Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Sword Dao Hall

The end of the Sacred Trial left the storm stirred up by Chu Feng impossible to calm. In less than two hours, his name had spread throughout the Spirit Battle Pavilion, becoming the center of attention and sparking endless discussion.

The peerless battle strength he had displayed had shaken everyone to the core. What most people still did not know, however, was that his stepping onto the path of the Heavenly Way had stirred up an even greater impact. Some Sacred Spirit Warriors had returned and immediately begun practicing swordsmanship, and the book known as Sword Dao had once again become the hottest subject of interest.

Within the Xu Character Camp, when Xu Yan heard of Chu Feng’s performance, her heart was filled with complicated emotions. She stared blankly at the sky, feeling as though that wild man was growing farther and farther away from her.

That night, Chu Feng’s villa was bustling with activity. Sun Xuan, Zhu Miaomiao, and several others who were on good terms with Chu Feng had all come, naturally including Long Yue, Murong Qiuxue, and Liu Yantao.

In addition, Chu Feng had also invited Xiao Yue and the four newcomers from the new recruit camp, Han Yan, Di Han, and the others. For him, who possessed the Sacred Spirit Battle Token, bringing these people into the Heaven Character Camp was no difficult matter.

The gathering could be counted as a celebration of sorts. Aside from Xiao Yue and Long Yue, the others did not know what exactly Chu Feng had cultivated, or how his battle strength could have reached such an absurd level.

As they ate and drank, everyone inevitably asked questions, their curiosity impossible to hide.

Chu Feng merely smiled mysteriously and said, “You’ll know in a while.”

Everything had its advantages and disadvantages. According to the elders, once the Sword Dao Hall was established, there would naturally be a selection process. They had to strive to reduce the negative impact brought by Sword Dao to the lowest possible level.

So Chu Feng did not reveal anything for the time being. He did not want Sword Dao to affect everyone else’s path of cultivation, after all. He was different from the others; he could not cultivate spiritual dao, and comprehending Sword Dao was, for him, an all-or-nothing gamble.

Outside the villa, Chu Feng spoke privately with Xiao Yue. He did not hide the secret of Sword Dao from him. After all, Sword Dao itself had been created by an ancestor of the Xiao Clan, and the one who had guided him all along was Xiao Yue. Thus, he hoped Xiao Yue would learn of these secrets first.

After hearing Chu Feng’s explanation, Xiao Yue sighed with emotion. “So that’s how it is. Within Sword Dao, there is actually a path to the Heavenly Way.”

He fully understood the worries of the human race’s elders. There had once been a period when this tome had already caused a great craze, because everyone had been eager to comprehend Sword Dao and had instead neglected their cultivation. That had been somewhat like putting the cart before the horse.

Moreover, at that time, the secret of Sword Dao had not yet been discovered. Xiao Yue could well imagine that if the secret were revealed rashly, the ensuing craze would surpass anything before it. But such blind fanaticism would have no meaning at all.

“Hahaha, I never thought my brother would also become a hall master of great renown!” Xiao Yue clapped Chu Feng on the shoulder, in high spirits.

Chu Feng smiled helplessly and sighed. “All the other hall masters are Sacred Spirit Warriors. As for me, if word gets out, it’ll only sound like a joke.”

“Have more confidence in yourself!” Xiao Yue said. “Even the Sacred Spirit Warriors still haven’t uncovered the mysteries of Sword Dao. The elders establishing the Sword Dao Hall is a great experiment. Such matters cannot be rushed. Perhaps no results will be seen in the short term, but as long as the seeds of hope are sown, why fear that they will not blossom and bear fruit? In any case, keep working hard!”

It was very late before everyone finally dispersed. Accompanied by Long Yue, Chu Feng saw Xiao Yue, Han Yan, and the others out of the Heaven Character Camp.

