Xuanjian: I am the Sun Sword Immortal

The Sky-Patrolling Sword, the Sun's Essence, the Golden Sun's Radiant Essence, the Long-Walking Pheasant Fire, plus the "True Secrets of Observing the Sun" and the "Nine Luminaries Sword Scripture"—this starting advantage is undeniably abundant. Any one of these items would be enough to cause Purple Mansion cultivators to fight tooth and nail, but his gaze was firmly fixed on something else.

That thing was located beneath the Sky-Patrolling Sword, at the deepest part of the Cold Jade Platform, as if the core of the entire cave dwelling was arranged around it.

It was a sealed radiance.

The gold of the sun's essence is pure and scorching; the crimson of the fire element's energy is surging and vibrant. But this radiance is unlike any of them—its color defies description by any known hue, as if it were the condensation of all radiance, or the very source of radiance itself. It is enveloped by moonlight like a ribbon, the moonlight constantly shifting and forming intricate patterns, enveloping this ray of light within.

Lou Linxian felt his mind being drawn by an invisible force, involuntarily moving closer to that ball of light—he didn't even realize that he was in a state of astral projection, with no "body" to move. He simply "wanted" to get closer, and so he did.

The closer you get, the clearer the radiance becomes.

He saw it.

Within the radiance, countless illusions flowed.

The first thing to appear was a great sun rising from the eastern horizon, its light shining down on all things, bringing them back to life. Under this sunlight, the frozen North Sea's glaciers melted, and the snowfields transformed into rushing rivers; the phoenix-like birds took flight, their clear, melodious calls echoing in the morning sun. That was the power of life, the vitality the sun bestowed upon all living things.

Then, the illusion shifted. The great sun rose high in the sky, its light becoming intense and majestic. On earth, an emperor, clad in imperial robes, led his courtiers in worshiping the east, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, burning incense and praying. The emperor's face was blurred, but his piety and reverence pierced through the illusion, reaching the heart. The scene shifted again, and a Taoist priest stood atop a mountain, holding a long sword, its tip pointing to the sky. Sunlight fell on the sword, transforming into a golden beam that shot into the heavens, slashing towards a deep, dark abyss.

Finally, all the illusions slowly dissipated, and Lou Linxian's mind and spirit were shaken.

A name naturally came to mind—

Yaohua Chengyang Yuxun Xing.

This is the metal element of the Nine Luminaries position.

He couldn't help but want to see more clearly. In his divine state, he had no "hands," but his consciousness involuntarily reached towards that ball of light, wanting to touch that clear, bright sphere, wanting to feel the power contained within the golden element—

Just as his consciousness was about to touch that ball of light, a gentle force pushed him away.

"No."

A voice resounded deep within his soul.

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of peace and certainty born of experience. It was like an invisible barrier, separating Lou Linxian's consciousness from the golden energy, while simultaneously protecting his fragile soul and preventing the golden energy from harming him in the slightest.

Lou Linxian's consciousness suddenly "turned around".

Under the glow of that light, a faint, ethereal figure appeared beside the Jade Platform at some unknown time.

It was a man dressed in a light gold Taoist robe, slender in build, with slightly graying temples, a radiant and gaunt face, and three long strands of beard swaying gently beneath his chin. His brows carried a hint of worldly wisdom and composure, yet also concealed a lingering trace of regret. The illusory figure was not solid, its edges slightly transparent, clearly merely a remnant of divine consciousness remaining within the ancient mansion.

"You are..." Lou Linxian asked subconsciously, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he vaguely guessed the answer.

The golden-robed Taoist did not answer directly, but first sized him up. His gaze was gentle yet profound, as if he could see through the very essence of the man's soul.

"Born with a spiritual aperture, and with a wisp of celestial energy hidden within his soul... he certainly has a remarkable background."

He nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of approval: "I left this ruined mansion without expecting to find a destined person. Since you were drawn here by the Great Void, you are destined to be with my path."

Lou Linxian didn't speak, but waited quietly.

The gray-robed Taoist's phantom stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the Sky-Patrolling Sword, seemingly lost in some kind of memory.

