World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 392: Destination: the Moon Palace!

After chatting idly with the ancient sword spirit for a while, Wang Sheng thought it over and finally took the initiative to ask about the two sword techniques that his senior sister was currently comprehending. Since Nameless was familiar with every sword technique here, he imparted them to Wang Sheng himself.

The sword techniques of the Seventy-Two Swords' seventh and eighth levels were considered the Shu Sword Sect's secret arts; they should never be spread outside. However, Wang Sheng was no longer regarded as an outsider. As a lifetime honorary elder who had rendered great service to the sect on several occasions, he was practically their living banner.

Wang Sheng took this chance to prepare to refine his own Dual-Polarity Sword Intent. If he could make another breakthrough in it, he might be able to help his senior sister even more.

Mu Wanxuan was not deeply versed in sword techniques, but by comprehending the two sword techniques, she gained considerable insight. The only one who suffered from all this was Wang Xiaomiao, who had yet to learn how to live without food.

Now that his younger sister had missed two meals, Wang Sheng finally remembered her plight. He quickly stopped comprehending sword techniques and turned his head, finding Xiaomiao sitting in a corner near his senior sister. With a weary expression, she had propped her chin on her hand.

Using voice transmission, Wang Sheng quickly apologized to her and asked her to wait here for a moment. He then rushed out of the Seventy-Two Swords and dashed to the Shu Sword Sect's small shop behind the Shu Mountains to buy a pile of snacks.

Watching Xiaomiao chew on chicken-flavored crispy noodles as though she were really biting into a drumstick, Wang Sheng felt a twinge of guilt.

Xiaomiao sighed softly. She felt that in this day and age, pretty girls no longer had any appeal; they were practically invisible.

Wang Sheng used voice transmission again to ask if she wanted to wait outside and wander around the Shu Sword Sect grounds. Xiaomiao flatly refused, feeling far safer by her brother's side, even if it risked starving to death.

After some thought, Wang Sheng passed the scroll for the Sword-Controlling Art to her and told her that if there was anything she did not understand, she could ask the sword spirit herself. He then went out to find Fei Lianzi and asked his disciple, Zi Ling, to deliver meals to the rear mountain every day.

This arrangement allowed Xiaomiao to study the Sword-Controlling Art in the Shu Sword Sect's blessed ground.

The Seventy-Two Swords truly was a blessed land for sword cultivators.

When Wang Sheng became familiar with the two sword techniques, his Dual-Polarity Sword Intent advanced by leaps and bounds. Nameless also offered to spar with him in the Dao of the Sword.

They fought fiercely before the mountain cliffs. Whether Nameless was a true friend remained a question, but he was undoubtedly an excellent teacher. With the restrictions of the great formation lifted, he could stabilize his strength at the late Nascent Soul Realm and freely use the Shu Sword Sect's seventy-two sword techniques, allowing him to fight Wang Sheng to a standstill while also putting him under enough pressure.

Wang Sheng felt as though he had returned to when he challenged the Seventy-Two Swords. Brimming with fighting spirit, he gradually made breakthroughs in his Dao of the Sword.

On the seventh day of their stay, Mu Wanxuan finished comprehending and verifying the two sword techniques. The trio was finally ready to leave.

Though it had been quite pleasant to enjoy free food, drink, and sparring, priorities had to be set. The purpose of this trip was to let Mu Wanxuan relax while also seeking out eminent experts to discuss the Dao of Balanced Yin and Yang.

If Wang Sheng wanted to continue training with the sword spirit, he could just return and stay for as long as he liked once his senior sister successfully condensed her Nascent Soul.

Wang Sheng called for his senior sister and younger sister. Together, they went to bid farewell to Nameless.

"Senior, we have troubled you long enough. We'll be taking our leave today," Wang Sheng said. He then told Nameless that they still had many other masters to visit.

"Before you go, let me give you and your senior sister some advice: The Dao of Balanced Yin and Yang has had few cultivators since ancient times because it is vast and profound, yet obscure and difficult to grasp. It's almost like trying to deduce the laws of heaven through human effort.

