64: Chapter 64 The Beginning of All Things, the Source of All Paths

"Yuanshi!"

"The beginning of all things, the source of ten thousand Daos!"

Yu Xiu simply gazed at the starry sky, yet the starlight and moonlight above seemed to be pouring onto him, and the spirituality of the earth beneath his feet and all directions seemed to be pouring into him.

He was using the countless worlds within himself to connect with the true Great World.

As he began to connect with this true Great World, the starry sky within his body, those countless worlds of dust, also began to gradually become complete.

Mountains and land were born, rivers, lakes, and seas came into existence, the sun and moon hung in the sky, stars filled the expanse, vegetation grew, mineral veins were nurtured within the mountains, and beneath the earth, fire veins were generated.

All of this was, in reality, an illusion; it was Yu Xiu evolving through the Dao Scripture, it was the 'Qi of Yuanshi'.

But as long as he wished, these could also evolve into reality.

His current state was very peculiar, somewhat like a powerful being who had stepped into the King Realm, Saint Realm, or Emperor Realm on the path of martial cultivation, using their Divine Treasury to connect heaven and earth, absorbing special essence from heaven and earth to nourish themselves.

But he was even more thorough than those in the King Realm, Saint Realm, or Emperor Realm; whether it was that special essence, the Qi of the earth's veins, or the light of the sun, moon, and stars, everything was converging upon him.

[Yuanshi (100 / 999999999)]

Yuanshi!

This was both his current cultivation level and his Realm.

In his deductions, when 'Yuanshi' was completely cultivated, he would be the true Yuanshi.

Becoming the beginning of all things, the source of ten thousand Daos, he would be everywhere, reach everywhere, and be capable of anything.

Creating heaven and earth, changing the world, reversing Yin and Yang—all would be feasible.

'No wonder the immortals recorded in ancient texts all traveled the world!'

'I must do the same!'

Why travel the world?

Because one must comprehend the Dao of all things in heaven and earth to reach Yuanshi.

He had only created the first volume of the Dao Scripture and had just set foot on the path of Yuanshi.

But what he pursued was no longer so-called cultivation or Realm, but the Dao, the Yuanshi.

Sword Dao is Yuanshi; Taiyin, Taiyang, Five Elements, Wind, Thunder, and so on—everything is Yuanshi.

Everything has to be comprehended.

Traveling the world, looking at the various landscapes of the world, understanding the emergence of vitality between mountains and waters, the combination of Earth virtue, Water virtue, and Wood virtue, containing immense vitality to nourish all things.

He also had to look beneath the rivers, lakes, and seas at the creatures in the water.

He had to go see the extreme cold of glaciers and the rolling magma to understand the marvels of creation.

He had to see the changes of the four seasons, the myriad states of the human world, and the appearances of all living beings, and subsequently understand Karma, fate, Reincarnation, and time; all these things were within Yuanshi.

He watched the moon set, saw the starry sky fade away, and then saw the morning sun rise and all things competing to flourish; it was as if heaven and earth had changed their appearance.

This was the Dao of Yin and Yang, the Dao of Taiyang and Taiyin, and even more so, the power of life and creation.

Yuanshi was hidden within every little detail between this heaven and earth.

"Is Senior Brother Yu here?" someone called out from outside the door.

Yu Xiu had anticipated this; without wind or any fluctuation of True Qi, the gate of the courtyard opened on its own.

He saw a young female Disciple of Zhanlong Peak standing outside the door, with outstanding looks and an outstanding figure; Yu Xiu had never seen her before, yet upon seeing her, he already knew her name was Ruan Tang.

He had not deliberately tried to find out everything, but the Dao of Yuanshi naturally manifested.

This state was mysterious and profound.

"Senior Brother…" Ruan Tang's gaze naturally fell upon Yu Xiu in the courtyard.

It was also upon this glance that Ruan Tang suddenly froze in place.

At this moment, the great sun had not long risen, and heaven and earth were bright.

But the light of that great sun seemed to favor Yu Xiu alone, giving him a radiance, making him look like a sun himself, yet it was not blinding.

'Very special, very strange, as if he is no longer a person of this world!' This was Ruan Tang's first impression after seeing Yu Xiu.

What was even stranger was that Yu Xiu was clearly standing in the courtyard, yet it felt as if he were separated by thousands of mountains and waters; she could not see him clearly, yet at the same time, she could see him clearly!

Ruan Tang shook her head vigorously, and when she looked again, she found that the intense contradiction of being unable to see clearly yet seeing clearly had suddenly vanished.

'Am I dizzy?' Ruan Tang felt doubt and confusion in her heart.

Otherwise, why would looking at this Senior Brother Yu feel like looking at the sun of the human world?

Ruan Tang suppressed the various strange and incomprehensible feelings and said, "The Protector of Jiuxiao Peak has brought Disciples to visit, and requests Senior Brother Yu to come forward."

Yu Xiu nodded, "Sorry to trouble you."

He hid the wonders of the Dao of Yuanshi.

Ruan Tang led the way in front, and Yu Xiu followed at a leisurely pace.

The various forms of spirituality in the mountains continuously merged into his body, and various phenomena emerged and entered his eyes.

He saw insects crawling on an old tree, insects gnawing on leaves, insects hunting, and insects trapped on a single leaf, crawling back and forth unable to leave that leaf; for those insects, was that not a world in itself?

Ruan Tang was completely unaware of all this, only stealing glances at Yu Xiu.

'I heard that this Senior Brother Yu is expected to become one of the Ten True Seeds, or even one of the Ten True Disciples in the future, to the point that Jiuxiao Peak of the Sword in Heart lineage even wants to come and ask for him!'

'But why can't I feel the sharpness of a Sword Cultivator from this Senior Brother, instead it feels like…'

Like what?

Ruan Tang couldn't really say, but if she had to say it, she felt that Yu Xiu didn't look like a person, but rather like…

A mountain!

Yes, it was a mountain, a complete mountain!

Not just in height, but also in the vegetation, rocks, birds, and beasts on the mountain; he seemed to encompass everything!

"Senior Brother Yu, will you go to Jiuxiao Peak and switch to cultivating the Sword in Heart?" Ruan Tang suppressed her heartbeat and asked in a low voice, secretly looking at Yu Xiu's heroic face.

Yu Xiu calmly shook his head, "I will not go."

Whether it was the Sword in Heart or the Sword in the Hand, both were on the path of martial cultivation, and both were within Yuanshi.

"Everyone in the Sword Sect says that the Sword in Heart lineage is superior to the Sword in the Hand lineage. Many people from the Sword in the Hand lineage switch to cultivating the Sword in Heart after achieving a high level of cultivation.

"Even those ten high and mighty True Disciples all practiced the Sword in the Hand first, then switched to the Sword in Heart, combining the strengths of both lineages. Why won't Senior Brother go?" Ruan Tang was very curious.

She felt that this Senior Brother Yu was very mysterious, very special, and even more so, made people unable to resist wanting to get close and explore.

Of course, she would not know that this was the marvel of Yuanshi.

Yu Xiu looked at Ruan Tang, "Does Junior Sister know what a Sword Cultivator is?"

Ruan Tang was embarrassed by the look, turned her face away, and said, "A Sword Cultivator cultivates the Sword in the Hand, and also cultivates the sword in the heart. The Sword in the Hand slays demons and protects the Dao, becoming an unparalleled swordsmanship.

"The sword in the heart slays confusion, breaks the heart-monkey, tames the intent-horse, and forms a clear sword heart."

Yu Xiu countered, "Since it is cultivating unparalleled swordsmanship and forming a clear sword heart, then what is the difference between the Sword in the Hand and the Sword in the Heart?"

Ruan Tang said as a matter of course, "Of course there is a difference. The Sword in Heart cultivates a mouthful of supreme Sword Qi; from head to toe, everything is a sword. Even a drop of blood that flows out is a sword. It is much more powerful than the Sword in the Hand."

"Is that so?" Yu Xiu suddenly raised his hand upwards. At this moment, a black bird flew over his head, but suddenly turned back and naturally landed on Yu Xiu's hand.

He gently stroked the bird's head, and the bird seemed to enjoy it immensely, closing its eyes comfortably, completely unaware that a feather from its tail had already fallen into Yu Xiu's hand.

"Go," Yu Xiu waved his hand, and the bird flew away.

'How was this done?' Ruan Tang's eyes widened.

The bird had clearly already flown away, so why did the bird turn back when Senior Brother reached out?

'Is Senior Brother Yu's martial will too astonishing, influencing that bird invisibly?'

'No, if it were martial will, I am right beside him, it's impossible for me not to notice!'

'Then why?'

'Can Senior Brother Yu also control beasts?'

Yu Xiu did not pay attention to Ruan Tang's brainstorming, just pinched the black feather in his hand, "Look, that bird has never learned swordsmanship, much less cultivated the Sword in Heart, but its feather can also be a sword."

As he finished speaking, the feather in Yu Xiu's hand suddenly emitted a 'clanging' sword hum, and then an astonishing sword radiance emerged.

In Ruan Tang's eyes, that was no bird feather at all; it was clearly a sword of world-shocking power that soared into the sky, cutting through the airflow, as if it wanted to slash into the heavens and split the sea of clouds!

Magnificent and vast, sharp and unparalleled, fierce and unmatched!

"I use a bird feather as a sword; how does that compare to the Sword in Heart lineage?" Yu Xiu's voice drifted lightly into Ruan Tang's ears.