Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

The boat drifted on the river for three days.

On the morning of the fourth day, the group disembarked at a secluded ferry crossing, allowing the warship to drift downstream. The ice bird circled once in the air, making sure there were no traces of the Demonic Sect behind it, before folding its wings and landing on an old pine tree, tilting its head to watch the group pack their belongings.

Blue Rabbit unfolded the map she had taken from the Demonic Cult's ship and traced the mountain range northwestward with her fingertip.

Rainbow Cat's face lit up with joy: "Ten-Mile Gallery, Hundred Herbs Valley. It's right behind these mountains."

Da Ben, carrying the Thunderclap Sword, squinted at the mountain range ahead: "This place is quite secluded; we haven't seen a single spies from the Demonic Cult along the way."

"The Demonic Sect is probably currently laying its net wide open," Sally smiled. "By the time they realize they've missed their target, we'll have already brought the Whirlwind Sword Master out of the mountains."

"Don't be too happy yet." Sixth Sister-in-law slammed the fire stick on the ground. "Reclusive people are the hardest to invite."

Sixth Sister-in-law knew that a person with profound martial arts skills who was willing to live in seclusion in the mountains would be difficult to persuade unless there was a real reason to convince him.

Lu Ze knew that Sixth Sister-in-law was right. Dada wasn't Daben, nor DouDou, and wasn't the kind of person who could be easily ignited by a burst of enthusiasm.

In the original story, Dada is the eldest of the Seven Heroes and the only one with a family.

If you say he has never set foot in the martial arts world, it would be hard to believe, but as long as he has walked in the martial arts world, he will have seen life and death and witnessed the dangers of the martial arts world.

He will clearly understand that having family means having a weakness, and the saying "family grudges should not be a source of trouble" is probably just nonsense in some people's eyes.

Therefore, even though he knew he was the successor of the Seven Swords, he hesitated in front of his pregnant wife and eventually decided to retreat back to the bamboo forest to live his own quiet life with his wife and children.

There's no way to say this choice is wrong.

But the combined power of the seven swords concerns the fate of all people, and since Dada is the master of the Whirlwind Sword, there is no reason for him to back down—this is something he carries on his shoulders, not something he can simply discard.

The group walked deeper into the mountain path.

The further you go, the more serene the scenery becomes. A stream flows gently down from the mountain ravine, and the banks are covered with unnamed wildflowers, white, purple, and pink, scattered like stars on the grassy slopes. Occasionally, a few birds are startled from the woods, fluttering across the treetops and bringing down a few bamboo leaves.

DouDou, carrying the medicine box, walked at the very back. Suddenly, she sniffed and exclaimed, "This smell—it's top-quality herbs! This place is practically a natural herb garden!"

He squatted down to pick the herbs, but Lu Ze grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him up: "Find someone first, the herbs won't get away."

"Hey, hey, don't pull my collar—"

Before the words were finished, the sound of a zither drifted from the depths of the bamboo forest ahead.

It was no ordinary melody; the piano music was clear and melodious, like spring water striking rocks or mountain wind rustling through bamboo. Every note seemed to possess a spirit, lingering in the forest.

Even more strangely, the music seemed to contain some kind of internal energy fluctuation, causing slight ripples to appear on the stream not far away.

Rainbow Cat stopped, listened intently for a moment, and then lowered his voice, saying, "His inner strength is manifested in the sound of the zither. This person's internal strength is extremely profound, and his mastery of music has reached a state of perfection."

The group followed the sound of the zither and walked forward.

After passing through a dense bamboo forest, the view suddenly opened up.

In a secluded valley, several bamboo houses were built against the mountain, their roofs covered with blue tiles, and several clean red and blue cloths hung under the eaves.

In front of the bamboo house is a bamboo table and several bamboo stools, with a pot of tea on the table.

A man in white was sitting in the center of the courtyard, with a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) on his lap, his eyes closed as he played the strings.

He was about twenty years old, dressed in white, his hair tied with a blue turban, and had a handsome face.

Although he was a panda, his body was distinctly black and white, and he possessed an ethereal quality in his demeanor. At this moment, he was immersed in his music, as if everything around him did not exist, and only the sound of the strings beneath his ten fingers remained.

Given Dada's cultivation level, Rainbow Cat and the others should have sensed it at such close range long ago, unless they deliberately hid it.

Looking at Dada's pretentious attitude, Lu Ze knew that this trip was likely to be difficult.

Rainbow Cat stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said loudly, "I am Rainbow Cat. I am passing through your esteemed place with a few friends. We apologize for the intrusion and hope you will forgive us."

The music stopped abruptly.

The man in white slowly opened his eyes. There was no surprise in his eyes, only a faint, serene calm.

His gaze swept over the rainbow sword on Rainbow Cat's back, and then looked at everyone in turn.

"The master of the Rainbow Sword is Young Hero Rainbow Cat, the master of the Ice Soul Sword is Palace Master Blue Rabbit, the master of the Purple Cloud Sword is Sally, the master of the Thunder Sword is Da Ben, and the master of the Rain Flower Sword is Dou Dou—" He paused as he spoke, omitting Sixth Sister-in-law and Lu Ze.

He called out the names of the seven swordsmen he met one by one, his tone indifferent, as if he were reading a list that had nothing to do with him.

"Five swords arrive simultaneously, what a grand display!"

Dada stood up, gently placed the guqin on the table, bowed to everyone with a refined demeanor, yet carried an air of aloofness that kept people at a distance.

"I am Dada, the Hermit of the Bamboo Grove, and Master of the Hundred Herbs Valley. I was unaware that you young heroes have traveled from afar; I apologize for not greeting you properly. However—"

He paused, his gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd, before changing the subject: "If you've come to enjoy the scenery and tea, Hundred Herbs Valley will certainly do its best to be a good host. But if you've come to do something else—I'm afraid you'll have made a wasted trip."

These words immediately chilled the atmosphere in the courtyard.

Da Ben frowned, about to speak, when Hong Mao raised his hand to stop him.

"What do you mean by that, Layman?" Rainbow Cat asked, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

Dada didn't answer immediately, but simply reached out and poured the tea on the table into a cup, then pushed it in front of Rainbow Cat.

"The Ten-Mile Gallery is located in a remote area, and the Hundred Herbs Valley is quiet and secluded. I am just a commoner, spending my days playing the zither, playing chess, practicing calligraphy and painting, gathering herbs and planting flowers. I have long since stopped caring about the affairs of the martial world."

He glanced at Rainbow Cat and said, "The five young heroes are already among the best in the world. It doesn't matter if I'm missing one."

Da Ben couldn't hold back any longer and took a step forward: "What's wrong with you—"

"Da Ben." Blue Rabbit's voice wasn't loud, and Da Ben shut his mouth indignantly.

She turned to look at Dada, took a deep breath, and said, "Since you can call out our names one by one, it means that you are not completely ignorant about the affairs of the martial world."

Seeing that Dada's body stiffened slightly, Blue Rabbit continued.

"Then the layman must also be aware of the current power of the Demonic Sect—Black Heart Tiger has poisoned countless sects and countless innocent people by drinking blood to practice his skills in order to capture the Qilin. If Black Heart Tiger succeeds, the forest will never have peace. The Seven Swords Combined is the only way to stop him now."

Dada paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

He didn't refute, but simply lowered his eyes and looked at his blurry reflection in the tea in the cup.

"It's true that the Demonic Cult is powerful," his voice was a few decibels lower than before, "but the Seven Swordsmen combined their skills once before. The Demonic Cult also—" He paused, swallowing the rest of his sentence.

In short, I will no longer concern myself with matters of the martial world.

The wind in the woods had stopped at some point, the bamboo leaves were still, and only the faint murmur of the stream in the distance remained in the entire courtyard.