When Li Bai regained his footing and took in his surroundings, his breath caught in his throat.

He was standing in a vast, seemingly naturally formed domed space. In the center of the space stood a colossal tree he had never seen before.

That was no ordinary tree, but a "tree" cast entirely in bronze.

The tree, hundreds of feet tall, had a trunk so thick it would take dozens of people to encircle it. It bore a dark, bluish-green hue, weathered by time, its surface covered with intricate, almost indistinguishable patterns—not decorative designs, but rather ancient runes or narrative reliefs depicting the sun, moon, stars, divine sacrifices, galloping beasts, and even the chaotic scene of the beginning of time. Its branches stretched out in all directions, not as wooden forks, but as thin as cicada wings yet as wide as houses, forming a canopy that blotted out the sky. Hanging from many of these leaves were bronze bells, jade discs, jade scepters, and halberds of varying sizes and unique shapes, occasionally emitting a faint, yet soul-stirring, tinkling sound in the gentle breeze.

The entire bronze divine tree exuded an indescribable aura of majesty, antiquity, and mystery. It stood there silently, yet it seemed to be the center and pillar of the entire secret realm, even a part of the world. Li Bai could even feel the spiritual energy in the surrounding air, so dense it was almost like mist, pulsating slowly and rhythmically around this divine tree. Each pulsation caused his dantian qi vortex to tremble slightly, resonating with it.

"This is the 'Jianmu Tree,' the root of my Xiling Divine Kingdom, the vessel connecting heaven, earth, humanity, and the gods." The high priest's voice rang out beside him, carrying a rare solemnity and reverence. "What you see is merely its projection in the present dimension. Its true form exists on a higher level."

Li Bai gazed up at the incredible bronze tree, a fierce clash between his modern soul and his geological engineer's understanding. Sanxingdui! Its shape, its style, its mysterious aura—how similar it was to the Sanxingdui bronze tree he had seen in his previous life's records! But this one before him was larger, more complete, and possessed a more vast and imposing aura, as if the unearthed artifacts were merely insignificant fragments projected onto it. Could the Xiling Divine Kingdom truly be directly connected to the lost ancient Sanxingdui civilization? Perhaps… it was even its continuation?

Before he could think it through, the high priest had already stepped forward and walked toward the roots of the bronze tree.

Li Bai quickly followed. The ground beneath his feet was soft and springy, covered with a thick layer of unknown dark green moss, making no sound when he stepped on it. The closer he got to the divine tree, the stronger the ancient bronze aura mixed with spiritual energy became, along with a faint trace of cool, moist vapor that seemed to come from deep underground.

After passing a section of massive tree roots that are twisted like dragons and half-buried in the ground, the view suddenly opens up.

Directly beneath the trunk of the bronze tree, where the roots intertwine most densely, a natural depression forms. Within this depression lies a pool of crystal-clear spring water.

The pool water was not the usual transparent liquid, but rather shimmered with a faint, dreamlike blue halo, as if it had absorbed a trace of the color of the entire bronze tree. The water was extremely clear, allowing one to clearly see the smooth, rounded white pebbles on the bottom, as well as some unidentified aquatic plants that swayed gently with the ripples and emitted a faint glow.

But what truly captured Li Bai's attention was the sword lying quietly in the very center of the pool.

The sword is about three feet three inches long, its entire body displaying a warm and restrained jade-like luster, yet subtly revealing a metallic texture. The blade's design is simple and fluid, without excessive ornamentation. Only near the hilt, layers upon layers of mysterious patterns, resembling blooming lotus flowers, flow naturally. These patterns are not carved, but rather seem to be a manifestation of the Daoist aura naturally formed by the sword's material. As the light from the pool shifts, the lotus patterns seem to slowly open and close, exhaling an ineffable spiritual energy.

