Krogh Hanz's extensive lecture finally reached its conclusion, his words lingering in the air like the last resonant chime of a temple bell.
The venerable cultivator fixed Lordi Payne with a gaze that pierced like a well-honed blade—sharp enough to cut through pretense, yet tempered with unmistakable benevolence. His presence seemed to fill the space around them, not through brute intimidation, but with the natural gravity of a master who had walked the Sword Path for centuries.
The echoes of his True Insights still vibrated through the chamber, each syllable carrying the weight of hard-won enlightenment, delivered with the effortless authority of someone who had shaped the very fabric of martial philosophy.
Lordi remained motionless, his posture carefully composed into one of respectful attention. His face betrayed nothing, maintaining the serene mask of a junior properly humbled by superior wisdom.
Yet beneath the surface, his pulse quickened as the AllFullOS system's chime reverberated through his consciousness—a sound both mechanical and strangely harmonious, cutting through his thoughts with crystalline clarity.
~ Ding! *System Notification Chime*
[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]
> Progress: … 99%... 100%
> New Dao Insights added to database: [Untitled True Insights of Sword Path #0001]
> Recording complete.
> Please rename the Dao Insights!
With silent efficiency, Lordi assigned names to both the Cosmic Path Foundation Establishment Technique and the newly acquired Dao Insights, his mind working swiftly even as he maintained the facade of rapt attention.
Every instinct warned him against lingering—this place carried an unsettling undercurrent, like a muddy water hiding unseen currents beneath its surface. Krogh Hanz's demeanor was undeniably warm, his tone far kinder than the stern, domineering presence Lordi had encountered beneath the Ancient Stone Well. Yet that very contrast only deepened his wariness. A demonic sect cultivator of such power did not soften without reason.
Summoning every ounce of disciplined composure, Lordi clasped his hands and bowed slightly, his voice infused with carefully measured reverence.
"Such profound wisdom, Senior Brother! These insights into the Sword Path are nothing short of monumental—even one as unversed in the blade as myself finds his understanding expanded tenfold. The strategic depth, the philosophical richness… truly, it is a perspective that towers above common comprehension!"
He allowed just enough awe to color his words, walking the fine line between flattery and sincerity. "Now, there can be no doubt—you are indeed the genuine Krogh Hanz, wronged by cruel circumstance. But fear not, Senior Brother! This unworthy junior shall take his leave at once and ensure your Soulbound Spirit Sword is guided back to its rightful master within this sacred Ancestral Shrine."
Lordi made to retreat, every movement deliberate, his instincts screaming at him to put distance between himself and this unpredictable figure. But before he could take more than a step, Krogh's voice halted him—soft as a breeze, yet impossible to ignore.
"Junior Brother." The Swordmaster's tone was almost conversational, the kind of idle inquiry an elder might make about the weather. His expression remained pleasant, even kind. "Since you've come to our Ancestral Shrine… has that Donovan Valdez already went to the rear mountain? To the Moon ReflectionMirror? Ah, that's the name of Ancient Stone Well."
The question hung in the air, deceptively casual. Lordi's instincts prickled—there was weight behind those words, a significance he couldn't yet grasp.
But to hesitate would be to reveal suspicion.
With another respectful nod, Lordi replied smoothly, "Indeed, Senior Brother. You are correct." He kept his answer precise, offering no unnecessary details. The less said, the safer.
Yet even as the words left his lips, he felt the atmosphere shift subtly—like the charged stillness before a storm.
Krogh's smile didn't waver, but something in his gaze deepened, as though reassessing the chessboard between them.
The swordmaster's grin broadened, the expression radiating such genuine warmth that it could have melted winter's frost.
Krogh's eyes twinkled with knowing amusement, yet there was an undeniable weight behind them. "Hmm?" he mused, his voice a rich baritone that resonated with both curiosity and paternal concern.
"If the Ju-On were to kill Donovan there in that place, wouldn't my natal soulbound sword then realize the so-called 'Krogh Hanz' beneath the Moon Reflection Mirror is nothing but a pathetic ghostly imposter?"
The swordsman chuckled softly, the sound like wind through ancient pines, as if sharing an inside joke with a favored disciple. His entire demeanor exuded such sincere conviction that it nearly made one forget this was a life-or-death negotiation rather than a friendly philosophical discussion.
A cold trickle of unease ran down Lordi's spine as the implications crystallized. His stomach clenched like a fist around a dagger's hilt, every survival instinct screaming that the conversation had just veered into deadly territory.
Yet Lordi's face remained schooled into perfect deference, the picture of an earnest junior considering his elder's wisdom. "Indeed correct, Senior Brother speaks truth," he replied smoothly, his voice carefully modulated to show just the right blend of respect and thoughtful hesitation.
"However..." He allowed a barely perceptible pause, as if choosing his next words with studently care, "The Ju-On is wellknown cunning—this unworthy junior cannot help but wonder if it might spare Donovan deliberately, precisely to sow confusion about the true nature of the figure beneath the Ancient Stone Well."
The Swordmaster's expression softened further, transforming into something almost beatific. He leaned forward slightly, the movement as natural as a teacher bending to help a struggling student, his voice dropping to a confidential murmur that nonetheless carried undeniable weight.
"Tell me truthfully now, dear Junior Brother," he said, each syllable dripping with honeyed sincerity, "Do you truly, in your heart of hearts, believe me to be the real Krogh Hanz?"
His eyes—those deep, knowing pools of hard-won wisdom—searched Lordi's face with what appeared to be nothing but gentle concern, the very image of a mentor patiently guiding his pupil toward enlightenment.
"Without question!"
Lordi's response came swift and firm, his voice ringing with conviction. He knew this was no time for even a heartbeat's hesitation—the slightest delay would be tantamount to signing his own death warrant.
His hands remained perfectly still at his sides, his breathing even, every muscle controlled to project nothing but earnest certainty.
Krogh's face transformed into an expression of such profound understanding and kindness that it might have moved a stone to tears. The lines around his eyes crinkled with what looked like centuries of accumulated wisdom, his smile that of a saint bestowing benediction.
"Ah, listen well now," Krogh said, his voice taking on the rhythmic cadence of an ancient parable, hands gesturing with the easy grace of one who had explained these truths countless times before.
"I know the path seems clouded when first we walk it." He paused meaningfully, letting the words sink in like spring rain into parched earth.
"Consider this—" His index finger rose, not in accusation but in gentle emphasis, "Just as a single stroke of the sword contains ten thousand variations, so too does truth reveal itself in layers."
The Swordmaster's tone grew even warmer, if such a thing were possible, his voice dropping to a near-whisper that nonetheless carried the weight of mountains. "Though I would never presume to claim you as my formal disciple," he continued, eyes shining with what appeared to be genuine pride, "The fact that you've gleaned even a fragment of Dao insight from my swordsmanship gladdens this senior heart immensely."
He placed a hand over his chest in a gesture so sincere it hurt to witness. "As the ancients wisely said, 'A mentor's guidance outlasts even the bones of ancestors.'"
The proverb rolled off his tongue with the ease of long familiarity. "While ours may not be a formal master-disciple bond, surely the connection we've forged here today runs deeper than mere sect camaraderie, wouldn't you agree?"