In the elder’s heart, suddenly stirred up shocking waves and terrifying billows.

Meanwhile, Mo Qing was still oblivious. His two hands were extremely dirty, and he was still absorbedly digging at the ground’s soil and stones, burying the broken sword a little deeper, setting it a little straighter, to prevent it from tilting over with a gust of wind. It wasn’t until he felt a terrifying aura behind him that made him afraid that he was suddenly greatly startled. This aura, due to emotional fluctuations, had become extremely unstable. He only then turned his head to look and saw that the long-bearded elder senior’s eyes were blood-red. At the bottom of his eyes seemed to be ten thousand streams of sword energy howling past, condensing into a vast and boundless expanse like ten thousand swords returning to their sect, as if it were a sea of swords in the void. His entire body’s aura also carried sharp killing and fighting energy, terrifying to the extreme. Dark black points of light flickered, and even the void was somewhat unstable, with cracks appearing.

Mo Qing’s pupils widened in shock. This was the first time he had directly faced a Nascent Soul realm cultivator’s fearsome momentum. Only at this moment did he realize just how powerful a true high-level cultivator could be if they didn’t suppress themselves and exerted their full force… The disparity in realms was too great; under this kind of might, he almost had no power to resist.

Fortunately, the long-bearded elder had been diligently cultivating his Heart Realm for so many years. At this time, knowing something was wrong, he was also trying his best to restrain his inner emotions. After an unknown amount of time, all the sword intent converged, the cracks in the void smoothed out, and the elder’s expression became calm and unruffled again, like an ancient well. But his heart was not calm.

“This broken sword… where did you get it?” The long-bearded elder’s voice was old and hoarse, containing even a trace of sorrow in his tone.

Mo Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately realized that this broken sword was very likely of extraordinary origin. And that Senior Xuan, with such powerful cultivation and shocking sword intent, was also likely of some unknown origin… Mo Qing pondered slightly for a moment, then said carefully and cautiously:

“I once went outside the borders of Qian Xue State, to a small fishing village by the Smoke Water River. In the fishing village, there was a hidden, abandoned River God Temple. Inside the temple was a pool of blood, and this broken sword was suppressed at the bottom of the blood pool, corroded by blood energy.”

“River God Temple, blood pool…” The long-bearded elder frowned slightly, “How did you go there?”

Mo Qing then said: “I was doing a sect reward task. There were several human traffickers who kidnapped two children from the small fishing village. The Dao Court Division issued a reward, which required disciples skilled in array formations. My array formations are still okay, so I just happened to tag along with them and entered the River God Temple. I caught those human traffickers, and then coincidentally discovered something in the blood pool. After fishing it out, I found it was a broken sword…”

Human traffickers, small fishing village, Dao Court Division reward. These matters were all public information; the Dao Court Division had records, and one could verify them by checking. However, matters like the evil spirits, water demons, and the fallen River God were known only to himself and no one else.

The elder thought for a moment, then asked again: “Then how did you know that the owner of this broken sword was buried in this Sword Tomb?”

There was even less need for Mo Qing to conceal this point. “I inquired about the rumors in the small fishing village, and from the clothing of this broken sword’s owner, I speculated that he should be a senior from my Tai Xu Sect. I also consulted the elders in the sect, but did not hear about who the owner of this broken sword was. I only knew that he very likely cultivated a very powerful sword art, and…” Mo Qing’s tone paused slightly, and he quietly assessed the elder in front of him a bit, then said in a low voice: “His Life Sword was broken, and his foundation was damaged.”

“Therefore, this junior thought that the owner of this broken sword likely faced an unknowable strong enemy, experienced a great battle, and afterward was severely injured and did not recover. He was buried in this Sword Tomb along with other Tai Xu Sect seniors…”

The long-bearded elder’s expression was indifferent, and his gaze was desolate. After that, he forced himself to raise his spirits and carefully pondered Mo Qing’s words a bit. From his intuition, he didn’t detect any inconsistencies. This meant that these words, with the true cause and effect, did not differ much. Even if there was concealment, it was probably not much.

