The wind blows for thousands of miles, and the sword hangs in Beicang.
The stars fall like rain.
No one in Beicang City dared to make a sound.
Martial Emperor Xu Su looked embarrassed.
Fortunately, Li Qiubai did not push his luck. He stopped at the right time.
The lonely sail cast a distant shadow in the blue sky.
The big ship gradually sailed away and disappeared from everyone's sight.
However, this scene, this person, was still lingering in their hearts.
They would not forget it for the next ten years. They would not forget it for the next hundred years.
.....
The big ship sailed leisurely through the waves.
Li Qiubai seemed to be in a heavy mood. But when he was about to speak, he noticed something.
He turned to look.
On the bow, Lu Qingshan was silent. His eyes were slightly closed, and his mind was wandering.
Around his body, there was an invisible aura that was roaming.
"Sit on the sword." The Sword Immortal saw Lu Qingshan's current state.
He thought for a while, and finally took Chu Yi and Fifteen away from the bow. They could see that Lu Qingshan's state was not right, but they did not dare to disturb him.
Lu Qingshan's mind wavered.
After witnessing the Sword Immortal of Chang 'an return the sword to Beicang, a mysterious beauty mixed with the sword theory he had comprehended began to emerge, and touched his mind.
In the Origin Divine Text that represented the Misty Battle Method in his Primordial Spirit, another symbol began to light up, blooming with golden light.
In his mind, stars were wandering in the sky. Their trajectories were like flying swords, and they were mesmerizing. Among them, a blood-red moon was in the sky, and it was extremely dazzling.
This was the Battle Method on the Bloodmoon Battle Method Stele.
Lu Qingshan vaguely perceived a vague meaning of a word.
He pondered and did not speak. He "sat" until late at night. When the moon was in the sky, he slowly opened his eyes.
The blood-red moon in his vision turned into a clear moon. Lu Qingshan was stunned for a moment.
A mellow voice sounded.
Sword Immortal Chang 'an looked at Lu Qingshan, who had recovered from his state of contemplation, and asked with great interest, "Good boy, you're going to be a carp leaping over the dragon gate. When can you become a dragon?"
Lu Qingshan looked back and saw Li Qiubai standing by the curtain of the cabin. It was unclear whether he had just come out or had been waiting for a long time. In his hand was a moon lamp that contained the sentiment of a certain woman, "How many people have returned from the ancient battles?"
"I wouldn't dare to say that I'm a carp leaping over the dragon's gate, but it's indeed going to happen soon," he said happily.
Although he was not in a hurry, he was still happy that he could improve so quickly.
Compared to the speed of Spring Breeze Returns, Lu Qingshan knew that although the sword style he had comprehended this time had yet to fully take shape, the sword style this time would be one that focused on killing power.
As long as he leaped over this dragon gate and formed his sword technique, the Divine Transformation Stage would be within his reach.
Li Qiubai cast a meaningful glance at Lu Qingshan.
He had seen too many juniors in the Way of the Sword in his life.
However, Li Qiubai found it rare to see a Sword Cultivator like Lu Qingshan, who could benefit from every sword move he made.
He wondered how many more times this kid would be able to jump over the dragon gate next.
Also, would he be able to jump over the biggest dragon gate?
"Kid, I'm leaving," Li Qiubai finally said.
He had traveled with Lu Qingshan for half a month for the sake of Xia Hong and Lu Qingshan, who was a Sword Cultivator junior, and had helped him several times.
However, the two of them were neither relatives nor friends.
Moreover, the path of the Way of the Sword could be helped, but it could not be taught step by step like parents teaching their children how to write. This was not beneficial at all. Although it could help one learn how to write well, it would also cut off the possibility of one becoming a "calligraphy master" in the future.
At Li Qiubai's level, he naturally understood this principle.
He had already taught Lu Qingshan several times. The rest was up to Lu Qingshan to comprehend and master by himself. Therefore, it was time to part ways.
Lu Qingshan was already prepared for this moment. He only felt gratitude in his heart.
A Sword Immortal who had already reached the pinnacle of the peak of the Sword Dao, the support from a strategically advantageous position was of great significance to him.
"Senior, did you win at Beicang Qingming?" Lu Qingshan asked cautiously.
Although he was more or less sure that Li Qiubai had won, it was only a guess.
"He was defeated by me ten thousand years ago. How can he beat me now?" Li Qiubai said bluntly. His tone was rather calm as if it was not worth mentioning.
For a rare genius like him who only appeared once every ten thousand years in the Sword Dao, there was no way he could defeat Ye Futian now. There was no way he could defeat Ye Futian later.
Because it was impossible for others to improve faster than him.
