Chapter 2165 Raw 2271 : Xi Mu's Story

Amid the rubble of the ancient hall, Xiao Chen drank alone. No one knew what he was thinking.

Liu Ruyue also showed an unsightly expression, still angry with Xiao Chen for lying to her despite having difficulties.

The two had their backs to each other in silence. The atmosphere felt very heavy.

“Crunch! Crunch!”

Lu Benwei stepped on the rubble as he made his way over to them.

Liu Ruyue gracefully moved over to Lu Benwei’s side. She asked, “Senior Brother, how are Master’s injuries?”

“They are fine, just some old injuries. Junior Sister, there’s no need to worry.”

Liu Ruyue nodded slightly and left, unwilling to remain here.

Xiao Chen stood up and walked over to Lu Benwei. Feeling somewhat guilty, he apologized, “Sorry. Big Brother Lu, I was too rash earlier.”

Xiao Chen had always been like that, clearly distinguishing between right and wrong.

Previously, Xiao Chen had been too stubborn, behaving rashly. This triggered Xi Mu, someone whom he owed a debt of gratitude, into vomiting blood. No matter what, that was too unbecoming.

Xiao Chen thought back to when he was in the Ice Fire Wasteland. If not for comprehending All Things Rejoicing Together, he might have died at the jaws of the mastiffs. To think that he still showed off his skills before Xi Mu like that, after what Xi Mu did for him. That was wrong of him.

Lu Benwei patted Xiao Chen’s shoulder and said, “Come with me. I’ll tell you a story.”

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Xiao Chen followed Lu Benwei, gently pushing off with his feet and moving swiftly. Then, they arrived at a mountain cliff that had a view of the undulations of the cloud sea.

In this place, the clouds were like a fog blanketing the surroundings. At first glance, it looked like a boundless fog sea.

When one viewed the cloud sea from the top of the cliff, it was like one was in the sky and by the sea at the same time, incredibly wondrous.

Lu Benwei took out a bottle of wine and said after some thought, “In the past, there was a person born into a Noble Clan of swordsmen with ten thousand years of inheritances. This person’s father, grandfather, great grandfather, and other ancestors were all swordsmen. He started practicing the sword at the age of three, demonstrating extraordinary talent. He carried the clan’s hope, but no one knew what he truly loved was sabers. At the age of twelve, his clan expelled him because he wanted to practice the saber. Facts later proved that he made the right choice.

“He had a handsome yet pretty face and was often called a fiendish monster. However, his talent with the Saber Dao was even more monstrous. He was called the Fiendish Saber by others. Before the age of one hundred, he had already become a Sovereign Emperor. His saber skills were unique; many of the senior bladesmen’s understanding of saber skills could not compare to his. Everyone believed that he would definitely become a powerful bladesman, someone with unlimited potential.

“However, he had left his home at a young age, fully immersed in his saber skills. He did not learn anything about how to interact with people. His character remained like that of a twelve-year-old child. He was proud and stubborn, liking to hear praise from others but unable to stand provocation. Even so, he managed to become a Sovereign Emperor, but one with a fragile heart.

“Actually, this is nothing. Many of the seniors in the Saber Dao liked him; many bladesmen generously showered praise on him…”

As Xiao Chen listened, he realized that Lu Benwei was speaking about Fiendish Saber Xi Mu.

This Xi Mu actually came from a Noble Clan of swordsmen.

Since ancient times, sabers and swords competed against each other. Although the two were different and could not be genuinely compared, people who practiced martial arts were competitive. They always wanted to see who was superior.

A Noble Clan of swordsmen—one with ten thousand years of heritage—would consider the division between sword and saber very important.

If not for stubbornly focusing on the Sword Dao, showing love for it, they could not create an atmosphere where the sword was supreme. Without such an atmosphere, a Noble Clan of swordsmen could not leave a legacy of ten thousand years or more.

For a scion of such a Noble Clan, where they focused on the sword, to take up the saber would be disgraceful.

The mockery and difficulty one faced could be easily imagined.

Hence, Xi Mu left home at the age of twelve, leaving a Noble Clan of swordsmen with a ten-thousand-year legacy.

However, it seemed like something happened.

Lu Benwei paused for a long time before continuing, “Nothing much should have happened. However, given his pride, stubbornness, and fragile heart, he wanted to return home after advancing to Sovereign Emperor. He wanted to show his accomplishments to his father and clan, proving himself.”

Xiao Chen thought to himself. This is very normal. Everyone wants to prove themselves. He probably wanted to say, “Back then, you were all unwilling to let me practice the saber, mocking me and making things difficult for me. Now, I come back in glory.”

“However…he ran into a Sword Dao genius that came only once in ten thousand years in the clan. Furthermore, this person was his younger cousin, blood-related to him. Despite being of lower cultivation, that person used a one-meter-long sword to break his saber in front of the Clan Elders, his father, and grandfather, dealing him a miserable defeat.”