The long-bearded elder turned his head and looked deeply at Mo Qing again, especially seeing his pure character and clear eyes. He sighed inwardly. This matter, when spoken, had many coincidences. But in other words, it could also be a kind of fate. Heaven, through this kind of coincidence, sent this child in front of him, perhaps because it thought he was all alone, endlessly lonely, and thus sent this piece of Xuan’s relic, this broken sword that he had warmed and nurtured since he was young, accompanied him in his cultivation, and grew his life, in front of him. This was perhaps Heaven’s Way showing pity. Heaven still favored this old bone, half-buried in the soil, more or less, allowing him to have a thought in these days before his death.

The long-bearded elder slowly sighed. He looked at Mo Qing again and said: “This broken sword is very important to me. Since you could bring it to the Sword Tomb, in the dark, there is presumably also a trace of fate involved. I am a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and grudges. If I have an enemy, I will repay them; if I receive kindness, I am never willing to owe others.”

“I will give you a promise to repay this share of cause and effect. Within the bounds of dao righteousness and the law, I will fulfill one of your wishes.”

“Tell me, what do you want?”

The long-bearded elder’s tone was solemn, heavy as a thousand pieces of gold.

Mo Qing was stunned, his heart shaken. This Tai Xu Sect Nascent Soul realm elder, who was sealed but still powerfully frightening, would fulfill one of his wishes? He hadn’t even thought that this broken sword was actually so precious?

But, what request should he make? Mo Qing had absolutely no mental preparation. Caught off guard, he was a bit conflicted.

The long-bearded elder didn’t rush Mo Qing either. This kind of matter indeed required careful thought. A disciple’s wish was nothing more than entering the inner sect, learning inheritances, becoming an instructor, and even a future elder position was not impossible, as long as he cultivated to the Golden Core realm. Of course, if Mo Qing’s greed really acted up and he foolishly deluded himself into asking to be the Tai Xu Sect Master, the elder would immediately grab him by the neck and throw him out of the back mountain.

Mo Qing’s heart, naturally, also had a limit. Although this old senior didn’t specify the limits of this wish, it was very obvious that it wasn’t a wish he could promise. If he didn’t have good judgment and was truly greedy, there would definitely be no good outcome.

He wanted to conform to the identity of a disciple, be positive and upward, and also not make this old senior dissatisfied, feeling that he was advancing inch by inch, and still not wanting a “big pie,” something beautiful in the future but impossible to eat now.

Mo Qing pondered a bit, then said solemnly: “Old ancestor, I want to learn the sword!”

The solitary elder’s brows furrowed slightly. As a disciple, it was normal to want to learn the sword. And his sword dao attainments were vast as the sea, collecting the strengths of various schools and fusing them. While not unprecedented, they were at least rare in the entire Qian Xue State boundary.

Just…

The solitary elder looked at Mo Qing, especially seeing his weak body, thin spiritual power, and the aura of sword art on his whole body that seemed to be a little bit, but was almost nonexistent. “Since childhood… have you had any sword dao inheritance?” The solitary elder asked.

“No…” Mo Qing said honestly. He couldn’t hide these details.

“Have you had any sword dao foundation?”

“No.”

“Have you ever warmed and nurtured a spiritual sword?”

“No.”

“Have you ever dedicated yourself to cultivating sword energy for over ten years?”

“No.”

“Then… have you ever refined a Sword Heart?”

