Chapter 91: Sword and Destiny

"Huh?" "You know too?" Xu Xiaoshou was a little surprised, but then he thought that since Su Qianqian could find him so quickly, she must already know everything.

"That guy is here for me," Su Qianqian said, startling him. Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded. If you knew he was coming for you, how could you be so optimistic? At the same time, he was a little stunned, wondering if the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace had really mobilized almost its entire strength to protect this little girl in front of him.

Su Qianqian gave him an "It's alright" look, raised her hand, and patted Xu Xiaoshou's shoulder reassuringly:

"There are twenty-one famous swords on the continent. Besides the lost ones, most are protected by specific sword-holders."

"The previous sword-holder of 'Tomb-Name City Snow' was my grandfather."

"When I was little, three waves of assassins came to our house almost every night, all to steal the sword. Of course, without exception, they all died." "I've long been used to situations like this," she said, her small face unconcerned.

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked; it was the first time he'd heard the little girl mention this.

Su Qianqian adopted an old-fashioned demeanor, her hands behind her back, clearly imitating her grandfather.

"When I was ten, my grandfather fell ill. Everyone in the family started interacting with 'Tomb-Name City Snow,' as the famous sword would automatically choose its next wielder."

"Everyone had high hopes for my father, and he had prepared for decades for this."

"A year later, I was the one who was recognized. I became the eleven-year-old sword-holder..."

Xu Xiaoshou detected a hint of bitterness in the girl's optimistic tone and asked, "Did the number of assassins skyrocket?"

"Yes," Su Qianqian nodded, her eyes suddenly red. "Father... died in battle..." "If he had been the sword-holder, he definitely wouldn't have died. He had prepared for so long..."

The huge sword on her back suddenly trembled, and the air temperature dropped significantly. Xu Xiaoshou quickly patted her head to comfort her.

"Everyone has their own opportunities, good or bad."

"This sword chose you, so you are destined to bear more. Don't be sad."

Xu Xiaoshou was filled with emotion.

This was fate; when it decided to descend, it didn't matter whether you were prepared or not.

Dwelling on the past would not help.

The real question was whether one could endure, overcome, and transform it into an opportunity.

This was true for Su Qianqian, and wasn't it true for him as well?

If others discovered what was in his mind, or even noticed a slight abnormality about him, would they capture him, dissect him, or study him?

A chill ran down Xu Xiaoshou's spine as he thought of Elder Sang, the masked man...

This trend had already begun!

But he was currently still in the shadows; even if others noticed something, they could temporarily explain it away with words like "genius" or "diligence."

Su Qianqian, however, was different.

A sword-holder...

This identity was destined to always be exposed, and she faced the greed of the entire spirit-refining world!

Perhaps this was no longer "destiny," but "fate"!

Some people are destined to carry a burden from the moment they are born.

Xu Xiaoshou put his arm around the little girl to comfort her, but to the onlookers, the gesture was completely misinterpreted.

"Holy crap! Xu Xiaoshou... you beast!"

"How old is Su Qianqian? How could you bring yourself to do that?!"

"Xu Xiaoshou, no! You haven't even entered the inner courtyard, how can you corrupt a female disciple of the inner courtyard?"

"Ahhh, I wish someone would hug me like that too..."

Xu Xiaoshou awkwardly released her, and the little girl's cheeks flushed crimson.

"Come on, let's go up into the sky. These mortals..."

With a wave of his hand, the Reverse Sword Control technique reappeared, and they ascended into the sky.

Everyone looked up as the two flew higher and higher, clear question marks appearing on their faces.

Are you mocking us for not being able to fly?

Annoying Xu Xiaoshou!

"Received a curse, Passive Points, +112."

"Received envy, Passive Points, +69."

"..."

The two chatted as they flew, and before they knew it, they were nearing the inner courtyard.

Su Qianqian also left along the way, having accomplished her goal of informing "Little Beast Brother" to be wary of those in the inner courtyard.

After seeing the little girl off, Xu Xiaoshou's Passive Points in his mind had already surpassed the 5,000 mark.

He cheerfully landed on the ground.

Indeed, this was also a method. When there were no fights, he could simply walk around more to accumulate points.

Simply flying alone could stir up envy, jealousy, and hatred among the outer courtyard disciples.

Nothing else, simply because others couldn't fly.

His thoughts returned, and Xu Xiaoshou stood by the inner courtyard gate for a long time, gazing at it.

It was just an ordinary threshold, with no barriers or guards, because none were needed.

By rule, outer courtyard disciples were forbidden from entering, and any who did would be severely punished upon discovery.

Nevertheless, Xu Xiaoshou stepped inside.

With a single step, it was as if he entered a different world. The spiritual energy here was very dense. Xu Xiaoshou, whose "Breathing Method" had already advanced to the Innate stage, clearly felt a bit uncomfortable.

His body felt itchy...

It was comfortable, yet very uncomfortable...

This was why he was extremely reluctant to upgrade his "Breathing Method"—a change in environment meant he had to readjust again.

But he had to try his best to accept it all eventually.

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists, holding on!

"Ah~"

He still couldn't hold it in.

A groan escaped him, and he immediately felt much better.

He relaxed, and a scene flashed through his mind: the sun rising in the east, and him formally acknowledging Elder Sang as his master...

It felt very dreamlike, and unreal.

Elder Sang was indeed an extremely eccentric person. After the apprenticeship ceremony, the first thing he did was lay down three rules.

First, he couldn't call him "Master."

Second, he couldn't actively disclose their relationship.

Third, he had to visit him at the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion within three days.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't mind the first two rules much, but the third one was a real pain.

The thought of having to actively seek out that old geezer made him uneasy, even though Elder Sang was now his master.

However, the old man had included this rule in the "three rules," showing its importance.

If he were to follow his heart and secretly build a house at home, he would probably be sought out, and that would be bad...

"Forget it, better get it over with quickly. After I see Elder Sang, I'll go to the Spiritual Affairs Pavilion and issue a task."

Thinking this, he quickened his pace. Before long, he saw the unadorned, ancient three-story pavilion.

The Spiritual Treasure Pavilion!

Before he even got close, the barrier parted, and the main doors opened on their own.

Xu Xiaoshou marveled, "As expected, he's impressive. He knows I've arrived without even seeing me."

He steeled himself and walked inside.

Familiar bookshelves, row after row...

Xu Xiaoshou instinctively reached out to touch one.

"To the third floor!" an annoyed voice echoed in his mind.

Third floor?

Xu Xiaoshou took out an ancient book and shook it, finding nothing.

He remembered that the last time he was here, Xiao Qixiu had specifically emphasized that the third floor of the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion was off-limits, which had seemed very mysterious.

At first, he thought it contained Grandmaster-level spiritual techniques, but now it seemed Elder Sang was staying there?

Well, a floor exclusively for the Sutra Protector didn't seem out of place.

Thump, thump, thump!

Xu Xiaoshou quickly walked up to the second floor and was immediately drawn to the large halos of light inside.

The last time he came, he had wisely stayed only on the first floor and hadn't even glanced at the second, so he hadn't expected it to look like this.

There were no longer bookshelves, but these halos of light...

What were they?

He walked over curiously.

"THIRD FLOOR!!" the voice in his mind boomed again instantly.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Why such a rush? Was he eager to reincarnate on the third floor?

The three rules said he only needed to visit within three days!

Couldn't he let him read for two days?

As a person who had lived two lives, it was rare for him to have such a studious moment...

Of course, he wouldn't dare say these things aloud.

Xu Xiaoshou scrambled up to the third floor.

"Coming, coming!"