Borrowed Sword

Chapter 53: Boastful Words

Chu Huaixu had a long, long dream.

In the dream, he was still living on Earth, recalling fragments of the past.

But when he awoke, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

For some reason, he felt slightly mentally drained.

"You're awake." Li Chunsong’s voice came from nearby.

Chu Huaixu looked around and found himself back in the bamboo hut, lying on a bed.

The Sixth Elder was seated beside a wooden table, leisurely brewing tea for himself.

The tea had a rich fragrance, refreshing and soothing.

"Would you like a cup? This is Calming Tea. You'll feel better after drinking it," Li Chunsong said with a smile.

Chu Huaixu got up from the bed and, at the elder’s signal, sat across from him.

He took a sip of the Calming Tea and immediately felt much better.

Though it was hot tea, a refreshing sensation spread throughout his limbs and bones, clearing his mind more effectively than coffee.

"Sixth Elder, what happened to me?" he asked.

"We examined your Sea of Consciousness, and that caused a bit of mental fatigue. Once you officially reach the First Realm and develop Spiritual Consciousness within your Sea of Consciousness, this won’t happen again," he explained patiently.

Li Chunsong put down his cup, his eyes filled with appreciation as he studied the young man before him.

After arriving at the bamboo hut, he had slapped his thigh in regret.

Back in the Purple Bamboo Forest, he should have taken the opportunity to place another bet with everyone!

What a perfect gambling opportunity! This boy had so many mysterious traits—there was plenty to wager on!

This was one of the reasons why he found Chu Huaixu increasingly likable.

It was akin to saying: “Streamer, you’re really putting on a show—I’m following you hard!”

Facing the eyes of the charitable gambling king, Chu Huaixu sincerely asked for guidance, “Sixth Elder, is there something wrong with my Sea of Consciousness?”

"It’s hard to explain in just a few words. Let me put it this way: you know that a Life-bound Spirit Sword will usually give rise to a sword spirit, right?"

"The black small sword in your Sea of Consciousness is quite similar to a sword spirit."

Chu Huaixu immediately furrowed his brows. "Hm? Sword spirit?"

He didn’t like this metaphor.

A sword having a sword spirit made sense.

But if a person had one, then what did that make him? A sword-human?

Sixth Elder, please don’t hit me with such a lame pun!

Li Chunsong waved his hand, signaling him to relax. "No need to panic. For now, there’s no issue."

"On the contrary, it’s quite marvelous. It can even instinctively protect your Sea of Consciousness. The Tenth Elder was nearly caught off guard by it and got directly expelled," he clicked his tongue in amazement.

Chu Huaixu was also somewhat surprised by what he heard. He hadn’t expected it to have such a use.

Suddenly, he remembered that after cultivating the Sword Refining Art, he drew a spirit embryo type, and when he got the Heart Sword, the system had provided a description:

"The sword cuts the body, the heart cuts the soul."

So that was what it meant?

Seeing Chu Huaixu deep in thought, Li Chunsong smiled and poured him another cup of Calming Tea, saying, “Don’t overthink it. You won’t figure it out at your current Realm anyway.”

Chu Huaixu nodded.

The Sixth Elder continued with the main topic, “Right, keep this with you.”

He placed a black wooden token on the table.

No one knew what kind of wood it was made from. It looked like thunderstruck wood, charred black.

On the front was a golden character "藏", and on the back was a golden "灵".

Upon seeing the token, confusion appeared on Chu Huaixu’s face, but inside, he was overjoyed.

"This is the pass to Hidden Spirit Mountain!"

Li Chunsong explained, “This is the token for entering Hidden Spirit Mountain, specially authorized by the Sect Master.”

“It is the treasure mountain of our Dao Gate. Many people obtained their Life-bound Magic Treasures on that mountain.”

“Details will be explained to you before you ascend the mountain.”

“But right now, your top priority is to break through the Qi‑Opening Stage.”

“Only once you have Spiritual Consciousness can you forge a Life-bound Magic Treasure. So, according to the rules, you can’t go to Hidden Spirit Mountain while still in the Qi‑Opening Stage.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Huaixu immediately stored the token in his Storage Space. “Understood, Elder.”

Li Chunsong thought for a moment and decided to offer some additional guidance.

“Your Spirit Embryo is unique, and now that your innate divine ability has awakened, you are essentially a born sword cultivator.”

“Therefore, after ascending Hidden Spirit Mountain, sword-type treasures will be your best option.”

“If you pass the rigorous trials of the Outer Sect and officially join the Inner Sect, you might get the chance to take the Seventh Elder as your master. She is one of the Four Great Divine Swords, standing at the pinnacle of the sword path.”

Although this had already been internally decided, the charitable gambling king didn’t speak too firmly. He presented it as a motivational promise, lest the young man become overly arrogant and lose his focus.

“Yes!” Chu Huaixu’s tone was passionate, blood rushing with excitement.

But inwardly, many thoughts arose.

"Seventh Elder? Must be that Daoist nun sitting on the boulder."

"Becoming the true disciple of one of the Four Great Divine Swords is indeed latching onto the biggest leg among sword cultivators."