Mo Qing still shook his head, “No…” Moreover, this time it wasn’t just “no,” he didn’t even know what a “Sword Heart” was…

The solitary elder was silent. Just like this… he still wanted to learn the sword? The elder was silent for a moment, finally sighing. Although with this child’s dull aptitude, it was somewhat “foolish delusion” to want to achieve something in sword dao, the thought of “learning the sword” itself was not wrong. Whether aptitude was good or bad, talent high or low, were not excuses. If one was willing to strive and had a heart to diligently learn and progress, they should all be encouraged. In the tens of thousands of years of cultivation history, there were also examples of those with dull aptitude who, relying on later effort, cultivated into top-tier sword cultivators. What’s more, there was this share of cause and fate involved. He sent the sword here, and he would teach him a sword art. This just happened to respond to the cause and effect. No matter how low this child’s cultivation was, or how weak his sword dao attainments were, even teaching him a little bit would be enough for him to benefit for life.

The solitary elder thought for a moment, then swept his gaze again, roughly understanding some of Mo Qing’s strengths in dao arts and fighting methods, then said: “I will teach you ‘Han Xu Piao Miao Sword Art’. The sword and body method are integrated into one; it can attack and defend, advance and retreat freely.”

Mo Qing thought a bit and shook his head. His body method was already good enough. If he integrated killing moves into his body method, it would be better to use the Minor Meteorite Art. Learning a sword art integrated with body method would be somewhat redundant.

“Then I will pass on to you the Chong Ling Six Meridians Sword Art. This sword art is inherited from the Chong Xu branch. It specifically cultivates sword energy. Its power is a bit weaker, but the sword energy is gentle, and the burden on the body is also small.”

Mo Qing still shook his head. His sword energy was already bad; cultivating this would also be a waste of cultivation.

“Then I will pass on to you the Tai Xu You Long Royal Sword Art. The power of this sword art is immense. It is not obvious in the Foundation Establishment realm, but when cultivated to the Golden Core, or even the Nascent Soul realm, one can ride the sword for a thousand miles, and the sword energy is like a dragon. It is one of the core inheritances of my Tai Xu Sect; it cannot be passed on to those who are not direct inner sect disciples. Your situation is special, so I can make an exception and pass it on to you this once.”

Tai Xu You Long Royal Sword Art… Mo Qing’s expression was shocked. This name sounded very grand. But similarly, it also sounded very difficult to learn. It probably required not only majestic spiritual power and a superior sword weapon, but also an extremely deep sword dao foundation. He had none of these. The sword art was good, but it was obviously not something he could learn.

Mo Qing still shook his head. The long-bearded elder finally became a bit impatient and furrowed his brows: “You won’t learn this, you won’t learn that, then tell me, what sword art do you want to learn?”

Mo Qing felt a bit nervous. He originally thought that the old senior would mention that sword art, thus saving him the trouble of asking, and also not appearing to have “ulterior motives.” But now it seemed unlikely. The Divine Sense Sword Art was listed as a taboo by the Tai Xu Sect, and it was probably not passed on anymore. The old senior also wouldn’t actively teach it to him. And the Tai Xu Sect’s method of transforming divine sense into sword was buried in the Sword Tomb. In the Sword Tomb, there was only this old senior. This meant that within the Tai Xu Sect, the only person who truly knew this sword art was very likely this old ancestor in front of him.

Things had already reached this point, so he couldn’t be polite anymore. Opportunity must be seized. He should take advantage of the fact that he had brought the broken sword, and this old ancestor still felt a trace of gratitude for this kindness, and be bold enough to ask for something significant, achieving his goal in one step. If he hesitated again and missed this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, there might not be this fate again in the future.

“Old ancestor, I want to learn…” Mo Qing’s expression gradually firmed, and his gaze gradually brightened. He said word by word: “Tai Xu Divine Sense Transform Sword True Art!”

His voice was clear and resonated. In the quiet night, between the Sword Tombs, it echoed back and forth. The atmosphere was dead silent for a while.

The long-bearded elder’s expression was silent, and for a moment, he was still somewhat dazed. Dazedly, he seemed to remember… hundreds of years ago, it seemed to be in such a mountain forest, his most beloved grandson looked at him like this, his gaze firm, saying that he wanted to learn the Tai Xu Sect’s… Divine Sense Transform Sword True Art. At that time, his heart was soft, and he also held extremely high expectations for him, so he violated the sect’s prohibition and secretly taught him. Then after… He was wrong, a great mistake.

