Chapter 537: Guardian

Chapter 537 -352: Guardian

Nearly everyone in Shushan City heard that voice. Countless people looked up at the sky, only to see a clear, sunny expanse dotted with a few white clouds. There wasn’t a single person in sight.

The six Elders of the Shushan Sword Sect were all roused, thinking an enemy had come to attack. Their cultivation bases were naturally different from those of ordinary people. After a few glances at the sky, they squinted against the glaring sun and saw what appeared to be several figures standing in mid-air. However, they were at an extreme altitude. Shangguan Yutong estimated that even she definitely couldn’t fly that high. They looked like little more than black specks and would have been completely overlooked if not for the voice moments ago.

Just as Shangguan Yutong and the others were about to fly up, Ling Xiao’s voice resounded in their minds.

“It’s alright. They don’t seem to have any hostile intentions. Stay where you are.”

Down below, Shangguan Yutong and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Thirteenth Master couldn’t help but mutter, “Damn it all… To think the Sect Leader’s cultivation has reached such a level… ‘Just how powerful does his Spiritual Power have to be? He can communicate with me directly using it!'”

“Hmph, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. The Sect Leader was clearly speaking to all of us. See? I’m already one step ahead of you, haha!” Fourteenth Master declared smugly. In truth, if Thirteenth Master hadn’t spoken first, he wouldn’t have been certain that Ling Xiao was addressing all of them simultaneously.

Quefeng’s gaze toward the sky grew even more reverent.

…

Ling Xiao’s body moved like a wisp of green smoke on the wind, appearing before the group in an instant. He sized them up: two old men and one young man. The young man’s age astonished Ling Xiao. He looked to be only about thirty, yet Ling Xiao could clearly sense that his energy fluctuations completely surpassed those of Quefeng, Shangguan Yutong, and the others.

‘A Sword Venerable… such a young Sword Venerable!’

Ling Xiao was astounded. This was the first time since arriving on the Canglan Continent that he had encountered such a young powerhouse.

This man had absolutely earned the right to be called a true powerhouse. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The two old men, however, shocked Ling Xiao even more. The energy circulating within their bodies was pure Spiritual Power! What’s more, Ling Xiao found he couldn’t quite see through their strength, just like when he had faced Gongsun Huang.

And for some reason, Ling Xiao had the strange feeling that these two old men, their bodies flowing with Spiritual Power, were actually even stronger than Gongsun Huang.

‘Why haven’t they ascended to the Holy Sanctuary?’ Ling Xiao wondered. He knew that when Gongsun Huang was on the verge of breaking through to the Sword Saint Realm, he had to forcefully suppress the energy within his body. If his energy fluctuations became too great, it would inevitably trigger the opening of the Holy Sanctuary Gate.

These two elders, then, had clearly been in this state for more than a day or two. And their bodies contained pure Spiritual Power. Although to Ling Xiao, Spiritual Power was already a relatively low-level form of energy, on this continent, it was the unmistakable hallmark of a true Cultivator!

The Martial Artists of the Canglan Continent, even a powerhouse like Gongsun Huang who had entered the Saint Tier, possessed no Spiritual Power in their bodies!

Although Martial Artists at Sword Emperor rank and above could absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for their cultivation, very few truly understood the techniques to do so. Ling Xiao concluded that among the cultivation techniques on the Canglan Continent, one would need at least a Divine-level Technique to even contain the knowledge of how to absorb Spiritual Power.

However, absorbing Spiritual Power did not mean it could be stored as Spiritual Power. That was because only Cultivators who had reached Foundation Establishment could store Spiritual Power within their bodies.

‘If that’s the case… then how do they possess Spiritual Power?’

As Ling Xiao was sizing them up, the three were doing the exact same to him. What Ling Xiao didn’t realize was that while he was surprised and a little puzzled, they were utterly and completely stunned by him.

One of the old men was named Sikong Yang, the other Sikong Liu. The young man was Ximen Aotian.

The Sikong brothers hailed from one family, and Ximen Aotian from another. Ordinarily, their paths never crossed. Only when a major crisis befell the continent would they assume their other identity: Guardians.

They were the descendants of truly powerful families whose lineage stretched back to ancient times. They received their inheritance and decrees from the Holy Sanctuary, and on this continent, their sword skills and cultivation techniques were known as Divine-level.

Anyone who understood the true meaning behind the title “Guardian” would be endlessly envious of the status. It meant they were destined to enter the Holy Sanctuary!

Therefore, even within their own powerful families, becoming a Guardian required immense effort and sacrifice. Only after receiving the Holy Sanctuary’s approval could one truly be called a Guardian.

Thus, a Guardian’s strength was beyond question. Anyone who became a Guardian possessed a cultivation level of at least Sword Venerable.

The two brothers, Sikong Yang and Sikong Liu, had both reached the realm of a Tier Six Sword Venerable. If a portion of their power hadn’t been suppressed by a Secret Technique from the Holy Sanctuary, they would have ascended long ago. This was why their bodies circulated with Spiritual Power, not Inner Strength.

Their tenure as Guardians had five years remaining. In other words, in five years’ time, the Sikong brothers would ascend to the Holy Sanctuary without a doubt.

Ximen Aotian, meanwhile, possessed the strength of a Tier Three Sword Venerable. Despite his name, he was not arrogant; anyone acknowledged by the Holy Sanctuary had to be an upright person in both character and temperament.

However, becoming a Tier Three Sword Venerable by the age of thirty gave Ximen Aotian the capital to look down upon the world. That’s right—it was capital, not arrogance.

It was like being a child born to emperors and generals—their starting point in life was naturally higher than others. It was only natural for them to have a superior perspective.