My name is Wu Che.

He said.

"I was originally nameless, just an orphan. Later, by chance, I was granted the Daoist lineage by my master. I am grateful for my master's kindness in passing on the Dao, so I took his surname as my own and took the character '掣' from the True Secrets—observing the sun and drawing lightning, receiving the sun and patrolling—from then on I was named Wu Che. My master studied the Dao at Zhengshi Temple when he was young. Although I had no chance to become a disciple of the temple, I am still considered half a fellow disciple of the Three Mysterious Masters."

Lou Linxian's heart skipped a beat. He was well-versed in the original text and naturally knew the weight of the three words "Zhengshi Temple". It was the place where the Three Mysterious Masters studied Taoism and the origin of the Qingxuan lineage. Although Wu Daozi only studied Taoism there and did not formally become an in-house disciple, this connection was enough to demonstrate the extraordinary nature of his lineage.

Wu Che's voice continued, his tone flat, yet tinged with an indescribable sense of melancholy.

"Master later made great progress in his cultivation and had already attained the status of an Immortal Lord. Before passing away, he comprehended the Pure Yang Great Dao and wished to create the Fourth Yang to bring peace to the people. Thus, he completed the 'True Secrets of Observing the Sun and its Manifestations' and the 'Nine Luminaries Sword Scripture'."

"Before my master passed away, he entrusted the matter of taking on disciples to the Azure Mystic Lord. The Azure Mystic Lord agreed, but I have never met or seen the Mystic Lord."

"In the end, he received this inheritance only in the Sun Palace of the Eastern Lord."

Dongjun.

Lou Linxian's heart skipped a beat.

He remembered it clearly. Qingxuan Master's second disciple, Dongjun, was the Lord of the Sun, a being who united the Four Lords into one—what an existence that was! Wu Che actually received his inheritance in Dongjun's Sun Palace?

Wu Che seemed to notice his surprise and smiled faintly.

"You don't need to think too much. I only received my master's lineage in the Sun Palace and was then sent out. I have never seen the true form of Dongjun."

"I am not a direct descendant of Qingxuan, nor do I belong to any sect or school; I am merely a rogue cultivator. Relying on the Daoist lineage left by my master, I first attained the [Sight of Heaven] level, and then the [Nine Luminaries] level."

He paused, and a hint of bitterness finally surfaced in his voice.

"But it's only the Nine Luminaries."

"I ultimately failed to attain the pure Yang that my master sought."

Wu Che's gaze turned to the sealed radiance—the Radiant Radiance of the Imperial Patrol.

"After I attained the Nine Luminaries, I felt that my path to enlightenment had come to an end, so at the end of the Wei Dynasty, I went to the outer heavens to seek an opportunity."

At the end of the Wei Dynasty, the world was in chaos.

Lou Linxian had read this part of history in the original novel: when the Mingyang position was compromised, Emperor Gong of Wei fell to the ground in public and became a mangled mess. Holding the position of the Sun, in this world, if one didn't step forward and do something, their position might be unstable. But if they did step forward, the risk of perishing was considerable; it was better to simply flee. Lou Linxian understood this man's choice; after all, he wasn't a disciple of the Three Mysteries Sect, so what did the Daoist struggles within the sect have to do with him?

Wu Che withdrew his hand and looked at Lou Linxian.

"The 'True Secrets of the Manifestation and Esoteric Practices of Sun Observation' left by Master is a method of ingestion. You must already know how difficult it is to ingest it—it is not something an ordinary person can do."

His tone became serious.

"You don't need to force yourself down this path. The method of ingesting qi was already extremely difficult to master during the Wei Dynasty. I had six disciples in total, all of whom were talented, and I passed on the Great Dao to each of them according to their talents. However, three of them failed to attain qi and turned to the Purple Gold Method, two of them wasted their time as Taoist priests, and only Hengqing ascended to the rank of a Taoist priest. Therefore, I compared my master's true secrets with my own cultivation experience and wrote a commentary entitled 'The Profound Meaning of the Manifestation and Transmission of the Sun'. This commentary transforms the principles of qi ingestion and self-cultivation in the true secrets into the cultivation method of the Purple Palace Golden Elixir Dao."