A trace of helpless bitterness floated in the elder’s heart. He forced himself to suppress the various past memories and thoughts, looked at Mo Qing with a profound gaze and a faint sense of oppression: “Within the Tai Xu Sect, there is already a strict prohibition. Where did you learn the name of this sword art?”

Mo Qing felt a bit nervous, “I… secretly heard it from the elders…”

“Why do you want to learn this sword art?”

“Because… it sounds very powerful…” Mo Qing said in a low voice. And it was indeed powerful.

The long-bearded elder listened to his somewhat childish answer and was involuntarily taken aback. Instead, he no longer dwelled on whether Mo Qing had other intentions. But he still refused coldly: “Other Tai Xu Sect sword arts, including some sword techniques from the Tai A and Chong Xu branches, if you want to learn, I can teach you all, but only this sword art is not okay. You cannot learn it.”

“Is it because it’s too dangerous?” Mo Qing asked.

The long-bearded elder’s eyelids moved slightly, “You already know?”

“Yes,” Mo Qing nodded, “It is said that this sword art mainly cultivates sword intent, contends with divine sense, and relies on the divine soul to kill. Therefore, the killing power is great, and the risk is also extremely great. If one is not careful, the divine soul can be damaged, and it is difficult to heal.”

He even knew about matters of the divine soul… The long-bearded elder’s gaze condensed slightly. He would have to check later to see which elder of the Tai Xu Sect was so talkative and told the disciples everything.

“You already know, and you still dare to learn?” The long-bearded elder asked.

“It is precisely because I know that I want to learn!” Mo Qing said as if it were a matter of course, “Old senior, you should be able to tell that my spiritual root is not good, and coupled with my naturally weak body, my blood energy and spiritual power are both too much weaker compared to others.”

“But the Way of Heaven is thus; there are deficiencies, and there are also advantages. My blood energy and spiritual power are not good, but only one thing…” Mo Qing’s expression was humble, with a little bit of self-conceit, “My divine sense is very strong!”

“Because my divine sense is strong, I thought of cultivating divine sense sword art!”

The long-bearded elder’s gaze condensed slightly. Playing to one’s strengths and avoiding weaknesses, like this, it also made sense. However, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, no matter how strong their divine sense, how strong could it be… The long-bearded elder didn’t take it seriously. He released his divine sense and perceived the aura of Mo Qing’s divine sense for a bit. Suddenly, his gaze trembled, and after a moment, he slowly asked: “What realm is your divine sense?”

“It’s at the peak of the nineteenth pattern.” Mo Qing said.

In an instant, the long-bearded elder still thought he had heard wrong. He furrowed his brows and said: “Release your divine sense completely.”

Mo Qing nodded and did as he was told. Without the slightest concealment, he released his divine sense at the peak of the nineteenth pattern. The long-bearded elder perceived this divine sense, which was close to the limit of Foundation Establishment, and his gaze gradually became sharp. Before, he hadn’t carefully investigated, only vaguely feeling that Mo Qing’s divine sense was somewhat special. But no matter how special it was, he was still just a small disciple in the Foundation Establishment realm. He was a Nascent Soul realm elder, who had experienced many major events and seen everything in his life. But this… Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation, nineteen-pattern peak divine sense? He had truly never seen this in his life… The long-bearded elder was somewhat incredulous for a moment.

“You…”

Mo Qing then revealed a little bit of his secret: “Old ancestor, I am walking the path of divine sense proving the Dao.”

“Divine sense proving the Dao…” The long-bearded elder listened to this somewhat distant Dao path that no one had mentioned for a long time, and his expression was somewhat melancholy. No wonder…

But he thought for a moment, still shaking his head, “Divine sense transforming into a sword is a sword art, which may be different from pure divine sense proving the Dao. You are completely ignorant in sword dao; I still cannot teach you. Even if I teach you, you cannot learn it.”

