129

Sitting beside the woman in plain white attire, even though she made no provocative gestures, Xu Yan felt his heartbeat gradually quicken.

Blood boiled within him, a restlessness stirring.

At this moment, he felt a chill in his heart.

"One must not underestimate people in this world. This woman's allure is as if born of heaven, her strength not weak at all. And I, being young, am most susceptible to the impulse of female charm.

"She's unsettling my heart a bit. My state of mind is still not strong enough.

"No wonder Master said 'With no women in the heart, cultivation is akin to divine'. I'm still far from grasping this profound state."

Xu Yan took a deep breath, silently calming himself down. Yet, the faint fragrance emanating from the woman in plain white attire, that intangible yet naturally captivating aura, constantly enveloped him.

Causing his heart to grow increasingly restless.

"This allure is too strong, actually stirring my heart. If this woman were to make a move, could I guard my mind?"

Xu Yan was shaken.

Glancing at the woman in plain white attire, her bright eyes shining like stars, sitting beside him, her slender jade feet kicking the water with no extra movements.

Even her features were not visible, yet it made his heart feel restless.

"How would Master deal with a woman like her at my age?"

Xu Yan fell into contemplation.

"Master must have also tempered his state of mind in such a way. Otherwise, why would he impart to me the wisdom of 'With no women in the heart'? This profound state of mind?"

His master's words and deeds floated in his mind, his steps leisurely, though his realm was terrifyingly high, every move and action as ordinary as any common person's.

"Returning to simplicity, skill approaching the Dao. My heart is restless due to my own ignorance. Only by understanding myself can I eliminate all external disturbances, only then can I not be troubled by allure.

"If my heart is unmoved, then nothing in the world can move me."

At this moment, Xu Yan had an epiphany.

The Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers emerged in his state of mind. Within the mountains and rivers, the courtesans of the Peerless Pavilion he had seen, the dances he had watched, all the allure, were presented one by one.

Making the mountains and rivers more beautiful.

Gradually, the figure of a woman in plain white attire also appeared in the mountains and rivers, as if sitting by the stream of the mountains and rivers, kicking the water, her bright eyes shining like stars.

At this moment, Xu Yan's heart calmed down, no longer restless. With a clear mind, the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers became more perfect.

"If my junior brother breaks through, opening the acupoints of the Great Sun Golden Body, he should cultivate the sword within the acupoints. And I, in these mountains and rivers, shall cultivate the sword of nurturing the people and nurturing the sword within my heart.

"Today, I, Xu Yan, have achieved the Great Completion of Enlightened Sword Heart!"

In that instant, Xu Yan achieved the Great Completion of Enlightened Sword Heart.

The Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers nurtured the people, nurtured the sword within the heart, laying the foundation of the second realm of swordsmanship, the Heart Sword Realm.

Xu Yan smiled, looking at the woman in plain white attire beside him, no longer feeling any restlessness. Her allure seemed to be enveloped within the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers.

The woman in plain white attire felt a chill in her heart. She looked at Xu Yan in astonishment. In that moment just now, she vaguely felt a faint and elusive aura emanating from Xu Yan's body.

She realized that Xu Yan was no longer restless, seemingly indifferent to her allure.

"Indeed worthy of being the Sword Summit Cliff, the first prodigy in a thousand years!"

She sighed inwardly, wanting to gain an opportunity for him to make a move was truly difficult.

The woman in plain white attire raised her hand and removed the veil from her face.

Revealing her peerless beauty, at that moment, the heavens and earth seemed to lose their colors, with only her beauty being the sole scenery.

"Young master, is your heart made of iron?"

The woman in plain white attire softly spoke.

Extending her slender jade finger, she gently poked Xu Yan's chest. In a mixture of coquetry and delight, it stirred infinite impulses in people, making their blood boil.

However, Xu Yan remained calm and composed.

Within the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers, the woman in plain white attire also opened her eyes and extended her slender jade hand... all the allure was just a part of the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers.

And Xu Yan was the master of the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers, controlling everything.

"You are the most alluring woman I have ever seen, the one most capable of stirring people's hearts. Yet, you cannot disturb my heart. Instead, you have strengthened my sword heart."

Xu Yan sincerely said.

The woman in plain white attire put away her smile. Her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, yet still irresistibly enticing.

Her gaze fixed on Xu Yan, her heart unsettled.

"My master said that my constitution is special. After cultivating this technique, few men in the world can resist me. Even ordinary grandmasters can be unsettled by me, eager to sacrifice themselves for me. Martial artists below the first rank have no resistance at all."

However, this young man in front of her remained unmoved.

"Young master, you are truly unparalleled in the world. I admire you greatly!"

The woman in plain white attire sighed.

Xu Yan thought for a moment before speaking, "I have a friend who also cultivates the sword. Perhaps he will need to temper his state of mind in the future. Can I have him come to you for that purpose?"

He thought of Xie Lingfeng and decided to use his name this time.

"Brother Xie also needs to temper his state of mind, doesn't he? Otherwise, how could he enter the path of the sword? Coming here to temper his state of mind would be the best opportunity for him."

Xu Yan thought to himself.

"Alright, I would like to see if your friend can remain unmoved like you."

The woman in plain white attire smiled.

"Thank you!"

Xu Yan bowed.

With his state of mind tempered and having achieved the Great Completion of Enlightened Sword Heart, it was time to leave. His next destination: Seven Stars Academy!

Xu Yan looked at the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers. Inside were scenes of him tempering his state of mind, the sights he had seen. He pondered for a moment, "Let's call it 'Myriad Manifestations of Mountains and Rivers'. This is just one of them. Once Myriad Manifestations of Mountains and Rivers is perfected, how strong will the sword intent be?"

Filled with anticipation, he comprehended the direction of improvement for the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers.

"Things here are done. I bid farewell."

Xu Yan stood up and bowed.

The woman in plain white attire smiled gently, "Young master, do you have no other thoughts in coming here?"

"Thoughts?"

Xu Yan was taken aback, falling into contemplation.

Seeing this, the woman in plain white attire stood up, her

"The steward of the Peerless Pavilion explained:

Xu Yan approached and, upon seeing the person in the portrait, his expression turned cold.

Su Lingshow!

The person being hunted was actually Su Lingshow!

"The person behind the scenes chasing after my junior sister has commissioned the Peerless Pavilion for the bounty. This shows that their influence is not weak. But since we've encountered this, how can we let them succeed?"

Xu Yan's heart was filled with a chilling intent to kill, but he maintained a calm demeanor on his face as he stepped forward to take down the portrait.

"Sir, what are you doing?" asked the steward of the Peerless Pavilion, furrowing his brows.

Upon entering the Peerless Pavilion, Xu Yan went straight to the top floor. Few people had seen him, so for the moment, no one recognized him as "Xie Lingfeng".

"This woman looks familiar to me. I must have seen her somewhere. I'll take this bounty," Xu Yan said with a pleased expression.

"Really?" asked the steward, delighted.

"Of course. Hurry and take me to claim the reward," Xu Yan urged.

"Sir, please follow me!" the steward said, hastily leading Xu Yan out of the main hall of the Peerless Pavilion. The other martial artists present showed disappointment.

The bounty had just been posted, yet someone had already taken it.

A few others, their eyes flickering with uncertainty, quietly left the Peerless Pavilion.

"Sir, you can leave the clue behind. After it's confirmed, you can claim the reward," the steward said as they arrived at an elegant room.

Xu Yan shook his head. "No! The reward for the clue is too little. If someone wants to find a person, I'll take them there. The reward will be a seventh-grade spiritual herb and one hundred thousand spiritual crystals."

"This..." The steward was in a dilemma.

"If you want to know the whereabouts of someone, don't be stingy. One hundred thousand spiritual crystals are not enough," Xu Yan insisted firmly.

After pondering for a moment, the steward said, "How about this, sir? You leave the clue behind, and after confirmation, we'll give you one hundred thousand spiritual crystals based on the highest bounty. How does that sound?"

Xu Yan sneered and said, "To be honest, I don't trust you. What if you capture the person and then refuse to give me the crystals, claiming that the clue was incorrect? Then, wouldn't I have wasted my efforts for nothing? "Give me the crystals, and I'll personally take you there. If the person is not found, I'll return them all!"

The steward looked helpless. "Sir, you're joking. The Peerless Pavilion's reputation..."

"Are you embezzling the bounty? That's why you're delaying and refusing to let people see me, afraid of exposing your embezzlement? "Could it be that the bounty is one million spiritual crystals, not just one hundred thousand? If that's the case, then I definitely won't tell you the clue!"

Xu Yan suddenly realized and stared at the steward.

"I..."

The steward, with a dark expression, nodded after a moment of silence. "Please wait a moment, sir. I'll inform the client. But I must remind you, sir, to be careful when taking them.

Xu Yan sneered. "Be careful of what? Is the Peerless Pavilion going to kill to keep secrets?"

The steward twitched his mouth. "Don't misunderstand. The client has nothing to do with the Peerless Pavilion. I'm just reminding you to be cautious."

"Don't worry, I know what to do!" Xu Yan said indifferently.

"Then please wait, sir."

The steward left.

Xu Yan looked at the portrait of Su Lingshow in his hand, his eyes cold. Since she was the enemy of his junior sister, she was his enemy as well. When dealing with enemies, he must show no mercy!

"My junior sister was worried about my safety in the Inner Domain and refused to reveal the trouble behind her. Now it seems that the opposing force is extremely powerful, to the point where they could commission the Peerless Pavilion for a bounty.

"From this, it seems they don't know that my junior sister fled to the Borderlands. The Grandmaster from back then didn't send any message back.

"Now that we've encountered them, I want the spiritual crystals, and I'll take your lives as well!"

Xu Yan thought with a chilling intent.

The steward of the Peerless Pavilion had even reminded him to be careful of killing to keep secrets, indicating that the client was no easy target.

The steward returned.

"Sir, please follow me."

Xu Yan followed the steward, leaving the Peerless Pavilion and boarding a small boat, heading towards the outskirts of the Thousand Stars Lake.

"Sir, are you reconsidering? With the Peerless Pavilion as an intermediary, safety can be ensured, and the other party wouldn't dare deceive us," the steward said.

"For them, this woman must be extremely important. I think one hundred thousand spiritual crystals is a bit too little. I'm planning to negotiate face to face with them and raise the price!" Xu Yan said solemnly.

The steward:...

The boat arrived at the outskirts of Thousand Stars Lake. In a clump of flowers and grass, two figures stood, draped in black robes, their faces obscured.

Seeing them, Xu Yan felt a chill in his heart. Two martial masters, one at the Grandmaster level and one at the Peak Grandmaster level.

Their attire was identical to that of the Grandmaster from before.

This force was extremely powerful!

"These two, this sir has the clue," the steward said.

The Peak Grandmaster looked at Xu Yan and said in a deep voice, "Did you really see the person in the portrait?"

"Of course, I once saw her treating someone in a certain place," Xu Yan nodded.

With this statement, the two figures in black robes no longer doubted. Their eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Where is she? Tell us quickly!" the impatient tone indicated their urgency in finding Su Lingshow.

However, Xu Yan remained calm. As the boat continued towards the outskirts of Thousand Stars Lake, he said, "I'll take you there, as long as you have the spiritual crystals ready."

The boat docked, and Xu Yan stepped ashore, looking at the black-robed figures who followed.

The steward of the Peerless Pavilion left directly. In her eyes, Xu Yan was seeking death and would surely be killed to keep secrets.