Chapter 209: 202 Yun Xiyan's Grand Plan

This topic is actually quite interesting. Tang Zhao's mind had been filled with Rune Formulas these past few days, and he was feeling a bit overwhelmed from pondering various difficult problems. Coincidentally seeing this refreshing title, and it being an acquaintance, he couldn't help but go in to join the fun.

As soon as he entered the venue, Yun Xiyan naturally spotted him at a glance and immediately said happily, "Aha, Brother Tang has come too? Excellent! We've added another great general!"

The surrounding gazes converged all at once. Tang Zhao hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare call myself a great general, I just wanted to come and listen." He then sat down beside Wang Fei. Wang Fei smiled and nodded in greeting.

Yun Xiyan nodded and said, "As long as you're interested. You'll understand once you listen; you'll definitely be willing to join us then. Let me continue. This Sword Immortal's sword has been searched for for so many years without being found; it certainly won't be found just by digging up the ground. It must exist in another form."

Tang Zhao nodded slightly. What Yun Xiyan said was correct. This sword had been in Kungang for so many years, dozens of Rune Assemblies had been held, and the Hosts had changed one after another. Everyone wanted to find this sword and had long since scraped the ground over and over. If this sword still had the appearance of a "sword," how could it not have been found?

However...

Below, a person who was clearly a Martial Artist offered a salute and said, "Everyone has thought about this logic for so many years, so we should have all figured it out, right? Searching for the sword now isn't searching for the sword, but searching for the Sword Image, right? It's just that we don't know the Sword Image, so it's not easy to find..."

Tang Zhao's heart stirred; he knew about Sword Images.

Another young man shook his head and said loudly, "It's just that we don't know. This sword has existed for so many years, displaying different Sword Techniques and Sword Arts every time. Large factions surround it to study it, and by deducing the Sword Image from the Sword Technique, they must have guessed eight or nine out of ten; they just haven't announced it. If even they can't find it after searching, is it enough for us to just guess blindly?"

Someone refuted, but Yun Xiyan became even more smug and said loudly, "That's right, but the Sword Image is not that simple. The Sword Image you usually talk about searching for refers to the realm of 'Manifestation,' which is the sword of a Sword Hero. If a Sword Hero's Sword Image is an ox, then what manifests is a real ox, and you only need to find this ox. But this sword is a Sword Immortal's sword; the Sword Image is not just Manifestation, but Forming Momentum, forming a great momentum. It is absolutely not one ox, but ten thousand oxen galloping."

The audience fell silent for a moment; more than half did not understand what "Forming Momentum" meant. After all, a Sword Immortal was still a long way off for young Talisman Sword Masters, not to mention Martial Artists.

Yun Xiyan said in one breath, "The Sword Image of Forming Momentum has already turned into a great momentum, turned into an environment, turned into a domain. Don't think that among those ten thousand oxen, one is truly the Sword Image and the rest are fake. That's not it; rather, every single one is real, and yet every single one is not real. It should be said that the herd combined is real, while the individual oxen scattered are not."

She spoke a bunch of tongue-twisting words. Most of the Talisman Sword Masters below could barely understand, but the Martial Artists were already dizzy. Finally, a tall female Knight-Errant, almost as tall as Yun Xiyan, said, "Sword Master Yun, just say it straight: how do we find the sword?"

Tang Zhao glanced at the other person and felt that the two looked alike, thinking: Is this person arranged by Sister Yun?

Senior Sister Yun said, "I'll say it straight. Although the sword momentum is everywhere and seems impossible to grasp, every Force Array must have an Array Eye. As long as you find the Array Eye and collect it with special means, you can cause the sword momentum to undergo Restraint and reveal the sword's original appearance. At that time, that divine sword, which is rarely seen in its entirety, will appear as it is. So our mission is to find the Array Eye..."

At this time, the young man who had been refuting earlier said again, "But... the sword momentum of the Sword Immortal is a secret to us, but is it also a secret to the large factions? What you know, they definitely know, and the method you use to search, they must have used it too..."

