Grandpa, times have changed.

it's actually really easy.

If you say that the other two are both available, then the other one can't possibly refuse.

Unexpectedly, the first one to fall for the trick was actually the Spirit Ancestor, who rarely spoke in the group chat.

Ironically, it was the Sword Master who was tricked into coming in at the very end...

wrong!

It shouldn't be considered a lie when it comes to her!

"Let's not talk about that." Meizu changed the subject, then asked curiously, "Speaking of which, how did you and Lingzu meet, Brother Dao?"

The group had been established for some time, but she still couldn't get a single word out of the Spirit Ancestor.

Or rather, even the Spirit Ancestor himself didn't say much in the group chat.

The less she knew about something, the more curious she became.

Xu Xing's eyes darted around: "Why are you asking this?"

"You're curious!"

She knew a little about the Sword Sovereign and the Primordial Sovereign, but the Spirit Ancestor seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Her origins remain a mystery to this day.

"Well... you should ask her yourself when you have the chance." Xu Xing still didn't answer.

Meizu pursed her lips and muttered under her breath:
"She would never tell me."

These days she often asks in the group, but even if she offers her own experience as an exchange, she doesn't get a single reply from the Spirit Ancestor.

Hey~
"Never mind, I'll ask her about it another time when I have the chance."

Judging from his expression, he clearly wouldn't answer, and continuing to ask would be pointless.

Moreover, this wasn't the purpose of my visit to the Sword Sect.

"Let's go see Huo first. Xiao Yinxue has been in the Taiyi Realm for so many days. I wonder how she is doing."

Xiao Yinxue went so far away by herself, how could her master not worry?

“She’s not a child anymore, and she knows how to behave properly…”

Although he said that, Xu Xing himself was a little unsure of his own words.

A sense of proportion...

There should be, right?

“Fellow Daoist Huo is coming back to take his disciple to the next training exercise. I have already told him about it, so let’s go see him directly.”

"Mmm." Meizu naturally took Xu Xing's arm. "Let's go."

"Actually, wouldn't it be better to just ask Fellow Daoist Huo in the group chat about this?"

Xu Xing remembered that Meizu was in the chat group.

“I’m not going to send a message in that group where you have to be careful about even the punctuation.

As she spoke, Meizu raised her head, her bright eyes filled with pride.

"Besides, this is a great opportunity to come see you, so why wouldn't I?"

"...let's go."

"Uh-huh."

……

……

At noon, the sun is just right.

Jianzhou, Yanjian City.

Skyscrapers stand tall, row upon row.

Around the city, various magical artifacts trailed brilliant flames, their spiritual light flowing and intertwining.

This is one of the most prosperous cities in Jianzhou.

However, the city didn't have this name a few decades ago.

Until forty-five years ago, the Sword Sect's Dao-Merging Master, True Lord Yanjian, merged with the Dao here, and the former 'Lianjian City' was renamed the current 'Yanjian City'.

Speaking of this True Lord Yanjian, he is also a legendary figure.

"Today's sword cultivators are divided into many categories due to their different focuses."

The central square of Yanjian City.

The sky was a clear, azure blue; it was late summer, and the edge of the square was covered with a layer of fallen leaves.

Apart from a few special spiritual trees, most of the trees had withered and yellowed leaves, and a gentle breeze rustled through the treetops.

It added a touch of 'desolation' to the entire square.

Xu Xing and Mei Zu walked side by side.

A huge statue stands in the center of the square—

A valiant man sits cross-legged, with two long swords resting between his knees.

It was none other than True Lord Yanjian, who had made tremendous contributions to Yanjian City.

At this moment, upon hearing what Xu Xing said, the Demon Ancestor nodded slightly:

“I do know that.”

With the continuous evolution of cultivation theories, the current classification of cultivation professions has further subdivided 'sword cultivators' into many different categories.

Those who cultivate flying swords, sword pellets, sword formations, and even those who conceal the sword within their hearts, using themselves as the material and their essence, energy, and spirit as the fire, forging a 'heart sword'...

“But no matter how you categorize them, sword cultivators can be classified into two main categories: ‘natal swords’ and ‘non-natal swords’,” Xu Xing continued.

As the name suggests, a "natal sword" refers to a sword that one cultivates solely for their own destiny.

The sword is the object of a swordsman's mind and spirit, in harmony with the Dao; its glory is shared by all, and its loss is shattered by all!
This is also the mainstream among high-level sword cultivators in the Tai Xuan Realm; Xu Xing and Bie Xuening can actually be considered to belong to this category.

As for the 'non-natal sword'...

It's quite simple: any sword cultivator who doesn't follow the path of their 'natal sword' can be considered in this category.

These types of sword cultivators usually do not focus on a single sword, but rather 'command all swords with their own mind'.