"Moreover, she holds the Dao Ancestor Inheritance!"

"But the problem is, this future master of mine dies in three years! She dies in Xuanli 1993!"

"This leg won’t last long," Chu Huaixu thought.

Among the high-ranking members of Dao Gate, the one he understood the least was Shen Man.

When Borrowed Sword first launched, she was still in seclusion, drawing a boundary in the Purple Bamboo Forest to comprehend the Dao Ancestor Inheritance.

She only emerged from seclusion in Xuanli 1992.

And the following year, she perished, her Dao dissipated, her jade extinguished.

In Chu Huaixu’s memory, Shen Man didn’t seem to be the highest in cultivation among the Dao Gate leadership.

She supposedly only had the Seventh Realm Great Perfection cultivation.

Among the Four Great Divine Swords of the Eastern Continent, she was also the only one at the Seventh Realm. The other three were all Eighth Realm experts.

The leader of the Four Great Divine Swords, the current Sword Sovereign, was even at the Eighth Realm peak, with a record of slaying a Ninth Realm cultivator!

Purely by cultivation, she ranked last among the Four Great Divine Swords.

It felt as though she inherited the title from her master, rather than earning it solely through merit.

“But according to what players posted on the Forum, during several difficult battles, the Dao Gate leadership often lamented with sorrow: ‘If only Junior Sister Seven were still here.’”

“From this, there have been many speculations on the Forum regarding Shen Man’s true combat power,” Chu Huaixu mused.

When he went to the Purple Bamboo Forest, he had only seen the Daoist nun’s back, not her face.

Yet somehow, despite her slender figure making her robes look excessively loose, she gave off an ethereal aura.

Just then, Li Chunsong suddenly waved his hand, deactivating the Soundproofing Formation and said, “Shuangjiang, come in. No need to wait outside, he’s already awake.”

The door opened, and Han Shuangjiang walked in, somewhat flustered.

She had indeed been worried when Chu Huaixu was brought back unconscious.

Li Chunsong smiled playfully at the pair, feeling a bit like a matchmaker.

He set up the formation again and reminded, “Do not mention your Sword Heart Clarity to anyone else. It brings no benefit. Shuangjiang, you must keep this secret for him as well.”

“The Sect Master has already had the Enforcement Elder set up a Restriction for you. He is one of the few Array Grandmasters alive—no ordinary person would notice it,” the Sixth Elder told Chu Huaixu.

“Understood,” Chu Huaixu replied. Han Shuangjiang also immediately agreed.

He knew the meaning of "a jade pendant invites theft"—it was fine to show some brilliance, but not too much.

After thinking it over, he decided to play dumb and asked, “Sixth Elder, I know about Spirit Embryo divine abilities, but could you explain what exactly Sword Heart Clarity is?”

He only knew his specifics because of the system.

Given his current status and cultivation, his normal behavior should be: entering a mysterious realm but remaining utterly confused about what it is.

This cognitive gap was part of his role.

He was always bold yet cautious, never slipping up on small matters.

Li Chunsong chuckled and found this reasonable, then explained, “The so-called Sword Heart is a power born from profound insight into the sword path.”

“In today’s cultivation world, those who possess Sword Heart are usually formidable sword cultivators with prestigious reputations.”

“But in truth, Sword Heart has nothing to do with one’s cultivation Realm—it hinges on one word: comprehension!”

At this point, like many Dao Gate members, he instinctively began to praise the Dao Ancestor.

“You should know that before the Dao Ancestor created the Qi-Opening Pill, the threshold for cultivation was extremely high. Few people in the world could step into the cultivation path.”

Chu Huaixu nodded repeatedly, this former virtual male model perfectly mimicking Li Chunsong’s expression, face filled with reverence.

Li Chunsong continued, “In that era, many sword geniuses existed, but had no fate with cultivation.”

“It is said that many swordsmen in the mortal world, though lacking Spiritual Energy, were intoxicated with the sword path all their lives. Some even touched the threshold of Sword Heart, and could, with a mortal body, slay a First Realm cultivator,” he began telling legends from a thousand years ago.

“Unfortunately, these martial heroes only touched the threshold. They couldn’t generate mystical power as mere mortals.”

“You may not know this, but among the current Four Great Sects, the Sword Sect has an even longer history than our Dao Gate. It just fell into decline for a time and hasn’t prospered for a millennium like our Dao Gate.”

“Fifteen hundred years ago, the first-generation Sword Sovereign of the Sword Sect once declared that those with Spiritual Energy and those without it are as different as clouds and mud.”

“No matter how gifted, those without Spiritual Energy have no hope of attaining Sword Heart.”

“Do you know what that implies?” Li Chunsong asked.

He intended to tell Chu Huaixu that he was an extraordinary exception and should be cautious, especially since the Sword Sect was notorious for producing sword maniacs.

But Chu Huaixu’s response left him momentarily stunned—then he burst into hearty laughter!

Because this kid’s words were so outrageous, yet struck directly at his heart.

If word of this got out, Sword Sect disciples would surely explode in rage. A public outcry would be the mildest reaction!

Chu Huaixu had calmly and seriously replied:

“It implies that the Sword Sovereign was wrong.”