“Brother Feng, what exactly is going on with Sword Dao?” Long Yue asked curiously on the way back. Although she knew Chu Feng had been comprehending Sword Dao and had seen his achievements with her own eyes, she had never truly touched that path, so of course she did not know the secret behind it.

“That’s right, kid. You can’t keep things from us!” Suddenly, a voice rang out, and a tall, graceful figure descended from the sky, landing beside Long Yue. It was Murong Qiuxue.

“Sister Qiuxue, you’re curious too?” Long Yue asked.

“Seeing that absurd battle strength of his, how could I not be?” Murong Qiuxue said with a smile.

“Exactly, exactly!” At that moment another voice sounded, and the charcoal-faced Liu Yantao appeared.

Long Yue and Murong Qiuxue both glared at him. Murong Qiuxue spoke first. “What are you doing here?”

“Of course I’m here for my Brother Chu. Aren’t you both curious as well?” Liu Yantao said, though he did not dare move too close to Long Yue or Murong Qiuxue, and could only stand on Chu Feng’s other side.

By then, Murong Qiuxue no longer cared to bother with Liu Yantao. What she cared about more was the secret behind Chu Feng’s battle strength. In truth, by now, because of Chu Feng, even Murong Qiuxue no longer held as much hostility toward Liu Yantao as she once had.

The three of them actually had much the same thoughts. After all, they had all been present that day and had personally witnessed the entire trial process. In the end, Chu Feng had even been summoned by the elders; that alone was enough to prove there was a tremendous secret hidden within it all.

In an instant, Long Yue, Murong Qiuxue, and Liu Yantao all stared straight at Chu Feng, waiting for him to speak.

Chu Feng sighed inwardly and said, “You’re all so anxious. It’s actually like this…”

He had no choice but to spend the effort once more, repeating the information he had told Xiao Yue.

The three listened in stunned silence. Only then did they realize that what Chu Feng had displayed was the Heavenly Way path that only Sacred Spirit Warriors could possibly touch.

“So the true foundation of Senior Yu Yang’s strength lies here. There really exists such a terrifying path of cultivation in this world, and there was actually an ancient predecessor who used the sword as a vessel to leave behind a scripture,” the three of them thought, deeply moved.

“So if one wants to touch the path of the Heavenly Way, one must either become a Sacred Spirit Warrior, or comprehend Sword Dao. And the premise for comprehending Sword Dao is to practice swordsmanship first?” Murong Qiuxue asked.

“In theory, yes,” Chu Feng nodded.

“Hall Master Chu, we’ll have to trouble you to give us some special guidance from time to time in the future,” Liu Yantao said, throwing an arm around Chu Feng’s shoulder.

At that, Chu Feng raised an eyebrow, revealing a strange expression.

“But reaching Brother Feng’s level in swordsmanship is just too difficult,” Long Yue said with a slight frown.

“Girl, you need confidence in yourself, and also confidence in your Brother Feng,” Murong Qiuxue said. “It seems that although cultivation will remain the main focus in the future, we’ll still have to spend some time honing our swordsmanship. This is undoubtedly a long-term undertaking. After all, the path of the Heavenly Way is not something so easily touched!”

Long Yue and Liu Yantao nodded. Their thoughts were much the same as Murong Qiuxue’s.

“Brother Feng, then we’ll be relying on you to look after us from now on,” Long Yue said with a smile.

“No problem,” Chu Feng said.

He could tell the three were very rational. They had not let the Heavenly Way path drive them into blindly and fanatically choosing Sword Dao. That, too, was exactly the state the elders most hoped to see.

Three days later, the Spirit Battle Pavilion issued an important announcement: it would be recruiting swordsmanship grandmasters from the entire human race, regardless of whether they were cultivators.

As soon as this news spread, not only was the whole Spirit Battle Pavilion shaken, but the entire Sacred City was as well. When the message reached one city after another, it caused an enormous uproar. Yet only the Sacred Spirit Warriors who had attended the Sacred Trial had guessed the purpose behind this move.