Senior Sister Yun shouted loudly, "What do you know? Do you think that just because large factions have many people and a long history, they know everything? Everyone has their own strengths, okay? My Feitian Cave is built on the sword momentum of a sword, known as the Thousand Rocks and Ten Thousand Paintings Feitian Cave. I have lived in the Array Eye since I was a child, feeling the mysteries of sword momentum. No one understands sword momentum better than I do! And if others can't find it, perhaps it's because their luck isn't good enough. My luck has been good since I was a child; for example, this time I didn't even know the questions, yet I was able to get into the top three, only one point away from a perfect score. I ask you, is this ordinary luck?"

The crowd was dumbfounded. Tang Zhao couldn't help but cover his face: Sister, is it something to be proud of to say such things?

Senior Sister Yun said, "In these two days, relying on my keen eyes and luck, I have already found clues, just waiting for the last day of the Rune Assembly to set out and search. I will prepare the equipment, I will find the path, and I will bear the responsibility. I just ask, is there anyone who dares to accompany me?"

The audience went quiet, and many people suddenly realized: That's right, while finding that sword is difficult, Jianzhou Island is only so big, and it's not some desperate or dangerous place; if you can't find it, there's no loss, and there's no danger. On the contrary, if you find it, a Sword Immortal's sword—what kind of harvest would that be?

Suddenly, the crowd was stirred up, the atmosphere was heated, and almost everyone said, "Willing! Willing to give it a try with Sword Master Yun."

Yun Xiyan crossed her arms and said, "If you're willing, come to my Heaven District No. 5 Guest House tonight to gather, and I will tell you more details. Alright, you all go, don't delay me from giving the next lecture."

Someone asked curiously, "There's a next lecture?"

Yun Xiyan said, "What's so fresh about that? Just because you're all willing to follow, does it mean I'm willing to take everyone? I will lecture here for a day to let as many people know as possible! Only when many people know can I choose the most outstanding companions. Anyone willing to come can find me; I will select them, and depending on the situation, I might choose one out of ten. My team only keeps the elite. Those who are just here to make up the numbers, don't come!"

The audience gradually dispersed, muttering as they left, expressing their dissatisfaction and lack of interest. But looking at their expressions, Tang Zhao knew they were definitely still interested; they were just being hypocritical.

After the people left, Yun Xiyan came down and grabbed Tang Zhao, saying, "Brother, are you coming with me? And the Heir, you are the Heir, right? If you two come with me, I won't need to find anyone else. We can fight side by side just like we did in the Maze City, and wouldn't success be guaranteed?"

Tang Zhao and Wang Fei shook their heads at the same time and looked at each other.

Tang Zhao said, "Sister, it's not that I'm not interested, but don't I not have the time? There is still the Libationer's lecture tomorrow morning, and the Rune Assembly ends in the afternoon. Jianzhou will also close the day after. Do you have the confidence to find the sword in this half-day time?"

Yun Xiyan said, "It's not half a day; I plan to set out tonight to go into the mountains to search—I'm not afraid to reveal that my target is in the mountain in the center of the island. There is still a day and a night left, which is enough. I can't be bothered to listen to that Libationer's speech."

Tang Zhao suddenly realized. If other large-faction Sword Smiths were just unhappy because Zhu Yang belittled Sword Smiths, Yun Xiyan was completely on a different path from that Libationer. Not to mention that she probably couldn't understand it, even if she did, she was already a Sword Student who had embarked on the righteous path of Sword Dao, so how could she be interested in the self-strengthening of Talisman Dao? He said with some regret, "Then my time doesn't coincide; I might not be able to go with you, Sister."

Wang Fei nodded along and said, "I also have to attend tomorrow's Rune Assembly; I'm unable to get away."

Yun Xiyan didn't force it, only saying with regret, "That's a pity. Without you, Brother, I'll have to recruit three... five more people to make up for it."

Tang Zhao asked again, "Are you really that confident? You're just searching for fun, right? The kind where success is a joy and failure is no big deal."