"If the path doesn't work out, do not force it. Remember that all roads can lead to immortality. When cultivating such a Great Dao, one should never be greedy or overambitious. Take your time to comprehend it. At crucial moments, you have to be able to choose and let go."

Choose and let go?

"Thank you, Senior."

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan glanced and smiled faintly at each other.

Nameless then turned to Xiaomiao. In a gentle, ancient tone, he said, "I doubt you lack celestial-grade artifacts, considering you're the disciple of Princess Yaoyun. Still, since you're already here, I'd like to give you a gift."

A sword core that seemed familiar to Wang Sheng slowly flew out from the mountain wall and landed before Xiaomiao.

Xiaomiao glanced at her brother, unsure whether to take it or not. Though her cultivation was still shallow and she could not understand the elder, she could see that the sword core, which glowed with immortal light, was extremely precious.

Wang Sheng smiled. "Take it. You shouldn't refuse a gift from an elder."

"Mm. Thank you, Senior," Xiaomiao answered sweetly as she took the sword core.

The sword spirit gave away celestial-grade flying swords without so much as blinking, yet Wang Sheng remembered that not even Qing Long had a flying sword of such quality. It was quite peculiar.

Nameless gave Xiaomiao a celestial-grade flying sword purely because of her connection to Fairy Yaoyun. It had little to do with Wang Sheng.

The sword spirit smiled. "Come visit me again when you have time. Fei Yu, do you remember what I told you before about heavenly fate?"

"I do."

"Don't dwell too much on it," Nameless said gently. "The essence of cultivation is to seek the Great Dao and one's own Dao. That path is always filled with trials. I once heard my sword master say that great heavenly fate is good to have, but lacking it is not necessarily bad. What matters most is one's heart for the Dao."

A heart for the Dao...

Feeling a faint resonance, Wang Sheng gave the old sword spirit a Daoist salute.

Nameless waved his hand and escorted them to the exit at the top. He sent them out of the eighth level of the Seventy-Two Swords.

With the great formation no longer concealing it, the stone gate that Wang Sheng had passed through while challenging the Seventy-Two Swords was now clearly visible. One could even push it open from the outside.

When they first arrived, the Shu Sword Sect had put on a grand welcome. Naturally, their departure would not be without ceremony.

All the elders of the sect who were not in seclusion came to see them off. This time, the disciples weren't ordered to perform the sword formation. Instead, a group of Daoist masters with swords on their backs or hands escorted them along the mountain path all the way to the mountain gate.

Once Wang Sheng and his younger sister stepped onto the flying sword, Mu Wanxuan also offered a Daoist salute to the elders of the Shu Sword Sect. She then mounted Ice Crystal and followed closely by his side.

Wang Sheng cupped his fists in farewell, and the elders of the Shu Sword Sect returned the gesture. They watched as the three soared away, flying northeast.

Fei Lianzi tucked his hands inside his Daoist robe sleeves. He sighed with deep emotion. "When will our sect ever produce disciples like Fei Yu?"

One of the elders chuckled. "I don't think we can count on our disciples for that. Let's simply do our best."

"Thanks to Fei Yu and that immortal's aid, our sect now has an ancient senior we can rely on. I feel an inexplicable sense of reassurance," a tall, thin Daoist master added.

The elders all nodded.

The sword of the Shu Sword Sect's forefather had emerged, its power comparable to that of immortals. The Shu Sword Sect's "backbone" instantly grew stronger and straighter.

The Daoist masters turned back toward the mountain gate, chatting and laughing as they walked.

"Why does it feel like our debt to Fei Yu just keeps growing? No matter how hard we try to repay him, we still end up owing him favors," Fei Lianzi muttered.

"What is there to fear? When you owe enough, one more debt doesn't matter."

"If Fei Yu wishes to pursue something in the future, like becoming the leader of the martial world, we have to give him our full support."

"I agree. The Fourth Immortal Dao Conference is only two years away. Without Fei Yu and Fairy Bu Yu, the last two felt as though something was missing."

"The time to witness miracles is finally almost here."

***

After leaving the Shu Sword Sect, Wang Sheng asked, "Senior Sister, how many insights did you gain this time?"

"Mm." Mu Wanxuan thought about it carefully. She then precisely answered, "Moderate."

"That's good to hear," he commented. He then seized the chance to add, "Instead of shutting yourself away, it's better to get out and see more of the world. Let's head to the Wudang Mountains next. Master has already made arrangements. Several elders skilled in Tai Chi are willing to exchange insights with us."

Mu Wanxuan's eyes revealed some unease. She clearly didn't want her master and junior brother running about on her behalf. She brought out her phone, projected a virtual screen, and typed.

I will comprehend on my own. There is no need to trouble others.

"Mutual sparring and mutual verification are beneficial for all parties involved," Wang Sheng replied seriously. "The more insights you accumulate, the greater your chances of successfully breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, Senior Sister.

"But..." Mu Wanxuan pressed her thin lips together as her eyes filled with a trace of helplessness.

Wang Sheng reached out and clasped her right hand, his gaze making his determination clear.

Eventually, Mu Wanxuan relented. She nodded gently with her usual grace. "Your call."

Beside them, Xiaomiao tilted her head back to stare at the sky. Even she didn't know why she felt so sentimental at such a young age.

"What's wrong? Does Hua Qing lack cultivation techniques now?" Yaoyun telepathically asked.

Wang Sheng paused. His eyes then lit up. Through telepathy, he briefly explained to Yaoyun his senior sister's predicament and the extreme risks of forming the Nascent Soul.

Before long, Spiritless glimmered with immortal light. The little fairy landed on Mu Wanxuan's shoulder, as though carefully examining her condition.

Yaoyun sighed. "This is an oversight on my part. Since Hua Qing no longer has the memories of her past life, she naturally lacks her past comprehension. If I had realized this sooner, she would not be facing such a predicament now."

Mu Wanxuan shook her head quickly and typed on the virtual screen.

I chose this path. I have to walk it myself.

"Why not rely on the insights that your predecessors have accumulated?" Yaoyun asked. "It can help you achieve twice the result with half the effort and give you a greater chance to break through."

At a loss for words, Mu Wanxuan could only respond with an "obedient" meme.

Wang Sheng said, "Yaoyun, my senior sister just doesn't want to trouble others. Do you have cultivation techniques related to the Dao of Balanced Yin and Yang?"

"I haven't cultivated in that Dao myself," Yaoyun replied softly, "but I know where to find some cultivation techniques for it. I also know where a master of this Dao left behind his Daoist heritage before dying in the great war."

"Mm?" Wang Sheng's spirit jolted. Mu Wanxuan could not help but blink.

Yaoyun snorted faintly instead of elaborating further.

Wang Sheng immediately leaned closer. "Fairy Yaoyun, Your Highness, about this matter..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Yaoyun swiftly expressed her displeasure. "Hmph! When you need me, you call me 'Fairy' or 'Your Highness.' Any other time, you just call me by name."

"From now on, I will always address you as 'Fairy,'" Wang Sheng swiftly replied. He then pulled his younger sister forward.

Xiaomiao sweetly called out, "Master."

Yaoyun's stern expression melted at once, and her tone softened. "Don't worry, I was already planning to do my best for Hua Qing's sake. I was only teasing your elder brother."

She then turned to Wang Sheng. "Send my disciple back to her cultivation first, and instruct that little fox to take good care of her. Once you do, I'll guide you."

"Guide us to where, Yaoyun?"

"There."

Yaoyun raised her small hand and pointed at the horizon.

The afternoon skies were clear and the land bright, with not a cloud in sight. Yet where Yaoyun pointed, a pale half-moon hung faintly above the edge of the sky.

"I intended to wait until you reached the Rebirth Realm before bringing you there, but going there ahead of time shouldn't cause a problem."