Chapter Twenty-Five: The Dao Seed of Swordsmanship, the Celestial Azure Divine Art

Bai Yi chattered incessantly along the way, peppering Lin You with all sorts of curious questions.

"What is love between a man and a woman? What does it mean to swear eternal fidelity? Is the bond between two people truly ordained by heaven?"

Sometimes she darted ahead, sometimes circled behind, and sometimes walked shoulder to shoulder with Lin You, resembling a cheerful little white dog.

Since Bai Mei had been rescued, she had shed her previous air of hardship and resentment, gradually becoming lively and joyful. The Bai Yi of now was more like an inexperienced child, filled with curiosity about everything in the world.

Lin You walked with measured steps ahead, his robes fluttering lightly in the wind and a gentle smile gracing his lips. Patiently, he answered each of Bai Yi’s questions.

"Love is suffering, and affection is entwined with hatred! The sea of desire and the river of love are but burning houses and muddy pits. Only by pursuing the path of immortality can one transcend the clouds and rise above the mortal world, enduring with the clear wind and bright moon..."

Though Bai Yi understood little, she gazed at Lin You with adoring eyes, marveling at the Daoist’s erudition—far surpassing any teacher she had ever eavesdropped on while learning human speech.

As they walked and talked, they soon reached the edge of the Pavilion of Inquiry. Lin You paused and greeted the ancient pine. The venerable tree responded with a wave of intimate feelings, gently swaying its branches as countless pine needles fell like fine rain.

Fearing her fur would get wet, Bai Yi darted into the pavilion to shelter, only poking her head out curiously.

Lin You, meanwhile, allowed his vital energy to circulate, brushing away the falling needles so as not to dirty his Daoist robe.

Standing beneath the pavilion, he gazed at the bold, ancient characters for “Inquiry” inscribed above the eaves, as if seeing a peerless sword immortal carving them into the stone.

“Bai Yi, please guard me,” he called gently to her.

“Oh! Alright!” Bai Yi replied promptly, leaping from the pavilion to perch on a branch of the ancient pine. Her white fox tail swayed as she kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings.

Lin You stood beneath the pavilion, one hand resting lightly on a stone pillar, and slowly closed his eyes.

Within his consciousness, the jade-green sapling swayed gently. An unseen root extended from his right hand into the ancient Pavilion of Inquiry.

The moment the sapling’s root touched the characters “Inquiry,” Lin You’s mind exploded with thunderous resonance. Once again, he felt as though he had been transported across time and space to a strange new world.

There, a middle-aged Daoist with an ancient sword strapped to his back stood before a red pine, his bearing unrestrained and carefree, with stars seemingly flickering in his eyes.

He lifted his head, perplexed, and murmured to the red pine, “Master, you have become a true immortal, transcending the mundane world, so why did you ultimately turn your body into a divine tree to mend the rift in the heavens?”

He glanced up at the azure sky, his gaze as sharp as swords, as though piercing through all barriers to glimpse what lay beyond the heavens.

After a long silence, two streams of blood-tears suddenly flowed from the Daoist’s eyes, yet his aura only grew more intense. The ancient sword at his back hummed, sword-intent soaring skyward, as if to cleave open the firmament alongside its master.

After a while, the Daoist suddenly laughed. The myriad sword-intents swirled like water before returning to their sheath.

With a wave of his hand, the earth churned, and in moments, a humble stone pavilion rose beside the red pine. Its pillars entwined with pine patterns, faintly radiating Daoist essence.

“In days past, I inquired of the Dao at my master’s feet; today, I inquire of the Dao with my sword aimed at the heavens! How exhilarating!”

The Daoist laughed heartily, taking his finger as a chisel, and carved two bold characters—“Inquiry”—across the stone pavilion.

Suddenly, he threw his head back and roared to the sky as his ancient sword leapt from its sheath!

A streak of azure sword-light pierced the heavens, dazzling as the sun itself, splitting the sea of clouds as it shot toward the world beyond the ninth heaven.

“This sword, I name Azurefall!”

In the next instant, the vision shattered.

Lin You felt as if a resplendent sword was cleaving toward him, carrying a resolve to break all fetters and shackles, never to turn back!

The little tree within him waved gently, countless roots extending to capture the Daoist essence and sword-intent, while simultaneously awakening Lin You’s spirit.

At that very moment, the ancient Pavilion of Inquiry, which had stood for a thousand years, seemed to succumb to the erosion of time. Cracks marred the stone pillars, the eaves fractured and crumbled, and in the blink of an eye, it had weathered into ruin.

A thunderous crash split the air, dust billowed, and shards of stone flew.

Bai Yi, perched on the pine branch as guardian, was startled by the sudden chaos. She looked over to see Lin You standing amidst the debris, his entire person radiating sword-sharp brilliance, impossible to look at directly.

Just one glance made Bai Yi’s fur bristle all over, her snowy tail standing on end, and her bright eyes widening in shock.

In the next moment, Lin You’s aura subsided, and he reverted to the gentle, jade-featured young Daoist he had always been.

Within his consciousness, however, the jade-green sapling had grown another branch. A bluish-gray fruit now hung from the branch, nestled among the crystal leaves.

This was the sword Dao seed, condensed from the Daoist essence of the Pavilion of Inquiry by the little jade tree.

And along with the Dao seed, Lin You obtained a new miraculous leaf—Azurefall.

This was the sword-intent left by the sword immortal’s final act of questioning the Dao.

To the ends of the azure sky and the depths of the yellow springs, the quest for the Dao is boundless!

With a mere thought, Lin You sensed the unstoppable sharpness within—an edge that seemed able to cleave the heavens and pierce through the highest sky.

This Azurefall art was utterly different from the two abilities he had previously acquired.

Lingspring and Renewal were both powers of vitality and creation, while this sword technique from the middle-aged Daoist was pure, unadulterated slaughter.

But this was precisely what Lin You lacked—a blade to defend his own path.

To kill in order to protect life, to cut through karma, not people!

With this power in hand, even if the Lord of Jinhua Prefecture came in person, Lin You would feel no fear!

His gaze grew profound, as if piercing the mountains and dense forests to witness the flourishing city of Jinhua, where three provinces met.

Lin You’s path of cultivation was unlike any other; he needed to forge bonds with both heaven and earth, as well as all living beings.

To transcend the world, one must first enter it.

Every cultivator must endure tribulations, and for Lin You, this powerful Lord of Jinhua Prefecture was the first trial on his journey—a tribulation of entering the human world.

…

At that moment, Bai Yi trotted over.

Following Lin You’s gaze, all she saw was a lush pine forest and mist-shrouded mountains.

Perplexed, she swished her snowy tail and asked curiously, “Master, what are you looking at?”

Lin You snapped out of his thoughts, smiling as he shook his head.

He realized his recent train of thought had been too far-reaching. For now, it was enough to quietly develop his Daoist sanctuary.

He looked out, intending to admire the scenery of his own domain.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, as if he had spotted something amusing, and a strange smile tugged at his lips.

He beckoned Bai Yi to come closer and whispered a few words in her ear.

Upon hearing, Bai Yi’s eyes crinkled with laughter.

She nodded eagerly to Lin You, then transformed into a white whirlwind and darted off into the mountains.

Watching her hasty departure, Lin You couldn’t help but smile.

Shaking his head, he left the ruins of the pavilion and approached the ancient pine, whose trunk was as thick as a dragon’s body.

Sitting cross-legged beneath the venerable tree, he leaned back, let his spirit sink into his inner world, and reached toward the matured purple-gold Dao seed…