Disciple?
Xue Linglong’s expression turned somewhat strange.
Ye Xuan smiled and said, “Are you unwilling?”
Xue Linglong hesitated.
Ye Xuan smiled again, “I won’t force you!”
As he spoke, he pointed into the distance, “Miss Linglong, I’ll send you out then!”
Xue Linglong was momentarily stunned, then said, “Aren’t we going into that palace?”
Ye Xuan blinked, “Then you go in!”
Xue Linglong was taken aback, “What about you?”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily but didn’t speak.
Xue Linglong understood!
Why would he take her in with him?
After a moment of silence, Xue Linglong asked, “Senior, what do you see in me?”
Ye Xuan laughed, “Sorry, I don’t want to take you as a disciple anymore!”
With that, he turned and walked toward the palace.
Xue Linglong froze. The next moment, she hurried after him, but then Ye Xuan suddenly stopped and turned to look at her. He just stared at her, saying nothing, though his expression was somewhat cold.
Xue Linglong’s heart skipped a beat—she knew the man before her was angry!
Ye Xuan smiled and said, “Don’t follow me again. I’ll only say this once!”
With that, he turned and headed toward the palace.
Standing where she was, Xue Linglong’s face darkened.
In the distance, Ye Xuan reached the palace entrance. With a wave of his sleeve, the palace doors slowly opened, and he stepped inside.
The hall was empty.
Ye Xuan glanced around. The interior was dimly lit. At the center of the hall sat a middle-aged man!
The man wore a gray robe, his long hair draped over his shoulders, hands resting on his knees, showing no signs of life.
Ku Xiu?
Ye Xuan walked up to the man, paused for a moment, then gave a slight bow.
In a place like this, don’t overthink—just pay respects first. Who knows, the inheritance might fall into your hands!
At that moment, the man suddenly looked up. Seeing this, the corner of Ye Xuan’s mouth twitched—alive?
But he quickly dismissed the thought. The man before him had no trace of life—he must have fallen long ago!
The man looked at Ye Xuan for a moment, then smiled, “To be able to ignore the spacetimes outside… young man, you’re quite extraordinary!”
Ye Xuan spoke softly, “Senior Ku Xiu?”
The man laughed heartily, “I never thought anyone in this universe would still remember me today!”
Ye Xuan quickly gave a respectful bow, “So it really is Senior Ku Xiu! Senior Ku Xiu created the Primordial Spirit Realm, opening a path of martial arts for us all. With such merit, how could later generations dare forget?”
One of the rules of survival outside: when in doubt, flatter more—who doesn’t like hearing nice things?
Hearing Ye Xuan’s words, Ku Xiu’s face showed a bit more warmth, “Little fellow, you’re only at the Divine Body Realm, yet you made it here. I assume you used some external aid, right?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Yes!”
Ku Xiu smiled, “Can I take a look?”
Ye Xuan opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword slowly floated toward Ku Xiu.
Ku Xiu reached out and grasped the Qingxuan Sword. The next moment, his expression changed dramatically, as if he’d seen some kind of monster!
Ye Xuan glanced at Ku Xiu but said nothing.
At that moment, Ku Xiu’s body suddenly trembled, and simultaneously, a mysterious spacetime surged around him!
It was the mysterious spacetime within the Qingxuan Sword!
Seeing this, Ye Xuan’s expression shifted—could this guy activate the Qingxuan Sword?
But he soon realized it wasn’t activation. Ku Xiu had detected the mysterious spacetime within the sword and forcibly drawn it out!
Drawn out, not separated!
Even someone as heaven-defying as Ku Xiu couldn’t sever the Qingxuan Sword!
Because this sword was forged by Qing’er!
Even so, this was already astonishingly impressive!
At that moment, Ye Xuan’s heart was filled with awe. Qing’er, his father, and his brother were incredibly strong, but beyond those three, this world was still full of many exceptionally talented and powerful individuals!
Qing’er and the other three could disregard the geniuses and prodigies of the heavens and earth, but he, Ye Xuan, could not!
The first under the Three Swords?
Thinking of this, Ye Xuan shook his head with a wry smile—his boasting had gotten a bit out of hand!
Before Ye Xuan, Ku Xiu’s expression kept changing—first surprise, then deep helplessness, and finally a茫然茫然 (茫然 means “bewilderment” or “confusion”)…
After a long, long time, Ku Xiu slowly closed his eyes, his smile full of bitterness, “Don’t boast of an early start, for there are always those who started earlier… haha… Snow Mountain King, I lost! But you didn’t win either…”
His laughter was laced with sorrow.
Beside him, Ye Xuan remained silent.
After a while, Ku Xiu looked at Ye Xuan, “Where is the one who forged this sword?”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “I don’t know!”
Ku Xiu’s expression dimmed, “A pity!”
As he spoke, he seemed to notice something and glanced at the tip of the Qingxuan Sword. The next moment, he looked at Ye Xuan and smiled, “The one who forged this sword must treat you very well, right?”
Ye Xuan’s lips curved slightly, “Yes!”
Ku Xiu gazed at him, “I’d like to meet her!”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “It’s best not to!”
Ku Xiu chuckled, then opened his palm. A black box appeared in his hand, which he placed before Ye Xuan, “Everything I have is in this box!”
