In the backyard of the Ling Family.
Ling Chen followed Ling Zhongshu at a leisurely pace, walking through a long corridor until a rockery came into view not far ahead.
Feeling curious, he asked in a low voice, "Dad, does Grand Uncle live behind the rockery? No wonder I've never seen him before."
"Ha-ha, Chen'er, you're only half right."
"Huh?"
What did being half right even mean?
Ling Zhongshu offered no explanation. As they drew close to the rockery, he drew a jade pendant from his sleeve. Channeling his true essence into it, he caused a blue ray of divine light and a red ray of divine light to shoot forth, converging in mid-air.
Immediately following this.
Ling Chen witnessed a sight that left him dumbfounded.
Ripples suddenly spread across the otherwise ordinary rockery, as if a spatial-temporal rift had been torn open, and a profound, mysterious aura rushed toward them.
"Chen'er, keep up."
Ling Zhongshu stepped through first, and Ling Chen hurried in right behind him.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the light dimmed abruptly.
Pitch black.
Faintly, a bone-chilling cold caused even Ling Chen to shudder involuntarily.
"Dad, where is this?"
"The ancestral land."
Ling Zhongshu's tone turned somewhat solemn as he cautioned, "Chen'er, remember this: the fact that Grand Uncle had you come here means he approves of you. From now on, the burden of the Ling Family will fall upon your shoulders. You must cultivate diligently and never let down the trust placed in you by Grand Uncle and our Ling Family kinsmen."
"Understood."
Ling Chen nodded slightly.
In truth, a tempest was already raging in his heart.
He had originally thought the old Ling Family possessed some background, but looking at it now, it seemed he had still underestimated them.
The ancestral land before his eyes was clearly no ordinary place, but an independent realm comparable to the blessed lands of legend from the outside world.
Could a mere minor family in Luoyan City possess such a foundation?
Before he could dwell on it further, Ling Zhongshu led him forward, and soon Ling Chen was startled by what met his eyes.
A graveyard!
Yes, it was a graveyard.
Yet the bizarre thing was that there were no tombstones; instead, coffin after coffin was neatly arranged before them. Outside the graveyard, a solitary figure sat.
The figure was dressed in a dark robe, with hair and beard as white as snow, and a rust-covered longsword laid horizontally across his knees.
The overall impression the man gave Ling Chen was exceedingly strange.
He looked like an ordinary old man on the verge of death with a feeble aura, yet also like an unfathomable and mysterious powerhouse.
As they drew closer, Ling Chen suddenly felt his breathing grow somewhat rapid.
It was as if an invisible force was gathering from all directions, pressing down upon him with a crash.
Even his seventh-grade sword bone trembled slightly.
Sword intent!
Ling Chen snapped to his senses. That invisible force was unmistakably a boundless, peerless sword intent.
He turned his head to look at his father and saw that his father's expression was normal, seemingly unaware of anything. He immediately understood in his heart that this was likely a test meant specifically for him.
At this thought, Ling Chen gathered his focus and pressed forward.
With every step he took, the sword intent grew a fraction stronger, making each stride exceptionally difficult.
Yet Ling Chen would not give up.
Since he had chosen to walk the path of a Natal Sword Cultivator, he had to forge relentlessly ahead.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
...
Having taken a full nine steps, Ling Chen finally reached the sword-bearing old man.
By this moment, Ling Chen's back was thoroughly soaked with sweat, and tiny, dense cuts had appeared all over his skin. Most miraculously, the wounds refused to close; instead, wisps of sword Qi lingered within them.
"Not bad."
The old man chuckled.
Ling Chen felt an overwhelming sense of relief as the sword Qi hovering around him suddenly turned gentle and mild, melting entirely into his body.
The next moment.
Clumps of pitch-black filth were forced out from within him.
Ling Chen felt an unprecedented lightness throughout his body, as though he had been reborn and shed his mortal shell, every pore of his being thoroughly refreshed.
Marrow-cleansing and meridian-washing!
Wild joy surged in Ling Chen's heart. How could he fail to understand the true meaning behind this? He quickly cupped his fists and said, "Disciple Ling Chen thanks Grand Uncle."
"Ha-ha, no need for such formality."
The old man waved a hand, motioning for Ling Chen to sit beside him. He looked the young man over meticulously, and after a long moment, the smile on his face deepened as he stroked his beard. "Outstanding natural talent; he is indeed a talent worth molding."
"Little Chen'er, you came to see Grand Uncle today—do you have a request?"
Hearing this, Ling Zhongshu at the side was the first to grow excited.
He still remembered when he was about to take over the Ling Family; he had likewise visited this place once. However, Grand Uncle had spoken very little, offering only a few casual pointers that had caused his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.
Now that Grand Uncle was taking the initiative to ask, it showed just how immensely satisfied he was with his son.
Without a second thought, Ling Chen blurted out, "Please impart the sword arts to me, Grand Uncle."
"Good."
The old man nodded in satisfaction. With a flick of his finger, the longsword resting across his knees flew into Ling Chen's hand.
"Little Chen'er, this sword has been with Grand Uncle for over three hundred years. Today, I am giving it to you."
"This..."
For a moment, Ling Chen was at a loss and looked toward his father, but Ling Zhongshu was equally bewildered.
Becoming a Natal Sword Cultivator required far more than just having a sword.
Without sword techniques and stances, even holding a divine weapon would amount to no more than swinging it wildly like a brute.
Not to mention...
Grand Uncle's sword truly looked far too ordinary.
Just as the father and son were feeling puzzled, the old man's voice sounded once more.
"Little Chen'er, the Dao of the sword is formless; my sword does not necessarily suit you. If you wish to become a true Natal Sword Cultivator, you must carve out your own sword dao. Only thus, upon Golden Core Formation, can you nurture and condense a natal sword core uniquely your own."
There are hundreds of millions of cultivators in this world, numerous as carp crossing a river. Among them, those proficient in the sword are hardly few; whether they are pugilistic heroes or immortal sect disciples, all love to travel the horizon with a sword at their side.
Yet those people can at best be called swordsmen.
The sword in their hands is merely a weapon.
A Natal Sword Cultivator is different. As Grand Uncle said, only those who condense a natal sword core may truly be called sword cultivators.
A Natal Sword Cultivator represents the pinnacle of slaughter!
Under the same realm, the lethal power of a Natal Sword Cultivator is unequivocally the highest—this is an almost universally acknowledged fact.
"Little Chen'er, do not despise Grand Uncle's old and shabby sword. When you wash away the rust, you will understand Grand Uncle's painstaking efforts."
"Yes, Grand Uncle."
Ling Chen did not dare to disdain it. The moment he grasped the rusty sword, he sensed his seventh-grade sword bone vibrating faintly.
This rusty sword was extraordinary indeed.
As for how to wash away the rust, that was the task he had to tackle next.
"Zhongshu."
The old man called out again.
Ling Zhongshu stepped forward hurriedly, and heard the old man instruct, "Now that the times are changing and a storm is brewing, do not let anyone disturb the peace of Luoyan City."
"Yes, this junior understands."
Ling Zhongshu instantly grasped the implication. Taking down the He Family this time was merely a trivial matter; the real major trouble was the Qin Family, one of the three major noble clans of Qingzhou.
Originally, Ling Zhongshu still harbored reservations, but hearing this now, Grand Uncle's meaning was simple.
Whoever dared to come to Luoyan City to stir up trouble, the Ling Family would crush them!