Chapter 1988: I'm Not Even a Sword Pavilion Disciple Yet

Seeing the sect master admit defeat, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and removed the black cloth from his eyes.

Fighting these five seemed simple, but it was actually more complicated than slaying five thousand inner disciples. One misstep could lead to failure, ruining everything.

Fortunately, he succeeded!

"The Sword Intent of a God is truly powerful!"

Returning to his seat, Sect Master Han Jianqiu smiled calmly, his face unruffled, as if the defeat had not stirred any negative emotions like anxiety or disappointment.

"You all were kind to yield..."

Zhang Xuan clasped his fists.

"A loss is a loss..." Han Jianqiu shook his head. "Ask what you want to ask directly!"

"I would like to ask Sect Master Han if you have heard of... the Spirit God Palace!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan felt tense all over.

The man before him was the sect master of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, one of the most prominent figures in the Upper Firmament. He surely knew far more than Elder Lu Yun.

What the latter didn't know, he might easily answer.

"Spirit God Palace?"

Frowning, Han Jianqiu shook his head. "Never heard of it..."

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

Han Jianqiu said, "The six major sects of the continent are: Lingyun Sword Pavilion, Zhuxing Palace, Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, Seven Star Tower, Xuanjing Gate, and Piaomiao Immortal Sect! Among them, only our Lingyun Sword Pavilion's Sword God Platform is qualified to use the character 'God'! The other five major sects are not allowed to use it."

"Beyond the six major sects, the one that stands above them... is only the Tongshen Palace! It was established over four thousand years ago by Palace Master Kong. At that time, he alone entered the palace and seized the character 'God'."

"Because of this, the Tongshen Palace could spread across the world, and none of the six powers dared to oppose it! Since then... for thousands of years, no one has been able to cross the Tongtian Bridge, let alone enter the palace to seize a character! Since no one has entered, naturally no one dares to use the character 'God'. The Spirit God Palace you speak of either does not exist or is not in the Abandoned Continent!"

Han Jianqiu looked over.

The continent, because it was abandoned by the gods, was very cautious in using the character 'God'. Without permission from the palace, no force dared to use it.

If the Spirit God Palace truly existed, it couldn't be that he had never heard of it.

Zhang Xuan's face turned pale.

Could it be... that what the Spirit God summoned earlier said was false?

There was no Spirit God Palace at all?

"You... where did you hear of this place?"

Seeing how concerned the young man was about this so-called 'Spirit God Palace', Han Jianqiu looked at him.

"I... overheard it..."

Filled with disappointment, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Someone of this stature had never heard of it; probably almost no one in the entire Upper Firmament had!

Then... where was the Spirit God Palace?

And where had Luo Ruoxin gone?

"If what you heard is not false, and the Spirit God Palace you speak of truly exists, perhaps... you could ask Du Qingyuan. She might know!"

After a pause, Han Jianqiu said.

"Du Qingyuan?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"She is the palace master of one of the six major sects, Zhuxing Palace! She knows a great deal about the palace and has even communicated with true gods, receiving rewards!" Han Jianqiu nodded.

"Communicated with... true gods?"

Zhang Xuan froze, a voice rising in his heart: "Could it be that Luo Ruoxin is not in the Upper Firmament... but is a true god?"

This mysterious girlfriend knew he had a Library of Heaven's Path and could even merge the Spring and Autumn Annals left by Teacher Kong with it... Her methods were probably beyond even Sect Master Han's abilities!

If so... could she be a true god?

"However, Palace Master Du... has a rather bad temper! Moreover, involving the mysteries of the gods, she might not be willing to speak..."

Han Jianqiu shook his head. "And since the gods expelled us, what they dislike most is detailed probing... If news leaks, I fear the people from the palace will come looking for trouble!"

Zhang Xuan frowned.

From reading books, he had learned something about this so-called Abandoned Continent.

Legend said that this continent, having violated the rules of the gods, was cast down, and all life was likewise.

Later generations all strove to cultivate, hoping to regain their former glory and return to the divine realm!

Unfortunately... the Tongtian Bridge connecting to the divine realm was broken, connecting only once every hundred years, and behind the bridge stood a divine palace.

Many guardians guarded it.

It was there that Palace Master Kong and the founding patriarch of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion had seized one character and half a character!

"The palace seals off this world, sealing our path to becoming true gods! Not only that, if anyone probes the mysteries of the gods and is detected, they will face danger! Even..."

Han Jianqiu lowered his voice: "Someone like you, who has comprehended the Sword Intent of a God, will also be viewed with suspicion, possibly provoking them to act early!"

"Why?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"I don't know. Perhaps the palace's authority cannot be challenged! Comprehending the Sword Intent of a God, if allowed to grow, gives one the qualification to challenge them. Naturally, they won't allow such a thing to happen... In short, it's best not to discuss matters concerning the gods, and not to pry into them!"

Han Jianqiu looked at him with a tone of instruction: "Therefore... your identity remains the greatest secret. Before you have the strength to truly protect yourself, you must not reveal it!"

"This..."

He hadn't expected the palace to act this way. Zhang Xuan clenched his fists, then after a moment, exhaled: "I certainly won't say more!"

"Not only should you not speak, but you should also avoid easily revealing your strength. Don't be too conspicuous..."

Han Jianqiu continued.

You might not say it, but using the Sword Intent of a God in the outside world is also easily discovered!

That would also invite trouble.

"Rest assured, I am always low-key!" Zhang Xuan said.

"...Cough, cough!"

Hearing this, Han Jianqiu's face turned red, unsure how to respond.

In one day, he first caused the mountain gate to collapse, making it impossible to hide the truth... then he single-handedly challenged the entire inner sect and core, and now the Elder Hall, grinding the faces of the sect master and grand elders into the dirt...

What he did in one day was more than others did in a lifetime...

And he had the nerve to say he was low-key?

Where was his face?

"This is a token gifted by Palace Master Kong of the Tongshen Palace when he learned someone had comprehended the Sword Intent of a God! With this token, you can purchase any resources for advancement in the Tongshen Palace without any charge!"

Knowing that continuing would only infuriate him, Han Jianqiu turned his wrist and produced a token.

It was the same token that Palace Master Kong had gifted earlier.

"Gifted by Palace Master Kong?"

Zhang Xuan's body tensed: "But... is he Teacher Kong? Is he... still on the continent?"

The lifespan of a Void Immortal was only three hundred years. Even for Immortal Lord or even Pseudo-God realm experts, their lifespans didn't increase much.

Teacher Kong had left the Master Teacher Continent tens of thousands of years ago. Given the Upper Firmament's ten-to-one time flow, that meant he had been here for at least several thousand years. Could he still be alive?

And still on this continent, not having left?

"Teacher Kong? That's what some used to call him."

Sect Master Han Jianqiu smiled. "He is naturally still on the continent... As for where, I'm not sure. I only know that his whereabouts are erratic. He hasn't appeared much in thousands of years, only re-emerging in the last few decades. Only then did everyone realize he hadn't passed away!"

"This..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Teacher Kong was not dead and was in the Upper Firmament—this was the best news he had heard today.

As long as he was alive, meeting him was only a matter of time.

He reached out and took the token, gently stroking it, feeling a warm current flow into his body.

"It's him..."

His fist tightened.

If he had doubted whether Palace Master Kong was Teacher Kong, the moment he touched the token, he understood.

It was definitely the same person!

Having both been Heaven's Favorite Masters and having walked out of the Master Teacher Continent together, there was already a special tacit understanding between them.

"The Tongshen Palace master gives such generous gifts to geniuses. As the sect master, if I don't show something, won't I be ridiculed?"

Seeing him accept the token, Han Jianqiu smiled, and a long sword appeared in his palm: "This sword is called 'Tongchang'. Though it is not as good as my 'Ruantian', it has still reached the peak of the Immortal Lord realm. I now gift it to you. Hone it carefully; once refined, it will greatly aid your cultivation and strength!"

Whoosh!

The Tongchang Sword floated gently before him, carrying an intense oppressive force.

It was as if an Immortal Lord expert stood before him.

"Thank you, Sect Master..."

Zhang Xuan bowed.

Earlier, he had worried that his cultivation was insufficient and that if someone tried to kill him, no one could save him. With this sword, it was like having an Immortal Lord expert protecting him; he no longer had to worry!

However...

A weapon of this level surely had its own spirit. With his current strength, taming it might not be easy.

But with the Library of Heaven's Path, forcing it to obey should not be difficult.

With a thought, he stored it in his storage ring.

The other party must have added some special restriction; otherwise, with his spiritual power, he couldn't have stored a weapon of this level in the storage ring.

"By the way, which peak are you on now? Which elder is in charge?"

Seeing him accept the sword, Han Jianqiu nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked curiously.

The elder who had nurtured such a talented disciple deserved a good reward.

"I am on... the peak where inner disciples reside... The elder is... Elder Lu Yun!"

After a pause, Zhang Xuan said.

"Lu Yun..." Han Jianqiu frowned.

"He was previously an outer sect elder. For his merit in recommending a talented disciple, he was rewarded and only today broke through to the True Immortal realm. He has been appointed as an inner sect elder..."

Seeing that he hadn't heard of him, Elder He Tian quickly answered.

Outer sect elders had very low profiles; it was normal for the sect master not to know them.

"An outer sect elder, just broke through? So... you were an outer sect disciple?" Han Jianqiu looked at the young man in disbelief.

An outer sect disciple comprehending the Sword Intent of a God?

Really?

Since when was the Lingyun Sword Pavilion's outer sect so formidable?

No wonder he had to trounce the inner sect, core, and even the elders... It turned out he wasn't being valued!

"Outer sect?"

Zhang Xuan looked embarrassed: "I'm not even a Sword Pavilion disciple yet..."

Having said this, seeing everyone stunned, he hesitated, then gritted his teeth: "How about... I don't want this token and the Tongchang Sword? I'll return them to you?"