Chapter 83: The Dao Ancestor’s Scabbard
Author: Kindergarten Ace
August 18, 2025
At the foot of the mountain, Chu Huaixu listened to the Sixth Elder’s inquiry and immediately looked around, as if observing for eavesdroppers.
“No way, Li Chunsong, you actually dared to ask that!”
“Watch your wording and your identity, Sixth Elder!” Chu Huaixu grumbled in his mind.
Seeing that Chu Huaixu wasn’t answering and was constantly looking around, the damned gambling dog found it amusing.
“Stop looking, it’s just you and me around.”
But after thinking about it, due to his immense admiration for Chu Huaixu, he didn’t hide anything and added, “The Sect Master and the others are in the main hall. You might have to go to the Purple Bamboo Forest with me again later.”
Chu Huaixu understood. He was temporarily being “monitored” by divine sense. Several “cameras” were “secretly filming” him.
Therefore, Chu Huaixu replied, “If Sixth Elder asks like this, then… this disciple dares not answer!”
This made Li Chunsong laugh completely. A smile appeared on his ordinary face, and he said with a tone of mingled amusement and exasperation:
“You brat, still playing mysterious with me? Even if you don’t say it, the Scripture Pavilion has records, and when you just registered at the Spirit Repository, the courtyard also kept records. I’ll know once I check.”
Chu Huaixu looked at him, and the thought crossed his mind again: “Laugh! You keep laughing!” He was actually well aware that he couldn’t hide the fact that he had taken the Dao Canon from these high-ranking figures.
Therefore, he merely made a feint, pretending to be hesitant: “Does Sixth Elder insist that this disciple answer?”
“Speak quickly!” Li Chunsong waved his sleeve, a hint of displeasure in his voice. “Where did you learn to be so coy?”
Seeing his demeanor, Chu Huaixu thought, “Don’t blame me then!”
He cupped his hands towards the sky and said loudly:
“The technique this disciple cultivates is the Dao Canon left by the Dao Ancestor!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chunsong’s expression changed instantly.
“What!?” he exclaimed in shock. “That’s impossible!”
How could such a bizarre and evil technique be the Dao Canon, which has always been known for its ‘centrality and peace’? Do you think that just because fewer people practice the Dao Canon now, I’m not aware of it? If this is truly the Dao Canon, then am I not slandering the Dao Ancestor and the Dao Canon! — Truly, forgetting one’s ancestors.
Seeing his reaction, Chu Huaixu feigned helplessness and said, “No need to hide it from Sixth Elder, it is indeed the Dao Canon. This disciple dares not casually fabricate things concerning the Dao Ancestor.”
Li Chunsong immediately raised two fingers and gently pointed forward. A semi-transparent ripple spread forward as he began to investigate the spiritual power within Chu Huaixu’s Spiritual Embryo Treasury.
To put it mildly, it was exactly those four words – “centrality and peace”! Due to the different characteristics of each cultivation technique, the spiritual power within cultivators also varied. Some might be scorching and violent, while others could be ice-cold… Chu Huaixu’s spiritual power looked unremarkable, perfectly matching the description of the Dao Canon.
Li Chunsong looked at him with surprise, wishing he could slap himself. Soon, he heard a telepathic message from the Enforcement Elder Lu Pan.
“Sixth Junior Brother, after this matter is concluded, you and I will go to the Court of Justice to receive our punishment.”
“Well done, Li Chunsong, for deceiving your master and annihilating your ancestors!”
But the Sixth Elder quickly grasped the key point.
“Eldest Senior Brother also has to receive punishment? Hahaha!”
“Then that’s fine, I don’t feel bad anymore.” He immediately adjusted his mindset. He even muttered in his heart, “Why didn’t Junior Sister speak up this time! What a pity! I wanted to see her cry out as she was whipped by the lightning whip.”
Just as Li Chunsong was about to retract his finger, he heard a telepathic message from the Sect Master Xiang Yan.
“Sixth Junior Brother, investigate his physical body.”