When Xiao Chen heard that, he tried putting himself in Xi Mu’s shoes. He immediately understood how embarrassed Xi Mu felt back then.

Xi Mu originally just wanted to prove that he was right. Unexpectedly, he ended up proving himself wrong. Furthermore, a person with weaker cultivation than him broke the saber in his heart. To Xi Mu, who wanted to show off, this would be a fatal humiliation.

Xiao Chen could imagine that back then, Xi Mu’s clansmen must have looked at him with disdain and cold smiles.

“There was no need for self-pity. He just needed to work hard and return in the future,” Xiao Chen murmured when he heard this, his tone replete with determination and aspiration.

“That’s right. That person thought the same. A momentary setback was nothing. However, something else happened at this time. Suddenly, a saber-wielding monster appeared in the Great Thousand Realms. No one knew where this person came from; he just suddenly appeared, showing saber skills that reached perfection. When he appeared in the Central Great Realm, he rose quickly like a comet, making huge waves among bladesmen. This was a junior that was even more talented than Master. His saber skills were simply too dazzling, too awe-inspiring…”

At the mention of this person, some sadness flashed in Lu Benwei’s eyes. He stopped making vague references to Xi Mu and directly stated it.

“This monster that suddenly appeared was more talented than Master. When word of him reached Master’s ear, naturally, Master did not acknowledge that. He immediately went to exchange moves with that person. In the end, he lost after one hundred moves. After that, they fought a total of nine times. Each time, the defeat was even more hopeless. During the final time, Master was already a Faux God and wanted to fight again. However, he lost even before he drew his saber.”

Lu Benwei said sullenly, “After that, everyone learned that this person came out from an abandoned land. His name is Pan Huang, and he always has a smile that can melt snow on his face. Others call him the Spring Snow Bladesman. Do you know how strong this person is?

“As of now, in the ranking of experts of the Saber Dao, this person is not ranked. In name, Master is ranked first. However, it is pointless. That person has already walked too far ahead on the path of the Saber Dao…”

Pan Huang!

Xiao Chen felt shocked. Unexpectedly, he heard of the legend of Pan Huang from Lu Benwei. He really wanted to say that he came from the same abandoned land as Pan Huang. However, after some thought, he did not say it in the end.

“This Spring Snow Bladesman dealt an even greater blow to Master than his younger cousin. After suffering defeat after defeat, he no longer thought of returning to his clan…”

Feeling curious, Xiao Chen asked, “Who is his younger cousin?”

Lu Benwei sneered, “His younger cousin is really incredible. Right now, he is the strongest person of the Sword Dao, Su Hanshan. The Yanwu Dynasty’s Su Clan is now an aloof Noble Clan famous for the sword.”

When Xiao Chen heard that, he remained silent. This Senior Xi Mu was genuinely helpless in his situation. He had great talent, but he ran into two great enemies. One was the strongest person of the Saber Dao, and the other was the strongest person of the Sword Dao.

No wonder Xi Mu appeared so aged and lethargic, showing a strange temper.

“Hence, you don’t need to apologize to Master. Master is temperamental; just don’t mind it. While he looks old, in reality, his heart is young and fragile. He is not willing to admit that you are more talented than himself. However, he cherishes your talent and cannot bear to bury your talent. Thus, he ordered me to send you the inheritance paintings. He is a very conflicted person who overthinks…”

When Xiao Chen heard that, he was somewhat dumbfounded. Now, he finally understood everything.

After being stunned for a long time, Xiao Chen smiled in frustration. “Had I known… Had I lost to Senior’s statue back then, it would not be this problematic.”

Lu Benwei smiled and said, “That is really possible.”

“What should I do now?”

“Let me make arrangements for your accommodations first. Just cultivate with Junior Sister and me for now. There’s no need to pay heed to having a disciple status. Given Master’s temper, he will not take you in again. However, if you insist on remaining, he will not chase you away.”

After saying that, Lu Benwei recalled something. Then, he said seriously, “Oh, by the way, before I left Master, I heard Master muttering to himself. It might be of some help to your question. Why can a raindrop shatter the firmament? It can shatter the firmament only because of disrespect. It has a stubborn heart that can endure loneliness for ten thousand years. That is why it has the chance to shatter the firmament. With an unchanging heart, even a drop of water can become the boundless firmament…”

Xiao Chen’s eyes lit up with enlightenment. Many of the second inheritance painting’s mysteries unraveled.

After Xiao Chen heard it all, he muttered to himself before quickly taking out the painting to examine it.

All unawares, he became fully immersed in the painting, forgetting about everything.

Lu Benwei stood at the side and drank silently, not interrupting Xiao Chen. He felt some envy in his heart as he thought, No wonder Master cannot bear to bury his talent. Back then, it took me more than ten years before I gained some slight understanding of this second painting. I nearly ended up too immersed in it, unable to put it down.

From then on, Master stopped me from studying the Fiendish Saber inheritance because it would only do me more harm than good.

However, with just a few words from Master, Xiao Chen seems to understand it clearly, grasping all of it.