Quinn Shepherd's gaze fell upon the dewdrop at his fingertip, and for a moment he was bewildered. Could sword arts truly reach such a level?
This time, the sword technique Village Chief displayed differed from the one he’d taught Quinn before. Back then, Village Chief had demonstrated Sword Treading the Rivers and Mountains in painstaking detail, showing every step so Quinn could understand exactly how the technique was performed.
But this time, though Village Chief used the same Sword Treading the Rivers and Mountains, there was something fundamentally different hidden within it.
It was as if he had performed a feat of creation—like manifesting heaven and earth and giving birth to all things.
Dao Gate’s Dao Sword analyzes the myriad phenomena of nature through exhaustive numerological methods; the Dao Sword Fourteen Chapters uses these techniques to reconstruct the natural world, wielding tremendous power.
But Village Chief’s sword art seems to take the opposite path: he creates heaven and earth, using his sword technique to interpret and give form to all things.
It’s hard to say which approach is more brilliant. But in terms of intent, Dao Sword explains ‘dao follows nature,’ while Village Chief’s Sword Diagram creates nature itself. That makes the intent behind Sword Diagram even more profound.
To explain nature is still a form of learning—it’s studying nature. But to create is to bring forth something from nothing. Even by Dao Gate’s doctrine of ‘Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things,’ Village Chief’s Sword Diagram has grasped the dao itself: dao gives birth to all things. Dao Gate’s Dao Sword, on the other hand, tries every possible way to explain all things.
Quinn stared at that single dewdrop. It was crystal-clear, perfectly smooth, and on its surface he saw a vast world refracted—every detail rendered with flawless precision.
"Bixiao Heaven Eye—open!"
Quinn’s pupils spun with layer upon layer of formation patterns. Using the Bixiao Heaven Eye, he tried to see the tiniest sword-lights composing the dewdrop, but to his disappointment, even Bixiao Heaven Eye couldn’t reveal them.
Yet he saw something else—through the dewdrop’s refraction, he could discern even finer details.
He used the dewdrop’s refraction to observe the Imperial Preceptor, who seemed lost in a mysterious state. Through the dewdrop, Quinn saw countless formation arrays shifting within the Preceptor’s eyes.
Looking closer, he saw that within those shifting arrays, a world seemed to be taking shape.
Quinn’s spirits lifted; maintaining the Bixiao Heaven Eye, he looked even more closely. It was as if, inside the Imperial Preceptor’s eyes, a world was being born—a living demonstration of divine creation!
He felt as though he were personally inside that world, experiencing the Imperial Preceptor’s path to enlightenment.
The Imperial Preceptor was comprehending sword-dao; his talent was extraordinary. No wonder the Heavenly Demon Patriarch, Dao Lord, and World-Honored One all felt moved to teach him their sacred arts.
Quinn knew he couldn’t match the Preceptor’s talent or comprehension. The Preceptor had grasped sword-dao at first sight, instantly understanding and forming his own path—Quinn felt he was nowhere close.
Yet now, borrowing the dewdrop, Quinn was able to enter the Imperial Preceptor’s enlightenment and use it to advance himself.
How wondrous this is—
Village Chief saw this and remarked to Crippled Joe, “Quinn may not have the talent or comprehension of a once-in-five-centuries saint, but his cleverness and persistence are second to none.”
Crippled Joe puffed himself up, “I taught him!”
Village Chief added, “We all taught him!”
Crippled Joe asked, “What do you think of the Imperial Preceptor? Is he fit to be Human Emperor?”
Village Chief was silent for a moment, then said softly, “He’s no worse than I am. Someday, he might even surpass me.”
Crippled Joe looked at him, puzzled. “You never finish your sentences—why not just say what you mean for once?”
Village Chief sighed, “I’ve grown very strong—reached the pinnacle of sword arts. But do you see how I lost my hands and feet? They were severed by a sword.”
Crippled Joe fell silent. Village Chief continued, “My hands and feet were cut off by someone with a sword. The Imperial Preceptor may one day surpass me, but unless he finds another opportunity, he too will be trapped at the Divine Bridge Realm—unable to cross to the next stage. He’ll face the same fate as me.”
Crippled Joe shuddered, glancing at the Imperial Preceptor, then at Quinn, and asked quietly, “If you and I die, and the Imperial Preceptor dies too, what about Quinn?”
Village Chief stared blankly. “I originally hoped he’d just be an ordinary person, living a plain life. But time and again, he’s surprised me—breaking my expectations every time. I can’t be sure about his future. I thought he was ordinary, but after he sought out Carefree Haven, I realized he might be anything but.”
Crippled Joe grinned. “Ordinary? Village Chief, you must be senile. Who ever heard of an ordinary Overlord Body? Quinn’s got the Overlord Body—how could he be ordinary?”
Village Chief’s face froze, then he gave a dry laugh. “You’re right, I forgot he’s got the Overlord Body—of course he does extraordinary things. This time, too, he surprised me. I thought he wouldn’t gain much from my sword-dao, but he used that dewdrop to witness the Imperial Preceptor’s悟道. It’s just… just…”
He was at a loss for words. Crippled Joe laughed, “It’s unbelievable!”
Village Chief nodded, half laughing, half crying. “It really is unbelievable! That boy—I thought he’d never awaken his Spirit Embryo, but he did. I thought he’d stall at the Spirit Embryo stage, but he found the Overlord Body… yes, the follow-up to Overlord Three-Core Art. I thought he’d be just another face in the crowd, but he beat all 360 Hall Masters of the Heavenly Demon Cult to become its young Cult Master. I thought he couldn’t master what we taught him, but he did—he’s even surpassed us.”
He gave a bitter smile. “I thought I’d never acknowledge him, never pass on my mantle. But in the end, I did—I gave him everything, even my burdens and responsibilities.”
He recalled the past, feeling both amused and helpless. “I didn’t trust him at first—never thought he’d accomplish anything extraordinary. But he kept surprising me, and in the end, I realized I trust him most of all. Yes, we raised him, but as he grew, we grew too.”
Crippled Joe grinned, “What do you mean?”
Village Chief’s wrinkles bunched up in a genuine smile. “I mean, compared to the Imperial Preceptor, I have higher hopes for Quinn. Fifteen years ago, in the darkness of the Great Ruins, we found him by the Yong River—he was extraordinary from birth. His talent isn’t as dazzling as the Preceptor’s, nor is his comprehension as freakish, but there’s something in him I can’t fathom…”
“It’s the Overlord Body!” Crippled Joe exclaimed.
Village Chief’s smile froze, and he murmured, “Maybe it’s the Overlord Body. An ordinary person might perform a miracle once by chance, twice by luck—but three, four miracles? That’s no accident. Quinn truly is extraordinary, worthy of the Overlord Body. He’s inherited all our strengths and learned from our failures—he’ll go farther than any of us!”
The Imperial Preceptor’s enlightenment grew deeper, and through the dewdrop, Quinn was able to witness his entire悟道.
The higher the Imperial Preceptor’s sword-dao realm climbed, the greater the benefits he received.
Quinn was still at the early stage of the law phase, but by witnessing the Imperial Preceptor’s悟道, he glimpsed the sword-dao’s stages. The impact was immense—the benefits unimaginable!
Compared to giants like the Imperial Preceptor, Quinn was just a child. But now, standing on the shoulders of a giant, he saw higher and farther than ever before.
Others at Qingmen Pass also studied Village Chief’s Sword Treading the Rivers and Mountains, but few grasped its true depth. Most learned only a move or two, enough to benefit them for life—but none gained as much as Quinn.
He had received the highest sword insights from both Village Chief and the Imperial Preceptor at once!
After a long time, the Imperial Preceptor awoke from悟道, a mysterious new presence about him.
Upon reaching the summit, all other mountains seem small.
He now stood at the very peak of sword arts. Looking at all the sword techniques and divine arts in the world, he felt a kind of melancholy—there was nothing left that could amaze him.
A look of melancholy appeared on the Imperial Preceptor’s face, but he soon sensed something strange—someone was spying on him, peering into his dao-heart, his悟道!
Startled, the Imperial Preceptor followed the sensation and his gaze landed on Quinn’s fingertip.
The Imperial Preceptor was taken aback, then burst out laughing, shaking his head. “So that’s it. The Heavenly Saint Cult Master is far too crafty.”
Quinn immediately felt a sting in his eyes as the Preceptor’s gaze swept over him, and quickly looked away. When their eyes met, Quinn flashed a bright, sunny smile. “Heavenly King, sorry to disturb you.”
The Imperial Preceptor smiled and gestured. “It’s no disturbance.”
Suddenly, the mountains and rivers vanished, all sword-light disappeared—Village Chief withdrew his sword-light and said to the Imperial Preceptor, “You have obtained dao.”
The Imperial Preceptor bowed in thanks. “If not for your guidance, I don’t know when I would have entered the dao-realm.”
Village Chief dispelled the yuanqi limbs he had formed. “Step forward and look at my severed arms and legs. I’ve always kept these sword scars, never erased them. Someday, you may face the god who gave me these wounds.”
The Imperial Preceptor grew solemn, stepped forward, and crouched to examine them closely.
They were sword scars—the old Human Emperor’s wounds left by an even stronger sword. Those skilled in the sword are harmed by the sword. To the Preceptor, Village Chief’s sword arts had already reached the dao-realm, and his sword-dao was still above the Preceptor’s, though his vitality was weaker. Yet in those wounds, the Preceptor saw a sword art and sword-dao even greater than Village Chief’s!
“Do you have confidence you can defeat him?” Village Chief asked.
The Imperial Preceptor’s face grew grave. “Not now. Maybe someday! You taught me sword-dao, you’re my sword arts initiator—my teacher. Could I bear your burden?”
Village Chief shook his head with a smile. “No need—I’ve already given it to someone else.”
The Imperial Preceptor was shaken, suddenly understanding. He looked to Quinn and whispered, “The new Human Emperor?”