"Senior, are you still a Sword Immortal now?" Lu Qingshan hesitated for a moment. Finally, he asked, "Previously in Beicang City, Emperor Wu Di said that your ears were broken. Was it just nonsense?"
"A Martial Emperor wouldn't be so degrading as to make empty promises." Li Qiubai sneered.
"Then?" Lu Qingshan was shocked.
"But my situation is a little special. It's true that I fell from the Sword Immortal Realm, but it's not wrong to say that I'm still a Sword Immortal." Li Qiubai nodded and said with a smile.
"I don't understand. Senior, can you explain it to me?" Lu Qingshan was confused.
"Do you know the stages after the Void Refinement Realm?" Li Qiubai glanced at Lu Qingshan and asked.
"The sixth stage is the Divine Transformation Realm, the seventh stage is the Combination Realm, the eighth stage is the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, and the ninth stage is the Dao Integration Realm." Lu Qingshan said.
It was impossible for him not to know these things.
"What is the Dao Integration Realm?" Li Qiubai asked.
Lu Qingshan was stunned and stood rooted to the ground.
The Dao Integration Realm of the Nine Realms was still too far away for him. He had never considered this question, let alone know its secrets.
He shook his head and said sincerely, "Senior, please teach me."
Li Qiubai was expressionless. "The so-called Dao Integration Realm is to find your own path from the Heavenly Dao and go through the Dao Integration Realm to obtain the power of the Heavenly Dao, which is the Nine Realms."
"There are 3,000 Great Daos, and everyone chooses a different Dao. The Dao varies in difficulty and strength."
"Although the Dao Integration Realm is easy, cultivators of the Nine Realms will find it difficult to improve in their lifetime. It's difficult to give up the Minor Dao for the Great Dao, but there's a chance for them to advance half a step and become an Honorable Title."
The Nine Realms were also divided into strong and weak realms.
Those who had just entered the Nine Realms were the most ordinary Dao Integration Realm cultivators, known as the First Step Dao Integration Realm.
There were four steps in the Dao Integration Realm.
When one reached the Fourth Step Dao Integration Realm and took half a step forward, they would become an Honorable Title.
Dao Masters of Dharma Cultivation, Martial Emperors of Body Cultivation, and Sword Immortals of Sword Cultivation were all in this realm.
"You should be able to understand these things." Li Qiubai narrowed his eyes and looked at Lu Qingshan. He paused and said, "However, do you know that there's no Dao Integration Realm in the Nine Realms for Sword Cultivation?"
Lu Qingshan was stunned at first, then his eyes widened. "Senior, what do you mean?!"
"Yes." Li Qiubai nodded. "Once a Sword Cultivator enters the Nine Realms, he'll skip the Fourth Step Dao Integration Realm and become a Sword Immortal. That's the Honorable Title."
There was no Dao Integration Realm or Honorable Title for Sword Cultivation!
"Why are Sword Cultivators so special?" Lu Qingshan was in disbelief.
"It's not difficult to understand." Li Qiubai chuckled and explained, "The Heavenly Dao is actually the Dao of the Heavens. It's a Great Dao that exists since the birth of a world."
"The Great Dao of Thunder and the Great Dao of the Five Elements are different, but they're all the same. The most distinctive feature of these Heavenly Daos is that they're traceable.
Cultivators only need to comprehend, pursue, and integrate them. This is also the reason why the Nine Realms are called Dao Integration Realm. "
"However, you have to understand." Li Qiubai dragged out his tone and said meaningfully, "These Great Daos existed before the appearance of cultivators. Even if there were no cultivators in the world, these Great Daos would not disappear."
"The Great Dao that Sword Cultivators cultivate is the Sword Dao."
"However, before the appearance of Sword Cultivators, how could there be such a thing as the Sword Dao?" Li Qiubai asked with a smile.
Lu Qingshan felt like he was struck by lightning. He suddenly had an epiphany.
Sword Cultivators cultivated the sword.
However, in reality, the sword was a man-made creation. It was a Dharma Artifact created by the human race.
In the beginning, the world had wind, thunder, the Five Elements, and all kinds of creations. However, there was no sword.
Among the three thousand Great Daos of the world, there was no such thing as the Sword Dao.
"The Sword Dao is the only man-made Dao. It's not a Dao that exists naturally. It's untraceable and untraceable. Only Sword Cultivators like us can develop it with our own strength and wisdom."
"Therefore, there is no such thing as Dao Integration for Sword Cultivators," Li Qiubai said indifferently.
"How can something that doesn't exist be integrated?" Lu Qingshan asked.
"Exactly. The other Fifth Cultivators of True Virtue are called Dao Integration, but the Ninth Cultivator of True Virtue is called Dao Opening."
