Chapter 267: Farewell, Xia Zi Sword Immortal

"You have arrived."

Xia Zi Sword Immortal stopped polishing the sword, the rust on the blade disappeared, and sheathed the sword.

"Xia Zi, so you're really that awesome!"

Lin Chuan teased, "Had I known, I wouldn't have entered the Talent Battle; I'd have come straight to cling to your thigh."

"Scram, brat."

Xia Zi Sword Immortal opened his mouth.

The ethereal, otherworldly aura was shattered in an instant.

Lin Chuan let out a sigh of relief; it seemed Xia Zi still acknowledged their past bond.

Of course, it wasn't just the fate from the Heir Jianghu life; perhaps it was also the protective grace that Jiaojiao and Sangyu once gave.

"What did you say back then?"

Xia Zi Sword Immortal laughed, "Arrange a match for me? Find a good lady?"

Lin Chuan smiled, "You are the world-renowned Great Sword Immortal; just say the word, and any lady you desire is yours, right?"

Xia Zi Sword Immortal teased, "You clearly forgot—you've already found five yourself, never considering your Close Friend."

"Tell me, what kind do you want? I'll go find one for you right now," Lin Chuan promised.

"Never mind."

Xia Zi Sword Immortal sighed lightly again, "A blind man, still a swordsman, destined for no happy ending—perhaps I shouldn't disappoint the lady after all."

Lin Chuan changed the subject likewise, "The Xia Zi Sword Immortal who fought the Black Mist in ancient times was also you?"

"Hmm."

Xia Zi nodded and looked up.

Although his eyes were clearly wrapped in black cloth, Lin Chuan felt the gaze of a pair of scorching eyes upon him,

"You're far more capable than I am; the two seniors I once revered, you managed to coax into your grasp?"

"Damn!"

"I'm jealous!"

Xia Zi Sword Immortal was truly jealous.

Since childhood, he has longed for a Dao Companion to fight side by side, and to marry a woman bound by life and death, unmotivated by fame or wealth.

But none of the women he has encountered could break that boundary.

He thought…

To hell with endless romance!

Better to practice the sword more.

"Being accompanied by the sword is your destiny; marry your Sword Spirit maiden and bring her home,"

Lin Chuan smiled.

"You're a pervert."

Xia Zi muttered, "Who in their right mind would take a Sword Spirit as a wife?"

Lin Chuan: "……"

"Change the subject."

"I also came with one more matter, to ask you about the Black Mist—what exactly is its current state?"

Lin Chuan asked.

"Hard to say."

Xia Zi shook his head, "The Black Mist's condition is bizarre; rumors abound, and the major powers have a sizable dispute over how to deal with it."

"Some things you can only truly feel by going there yourself."

"You should understand that some matters cannot be expressed in words."

"It seems you anticipated my arrival," Lin Chuan said.

"Of course."

Xia Zi proudly said, "To be able to call me brother in my red-dust dream, and even dare to strike me—you are the first."

"Facts prove you are indeed extraordinary."

"But some matters require you to see for yourself; it won't be long now."

Xia Zi sighed.

Lin Chuan smiled, "Since when have you also enjoyed making people guess riddles?"

"Life, destiny, Daoism, all are shrouded in dense mist."

Xia Zi stood, sword pointing at the Heavenly Dome; with a flick of the arm, sword qi sliced through the dome, the heavy clouds parting, revealing a blue sky beneath the rolling clouds.

"A sword honed to the extreme can pierce it."

"……"

Lin Chuan was astonished, "You truly are meant to spend a lifetime with a sword."

Their conversation alternated between jokes and sincerity.

Xia Zi set a table, brought out a pot of fine wine aged for years; the two drank together and sparred in swordsmanship amid the drunken merriment.

"We should go."

After a night of lively chat, Lin Chuan sobered up and prepared to leave.

"Take care on your way."

Xia Zi chuckled, "Don't forget our agreement; find me a good lady and keep one for me."

"Next time, for sure."

Lin Chuan strode away in large steps.

"Right!"

From behind came Xia Zi's voice again, "If you run into anything unpleasant again, kill it! Give my name, I'll protect you."

"Got it, Great Sword Immortal!"

Lin Chuan raised his arm high and waved the sword in his hand.

One step further and he had already reached the foot of the mountain, slipped back onto the flying boat without a sound, unnoticed by any Sword Cultivator of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

"A Chuan, how's it going? Did you see the Xia Zi Sword Immortal?"

Xiao Qingmei, Yun Zhi Yi and the other women gathered around.

"We did."

Lin Chuan said seriously, "He is the one who, in the later ancient era, succeeded Sangyu and Jiao Jiao, and fought against the Black Mist—the Xia Zi Sword Immortal."

"It's all fate!"

Lin Chuan could not help but sigh.

Yun Zhi Yi asked, "What does the Xia Zi Sword Immortal say about the Black Mist?"

"He told me to go see for myself."

Lin Chuan sighed, "It seems the Black Mist's condition is stranger than we imagined; it hasn't stirred up a storm yet, but good or bad, no one knows."

"We'll wait."

Ye Xue said, "Sister probably knows more; let's go to the Zi Wei Xing Domain first."

The third‑round Heavenly Domain champion battle will unfold in the Nine Major Star Regions.

This year, the Zi Wei Xing Domain is responsible for hosting it.

Now geniuses from all factions have gathered in the Nine Major Star Regions, whether contestants or eliminated talents,

for them it remains a rare grand event.

Witnessing the birth of the strongest is, for many cultivators, also an honor.

With so many geniuses, only one is destined to be the most dazzling.

The others will become supporting characters at his brightest moment.

………

Zi Wei Xing Domain.

Zi Wei Xing Emperor Sect.

Fu Guang Daoist, for discovering the lone cultivator Lin Chuan, comparable to a super genius, was granted numerous rewards by the sect.

So refreshing.

"With so many resources stacked, even if I'm a pig, I have hope to break into the Third Realm of legend."

"Lin Chuan, Lin Chuan, you're literally my little lucky star—no, my little ancestor!"

Even an ancestral tomb spewing green smoke is nothing compared to this.

At that moment, the messaging Jade Talisman hanging at his waist flickered and shook violently.

Fu Guang Daoist immediately cupped the Jade Talisman, probed the message inside, and his already uncontrollable grin grew even broader, his cheeks puffed up into a lump.

"Lin Chuan wants to visit the Zi Wei Xing Emperor Sect?"

"Great!"

He was just worried he had no reason to contact Lin Chuan; the elders kept pressuring him to build a good relationship with Lin Chuan.

Isn't this the chance?

Fu Guang Daoist puffed out his chest, walking with far more swagger.

Passing through the Sect's various places, junior disciples obediently called him Uncle‑Teacher or Senior‑Brother, or just Senior Brother; powerful legendary cultivators who saw him would smile and shout "Fu Guang junior brother!"

This! Is it!

Exceptional talent! Prospects of ascending to Immortal! The treatment of a guide for a super genius…!

Fu Guang Daoist piloted his flying boat to the entrance of the Star Realm where Lin Chuan entered, and waited with great patience.

After a long while, his eyes lit up.

"It's coming!"