Chapter 1562: The Name of Xing the Sword Saint

"Pfft!"

The water he had just drunk sprayed out, and Zhang Xuan nearly burst into tears on the spot.

Zhang Diao Fei... Diao Fei? Hanging in flight?

Is that a human name?

You, as a father, just casually named him like that—are you serious?

"It's awful, isn't it? Because of this name, we haven't spoken for days..." Meng the Sword Saint said, still indignant.

"You know his situation—the uglier the name, the easier it is to raise... I was just hoping for good luck, wasn't I? Besides, it's just a childhood name; we can still give him a nicer formal name later!"

Xing the Sword Saint gave an awkward smile.

When some children are born weak or with problems, they are often given ugly names, such as Gou Dan, Gou Sheng, Mao Dan, Er Pi, and so on—the uglier the name, the easier to raise.

His son's situation looked glorious to outsiders, but they knew the truth well; they had to use unpleasant names to suppress his fate.

And it was just a childhood name; once fortune turned, they would switch to a formal name, and others would forget.

"You still dare to mention the formal name? Go ahead, tell your son what formal name you picked!" Meng the Sword Saint snorted coldly.

"This..." Xing the Sword Saint scratched his head, unable to speak.

"What is it?" Zhang Xuan looked over again.

"It's... Anbang!" Xing the Sword Saint said. "Zhang Anbang!"

"Pfft!"

Spraying out another mouthful of water, Zhang Xuan nearly choked.

This name, though not as ugly as Diao Fei, was too vulgar.

"It's really not that bad. My name is Zhenxing, and yours is Anbang—how fitting!" Xing the Sword Saint nodded.

"Zhenxing? Zhang Zhenxing?" Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

He had always heard of Xingmeng the Sword Saint, taking one character from each of their names, and thought his father would have some imposing name, but it turned out to be... Zhang Zhenxing.

Well!

Even more vulgar!

Holding his forehead, he looked utterly resentful.

Fortunately, he had gone missing as a child; otherwise, when fighting someone, jumping out and shouting, "I am Zhang Anbang," while the opponent was "I am Li Dingguo"—how awkward would that be!

"I'll just stick with Zhang Xuan; I think it sounds nice enough..."

Shaking his head, unwilling to use the name his father had chosen, Zhang Xuan continued to look over: "Since I was born with so many omens and naturally powerful bloodline, I should have been well protected. Why then..."

"Come with me. I'll show you something."

Seeing him persist in asking, not knowing how to answer, after a moment Xing the Sword Saint stood up: "A Meng, Master Yang, don't follow. This matter, I'll discuss with Xuan'er alone."

"Mm."

Master Yang and Meng the Sword Saint both nodded.

"Let's go."

Xing the Sword Saint led the way. The two walked one after another for a while until they came to a great hall.

The hall was dark and oppressive, without any light, surrounded by special seals. Approaching it, Xing the Sword Saint pressed his palm lightly against the wall.

Whoosh!

Flames ignited inside the hall, illuminating it brightly.

Zhang Xuan looked inside. What appeared before him was not a main hall but a narrow passage, with countless reliefs carved on the walls.

Entering the passage, Xing the Sword Saint stopped before a relief.

It depicted a white-bearded elder locked in fierce battle with the Yiling race. The battle was brutal, with various forces converging as if tearing heaven and earth apart.

Behind the elder were commoners with no cultivation. It seemed that if the elder died, these people would face slaughter and death.

"This is the first ancestor of our Zhang family, also the first patriarch. His cultivation was unparalleled through the ages, reaching the level of an Ancient Sage. In his life, he fought thirty-seven great battles for humanity, each one draining his life force to the brink of exhaustion. Without him, the Zhang family would not have survived, and humanity would have lost at least half its numbers. It can be said that he is an unavoidable hero in the entire history of humanity!"

Xing the Sword Saint explained, his eyes filled with respect.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

In human history, there were countless heroic figures worthy of song and tears; without them, there would be no peace and prosperity today.

This first ancestor of the Zhang family—he had heard rumors before—was indeed an unprecedented genius. Though far inferior to Confucius, he was still a renowned figure on the continent.

With one sword, he twice charged into the Yiling race's stronghold, slaying countless kings and rescuing no fewer than twenty Nine-Star Master Teachers!

Once, when the Yiling army invaded, he single-handedly held them off for three days, saving billions of human lives, a tale passed down with admiration.

"This is the second patriarch, also reaching the Ancient Sage level. He fought the Yiling race in large and small battles totaling over a hundred, suffering seventy-seven severe wounds. When his life reached its end, there was still a section of a Yiling's hand bone embedded in his chest, never dug out..."

"This is the third patriarch, who ventured deep into caverns. During battle, his hand was severed, so he replaced it with the hoof of a sacred beast and cultivated a special martial technique..."

"This is the fourth patriarch..."

...

"This is the ninth patriarch..."

Moving slowly along the passage, each relief inscribed a monument to an era.

"In the tens of thousands of years after Confucius left the continent, the Yiling race attacked countless times, but they were always repelled. Not only did the Master Teacher Pavilion and the War Teacher Pavilion have countless strong ones sacrificing their lives, but our Zhang family also made innumerable contributions. It can be said that the Zhang family's status as the first family was earned through blood and filled with lives, not through flaunting power and gaining recognition!"

Xing the Sword Saint said.

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists.

Knowing the history of the past and seeing these reliefs before him, he could feel the brutality of those years.

These ancestors, for the prosperity of humanity, had shed their blood and sacrificed their heads, giving far too much.

Previously, he had felt that the Zhang family, relying on their status as the first family, forced others to do things they didn't want to do, and he had some complaints. Seeing this, he realized that to stand unshaken on the continent, they indeed paid more than others.

"Over ten thousand years ago, heaven and earth underwent a great change, and no one could break through to Ancient Sage... Humanity reached a true moment of life and death!"

Xing the Sword Saint's expression turned grave: "To resist the Yiling race and let future generations live in peace, a group of Ancient Sages still alive at the time made an agreement to sleep using special means. Once war broke out, they would be awakened. After fighting the enemy and when the foe retreated, they would continue to sleep... Though this was little different from death, they were willing to do it for humanity!"

"This..."

Zhang Xuan opened his mouth, unable to close it for a long time.

Although he had heard from Master Yang that some Ancient Sages on the continent survived through secret arts, knowing the reason for their survival still made him involuntarily feel admiration.

Those who could break through to the Ancient Sage level were all extraordinary talents of unparalleled brilliance. As long as they lived, they could enjoy the best treatment and the most favorable resources. But they wanted nothing, and to protect humanity, they fell into slumber, letting their continued lives exist only for battle... This kind of virtue was worthy of reverence.