Li Qiubai revealed the secret of Sword Immortality to Lu Qingshan. "Therefore, Sword Cultivators have always been the most difficult to break through to the Ninth Cultivator of True Virtue."
Dao Opening was always much more difficult than Dao Integration. There was no doubt about this.
"In contrast to the difficulty of breaking through, Sword Cultivators will become extremely powerful once they break through, directly becoming Sword Immortals," Lu Qingshan murmured.
No matter how strong the Dao Integration was, it was only borrowing his strength to become the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao and pick up the wisdom of the Heavenly Dao.
Dao Opening, on the other hand, was becoming one's own.
Li Qiubai nodded. "The difficulty of opening up a Sword Dao is similar to that of other cultivators taking the fourth step and advancing to the Venerable Title.
However, other cultivators can take it step by step, starting from Dao Integration and slowly climbing up step by step until they advance to the Venerable Title.
Sword Cultivators, on the other hand, can only reach the Sword Immortal Realm from the Eighth Cultivator of True Virtue. Therefore, the number of Sword Immortals has always been the least among the six. "
No wonder there were only three Sword Immortals in the last 20,000 years of Chang 'an, even though Sword Cultivators were the most outstanding and had the most geniuses.
So that was the reason.
"Then …?" Lu Qingshan was puzzled.
What did this have to do with Li Qiubai's current state of being a Sword Immortal?
Li Qiubai smiled and said softly, "I've been practicing the way of the sword, and my path has been smooth sailing. I've never encountered any bottlenecks. Even when I was at the bottleneck of opening the way, I didn't stay for too long before I opened the sky with a single strike and ascended to the Sword Immortal realm."
Lu Qingshan pursed his lips and didn't know how to respond.
"However, because everything went too smoothly, I discovered a thousand years after reaching the Sword Immortal Realm that although the Sword Dao I opened up was great, it had flaws. It was too rough and lacked a certain kind of soul, making it difficult to reach the Ancestor Realm."
Li Qiubai's Dao Opening Stage relied more on his unprecedented talent.
However, there was always a limit to talent. If the path was flawed and imperfect, no matter how talented he was, he wouldn't be able to reach the end.
"There's no turning back on the Great Path. It's impossible for me to turn back and repair the path," Li Qiubai explained.
"Unless you destroy your own Sword Dao and open up a new path."
Lu Qingshan had mixed feelings and was speechless.
How could he not understand what Li Qiubai meant by now?
It was similar to him destroying his own Dao Foundation.
However, the problem was that he only destroyed his Dao Foundation at the Nascent Soul Realm, while Li Qiubai destroyed his Sword Dao.
It was like the difference between a middle-class person giving up everything and starting from scratch and a billionaire donating all his wealth and starting from scratch again.
The perseverance and courage required was definitely not something Lu Qingshan could compare with when he destroyed his Dao Foundation at the Nascent Soul Realm.
Li Qiubai was already the well-deserved champion of the Sword Dao at that time, but he still had the courage to make such a decision so casually.
How could Lu Qingshan not be impressed?
"After destroying my Sword Dao, my realm dropped a thousand miles. I did fall from the Sword Immortal Realm, and my ears were covered in dust."
Ignoring Lu Qingshan's shock, the Sword Immortal looked at the moon in the river and said softly.
"But that doesn't mean I'm wrong. On the contrary, it's the only way. Because if I don't take this step, how can I know the true path of the Sword Dao?"
"Senior, have you returned to the Sword Immortal Realm?" Lu Qingshan probed.
It was clearly the means of a Sword Immortal. Even a real Martial Emperor of the Honorable Realm was no match for Li Qiubai. He should be a real Sword Immortal Realm cultivator, right?
"Almost." Li Qiubai sighed and said, "Kid, I'll tell you one last thing. When a sword cultivator clears the path, they're trying to prove their Dao through strength. They're trying to forcefully open up a new path in the Heavenly Axiom."
"It's like when you visit someone else's house, there are three thousand paths to go, but you have to dig out a path yourself. If you were in my shoes, would you be happy?"
"No," Lu Qingshan said decisively.
"Yes, if you're not happy, the Heavenly Dao will be unhappy too. When a Sword Immortal clears the Dao, the Heavenly Dao will stop you." Li Qiubai said calmly, "Of course, it's not impossible to negotiate. If you have a good enough relationship with the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao will turn a blind eye to your impolite behavior."
It was a simple principle.
If a stranger ate your food, you would definitely be unhappy. However, if your girlfriend ate your food, not only would you not be angry, you would even ask her if she wanted to eat more.
"Therefore, when a Sword Immortal clears the Dao, he needs the protection of the Heavenly Dao."
