When Yu Xiyi’s flying sword had been completely unraveled, it meant that strike had failed. Anyone else might have wavered by now, perhaps even felt retreat was the wiser choice. But Yu Xiyi was not such a man, he merely curled his lips in a faint smirk and thrust out his second sword.

This duel might have begun as a means to break through his realm, but beyond that, did he not also wish to surpass the Sword Sect’s Sect Master himself?

Which sword cultivator in this world had never harbored such a thought?

In the past, he might never have had such an opportunity. But now, with the chance right before his eyes, how could he possibly let it slip away?

Just as Yu Xiyi gathered his momentum for another strike, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master moved first, stepping forward, a gale roaring around him.

The sword qi surrounding the Sect Master was boundless, unmatched beneath heaven.

That single movement completely scattered the remnants of the Sword Immortal Luting's sword qi that had kept the flying swords suspended in midair. Losing their final support, those borrowed swords, each belonging to a different sword cultivator, broke formation and flew back toward their respective owners.

Some shot into the distance because their sword owners did not come to watch the battle, but most descended into the hands of the sword cultivators present.

Chen Chao and Xu Bai stood side by side, watching as that flying sword landed in the hands of the sword cultivator. Chen Chao smiled slightly. “This way, your wife won’t scold you anymore.”

Xu Bai’s face reddened a little, but he still said, “She actually doesn’t scold people. It’s just that many times, she feels wronged.”

Perhaps afraid that Lord Warden Commander Chen Chao would develop a bad impression of his wife, Xu Bai hurriedly added, “She has never had much desire for herself in this life. Everything she asks for is tied to me, whether it’s sword cultivation or anything else, what she truly cares about has always been me.”

Chen Chao smiled and said, “Then, Fellow Daoist Xu, have you ever thought about why she is like this?”

Xu Bai was taken aback. If Chen Chao hadn’t mentioned it, it would have been fine, but once he did, Xu Bai realized he had pondered this question for a long time and still had no answer. Why was his wife like that? He could not make sense of it no matter how much he thought about it.

Chen Chao glanced at the battle in the distance, then withdrew his gaze and said, “In my opinion, it comes down to two words - ‘to protect.’”

Seeing Xu Bai still full of confusion, Chen Chao continued, “Some people, perhaps because of unhappy experiences when they were young, do not have much affection for this world. Or, to put it another way, they tend to see this world through the worst possible lens. But when one day they discover that someone can look at the world in a completely different way, at first they find it strange, and later, they begin to yearn for it.”

“Even when standing in the mire, with every movement stained by mud, such people still long for those who stand outside the mire - those who are untouched by filth, who remain pure even while standing within it.”

Chen Chao said straightforwardly, “What I mean is, Fellow Daoist Xu, you are the one who emerged unstained from the mud. Since she became your Dao companion, she knows that she’ll never be able to be like you in this lifetime. So she tries her utmost to prevent you from becoming someone like her.”

Xu Bai moved his lips but didn’t know what to say. In the end, he said nothing.

Chen Chao smiled. “But at times, she will act according to her own thinking and demand that you do the same. Then she’ll forget that if you really did act that way, or even thought that way, you wouldn’t be the Xu Bai she aspired to.”

Those words made Xu Bai furrow his brows. Though unrelated to Sword Dao, they struck deeply at his heart, shaking his mental state. After hearing them, Xu Bai suddenly saw things clearly.

Chen Chao looked at Xu Bai and, seeing his expression, said calmly, “As for how Fellow Daoist Xu and your wife should get along, in my opinion, there’s only one thing - talk more.”

“When you have your own thoughts, you may think that since she’s doing it for your sake, you shouldn’t say anything. But you still need to tell her that you’re unhappy.”

Xu Bai nodded. Chen Chao’s words today had truly opened his mind. He cupped his hands and bowed again. “Thank you, Lord Warden Commander, for clearing the confusion in my heart.”

Then, with a bit of curiosity, he asked, “But, Lord Warden Commander, at your age, how can you understand matters between men and women so well?”

Chen Chao smiled. “If one must be old before having such understanding, then Yu Xiyi wouldn’t be crossing swords with the Sword Sect’s Sect Master today.”

On the path of cultivation, there’s no such truth that the one who has cultivated longer must be stronger. The same applies to understanding such matters.

Xu Bai nodded with a smile. “It seems that this Xu was being shallow. Lord Warden Commander surely knows everything about that Miss Xie as well. I wonder when the wedding will be held, this Xu would very much like to drink a cup of your wedding wine.”

Chen Chao’s face was expressionless. Damn this Xu Bai, why did he have to be so tactless? Did he not understand that so-called doctors cannot heal themselves?

Though he thought this, Chen Chao did not say it aloud. Instead, he changed the topic and asked, “In Fellow Daoist Xu’s view, can Yu Xiyi win against the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, who has suppressed his cultivation realm?”

Xu Bai gave a bitter smile. “Both of their realms far surpass this Xu's. How could this Xu dare to speak carelessly?”

Chen Chao did not press him for an answer, but smiled and said, “That fellow Yu Xiyi draws his sword first to break through his realm, and only then to compete in superiority against the Sect Master. In my view, his breakthrough is already a sure thing. The only question is whether he intends to pull the Sword Sect’s Sect Master down from the altar before doing so.”

Xu Bai said in shock, “Is that truly possible?”

Chen Chao countered, “Before the Sword Sect’s Sect Master came into existence, was there not already a peerless sword immortal in this world? When that sword immortal stood above all others, were you all so certain that the Sword Sect’s Sect Master would surely surpass him?”

Xu Bai shook his head.

“In that case, the same logic applies. Today, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master stands alone at the summit , so why do you believe Yu Xiyi cannot become another Sword Sect’s Sect Master? Surely you sword cultivators have always said that the new surpasses the old, have you not?”

No matter what others thought, Chen Chao had great confidence in Yu Xiyi.

Xu Bai gave a bitter smile. “It’s just that the Sect Master has stood at the summit of this world for too long and too high.”

Hearing this, Chen Chao hesitated for a moment, then said softly, “In that case, it seems this time that fellow Yu Xiyi truly intends to compete for supremacy.”

As for why, the reason was simple: if Yu Xiyi’s sword could surpass the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, it was not only to prove to himself that the Sect Master who stood high above was not truly invincible,

It was also to tell all sword cultivators in this world, if I, Yu Xiyi, can defeat the Sword Sect’s Sect Master today, then in the future, you too can surpass me, Yu Xiyi.

If he could truly win.

It would be like a gentle rain falling upon the hearts of all sword cultivators in the world, allowing the wild grass in their hearts, once burned to ash by wildfire, to sprout anew.

Chen Chao lifted his head and sincerely praised, “Now, that punk truly has some of the bearing of a great sword immortal.”