Demon Sword Immortal

Bai Xiang was able to conjure up the illusory form of a cicada demon, but upon closer reflection, this matter shocked him.

No, I haven't been able to overcome this hurdle in my eighty years of life, and you've overcome it in less than eight days?

Bai Shengju was initially shocked but later calmed down, because upon closer reflection, he realized that the matter wasn't too exaggerated.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Sword Forging Realm contains three minor realms, and the Condensation Realm also contains three minor realms. Jumping through six realms in total is truly remarkable.

In fact, he understood that, strictly speaking, there are only two levels of understanding here.

Sword forging, and the solidification of the physical form.

He's been abroad; he's seen the world. He knows the truth about cultivation isn't what's currently being propagated to the lower classes—that knowing someone like me makes you so powerful.

For some major sects, the Condensation Realm is merely the foundation for entry.

Especially in ancient times, the primary indicator for disciples of prestigious sects traveling was the ability to "condense the form".

You can't even conjure an external form, you don't have any external supernatural powers, and you still want to go down the mountain? You still want to go out to play and gain experience?

I think they're just delivering food to monsters!

how so?

Why is there such a large difference between ancient and modern standards?

Because this standard is not set by people, but fluctuates according to the environment.

In ancient times, any monster could manifest supernatural powers. If you encountered a weasel, it would create wind; if you encountered a rat spirit, it would throw stones. If you couldn't manifest a physical form, you weren't even qualified to fight it; you would be smashed to pieces the moment you met it.

So back then, this threshold was condensation.

The modern world is different.

Monsters and the like can be dealt with using firearms.

Therefore, dealing with the demon pool requires swordsmanship. Over time, as the environment became safer, the status of swordsmanship declined, leading to a drop in standards.

It seems we underestimated Xiang'er's talent.

Bai Shengju stroked his beard, becoming more and more satisfied with Bai Xiang the more he looked at him.

A 17-year-old at the Condensation Realm. This talent is comparable to the legends in local chronicles.

Bai Xiang could even be included in the local chronicles of Chilongdao right now; she absolutely deserves it!

Xiang'er's talent is second to none, so what about her future...?

Bai Shengju squinted, lost in thought.

"grandfather."

Seeing that the main points had been covered, Bai Xiang began to move on to the next topic: "I want you to pass the throne to me."

She is now the chief of Shenming.

But if she wants to intervene in tomorrow's sword competition and take her place, she needs a more convincing identity, which can only be the successor to the position of Dao Lord.

This was thought to be a matter of course, since the importance of finding the ancestral laws was certainly greater than Bai Shengju's old knot.

This is, to put it bluntly, a much bigger knot in my heart!

Bai Xiang believed that as long as Bai Shengju mastered the contents of the "Startling Cicada" scroll, he would definitely be able to make further progress, advancing from the barely perfect Six Harmonies to the Condensation Phase, and perhaps even recover his physical condition.

If he can break through, then he will have no reason to persist.

This shouldn't be too difficult.

But to my surprise, Bai Shengju shook his head and said, "You can go for me in the sword duel, but Dao Master... this cannot be passed on."

Bai Xiang paused for a moment: "Please enlighten me, Grandpa."

She didn't understand.

At worst, the results can be sent back after the competition. Otherwise, if the chief contestant fights against Liu Mengqing, the Dao Lord, it will inevitably attract gossip and criticism from others.

The underlying principles are quite complicated to explain clearly; one can only say that this is a drawback of the traditional etiquette and laws.

"Because he wants you to come here to continue your cultivation, and doesn't want you to be tied down by the title of Dao Master."

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from outside the wall. A graceful woman dressed in a light purple antique-style dress, with a long sword at her waist and a paper umbrella in her hand, floated into the courtyard.

People of the Jade Bright Sword Path?

Bai frowned.

She could feel the white jade dagger she held in her chest vibrating wildly ever since the woman appeared.

"Little Xiang'er, I know you~"

The woman smiled gently at her.

"However, before we delve deeper into this topic..."

"Can you give me back Huang'er first?"

