“Fine sword!”

The expressions of the others grew strange. Was that old man insulting Gu Han? Secretly, they swept their divine senses over the old man, trying to discern his background. After all, they had only just noticed his presence. He could approach silently without a sound.

If someone claimed he was an ordinary mortal without any cultivation, they wouldn’t believe it even if they were beaten to death. Yet no matter how they probed around, they found nothing at all. It seemed the old man truly was just an ordinary person.

The old man tilted his head slightly, seemingly oblivious to their prying. He then turned to Shen Xuan, his tone gentle. “Little kid, where did your sword come from?”

Shen Xuan was speechless. What sword?

Murong Yan pointed at Gu Han. “Old sir, over here!”

The old man nodded calmly and turned his gaze to Yang Ying. “Where from?”

Yang Ying was speechless.

Ah Sha, who was kind-hearted, couldn’t bear it. “Grandfather, can’t you see?”

The old man nodded. “That’s right. I’ve been blind for many years.”

Gu Han’s killing intent surged, and he shouted coldly, “Who are you, exactly?!”

The others were a bit surprised because Gu Han’s reaction was a bit overblown.

After hearing his voice, the old man finally turned toward Gu Han, his tone filled with emotion and delight. “As expected... Being able to witness the supreme peak of the sword dao leaves me with no regrets!”

Gu Han said nothing, his vigilance undiminishing. The demoness is getting more and more terrifying! She can even imitate an old man so convincingly, just like the real thing!

The old man went on. “What a pity that you have not yet comprehended the true meaning of the sword dao.”

Following that, he lightly tapped his wooden stick on the ground. Under the strange gazes of the crowd, the stick gently slid, tracing a faint mark. It was the word “one,” albeit crooked and somewhat ugly.

After doing this, the old man started coughing violently. The wrinkles on his face deepened further. He even seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, swaying to one side.

Despite knowing the old man was strange, Murong Yan instinctively wanted to help him.

Shen Xuan’s expression changed as he rushed ahead of her to support the old man. “Don’t!”

If you touch him, he might just fall apart!

A good while later, the old man’s coughing finally subsided.

“It’s okay, it’s just an old ailment.” He waved his hand, catching his breath. “Little kid, do you recognize it?”

Gu Han’s face had already darkened. Who does he think I am?! Does he think I’m illiterate? Isn’t that just the word ’one’?

The old man wasn’t in a hurry. “Look again.”

The group looked on with strange expressions.

Murong Yan scratched her head. “What...? It’s just ’one’!”

They swept their divine senses over it several times, but found nothing unusual. It certainly wasn’t about to turn into “two” anytime soon.

Gu Han gave a strained, insincere smile. “I can count—”

Subconsciously, he swept his divine sense over it and froze. That ordinary, even slightly ugly writing began to glow faintly.

In the next moment, the word twisted, transforming into a peerless, vast sword intent that shot toward the heavens. Majestic and boundless, unrestrained and flamboyant, as if no force in the world could halt it. Even if the sky itself stood in its way, it would slash a hole right through.

Just as he was captivated, heart soaring with the sight, the sword intent whistled and transformed once more. Steadfastness turned into helplessness, while unfettered freedom turned into dejection and despair. However aloof and arrogant proud it was before, that was how disheartened and disillusioned it seemed now.

Gu Han even sensed a trace of sorrow and despair. All fellow disciples lost in battle, a beloved gone forever, and a crippled body, barely clinging to life. The sword intent possessed spirit. Without saying a single word, it had already narrated its master’s entire life.

Now, he understood the old man’s intention. Lacking divine powers and secret arts, he used a single strand of sword intent to demonstrate what a true sword cultivator was like.

Truthfully, even that was unnecessary. The Great Evolution Sword Scripture already encompassed all the ultimate methods of sword dao in the world. The sword intent was merely to point the way toward a path that belonged uniquely to himself. Coincidentally, this was precisely what Gu Han was looking for.