"Thanks to the protection of the Green Cloud Eastern Region and the Sword Sect's providence, I became a Sword Immortal. Back then, Chu Mushen broke through the realm with one-third of the Human Race's providence, and I became a Sword Immortal by borrowing Da Xia Kingdom's providence."
"Borrowing Da Xia Kingdom's providence to protect me?"
Lu Qingshan looked at Li Qiubai meaningfully.
There was no doubt about the person who borrowed Da Xia Kingdom's providence.
It was just that …
The Sword Immortal of Chang 'an was not from Da Xia Kingdom, so it was worth thinking about how he borrowed the providence.
Li Qiubai turned a deaf ear to Lu Qingshan's thoughts and continued, "When I destroyed my Sword Path, I also dispersed my Da Xia Kingdom's providence."
"Now, my Sword Path has been improved again, and it's even four or five levels higher than the Sword Immortal Realm. However, I lack the providence to protect me, so I can't clear the Dao again."
This was why Li Qiubai said he was a Sword Immortal, but also not one.
— His cultivation was at the Eighth Realm, but his Sword Path was far beyond the Sword Immortal Realm.
"Thank you for teaching me, senior." Lu Qingshan understood and cupped his fists.
Li Qiubai nodded slightly.
The reason why he told Lu Qingshan in such detail was because he had the intention of giving pointers.
He saw a shadow of himself in Lu Qingshan — he was full of talent and outstanding talent.
In order to prevent Lu Qingshan from repeating his mistakes in the future, he said so much to Lu Qingshan.
'Providence.'
Lu Qingshan repeated this word in his mind again. He felt that it was extremely mysterious.
This was something that could not be seen or touched. It was indeed metaphysics.
He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
— He was only at the Fifth Realm now. The matter of becoming a Sword Immortal was too far away for him. There was no need for him to worry about it. He might as well focus on how to break the Ten Flowers Divine Gate.
"Then, senior, have you found out about Black Armor?" Lu Qingshan changed the topic. This was what he was most concerned about.
"Xu Su is no match for me, and she has Northern Blue in her heart. Of course, she wouldn't dare to hide anything from me." Li Qiubai sneered. "The barefooted are not afraid of the wearing of shoes. Besides, this wearing of shoes can't beat me, the barefooted."
"Then?" Lu Qingshan frowned slightly.
"His Black Armor is wanted by King Qing's faction. Apparently, King Qing's artificer wants to find out the method of refining the Divine Armor through the finished product," Li Qiubai said expressionlessly.
"As for the Three Cities, he knows nothing about it."
"Could Emperor Xu be hiding something?" Lu Qingshan hesitated for a moment and asked again.
"No." Li Qiubai shook his head and said firmly, "He wouldn't dare."
"Haha … You're really pushing things one step at a time." Lu Qingshan frowned. He smelled a conspiracy.
Finding clues about Black Armor from the Three Cities Are Empty was the first step.
Through Black Armor, they found the Water Cloud Platform. The information given by the Water Cloud Platform pointed to Emperor Xu of Northern Blue. This was the second step.
However, this was not the end of it.
There was a third step.
The third step pointed to King Qing, one of the three branches of Da Xia Kingdom.
The power of the person behind this was so great that he could mobilize so much manpower and resources.
If Sword Immortal Chang 'an had not found out about this, he would not have been able to find anything even if he poked a hole in the sky.
"Is it King Qing?" Lu Qingshan guessed.
The clues finally pointed to King Qing's faction. He immediately thought of King Qing.
He did have the strength and power to do so.
Li Qiubai stepped forward and leaned against the railing. He looked at the moon in the water and tapped the railing with a finger. He held the moon cup horizontally and received the moonlight. He said to himself, "You'll know when you ask."
When a person had enough strength, he did not need to use too many tricks to find out what he wanted to find out.
All he had to do was to ask.
Lu Qingshan pondered for a moment and said, "Senior, there's one more thing I need to tell you …"
He chose his words carefully and briefly told Sword Immortal Chang 'an about what he had seen and heard in the Abyss Devil Domain. In other words, there were humans in the Abyss.
"Selling humans …"
Li Qiubai slowly put away the moon cup. He stared at the wine in the moon cup and frowned.
He shook his head and poured the "wine" into the Great Billowing River without any pity.
While the wine was still in the air, it was blown away by a gust of wind and turned into specks of moonlight.
He looked at the moonlight formed by the "wine" and vaguely saw a red light in it.
"It's clouded."
Sword Immortal Chang 'an sighed.
In the next moment, his figure was like an illusion, like dew, and like a bolt of lightning, and it flashed and vanished from the ship.
"I know. Don't worry, kid. Focus on cultivating your sword. I'll take care of this."
On the river, only the voice of the Sword Immortal could be heard.
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