But once again, what happened next took her by surprise. Li Xun simply lowered his eyes, staring blankly at the ground in silence.

It was like a hurricane that simply vanishes the moment it's about to make landfall. Yet, Yin Wanderer could see it. The storm was still raging inside him, roaring like thunder.

At last, Li Xun’s lips curved into a slight smile. He let out a low laugh. “Fine. So the Thunder-Beaked Hawk wasn’t lying after all. No need to double-check with them.”

He fell silent for a moment before murmuring, “Falling Feather Sect… Funeral Seal truly worthy of his reputation.”

The air around seemed to shudder, the sky dimming by a shade.

The pressure grew heavy, almost suffocating. Yin Wanderer glanced over in surprise just as Li Xun lifted his head. The muscles in his cheeks twitched slightly, and from his still-pale lips spilled one icy syllable after another, sharp as shards of glass.

“It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go the other way. The ancients weren’t lying!”

Yin Wanderer was even more surprised. In just three short sentences, barely a moment’s time, Li Xun seemed to have gone through a complete cleansing of the mind and spirit.

One line to quiet the heart. The second to build momentum. The third to reflect within.

In the blink of an eye, his energy, spirit, and bearing had completely changed.

That subtle yet all-encompassing transformation touched upon the most mysterious spark of life between heaven and earth, so refined and elusive that it defied understanding.

Having gone through that same stage herself, Yin Wanderer naturally knew exactly how he was changing. She frowned for a moment, then quickly let it go.

Yes, the Li Xun before her was indeed different from the one just moments ago. That “Funeral Seal,” though it had ignited the flames inside him, was in truth like a bucket of icy water poured over his head. It snapped him instantly awake.

He was thinking. Not just about what had just happened, but expanding his thoughts, tracing them from one thing to the next.

Strictly speaking, what he was really thinking about was this: the one that nearly destroyed him today was the Falling Feather Sect's Funeral Seal. But when he traced it all the way back... was that technique truly the real cause of his predicament?

Li Xun felt that his mind had never been this clear in years.

In almost an instant, he went through everything he’d experienced recently. One by one, the opponents he’d faced passed before his mind’s eye.

Dangerous. Without a doubt, his mindset had become dangerous.

Back in the southeastern forest, when he secretly broke the restrictions of the ancient temple and was interrupted by the Heaven-Evading Thorn, he could tell himself it was because the man’s escape technique really lived up to its reputation.

Later, when the Eroding God Blade struck him hard enough to make him cough blood, he could tell himself it was simply because his skill wasn’t up to par.

Naturally, all the “sparring” accidents with Flayer of Yin, the repeated clashes with Shui Die Lan, even that final, perilous fight to seize the Mist-Hidden Pavilion... he could justify them all by saying he’d ultimately come out on top.

But the truth was, any excuse still depended on one condition: that he’d survived to make it.

Luck and opportunity wouldn’t follow him forever.

Look at Yin Wanderer beside him; wasn’t she a living example? Even now, she could easily say, “Back then, I just didn’t think things through…”

But words like that had long since lost all meaning.

Li Xun’s lips curved again. He had to thank that nameless assassin. It was precisely because the man had no name, no identity to blame, that Li Xun couldn’t find an excuse for this “accident.” And so, he was forced to reflect.

Of course, he could have chosen to imagine that the man had been someone extraordinary, to inflate his importance without limit. But if he did that, he might as well die right now. No one would shed a single tear for such a foolish death.

Now he only needed to ask himself one question:

Were all these things truly unavoidable?

He had defeated one renowned opponent after another, his reputation rising higher each time. But how many of those victories had truly been earned through his own strength?

He had been stuck at the Transformation of Infant stage for a long time now.

So busy worrying about his lack of progress, he went through his daily cultivation like a machine. Maybe even feeling a bit proud of his so-called perseverance. But did he ever stop to think how long it had been since he’d truly appreciated the depth and beauty of those techniques?

Looked at this way, he was even worse off than his younger self, who had advanced carefully, step by cautious step. But… was that really the whole truth?

Resting his chin in one hand, Li Xun sank deeper into thought.

It was undeniable; he could scold himself now for being restless and self-satisfied. But did he truly understand why he’d become restless, or why he’d grown so full of himself?

After all, he was no longer that frail boy from sixty years ago.

Caution and careful planning might be the key to staying alive, but living that way would never take him to the very top, where he could look down on the world. So how could he hold on to those good qualities and still push himself to reach an even higher level of mastery?

It was a crucial question. And a fascinating one.

Li Xun felt like he had glimpsed a new path, but he still hadn’t truly grasped its true essence.

To be more precise, he knew what he needed to do, but had no idea how to do it.

He tilted his head without realizing it and looked at Yin Wanderer.