Outside, after seeing Gu Han seemed to have fallen into some sort of enlightenment state, the others were dumbfounded. No way! There’s really something there?

Murong Yan was unwilling to give up. “Senior Brother, take a good look. Is that really the word ’one’?”

Shen Xuan was speechless. I’ve already looked at it eight times!

Ah Sha tilted her head, looked for a long time, and nodded seriously. “It is ’one.’ Even I recognize it.”

After studying it for a long while, they could only give up in resignation. They could tell that this opportunity had no connection to them.

Opposite them, the old man seemed to sense Gu Han’s state. Wordlessly, he straightened slightly before walking away.

Murong Yan was still unwilling to let it go. “Old sir! That’s it? Could you maybe write ’two’?”

The old man simply walked farther and farther away.

Murong Yan was somewhat annoyed. “So stingy! Senior Brother just helped support you!”

Shen Xuan shook his head. “Let it go. This senior probably came specifically to find Brother Gu. The real question is... when will he wake up?”

Looking at Gu Han, he felt a headache coming on.

Yang Ying thought for a moment. “We’ll guard him. It’s not like we have anything else to do anyway.”

This guarding lasted for three whole days. During this time, Zuo Yang and Gu Tian returned. Not daring to wake Gu Han carelessly, they could only keep watch as well.

As for that secret place, they hadn’t found even a trace of it.

***

In front of that thatched hut in the forbidden zone, Chongming watched on, looking quite fascinated. Strands of eerie mist washed over its five-colored plumage, only to be repelled away.

Suddenly, it glanced outside. “You’re back already?”

The old man coughed lightly twice as he walked into the courtyard. “I saw him.”

“How—hmm?” Chongming’s tone turned serious. “Did you fight someone?”

The old man appeared weary. “No. I just let him take a look at that One-Word Sword Art.”

Chongming was furious. “Have you gone mad?! Are you not afraid of wearing yourself out to death?”

The old man smiled. “It’s fine. Whether I die early or late is the same. These few days won’t make a difference.”

Chongming seemed to know his temper too well, and snorted a couple of times. “So? Was I wrong? That kid is passable, right?”

The old man sighed with emotion. “More than just passable. He is a natural-born sword seed!”

Chongming muttered, “It sounds like an insult?”

The old man ignored it, sounding somewhat regretful. “What a pity that sword art is only something I comprehended after all. If he could see the original sword stele, he would probably comprehend even more.”

Chongming cursed, “Those traitors! That sword stele belongs to me! When I recover my cultivation, I’ll definitely go back and wipe them out!”

The old man didn’t speak further. Still, the sword stele seemed to be one of his regrets. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky.

Even through his eyelids and the shrouding mist, the changes in the celestial phenomena appeared clear to him. “It’s here again.”

Chongming sighed. “Such a small place, yet it seems to be especially favored by the Heavenly Dao. Last time it was a book, the time before that a forbidden cultivation method... Even the Heavenly Dao’s own favored son wouldn’t get such treatment!”

Clearly, over the past thousand years, this wasn’t the first time they had experienced such a thing.

The old man shook his head. “This place is absolutely not simple. Deep within this so-called forbidden zone, there are things that even I in my prime couldn’t see through. Actually, back then, if not for the accident, we would never have discovered this place—”

Before he could finish, a vast, heavenly might descended. Deep within the Forbidden Zone, the eerie mist churned violently. The sounds of wailing ghosts and howling demons rose, ten times louder than usual.

Chongming’s tone was grave. “It’s absolutely not simple this time!”

Within the five domains, all peak-level powerhouses sensed something, looking up at the sky. Upon the boundless heavenly curtain, an ancient bell flickered in and out of sight. The bell was mottled as countless dao marks carved upon it. Immortal music drifted, dao essence flowed, and it shed ten thousand rays of radiant light.

In the next moment, the ancient bell vibrated lightly, solidifying completely from illusory to real. Ten thousand daos resonated and all laws chimed in harmony.