「South, Zenith Cliff.」

In a Quiet Chamber, Lü Yang's consciousness fully possessed his Sword Dao Avatar via Puppet. As his eyes opened and closed, a flash of cold light shot out.

CRACK!

In that instant, a crack appeared on the floor of the Quiet Chamber.

Almost at the same time, as if he had been waiting for a long while, the door to the Quiet Chamber was pushed open. Demon-Vanquishing Perfected walked in, his steps slightly hurried.

The first thing he saw upon entering was the crack on the floor.

"...Hm?"

Demon-Vanquishing Perfected's eyes lit up, and he immediately praised him. "It seems that during your seclusion, the Sword Intent you've Refined has grown ever closer to Perfection."

He wasn't impressed by the crack Lü Yang left on the floor—what was so difficult about that for a Foundation-Stage Cultivator? What truly mattered was that the crack held no residual Qi trace. This meant Lü Yang hadn't used any Divine Power, but had left the mark relying purely on his Sword Intent.

Now that was something special.

After all, no matter how strong one's Sword Intent, it was theoretically just an Intention, not a physical entity. It was completely different from Divine Sense and required the support of Mana to unleash its full power.

But to affect reality with Intention alone...

Such a Realm, even among those of Sword Intent, could be considered a mark of true mastery. For a moment, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected couldn't help but marvel at Lü Yang.

"Unbelievable."

"It seems that Lay Line was truly effective for you. To make such progress in Sword Intent... theoretically, that's very difficult to achieve without a major battle."

"Excellent! Truly excellent!"

After speaking, he glanced at the Non-Killing Sword placed before Lü Yang. "You have already Refined your own Sword Intent. It is no longer appropriate for you to observe mine."

As his words fell, he retrieved the Non-Killing Sword.

At the same time, Lü Yang flicked his sleeves and rose, bowing respectfully to Demon-Vanquishing Perfected. "This disciple is slow-witted. I must thank you, Master, for your dedicated guidance."

"Nonsense." Demon-Vanquishing Perfected waved his hand, his gaze on Lü Yang growing more and more satisfied, as if looking at a prize leek growing splendidly, a unique and priceless treasure. He then changed the subject. "Since you've come out of seclusion, there's no time to waste. Come with me to the Jade Pivot."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of joy sparked in Lü Yang's heart.

The so-called Jade Pivot was actually the Sword Pavilion's Dharma Hall, a place dedicated to storing the Sword Pavilion's Daoist Skills for the Foundation Establishment Level. This was precisely Lü Yang's objective for this trip.

'Now that I've formed the Profound City Blessed Land, it's unlikely I can advance my Realm any further in the short term. After all, the Gold Attribute requires a Soul to be refined, and my Soul in this life is still on my Immortal Spirit Body... Therefore, to further increase my combat strength, my only option is to strengthen my Daoist Secret Techniques.'

But the problem remained the same.

Lü Yang didn't possess his own Gold Attribute, so he couldn't cultivate a True Skill. As for other Daoist Skills, it wasn't that they provided no boost to his combat power at all...

It was just that they were barely better than nothing.

That was why he had set his sights on Sword Intent. If he could obtain a Swordsmanship that matched his Sword Intent, its effect would not be much weaker than a True Skill.

However, what surprised Lü Yang was that he had assumed the Sword Pavilion would guard its Swordsmanship techniques very strictly. He had been wondering how to broach the subject with Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, but before he could even ask, the man himself had offered to take him to the Jade Pivot. He clearly intended to impart a Swordsmanship technique.

And yet, Lü Yang felt little joy in his heart.

'He's being too enthusiastic...'

An unsolicited courtesy is a sign of ill intent. This intuition, honed over several lifetimes, put Lü Yang on high alert. No matter how he looked at it, he felt Demon-Vanquishing Perfected had ulterior motives!

But he quickly came to terms with it.

'This Sword Dao Avatar will be abandoned sooner or later anyway. I'll just take the benefits first. No matter what scheme he's plotting, the worst that can happen is I lose this avatar...'

........

「Zenith Cliff, the Jade Pivot.」

To Lü Yang's surprise, the place named Jade Pivot was, in fact, just a piece of jade, enshrined in the ancestral hall of the Sword Pavilion's past Sect Leaders.

"This was left behind by the founder."

