The battles between the elders that followed were much simpler.

If Tian Zhu could use synthesized Founder-Tier spells in Golden Core-level combat, then when Foundation Establishment cultivators used them, it was simply a dimensionality reduction blow against opponents of the same realm.

Thus, the fights couldn’t have been easier — it was a crushing victory for the Infinite Dao Sect.

‘How can this be?!’ Jian Huiyin looked stunned at the sight of one elder after another losing easily to the enemy sect’s elders — and even with the enemy seemingly toying with them and giving them chances to strike.

And she discovered, through observation and overhearing their conversations, that the elders in red were actually external elders of the Infinite Dao Sect, and only the three in purple — who appeared to be the strongest — were internal elders.

Aotian was also stunned at the scene, but for a different reason.

‘What the hell, why don’t they have sword intent?!’ he thought in disbelief.

Then, in his main body, he quickly turned to Rihai, who was walking beside him, slightly distracted.

“Hai’er, do you know anything about sword intent?” Aotian asked suddenly, startling Rihai out of her thoughts.

“Huh?!” She widened her eyes slightly and looked at Aotian with a confused expression.

Aotian gave her a helpless look.

“Rihai, come on, snap out of it. It’s been two months since I told you about the sect, why are you still spacing out from time to time?” He massaged his forehead and gave her a bitter glance.

“I’m not spacing out,” she replied firmly, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Then what did I ask?” he rolled his eyes and questioned.

“You asked if I knew anything about sword intent,” she replied, lifting her chin slightly.

“That… you’re a cultivator, even spaced out your mind is strong enough to notice your surroundings. But that doesn’t change the fact you were spacing out,” Aotian didn’t let it slide, his mouth twitching.

“No, I wasn’t. Do you want to know about sword intent or not?” Rihai crossed her arms and asked.

“I did, but now I care more about what’s going on in that empty little head of yours.” He shook his head, stretched out his hand, grabbed her crossed arms and pulled her toward him.

Rihai only resisted symbolically before being pulled into Aotian, who placed his hands on her waist and hugged her.

“Your head is the one that’s empty!” she pouted at him.

Aotian smiled and gave a peck on her pout.

“Okay, stop dodging the subject. What’s going on, Rihai? Is it really about the sect? Are you feeling insecure?” he asked softly, wanting to reassure her.

Rihai hesitated a little, not knowing what to say.

“Aotian… I really don’t know how to deal with this. You said you didn’t lie, but I still can’t wrap my head around how you have a sect you trust so much and ask me to trust it too, yet before you said you had no one and were alone in this world,” she said helplessly.

Aotian opened his mouth to speak, but a delicate hand covered it.

“I know, you asked me to believe you. And I will, Aotian, I will trust you. Even if I don’t understand, I’ll force myself to believe. But I can’t stop myself from falling into conflicting thoughts… I just can’t.” she said, looking at him with pure blue eyes, without a trace of falsehood.

She had decided to take a leap of faith for her beloved, even if it seemed like madness, and she wouldn’t go back on that. But she couldn’t simply discard all the conflicting and bitter thoughts that emerged in her mind.

Aotian looked at her with difficulty.

“Hai’er, I swear I’m not lying. The truth is simply too complicated for our current strength. I don’t want to keep secrets from you, but I judged it best for you not to know — that this truth should never come to light — at least, not until I feel strong enough to tell you without worry. I also have much I don’t understand, and I want to find out. So I only ask that you wait. I know it’s not fair, especially when you’ve revealed so many of your secrets, but mine… they’re really hard to imagine, how complex and dangerous they are.”

He held her face in both hands and spoke with sincerity, revealing the weight of the problem.

Aotian was truly afraid. He didn’t know the origin of the system, or what might happen if he revealed its existence — or that of his avatars — or even about his past life. He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, risk both his life and Rihai’s before understanding everything.

Rihai looked at him, surprised — she hadn’t imagined that Aotian took his problems and secrets so seriously — and she began to wonder if he truly was the reincarnation of an immortal to speak with such gravity, or if he was just mistaken.

“Rihai, is there such a thing as a heavenly oath? I’m willing to make one, if that means you’ll believe me.” Aotian looked at her with surprising seriousness.

“That…” Rihai was startled by his heavy words, but his sincerity touched her.

Then a smile formed on her face, and she placed her delicate hand on Aotian’s face, gently stroking his cheek with her thumb.

“Aotian, you really do know a lot… but you also don’t know anything,” she said teasingly, looking at him.

“Huh?!” Aotian looked at her, confused.

“Pff!!” Rihai couldn’t help but laugh, covering her mouth with her other hand, finding his confused look adorable. She continued: “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. First of all, even though we are cultivators, we’re still mortals, and the heavens don’t care about us. They don’t watch our lives waiting to punish us for any oath we make to them.”

She explained, making Aotian ponder and think it sounded reasonable. But as he was about to say something, she continued:

“But there really are heavenly oaths. However, those oaths are only made by more powerful cultivators, where the spiritual energy in their body has become nearly alive. When they make a heavenly oath and break it, their own energy judges them and cripples their cultivation. Their own heart feels guilt and turns against them, generating powerful inner demons. And as cultivation increases, according to the legends I’ve read, the cultivator begins to interact with the laws. So when they swear an oath, even the laws themselves go against them if they break it, making a heavenly oath something extremely serious and rarely done.” she explained, and Aotian finally understood why he had never seen or heard of any heavenly oaths since arriving.

