Sword?
Yun Ze paused, his mind flashing back to the moment he had swung his sword at He Lai Chao's head, only for it to snap instead of severing his foe.
He had been so close then; so close to bidding farewell to his path of immortality.
This memory, he suspected, would haunt him forever.
If he ever had the chance, he wouldn't use a sword again. Instead, he would... switch to an axe!
Swords were undoubtedly cool, but in terms of power and reliability, an axe was far more practical!
He vaguely recalled a storyteller mentioning that the one who carved out the heavens and the earth wielded an axe.
Just as Yun Ze was about to shake his head in denial, the old beggar spoke first, his voice tinged with a hint of madness, yet laced with an undeniable authority.
"You like it? Good!"
"Senior, I..."
For some reason, the old man now instilled a sense of dread in him.
While the old man's previous madness had merely felt unrestrained and wild, this current state... it frightened Yun Ze!
In such a mood, he dared not let the elder harbor any unnecessary misunderstandings. He intended to explain.
But before he could finish, the old beggar cut him off, "What 'you'? Liking it is liking it, what's there to be shy about!
Kneel, meditate! Cultivate for this old man!"
Yun Ze was utterly bewildered, completely failing to grasp the old beggar's intentions.
However, since the senior had instructed him to meditate and cultivate, he would do so.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and prepared to absorb the spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
He had just learned this term from the old man, and he assumed it was the name for the profound energy of the world.
"Remember."
Before Yun Ze could even begin his cultivation technique, the old beggar's voice rang out again.
Yun Ze had no choice but to open his eyes and look ahead. He saw the old man's pupils flashing with an eerie red light, and then he spoke again.
"You, like to use a sword."
Yun Ze's mind went blank. He felt his thoughts instantly vanish, and he subconsciously echoed the old beggar, "I... like to use a sword."
As soon as the words left his lips, both the old beggar and Yun Ze swayed. The latter collapsed to the ground, while the former, leaning against the table, managed to prop himself up.
"You've even given away the inheritance of the Great Dao, and you're still like this?"
A childish voice came from the bed. Without turning around, the old beggar knew who it belonged to.
"Hehehe, why shouldn't I be?"
A wild grin spread across the old beggar's face as he stared at the unconscious Yun Ze. "Since you all can place your bets on this brat, why can't I!
It's just the inheritance of the sword path, so be it! I have other Great Daos within me anyway. Trading the sword path inheritance for a chance at destiny is worth it!
If this brat is just a pawn, then I..."
"Will deliberately deviate from your plans!"
After enduring so much suppression, coupled with the fear from his memories, the old beggar finally erupted.
He turned to look at Bu Bu, his face contorted with ferocity. "If I can't kill him, can't I at least disrupt him?"
"No matter what! No matter how!"
"I will deliberately enter this game!"
Bu Bu said nothing further, simply closing his eyes and continuing his cultivation.
The old beggar had descended into madness, and any further attempts to reason with him would be futile.
Moreover, the sword path inheritance had already been given away, and it was impossible to retrieve it.
He wondered what this fellow would think when he eventually learned the truth.
As for the Great Dao...
There were tens of thousands of Great Daos in this world. The most common were the Immortal and Demonic paths, which all cultivators had to practice. Following these were the Buddhist path, Confucian path, Sword path, Saber path, and so on.
A cultivator could practice a single path or multiple paths simultaneously.
Further comprehension of the Great Dao depended on one's innate talent. Some could reach the peak of the Sword path at the Foundation Establishment stage, unleashing a single strike that summoned a myriad of swords, while others, upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, couldn't even conjure a single sword qi.
The former were undoubtedly Sword path prodigies, but if the latter had chosen the Saber path, they might be able to cleave through peers or even enemies of higher realms!
That was the difference.
Now, the old beggar had bestowed his entire understanding of the Sword path upon Yun Ze. As long as the brat possessed any aptitude for the Sword path, he should be able to enter the Dao quickly.
As for condensing the Dao after entering the Dao realm, that would depend on whether he truly possessed Sword path talent.
...
...
The night passed without incident.
When Yun Ze awoke, sunlight was already streaming through the window.
The first sensation upon opening his eyes was a heavy grogginess, akin to the feeling after getting drunk with his father in his childhood.
"Senior, I am... Senior?"
Yun Ze looked around the room. He saw no trace of the old beggar, only Bu Bu still meditating on the bed, a letter on the table, and a cloth bag resting on top of it.
The old man had left!?
Then how would he get revenge!
Yun Ze's heart trembled, and he quickly got up to examine the letter on the table.
As soon as he picked it up, he noticed oil smudges all over the paper and caught a familiar scent of braised meat.
This was definitely written by the old man!
Under the faint sunlight from the window, Yun Ze hurriedly lowered his head to read.
"Little fellow, I've left.
Don't say I'm irresponsible. Since I promised to help you get revenge, I naturally will.
I didn't mention it before, but the person you're looking for will likely head to the Ascension Assembly.
If not, find a sect called the Gui Wu Sword Sect and join it; you'll find them eventually.
As for what to do after finding them, that's entirely up to your own plans.
Also, take this bag on the table. Infuse it with spiritual energy to open it. It contains your subsequent cultivation techniques, which will allow you to cultivate until before the Foundation Establishment stage. To reach Foundation Establishment, you'll still need to go to the Ascension Assembly!
If you wish to cultivate in an immortal sect, remember one thing: no matter what, do not exceed the third level of Qi Refining!
There's also a spirit sword in the bag. Its grade isn't high, but don't reveal it!
This bag is the same; it must not be revealed!
Furthermore, your immortal jade can be stored in the bag, but it absolutely must not be revealed!
These points, you must remember! Otherwise, you will face the peril of death!
Consider these things as my help for your revenge. As for me..."
The first sheet of paper ended abruptly. The instruction to "not reveal" appeared three times, with each instance carrying more weight than the last. Yun Ze naturally understood the importance.
He turned over to the next sheet of paper and saw a single sentence.
"Brat, didn't you ask for my name earlier?"
"You were just a mortal then, naturally not worthy of knowing. But now you're half an immortal."
Yun Ze's curiosity surged.
He recalled that when he had asked the old beggar for his name before, the reply had been, "You're not worthy of knowing yet."
Now, he was voluntarily telling him!
However... the second sheet of paper contained no name.
Yun Ze had no choice but to turn to the third sheet. There, he saw five characters written in a bold, flowing script.
"I am Xiao Han Shi."