Chapter 311 - 208: In a Fog, No Adventures Allowed

Chapter 311: Chapter 208: In a Fog, No Adventures Allowed

Each of these sharp swords and spectral images represented a type of swordsmanship, a sword move, or a Sword Intent. They weren’t merely manifestations of swordsmanship; they were more like... the wisdom of predecessors.

Xie Yuan’s eyes opened, his expression thoughtful.

This world of the Black Celestial Book was too abstract, but Xie Yuan had indeed perceived something different.

These famous swords and spectral images didn’t seem to be things the Black Celestial Book originally possessed.

If there was any difference between this time and the last... it could only be that he was on Sword Peak.

These things must be a unique property of Sword Peak itself. They were visions created when the insights of all the predecessors—who had comprehended, carved, and left their mark on Sword Peak—merged with this page of the Black Celestial Book.

Besides the intense Sword Intent emanating from the Black Celestial Book, didn’t the ceaseless whirlwind of Sword Intent on Sword Peak also contain the remnants left by generations of Cloud Mountain Sword Sect predecessors?

That was why after entering Sword Peak, he had felt a different atmosphere and a different Sword Intent, which then led him into that world of Sword Intent.

In that case, he had first sensed the residual Sword Intent on Sword Peak. Then, by relying on its fusion with the world of the Black Celestial Book, he had directly entered the special realm that was normally only accessible during a breakthrough. The effect of his comprehension was thus astonishingly effective, and his progress with the Black Celestial Book skyrocketed, allowing him to achieve a complete breakthrough in just ten days.

The predecessors’ Sword Intent was like a key, a springboard that had led him into the true world of the Black Celestial Book.

Xie Yuan had a flash of insight. He finally understood why he had lost all perception of the outside world and entered that strange world of Sword Intent.

’So this time, it really was all up to my own perception, huh?’

’Presumably, that residual Sword Intent isn’t something one can easily sense and gain insights from. Otherwise, everyone in the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect would be an unparalleled master.’

Xie Yuan nodded repeatedly. He had finally unraveled the source of the strange phenomena on Sword Peak, though he still hadn’t seen the true form of the Black Celestial Book.

No wonder, compared to the chances of gaining insight from the Eight Trigrams Lotus that Mu Chaoyun had mentioned, the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect seemed to produce a story of sudden enlightenment every so often. The probability seemed much higher.

Moreover, most Sword Sect disciples who entered might not comprehend a Divine Mysterious Sword Skill, but over time, they would all gain at least some understanding of the Sword Dao—the only question was how much. It was nothing like the Eight Trigrams Lotus, where people often grasped deviant or incorrect techniques and ended up suffering from cultivation deviation, making it a truly "dark" tome. Here, the worst that could happen was a disciple overextending themselves and being injured by the Sword Intent.

The root of it all was the legacy of Sword Intent left by generations of predecessors. Perhaps this inherited Sword Intent was also, in its own way, protecting the disciples of later generations.

Now that he understood the anomaly, Xie Yuan felt a little more at ease, and his interest in Sword Peak grew even stronger—it was truly worthy of being called a sacred land of the Sword Dao. He suspected that not even the Sword Storage Pavilion—no, a place like this definitely couldn’t be found even within the Sword Storage Pavilion.

But understanding the situation didn’t seem to change his predicament. If he had known earlier, he might have been more on guard and not become so completely engrossed. Now, however, the entire Sect knew that an "External Training" disciple like him had lingered inside for nine days. It was too late for explanations.

Xie Yuan let out a breath and shook his head.

When it came down to it, he still hadn’t been careful enough.

If he were in a Demon Dao sect, like the Stove Sect, he would have been meticulously cautious, not daring to reveal the slightest flaw.

But ever since joining the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, aside from being wary of everything at the start, Xie Yuan had occasionally revealed a bit of his talent to gain better resources and opportunities to comprehend the Black Celestial Book.

This naturally increased his chances of being exposed. Although the risks had been small before, they accumulated over time, and an accident was bound to happen eventually—like now.

Xie Yuan had considered this problem before, but after weighing his options, he had still chosen this path. He hadn’t completely eliminated every perceived risk of exposure.

It was simply because the longer he stayed in the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, the more accustomed to it he became, and the more he understood what people meant by an "upright and honorable, righteous sect."

Although there was competition, jealousy, and personal ambition here, in the more than half a year he had been in the Sect, Xie Yuan had never witnessed a single instance of truly despicable behavior.

From top to bottom, everyone in the Sect was immersed in cultivation. The distribution of resources and handling of affairs were fair, just, and conducted strictly by the rules. When masters taught their disciples, they always prioritized character first and skill second. They frequently instilled in their disciples the concepts of punishing evil, promoting good, and protecting the weak, admonishing them that when traveling the world, they must carry the responsibility expected of a disciple from a Major Sect.

Although Yunzhou was a large border province with fierce customs, a mix of good and bad people, and considerable banditry in the north, the thousand-li radius around Cloud Mountain had always been peaceful and orderly. The reason was simple: the moment any villain or corrupt official reared their head, Sword Sect disciples would eagerly arrive on the scene, another chance to earn Sect contribution points.

This even led Cloud Mountain County to become a model of clean governance. It wasn’t that Prince Cloud Mountain was particularly fond of administering his domain, but rather that the Sword Sect disciples, while they wouldn’t use force against officials, were the most annoying kind of do-gooders, always eager to report injustices. And given their status as Sword Sect disciples, no official dared to do anything to them.

Xie Yuan had experienced it firsthand as well. During daily cultivation within the Sword Sect, masters and disciples rarely held back knowledge from one another and were happy to exchange insights. When out on trials, they would never abandon each other in a crisis; elders and even the Sect Leader himself would rush to their aid.

"A good Sect."

Xie Yuan’s thoughts were just that simple.

So, Xie Yuan had gradually let his guard down, fighting for the opportunities he felt he deserved.

This was because he subconsciously thought that even if he were truly exposed, his life at least wouldn’t be in danger. His sense of crisis had grown dull.

According to the Sword Sect’s way of doing things, as long as he hadn’t committed any evil, the worst that could happen was imprisonment.