He and those around him were simply too weak for such things.

“And about sword intent? Does strength have anything to do with it too?” Aotian couldn’t help but ask when something lit up in his mind after hearing what she said.

“Of course. Normally, sword intent, or any other kind of intent, is only awakened in the Nascent Soul realm, because at that level, the spiritual energy inside a cultivator’s body undergoes a metamorphosis, becoming more intelligent and alive, as well as more malleable and compatible with the cultivator’s own will. That’s why, at that realm, talented people can start cultivating sword intent. And as the realm advances, it becomes even easier. Of course, aptitude and dedication to the sword are still necessary, but with every breakthrough, everything becomes simpler because the mind, body, soul, and spiritual energy all strengthen with cultivation progress,” Rihai explained calmly.

“And Golden Cores, they can’t cultivate sword intent?” Aotian asked, thinking about the woman he had just challenged who possessed sword intent.

“It’s very difficult. Only very strong geniuses can condense a prototype of sword intent at the Golden Core realm,” Rihai shook her head, denying it.

Aotian furrowed his brows, wondering if Jian Huiyin was a celestial genius, but then something flashed in his mind.

“And what if they have a special physique related to swords?” Aotian asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Rihai found his sudden questions strange, but she still answered.

“Special physiques have a certain connection with the heavenly laws, which helps a lot, so yes, a physique related to swords has a great chance of awakening sword intent early, still within the Golden Core realm,” she replied, shrugging.

Aotian looked at her, impressed.

“Rihai, did you swallow a library? How does so much knowledge fit into that little head?” He tapped his finger on her head, teasing her.

It wasn’t that he was surprised she knew so much — after all, he could imagine these things based on his own understanding from the novels he had read in his past life. But from what he knew about Rihai, when something happened in her life and she had to flee, she was still very young, yet she knew so much. It only showed how much she loved learning and studying from an early age.

Rihai just rolled her eyes at Aotian, but a small smile crept onto her face. She seemed to enjoy being called a know-it-all.

‘How cute, I think my girlfriend is a cultivation nerd!’ Aotian thought, amused and distracted, while poking Rihai’s cheek with his index finger.

…

Back with the avatars, there was now an intense stare-off.

On one side were the elders of the Bamboo Sword Sect, led by Jian Huiyin.

On the other, facing them, were the elders of the Infinite Dao Sect, led by Tian Zhu.

“You have won,” Jian Huiyin said with a calm look, but the elders behind her lowered their heads in shame.

She said nothing about their defeat or showed anger — after all, as the leader, she considered the fault mainly her own, for losing her own battle in the first place.

“Yes. But we won’t make things difficult for your sect. Our sect has brought excellent items, and for each technique and heritage you provide, you will be paid a fair price,” Tian Zhu said indifferently.

But his words didn’t seem to calm the members of the opposing sect, as their fists clenched tightly and the resentment on their faces was clear.

They were prepared for humiliation — selling their cultivation heritages for scraps.

The law of the strongest was truth and justice in this world, and they knew it well.

“Bao Hui, you’ll be responsible for the negotiations,” Tian Zhu said calmly, not even turning to look back when calling.

But a wild Bao Hui, almost out of nowhere, appeared at his side, rubbing his hands with a mischievous smile.

“Hehehe, leave it to me, Sect Leader! This negotiation will be a steal!” he said, grinning like a fox at the opposing elders, who immediately felt a strong urge to punch him.

But Tian Zhu, as a righteous leader, couldn’t allow that.

“No bargaining. We were the ones who acted disrespectfully here. Give them a fair price,” he said, causing Bao Hui to turn and stare at him incredulously, as if Tian Zhu had killed his mother.

“S-Sect Leader! You must have been deceived by that prodigal old man, Lie Zheng! How can we act like this? We have starving children at home to feed!” Bao Hui pleaded miserably.

But Tian Zhu looked at him indifferently.

“Prodigal old man?! You’re the stingy one!” Lie Zheng stepped forward, grinding his teeth.

“I’m a man worried about buying bread to feed our poor starving disciples! How can you call me stingy?!” Bao Hui snapped back.

“Bread?! Are you crazy? We’re cultivators, we don’t eat bread! You old fox!” Lie Zheng shouted, clenching his fists at Bao Hui.

“This is your fault! You’re teaching them all wrong! Have you seen the price of spiritual rice and fasting pills?! We’re going bankrupt with all this reckless spending! Bread is a much more nutritious and affordable option! You stinky skunk!”

The argument would have continued, but before Lie Zheng could speak again, an indifferent voice cut through.

“Bao Hui. Lie Zheng,” Tian Zhu said while pressing his fingers against his eyebrows helplessly.

The two immediately froze and shut their mouths.

Tian Zhu then lowered his hand upon seeing them quiet down, and turned his gaze to Bao Hui, signaling him to start the negotiations.

Elder Bao had to swallow his frustration dryly, turning bitterly toward the members of the Bamboo Sword Sect, who now stared at him in utter perplexity after the scene they had just witnessed.

It was the first time they had seen something like this — in any sect.

Even the usually indifferent Jian Huiyin was slightly stunned.

Discouraged, Bao Hui could only sigh and say:

“Haah, let’s start the negotiations.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep