261: Chapter 256 Li Daoxuan's Certainty

He sat down leisurely at the stone table, observing Chen Zhiwen's Immortal Cave—which could be described as having nothing but four bare walls—with great interest. He even nodded in approval, saying, "The Great Dao is simple. Peak Master Chen's Immortal Cave has quite a sense of returning to simplicity."

As he spoke, he casually picked up the ordinary stone pot on the stone table and poured a cup of still-warm tea for both himself and Chen Zhiwen.

Seeing his calm and unhurried demeanor, Chen Zhiwen's confusion nearly overflowed.

However, he did not rush to ask questions. He simply sat down calmly across from Sect Master Li Daoxuan, wanting to see what kind of medicine this Sect Master was selling in his gourd.

"Sect Master, regarding the matter of those six Disciples…"

Chen Zhiwen picked up the rough stone cup, took a light sip, and was the first to break the silence.

"Peak Master Chen, no need to be nervous."

Sect Master Li Daoxuan also picked up his tea cup, gently using the lid to stir the surface of the water, speaking unhurriedly as if discussing an interesting anecdote unrelated to himself.

"Actually, this kind of thing has been common for many years."

"Oh?" Chen Zhiwen raised an eyebrow, waiting calmly for him to continue.

"Heh." Sect Master Li Daoxuan let out an ambiguous chuckle, set down the tea cup with a light 'tap' sound.

"In fact, not to mention this time, going back hundreds or thousands of years, every time our Ten Thousand Swords Sect opens its gates to accept Disciples, those other top-tier Sects in the Eastern Prefecture, to varying degrees, will try their best to send some of their most outstanding elite Disciples to infiltrate."

"Their methods are varied. Some disguise themselves as Loose Cultivators, some pose as members of small Families, and some even go as far as to cripple part of their own Cultivation just to make their bones look like raw jade. But for thousands of years, their goal has been surprisingly consistent."

Sect Master Li Daoxuan's gaze passed through the stone door of the Immortal Cave, looking at the majestic Peaks shrouded in the night, his eyes becoming somewhat distant and complex.

"It is all for that legendary… Supreme Secret Art within this Hidden Sword Peak that you now manage."

The Supreme Secret Art again!

Despite having guessed it in his heart, when the name was spoken by the Sect Master himself, Chen Zhiwen's heart could not help but skip a beat.

He looked at Sect Master Li Daoxuan, deciding to stop beating around the bush and asked directly: "Sect Master, this Junior dares to ask. What is the origin of that legendary Supreme Secret Art? And what kind of charm does it possess to make the major Sects of the Eastern Prefecture so obsessed? Even after tens of thousands of years, they remain unable to forget it, not hesitating to send their most elite Disciples time and time again to investigate?"

Upon hearing this, Sect Master Li Daoxuan fell into a moment of silence, seemingly organizing his words or perhaps recalling some ancient secrets.

He picked up his tea cup again and said slowly: "Peak Master Chen, do you know why our Ten Thousand Swords Sect has been able to remain the number one Sword Sect in the Eastern Prefecture for tens of thousands of years, unshakable by anyone?"

Without waiting for Chen Zhiwen's answer, he answered his own question: "It is not because of our Sect-protecting formation, nor because of how many Nascent Soul Elders we have in the Sect. It is because we once had an 'Immortal'."

"An Immortal?" Chen Zhiwen's pupils shrank slightly.

"Indeed, an Immortal." Sect Master Li Daoxuan's face showed a hint of pride and reverence.

"Regarding the specific information about that Secret Art, because the era is too distant, many records have become blurred. Even I, as Sect Master, only know the secrets passed down through generations."

"I once heard my Revered Master, the previous Sect Master, mention it. Our founding Old Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect was a genius who created the supreme Sword Dao of the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Sect. However, in his era, the Laws of this world seemed to have limitations, and the end of the cultivation path was the Loose Immortal Realm."

"The Old Ancestor, despite exhausting his life, only reached the Realm of a Nine-Tribulation Loose Immortal, unable to break through the final step, facing the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, and the outcome of death."

"It wasn't until his later years, when his Lifespan was about to end, that one day while watching the sea of clouds and contemplating the sword at the Peak of this mountain, he had an Epiphany and discovered that… Supreme Secret Art!"

Speaking of this, a flash of indescribable shock and yearning appeared in Sect Master Li Daoxuan's eyes, and his voice involuntarily carried a hint of trembling.

"It was precisely because he cultivated that mysterious Supreme Secret Art that the founding Old Ancestor was able to defy the Heavens and change his fate! Within a mere hundred years, he broke the shackles of this world's Laws, leaping from the Loose Immortal Realm to the legendary… Earth Immortal Realm, which had long since vanished from the world!"

