This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

Jiaolong City, a mundane martial arts school.

Lu Qingshan took a good look around at the martial arts master reeking of liquor and shook his head slightly toward Zang Xiaojian at his side.

"It's not him either," seeing Lu Qingshan shake his head, Zang Xiaojian felt somewhat disheartened and listlessly said, "Searching one by one like this isn't going to work either, we've been at it for half the day and only checked five people, when will this end?"

"You're right, we need to think of a way to increase our efficiency." Lu Qingshan agreed, and after pondering for a moment, he suddenly had an idea and lightly patted the Spirit Beast Bag, summoning the Great King of Western Rats.

The Great King of Western Rats hadn't even grasped the situation when Lu Qingshan tossed the Jade Slip to it. The Great King of Western Rats hurriedly hugged the Jade Slip, which was almost as large as itself, looking perplexed, "What is this for?"

"Pick a name from inside," Lu Qingshan said emotionlessly.

"Huh?" Both the Great King of Western Rats and Zang Xiaojian were confused.

"This kind of luck-based task might work wonders if it does it," Lu Qingshan muttered, "It's always been very lucky."

"Lucky?" Zang Xiaojian stared at Lu Qingshan with wide eyes.

"...It means 'where Heaven's Mandate lies.'" Lu Qingshan thought for a moment and gave an explanation that fit the world's context.

"That's a nice way to put it, I am indeed where Heaven's Mandate lies." Hearing Lu Qingshan's remark, the Great King of Western Rats immediately squinted its eyes, puffing up in pride, and very casually picked a name from the Jade Slip, "Then let it be him."

"Xue Zhuyong..." Zang Xiaojian uttered thoughtfully, "He is a carpenter, running a wood carving shop in a remote corner of the city's west side, been at it for over thirty years, an old carpenter indeed."

"Let's go have a look," Lu Qingshan said calmly, unhurried.

...

"It's nearly noon, and the shop still hasn't opened for business?" The Great King of Western Rats gazed at the tightly shut door of the wood carving shop, ceaselessly complaining, "The shopkeeper is even lazier than me."

"Lu Qingshan..." Zang Xiaojian didn't respond to the Great King of Western Rats.

"Hmm?"

"Seems like you were right, the Great King of Western Rats might really be where Heaven's Mandate lies," Zang Xiaojian swallowed, excitedly stating, "Didn't I tell you, my perception ability for Sword Artifacts is extremely strong..."

"You mean?" Lu Qingshan grasped Zang Xiaojian's implication.

Zang Xiaojian nodded her little head, pointing at the tightly shut door of the wood carving shop, "I sensed it, the Three-feet Edge, it's inside the shop."

After many twists and turns, they finally saw a glimmer of hope. Even Lu Qingshan couldn't help feeling a surge of joy as if after long last the clouds had cleared to reveal the moon.

Yet even with the Three-feet Edge right before his eyes, Lu Qingshan was not in a hurry but instead surveyed the surroundings and led Zang Xiaojian into a tailoring shop next to the wood carving shop.

"Young master, are you here to have clothes tailored?" The tailor shopkeeper came up to greet the guests with great eagerness.

Lu Qingshan waved his hand and smilingly inquired, "Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask about the wood carving shop next door? Why hasn't it opened for business at this hour?"

The shopkeeper oh'ed and explained, "You mean Manager Xue's wood carving shop.

Manager Xue has a strong liking for liquor, must have drunk too much last night and hasn't woken up yet."

"I see," Lu Qingshan pondered, then asked again, "Has Manager Xue always been like this?"

The tailor shopkeeper shook his head, a nostalgic look on his face, and sighed, "It wasn't like this earlier. In earlier years, when I was younger, although Manager Xue liked to drink, it wasn't to this extent."

It's probably after the demise of Manager Xue's wife that he began to indulge more deeply in drinking.

Sigh, life must go on, but drowning one's sorrows in liquor every day isn't the way either."

"When did Manager Xue's wife pass away, do you remember?" A glint flashed in Lu Qingshan's eyes as he spoke again.

"It was about when I started taking over our family's tailor shop," the tailor shop owner pondered and casually answered, "specifically around seventeen or eighteen years ago."

After getting the tailor shop owner's answer, Lu Qingshan first felt relieved, but then a hint of suspicion flickered in his eyes.

...the matter seemed to become even more complicated and elusive.

"Thank you, shopkeeper," Lu Qingshan thanked the shopkeeper and turned to Zang Xiaojian, "Then let's wait here for Shopkeeper Xue for a while."

Zang Xiaojian naturally had no objections.

And so they waited until the hour of Shen.

When it was close to the time other shops were shutting down, the door of the wood carving shop slowly opened amidst the creaking friction.

"Oh, do we have some distinguished guests today?" Shopkeeper Xue, his face still showing signs of fatigue from a hangover, held a liquor gourd in his hand, glanced at Lu Qingshan and Zang Xiaojian who had been waiting at the door for a long time, and took another sip from his jug.

"Shopkeeper Xue, your business hours really do make one wait," Lu Qingshan glanced at the thin middle-aged man with a full beard in front of him, chuckled lightly, and with Zang Xiaojian, stepped into the small wood carving shop.

Inside the wood carving shop, numerous shelves held life-like, densely packed wood carvings, most of which were ferocious demon beasts, extraordinarily ferocious and vivid.

Lu Qingshan's eyes shone as he looked at a wood carving on the left shelf.

It was a dragon wood carving, identical in appearance to the dragon statue at the center of Jiaolong City's square.

This dragon curled its body, every single scale on its body was clear and lifelike.

What shocked Lu Qingshan even more was that although it was just a wood carving before him, he felt as if he saw a dragon roaring in front of him as if the carving had come to life.

Turning decay into magic!

Apart from these demon beast carvings, there were also a few human figures, be they elderly, young women, or middle-aged men, all ordinary-looking bystanders with nothing mysterious, yet there was a subtle and marvelous feeling enveloping these human figurines.

Intent!

Lu Qingshan's mind jolted, finally realizing why these wood carvings seemed so "vibrant."

It was because each of these carvings was fused with Intent.

However, his current realm was not enough, and he could only faintly sense the extraordinariness of the carvings without being able to feel the spirit of Intent.

Intent is a transformation produced at the pinnacle of art and skill, or alternatively, an understanding of the Heavenly Dao, mastered only by high-level cultivators.

The Intent of a Sword Cultivator is known as Sword Intent.

Why is the Wind-Cutting Secret Sword so hard to cultivate?

The reason is nothing else but the conditions of Wind Slash cultivation, which require mastering a faint Sword Intent, and yet Intent is the hardest to comprehend.

The combat power boost provided by Intent is immensely significant, allowing those who comprehend Intent to easily overpower ordinary cultivators under the same level of cultivation.

Xue Zhuyong, or perhaps the Mo Family Head, had his strength reached such a terrifying realm?

The moment he realized this, Lu Qingshan glimpsed at Xue Zhuyong, who did not emit any sign of Spiritual Power fluctuations, and a sense of awe suddenly surged in his heart.

Although Zang Xiaojian was observing the wood carvings like Lu Qingshan, she was not captivated by them; she merely glanced over them briefly, her gaze wandering constantly around the shop.

Suddenly, her eyes stopped abruptly and then grew brighter, excitedly tugging at Lu Qingshan's sleeve.

Lu Qingshan followed Zang Xiaojian's gaze.

On the west wall of the wood carving shop hung a black sword, its luster subdued, looking very unadorned and simple.