Since the Sect Master had spoken, Li Chunsong quickly complied. The next moment, he couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Body harboring spirit!”
“This is Body Refining!”
In the main hall of the Daoist Sect, everyone looked at each other again. Sect Master Xiang Yan finally couldn’t help but lightly scratch his bald head. What was going on lately? Why were so many strange things happening? His scalp was so itchy. This newly joined outer disciple, even though his cultivation was only at the second level of the First Realm, had so many inexplicable things about him?
“He cultivated the Dao Canon through Body Refining?”
“And he actually succeeded?” Zhao Shuqi’s eyes were almost slits.
Li Chunsong’s telepathic message echoed in everyone’s ears: “He cultivates both internally and externally. It’s strange, the total amount of spiritual power in his Spiritual Embryo Treasury and the total amount of spiritual power in his body harboring spirit maintain a delicate balance.” Usually, when cultivating both internally and externally, one would either focus on internal or external. Chu Huaixu’s situation was virtually unheard of!
Li Chunsong continued telepathically, “Moreover, if these two were added together, the spiritual power within him would be far more surging than that of cultivators of the same realm! I’m referring to disciples who cultivate Heaven-grade cultivation techniques!” Upon realizing this, he couldn’t help but secretly gasp. The high-ranking members of the Daoist Sect were all inwardly astonished, and the gloom that covered many of their hearts dissipated somewhat. Sect Master Xiang Yan directly stated, “Surging spiritual power, coupled with Clarity of Sword Heart…” “Even without that sword, he would have no opponent in the same realm, right?” “Then the chances of winning in the Primeval Spirit Realm seem to have increased.” He couldn’t help but say.
Everyone nodded in unison, agreeing with the Sect Master’s words. Chu Yinyin said at this moment, “Could it be that what he cultivated is the true Dao Canon? And the senior Daoist cultivators in the past thousand years haven’t truly entered the path?” The elder girl, still like she was in adolescence, really dared to say anything. Yet, everyone felt there was a possibility. Sect Master Xiang Yan could only sigh again, “As things stand, this matter can only be discussed in the long term.” All current discussions could only be speculation, as the Daoist Sect had studied the Dao Canon for a thousand years without fully understanding it. Chu Huaixu’s cultivation was just beginning, and he could be observed further. “For now, this is a great thing for dealing with the Primeval Spirit Realm,” Xiang Yan could only say.
At the foot of Hidden Spirit Mountain, Li Chunsong, hearing the Sect Master’s telepathic message, didn’t ask further. This matter could only be put aside for now. The priority was Hidden Spirit Mountain! The priority was the Dao Ancestor’s prophecy! Li Chunsong looked at the ancient sword scabbard in Chu Huaixu’s hand, a trace of reverence flashing in his eyes. That was the Dao Ancestor’s scabbard.
“I didn’t expect you to take down the Dao Ancestor’s scabbard when you ascended Hidden Spirit Mountain this time,” the Sixth Elder said.
Chu Huaixu, hearing this, processed the information. A thought stirred within him: “From this sentence, can I indirectly guess that the high-ranking Daoist Sect members all think I obtained the scabbard?” “That is to say, they don’t know that this bead hides a secret, and only think it’s part of the scabbard?” With this thought, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had really been worried about taking two Spirit Artifacts at once and then having one reclaimed…
“In this way, I can use the scabbard as the item in the open,” he decided in his heart. After thinking it through, Chu Huaixu immediately raised the sword scabbard he was holding and said to Li Chunsong, “This disciple is also unsure. I just felt a calling.”
Li Chunsong nodded slightly and clicked his tongue in amazement. “This matter is indeed strange, because the Dao Ancestor’s scabbard was actually sealed on that stone platform. For some reason, you were able to take it down.” “Perhaps, this is your destiny today.” He could only explain it this way. In the Daoist Sect, any inexplicable problem was attributed to destiny, after all— Destiny is truly wonderful.
Chu Huaixu heard this, held the ancient black scabbard with both hands, and bowed his head to examine it closely. Taking advantage of Li Chunsong’s presence, he decided to ask more questions to resolve his doubts.