Yun Xiyan said, "Although there's really nothing if I can't find it, it's of course better to find it. I've done a lot of homework; more than half of the books I've read in my life have been about this matter. I've been wandering around here for the past two days calculating the Array Diagram, and now I'm thirty percent sure."

Tang Zhao was helpless and reminded her, "Sister, your calculations are all based on this sword being in the realm of Forming Momentum, right? What if it's one level higher? What if that Sword Immortal is not just a Sword Immortal? If it's not just sword momentum, then there wouldn't be any talk of an Array Eye, right?"

Yun Xiyan looked at him with a strange expression and said, "What are you saying? A Sword Immortal is a god, carefree and immortal, how could there be anything higher? The sword in Jianzhou is of course the most powerful kind; it is undoubtedly an Immortal Sword."

Tang Zhao thought about it, and it seemed difficult to explain. He couldn't speak directly about the Sword Manual he saw through his Glasses, so he didn't persuade her further. Anyway, if she couldn't find it, she couldn't find it; there was no loss, so he would just treat it as an adventure. He told Yun Xiyan that going into the mountains for activities was much more interesting than sitting and listening to the Rune Assembly.

After saying goodbye to Yun Xiyan, Tang Zhao and Wang Fei came out. Tang Zhao said, "Are you also interested in this sword?"

Wang Fei shook his head and said, "If I were interested, I would naturally have found people to turn the mountains and search the seas. Our Wangfu is close to Kungang, so there are actually many opportunities to search Jianzhou. However, I am already a Sword Student; what use would other swords be? However, Miss Yun did provide a line of thought—" As he spoke, he revealed a thoughtful expression.

He didn't say anything more, but instead asked Tang Zhao if he had seen any suspicious people. Tang Zhao shook his head and said, "If I encounter any suspicious people, I will definitely tell you."

The two parted ways. Tang Zhao wandered around at will, not finding any other good forums, until he was recognized by Martial Artists who had also come to seek opportunities and find people, and he was instantly surrounded by a group of Martial Artists.

Tang Zhao had given a lecture the day before, so he already had a celebrity face. The Knight-Errants who had previously submitted visiting cards were even more enthusiastic toward him, surrounding him to salute and converse, and several others who hadn't submitted visiting cards also came up to pay their respects.

This was the first time Tang Zhao had dealt with such a thing, and his handling of it was inevitably immature. Fortunately, he was gentle in nature and had experience in business and running a shop, so he handled it without any mistakes.

After all, at least at the level of Talisman Sword Master to Knight-Errant, the Talisman Sword Master was still the main focus. The Knight-Errants were all very respectful. Several people offered gifts. According to the rules, Tang Zhao could go back to look at the gifts first, and if he was satisfied, he could set up a private banquet in the evening to invite the gift-givers to attend and discuss other matters in detail.

Tang Zhao was not a greedy person, and even if he were, the savings of Knight-Errants could not compare to those of Talisman Sword Masters, even if they were bandits, because good Talisman Sword Masters earned money faster than they could rob it. But he had his own set of principles. He asked everyone a few questions, and he politely declined anyone with a background in the underworld or banditry.

In fact, the world was not good, and the government was weak, leading to rampant banditry. It couldn't be said that all thieves were self-deprecating; perhaps there were cases of being forced to go to Liangshan. But Tang Zhao had his own set of standards. Since they were just passing acquaintances, why compromise? It was better for everyone to follow their own hearts.

Fortunately, the Rune Assembly had already screened the Martial Artists for safety, so there were many with clean records. And after Tang Zhao accepted the gifts and sent them return cards, they didn't necessarily have to come. Because this was a two-way choice, and it was hard to say if the other party might secretly dislike you after a few words.

After dealing with these matters, Tang Zhao was about to go back to rest, and everyone had dispersed, except for one person who hadn't left. This was a strange face, and Tang Zhao asked curiously, "Does Your Excellency have anything else?"

The stranger bowed and said, "I wonder if you still remember me, sir?"

Tang Zhao was startled. This voice was familiar, and he said, "Wei... Se?"