This grandmaster, famed across the world, would no doubt have been the perfect mentor for him. If only he was willing.

He gave a small shake of his head, smiling to himself, and kept thinking, running through all the grandmasters of the Tongxuan Realm one by one in his mind.

At that moment, he couldn’t help but think of Zhong Yin again.

This time, he didn’t feel that old burning rage. Instead, he recalled, calmly and objectively, that ink painting of bamboo Zhong Yin had drawn back on Zuowang Peak, in Green Smoke Barrier. And the deeply meaningful words that had followed.

“You know how to wield a sword, but you do not know how to truly wield a sword.”

Setting aside the philosophy of swordsmanship itself, wasn’t that exactly his situation right now?

Sixty years had flowed by like water. That night, within the drifting green mist, a few brushstrokes and a handful of words had somehow cut through the currents of time and reached this very moment.

Had Zhong Yin foreseen this?

In an instant, his mind lit up with flashes of insight. The overwhelming impact of what he’d realized made him throw back his head and laugh, springing to his feet.

So that was it. That was it! He finally understood.

Yin Wanderer’s brows involuntarily furrowed as he watched Li Xun’s wild, almost manic expression. Despite herself, she felt a ripple of emotion stir within.

Li Xun’s gaze turned toward her. Startled, she heard him let out another burst of laughter.

“Sword!”

Yin Wanderer froze for a moment before realizing he wanted Azure Jade Sword.

She quickly steadied her emotions, reached into the void, pulled out Azure Jade, and handed it over.

With a sharp ring of steel, Li Xun drew his sword from its sheath. He swept off his Wusong Iron robe, leaving his chest bare, and laughed loudly as he danced with the sword.

He was using his own most familiar technique: “Shadowed Bamboo, Rising Mist.”

Sword qi shimmered through the air, crisscrossing above him. It blurred the line between reality and illusion, yet moved with exhilarating freedom and fluidity.

For a moment, Yin Wanderer felt dazed. a lush bamboo forest had suddenly appeared before her, stretching out under the clear, moonlit sky. She heard the faint whisper of wind threading through the leaves. And the man dancing and singing among the trees... was that Li Xun?

In her daze, it felt as if Zhong Yin’s gaze was on her, a faint smile playing across his face.

Suddenly, her instincts flared; her qi surged and killing intent spilled outward.

With a clear clang, everything froze. Her limbs felt as though they’d been weighted with a thousand pounds, refusing to move, while a chill as cold as water touched her throat, wiping away all hostility.

Li Xun’s sword was pressed lightly against her neck. Watching her with amused eyes, he smiled. “What are you doing?”

Yin Wanderer gave a wry smile. “Sorry… for a moment, I thought I saw Zhong Yin.”

Li Xun was caught off guard by the completely unexpected answer. Then let out a quiet laugh.

His head was clear now, his senses sharp. He could tell that she was being completely honest.

There was no doubt that she had noticed the breakthrough in his state of mind. In her own way, she had just confirmed his progress.

Smiling, Li Xun slid his sword back into its sheath and told her to bring him the robes of the Mingxin Sword Sect.

For once, Yin Wanderer was unusually obedient. She didn’t say a word, quietly helping him get dressed like a gentle, attentive maid.

When Li Xun finished fastening his robes, he let out a long breath and looked up at the sky.

Yes, he finally understood. To know the sword but not how to wield it was bad enough. But to not even know the sword... that would be truly tragic.

The Li Xun of today was no longer the Li Xun of the past. He had changed from dull iron into polished jade. Yet to use jade as if it were still common metal was to fail to adapt to what he had become.

And if you couldn’t even tell whether you held iron or jade... what reason was there to keep living?

Not bad. He might not know how to use a sword yet, but he could learn, he could train.

From now on, Li Xun would study every grandmaster alive. Their way of handling things and the methods they had honed through experience.

Only a true swordsman knows how to command his blade.

In that regard, Li Xun still had much to learn.

And now, there was no longer a mentor like Zhong Yin to guide him.

Li Xun couldn’t quite tell what he was feeling. He turned to Yin Wanderer. “Shui Die Lan was right. I just didn’t expect things to change so fast. Tell me, what do you think?”

The sudden change of topic caught Yin Wanderer off guard.

There was no denying it; Li Xun was no longer someone who could be measured by the standards of the past. For the first time, she couldn’t quite see through him anymore.

So she knew she had to change her approach once again.

She thought it over. “Hundred Illusions Butterfly knows what she's talking about," she answered finally. "Using the Blood God Child to refine your body is a brilliant move. And frankly, it might be your only way out.”

Li Xun said “oh,” He hadn’t expected her conclusion to be so absolute. He frowned. “And your reasoning?”

“More or less what Hundred Illusions said,” she replied. “If anything, your situation now is even worse than before. Does that sound about right?”