Swordholder

Even Chen Yuan was full of doubt. He had been following Lu Chengfeng for a year, so when did the other party get a sword?

"Hurry up... catch up."

Lu Chengfeng, speaking in a hoarse voice, seemed to have exerted tremendous effort to utter these words.

As soon as he finished speaking, his speed, though seemingly slow, had already reached a distance of over ten meters.

As Lu Chengfeng moved away, the surroundings immediately turned cold, as if countless blurry figures were about to follow, or as if many menacing black shadows were rushing towards Chen Yuan and the others.

Chen Yuan and the others were startled and quickly followed.

After walking for several more hours, Chen Yuan and the others were already drooping their eyelids, exhausted and sleepy, and almost unable to hold on any longer.

Seeing this, Lu Chengfeng found a spot on the mountain, drew the long sword from his back, and quickly dug a cave under the shocked gazes of Chen Yuan and the others.

Chen Zhaoning's mouth formed an "O" shape, her face full of admiration, yet also tinged with a hint of helplessness.

However, Chen Yuan and Li Wei were still extremely excited to have a cave to rest in for the night.

They left the big black horse outside the cave, and the group bent down and crawled inside.

Not long after, they lit another fire in the cave.

At first, Chen Yuan was worried that starting a fire would attract attention, but when Lu Chengfeng sat down at the cave entrance, not a single breath of air escaped from the cave.

The cave instantly warmed up, and the firelight made their faces rosy, dispelling most of their fatigue and chill.

Chen Yuan, Li Wei, and Chen Zhaoning all fell silent, leaning against each other, half asleep.

But the rumbling in their stomachs made it difficult for them to fall asleep.

Even Nuomi couldn't help but rub her belly and lick her lips, looking quite hungry.

They set off at noon, went through a fierce battle in the afternoon, and now it's late at night, and they haven't eaten a single thing.

Just when they were finally able to catch their breath and rest, hunger pangs like a wild beast, leaving them starving.

Chen Yuan was the same; even though he was already at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Aperture Realm, he felt extremely hungry at this moment.

He knew in his heart that this was probably due to his physical condition.

The higher the realm, the greater the consumption, and naturally, more energy needs to be taken in.

At this moment, Lu Chengfeng, who was sitting at the entrance of the cave, slowly got up and walked out.

"Nuomi, where did your dad go?"

Li Wei glanced at it, then looked at Nuomi and asked curiously.

"Hehe, great! My dad must have gone hunting!"

Nuomi clapped her hands excitedly and said.

Upon hearing this, Li Wei was overjoyed and couldn't help but swallow hard, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Sure enough, not long after, Lu Chengfeng returned carrying a wild boar whose head had been smashed open with one hand.

Chen Yuan and the others stared wide-eyed, swallowing hard.

The wild boar's head had obviously been smashed open by Lu Chengfeng's punch, and its belly had been ripped open, with its internal organs nowhere to be seen.

"eat."

Lu Chengfeng uttered only one word, his voice still carrying a hint of gloom.

Chen Yuan and Li Wei immediately set to work, using Chen Zhaoning's knife to cut off several pieces of wild boar meat and roast them over the fire.

When the meat was roasted until it was shiny and the skin was slightly charred, a rich aroma of meat instantly filled the entire cave, making everyone's mouths water and their cravings even stronger.

So Chen Yuan and his companions devoured the roasted wild boar meat like starving ghosts.

Chen Yuan, in particular, ate exceptionally quickly.

He felt that his teeth were incredibly sharp at that moment, and even though the wild boar meat was very tough, he could quickly bite it apart, turning it into a warm current that flowed into his body and transformed into a continuous source of energy.

Gradually, as the energy vortex around his body circulated, those 361 spiritual apertures slowly appeared around him.

Like tiny, exquisite flowers, they began to automatically absorb the energy of heaven and earth.

The commotion left Chen Zhaoning speechless, his face filled with shock.

"one two three……"

Chen Zhaoning couldn't help but start counting again. The more she counted, the wider her crimson lips opened, and the shock in her eyes almost overflowed.

Even Lu Chengfeng, who sat motionless like a statue at the entrance of the cave, had his red eyes tremble violently, unable to hide the surprise and emotion in his eyes.

Chen Yuan completely ignored Chen Zhaoning's horrified expression and continued to frantically gnaw on the wild boar leg in his hand.

He swallowed the wild boar meat, which had a slightly fishy smell. Once it entered his stomach, it immediately turned into a warm current that flowed through his limbs and bones, invigorating him.

The muscle soreness from the day's battle and the fatigue from running for most of the night quickly dissipated under the nourishment of this warm current, and I instantly felt refreshed.

At the same time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged into his body, and combined with the warmth brought by the meat, his bones and muscles felt subtly nourished and strengthened.

"Damn, A-Yuan, you're such a freak! You're acting like a starving ghost reincarnated!"

Li Wei, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed at the thigh bone that Chen Yuan had eaten clean, and exclaimed in astonishment,

Then, out of curiosity, she poked the vortex of energy around Chen Yuan, revealing an envious expression.

Chen Yuan smiled, put down the thigh bone in his hand, and was about to practice the Xuanhuang Righteous Qi Technique for a while when he suddenly saw a beautiful and delicate face close to his eyes.

"Huh? Aning, what are you doing? Are you stupid?"

Chen Yuan asked in astonishment.

Chen Zhaoning swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly: "You...you're preparing to break through to the Dharma Body Realm?"