"Moreover, he successfully summoned the Immortal Light of Acceptance, shattered the Void Realm, and right in front of all the top experts of the Eastern Prefecture, ascended in broad daylight to that vast and boundless true Immortal Realm!"

Ascension?!

Immortal Realm?!

These two terms, like two thunderclaps splitting the sky, exploded in Chen Zhiwen's mind!

Even with his state of mind as someone who had lived two lives, he could not suppress the look of shock on his face at this moment!

This world actually had Ascension! There really was a higher level of the Immortal Realm!

To allow a Nine-Tribulation Loose Immortal to break the Laws of heaven and earth and break through to the Earth Immortal Realm! This was not something an ordinary Cultivation Technique could achieve! The grade of this Secret Art probably already exceeded the cognitive scope of this world!

No wonder…

No wonder those top-tier Sects were so crazy!

This was not just a Cultivation Technique; it represented a path to a higher level of life! A path leading to true immortality!

Sect Master Li Daoxuan looked at Chen Zhiwen's shocked expression, seemingly satisfied. He drank the remaining tea in his cup in one gulp, suppressing the agitation in his heart.

Then, he slowly stood up, his tone returning to his previous calmness.

"Therefore, Peak Master Chen, you don't need to pay too much attention to those little fellows with ulterior motives."

"Water that is too clear has no fish. If they want to stay, let them stay. As long as they don't do anything harmful to the Sect, just let them be."

"After they dig three feet into the ground on this Hidden Sword Peak, searching for ten or eight years, and find nothing, they will naturally leave in despair. We have experienced this kind of thing in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect too many times."

Sect Master Li Daoxuan's tone was very calm, even carrying a hint of… confidence.

It was as if he was certain that those people could never find the Secret Art.

Chen Zhiwen stared at Sect Master Li Daoxuan's back and fell silent.

The Sect Master's calmness made him feel something unusual. This was not simple self-confidence; it felt more like… an understanding of everything.

Watching Sect Master Li Daoxuan about to walk out of the Immortal Cave, Chen Zhiwen asked another question on impulse.

"Sect Master."

"If… I mean if, during this process, one of them actually finds it?"

Sect Master Li Daoxuan stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head back, wearing a meaningful, certain smile on his face.

"Peak Master Chen, do you know how many years have passed since our Ten Thousand Swords Sect was founded?"

"Hundreds of thousands of years."

"In these hundreds of thousands of years, I don't know how many brilliant predecessors of our Sect have exhausted their lives trying to find the Secret Art left by the Old Ancestor, but in the end, they all found nothing."

"Even I, the Sect Master who has managed the Sect for hundreds of years, sometimes cannot help but wonder if that legendary Supreme Secret Art ever really existed, or if it was just a beautiful legend made up by our predecessors to inspire future generations."

His tone carried a hint of self-deprecation, but more than that, it was an unshakable confidence.

"I don't believe that those little dolls who haven't even reached Core Formation can do what even our past Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation predecessors of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect could not do."

After saying this, he turned and prepared to leave.

But after walking two steps, he seemed to remember something, turned back, and added to Chen Zhiwen.

"By the way, Peak Master Chen."

"In the recent period, it is best not to go into long-term seclusion. Just consolidate your Cultivation."

"Three months later, the 'Ancient Tomb of Ten Thousand Demons' on the border of the Eastern Prefecture will open again. At that time, the Sect will organize a group of elite Disciples to go for training. The environment there is complex and full of crises, and it may require an expert like you at the Mid-stage Golden Core Realm to accompany them and protect the Disciples."

"Understood." Chen Zhiwen nodded and agreed.

Sect Master Li Daoxuan nodded with satisfaction, his figure flickered, and like ink melting into water, he disappeared silently into the night.

Inside the Immortal Cave, tranquility returned.

Chen Zhiwen sat alone at the stone table for a long time without speaking, his mind still replaying the conversation with the Sect Master just now.

Supreme Secret Art, Ascension to the Immortal Realm…

Ancient Tomb of Ten Thousand Demons…

This world seemed even broader and more exciting than he had imagined.

After a long time, he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He released his Divine Sense again and glanced at the various parts of the mountain, at the six "Disciples" who were still carefully disguising themselves in their respective Immortal Caves.

Immediately, a strange smile curled the corners of his mouth.

Since the Sect Master said there was no need to worry about it, he was happy to be relaxed.

Let them toss and turn.

He was also a bit curious about what kind of mystery this so-called Supreme Secret Art held.

Withdrawing his Divine Sense, Chen Zhiwen ignored them, closed his eyes again, and began to run his Cultivation Technique to stabilize his newly broken-through Peak Realm.

Only this time, there was an extra thought in his heart.

The entire Hidden Sword Peak fell into silence again, but the undercurrents had already begun to surge in silence.