The hilt and guard are cast as one piece, resembling an unopened lotus bud, simple yet elegant. The entire sword lies quietly on white pebbles, without a scabbard, yet naturally exuding an aura of tranquility, purity, and boundless sharpness. It seems to have slumbered here for millennia, waiting for the one who can awaken it.

Just looking at it, Li Bai felt the nascent green lotus sword intent between his brows begin to heat up and leap with joy, and the broken Qingming sword at his waist also emitted a low, almost whimpering tremor, as if a subject had seen his king, or as if the fragments had sensed the original body.

"This sword is named 'Azure Lotus.'" The High Priest stood by the pool, his gaze fixed on the azure longsword, his voice deep and resonant. "It was forged in ancient times by our ancestral sword immortals, who gathered the pure energy of the heavens, fused it with the essence of the earth's veins, and extracted a wisp of life force from the Jianmu tree. It was tempered for a thousand years in the furnace of heaven and earth. It is not only a supreme divine weapon, but also a token of the inheritance of the 'Azure Lotus Sword Manual.' The true meaning of the sword manual is mostly contained within this sword."

She turned her head and looked at Li Bai, whose breathing was already rapid and whose gaze was fixed on the long sword at the bottom of the pool.

"You have passed the test and are qualified to inherit the Azure Lotus Sword Manual. However, the inheritance is divided into two steps: receiving the method and obtaining the weapon," the High Priest said slowly. "Today, I can impart to you the cultivation method of the first half of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual, which directly leads to the Golden Core Path. As for the Azure Lotus Sword itself... it lies dormant here, awaiting its true master. When your cultivation reaches a certain level, and your understanding of the Sword Manual is profound enough, and you resonate with it in an inseparable way, it will respond to your call, emerge from the water, and recognize you as its master. Forcibly taking it will only disturb the sword spirit and may even bring backlash."

Li Bai took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to jump into the pool and retrieve the sword. He understood the High Priest's meaning; this sword possessed a spirit and needed "approval," not "seizure." He nodded, his gaze still fixed on the Azure Lotus Sword: "This junior understands. Please, High Priest, impart the incantation."

The high priest said no more. She raised her right hand, bringing her index and middle fingers together. Suddenly, a point of extremely concentrated blue light, seemingly containing the birth and death of stars, shone from the tip of her finger. The light was not dazzling, but it gave people a feeling as heavy as a mountain and as vast as the sea.

"Close your eyes, concentrate, open your mind, and do not resist." The high priest's voice rang directly in Li Bai's mind, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

Li Bai immediately obeyed, closing his eyes, suppressing all distracting thoughts, and sinking his mind into the depths of his consciousness, retaining only a trace of vigilance towards the outside world. He could feel the High Priest's two fingers, joined together, gently touching the center of his brow.

"Buzz—!"

It was as if a great bell was ringing deep within the soul, or as if the Milky Way was flowing backwards, marking the beginning of the universe.

A wisp of blue light surged in from between Li Bai's brows, instantly exploding into an endless torrent of information that surged into his consciousness. It was not words, nor images, but a more direct and essential transmission of "Taoist principles" and "theories."

The first half of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual: Qi Condensation Chapter, Foundation Establishment Chapter, and Golden Core Chapter!

The vast amount of information is all-encompassing:

The most fundamental aspect is how to further refine spiritual power on the basis of condensed qi, making it more pure and condensed, and imbuing it with the unique attributes of "sharpness," "agility," and "endless vitality" of the Azure Lotus Sword Intent. This includes several unique breathing techniques, the circulation routes of spiritual power throughout the body, and secret techniques that use external objects (such as spirit stones and herbs of specific attributes) to assist in cultivation.