Inside the ancestral hall, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected said gravely, "It is said that back then, the founder searched the entire world before finding this piece of Ten Thousand Years Spirit Rhinoceros Bright Jade and refining it into a Supreme Treasure."

"For generations, any Perfected Person who has Refined their Sword Intent need only stand before the Jade Pivot and project their Sword Intent into it. It will then automatically reveal a Swordsmanship that resonates with them. By diligently practicing that Swordsmanship and honing their Sword Intent to Perfection... this is the fundamental reason we Sword Cultivators are unrivaled by others in the same Realm."

As his voice fell, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected walked up to the Jade Pivot.

The next second, Lü Yang saw the mirror-smooth bright jade suddenly flow with a turbulent Spirit Light, which finally converged into a line of distinct text:

Sword Technique of Righteousness and Justice

This was Demon-Vanquishing Perfected's Sword Technique, corresponding with his Non-Killing Sword Intent. Honed over several hundred years, it had long since reached the pinnacle of perfection.

An ordinary Sword Intent was just a Sword Intent.

But for Demon-Vanquishing Perfected to be able to name his 'Non-Killing' was a symbol of his Sword Intent reaching Perfection, and his Sword Technique had played a significant role in that.

'It is both a Skill for attack and a Fa for cultivation.'

Understanding dawned in Lü Yang's heart. Seeing Demon-Vanquishing Perfected step aside to the right and gesture with an open palm, he dared not tarry and immediately walked up to the Jade Pivot.

With a single thought, Lü Yang's Sword Intent spread forth and entered the Jade Pivot before him. The next second, the bright jade once again burst with light, shining directly into Lü Yang's eyes. It pierced through to his very being, instantly capturing his entire Heart Spirit and leaving him almost completely immersed.

Yet, at this very moment, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, standing beside Lü Yang, let all expression fall from his face. His lips parted, and he softly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Lü?"

The timing of this call was perfect. It caught the exact moment the Jade Pivot was illuminating Lü Yang's Sword Intent, causing him to respond almost subconsciously:

"Ah?"

Demon-Vanquishing Perfected stared intently at Lü Yang's Sword Dao Avatar. Seeing that his confusion did not seem feigned and that there were no abnormalities in his Soul's fluctuations, his expression softened slightly.

"...It's nothing."

Meanwhile, far away in the North, Lü Yang's main body sucked in a cold breath. 'He's testing me... He suspects my past life memories weren't actually erased!'

Rinima, even good old guys can be treacherous!

'This is just fucking like Ang Xiao! He acts like a good guy for most of his life, and then when he suddenly decides to screw someone over, it's completely unexpected!'

Thinking this, Lü Yang was still a bit surprised.

If the Sword Dao Avatar's Soul hadn't been well and truly cleansed, and if he wasn't controlling it remotely using Puppet, he probably would have been exposed just now!

At the same time, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected's expression was as normal.

Who said a good man couldn't be cunning? How could he not see all the strange things about Lü Yang? He might as well test him. If there were no problems, he could be more at ease.

"You can cultivate here."

Demon-Vanquishing Perfected said calmly, "The Jade Pivot requires time for Inference Swordsmanship, and it needs to constantly sense your Sword Intent. Come find me after it is finished."

"This disciple obeys."

Lü Yang hastily bowed, then continued to immerse his Heart Spirit in the Jade Pivot. Seeing this, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was finally satisfied and quietly turned to leave.

Leaving the ancestral hall, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected looked up at the sky.

All he could see was a rainbow of Fortune soaring into the heavens, manifesting a scene of harmonizing dragons and phoenixes. This was his current Fortune, and it could be said to have reached its absolute zenith.

However, as the saying goes, what reaches its peak is destined to decline.

'My time is running out.'

Demon-Vanquishing Perfected sighed. The next second, a delicate, silver-bell-like laugh rang in his ears. It was none other than Jingguan, the previous generation's Buddha's Son from the Pure Land.

"Refraining from killing for a moment is as easy as flipping one's palm. Refraining from killing for a lifetime is as hard as ascending to the heavens."

"As they say, it's better to guide than to block. Benefactor Ye, can you truly achieve this so-called Non-Killing? I fear you'll end up suffering a qi deviation and go on a killing spree that will turn the world upside down!"