Ye Xuan’s heart leaped!
Everything!
Treasures from a powerhouse of this level—could they be ordinary?
He’d struck it rich!
Ye Xuan was overjoyed inside, but his expression remained calm, “Senior, this…”
Ku Xiu smiled, “I’ve already fallen. These things hold no meaning for me anymore!”
He paused, then added, “Though I never researched a new realm back then, I gained much understanding and innovation in the Life Awareness Realm, along with some miscellaneous stuff—all of it’s in this box!”
Ye Xuan gave a slight bow to Ku Xiu, “Thank you!”
With that, he quickly stashed the box away.
Ku Xiu looked at Ye Xuan, “I want to meet that senior!”
Ye Xuan hesitated, then said, “If you hold the sword, you can sense her!”
Ku Xiu smiled, “Good!”
Ye Xuan gave a deep bow, “Safe journey!”
With that, he walked out.
At that moment, Ku Xiu suddenly called, “Young man!”
Ye Xuan turned back to look at Ku Xiu, who smiled faintly, “Do you know how I died?”
Ye Xuan blinked, then shook his head, “I don’t know!”
Ku Xiu paused for a moment, then smiled, “I was killed!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “By whom? The Snow Mountain King?”
Ku Xiu smiled but didn’t answer.
Before Ye Xuan could ask more, Ku Xiu suddenly vanished from the hall.
…
Seeing Ye Xuan emerge, Xue Linglong hurriedly approached him. She was about to speak when, the next moment, an overwhelmingly terrifying aura erupted from the palace—like ten thousand mountains crashing down!
Suffocation!
That was Xue Linglong’s sensation at that moment, and beyond that, a fear rose from deep within her.
A fear from the depths of her soul!
Xue Linglong looked toward the palace, her eyes filled with terror, “Ku… Ku Xiu… he’s still alive?”
At that moment, Ye Xuan suddenly opened his palm and softly said, “Sword, come!”
As his voice fell—
Buzz!
A streak of sword light shot straight down from above the palace and plunged inside.
Boom!
In an instant, the terrifying aura vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed. At the same time, a sword flew out from the palace and landed steadily in Ye Xuan’s hand!
Xue Linglong stared at Ye Xuan in utter terror, too shocked to speak!
Ye Xuan sighed softly, “A pity—you’re only at seventy percent strength. If you were at your peak, you might’ve withstood one of my strikes!”
With that, he walked off into the distance.
Xue Linglong stood as if struck by lightning, her mind blank!
This Ye Xuan had just killed Ku Xiu?
Killed Ku Xiu?
In her shock, Xue Linglong didn’t notice that Ye Xuan’s steps were a bit unsteady—shaken by the terrifying pressure Ku Xiu had released earlier.
At that moment, Ye Xuan suddenly stopped in the distance and turned back, “Miss Linglong, aren’t you coming?”
Hearing his voice, Xue Linglong snapped out of it and hurried to his side, her voice trembling, “Senior Ye… was that really Senior Ku Xiu just now?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Couldn’t you feel it yourself?”
Xue Linglong gave a bitter laugh, “I always thought he’d fallen long ago. I never imagined he was still alive…”
She didn’t doubt Ye Xuan’s claim that Ku Xiu was alive— that powerful aura couldn’t be faked. What shocked her most was that this man had slain Ku Xiu with a single strike!
Ku Xiu!
A prodigy revered by countless young talents!
But what puzzled her was how Ye Xuan possessed such terrifying strength—and why she’d never heard of him before!
Ye Xuan glanced at her and smiled, “Miss Linglong, you asked earlier why I wanted you as a disciple. I’ll tell you now—my cultivation has hit a snag. Every so often, my strength drops…”
Xue Linglong frowned, “Drops every so often?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “My technique is unique. Even if I explained, you might not fully understand!”
Xue Linglong said gravely, “You mean you weaken periodically?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Yes!”
With a bitter smile, he added, “Like right now—my strength is weakening!”
Xue Linglong looked at him and asked, “Then how long until your strength recovers, Senior?”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then said, “Three years! But if I use it again after that, it’ll drop once more! Over the years, I’ve been searching for a solution, and thankfully, I’ve found one—reverse cultivation. I’ll climb back to Life Awareness. Even if my realm falls then, I’ll still be at Life Awareness. But during that time…”
He glanced at her, “You understand what I mean, right?”
After a moment of silence, Xue Linglong gave a deep bow, “I’m willing to take you as my master!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Don’t force yourself!”
Xue Linglong quickly shook her head, “It’s my honor to apprentice under you!”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily, “Since you’ve taken me as your master, I’ll give you a welcome gift!”
With a flick of his finger, a storage ring flew to Xue Linglong.
She glanced inside—there were a full million top-grade Heavenly Extreme Crystals!
A million!
Xue Linglong was completely stunned!
Though she was a leader of Snow Mountain, a million top-grade Heavenly Extreme Crystals was no small amount for her!
Why was Ye Xuan so generous?
Because the box Ku Xiu had given him contained over a hundred million top-grade Heavenly Extreme Crystals, not to mention six Saint Veins and thirty-nine top-grade crystal mines!