Next comes the Foundation Building chapter. It details how to use the Azure Lotus Sword Intent as a guide and pure spiritual energy as a foundation to construct the "Foundation of the Great Dao"—the Sword Foundation—within the dantian. The form of the Sword Foundation, the methods for stabilizing it, and its connection to the subsequent Golden Core Dao… all these crucial points are profound and mysterious. It particularly emphasizes the risks and pain of the Foundation Building process, requiring great perseverance and wisdom to overcome. Once successful, it signifies a true transformation, a dramatic increase in lifespan, a qualitative change in spiritual energy, and the ability to initially control flying swords and unleash basic sword techniques and supernatural powers.

Finally, there's the outline of the Golden Core chapter. Although it only points out the direction and general steps—how to continuously nurture, compress, and condense the successfully established "Sword Foundation" to ultimately form a "Sword Core" containing one's own insights into the sword path—the sense of freedom and power revealed in the phrase "After swallowing a Golden Core, I know my fate is not determined by heaven" already captivated Li Bai. Once the Golden Core is formed, one possesses boundless magical power, can fly on a sword, summon wind and rain, gain a preliminary understanding of the laws of heaven and earth, and live up to five hundred years!

Besides cultivation techniques, the information deluge also contains various practical methods to complement them:

The Basic Chapter of "Azure Lotus Sword Control Technique" - How to communicate with and nurture a sword using divine sense (including how to initially establish a connection with the Azure Lotus Sword), and how to use spiritual power to drive the sword for the most basic flight, piercing, and parrying.

The first three forms of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual are not fixed and rigid moves, but three different ways of applying sword intent. "Azure Lotus in Bloom" focuses on defense and trapping the enemy, with sword light transforming into lotus flowers to dissolve attacks layer by layer; "A Line of Azure Sky" focuses on extreme speed and penetration, concentrating sword intent and spiritual power into a single point, making it indestructible; "Lotus Shadow Follows Form" focuses on movement techniques and illusion, with sword light splitting into lotus shadows that sway and become elusive.

"Sword Qi Tempering Method" - How to actively guide sword qi into the body to further temper the flesh, meridians, and bones, so that the body can gradually adapt to and bear stronger sword intent and spiritual power, laying the foundation for future use of stronger sword techniques.

"Basic Knowledge of Weapon Forging, Alchemy, and Talisman Making" - Introductory knowledge of auxiliary skills related to sword cultivation. Although it is rudimentary, it opened a door to a new world for Li Bai.

There are also topics on identifying various rare and precious materials, finding places rich in spiritual energy, dealing with common obstacles and inner demons in cultivation... a vast and varied list.

This information was not forcibly inserted, but rather it resonated and merged with Li Bai's existing knowledge (including modern scientific understanding, geological knowledge, and the rudimentary form of the Azure Lotus Sword Intent) in an orderly and progressive manner. Many obscure points became clear under the contrast of his unique perspective from two lifetimes and his existing understanding of sword intent.

The process of inheritance seems long, yet it also seems to happen in an instant.

When the high priest's fingers left Li Bai's brow, Li Bai remained standing with his eyes closed, his body trembling slightly, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His face was somewhat pale, a result of the strain on his mind from receiving too much information in a short period. But soon, his breathing became steady and long, and although his aura was weak, it subtly synchronized with the Azure Lotus Sword at the bottom of the pool and the bronze divine tree behind him.

He slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes gleamed with a deep blue light, as profound as an ancient pool, yet as sharp as a newly honed sword. A sense of enlightenment, a sense of confidence, and a feeling of having finally grasped the key to changing his destiny rose within him.

He bowed deeply to the high priest, saying, "Thank you, High Priest, for imparting the Dharma!"

This time, the high priest did not stop her. She accepted the bow before speaking slowly, her voice regaining its previous calmness, but with an added solemnity.

"The law has been given to you; the path lies beneath your feet. The Azure Lotus Sword Manual is profound and mysterious; you must diligently practice it, progressing step by step. You must not be greedy for quick results or act rashly, especially in the Foundation Establishment stage, which is extremely dangerous. You must be fully prepared." She paused, her silver-gray eyes fixed on Li Bai. "Now that you have embarked on this path, there are some things I must tell you."

