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The war has ended, but the story is far from over.

Take Lei Men, for example.

The next time I saw him was two months later.

It was still the "Thousand Sea Ice Refinement House" in the Holy City, the same spacious courtyard, the same quaint wooden house. However, the man who lived there was no longer the same.

The elegant, transcendent, wise, and heroic Lei Men I once knew was no more. What stood before me was merely a dying, disabled old man. Lei Men looked truly aged, his once robust body having completely withered in just a few short months. His skin was sallow, his mane nearly fallen out, and what remained had lost all its luster. Age spots covered his face and body, and his facial skin sagged, making it difficult for him to fully open his eyes.

Is this what it means for a hero to be at the twilight of their life? The thought brought a sense of sorrow to my heart.

However, when I looked into Lei Men's eyes, I was surprised to find no trace of the sorrow or helplessness of a dying man. His gaze remained clear and profound, gentle and confident, though with less fighting spirit and more serenity.

"Heh, Xuanfeng, are you feeling sorry for an old lion like me?" the old lion suddenly smiled.

"Not at all, it is I, Xuanfeng, who lacks depth," I quickly replied. Faced with this unspoken mentor, I always felt a deep sense of reverence.

"As my life is about to end, I don't feel lost. It's not because I have lived longer than most people, nor because I have achieved more fame or explored unprecedented martial arts realms... In fact, before this, I thought I would despise life and death for those reasons. But when death truly stood before me, I found those reasons laughable. The person who practiced and advanced step by step in the northern ice fields was me; the one who became a Sword Saint and conquered the world was also me. The one who explored relentlessly for a hundred years is still me. Whether I live one hundred years or just one day, for Lei Men, it is just a future that needs to be faced calmly... Xuanfeng, do you understand?" As he spoke, Lei Men looked up and gazed deeply at me. At that moment, his eyes, like jade, were gentle and clear, not clouded by his failing body, but even more vast and serene, showing that his soul had not withered.

"I will keep your words in my heart, Senior. Even if I don’t fully grasp them now, they will guide me in the future," I said, bowing respectfully. Though Lei Men’s body was failing, his spirit had reached a higher plane. While I understood his meaning, it was easier said than done. To be as detached from all negative emotions as he was, was not something my current state of mind could achieve.

Lei Men nodded slowly with a smile, paused, and then continued, "This old friend has invited you here for two important matters that concern you, and I had no choice but to do so."

"First, it's about the secrets of the Sword Saints' power between us and the humans, such as how Samantha became a 'Sacred Domain' expert. Hmm... where should I begin?" Lei Men thought for a moment, "In fact, it's an achievement of alchemy. You should know that the power of the Sword Saints has always been extremely rare. Even among humans, those who can borrow the 'Divine Weapon Hosting' are few and far between. Later, people realized that the difference between a Sword Saint and a Sword Emperor lies in whether they have established the loop that connects to the Sea of Star Souls. This loop is the same for everyone. Even I or the 'Ancestor of Sword Saints' are only superior to the 'Blade Saint' in terms of control ability. So, is it possible to preserve the energy loop of a deceased Sword Saint and graft it onto a promising new talent, thus passing on that power?"

"Grafting? How can such a fanciful idea exist?" Even someone as calm as I was couldn't help but be shocked by this proposal. If it were just a wild idea, it would be one thing, but hearing it from Lei Men's mouth, it was undoubtedly the explanation for many previous mysteries. How could I not be astonished?

"Hoho, humans always create miracles. The person who thought of this idea was indeed imaginative, but the one who truly turned it into reality was a genuine genius," Lei Men smiled and continued, "In good years, there were three or four Sword Saints, but in bad years, sometimes just one or two. Naturally, those who feared our orcish might were always on edge. Eventually, the Temple produced a genius with extraordinary talent who turned the impossible into the possible. Purely through speculation, he completed the alchemical design called the 'Holy Emblem.'"

"Speculation? Without actual practice?"

"Of course, a Sword Saint might not die for decades, and you can't be sure when they will. Without special measures, the loop would completely dissipate moments after death. That person was just a young alchemist in the Temple back then; how could he have had the opportunity to test his imaginative technique?"

"So… what happened next?"

"Later… this alchemist, confident of opening a new world for humanity, finally did something that changed history. Driven by his obsession, he used poison and magic arrays to assassinate a Sword Saint and successfully condensed the energy loop of that Sword Saint, creating the world's first 'Holy Emblem' capable of passing on Sacred Domain power."

"Did he succeed?"

"Well, you could say he succeeded, but also failed. The 'Holy Emblem' did achieve his intended goal, but after it was completed, he found that no one could successfully accept the power. Anyone who tried to receive it was torn apart. After all, this is the power of the Sacred Domain—how could it be so easily harnessed?"