Chapter 638: The Path Given by the Eight Venerables

After eating and drinking their fill, several drowsy bodies were sprawled haphazardly in the cave.

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't used poison.

He had only added some harmless hypnotic drugs to the roasted meat.

For someone like him, these drugs wouldn't have any effect on a Zhan Dao expert.

But after an intense battle, with everyone exhausted and eager to lie down, it wasn't long before they all fell asleep.

Only the instigator remained awake, lying on his back in the cave at the mountaintop, hands behind his head, staring blankly at the night sky.

The stars were scattered sparsely.

Xu Xiaoshou watched with a sense of melancholy.

After the Bai Ku battle, Sang Lao had left, and he no longer felt like returning to Tian Sang Ling Gong.

Joining Sheng Nu wasn't his true intention.

He knew full well that he couldn't be like the storytellers or Cen Qiaofu, willing to sacrifice their lives for the Sheng Nu faith.

People who cherished life could never do that.

But what direction should he take next?

"Future..."

As clouds obscured the moonlight, Xu Xiaoshou murmured to himself.

Rustling sounds came from below, and Mu Zixi quietly climbed up, squatting beside her shixiong.

"It's time to go."

"Prompt received, passive value +1."

Clearly, she wasn't the only one without a sense of belonging.

"Where to?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"I don't know."

Mu Zixi shook her head thoughtfully, then added, "Wherever you go, I'll go too."

"Don't you want to uncover your background, your secrets?" Xu Xiaoshou turned to look at her.

Down below lay someone with tear-streaked cheeks; he had long suspected she was hiding something, and if his shimei spoke up, he might learn more.

But Mu Zixi just shook her head again.

"I don't want to know."

"Then let's go with the flow," Xu Xiaoshou said with a slight smile, equally laid-back.

He only knew that after Sang Lao left, the only person he could truly rely on in this world was this shimei.

Of course, that assumed she stayed as innocent as she was now.

But life was unpredictable, and Xu Xiaoshou had no idea how long this state could last.

"Let's go!"

After another sigh, feeling the even breathing from below, Xu Xiaoshou flipped over and stood up.

"Where to?" Now it was Mu Zixi's turn to ask.

Xu Xiaoshou paused.

What goal did he have?

If Sang Lao were still around, he might have one.

Even without the old man saying it, he knew his next destination would be the place people called "Dong Tian Wang Cheng."

It seemed to be where the world's talents gathered, a true stage for the younger generation to compete.

But without Sang Lao to guide him, Xu Xiaoshou felt lost for a moment.

The younger generation...

Was he still part of it?

The Dong Tian Wang Cheng trials were only for those below Zong Shi level.

But even a Zong Shi might not withstand one of his strikes.

It wasn't that he was arrogant.

After the Bai Ku ordeal, he felt that anyone who could force him to go all out would at least need to be a Wang Zuo.

And that didn't even count his companions—A Jie, A Huo, A Bing—who had each died once alongside him.

If he factored in all his powers, a Wang Zuo probably wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Dong Tian Wang Cheng!"

A hoarse voice suddenly rang in his ear.

Xu Xiaoshou's ears twitched, and he turned to see.

Under the starlight, the bearded man looked exactly like the one in his memory—the one who had slain the red dog and given him the "Guan Jian Dian."

"You're not asleep?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"None of us are," Ba Zun An replied.

The two exchanged glances and smiled silently.

Of course—they were all Zhan Dao experts.

No matter how tired, that was when their vigilance was highest.

How could they really be knocked out by that bit of hypnotic drug?

They were just playing along.

"So why did you wake up?" Xu Xiaoshou's smile faded.

"You lost your direction, so I came over."

Ba Zun An sat down and patted the ground, signaling for Xu Xiaoshou to join him.

After a moment's hesitation, Xu Xiaoshou sat back down. Ba Zun An raised two fingers and said, "In any case, I'm like half your shifu."

"Half?"

Xu Xiaoshou was surprised.

Ba Zun An didn't respond. Above his raised fingers, a faint sword intent emerged, and Xu Xiaoshou immediately understood.

So, the ten segments of the Jian Zhi remnants in Ling Cang Ge had turned into the original because of this?

"Sang Lao left you behind, so I have an obligation to pick you up. At the very least, I can't let you wander aimlessly."

Ba Zun An gazed up at the stars, finding the position uncomfortable, so he lay down and continued, "This moment of peace is just temporary."

"What you're seeing is only the brief calm after the storm."

"Bigger waves are brewing behind. If you slack off, it'll be too late when they hit."

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent. He knew that all too well.

But this pace felt too fast for him.

How long had it been since he arrived in this world? He was being pushed forward step by step, forced to grow.

In just a few months, Xu Xiaoshou felt he had experienced more excitement and wonder than most people did in a lifetime.

"I'm a bit tired..." he blurted out.

"Tired? That's normal."

"An Yi belongs only to the dead."

Ba Zun An didn't dwell on his words and went on, "Sang Lao was taken to Gui Zhe Sheng Shan, but as long as I'm alive, they won't dare kill him."

"Even so, the torture he faces is probably inevitable."

"If you have no direction, you could try heading toward Gui Zhe Sheng Shan."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

He was only at the Xiantian level—heading to Gui Zhe Sheng Shan?

That would be like walking into a trap!

"He's tough as nails. Someone who reached that level must have endured all kinds of pain."

Xu Xiaoshou had cultivated to Zong Shi and was already somewhat numb to suffering.

Who knew what Sang Lao had gone through to reach such a monstrous state?

Maybe those so-called tortures were just a walk in the park for him.

Shaking his head, Xu Xiaoshou thought of Sang Lao with a smile in his eyes.

Ba Zun An didn't respond, continuing his own train of thought: "From the East Domain to the Central Domain, and then to Gui Zhe Sheng Shan—it's a long journey."

"You're at Xiantian now, and by the time you get there, you might well become a Sheng."

"Then you could march right up Sheng Shan and bring him out openly. Wouldn't that be ideal?"

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

This guy was even more optimistic than he was.

From here to Gui Zhe Sheng Shan, and he'd become a Sheng? Where did that confidence come from?

"You're a three-breath Xiantian, a three-year Jian Xian genius. It took you this long and you still haven't become a Sheng—how can you be so sure about me?" Xu Xiaoshou said with a grin.

"I'm different." Ba Zun An's expression was serious. "In my eyes, there's no such thing as Sheng. It's too vague."

"How so?"

Xu Xiaoshou was taken aback.

If Sheng was vague, what about everyone else?

"Do you know about Xu Kong Dao?" Ba Zun An plucked some grass, crushed it in his fingers, and said, "You must have seen the Sheng Di in Bai Ku."

Xu Xiaoshou paused.

It was really a Sheng Di?

Not a Ban Sheng?

He nodded slightly.

"The saying 'If you don't become Sheng, you'll always be a slave' isn't just talk. But even if you become Sheng, many still can't escape their chains or the fate of Sheng Nu."

Ba Zun An paused, turned to Xu Xiaoshou, and said, "I saw that, so I sealed my sword and decided not to act anymore."

"Then?" Xu Xiaoshou didn't understand.

If he wasn't going to act, why declare war on Sheng Shen Dian Tang and use a branch to humiliate Gou Wu Yue, one of the Seven Jian Xian?

That was a blatant slap in the face!

And now, he was just going to wait for retaliation without fighting back?

"I need to be fully prepared before I act."

Ba Zun An smiled, knowing what Xu Xiaoshou was thinking, and continued, "Sheng is too vague, and even Sheng Di can't change that. So I aim to seal as a Shen. The day I draw my sword again, I'll cut this filthy world until it's drenched in blood."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned for a moment.

Even Mu Zixi, who was eavesdropping from behind, felt her heart skip a beat at those words.

She already knew he was the legendary Eighth Jian Xian.

But she never imagined his ambitions were this grand.

Xu Xiaoshou was silent for a while before he couldn't help asking, "Are you just talking big?"

"Talking big?"

"Prompt received, passive value +1."

"You're not even a Sheng yet, and you want to seal as a Shen? Why not just ascend to heaven?" Xu Xiaoshou teased.

"Hahaha..."

Ba Zun An laughed heartily, then stopped and asked, "You doubt me?"

"Um."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded without hesitation.

Ba Zun An's lips twitched—he hadn't expected such directness.

He sighed and said, "Young man, do you know my legend?"

Xu Xiaoshou grimaced. "With the legend right in front of me, all that divine stuff and glorification is fake. What I see is just... dirty... uh, scruffy... uh, average, I guess. You're pretty decent."

As Ba Zun An's face grew darker, Xu Xiaoshou decided to speak from the heart.

