After Xing Rui sang Yang Ju's praises, all the cultivators present turned their attention to him. In fact, most of them were from the Celestial Realm, so they were well aware of Yang Ju's expertise in the Sword Dao. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been accepted as a closed-door disciple by that eminent figure, nor would he have outshone all the other prodigies to secure the championship of the fourth Hundred Battles No Life competition.
Amidst the crowd, Yang Ju gently waved his folding fan, looking rather pleased with himself as he enjoyed the admiring gazes. He strode forward and announced, "Fear not, fellow Daoists. If I have any revelations, I will certainly share my understanding with all of you."
Hearing this, joyful smiles blossod on the cultivators' faces.
"Haha, Young Master Yang is truly magnanimous!"
"Then we shall count on you, Young Master Yang, and eagerly await the good news!"
"We are all well aware of Young Master Yang's mastery of the Sword Dao—it's absolutely beyond question!"
Amid the flattery, Yang Ju walked straight to the first stele and ca to a halt. Nearby, Luo Qingxian and Luo Xian were also quietly contemplating the mystic patterns on their own stele. With an air of absolute confidence, Yang Ju said to the two won, "Ladies, why not take a break? After I have comprehended these sword steles, I will share my insights with both of you."
Luo Xian responded indifferently, "There is no need for Young Master to trouble himself. We will comprehend them on our own."
Luo Qingxian simply ignored him.
Feeling their cold indifference, Yang Ju gritted his teeth, privately irked. Damn it, a pair of lowly won from the Lower Realm, putting on such airs. Do you really think I care to speak to you?
He cursed silently before taking a deep breath and saying contemptuously, "The mystic patterns on this stele are profound and difficult to unravel, containing the ultimate truths of the Dao. With your abilities, it would likely take you a decade or more to comprehend them."
In the face of his mockery, the two won paid him no mind, quietly studying the stele as if he didn't exist. For them, however, comprehending the mystic patterns was indeed no easy task. It seed as though there was nothing on the stone, yet upon closer inspection, one could discern nurous random lines, like the crisscrossing rivers of stars in the night sky.
While the two won were lost in thought, a hand suddenly reached out and wiped the stele in front of them. The hand swept away years of accumulated dust, revealing clear lines underneath. The won looked up at the owner of the hand, both with puzzled expressions.
Luo Xiu retracted his hand, dusted his palms, and smiled. "The mystic patterns were covered by dust. You have to wipe it away to see them clearly."
His simple words plunged the two won into deep contemplation, as if they had gleaned so profound truth from them. However, Yang Ju, who stood nearby, saw this and his face darkened, looking as if he wanted to devour Luo Xiu whole.
"Boy, every inch of Ghost Valley Mountain's Divine Objects contains its own profound Dao truths! Your actions are destroying the Dao charm!"
Upon hearing Yang Ju's words, the cultivators all turned to glare at Luo Xiu, their faces filled with indignation. One cultivator said, "Young lord, if you don't understand, then don't cause trouble here and hinder everyone's path to the Dao!"
"Exactly! By wiping it like that, you've destroyed its original Dao charm! What if you prevent us all from comprehending a Supre Sword Technique?"
Luo Xiu swept his gaze over the crowd, feeling an urge to laugh. He couldn't be bothered to waste his breath on these ignorant fools, so he turned to Luo Xian and Luo Qingxian instead. "Alright, let's go treat your injuries first. These are all fundantal sword techniques, nothing much to comprehend. If you really want to learn, I'll bring you back here later."
In truth, Luo Xiu's greatest concern had always been the two won's injuries. He truly regarded them as friends, which was why he had the other cultivators gather herbs for him along the way.
"Heh, fundantal sword techniques? You're just spouting nonsense! What would a lowly commoner from the Mortal Realm like you know?" Just then, Xing Rui walked over and announced loudly, "Fellow Daoists, this peasant from the Mortal Realm has no real talent at all! He's just putting on an act!"
"Do you know why he was able to break through the barrier so easily before? Do you think it was through his own rit and insight? Bah! If it weren't for the Youming Ghost Wolf secretly clearing a path for him, do you think he could have reached this place so easily?"
Hearing Xing Rui's words, the cultivators began to whisper among themselves.
"Hah, I knew it. How could a cultivator from the Mortal Realm possess such talent and insight?"
"So the Youming Ghost Wolf was secretly helping him all along."
"Young Master Xing is right. That explains why his journey here was so effortless—the Ghost Wolf was aiding him in the shadows. It all makes sense!"
"I wonder what he offered that Ghost Wolf."
"He was acting all high and mighty, trying to make us think he was so impressive. I can't believe I almost fell for it."
Listening to these murmurs, Luo Xian's face turned frosty as she spoke up. "What a bunch of fence-sitters. Setting aside whether he was putting on an act, isn't he the reason you're all standing here, able to comprehend this Stele Matrix right now? Could you have reached this place without him leading the way?"
Soone retorted angrily, "Who the hell wanted to co here? If it weren't for this damned Ghost Wolf Curse, I would've left ages ago!"
Luo Qingxian stared coldly at the speaker. "Then you are free to leave the mountain now. No one is stopping you."
"Alright, alright, what a fuss over nothing." At this mont, Luo Xiu approached the two won with an air of complete tranquility. "Ladies, there's no need to waste words on these idiots."
He then glanced at the crowd and said, "Everyone, leave behind the herbs you've collected. After that, you are free to go." He turned his gaze to the Stele Matrix ahead. "As for this Stele Matrix, I wasn't that concerned about it. I figured if you could comprehend it, that would be your own good fortune. But now... I've suddenly decided I don't want any of you to comprehend it."
Hearing his words, the crowd looked on in confused amusent.
Xing Rui sneered, "What's that supposed to an? Are you saying Ghost Valley Mountain belongs to you?"
Luo Xiu gave him a faint smile. "If you recall, I've already told you that Ghost Valley Mountain is, in fact, my ho."
"Bah! Have you no sha? I'll admit you broke through the barriers and led us here, but that doesn't give you the right to do as you please and treat this Divine Mountain as your personal property!"
Luo Xiu said no more. He walked straight toward the Stele Matrix, strolling into its very heart as if it were his own backyard. The fearso Sword Intent that filled the air did not harm him in the slightest. Seeing this, the noisy crowd fell silent, their faces etched with disbelief.
"This... How can he walk directly into the depths of the Stele Matrix? Why doesn't the terrifying Sword Intent harm him?"
"What in the world is going on?"
Yang Ju's expression was incredibly foul. He roared, "You peasant, what do you think you're doing?"
With a casual wave of his hand, Luo Xiu rearranged the surrounding steles, throwing them into a random, chaotic order. He then said, "These steles must be comprehended in the correct sequence to grasp the Sword Intent within. Why don't you give it a try now? Since you've all shown your true colors, none of you deserve to comprehend a thing!"
"You peasant, you're courting death!"
Yang Ju could no longer contain his rage. With a furious curse, he charged forward to stop Luo Xiu. The next mont, however, he was blasted backward by the Sword Intent, and he crashed to the ground in a pathetic heap.
Luo Xiu watched him with an indifferent, mocking smile. "What a good-for-nothing. You can't even enter a simple Sword Array like this, yet you have the gall to call yourself a Sword Dao genius?"
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