Chapter Seven: Becoming an Apprentice

Bai wanted to see Bai Shengju, but Bai Shengju turned his back and carried a small stool, saying, "I'll only give you ten minutes."

"Whether you can get someone to come with you depends on your ability."

After saying that, he stepped into the house, and whether it was due to the treatment or not, his legs felt much lighter than before.

"Brother Bai is still the same as always..." The elegant woman sighed softly, while also moving closer to Bai Xiang and circling around him.

In that one lap, her eyes landed squarely on Bai Xiang's chest, her eyes narrowing as she stared at her bulletproof vest.

They even figured out the location...?

Bai wondered how she did it, but since it was indeed someone else's property, she turned around, tore open the vest a little, pulled open the collar of the tight-fitting battle suit, and took out a piece of black silk cloth from her chest, which contained a white jade short sword.

"Aren't you curious how I know Huang'er is on you, and even know its location?"

Upon seeing the jade sword, the woman's smile brightened. She took it, unfolded the silk cloth, and gently stroked the sword with her fingers.

Then, without waiting for Bai Xiang to answer, he explained to himself: "Because it is not 'jade' at all, but 'bone'."

"Indeed, the Jade Phoenix Sword, which is regarded as a sacred object by countless people, is actually a bone sword in essence."

I can't believe such a thing happened.

Bai Xiang's curiosity was piqued, and he couldn't help but ask tentatively, "A product of the Seeking Immortals?"

"Huh?" Now it was the elegant woman's turn to be surprised. She stared at Bai Xiang's cold and pretty face, her brows furrowed slightly: "You... could it be that you've already come into contact with some crooked ways of seeking immortality?"

Otherwise, why would anyone make that connection? It has nothing to do with intelligence or reaction time; you need experience to come up with that.

Thinking of this, the woman's face became more urgent and serious: "I'm not joking with you. This matter is of great importance. Tell me the details of this crooked path."

Although serious, it was clear that it stemmed from concern, rather than an attempt to escalate the issue and punish Bai Xiang.

It was precisely because she saw this point, coupled with Bai Shengju's previous tacit approval, that Bai Xiang chose to cooperate with her, and briefly described her previous experiences of being caught up in the demon chaos, being targeted by the Chai family father and daughter, being chased by Lü Ran, and her encounters in the Divine Cry Ancestral Land.

"So that's how it is... It's the 'Transformation of Qi' method?" The woman was finally relieved after hearing this, and nodded while thinking. "The 'Chaoyuan Transformation of Qi Scripture', the Transformation of Qi method, I can only say that this scripture does have its unique features. Some Taoist schools, including Yuming, have studied it and have made some progress."

"But ultimately, it's not very useful," she concluded. "The deeper you practice, the harder it is to cure the damage to your body... I'll ask you again seriously now, are you really not practicing the Qi Transformation Method?"

Bai Xiang frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed: "I haven't practiced it; I'm just speculating that Chai Jingyuan has."

“Chai Jingyuan practices this demonic art. Even if he doesn’t die by your sword, he won’t live for many more years.” The woman nodded again. “He must know this very well, which is why he has repeatedly broken the restrictions.”

"Oh!" She snapped back to reality, turned around and faced Bai Xiang, adopting a serious posture.

My name is Xiang Xian.

"Perhaps you've heard of me from Bai Shengju."

It really was Xiang Xian.

Bai thought it through.

She's Yu Ming's person, knows Bai Shengju, and can call him "Brother Bai" in terms of seniority. There can't be anyone else but Xiang Xian.

After all, the Jade Bright Sword Sect is located far away in Jade Capital, and is the most powerful Taoist sect in the capital of Great Yu. Normally, the leader of such a sect would have no connection with a mere impoverished Taoist sect.

The only way to reach her was through her aunt, Bai Nianchan. And the 'prospective master' that Bai Nianchan had taken in back then was Xiang Xian.

Thus, Bai Xiang understood why Bai Shengju had that attitude, and even more so why Xiang Xian showed such concern as soon as she saw him.

It must be because of the same reason as the sword fight with my grandfather; it all stems from a lingering sense of unease...

