When Xiang Yan uttered the words “cultivation,” Chu Huaixu felt as if an electric current had coursed through his body, leaving him covered in goosebumps.

Earlier, when he suddenly mentioned Golden Core and Nascent Soul, Chu Huaixu had already sensed something was off.

There’s no helping it; after all, he’s read too many xianxia novels. Was this the hidden world background of “Borrowed Sword” from the very beginning?

In his concept, cultivation novels are just like what netizens summarize—essentially divided into three realms.

If you can defeat them, they are in the Ant Realm; if their strength is about the same, they are in the Daoist Companion Realm; if you can’t beat them, they are in the Elder Realm.

Unexpectedly, he would face a…

—Cultivator!

But it was precisely because of this that a confusion in his heart was completely resolved.

“I was previously puzzled about why, in ‘Borrowed Sword,’ everyone in the Profound Yellow Realm only referred to themselves as cultivators.”

“After crossing over, it’s the same.”

“I see, I see!”

“Because they are not genuinely cultivating immortality!”

In the grand hall, seeing Chu Huaixu standing there in a daze, everyone refrained from saying more and waited for him to slowly digest the information.

At the time, upon learning this truth, everyone was shocked for a long time at the thought of facing a group of “mad people” seeking immortality.

Chu Huaixu finally asked, “Sect Leader, when I enter the first level of the Origin Spirit Realm, what kind of realm cultivator will I encounter?”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yan began to explain.

“Over in Kunlun Cave Heaven, the realm divisions are different from ours.”

“The Profound Yellow Realm is divided into Nine Realms.”

“Meanwhile, Kunlun Cave Heaven only has Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Divinity Transformation—these five realms.”

“Therefore, what you will face is a Qi Refining stage cultivator.”

“Under normal circumstances, over there, one realm equals two of our realms.”

“You can think of the peak of Qi Refining stage as roughly equivalent to the Second Realm Great Perfection here.”

Chu Huaixu, hearing this, looked directly at everyone and said:

“Sect Leader, Junior Martial Uncle, Elders, are you serious…”

Are you serious! What is this? Are you setting me up to lose?

You want me, with First Realm cultivation, to fight their strongest Qi Refining stage?

That’s a whole major realm difference, boss!

If it were just an ordinary Qi Refining peak, Chu Huaixu would think, all right, let’s fight.

With all my abilities, what do I have to fear? I’ll face it without fear.

Now, in the Profound Yellow Realm’s Second Realm, it’s not like I can’t kill!

But they clearly won’t send over a mere Qi Refining weakling, so, essentially I’m almost fighting their strongest Second Realm in the Profound Yellow Realm?

Because of his Fearless Sword Intent, he’s indeed not prone to feeling fear, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have such emotions at all.

This doesn’t mean he thinks such an arrangement is reasonable, nor does it mean he’s eager to go to his death.

Unexpectedly, I’m actually going to face a Daoist Companion Realm, or even an Elder Realm!

Seeing him in this state, everyone couldn’t help but find it somewhat amusing.

Nangong Yue said with a laugh, “Chu Huaixu, if that were truly the case, we would have long solved the problem of the Origin Spirit Realm over the millennium.”

“Once those from Kunlun Cave Heaven step into the Profound Yellow Realm, they face suppression from the Power of Heaven and Earth Origin.”

“Or you could understand this as the Heavenly Dao’s suppression.”

“In such a situation, the cultivation they can exhibit is extremely limited.”

Chu Huaixu, hearing this, said, “I see.”

He then asked, “So, how high is the victory rate for those who’ve entered the first level of the Origin Spirit Realm before?”

When it came to such deadly topics, Jiang Zhi promptly answered, “About eighty percent.”

For many cautious cultivators, an eighty percent success rate is practically courting death!

But for someone like Chu Huaixu, he thought instead, “Isn’t that a guaranteed win!”

This dungeon is a sure capture!

Chu Huaixu: Ha, looks like it’s just the Ant Realm!

Seeing his expression, everyone immediately felt that something major was amiss.

Li Chunsong quickly said, “Ahem! Chu Huaixu, don’t celebrate too early! The Dao Ancestor once left proverbs, saying that the suppression power of Heaven and Earth for those heretical cultivators could weaken this time.”

“Perhaps there’s something wrong with the Power of Origin in the Profound Yellow Realm.”

“Or maybe they’ve found a countermeasure after millennia.”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yan nodded repeatedly, saying: “Personally, I lean more towards the latter.”

He began to share his perspective:

“Because our Junior Martial Uncle once fused with a [Profound Yellow Origin Fragment], birthing the Power of the Heavenly Dao and successfully advancing into the Ninth Realm.”

“If there was indeed something wrong with the Power of Origin in the Profound Yellow Realm, Junior Martial Uncle should have sensed it.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhi nodded at the side, a proud expression on his face.

But he quickly seemed to think of something, and that pride vanished without a trace, replaced by a hint of gloom.

Xiang Yan continued, “Additionally, there’s something very alarming.”

