This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable Chapter 1761 9: The Most Tranquil Place in the Mortal World (2)

In the absence of light, draw the sword.

Barren and void, hushed and icy.

Lu Qingshan realized that shortly before, this place had surely contained something, but all of it was wiped clean.

"Has it truly left nothing at all?" Lu Qingshan wandered slowly in the profound depths below ground, traversing from one side to the opposite, then returning, over three or four rounds, yet discovered zilch.

At the core of his being, Lu Qingshan understood that individual was definitely gone, yet could they have departed without a single trace?

A title capable of striking fear into an entire race across twenty thousand years—even gravely injured, even on the brink of death, even against the Demon Race's top powerhouse—ought not to vanish so simply.

"Ancestral Patriarch Xia?" Lu Qingshan thus murmured tentatively into the void.

A soft gust caressed his cheek.

Extremely mild, but it sent chills racing through Lu Qingshan's scalp.

Within a sealed cavern underground, from whence came this draft?

"Your mind is unsettled," a voice he recognized echoed right by his ear.

Glimmers of ghostly light seeped from the surrounding rock walls, coalescing into a misty figure right before Lu Qingshan.

A figure materialized in his presence.

Reminiscent of that encounter within the Dao Source Realm.

However, on this occasion, the misty form sharpened into clarity.

A scholar clad in Confucian robes, temples flecked with gray, wore a gentle smile.

"Ancestral Patriarch Xia?" Lu Qingshan inquired once more.

"Indeed, it's me—you know my name: Xia Ming."

Silence enveloped Lu Qingshan.

Moments later, his voice rasped out, "Then, what exactly are you now?"

"Just a lingering shred of my Primordial Spirit."

Lu Qingshan hesitated, struggling to believe it, "Yet you're Ancestral Patriarch Xia."

"In South Village, children taunt my frailty and age, I must tolerate it, confront the bandits directly, and clutch the thatch while slipping into the bamboo." Upon chanting these verses, Lu Qingshan hadn't responded yet when the scholar burst into laughter himself.

"Back then, I faced multiple foes, and anyhow, don't expect perfection from a geezer half in the grave." He clarified with utmost gravity.

"You appear youthful entirely."

"Aging over twenty thousand years—doesn't that count as old?" The scholar displayed an over-the-top look of astonishment.

Lu Qingshan stood dumbfounded for an instant.

"The Human Race faces dire peril now, mirroring the crisis of twenty thousand years past," he pressed on.

"I'm aware."

"Are you truly aware?"

"I mentioned it long ago," the scholar winked playfully, "every era shoulders its own duties."

"This era's duty falls to you."

"That said, the present crisis partly stems from your actions too, so don't dump the entire load on me," Lu Qingshan countered earnestly.

"Fair point," the scholar agreed with a nod, then slapped his palms together, declaring, "Thus, apart from this Primordial Spirit remnant, I've bequeathed another gift to this realm."

"Call it owning up to my deeds," he affirmed with smug satisfaction, palms opening wide, "though whether you lot can wield it is up to you."

"What exactly is it?" Lu Qingshan pressed.

"In due time, you'll come to know," Xia Ming responded.

"Senior, at this juncture, cease the riddles," Lu Qingshan urged with rising frustration.

"Chatting with kin from my homeland is truly delightful," the scholar guffawed joyfully, utterly delighted, before sobering up, "I'm not riddling; should you wield my legacy, you'll recognize it instantly; if not, foreknowledge avails nothing."

"How do I wield your legacy?" Lu Qingshan rephrased astutely.

"You're exceptionally sharp," the scholar praised, gazing admiringly at Lu Qingshan.

"Do you know..." he began anew.

"I don't," Lu Qingshan cut in firmly, "tell me plainly, then I'll know."

This figure, revered supreme among Humans, harbored a "playfulness" utterly at odds with his stature.

"I've lingered here an eternity," the scholar revealed, "for ages, I strove to mend myself, tried countless ways, all in vain."

"Until one day, I surrendered at last."

"Then I pondered deeply."

"Ponder what?"

"The genuine path to survival."

"Any conclusions?"

"Some realizations," the scholar grinned, "yet they're mine alone—you can't borrow them directly."

"Altering fate's course rests squarely on you in the end."

"Thankfully, your aptitude eclipses my own." The glow dimmed gradually, the form beginning to fade.

"One final saying I bestow upon you."

"A mere speck of dust can fill oceans and peaks, while a candle's glow heightens the splendor of sun and moon." A faint smile appeared on Xia Ming's face, and then he vanished entirely.

...

Lu Qingshan emerged from below ground.

Yet, he hadn't really departed.

Frowning deeply, he perched on the wreckage, staring vacantly into the massive crater.

Ancestral Patriarch Xia's statement remained incomprehensible to him right now.

For what seemed like an eternity, he remained seated there, lost in deep thought over countless matters.

Still, no sudden realization dawned on him.

.......

The cold night gradually receded.

Dawn brought a soft glow.

A new day arrived.

Amid the cool, moist morning fog, subtle chirps of insects echoed faintly.

A handful of ants scurried across the earth in front of Lu Qingshan.

From the debris, a fragile green shoot had sprouted, forcing its way through shattered stones, radiating a quiet but powerful vitality.

This territory, once torn apart by Luohu's demonic grasp, wasn't completely barren after all.

Something stirred faintly within Lu Qingshan's perception.

Rising to his feet, he shook off the morning dew clinging to his clothes and strode down the barren path toward the horizon.

Just as Ancestral Patriarch Xia had noted, his thoughts were truly chaotic and yearned for calm.

The mortal realm buzzes with the most activity.

True serenity hides within that clamor.

He resolved to witness the human world firsthand.

The authentic human world.

A human world free from cultivation ties or his history.

After an extended trek, Lu Qingshan reached a modest town.

Vibrant energy filled the town, with throngs of people packing the streets.

Steamy vapors from the bun vendor drifted through the air like mist.

Spilled soy milk dampened the blue stone pavement.

Folks purchased their morning meals, devoured them, and gossiped casually like always, bringing up the abrupt disappearance of Primordial Magnet City—the hottest subject in the Spirit-Nullifying Realm for years now—so even much later, folks still chatted about it.

A few fretted if their own town might one day meet the same end.

"Whatever lies ahead, right now, we've got buns to sell." At last, the bun shop owner wrapped up the conversation.

Come what may in the days to come, daily life must continue.

By the bun stand, Lu Qingshan overheard these plain worries and sincere snippets of talk, and a sudden wave of emotion washed over him.

Here lay an ordinary existence, one he had known before, a existence untouched since stepping into this realm—not distant in time, but feeling like ancient history from eons past.

Was this time's mighty influence?

Lu Qingshan wandered the little town.

Passing a humble schoolhouse, he caught the bright, rhythmic voices reciting lessons beyond the fence.

So Lu Qingshan paused, silently absorbing the recitation from within the walls for quite a while.

Enveloped by those reading voices, his restless heart at last calmed gradually.