Chapter 553: The Life Information of the Heaven River Sword Venerable!

The manager of the Hero Tower saw that Chen Mu was generous and his cultivation was not weak, so he dared not be negligent and soon brought over a specially made jade slip with restrictions applied.

He stated that this was compiled by the Hero Tower’s intelligence network with great effort, covering public records and rumors from all sides about the "Heaven River Sword Venerable," and was the most comprehensive data currently on the market, of extremely high value.

Chen Mu paid far more gold and silver than the marked price of the jade slip and paid an extra hush money fee, demanding that the Hero Tower not record or leak any information about this transaction or himself.

The manager understood perfectly; such transactions were common in the Hero Tower, so he immediately swore a vow of secrecy and quietly retreated.

Inside the quiet room, the restrictions were activated.

Chen Mu held the jade slip, his spiritual sense slowly sinking into it.

A massive amount of information unfolded in his sea of consciousness like a scroll.

The "Heaven River Sword Venerable" did not come from a prominent background; it was rumored that he was a collateral descendant of a small family, and in his early years, his aptitude was mediocre, with nothing outstanding.

The true turning point occurred after he was thirty, during an exploration of a secret realm, where he accidentally obtained an ancient sword dao inheritance. From then on, he soared, his cultivation progressed rapidly, and his sword dao talent was fully revealed.

The jade slip detailed many deeds in the life of the Heaven River Sword Venerable.

Challenging experts from all directions, never once defeated.

Cutting a river with one sword, shaking Xiangnan with his might.

Discussing swords at "Heaven Capital Peak," suppressing several contemporary sword dao masters.

Deeply entering dangerous overseas lands, slaying a flood dragon that was wreaking havoc...

His combat power was strong, invincible among his peers, and challenging across levels was like eating and drinking. When at the Earth Altar realm, he had once reversed-slain a Heaven Palace expert, and when at the Heaven Palace realm, he had fought multiple times against old monsters of the Myriad Phenomena realm.

Although most ended in a draw or slightly at a disadvantage, his ability to contend with Myriad Phenomena while at the Heaven Palace realm had already created a martial arts myth.

Regarding his sword, the jade slip recorded that it matched what Chen Mu knew: a high-grade Profound Weapon named "Heaven-Traversing Cloud Sword," which accompanied him through his life of battle.

There were also several sets of "Sword Equipment," each with its own wonders.

Chen Mu had already obtained these.

However, when Chen Mu saw the analysis and speculation in the jade slip regarding the source of the Heaven River Sword Venerable’s combat power, his eyelids jumped.

"...According to research from multiple sources, and the fragmented words revealed after battles by Myriad Phenomena realm experts who had fought the Heaven River Sword Venerable, the fundamental reason why the Heaven River Sword Venerable could contend with Myriad Phenomena while at the Heaven Palace realm..."

"...is not entirely due to the exquisiteness of the 'Heaven River Sword Canon,' nor the divinity of the 'Heaven-Traversing Cloud Sword,' but because he mastered an extremely special 'Strange Fire'!"

"This Strange Fire has an unfixed form, sometimes like sword light spitting, sometimes like a star river flowing. It has infinite power and also possesses the miraculous effects of tempering true essence, condensing the soul, and amplifying sword intent."

"The Heaven River Sword Venerable used this Strange Fire to push the 'Heaven River Sword Canon' to the limit, and his sword intent carried a terrifying power capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas, cleansing the universe, only then could he contend with the 'Martial Domain' power of Myriad Phenomena realm experts!"

"This Strange Fire, the Heaven River Sword Venerable called it the 'Sword Soul'!"

"Sword Soul?!"

A brilliant light exploded in Chen Mu’s eyes.

All along, he had been biased, thinking that the "Sword Soul" with "Soul in Nine Nether" was some kind of sword dao spiritual imprint left by the Heaven River Sword Venerable, a core of inheritance, or a sublimation of the artifact spirit related to the "Heaven-Traversing Cloud Sword."