Ba Zun An chuckled wryly and said, "Do you know what three-breath Xiantian means? It's not a legend—it really took just three breaths for me to enter Xiantian."

"So?"

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow.

Ba Zun An counted on his fingers: "The three-year Jian Xian isn't an exaggeration either, but it doesn't fully represent my cultivation."

"I just traveled the continent for three years. Whenever I felt like it, I could break through from Xiantian to Jian Xian—I just didn't bother claiming the title."

Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat.

Damn, he'd been one-upped!

"Contending for the Jian Xian title..."

He caught a hint and asked, "So your battle with Hua... the Jian Xian had more to it?"

Ba Zun An shook his head and didn't answer, lost in his own thoughts.

"What I'm saying is, if realms can go from ordinary person to Xiantian, and from Xiantian to Tai Xu, why can't we go straight from Tai Xu, skipping Sheng, right to Shen Ting?"

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked by this bold claim.

He stammered for a bit but couldn't find words.

How could that be the same?

He glanced at Mu Zixi, and they both saw the same thought in each other's eyes: What a bold statement!

From what Xu Xiaoshou knew, Ban Sheng was already at the peak of the continent, not to mention the Sheng Di above that.

Those who truly entered the Shen realm in ancient times were beyond naming.

Like the East Domain Jian Shen Tian, created by one of the ancient Ten Ancestors, Jian Zu Gu Lou Ying.

Gu Lou Ying wasn't his real name; it was just a title derived from the lone, proud figure in the "Ten Swords Town Tower Diagram" he left behind.

And Jian Zu was the original wielder who created ancient sword cultivation.

The Nine Great Sword Arts, Eighteen Sword Styles, Three Thousand Sword Paths—all came from him.

Only someone like that deserved to be called an ancestor, a Jian Zu; a god, a Jian Shen!

As for the man in front of him...

"Where do you get the nerve?" Xu Xiaoshou shot back.

Unexpectedly, Ba Zun An didn't argue.

He cupped his hands behind his head, mimicking Xu Xiaoshou's earlier pose, looking utterly at ease.

"Maybe it's... arrogance!"

He shook his head and said no more.

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent.

Arrogance...

The man himself admitted it was arrogance, so what else could he say?

But looking at Ba Zun An's easygoing smile, it didn't seem arrogant at all.

It was like he was discussing something as ordinary as eating or drinking.

Arrogance? More like confidence!

But if it was confidence...

Xu Xiaoshou truly felt it bordered on arrogance.

Damn it, he'd been one-upped again!

"So, where do you want to go?"

After a pause, Ba Zun An steered the conversation back.

Without waiting for a response, he added, "I've shared my story, and I think you can achieve it too. So, if you really have no direction, why not follow what I suggested earlier?"

"Gui Zhe Sheng Shan?" Xu Xiaoshou said the words, feeling a headache coming on.

"Um."

Ba Zun An closed his eyes and said leisurely, "To get from the East Domain to Gui Zhe Sheng Shan, you'll pass through Dong Tian Wang Cheng. Join the Wang Cheng trials, win first place, and gain qualification for the 'Si Xiang Mi Jing.' Then head to Sheng Gong."

"Sheng Gong is the mainland's training ground for Sheng figures. Your shifu came from there."

"You might find the answers you're looking for."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

He'd only heard of Dong Tian Wang Cheng.

What were all these other things?

"Si Xiang Mi Jing, Sheng Gong?"

Ba Zun An explained, "You've probably heard of them but don't know the details."

"The Dong Tian Wang Cheng trials select the top three under Zong Shi from the various Wang Cheng in the five domains of the mainland, giving them qualification for the Sheng Gong trials."

"And this time, the Sheng Gong trials will likely be the 'Si Xiang Mi Jing.'"

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled.

The Dong Tian Wang Cheng trials gathered talents from major prefectures, but only the top three!

And even they only qualified for the Sheng Gong trials, not direct entry.

What was Sheng Gong...

Thinking of Sang Lao's origins, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized he was no ordinary man!

How many people's bones had he stepped on to earn that title?

The competition was terrifying!

"Otherwise, why do so many talents on the mainland suppress their cultivation just for a Wang Cheng trial?" Ba Zun An scoffed. "It's because Sheng Gong recruits only the under-Zong Shi geniuses from the Wang Cheng trials!"