Cultivation was the true kingly path; swordsmanship was generally regarded as a dead end. The Spirit Battle Pavilion’s action was truly baffling. But there was no doubt that it greatly elevated the status of swordsmanship.

Soon, responses came from all sides. After preliminary selection in the various cities, those with exceptional swordsmanship were quickly transported to the Sacred City aboard flying eagle warships.

One month later, no fewer than ten thousand swordsmanship experts had gathered in the Sacred City. Some were cultivators, while others were not.

Thereafter, under Chu Feng’s supervision, a grand tournament of swordsmanship was held among the ten thousand. After several days of rigorous elimination, the one hundred finest sword users among them were finally selected.

Next, Chu Feng personally tested their techniques and chose the nine most accomplished among them. In Chu Feng’s view, if these nine could advance their swordsmanship even one step further, they would be able to reach the legendary realm of the Sword God. But that final step was far too difficult for them; even if they devoted their entire lives to it, they might never succeed.

These nine would enjoy the treatment of instructors from the Xu Character Camp and would become the first nine Sword Masters of the future Sword Dao Hall. From then on, the students selected from the other camps who might be suitable for comprehending Sword Dao would mainly be taught by these nine.

After selecting the nine, Chu Feng chose another eighteen swordsmanship grandmasters. These eighteen would be the Sword Tutors of the Sword Dao Hall, and they would likewise receive the treatment of instructors from the Xu Character Camp.

This had not been part of the original plan. It was a decision made only after the five elders refined the arrangement.

After all, once the Sword Dao Hall was established, it would have to develop over the long term, just like the four great camps. The position of Sword Master could not lack successors.

Thus, the Sword Dao Hall would also recruit a certain number of students from outside the Spirit Battle Pavilion. These students were different from those taught by the nine Sword Masters; they would truly belong to the Sword Dao Hall.

They would be managed by the eighteen Sword Tutors. Their primary focus would be swordsmanship, and they existed for the continuation of the Sword Dao Hall. Of course, although these students would reside within the Sword Dao Hall, they would still be allowed to cultivate if they had the ability to do so.

At the same time as the recruitment of swordsmanship grandmasters, the construction of the Sword Dao Hall was also proceeding in full swing, and it was being built directly within the Heaven Character Camp. From now on, the Sword Dao Hall would be a part of the Heaven Character Camp.

With the principal personnel determined, Chu Feng had originally been able to relax. However, Mo Xuan’s challenge came right on its heels, which could be counted as the agreement the two had made back then.

One had already become a Heaven Spirit Warrior, while the other possessed battle strength rivaling that of a Heaven Spirit Warrior. Their duel on the battle stage of the Heaven Character Camp naturally drew the attention of many.

The battle was extremely intense. Mo Xuan was formidable, and his use of spiritual arts was exceedingly exquisite, drawing cheers from the crowd.

However, in terms of battle strength, Chu Feng still had the advantage, and in the end he defeated Mo Xuan.

This incident caused quite a stir as well, after all Mo Xuan had long been regarded as the strongest man in the Heaven Character Camp. Yet now he had lost.

Though Mo Xuan had always been proud, he was in fact a broad-minded man. Even after losing, he accepted it with complete conviction.

In truth, after witnessing Chu Feng’s battle strength during the Sacred Trial, Mo Xuan had already known he would lose. Even so, he still resolutely issued the challenge. Only after some conversation did Chu Feng learn that Mo Xuan’s time cultivating in the Heaven Character Camp had already reached its end, and he was about to leave the Sacred City. This had been his final battle before departure, and he did not wish to leave behind any regrets.

After that duel, Chu Feng developed a genuine admiration for this proud man.

Then another two months passed, and the Spirit Battle Pavilion announced the establishment of the Sword Dao Hall in the Heaven Character Camp, naming Chu Feng as the first Hall Master of the Sword Dao Hall. This move undoubtedly stirred up an even greater storm than the last.