Chapter 353 : The Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold

Chapter 353: The Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold

When Lü Yang walked out of the Reception Hall, what greeted him was Daoist Dangmo’s somewhat helpless gaze: “I didn’t expect you would actually pay respects to the Ancestor.”

“Come with me.”

Daoist Dangmo sighed and didn’t say more. He then led Lü Yang, riding a stream of escape light, and before long, they reached the summit of the Sword Pavilion Mountain Gate.

This place towered above all peaks, offering a view of all the surrounding mountains. A palace stood proudly here, and at this moment, light projections had already manifested—at a glance, they were all Foundation Establishment Real Persons. After bringing Lü Yang here, Daoist Dangmo wasted no time. He directly stretched out his hand and produced a thick Dao book.

“Today, disciple Yan Xiao entered the Reception Hall to offer incense to the Ancestor.”

Holding the Dao book reverently, Daoist Dangmo declared solemnly, “By the Ancestor’s decree, you are now designated as a Sword Seed of the sect. You shall exhaust your form and lifespan, cultivate diligently, and uphold the righteous path to guide the world.”

With that, he inscribed the name of Lü Yang’s incarnation in this lifetime into the Dao book.

“You are my first disciple under this seat. By generation, you belong to the ‘Ming’ character generation. Today I bestow upon you a Daoist name—【Ming He】. May you take encouragement from it.”

“Disciple greets Master.”

Lü Yang bowed respectfully and received the token symbolizing the identity of a 【Sword Seed】 from Daoist Dangmo’s hands. He then voluntarily withdrew.

“The position of a Sword Seed is comparable to that of Foundation Establishment.”

“Holding this token, you may choose a cave dwelling within the Extreme Heaven Cliff. Your foundation in your past life was profound—be diligent in your cultivation and quickly return to your former Real Person position.”

As Lü Yang departed, Daoist Dangmo’s gaze suddenly turned somber.

Almost at the same time, a Foundation Establishment Real Person approached with a smile and said, “Congratulations, Real Person. You’ve gained another cherished disciple. The day of dissolving all karma is not far.”

This man was named Ye Cheng.

As a member of the Ye family, he wore a delighted smile: “I’ve heard about it—this man harmed Xingfeng, and now he shall repay the evil of his past!”

Hearing this, Daoist Dangmo’s face grew even uglier.

For cultivators from outside who entered the Sword Pavilion, the Sword Pavilion had a complete and concise cleansing process. The Reception Hall was the most critical part.

“All outsiders who enter the Sword Pavilion must first have their past-life memories eliminated. Then they go to the Reception Hall to offer incense, drawing out their fortune and reshaping it into the Sword Pavilion’s fortune. I had thought Fellow Daoist Lü lacked the aptitude to learn the 『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』, so there was still room to turn back. I didn’t expect it would be beyond saving.”

Thinking of this, Daoist Dangmo sighed once more.

“…Heaven’s will.”

The 『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』 was a well-known first-grade true cultivation method in the Sword Pavilion, yet throughout the Pavilion and beyond, very few actually practiced it.

Among the true bloodlines of the Sword Pavilion, even fewer cultivated it.

If one were to take a closer count, they would find that only disciples who had been Real Persons in past lives and joined the Sword Pavilion after reincarnation practiced this method!

Within the quiet chamber of a cave dwelling on Extreme Heaven Cliff.

“『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』…”

This cultivation method was vast and profound, with over ten thousand words. It encompassed all aspects of cultivation—and more importantly, it overturned all existing systems of cultivation!

What was a sword cultivator?

Generally, anyone who used a sword was considered a sword cultivator. However, this was not the case in the 『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』, where such were labeled as heterodox.

A true sword cultivator was one who cultivated the sword itself!

Focused on one path, abandoning all else, accompanied solely by a single sword, resonating day and night, sincerely communicating with the divine—only by making the sword their Dao could they be deemed a true sword cultivator!

Lü Yang frowned upon reading this. Up to this point, he had seen many cultivators of the Sword Pavilion, but by the standards of the 『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』, perhaps only Daoist Dangmo Ye Guangji could truly be called a “sword cultivator.”

‘Something’s not right.’

Years of study in the Primordial Saint Sect told Lü Yang there was something fishy here. After all, this was a first-grade true cultivation method—why would it be shown so casually?

‘…Unless it’s a trap!’

And a deadly trap at that!

Realizing this, Lü Yang became more vigilant and continued reading the 『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』. Soon, his expression changed.

Moments later, he closed his eyes.

‘I knew the Sword Pavilion wouldn’t be so kind… A first-grade true cultivation method, and it’s actually a eunuch text! The cultivation portion only went up to Foundation Establishment perfection—nothing more!’

Indeed, 『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』 was a first-grade true method because it was the only method Lü Yang had ever seen that truly aimed to “attain a fruit position from emptiness”—and the person who created it clearly intended to manifest a 【Sword Dao Fruit Position】 from nothing. The ambition was astounding.

After all, even 【Wuyoutian】 was not truly void-attained.

‘【Wuyoutian】 is not so much void-attained as it is the transformation of a fruit position prototype through one’s own Dao into a desired form.’

By now, Lü Yang knew what the Myriad Spirits Banner was hiding.

That inexplicable power that once allowed him to temporarily hold the position of a Great Real Person was actually a prototype of a fruit position—sealed by an Innate Real Person after obtaining it!

So strictly speaking, 【Wuyoutian】 still had a foundation.

However, the 『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』 aimed to attain a 【Sword Dao Fruit Position】 from true void—something entirely different!

The ambition was great—but what of the cost?

‘The cost was borne by us!’

‘Regardless of whether one was Foundation Establishment in life, no matter their divine abilities—as long as one practiced this method, they would be turned into a 【Changheng Observant Golden Sword Foundation】.’

‘Even innate divine abilities would be transformed!’

This approach was eerily similar to 【Wuyoutian】—dragging down other fruit positions’ Dao foundations to fill the pit of the 【Sword Dao】!

‘The 【Sword Dao Fruit Position】 is hard to attain, so they need people like us to practice this first-grade true method, using our lifelong talent and enlightenment to fill it bit by bit. If the fruit position were a painting, we’d be the brush and ink to create it.’

‘This method… is probably made specifically for outsiders!’

Lü Yang realized that outside Real Persons had various Dao foundations. Even if their past-life memories were erased, their souls weren’t reincarnated cleanly, and their Dao foundations remained unchanged.

This method was perfect to cleanse them again.

First erase the memory, then wash away the fortune, and finally wash the Dao foundation—during which the Sword Pavilion absorbed the fortune and filled the 【Sword Dao Fruit Position】. They profited immensely!

And I still owe them karma?!

‘Sword Seed… No wonder it’s called Sword Seed!’

‘Without people like us sacrificing our entire cultivation to fill it in, how could the 【Sword Dao Fruit Position】 ever sprout and grow into a towering tree?’

Yet at that moment, Lü Yang suddenly paused:

“No… There were people among the Sword Pavilion bloodline who practiced this first-grade method—Daoist Dangmo! He seems like a pure sword cultivator!”

Lü Yang had seen Daoist Dangmo in action. When faced with an assault by Heavenly and Earthly Immortals of the 【Mystic Spirit Realm】, that Foundation Establishment perfection Great Real Person hadn’t used any divine abilities—he merely drew his sword, and that so-called 【Non-Killing Sword Intent】 seemed to mark him as a true sword cultivator!

‘But why would he practice such a pitfall?’

‘Could he, like me, be a reincarnated external Real Person? No, impossible. He’s a direct bloodline of the Ye family, a trueborn Sword Pavilion member.’

“…【True Lord of Upholding Heaven’s Virtue】?”

Suddenly, inside the Myriad Spirits Banner, Ancestor Ting You—who was also reading the 『Sword Lord Speaks on the Profound and Upholds the Secret Chapter of Gold』 with Lü Yang—spoke, his expression a bit strange:

“What has been will be again.”

Ancestor Ting You sighed and then said in a deep voice, “Daoist Dangmo Ye Guangji—didn’t he formerly practice 【Wall Soil】?”