“Sixth Elder, is this scabbard part of that sword?” In the context of artifact refining, some swords and scabbards are a unit, made from similar or complementary materials. Like the Partridge Heaven, it was a scabbard and sword as one, a complete set. However, some swords were forged without scabbards initially, only a Sword Embryo. So the scabbard was another Spirit Artifact, and the two were independent entities.
Li Chunsong thought it necessary to tell Chu Huaixu this, as he had already become the future owner of the Dao Ancestor’s scabbard.
“Looking at their appearance, do you think they are a set?” he asked with a smile.
Chu Huaixu shook his head and said directly, “They don’t look like it.” The scabbard in his hand was entirely black, with a simple and ancient design, made from some unknown wood. The scabbard was carved with simple patterns, not flashy, but overall, beautiful and elegant. In contrast, the bronze sword’s only distinctive feature was that it was longer than ordinary bronze swords. Moreover, it was so ugly— The ancient black wooden scabbard and the ugly bronze long sword, they didn’t seem to match at all.
Li Chunsong nodded and said, “You are correct, they are not a single entity.” The Sixth Elder’s gaze drifted towards the sky, assuming a high-and-mighty posture, and began to recount past stories.
“You must have heard many legends about the Dao Ancestor since you were young, right?”
“Yes!” Chu Huaixu said loudly, his face filled with reverence, desperately trying to elicit information.
Li Chunsong smiled and continued, “As everyone knows, the Dao Ancestor did not have a sword before obtaining this sword.” Chu Huaixu muttered in his heart, “Yes, he had no sword and focused on using other people’s swords for free.”
“But whether out of interest or for other reasons, the Dao Ancestor always claimed to be a Sword Cultivator.” The Sixth Elder continued to gaze upwards. “Therefore, even though he had no sword in hand, he always carried a scabbard with him.” He pointed forward and said, “That is this one.” From this, it can be inferred that this scabbard and that sword actually had no connection whatsoever.
Chu Huaixu felt regret in his heart, “I thought I had stolen his ‘wife’.” It turned out they weren’t a unit at all.
When discussing the Dao Ancestor, Li Chunsong’s spirits were high. He continued, “There is another story that you, as a disciple of the Daoist Sect, must know. The Daoist Sect we are in now, a thousand years ago, had a Gentleman’s View here.” Chu Huaixu nodded repeatedly, appearing eager to listen. He knew that the Gentleman’s View hadn’t truly disappeared but existed in another form. The Daoist Sect was divided into outer and inner sects, but within the inner sect, there were also inner disciples and true disciples. And each true disciple could enter the Gentleman’s View!
Li Chunsong looked up at the sky again, with his hands behind his back. “Back then, the Dao Ancestor was a Daoist Priest in the Gentleman’s View.” “The Gentleman’s View would bestow a set of wooden swords upon each Daoist Priest.” “However, after the Dao Ancestor stumbled upon an unnamed cultivation technique, he went down the mountain for his first trial. His wooden sword broke during combat, leaving only a scabbard.” “After all, it was only forged from black wood, making it only slightly harder than ordinary wood, and easily damaged in the face of Spirit Artifacts.”
The more Chu Huaixu listened, the more something felt wrong.
“But…” He lowered his head to look at the scabbard in his hand, hesitating to speak.
“You mean to say that the scabbard in your hand is not an ordinary item, but a Spirit Artifact?”
“Yes, that is this disciple’s intention,” Chu Huaixu replied.
Li Chunsong smiled at him, then waved his hand. “Hey! How could ordinary cultivators like you and me understand the Dao Ancestor’s realm?” “I can tell you very clearly that the scabbard in your hand is just a standard scabbard from the Gentleman’s View. There’s nothing special about it. It’s made from the most ordinary black wood, without any rare natural treasures, nor has it been refined by any artifact refining techniques.” “It simply stayed with the Dao Ancestor for too long, and over time, it naturally became a Super-grade Spirit Artifact.”
(End of Chapter)
