Chapter 660: Reversal At The Sword’s Extreme

Back then, Shuo Feng had seemed to have fully mastered the Curio of Heaven, Sword. From beginning to end, there had been no sign of him ever losing control.

But it was different now. In the past, facing Su Xiaomei's unending assault, Shuo Feng had only ever defended; he had never once taken the initiative to attack.

Flashes of white light, deflecting the enemy's every strike, and the rebounded force was even several magnitudes stronger than the original technique.

Its nature was exactly the same as this wooden sword. But... it simply could not initiate an attack?

Li Fan seemed to finally understand why Shuo Feng could never truly master Sword.

He mulled it over. The man would have to figure this out himself sooner or later anyway. Might as well do him a favor.

So he fixed his gaze on the wooden sword in Shuo Feng's hand and furrowed his brow slightly. "By all logic, Fellow Daoist, you are a peerless genius. Even a legendary Curio of Heaven shouldn't be so difficult for you to control."

Shuo Feng nodded in profound agreement. "I have been puzzled by this myself."

Li Fan paused for a moment, then spoke as if struck by a realization. "I have a theory. I'm not sure if it's correct."

"Oh? Fellow Daoist, please, speak your mind." A flicker of surprise passed through Shuo Feng's eyes. Though he didn't believe Li Fan could offer any real insight, he still replied politely.

"The sword is a tool of slaughter. The ancient sword cultivators could take a man's head from a thousand li away. A single sword strike could render a myriad strategies moot. It's understandable that Sword's Law might manifest in this world as metal, jade, or stone. But why, of all things, did it choose to become a wooden sword?"

As Li Fan posed the question, Shuo Feng's brow furrowed and his expression turned serious.

"I have heard that in the ancient sword cultivation sects, disciples would use wooden swords only when sparring for pure practice, without any dispute of victory or defeat. Therefore..."

Li Fan paused, his voice dropping to a solemn tone. "I believe that Sword is the absolute extreme of all sword paths under heaven. As the saying goes, when something reaches its extreme, it reverses into its opposite. And so every characteristic of a mundane sword is inverted in the Curio of Heaven, Sword.

"Killing becomes not-killing. To seek defeat is to conquer. To not strike is to triumph. To not move is to be unmoved by any foe!"

Li Fan's words struck like a great bell, like thunder from a clear sky. Shuo Feng stood frozen on the spot.

A strange light kindled in his eyes as he re-examined the wooden sword in his hand, as if his mind were falling into some profound state.

He stood there like a stone statue, murmuring endlessly to himself under his breath.

It seems he was just one step away, and my words were the key to that final door, triggering his sudden epiphany. Li Fan quietly activated his Xuan Bird divine ability and looked toward the top of Shuo Feng's head.

A column of purple smoke shot straight into the sky, spiraling like a tornado yet remaining dense and unbroken. It was a clear sign of supreme providence, only a hair's breadth weaker than Xu Ke's.

The column of providence was incredibly resilient, unmoved by external influences. Even the providence-draining domain formed by Han Yi's statue could not touch it.

It makes sense. Without such great providence, how could one be born into such a fortunate lot? What other cultivators struggle their whole lives to obtain, he has never lacked since the day he was born. Looking at Shuo Feng's astonishing, heaven-defying providence, Li Fan couldn't help but sigh.

In this Xuanhuang World, it's not often that two Dao Unity Immortal Venerables choose to bear a child together. Recalling the rumors about Shuo Feng and his mother, Li Fan could only envy him.

It was said that after the Scarlet Snow Immortal Venerable realized she had no hope of attaining eternal life, she decided to place her hopes on her offspring. To cultivate the most exceptional descendant, she chose a method that was cliche yet effective: a martial contest to seek a husband.

Any Dao Unity cultivator who could defeat her could become her Dao Companion. To have reached the Dao Unity realm, each one was a genius among millions. The union of such exceptional bloodlines, combined with the full resources of both parents poured into the child's cultivation, might just produce another Eternal Life powerhouse in the world.

When the news spread, the entire world was shaken. Countless cultivators watched with the idle relish of spectators cracking melon seeds, hoping to witness some epic battle between Dao Unity cultivators. But the result was a massive disappointment.

The response from the world was pitifully small. Almost an entire year passed before a single Dao Unity cultivator came to challenge her. And in the end, he failed.

Only then did most cultivators come to their senses. In the entire Xuanhuang World, there were only so many Dao Unity cultivators. Among those who had succeeded in achieving Dao Unity, who did not have immense pride? Unless circumstances were truly exceptional, who would be willing to give up on the ultimate goal of attaining eternal life?

Furthermore, although the Scarlet Snow Immortal Venerable's actual combat strength was only average among Dao Unity cultivators, she was exceptionally skilled in artifact forging. Protected head to toe with artifacts, did anyone truly think it would be easy to defeat her? Without real confidence, rashly challenging her would be nothing more than asking to be humiliated.

It was precisely the accumulation of these factors that left the Scarlet Snow Immortal Venerable's husband-selection contest in such a state.

Just when everyone thought the matter would gradually be forgotten and quietly concluded, something once again shocked the world.

The Scarlet Snow Immortal Venerable suddenly became pregnant! And aside from herself, no one knew who the child's father was!

She refused to speak of the matter and declared the martial contest for a husband officially void.

From then on, she devoted herself entirely to cultivating the child in her womb. That child was Shuo Feng.

Without a doubt, whoever had gotten the Scarlet Snow Immortal Venerable pregnant in such a silent, undetectable manner had to be an incredibly powerful Dao Unity cultivator. On this point, there could be no mistake.

As for why he chose to conceal his identity... that was unknown.

Not only does he have a Dao Unity mother, but he also has a father hidden in the shadows, one who has never revealed his true identity. No wonder Shuo Feng is so confident. Though the world is vast, he can go anywhere.

Just as Li Fan was lost in his private thoughts, Shuo Feng slowly awakened from his epiphany.

A faint trace of joy crossed his face. After taking a deep breath, his expression gradually calmed.

The hands holding the wooden sword ceased trembling. As a mysterious aura descended and locked onto him, the Curio of Heaven, Sword, transformed into a gentle white light and slowly merged into his body.

In an instant, the sharpness Shuo Feng had been emitting seemed to withdraw completely.

He went from exceptionally sharp to utterly ordinary.

Even the column of purple providence above his head slowly faded under Li Fan's gaze, until at last it became an unremarkable white. If one didn't look closely, it would be easy to overlook entirely.

Shuo Feng looked toward Li Fan.

Li Fan withdrew his Xuan Bird divine ability and cupped his hands.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist. You have returned to simplicity and achieved great mastery of your divine art!"

"Great mastery? Hardly. However..." Shuo Feng made a polite, inviting gesture.

"I still ask for your help to test my blade, Fellow Daoist!"

Li Fan understood his intent perfectly.

With a flick of his finger, he sent several blue water swords flying toward Shuo Feng.

Shuo Feng clasped his hands behind his back, neither dodging nor retreating.

Just as the water swords were about to strike him, a flash of white light erupted.

Every single water sword turned back upon its summoner.