Mo Qing immediately said: “I can learn it!”

“You can learn it?” The long-bearded elder was startled.

Mo Qing wanted to say that he had already learned the Transforming Sword Style and the Shock God Sword, but then suddenly remembered that the evil fetus was parasitic in his body, his divine soul was sealed, the Shock God Sword couldn’t be used, and the Transforming Sword Style couldn’t be displayed outside. If he said he could learn it but couldn’t use it, he would definitely be considered a liar. Moreover, his “divine sense transforming into a sword” was not inherited learning; it was equivalent to “stealing a teacher,” and he didn’t know if it would violate this old senior’s taboo.

Mo Qing then vaguely said: “I mean… I can definitely learn it!”

The long-bearded elder looked deeply at Mo Qing, then shook his head slightly, “This sword art is not a child’s play.”

“Disciple understands.”

“Once you deviate in cultivation, at best your divine sense will be damaged, and at worst your Sea of Consciousness will shatter.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Contending with others, a slight mistake can cause your life soul to shatter, and you can even be polluted by evil spirits…”

“I am not afraid.”

No matter how the long-bearded elder spoke, Mo Qing was determined and insisted on learning. The long-bearded elder didn’t blame Mo Qing; on the contrary, his heart was somewhat melancholy. That year, Xuan Er had such a “stubborn” attitude, begging him to teach him divine sense transforming into a sword, and no amount of persuasion was useful. The elder’s heart then softened a little.

Or… should he teach him? But this child’s sword dao foundation was too poor. If he taught him, how would he learn? Relying solely on divine sense proving the Dao to comprehend the sword art?

Thinking of this, the elder’s heart suddenly felt a trace of enlightenment. Divine sense proving the Dao! Divine sense! Tai Xu Divine Sense Transform Sword True Art contained two layers of Dao: one was the Dao of divine sense, and the other was the Dao of sword art. Because cultivators who proved the Dao with divine sense were rare, almost everyone in the Tai Xu Sect before him regarded this divine sense sword art as purely a “sword art” to cultivate. Thus, they ignored the two words “divine sense” in this sword art. Divine sense transforming into a sword indeed cultivated sword intent, but it shouldn’t just purely summarize divine sense as “sword intent.” The scope contained in the two words “divense sense” might be much more profound than “sword intent.” Without cultivating divine sense, how could one cultivate divine sense transforming into a sword well?

The elder’s heart trembled. He understood that the Tai Xu Sect’s path to cultivating this sword art had likely deviated from the very beginning. They only cultivated sword intent and did not emphasize divine sense. They were almost equivalent to “cutting off one arm” to cultivate the Divine Sense Transform Sword True Art. Perhaps… letting a cultivator who proves the Dao with divine sense cultivate divine sense transforming into a sword would open up another world?

The elder couldn’t help but look towards Mo Qing, and his once dead heart emotions were rekindled from the ashes. More than anyone else, he wanted to pass down this inheritance. But this thought had been forcibly suppressed by him for several hundred years. He just silently looked at Mo Qing like this. Finally, he still sighed. He knew in his heart that truly teaching divine sense transforming into a sword to this child would undoubtedly harm him. This sword art was a double-edged sword. The sharper it killed others, the more ruthless it was in killing oneself. For so many years, because of this sword art, countless sword dao geniuses with exceptional talent had died prematurely. He didn’t want to add another one.

Mo Qing seemed to see through the elder’s thoughts and said: “Old senior, people will all die…”

The long-bearded elder was slightly startled, not knowing what Mo Qing meant by this sentence. Mo Qing’s eyes were bright, and he continued: “One cannot because they will ultimately die, so they do not live.”

“Similarly, no matter how dangerous sword dao is, one cannot because it is dangerous, so they do not cultivate it.”