Purple Mansion Golden Elixir Path!

He knew all too well what this meant: embryonic breathing, qi cultivation, foundation building, purple mansion, golden elixir—each step had corresponding techniques and supernatural powers.

Wu Che seemed to see through his thoughts and shook his head slightly.

"Although the commentary has been converted to the Purple Mansion Golden Elixir Dao method, its foundation remains the solar Dao of the *True Secrets of Observing the Sun*. Practicing with the commentary will lead to much faster progress than ordinary Purple Mansion Golden Elixir Dao techniques, and it will also allow one to sense the positions of the Nine Luminaries. However…"

He looked up at Lou Linxian, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

"The commentary is ultimately just an annotation, not the original. After cultivating to the Purple Palace perfection using the commentary, if you want to attain the Nine Luminaries, you still need to go back and comprehend the principles of breath cultivation and self-cultivation in the original true manual. If you can verify both, you may find a path that belongs to you."

Wu Che's gaze fell once again on the sealed radiance.

"As for this Nine Luminaries Metal Nature—Radiant Radiance Receiving the Sun and Patrolling the Region—I have already sealed it with the power of the Taiyin."

His tone was serious.

"Remember, before you have mastered all five methods, you must never attempt to touch this golden element. The power of the golden element is something that those below the Purple Mansion level cannot withstand."

Lou Linxian remained silent for a moment, then made a decision.

He didn't know what state he was in—was he a soul, a consciousness, or a thought drawn in by the void? But he knew he had to do this.

He knelt down.

Or rather, his consciousness simulated the posture of kneeling in worship.

"Disciple Lou Linxian greets Master."

He kowtowed three times earnestly.

Wu Che's illusory figure stirred slightly, then revealed a faint smile. In that smile, there was relief and also a sense of relief.

"it is good."

He said softly.

"I am but a fleeting shadow, existing only for this moment. I will temporarily accept these three heads. From this day forward, you are my disciple, Wu Che, the third-generation successor of Wu Daozi's Pure Yang Dao lineage."

He reached out and lightly placed his hand on Lou Linxian's head.

A warm current flowed into Lou Linxian's soul, and all the scriptures turned into points of light, imprinting themselves deep into his soul.

Wu Che withdrew his hand, and the illusory figure became even more transparent.

"I'm leaving."

His voice became ethereal, as if it came from a very distant place.

"Remember—even if the sun does not shine, my heart will. Even if the darkness has not receded, my path will lead the way. Do not fail your master's wishes, and do not betray the name of the Nine Luminaries."

The last ray of light flashed.

The phantom image completely vanished.

The Jade Platform, the Sky-Patrolling Sword, the essence of the sun, spiritual energy, and the metallic nature—everything was rapidly fading away. Lou Linxian felt a gentle force push him, and his consciousness plummeted like a shooting star, rapidly returning in the direction he had come from.

The outline of the Forgotten Palace of Hongwai gradually faded in the vast emptiness, eventually transforming into an almost imperceptible speck of light, silently sinking into the depths of the Northern Sea's vast emptiness. Only a faint, warm connection deep within the soul proved that it had never truly left.

In the stone house of Qiyan City.

The baby suddenly opened its eyes.

The faint golden light between his brows flickered violently a few times, then slowly subsided and disappeared beneath his skin, becoming almost imperceptible. He gasped for breath—though the infant's body couldn't even manage a deep breath, only emitting a few weak whimpers.

The mother was awakened by the noise and quickly came over, reaching out to touch his forehead. It was warm to the touch and there was nothing wrong, except that the pale gold line between the child's eyebrows was much fainter than usual, as if it had receded into a deeper part.

"What's wrong, my son? Did you have a nightmare?"

The woman gently comforted him, holding her son in her arms. Her cultivation was low, and she couldn't sense what was happening here, nor did she know what her son had just experienced. She only knew that the child's aura was warmer and more composed than before.

Lou Linxian—no, from now on, he is Ji Fu—gradually calmed down in his mother's arms.