More than a decade ago, Xiang Xian discovered a remarkably talented young woman in Chilong Road. However, wanting to play it safe, she decided to let her settle down in her hometown for a few more years instead of immediately bringing her back to Yujing. This led to the tragic conflict between the young woman and the Crown Prince of Nanling.

If Bai Shengju blamed himself, then he must have also blamed Xiang Xian.

Especially later, when her aunt killed the Prince of Nanling and was subsequently captured and imprisoned, it could be said that the entire Bai family's hopes rested on Xiang Xian. However, she had almost no impact.

Even if she was ultimately sentenced to death, and the Bai family only asked to retrieve the body, Xiang Xian couldn't even fulfill this request, making her seem useless.

Although, judging from her grandfather's description, the matter cannot be entirely blamed on her, since "even Xiang Xian herself couldn't get in," it's impossible to say that she had no resentment at all.

"What happened to your aunt is the regret of my whole life."

Xiang Xian had already guessed from Bai Xiang's subtle changes in expression that she had heard of her, so she opened up the topic and did not intend to avoid it in any way.

“I haven’t come back here for many years. Because I always feel sorry for your grandfather and for the woman who trusted me so much.”

“I always think, if only time could turn back, I could jump back to before she left the house and cut off what happened afterward.”

"But that's certainly impossible."

She stood in front of Bai Xiang, looking directly down at her face.

“I thought I would never have the chance to come back here again, until I heard that Fang Xiaochun’s daughter had an accident, and the key person who played a key role in it was actually a 17-year-old Jiansheng named Bai Xiang.”

"I don't hide my intention to renew my ties with the Bai family; I believe you can see that too."

She nodded her chin very seriously.

"But I want you to understand that while there are reasons such as guilt that led me to come here, the main reason is you."

"It's not because of your talent, but because of your character."

When I arrived in Chilong, my impression of you was limited to "understanding the greater good", "being wise early", and "knowing when to advance and retreat".

"Understanding the greater good" refers to Bai Xiang's willingness to face the chaos of demons without backing down, and his decision to go alone to help them.

Early wisdom refers to her ability to quickly see through the "divine separation" of the demon pool, which is mostly due to her "using her intelligence to overcome the strong with the weak".

As for knowing when to advance and when to retreat, it would definitely be pointing out that after resolving the demon chaos, she returned the Dingbo Sword to its rightful owner in public.

This seemingly small action, which was barely mentioned by anyone present at the time, actually had a significant impact on the Red Dragon's subsequent strategy formulation and personnel deployment.

This goes beyond mere precocity; it's more like political thinking, a skill that requires years of experience navigating the social and professional world to grasp.

So how can a person be both 'fierce' and 'experienced' at the same time?

A contradictory nature was simultaneously present in a 17-year-old Jiansheng. This truly piqued Xiang Xian's curiosity about her.

"Coming here was basically met with a closed door..."

Xiang Xian slightly pursed her lips.

"Then I saw what you did during the day... those news reports, plus what you just told me... that's when I realized that you not only have an extraordinary mindset, but your talent is also far beyond my expectations."

"A 17-year-old in the Condensation Realm."

"At 17 years old, he has reached the Nascent Soul Realm, capable of severing three tribulations."

"I want to take you as my disciple."

"What do you think?"

Xiang Xian poured out all her thoughts in one breath, then looked nervously at Bai Xiang, waiting for her final answer.

Compared to how she 'subdued' Bai Nianchan back then, this time she really humbled herself considerably. Her words highlighted her 'sincerity'.

This was also based on her experience to discern Bai Xiang's inner nature. She knew that this child was definitely someone who would respond to gentleness but not force, and that the only way to achieve her goal was to treat him with sincerity. Any slight scheming could cause trouble.

She was right.

Bai Xiang wasn't initially interested in her, since Bai Shengju's attitude was "I'll only give you 10 minutes," not "I'll just go in without saying a word."

Her path is unique, and every step she takes from here on out will be a new one. She doesn't think she can learn anything by becoming Xiang Xian's apprentice.

But the other party's attitude was so sincere that although she wasn't completely moved at first, she gradually began to connect the dots... Xiang Xian's identity was the Lord of Yuming Dao.