“The Great Dao is high and far away. Most cultivators will end their lives and may not obtain the Dao, and they will die halfway. But truly aspiring to become immortals will not therefore give up seeking, nor will they pursue the Great Dao.”

Mo Qing’s pair of pupils were transparent and dazzling, like stars. The long-bearded elder was shocked. This child… From where did he cultivate such a bright “Dao Heart”?

The elder thought for a moment, his mood gradually calmed, his gaze was solemn, and he slowly asked: “What is your name?”

Mo Qing respectfully said: “Replying to the old senior, my name is Mo Qing.”

Mo Qing… The elder silently repeated the name once, then nodded: “Good, I promise you, I will teach you divine sense transforming into a sword!”

Mo Qing’s expression was greatly joyful, and he hurriedly said: “Thank you, old senior!”

The elder said: “It is getting late today. You go back first. From now on, every seven days, I will bring you to this back mountain Sword Tomb to follow me and learn the Divine Sense Transform Sword True Art.”

“How much you can learn depends on your own comprehension and fortune.”

“But I have a word to say upfront: if one day I discover that you have deviated in your cultivation of this sword art, or if you act viciously and recklessly, drawing your sword casually, or if you use this sword art to do evil, I will certainly abolish this divine sense sword art of yours and expel you from the Tai Xu Sect.”

Mo Qing’s expression became solemn, and he nodded seriously: “Old senior, disciple remembers.”

The long-bearded elder looked at Mo Qing, seeing that Mo Qing’s gaze was serious and his attitude was upright. He nodded slightly: “Good, I will send you out now. After you go out, you must remember that what happened here cannot be mentioned to anyone.”

“Remember, it is anyone, including your father and mother, relatives, brothers, and anyone in the Tai Xu Sect.”

“Yes!” Mo Qing nodded seriously.

The long-bearded elder said no more. He stretched out his withered and thin arm and tore open the void with a single tear. Then he grabbed Mo Qing and threw him in. Mo Qing was just like this, spinning around in the sky, and confusedly returned to his disciple’s residence. On the ground, the array formation he had drawn halfway was still there. And everything that had happened earlier, now that he thought about it, actually felt like a dream. Mo Qing pinched his cheek, and it hurt a little, obviously not in a dream. After that, his eyes involuntarily shone brightly.

Finally… he could learn the orthodox divine sense transforming into a sword!

Meanwhile, in the back mountain Sword Tomb. After sending Mo Qing away, the long-bearded elder was still sitting dryly in his original place, his heart full of mixed emotions. He didn’t know if this decision was right or wrong. But perhaps, this was indeed his last opportunity, and also his last attempt in this life… another way, borrowing the method of divine sense proving the Dao to cultivate divine sense transforming into a sword. Cultivators who proved the Dao with divine sense were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. And such a heaven-defying seedling of divine sense was even rarer, something seen only once in a lifetime. If he missed it, it was very possible that in this life, no, even if he lived another two lives, he might not necessarily encounter it.

“Mo Qing…” The long-bearded elder silently repeated the name once again, then took out a piece of bamboo, carved it into a bamboo sword, and engraved the two words “Mo Qing” on it. His mood was heavy, and he inserted this bamboo sword into a Sword Tomb in front of him. This Sword Tomb was special; many bamboo swords were inserted on it, recording the names of many cultivators. These names were known only to him and would be buried with him in the yellow earth, completely annihilated. The bamboo sword with the two words “Mo Qing” engraved on it was just an ordinary bamboo sword and ranked at the end. The long-bearded elder was just following routine. But when this bamboo sword was inserted into the Sword Tomb, in an instant, the sword energy in the forbidden area suddenly surged up, and the residual swords buried in the Sword Tomb all emitted a low hum. Ancient sword intents seemed to awaken, transforming into wisps of white smoke, rising from the dry graves and Sword Tombs, intertwining with each other, fusing into a magnificent cloud of swords.

The solitary elder’s pupils widened in shock, and he forgot to breathe for an instant.