The jade pendant’s information, "Soul in Nine Nether, Merit in Nine Nether, Path in Nine Nether," also made him subconsciously equate "Soul" with "Merit" and "Path," thinking it was some kind of item or inheritance that could be obtained, refined, and used to improve cultivation or sword dao realm.

But now, the information in this jade slip was like a thunderbolt, splitting the fog of his thinking!

The "Sword Soul" was not some ethereal spiritual imprint, nor was it an artifact spirit directly bound to a sword.

It was a "Strange Fire"!

A heaven and earth wonder that had been refined and controlled by the Heaven River Sword Venerable, and with which he had unleashed world-shaking combat power as its core.

A special Strange Fire named "Sword Soul"!

No wonder...

No wonder the Heaven River Sword Venerable could contend with the Myriad Phenomena realm while at the Heaven Palace realm.

Strange Fire was inherently one of the most magical and powerful forces between heaven and earth, and each type possessed unimaginable power.

If it was a top-tier Strange Fire of extremely high quality that perfectly matched the Heaven River Sword Venerable’s cultivation method and sword intent, it was indeed possible for it to allow him to break through the realm barrier and possess the capital to fight across levels!

Strange Fire was precious beyond measure, especially this top-tier Strange Fire that could help a Heaven Palace expert contend with Myriad Phenomena, enough to make any force go crazy.

For the Nine Nether Sect to obtain it, whether they wanted to study it, refine it, or use it as some kind of foundation or bargaining chip, they would inevitably seal the information tightly and protect it heavily.

The jade pendant’s guidance, "Soul in Nine Nether," referred precisely to this "Sword Soul" Strange Fire, which was in the Nine Nether Sect!

"So that’s how it is... so that’s how it is..."

Chen Mu’s heart suddenly cleared, and many previous doubts now had reasonable explanations.

Why did the clues to the "Sword Soul" point to a sect like the Nine Nether Sect that practiced cold and gloomy cultivation methods?

Perhaps this "Sword Soul" Strange Fire itself possessed some kind of cold attribute?

Or perhaps the Nine Nether Sect had special means to suppress and preserve it?

Why did the jade pendant only provide guidance without detailed explanation?

Because the "Sword Soul" was a Strange Fire, its form, characteristics, and collection methods might not be fixed, and it involved the core secrets of the Heaven River Sword Venerable, which could not be simply recorded.

"The Sword Soul is a Strange Fire..."

Chen Mu slowly put down the jade slip, the light in his eyes flickering.

This discovery completely changed his understanding of the "Sword Soul" and gave him a brand-new assessment of the difficulty, method, and potential gains of obtaining the "Sword Soul."

A Strange Fire that could allow a Heaven Palace expert to contend with Myriad Phenomena—its value was simply immeasurable.

If he could successfully refine it, his strength would surely undergo a qualitative leap!

Combined with the existing "Four Seasons Martial Domain," his future potential would be limitless!

But correspondingly, the difficulty of obtaining it would surely multiply. The Nine Nether Sect’s guard over it would only be tighter than that of the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword.

Moreover, Strange Fire was violent and difficult to tame; the process of collecting and refining it was inherently extremely dangerous. A moment of carelessness would result in playing with fire and burning oneself, ending in the destruction of both body and soul.

"It seems that the operation targeting the 'Sword Soul' requires a more meticulous plan, more sufficient preparation, and a deeper understanding of the 'Strange Fire' itself."

Chen Mu suppressed the excitement in his heart and regained his calm.

He put away the jade slip and sat quietly in the room for another half hour, repeatedly deducing and integrating the new information with his original plan.

Afterward, he stood up and left the Hero Tower.

The goal was now clear—

The "Sword Soul" was a special Strange Fire, located in some hidden place within the Nine Nether Sect.

Next, what Chen Mu needed to do was to collect as much knowledge about "Strange Fire" as possible, especially information about the possible characteristics, weaknesses, and collection methods of this specific Strange Fire, the "Sword Soul."

At the same time, he had to closely monitor the Nine Nether Sect’s subsequent reactions to the theft of the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword, looking for opportunities or loopholes that might arise and be favorable to him!