Returning to his Immortal Cave, Song Yan rested for a while.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Song Yan sat cross-legged in his cultivation chamber, a Flying Sword laid horizontally before him.

Spiritual light flowed around the sword body, with Sword Qi subtly entwined.

Calling it a Flying Sword was actually inaccurate, as it was a Mortal Weapon.

Lord Lin.

At this moment, it had been completely refined by Song Yan.

Although Song Yan knew from the beginning that it was a Mortal Weapon, it was, after all, a sword body that a Sword Cultivator Senior had used all the way to the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Realm, only replacing it after his Breakthrough to Golden Core.

He always felt there should be something special about it, or some hidden secret.

However, there was nothing.

Indeed, how could all the good fortune in the world fall to him alone?

Nevertheless, in terms of the sword’s inherent toughness, it had reached the level of most Low Grade Spiritual Artifacts.

The Sword Qi and spiritual energy it could bear were also comparable to ordinary Low Grade Spiritual Artifacts.

Perhaps it was because that Senior had once melted a Qilin scale into it.

"To use a Qilin scale on a piece of Mortal iron..."

This Senior Nie was truly uninhibited.

Song Yan admitted that in this regard, his state of mind truly couldn’t reach the Realm of the Seniors.

Melting some Mortal forging Materials into a Spiritual Artifact would not significantly reduce its power.

However, melting a Artifact Refining Material into a Mortal Weapon, while greatly strengthening the Mortal Weapon’s power, would not change its fundamental nature as a Mortal Weapon.

Recalling Nie Zhao, his thoughts began to wander.

"At the end of that illusion, the Sword-robed Taoist once said that his master, Senior Nie Zhao’s Grandmaster, went to a very distant place..."

At first glance, this sounded somewhat like a euphemism for remembering the deceased.

But since these words were spoken by a Sword Cultivator, they should be taken literally.

"Could it be that the ancient Sword Cultivator Seniors disappeared because they went to that ’very distant’ place?"

Xiao Song pondered.

But for him, the furthest place in this world seemed to be the Central Domain.

Things like the Northern Frontier and Immortal Islands were concepts that were still very vague.

"What kind of major event could it be that would cause all Sword Cultivators to go there?"

His thoughts slowly reined in, and he refocused his gaze on the Flying Sword before him.

The Useless Sword Box could only hold two Flying Swords, and now it was full.

However, Song Yan planned to place Lianli and Lord Lin in it later.

The Unmoored Boat would be placed in the liangyi pearl.

For a Lifebound Flying Sword, there wasn’t much difference whether it was in a sword box or a liangyi pearl.

But placing it in the sword box, under the nourishment of Sword Qi, might lead to a more noticeable improvement for the Mortal iron.

If he were to wield it in the future, it would also be more convenient.

The simplest’sword formation’ recorded in the Sword Planting Technique required at least three Flying Swords to be cast.

Song Yan planned to begin studying the key points of sword formations after this Sect Sword Wipe concluded.

Even if he couldn’t master it immediately, at least now he had a sufficient foundation to move in that direction.

Just as he put away his Flying Sword and prepared to meditate and recuperate.

Suddenly, there was a ripple from the Restriction outside his Immortal Cave.

"Hm?"

At this time, who would be visiting?

Song Yan slowly stepped out of his Immortal Cave, only to see two people, a man and a woman, outside his small courtyard.

One of them, a middle-aged male Cultivator, stood with his hands behind his back, his Realm unclear.

He wore an Elder’s Taoist robe, his face solemn, exuding an aura of authority without anger. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Elder Yang Wenxuan?"

There were many Elders in the Sect, but only a small handful held true power and influence.

After the incident at Jiran Valley, this Elder Yang Wenxuan had already met him.

Seeing this person, Song Yan’s heart sank slightly.

The reason was simple: during their brief contact and conversation, this Yang Wenxuan was the most difficult to deal with among all the Elders.

He was very... tricky.

Song Yan wondered what purpose this Elder had in not issuing an order but instead personally coming to visit.

Standing beside Yang Wenxuan was a young female Disciple whom Song Yan did not recognize.

With a beautiful face, Song Yan looked at her and felt a strong sense of familiarity.

This person... seemed to bear some resemblance to Senior Sister Qin Ying.

Although he was puzzled, given that a Sect Elder was among them, Song Yan dared not be negligent.

He immediately straightened his robes, removed the Restriction, and went out to greet them.

Song Yan cupped his hands in a bow, his attitude respectful: "Disciple Song Yan greets Elder Yang."

Yang Wenxuan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Song Yan, then he smiled amiably: "Martial Nephew Song, there’s no need for such formality. Yesterday at the Sword Wiping Assembly, Martial Nephew’s performance was astonishing, and this old man has come specifically to congratulate you."

Song Yan quickly waved his hand: "Disciple dares not accept such praise."

He quickly moved to invite the two into his Immortal Cave, but Yang Wenxuan stopped him.

"Martial Nephew Song, there’s no need to trouble yourself. We merely stopped by on our way."

He walked into the courtyard, raised a hand, and pointed to the young girl beside him: "This is my humble Disciple, Qin Sheng. After witnessing Martial Nephew Song’s demeanor yesterday, she insisted on coming to visit."

Qin Sheng curtsied gracefully, her smile gentle: "Senior Brother Song."

Song Yan quickly returned the bow: "Junior Sister Qin."

Her surname is Qin... Could she really be related to Senior Sister Qin Ying?

He pondered inwardly, though most of his attention remained on Yang Wenxuan.

As an Elder, suddenly coming to visit would never be for simple reasons like congratulations or passing by.

"Elder Yang has personally come to visit. If there is something important, perhaps we should discuss it inside?"

Song Yan stepped aside, opening the path, and made an inviting gesture.

Yang Wenxuan, however, still waved his hand: "No need. Besides offering congratulations, this old man has something to inquire about today."

Song Yan’s heart tightened, though he showed no outward sign:

"Elder, please speak."

Yang Wenxuan’s gaze was deep as he slowly said: "Martial Nephew Song, have you heard of the Southern Chu Qin Family?"

Song Yan paused, his expression normal, his gaze imperceptibly sweeping over Qin Sheng.

He immediately replied: "The Qin Clan, one of the Four Great Immortal Clans, North Yan and South Qin, I naturally know of them."

However, he had some particular thoughts in his mind.

He vaguely remembered that after the Jiran Valley incident, he had once hitched a ride on a Mortal carriage.

On the carriage were Disciples of the Xie Family, heading to the Dao Sect to seek immortality.

His nascent Dao Heart was thanks to the Southern Hong clay figurine gifted to him by the Xie Family.

Recalling it, the conduct of this Qin Clan of Immortals seemed not entirely righteous.

Song Yan had been in the Cultivation World for quite a few years now.

He understood the principle of the strong preying on the weak.

Perhaps the Qin Clan was originally honest and upright, with generations of unheralded Cultivators diligently building their foundation, eventually encroaching upon a fallen Cultivation Family to achieve their current status.

But since they had achieved their ’current status,’ they naturally needed to secure their position as the overlord of the Southern Chu Cultivation Family.

After all, they clearly understood how many ’Cultivation Families’ like their former selves, trying to climb up step by step, they were stepping on.

There was nothing wrong with this.

It was just that since the events unfolded before his eyes, his perception of the Qin Family would inevitably be rather poor.

How the Qin Family conducted themselves was their freedom.

How he judged them was his freedom.