Initially regarded as an 'heretical path' by most sword cultivators, it was only after the appearance of two Dongzhen Sword Masters that the feasibility of this type of sword path was finally proven.

Xu Xing looked at the sculpture:

"This little guy is following the path of the 'natal sword' while also practicing divination."

Because of his high level of expertise in divination, he was known as "True Lord Yanjian".

But this alone is not enough to make him a legendary figure among Dao-integrating sword cultivators.

What truly made him famous was that he managed to cultivate a 'natal sword' during his Dao attainment.

A swordsman who possesses two natal swords...

While it may not be 'unparalleled in the future,' it is certainly 'unprecedented in history'!

"I remember now, I saw it on the Spirit Network," Meizu said suddenly. "What was the reason?"

“Emm…” Xu Xing pondered for a moment, “His original natal sword was a bit strange, which is why a second natal sword appeared.”

It should be understood that the existence of a 'sword spirit' is extremely pure, and it only recognizes its own sword master.

Xu Xing had never seen a sword spirit with a personality like that of Yan Jian Zhenjun before, even after living for so many years.

"In short, it is virtually impossible for his situation to be replicated."

"Oh."

As they walked and talked, the two soon arrived at the edge of the central square.

At the end of the road paved with cyan spirit jade, under a spirit tree used for ornamental purposes and to improve the environment, stood an ordinary-looking figure with a gentle temperament.

"Good afternoon, fellow Daoist, and fellow Daoist Meizu."

"I've kept you waiting, fellow Daoist," Xu Xing said.

At Meizu's suggestion, the two first took a stroll around Yanjian City before he sent a message to Huo.

"I just arrived too."

Aren't we about to go on a training mission?

Huo then brought Xiao Fan to Yanjian City, asking him to buy more living and cultivation supplies for future use.

After all, the location of this training exercise...

The environment is still quite harsh.

Given Xiao Fan's current skill level, he would probably have to die about ten times to pass this trial.

"May I ask Fellow Daoist Huo, how is my disciple doing in the Taiyi Realm?" Meizu asked directly.

"..."

Hearing her ask this, Huo was silent for a moment. "Sigh~ Actually, it's alright."

Meizu: "..."

"What a load of rubbish!"

“I originally thought she would just take action and kill everyone she considered ‘evil’.”

Ok?
Is not it?
"However, she did not. Instead, she adopted a more 'gentle,' or rather, relatively 'gentle,' approach to change the Taiyi Realm..."

Listening to Huo's story, Meizu frowned slightly, and even Xu Xing's expression became somewhat strange.

According to his description, after arriving near the Taiyi Realm, Ji Yinxue directly shattered the world's crystal wall with a single punch and entered the world's interior.

At the same time, it also interrupted the transformation and advancement process of the Taiyi Realm, triggered the backlash of the world's failed advancement, and wiped out two-thirds of the chaotic side of the Taiyi Continent in one fell swoop.

Afterwards, they killed four reclusive holy lords from the chaotic side, seven holy kings, and nineteen holy beings.

Everything was normal up to this point.

Everything that happened was in line with Huo's expectations.

But it was after that that Ji Yinxue suddenly changed her style.

“I thought she would eliminate the rest as well, but she stopped.” Huo’s expression was somewhat subtle.

“She modified the ‘divine will’ that she had extracted, using the standards for judging merits and demerits on the Ascension Platform as a model, and inscribed it into the ‘divine will’.”

"Then she erased the self-awareness of 'Heaven's Will' and used the 'Refinement of Realms' to re-refine the modified 'Heaven's Will' into the Taiyi Realm, fundamentally changing the rules of the Taiyi Realm."

What are the criteria for evaluating merits and demerits at the Ascension Platform?

The Art of Refining the Realm?

How to fundamentally change the rules of the Taiyi Realm?

“In the current Taiyi Realm, those who are burdened with evil deeds will be punished by heaven and everything will go wrong, while those who have accumulated great merit will be favored by heaven and everything will go smoothly.”

From the top-tier "Saint Lord" level superhumans comparable to the most profound and mysterious beings, to ordinary people who have never come into contact with superhumans, no one can escape this system.

Even a Saint King-level transcendent being, as long as their evil deeds exceed a certain limit, will trigger the Taiyi Realm's primordial lightning, which Ji Yinxue has enhanced.

A mere graze will kill you, a mere touch will injure you!

As for what this 'certain limit' is...

Because the criteria for evaluating merits and demerits at the Ascension Platform were initially established with 'ancient' considerations in mind, this 'certain limit' will not be too high.

In a sense, the Taiyi Realm has now achieved true 'good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished,' and it is even the kind that comes true in real time.

As for whether all of this is right or wrong, and where it will lead the future of the Taiyi Realm...