Li Bai felt a chill run down his spine and listened attentively with a solemn expression.

"The path of the sword immortal is ruthless and deadly, capable of slaying demons and monsters, and also... defying fate." The high priest's gaze seemed to pierce through Li Bai's body, seeing into the depths of his soul the lingering, inescapable attachment to the mortal world. "You bear the karma of another world, your soul traversing two realms—this is an unprecedented destiny, but it also means your fate has already deviated from its usual course, fraught with countless tribulations. And that mortal love you cling to..."

She looked at the Azure Lotus Sword at the bottom of the pool, and then at the Azure Nether Broken Sword humming at Li Bai's waist.

"The word 'emotion' is the most difficult to understand. It can become an obstacle to your sword's clarity, breed inner demons, and lead you to eternal damnation; but if handled properly, it can also become a whetstone for tempering your sword intent, or even... the source of your unique 'worldly intent' in your sword path. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined."

"On your future path, there will inevitably be a 'worldly tribulation' arising from love. This tribulation is not related to external enemies, but directly targets your true self. Its danger may even be greater than the sword energy tempering you are experiencing today. At that time, will you sink into the sea of ​​love and perish, or will you cut through the illusions and achieve a clear sword heart, or... forge an unprecedented path where love and sword are united? It all depends on your decision."

The high priest's voice was not loud, but every word struck Li Bai's heart like a hammer blow.

The tribulations of the mortal world...

Before Li Bai's eyes, the deep sorrow hidden in Yang Xiaohuan's eyes seemed to flash again, as did the exquisitely beautiful smile of Yang Yuhuan at fifteen. These two faces almost overlapped at that moment. He knew he couldn't let go. This obsession, transcending life and death, traversing time and space, had long been a part of his soul, the driving force behind all his actions. It was both his weakness and his source of strength.

"With great power comes great responsibility, and with it, the deepest calamities," the High Priest concluded. "Now that you have received the inheritance, you are bound to the fate of my Xiling Divine Kingdom. If you achieve anything in the future, I hope you will remember this bond, wield your sword with righteousness, and refrain from committing murder. This pool is rich in spiritual energy and enveloped in the Daoist aura of the Jianmu tree, making it the perfect place for you to begin digesting the inheritance and stabilizing your realm. You may cultivate here for a period of time. I will arrange for cultivators from my clan to answer some of your basic questions about cultivation. As for how much you can comprehend and how far you can go... that depends on yourself."

Having said that, the High Priest did not linger. His dark figure slowly merged into the air and disappeared, leaving only the faint echo of his admonition, which lingered slowly beneath the bronze divine tree and beside the Azure Lotus Sword Pool.

Li Bai stood alone by the pond, motionless for a long time.

He looked down at the emerald longsword at the bottom of the pool, sensing the vast inheritance of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual in his mind. He then touched the still warm Azure Nether Broken Sword at his waist, and finally looked up at the majestic and mysterious bronze Jianmu tree that seemed to support the heavens and the earth.

An unprecedented surge of pride and heaviness welled up in my heart at the same time.

The path has finally become clear.

Power has finally found a way to be acquired.

But the road ahead is also fraught with thorns and unknown calamities.

He took a deep breath of the air, which was filled with the scent of bronze and spiritual energy, and sat cross-legged by the sword pool, facing the Azure Lotus Sword in the pool, and closed his eyes. His immediate priority was to digest the inherited information in his mind, stabilize his newly broken-through late-stage Qi Condensation realm, and try to reforge his spiritual power according to the Qi Condensation chapter of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual, laying the most solid foundation.

As for the Azure Lotus Sword so close at hand, the unattainable Golden Core Path, and the "Crimson Tribulation" hanging in the future...

He believed that as long as he kept going step by step, the sword in his hand and the thought in his heart would eventually carve out a path to heaven for him.