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As the sect's Chief Grand Elder, Ye Xuanji's courtyard naturally lay in the most secluded corner of the estate—far from the clamor of the outside world, ensuring his peace remained undisturbed.
Upon arriving, Ye Xuanji led Chen Junting straight to the Sword Chamber.
The moment they stepped inside, Chen Junting's eyes were instantly drawn to the walls—lined with swords of every imaginable kind. Even without considering their craftsmanship, the hilts and scabbards alone glittered with exquisitely set gemstones, radiating an almost hypnotic allure.
Clearly, these weren't weapons meant for battle.
"Envious?" Ye Xuanji asked, stepping beside his disciple and giving his shoulder a light pat.
For the first time, Chen Junting sensed a playful, almost mischievous side to his master—far removed from the serene, otherworldly sage he'd met on their first encounter. 'So that whole "immortal elder" act was just for show,' he thought wryly.
Rolling his eyes secretly, he asked aloud, "Master… what is this Sword Chamber for?"
Though he already had a guess, he played along.
"This," Ye Xuanji said, ignoring the eye-roll with practiced ease, "is my personal simulated cultivation arena."
He strode forward and casually drew one of the ornate swords from the wall. Intricate engravings coiled along the blade, and star-like gems shimmered across its surface—each detail screaming extravagance.
"Don't rush," he added, catching the hunger in Chen Junting's gaze. "Your own simulated cultivation arena has already been under construction since the moment you joined the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect yesterday. We're gathering the materials tailored specifically to your martial soul."
Then, without warning, he shifted the topic. "Do you know the fundamental difference between your martial soul and mine?"
Caught off guard, Chen Junting offered the obvious answer first: "The Seven Kill Sword carries killing intent… while your Star Saint Sword radiates starlight?"
But then he hesitated, recalling the sensations he'd felt during both his awakening and soul ring absorption. "Or… perhaps it's about 'aura'?"
"Precisely," Ye Xuanji said, his face lighting up with approval.
"That's exactly why, despite vanishing from the world for ten thousand years while countless new sword-type martial souls emerged, the Seven Kill Sword never lost its title as the Number One Sword Martial Soul."
With a flick of his wrist, the Star Saint Sword appeared in his hand. Instantly, a crushing aura erupted—vast, serene, and luminous—and enveloped Chen Junting completely.
Chen Junting dropped to one knee.
His right hand flared with light, and the Seven Kill Sword manifested on its own. From its crystalline azure blade, a counter-force surged forth—raw, ancient, and drenched in slaughterous majesty.
As Chen Junting slowly rose to his feet, the pressure vanished as suddenly as it had come, leaving him feeling light and unburdened.
Ye Xuanji's voice followed: "Did you feel it? That… is 'Sword Aura'."
Chen Junting turned his gaze to his own martial soul. The Seven Kill Sword pulsed gently, its boundless killing intent flowing outward like a tide.
"Master," he said slowly, "the Seven Kill Sword's Sword Aura is innate. But for other sword martial souls… it must be cultivated through training."
He lifted his eyes to meet Ye Xuanji's.
"Correct," the elder replied, clearly pleased.
"That's the Seven Kill Sword's natural advantage. And once your mastery of Sword Aura reaches a certain threshold, it will undergo a transformation—evolving into a Domain. Ancestor Chen Xin achieved this at the Title Douluo stage, forging his legendary Seven Kill Domain."
"Domain!"
At that familiar yet distant word, Chen Junting's eyes lit up.
In the entire Douluo world, Domains were synonymous with overwhelming power. In battles between soul masters of equal rank, the one who possessed a Domain held a near-insurmountable advantage.
"So, Master—does that mean our next step is to train Sword Aura?" His eagerness was palpable, practically vibrating with anticipation.
But Ye Xuanji doused his excitement with a cold splash of reality.
"Do you think a Domain is something you can simply train into existence?"
"Then—"
Ye Xuanji cut him off. "You must understand: the Way of the Sword has five stages.
"The first is Sword Technique—the forms, the movements, the fundamentals.
"The second is Sword Aura—the presence of the blade, which may one day blossom into a Domain.
"The third is Sword Intent—where the wielder infuses their understanding of the world into every strike.
"The fourth is Sword Soul—when your very spirit merges with the sword. At that point, you are the sword, and the sword is you. (Human/Person/Man and Sword as One)
"And the fifth… is the mythical Sword God. Since the founding of our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—even back when it was still called Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—no one has ever walked that path. Perhaps only a true god could."
He fixed Chen Junting with a piercing stare. "Grip your sword tightly. From this day forward, it shall never leave your hand. As a swordsman, you must learn to commune with your sword martial soul—to understand it, to command it."
His tone turned sharp, almost stern. "The Way of the Sword begins shallow and grows deep. If you cannot even master basic sword technique, how can you hope to awaken a Domain from your Sword Aura?"
His eyes gleamed like honed steel. "Now—we start from the very beginning."
For the rest of the afternoon, Ye Xuanji drilled Chen Junting on the most fundamental skill of all: how to hold a sword properly.
As he bluntly put it, "When I first saw you, your courage was admirable and your vigilance commendable—but your sword grip? Absolute garbage."
He demonstrated: how to wrap both hands around the hilt, how to position each finger for optimal control and balance. Chen Junting watched intently, mimicking the motions with clumsy sincerity—until, bit by bit, he began to get it right.
Next came breathing. Ye Xuanji emphasized that breath was the silent backbone of swordsmanship—governing balance, stability, and flow. He showed how to inhale deeply to relax the body, and how to exhale sharply to tense the core at the moment of strike.
In the days that followed, Ye Xuanji's teaching unfolded with patient precision. Basic stances, footwork, and strikes were added to the regimen. Once those foundations solidified, training in the Seven Kill Sword Scripture and the "Kill" Character Mantra began in earnest.
And so, from that day onward, Chen Junting truly entered the life of an ascetic cultivator—his days filled to the brim with purpose.
Each morning, he performed a thousand repetitions of foundational sword forms, followed by a medicinal bath to soothe his aching muscles.
After breakfast, he practiced the Seven Kill Sword Scripture and the "Kill" mantra—again concluding with another restorative soak.
In the afternoons, he studied soul master theory and soul beast lore, then endured grueling sparring sessions under Ye Xuanji's exacting eye.
At night, instead of physical training, he meditated—with the Seven Kill Sword laid across his lap, its presence a constant companion. Through stillness, he learned to sense its aura, to attune himself to its rhythm.
During this time, Chen Junting also gradually befriended others his age—most notably Wu Feng, besides Ning Tian.
At first, Wu Feng had eyed him with open suspicion, as if resentful that he'd "stolen" some of Ning Tian's attention. But after Chen Junting calmly laid out a few "truths" (and Ning Tian gently mediated between them), their relationship thawed considerably.
In fact, it was Chen Junting himself who later helped Wu Feng secure her first soul ring.
Slowly but surely, Chen Junting began to feel that he and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect were no longer separate.
It wasn't just the staggering investment the sect had made in him—his private simulated cultivation arena, the costly medicinal baths, the daily feasts of rare and precious ingredients. It was also the people: his master, his friends, his home.
He had long since stopped thinking of the sect as merely a place he belonged to.
Deep in his heart, he now knew—this was his family.
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