"Little master, you should prepare to head to the Eternal Continent next," the Heavenly Dao Pen said as Yun Qi disappeared.
Li Xuan nodded slightly and replied, "There's no rush. At least I need to improve my strength first. If I'm not mistaken, the Eternal Continent must be teeming with powerful individuals."
"Little master, haven't all the worlds and continents you've seen and experienced been like this? Below the Nine-Dimensional World, there's a relatively progressive hierarchy. But since you entered the realm outside, you've actually stepped out of your former world."
The Heavenly Dao Pen paused and continued, "You can consider the Nine-Dimensional World and below as being within the realm, and the realm outside as the dividing line. In this realm outside, the worlds and continents will be more numerous and larger. The beings you encounter will naturally grow stronger and stronger."
"What stage has Senior Yun Qi's strength reached?" Li Xuan nodded slightly and asked.
The Heavenly Dao Pen fell silent for a moment before saying, "Eternal Realm."
"Eternal Realm?" Li Xuan frowned and looked at the Heavenly Dao Pen.
"Above the Fate Knowing Realm are the Mysterious Peeking Realm, Mysterious Knowing Realm, Mysterious Fate Realm, Supreme Realm, Sacred Heart Realm, Eternal Realm, and Immortal Realm. Yun Qi was indeed a prodigy on the Eternal Continent back then," the Heavenly Dao Pen stated.
Li Xuan sighed, "When will this path of cultivation of mine ever end?"
"One step at a time. This world is vast, far beyond your imagination. Little master, your priority right now should be to take care of the present." The Heavenly Dao Pen spoke.
Li Xuan nodded, "Live in the moment. We'll deal with future matters later."
After speaking, Li Xuan's gaze shifted to the Buried Sword Mountain. If he could absorb all the spiritual swords on this mountain, he should be able to improve significantly.
"Little master, aren't you going to absorb and comprehend Yun Qi's inheritance first?" the Heavenly Dao Pen asked as Li Xuan looked at Buried Sword Mountain.
Li Xuan smiled and said, "I'll improve myself first, then come back to it."
As soon as Li Xuan finished speaking, he moved his mind, and spiritual energy surged out.
The next moment, the spiritual swords on Buried Sword Mountain all hummed and flew out, hovering in mid-air.
"Come."
Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction, then closed his eyes. Several spiritual swords directly inserted themselves into his Dantian.
Time flowed quietly. Without realizing it, Li Xuan had stayed in Tianqian Gulch for a full six months.
On this day, a thunderous roar suddenly sounded.
Following that, a figure shot up into the sky, and the world was instantly filled with terrifying sword energy.
This person was Li Xuan. After a full six months, Li Xuan had finally absorbed all the spiritual swords from Buried Sword Mountain. His cultivation realm had also reached an astonishing level.
"Congratulations, little master, on entering the Fate Pattern Realm!" the Heavenly Dao Pen's voice sounded in Li Xuan's mind.
Li Xuan nodded slightly, his eyes filled with emotion.
The quality of the spiritual swords on Buried Sword Mountain was not low, as they had been collected by Yun Qi himself. With Yun Qi's discerning eye, ordinary spiritual swords would hardly catch his attention.
Of course, if it weren't for this, how could Li Xuan have leaped four major realms directly from the God Extinguishing Realm?
As for the foundation, Li Xuan wasn't too worried. He had been suppressing his own realm during this time. And given his breakthrough speed, if he hadn't been suppressing himself, he would have reached the Life Form Realm by now.
"Next, let's take a look at Senior Yun Qi's inheritance." Li Xuan collected his thoughts and closed his eyes with a single thought.
Time flowed quietly. After nearly three hours, Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes.
"The sword path that Senior Yun Qi walked was actually the Sword of Life and Death. Within this duality of life and death, such terrifying sword intent can erupt."
Li Xuan sighed, "It's no wonder Senior Yun Qi asked me to challenge Feng Qingyang on his behalf. This Sword of Life and Death can only reach its peak during moments of life and death. And Senior Yun Qi and Feng Qingyang seem to have never had such a battle."
"There are countless sword paths in the world, and each person walks a different path. People often say there are three thousand sword paths, but this three thousand is just a concept. However, to be able to walk one sword path to its extreme, such individuals can be called true sword cultivators."
The Heavenly Dao Pen paused and said, "Little master, some of the more powerful sword paths include the Invincible Sword Path, the Tyrannical Sword Path, the Yin-Yang Sword Path, and so on. What path will you choose to walk?"
Upon hearing the Heavenly Dao Pen's question, a flicker of confusion crossed Li Xuan's eyes.
Li Xuan naturally hadn't forgotten that Yun Qi had asked him to find his own sword path before his spiritual consciousness avatar disappeared.
But what was the direction of his sword path?
Li Xuan frowned, then looked into the distance, lost in thought.
The Heavenly Dao Pen beside him remained silent, clearly aware that this was a crucial moment for Li Xuan's future path.
At the same time, under a starry sky, a man stopped and looked in the direction of the canyon continent where Li Xuan was.
"Master, what kind of sword path do you think little master will choose?" Liuli asked curiously from the side.
The man smiled and replied, "The world is full of unparalleled sword paths, and very few can reach the end. The path of the sword, put simply, is choosing a future path for oneself. But it is both narrow and clear. How he chooses depends on himself."
Liuli pouted. Her master had said a lot without saying anything.
Time flowed quietly. Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. During these two weeks, the man and Liuli had not moved forward. The Heavenly Dao Pen, too, waited quietly.
Buzz!
Just then, Li Xuan's eyes suddenly snapped open.
"All my life, from childhood, I wanted to protect Yao'er, to ensure no one bullied us. When I embarked on the path of the sword, I had my wife and children. Not only would I not let anyone bully Yao'er, but I also wouldn't let anyone harm my family and friends."
"Therefore, my sword path is called Protection!"
As Li Xuan's voice fell, a surge of sword intent shot up into the sky.
Furthermore, Li Xuan's aura instantly soared, reaching the verge of the Life Form Realm in the blink of an eye.
Crack!
A crisp sound came from Li Xuan's body. The spiritual stream in Li Xuan's Dantian then burst out and danced around his body.
Sword chirps echoed without ceasing.
"Path of Protection... This little fellow..." The man smiled and turned to look towards the end of the starry sky.
"You have someone to protect, and I am also protecting you. In a way, it's a form of inheritance. But only protecting those around you is still far from enough."
Liuli looked at the man and said, "Master, little master has taken an important step. Let's take it slow."
The man, however, shook his head slightly. "I can let him take it slow, but time waits for no one. Since he has taken this step, it is time for him to undergo true trials."
Liuli's beautiful eyes widened in surprise. Was her master going to arrange something for little master?
"Path of Protection... Little master, why do I feel like you're calling it the 'Cowardly Protector' Sword Path?" the Heavenly Dao Pen blurted out without hesitation after hearing Li Xuan's words.
Li Xuan: "..."