“The cultivators of Kunlun Cave Heaven, if they truly attain the fruit position and reach the Divinity Transformation stage, their longevity would be terrifying, and one cannot fathom how many years they might live.”

“To us, a millennium is a time where generation after generation protects our own Profound Yellow Realm.”

“But on the other side, there might be one or a few people who have been alive all along, plotting since a thousand years ago.”

“What we face is a thousand-year-long scheme by a group of people!”

Chu Huaixu felt a chill hearing this.

The cultivators of the Profound Yellow Realm have perished one batch after another over a thousand years, with sacrifices spanning several generations.

Yet on the other side, there might be a few individuals silently watching here for nearly a millennium!

For some reason, Chu Huaixu felt extremely uncomfortable.

As if there were invisible eyes from beyond the heavens!

They were like beasts with immense patience, always lying in wait!

…

…

The difficulty upgrade in the Origin Spirit Realm this time did not surprise Chu Huaixu.

“After all, it was meant for Xiaoxu to fight.”

A main character of the world doesn’t fight easy battles!

After all, heroes emerge in chaotic times.

If it wasn’t hell-level difficulty, it wouldn’t be up to the main character to save the world.

Seeing Chu Huaixu’s calm demeanor, everyone felt much relieved.

This child’s disposition in this regard is indeed excellent and does not give rise to fear.

But Xiang Yan thought it necessary to convey the worst-case scenario everyone speculated to prepare him mentally.

“Chu Huaixu, this time when you descended the mountain, you personally experienced possession.”

“We have discussed before, if it is as the Daoist Ancestor’s Proverbs say, this round of the Origin Spirit Realm is treacherous beyond measure, then the worst case scenario is…”

Xiang Yan stated word by word: “What you might encounter is not an ordinary Qi Refining stage, but a Qi Refining stage that experienced possession and reincarnation!”

Chu Huaixu understood at once.

A Nascent Soul old monster who underwent possession and reincarnation?

“Interesting!”

Flesh Ant Realm, Elder Primordial Spirit Realm.

From Xiang Yan and others’ previous descriptions, only at the Nascent Soul stage can one produce an immortal Primordial Spirit, capable of external possession.

And to attain the fruit position in the Divinity Transformation stage and be bound to the Heavenly Dao of Kunlun Cave Heaven might restrict them, so a Divinity Transformation old monster probably wouldn’t come in person.

In this way, sending an ordinary First Realm into the Origin Spirit Realm would be akin to suicide.

Even the Heir of Prince Rui, with the assistance of his future Crown Prince Consort, using Spiritual Power Loan and Divine Sense Loan, would meet a dead end inside!

The power of the Primordial Spirit alone is enough to toy with Qin Xuexiao!

“By then, the scene would likely be nothing more than an old man trifling with a brat.”

Even with Qin Xuexiao’s own power of divine sense and the divine sense power of the Divine Level Assistance Lin Zixuan, it could not compare to a Nascent Soul old monster’s.

What’s more, the status of the Primordial Spirit is inherently higher than an average cultivator’s divine sense.

Chu Huaixu finally understood why it had to be Xiaoxu and the Bronze Sword.

Jiang Zhi’s actions, draped in fatherly condescension, now made a bit more sense.

—But where displeasure was due, it remained so.

“This shows that, due to the unique nature of Kunlun Cave Heaven, it requires not only the strength of the sword but also that aura of Evil Qi.”

Chu Huaixu suddenly felt that all the Dao Ancestor’s arrangements were truly a hidden message threading through everything, all foreshadowing!

“According to Xiaoxu’s description, the Sword Spirit of the Bronze Sword split in two, with half entering his body.”

“In this way, not only could it take direct charge, letting the Sword Spirit take the lead in life-and-death battles, but it could also rely on the internal Sword Spirit to prevent the Primordial Spirit’s possession!”

Chu Huaixu personally speculated that once the Sword Spirit of the Evil Sword enters Xu Ziqing’s body, it could act similarly to the Heart Sword as a Stabilizing Needle.

Neither divine sense type attacks nor Primordial Spirit possessions would be effective, it seems.

What’s more, the status of this Evil Sword is also high, though it’s unclear how it compares to the Heart Sword’s strength.

He could imagine, with the arrogance of the Bronze Sword’s Sword Spirit, if a Primordial Spirit barged into Xu Ziqing’s body and attempted to kick it out, how enraged it would become…

“Why do I find this amusing just from visualizing it?” Chu Huaixu thought.

Yet, amidst the amusement, he became increasingly aware of the terrifying nature of the Dao Ancestor.

He did not know how someone who had passed a thousand years ago achieved this.

It was as if he could foresee everything, calculating and planning extensively for future generations, with every countermeasure impeccably complete!

What kind of great power is this?!

“Indeed, on the side of Kunlun Cave Heaven, perhaps there are one or even several immortals, eyeing the ‘prey’ that is the Profound Yellow Realm for a millennium.”

“Yet in the Profound Yellow Realm, there was a Daoist who passed a thousand years ago, who had laid down pieces on a chessboard a millennium prior…”

—Engaging in a distant game across a thousand years!”

…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep