Chapter 2012 — Grand Sword Crater

"When will you head to the Holy Sword Temple?" Xu Jiaqi asked Yuan shortly after giving him the sword-shaped badge.

"I’ll have to figure out how to get there first," he said.

Though he’d been to the Holy Sword Temple before as Tian Xin, he couldn’t recall how to get there.

"Only the Holy Sword Clan, who owns the place, can bring you to the Holy Sword Temple," Xu Jiaqi explained.

"So I have to contact the Holy Sword Clan, huh? Where do I find them?"

"While their main headquarters is in the Ninth Heaven, they also have a branch in the Seventh and Eighth Heaven. You can find them at the Grand Sword Crater."

"The Grand Sword Crater, right? I’ll go find them as soon as possible."

"Good luck. The Holy Sword Clan is known for being eccentric, so try not to cause any trouble. They’re also a top 20 faction with the most swordmasters in the world," said Senior Bai.

"No promises," Yuan said with a playful smile.

Yuan left shortly after, leaving Kelan behind.

Once Yuan was gone, Xu Jiaqi turned her attention to Kelan.

"Now then... Commander Kelan."

"Y-Yes!"

Kelan subconsciously straightened his back after being called.

"I’m pretty sure I instructed you to notify me immediately when Yuan returns. Yet, you ignored my order and went straight to seclusion after his return. What do you have to say about that?" she narrowed her gaze at him.

Kelan lowered his head and apologized, "I’m sorry. I got too excited when he gave me a technique."

"A technique?" Senior Bai and Xu Jiaqi raised their eyebrows.

Kelan was extremely picky when it came to learning new techniques, so it was pretty surprising to hear that he’d gotten so excited about a technique that he forgot about his mission.

Though they were intrigued by the technique, they didn’t force Kelan to reveal it since that was his private business with Yuan.

"I’ll let you go with a warning this time," Xu Jiaqi said.

"Thank you, Celestial Overlord!"

After returning to the sect, Yuan explained the situation to the others.

"So you’ll be leaving again soon, huh?" Chu Liuxiang sighed. Though she knew he would eventually leave again, it didn’t make her feel better when that time finally arrived.

"I won’t be leaving immediately. I promised Yu Rou that I’d let her know before I leave, so I’ll stay here until our next meeting," said Yuan.

Thus, Yuan spent his remaining time in the sect with them until it was time for his meeting with Yu Rou.

At the Myriad of Techniques, Yuan announced his next destination to Yu Rou and the others at the end of their meeting.

"How long do you think you’ll be gone this time?" Yu Rou asked.

"It’s hard to say, but it’ll definitely be at least a few years."

"I see..." Yu Rou lowered her head for a moment, but she quickly raised her head again and spoke with a calm smile, "Be safe, brother."

"The same goes for you."

Yu Rou went to embrace him the next moment.

"See you later."

After leaving the Myriad of Techniques, Yuan immediately began preparing to head to the Holy Sword Temple.

"Since I cannot enter your dantian like the others, I’ll stay here and train with the others," Xi Meili said to Yuan before he left.

Yuan nodded.

After saying his goodbyes with the others, Yuan left the Super Perfect Physique Tempering Sect and made his way toward the Grand Sword Crater. Unfortunately, there was no teleportation device near his destination, so he could only teleport to the nearest place and travel from there.

After emerging from the teleportation device, Yuan wasted no time and used Feng Yuxiang’s flying treasure to travel.

Three months later, Yuan arrived at his destination.

"This is the Grand Sword Crater...?" Feng Yuxiang murmured, her voice filled with awe as her gaze swept across the horizon.

True to its name, the Grand Sword Crater was a monumental sight—a single, flawless gash carved into the land, stretching thousands of miles in length and plunging deep into the earth like a wound left by a heavenly blade.

Though the landscape resembled the aftermath of a cataclysmic battle, the vast fissure was far from abandoned, with countless swordmasters moving busily around and within its depths.

Legend has it that this colossal fissure was carved by a Sword Emperor with a single strike. Now, swordmasters from across the world gather here, hoping to glean insight from the remnants of his might and deepen their own understanding of the sword.

Of course, not every swordmaster came here in pursuit of insight. In truth, the majority sought to attract the attention of the Holy Sword Clan, who frequented the crater in search of talented swordmasters to recruit for their faction.

To draw the attention of the Holy Sword Clan, many swordmasters would periodically release their Sword Aura, feigning moments of insight, while others openly practiced their sword techniques in hopes of being noticed.

"What a bunch of weirdos," Feng Yuxiang remarked when she saw the odd scene before her.

Some time later, Yuan began wandering the Grand Sword Crater in search of the Holy Sword Clan.

"White and golden robes..." Yuan occasionally muttered to himself as he used divine sense to quickly scout the area without stopping.

Several days later, Yuan came to a stop when he finally found someone who looked to be from the Holy Sword Clan.

He focused his divine sense on a bald old man clad in elegant white and gold robes adorned with intricate sword engravings.

The old man was surrounded by swordmasters, yet his gaze was fixed on a lone youth quietly cultivating before him, exuding a decent amount of Enhanced Sword Aura.

"Not bad... not bad at all..." The old man nodded in acknowledgement.

Seeing this, envy flickered in the eyes of the surrounding swordmasters, each secretly wishing it was their Sword Aura that had captured the old man’s attention.