Once his state of mind settled, life returned to its former rhythm.
Reading scriptures.
Practicing calligraphy.
Occasional cultivation.
In his spare moments, Chu Xun refined and transmitted the Great River Sword Intent within himself.
Unknowingly, over the course of half a month, he had already mastered most of the essence of the Great River Sword Intent. Only a few scattered fragments remained, not yet fully integrated.
—
The first floor of the Sutra Pavilion.
This was a place ordinary disciples could freely enter.
No guards were required.
One disciple said in confusion,
"Have you noticed? The sword intent in the Sutra Pavilion has been getting stronger these past few days. Yesterday I still needed to calm my mind to sense it, but today I can feel it just by sitting cross-legged."
"Don't mention it—I feel it too!"
"Could it be…?"
Several disciples exchanged glances, then silently looked toward the upper levels of the Sutra Pavilion.
Generally speaking, there were only two explanations for such a phenomenon.
Either—
Someone had comprehended a supreme sword intent.
Or—
A powerful sword scripture had appeared.
Compared to the former,
They preferred to believe the latter.
After all—
Where was this?
The Sutra Pavilion of Donglin Holy Land.
If a supreme sword manual surfaced here, wouldn't that be perfectly reasonable?
Before long, news spread across the Eastern Region—
A sword secret manual had appeared in Donglin Holy Land.
—
Late at night.
Inside the Sutra Pavilion.
Two furtive figures slipped in.
One fat.
One thin.
The fat man nervously transmitted his voice,
"Brother, aren't we taking too big a risk? This is Donglin Holy Land—there's a Sage guarding it!"
The thin man curled his lips dismissively.
"I've investigated long ago. The Sage of Donglin Holy Land has been in deep slumber for years—no one knows if he's even alive. As for the sect master, Xiao Rongyu, she's a Human Emperor, but she doesn't personally guard the Sutra Pavilion. With the abilities of you and me, as long as we don't encounter a Human Emperor, stealing something will be easy."
The fat man took a deep breath, eyes narrowing nervously.
The two brothers were well-known thieves across the cultivation world. Stealing from under the noses of Human Emperors wasn't new to them.
Still—
This was Donglin Holy Land.
It made their hearts tremble for no reason.
"Don't panic," the thin man reassured.
"We're not stealing the treasures of Donglin Holy Land."
"We're just borrowing that sword scripture that appeared recently to take a look."
"The Sutra Pavilion has nine floors."
"At most, we'll only go up to the eighth floor."
"We grab something and leave!"
…
—
At the top floor of the Sutra Pavilion.
Chu Xun's divine sense descended, calmly observing the fat and thin figures below. The corner of his mouth twitched faintly.
He truly hadn't expected that, even in a fantasy world, there would be people sneaking into a Sutra Pavilion to steal scriptures.
First floor.
Second floor.
Third floor.
They moved in haste.
Before long, they reached the eighth floor.
What greeted them were shelves upon shelves of radiant scriptures. The fat and thin men froze, then broke into suppressed laughter.
"Any one of these scriptures… is something only a Human Emperor could leave behind!"
The flowing brilliance on the books was unmistakably the aura of the Human Emperor Realm. Taking out even one would be enough to stir massive waves across the Eastern Region.
Yet here they were—
Stacked throughout the eighth floor of the Sutra Pavilion.
The two men were stunned.
"So rich!"
"So many Human Emperor–level techniques!"
"Just stealing a few would be enough to make us wealthy!"
Their bodies trembled with excitement.
"Lower your voice!"
"Don't alert the experts of Donglin Holy Land!"
"Move!"
…
"Ahem."
Chu Xun coughed lightly.
Looking at the two thieves who were utterly engrossed in the scriptures, he felt a touch of helplessness.
He was standing right there.
A living person.
And they still dared to act as if no one was present?
"Huh?"
The fat and thin brothers instantly went on high alert.
But when they saw Chu Xun clearly, they both relaxed.
The fat man sneered.
"So it's just that old waste who can't cultivate. Strange that Donglin Holy Land would casually give such an important position to someone like him."
"Isn't this even better?" the thin man laughed.
"Perfect for us brothers!"
As they spoke, ferocity surfaced in their eyes. The fat man's gaze turned cold as he said,
"Old immortal, blame your bad luck for seeing us. This time next year will be your memorial day!"
"Why go to such trouble?" Chu Xun replied softly.
Stealing scriptures.
And now, killing to silence him.
All of it—
Because of an unfounded rumor about a sword scripture.
"Boom!"
The fat man erupted with cultivation at the Venerable Realm.
Even in the Eastern Region, such strength placed him among the very top.
When Sages stayed hidden and Human Emperors rarely appeared,
The Venerable Realm was indeed the peak.
No wonder he dared to break into Donglin Holy Land.
"Pop."
Chu Xun's gaze remained calm.
He casually flicked his finger.
A strand of green sword qi—no thicker than a finger—shot out. Yet within it surged the unique pressure of the Human Emperor Realm.
The expressions of the fat and thin men twisted in horror.
"Human Emperor Realm?!"
"A Human Emperor!"
"How is this possible?!"
Even within Donglin Holy Land, there were only a handful of Human Emperors, each occupying an important position. According to their intelligence, there should have been no Human Emperor guarding the Sutra Pavilion.
Then who was this unremarkable old man?!
Shock—
Turned instantly into terror.
When did Donglin Holy Land gain another monster like this?
"Pop!"
In the blink of an eye—
The sword qi pierced straight through the fat man's brow.
Seeing this, the thin man was utterly terrified.
"Bang!"
He smashed through a window, fleeing without a second thought.
At that moment—
Martial honor.
Brotherhood.
Revenge.
All of it became meaningless.
"What a pity."
Chu Xun shook his head slightly.
A Venerable Realm cultivator might be considered powerful in the outside world, but within Donglin Holy Land, it was still far from enough.
Not to mention—
The moment the Sutra Pavilion was disturbed, the grand formation would activate, covering the entire sect. Even Human Emperors wouldn't be able to escape, let alone them.
The moment they snuck into Donglin Holy Land—
Their fate was sealed.
"Puff!"
In the void—
A burst of blood mist silently exploded.
Carried away by the breeze.
Without causing the slightest disturbance.
The Sutra Pavilion of Donglin Holy Land remained as tranquil as ever.
—
But outside Donglin Holy Land—
An uproar erupted.
The reason was simple.
The fat and thin brothers hadn't acted alone in secrecy. Many forces had been watching in the shadows. Some had even personally witnessed the two men entering the Sutra Pavilion—
And never coming out.
In an instant, everyone understood.
There was yet another terrifying Human Emperor Realm expert hidden within the Sutra Pavilion of Donglin Holy Land.
But no matter how hard they thought—
They couldn't figure out where this Human Emperor had come from.
After all, the Human Emperor Realm was already a peak existence. In the secular world, one could found a powerful dynasty and be revered as a Human Emperor.
Even across the vast Eastern Region, such figures were extremely rare.
Even within Donglin Holy Land itself—
There were only five Human Emperors.
And each one held an important position.
So where did this one appear from?
For a time—
The Eastern Region was shaken once more.
Donglin Holy Land's image in everyone's heart rose yet again.
A holy land that had endured for thousands of years—
Its foundations were truly terrifying.
As for all of this—
Chu Xun knew nothing.
And even if he did—
He wouldn't care.
His mind was tranquil.
Each day, aside from reading scriptures,
There was nothing else worth troubling him.
Unknowingly—
He completed the task of reading one hundred volumes of scriptures.
"Ding!"
"Congratulations to the host for reading one hundred volumes!"
"Rewards obtained:"
Clear Dao Heart
One Fate Villain Investment Opportunity
One Realm-Breaking Pill