"Yes." Chen Yuan said in a flat tone, as if he didn't care at all. "It's a bit strange. I've been tempering myself for several days, but I still haven't broken through to the Dharma Body Realm."

As he spoke, a hint of worry appeared on Chen Yuan's face.

Judging from Chen Zhaoning's reaction, could it be that my breakthrough was too slow?

Chen Zhaoning felt a series of sharp pains in her heart, and a deep sense of powerlessness swept over her entire body.

She almost burst into a tirade:

Holy crap, do you think you can just break through to the Dharma Body Realm like that?

Many people spend their entire lives trying to reach this level, and you, on the other hand, complain that you're too slow?

"Could it be that my aptitude is too poor? Is that why I haven't entered the Dharma Body Realm after so long? Hmm, it seems I need to work harder."

Chen Yuan muttered to himself as he closed his eyes and sat cross-legged to cultivate.

Chen Zhaoning almost vomited blood upon hearing this, her face turning extremely depressed, filled with helplessness.

But then it dawned on me that the other person had called me Ah Ning earlier?

The gloom in my heart was inexplicably swept away.

Just then, Lu Chengfeng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse but carrying an undeniable solemnity.

"You... want to become Swordholders?"

Chen Zhaoning suddenly looked up at him, her eyes instantly becoming sparkling, filled with excitement and anticipation.

Chen Yuan, who was about to close his eyes to cultivate, and Li Wei, who was still gnawing on a pig's trotter, both stopped what they were doing and looked at Lu Chengfeng with puzzled expressions.

"Those who wield swords among men take it upon themselves to revive the human race, hoping that humanity will once again stand at the pinnacle of humankind, which is their lifelong pursuit."

"From the day we take up our swords, all of us human beings shall forge the sword's bone into the backbone of our race and solidify its edge into the sharpest weapon of our race!"

They bear the responsibility for the rise and fall of their people, and shoulder the duties of eliminating evil, helping those in distress, and defending against foreign aggression.

"The one who wields the sword, from the very beginning, must enable the displaced to return to their homeland and provide support for the weak."

Even through countless tribulations, we will protect the flame of humanity, ensuring its unbroken and everlasting existence…

Lu Chengfeng spoke slowly, his voice still hoarse, yet each word was powerful and resounding, as if he were reciting an ultimate vow, echoing throughout the entire cave.

"This is the oath of conviction of the swordsman!"

Chen Zhaoning was filled with excitement upon hearing this, and he suddenly stood up, speaking respectfully.

Chen Yuan and Li Wei were both stunned, although they understood the meaning behind the words—that picking up a sword meant taking on the responsibility of protecting and revitalizing the human race.

But at that moment, all they could think about was surviving!

As for the great ideals of protecting and revitalizing humanity, let those be left to the more powerful.

Finally, after Lu Chengfeng finished reciting the oath, an invisible gust of wind swept away the stray bangs on his forehead, revealing a face with sharp features and an imposing presence.

He slowly raised his left hand, and a golden, long, sword-shaped token appeared in his hand without him noticing.

"The Sword-Wielding Order!"

Chen Zhaoning became even more excited and exclaimed, "It's still a golden sword-wielding token!"

He truly is the swordsman!

My God, he's a Gold-Rank Swordsman! That's a Grand Commander level!

"In my capacity as the Chief Sword Master of Tianshan County, I act as your introducer."

I now call upon you three outstanding individuals to join my Sword-Wielding Society and become Sword-Wielders!

The red light in Lu Chengfeng's pupils had dissipated, transforming into deep, dark eyes. With appreciation and solemnity, his gaze slowly swept over the three people in front of him.

"Are you all willing to wield the sword for the human race?"

He spoke again solemnly, his voice becoming deep, powerful, and resounding.

Chen Yuan and Li Wei were completely stunned, while Chen Zhaoning looked excited and bowed slightly.

"I, Chen Zhaoning, am willing!"

Chen Zhaoning stood with a bow, the excitement on his face gradually fading, replaced by extreme solemnity.

"Say yes already! Didn't you say you'd become Swordholders with me?"

Chen Zhaoning lowered her head and glanced at Chen Yuan and Li Wei, her eyes filled with anxiety.

Chen Yuan and Li Wei exchanged a glance, each thinking to themselves:

Since I no longer need to wander around aimlessly like a headless fly searching for a way to survive, becoming a swordsman doesn't seem like such a bad thing.

The two immediately stood up and stood side by side with Chen Zhaoning.

However, Chen Yuan was still somewhat confused:

It turns out that Uncle Lu, whom I've known for a year, is actually the Swordholder!

This sixth brother is hiding his true colors so well!

At this moment, Li Wei pondered for a moment, then excitedly asked, "Uncle Lu, if we become sword wielders, will you teach us cultivation?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoning's eyes lit up, and she looked at Lu Chengfeng with anticipation.

"nature."

Lu Chengfeng rarely showed a hint of clarity, a faint smile playing on his lips as he spoke gently, "I will certainly pass on to you the most supreme and wondrous techniques."

"I want to become a Swordholder too!"

At this moment, Nuomi also hopped over, stood next to Chen Yuan, and looked up at him earnestly.

Then, the four of them looked at Lu Chengfeng, bowed respectfully, and shouted in unison:

"I am willing to wield the sword for the human race!!"

These words echoed through the cave, leaving a deep imprint on the hearts and souls of the four boys!

This also became a belief that they could never forget, no matter how many hardships they went through in the future.