Chapter 203: Chapter 164: This Sword Is Named [Daoxuan], How Will You Choose, My Lord?

’Sword Disquisition Loft?’

Jiang Yi was startled for a moment, then his expression turned solemn. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

He had attended several "open lectures" at Guanlan Peak’s Skill Transmission Institute, where Elder Xu was fond of using old tales of the Sword Dao to kill time.

The "Sword Disquisition Loft" had been mentioned several times.

It was a main branch of the Sword Dao, with a status comparable to the Eight Demonic Sects.

It was said that at the height of its power and prestige, ten True Monarchs of the Sword Dao guarded its gates—an unprecedented spectacle that dominated the ages.

All the prominent Daoist Lineages of the Four Directions Continent had to show them great respect, their attitudes exceedingly deferential.

"Qiao Yu, Miss Qiao..."

Jiang Yi’s tone was difficult to read. He had previously begged the Celestial Book to reveal Xiaoqiao’s origins, and this very name had indeed appeared on the golden paper.

It was just that back then, he hadn’t made the connection to the "Sword Disquisition Loft" and thus hadn’t thought along those lines.

"May I be so bold as to ask if your esteemed father is the Sword Disquisition Loft’s ’True Monarch Haoze Sushi’?"

The young woman in green hadn’t heard that title in a long time. Her eyes glazed over for a moment before she gave a slight nod.

"My father was Qiao Bu. He merged with the Dao of the Metal Element, ascended to his position, and was granted the title ’Haoze Sushi’ by the Celestial Lord."

"Some of his fellow Daoists and friends also liked to call him the ’Sword Savant’."

Jiang Yi took a deep breath.

’Just as I thought. After becoming a Fate Shuzi, none of the people I meet are simple.’

True Monarch Haoze Sushi, chief of the Sword Disquisition Loft, the most renowned Sword Savant of the Sword Appraisal Division...

Any Cultivator whose Dao Inheritance wasn’t too shallow, or who came from a Branch Sect, would be familiar with this string of titles. In fact, they were thunderously famous.

"So you are True Monarch Qiao’s daughter. Forgive my disrespect."

Jiang Yi gave a solemn Daoist salute.

If it weren’t for that tragic war to exterminate the Buddhas in the west, this Miss Xiaoqiao would be in no way inferior to the top True Inheritances of the Ancestral Sects—she might have even surpassed them.

This wasn’t just because she was the daughter of a True Monarch. It was also because the Sword Disquisition Loft was once a place of pilgrimage for all Sword Cultivators in the world. It had a ’Sword Appraisal Division’, a ’Sword Forging Division’, and a ’Sword Dao Division’, and it would also hold a sword appreciation gathering every sixty-year cycle.

The current North and South Dipper Sword event is partially based on it.

Qiao Bu was not only the chief of the Sword Disquisition Loft, but also held the position of the Head of the Sword Appraisal Division, and had even won the "Triple Crown."

That is, "First in Swordsmanship," "First in Sword Theory," and "First in Sword Discourse."

This earned him the commendation, "True Monarch Qiao’s eye for swords is unmatched; among all in Yanfu who know swords, none surpass him." From then on, his elegant moniker, the "Sword Savant," became widely known.

"The reputation of the new monarch of Shao Yang is far more resounding than that of a little woman like me, who relies on her father’s legacy."

Qiao Yu wrinkled her delicate, upturned nose, a hint of her old liveliness returning.

"I’m so much older than you. How should you address me, Young Master Jiang?"

Jiang Yi did a quick calculation. The Sword Dao’s western expedition to exterminate the Buddhas was an ancient event from 120,000 years ago, and their complete annihilation occurred around 100,000 years ago.

Of the Sword Disquisition Loft’s ten True Monarchs, seven had their swords broken and perished. The remaining three passed away in meditation one after another, their Golden Positions shattering, preventing their reincarnation.

As the daughter of True Monarch Haoze Sushi, Qiao Yu had to be at least ninety thousand years older than him...

The corner of Jiang Yi’s mouth twitched. At this point, even calling her ’Great-Grandaunt’ would make him seem like the younger one.

PFFT.

Qiao Yu could no longer maintain her serene, pretty expression and covered her mouth, letting out a light laugh.

"You were so eloquent just now, how have you turned into such a blockhead? When a True Monarch ascends, their golden nature becomes immortal and undying, but they still suffer the tribulation of having their Dao-heart worn down. It’s fundamentally difficult for them to remain in the world for a hundred thousand years, let alone someone like me."

Seeing Xiaoqiao return to her bright, vibrant, and girlish self, Jiang Yi smiled and said:

"Hearing the three words ’Sword Disquisition Loft’ made me lose myself in thought for a moment. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, my lady Adjudant of Concord."

Qiao Yu stood under the peach tree, seeming a little tired, and invited Jiang Yi to sit with her.

She leaned against a wide root, wrapped her arms around her knees, and said softly:

"My father went west with ’Profound Yellow Wujie True Monarch’. Uncle Hao, Uncle Dian, and the others went with him. My sister and I were still in swaddling clothes back then, too young to remember anything."

"Later, word spread that the World Honored One, the Buddha Elder, had unleashed his Great Magical Power from beyond the heavens, casting the Sword Dao into ruin, forever doomed to the infernal depths."

"And Father... he never came back."

Jiang Yi fell silent. He had repeatedly heard similar sentiments from Elder Xu.

Tens of thousands of Sword Cultivators, raising an army to march west, to annihilate a prominent Daoist Lineage.

Across the entire Yanfu Vast Land, throughout all of history, there has never been a grander or more magnificent sight.

He never imagined that he would one day be sitting with someone who had personally experienced such a momentous event.

Qiao Yu’s tone was quite relaxed as she spoke of the past, without much sadness:

"With Father gone, only Uncle Hao was left to barely support the Sword Disquisition Loft. So, Mother took my sister and me back to Kunlun and entrusted us to the care of the elders."

’Kunlun?’

Jiang Yi was startled again. ’Her father was a True Monarch of the Sword Dao; could her mother be a noble lady of the Divine Dao?’

He had at least gained some knowledge and knew that Kunlun was once the earthly capital of the Supreme Emperor. It produced the elixir of immortality and was a place where Immortals congregated and Earth Deities paid homage.

When the Divine Dao manifested in the world and flourished boundlessly, it took Kunlun as its ancestral court.

Every three thousand years, a Daoist Monarch would convene the "Yaochi Dharma Assembly," and True Monarchs from all Daoist Lineages would attend, partaking of the rumored elixirs of immortality and Longevity Treasure Pills. This was also a grand event in the Yanfu Vast Land.

Jiang Yi’s thoughts raced, and he immediately looked toward Qiao Yu.

"My lady Adjudant of Concord, could it be that you..."

Qiao Yu gave a smug smile, puffing out her chest like a proud little hen.

"That’s right! I am one of the very few people in the Yanfu Vast Land today who has taken an elixir of immortality!"

Jiang Yi feigned a look of surprise and asked in a gentle voice:

"May I ask, my lady Adjudant of Concord, what does the elixir of immortality from Kunlun taste like?"

Qiao Yu thought seriously for a moment, then smacked her cherry-red lips in a manner quite unbecoming of a refined lady, before shaking her head.

"I’ve forgotten. It was so, so long ago, I really can’t remember."