That will take time to verify.

Speaking of...

When did Xiao Yinxue learn the 'Refinement of Realms' technique?
Meizu frowned slightly.

The Refining Realm Technique is a secret method created by Senior You. As the name suggests, its effect is to carry out the "Refining Realm" with the "Refining Spirit Fire" as the core.

She remembered that her Daoist brother had mentioned that Senior You created this secret technique with the intention of refining the entire Tai Xuan Realm with the Spirit Refining Fire.

All living beings except humans will be refined and transformed into the purest source of the world to nourish the Tai Xuan Realm.

This 'achievement' was used to offset the favor that the Cang clan received due to 'divine favoritism'.

But he gave up later.

Firstly, the status of the Tai Xuan Realm is extremely high, and even if Brother Dao personally used the 'Refining Realm Technique', it would be impossible to achieve this.

Secondly...

The Tai Xuan Realm resides at the highest point, spanning the entire universe, and hangs high above the Chaos Sea.

The beings within this realm may not necessarily be excluded from being considered part of the world itself. Refining all races other than humans might be considered 'harming the world' in the judgment of the Heavenly Dao.

On the contrary, it will be self-defeating.

Although this secret method touches upon the level of 'supreme law', its effects are too simplistic, and few people bother to learn it.

I never expected that Yin Xue would actually learn it.

"What about her own situation?"

"It seems he has indeed grasped the basics, but I don't know how long it will take him to master it." Huo shook his head. "However, I will continue to observe, so please rest assured, fellow Daoist."

The comprehension of the 'Tao' can only be achieved by herself.

All he could do was help keep an eye on that 'supreme being'.

"I understand. Thank you very much, fellow Daoist." Meizu said solemnly.

"It's nothing, fellow Daoist, there's no need for that."

If it weren't for the fact that you fellow Daoists were sealing the "Heavenly Will" of the Tai Xuan Realm and couldn't spare any attention for other matters, there would have been no need for him to handle these things.

"Master."

A young man with a cold demeanor and indifferent expression appeared not far away.

It was Xiao Fan.

A slight ripple appeared in his eyes when he saw Xu Xing.

"I've met senior."

"You're back," Huo said with a smile, introducing, "This is Meizu."

In Xiao Fan's eyes, Mei Zu was blurry and indistinct, and he could only see a rough human figure outline.

It's the same in other people's eyes, and they'll forget about it in the blink of an eye.

"Greetings, Senior Meizu."

"Hmm." Meizu nodded slightly and gestured with her hand.

A ray of brilliant red clouds broke through the sky and transformed into a fiery red maple leaf, suspended in the air, its entire body glistening, as if carved from red jade.

"This is for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the maple leaf transformed into a wisp of red light and landed in Xiao Fan's hand.

"When you encounter an insurmountable enemy, simply activate and release it," the Demon Ancestor explained.

Although it's a temporary project, it's still enough to fix up a few holes.

There was no other way; this time, I only planned to wander around with my fellow Daoist and inquire about Xiao Yinxue's condition.

She could only pick one leaf at a time.

Anyway, Huo's disciple is only at the Nascent Soul stage, which is enough!
"Thank you, senior," Xiao Fan said earnestly.

Only now did he finally feel like the 'protagonist'.

Compared to the adventure stories he read, those lucky people would receive "trump cards" or "gifts" from the master's friends after becoming disciples.

But we don't know what went wrong.

My master is clearly a true immortal, and he only has me as his disciple, yet I have never received any gifts from my master's friends.

wrong!

I haven't even met my master's 'friends' much.

Isn't he the progenitor of demonic cultivation?
They should at least have some disciples or successors, but they have none at all.

He, the theoretical 'young master of the demonic path,' was actually all alone. He had been a disciple of his master for several years, but had never even seen a demonic cultivator.

🇧🇷
“Now that we have asked what we needed to ask…” Meizu looked at Huo, “My fellow Daoist and I still need to go to Qingxu, so we will take our leave now.”

"Walk slowly."

Before the words were even finished, the two had already disappeared.

Xiao Fan bowed again before straightening up and carefully putting away the maple leaf.

"Xiao Fan."

"What's wrong, Master?"

Xiao Fan turned around and saw his master looking at him with a 'kind' expression.

"Are you eager to meet my disciples and younger generations?"

Xiao Fan: "..."

"Alright, then before the training begins, I'll take you to meet them first."

As the master, Huo felt it was necessary to satisfy his disciple's curiosity.

"Let them get to know you, the 'Young Master of the Demonic Path'."

"Master, I..."

Before he could utter three words, Xiao Fan had already vanished from the spot.

Looking up at the sky, Huo thought to himself that he was truly a good master. (End of Chapter)