Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 2958: A Humble Introduction And A Shocking Reveal

Hearing the Grand Elder’s scolding, some lowered their heads in shame. Others clenched their fists, ashamed of their fear. Even the most arrogant Core Disciples bowed their heads in respect.

One of them whispered, ”He’s right... If we surrender now, we’re not worthy of the sword.”

Another nodded. ”Even if I lose to him... I’ll lose with my sword drawn.”

As the echoes faded, the Grand Elder’s expression softened.

He smiled.

”In this life, there will always be those stronger than you. But if you run now, you will never know if you could have stood among them.”

With that, he turned and walked off the stage.

In the silence that followed, a change spread across the arena.

The despair faded.

And in its place grew something... else.

Challenge.

Resolve.

Determination.

Even if they had to face Lin Mu, they would do so with grit. With fire.

Because that, they realized, was what the sword truly meant.

As the thunderous echoes of the Grand Elder’s speech faded into silence, a new presence stepped onto the central platform. Dressed in flowing pale-gold robes lined with intricate jade green motifs, High Elder Yan Dao exuded an effortless grace.

His posture was straight, his expression light, but his eyes... carried the weight of untold battles and profound insight.

He clasped his hands behind his back and surveyed the crowd, letting the silence linger a moment longer. Then, with a slight smile, he spoke.

”Now then... since you’ve all been waiting so eagerly, it’s time I addressed the name that has haunted your thoughts these past weeks.”

Every disciple leaned forward. A few even held their breath.

Elder Yan Dao raised his hand and gestured to the skies behind him. ”The man known as Lin Mu—who has broken every sword-style ranking, climbed to the peak of the puppet trials, and left behind a storm of whispers—is not a stranger to the sect.”

He paused, allowing his next words to drop like stones into a still lake.

”He is an honored guest of our Xian Sword Sect, and more than that, he is none other than the Bearer of the Silent Lotus Temple—the same name that shone across the sect a few years ago and left behind echoes in our Dao hearts.”

Gasps tore through the crowd like thunderclaps.

”Wait, what?!”

”That Silent Lotus Temple?!”

”Wasn’t that... a Buddhist power?”

”But then—how can he be—?”

The confusion was palpable. Disciples turned to one another with wide eyes, trying to reconcile the pieces in their minds.

The Bearer of the Silent Lotus Temple had been widely believed to be a Buddhist cultivator, someone who resonated with monks and scriptures—not a swordsman who could dominate the rankings of an elite sword sect.

Yet now the truth dawned on them—Lin Mu was both.

A Buddhist cultivator and a Sword cultivator.

”That’s impossible...”

”No, it’s... it’s terrifying...”

”To tread both paths and still reach such heights...”

”The amount of talent one needs to do that...”

Even the Core Disciples looked stunned. It was one thing to be a genius. Another to be a prodigy. But Lin Mu was neither.

He was a phenomenon.

Elder Yan Dao let their awe simmer for a while before smiling faintly.

”It is not always wise to place someone within a single box. Sometimes, the sword finds peace in the scripture, and the scripture finds edge in the sword.”

Then, he turned slightly and raised his voice.

”Lin Mu. Step forth.”

A ripple passed through the disciples again.

From behind the Elder’s viewing section, where the inner elders and distinguished guests sat, a single figure began to walk forward.

His steps were unhurried. His robes simple. A plain black and white robe one might find anywhere in the cultivation world.

Yet with each step, the world seemed to quieten. As though the air itself was giving way to his presence.

He bore no spiritual pressure.

No qi fluctuations.

No surging aura.

And yet, as Lin Mu walked to the center of the stage, it was as if the entire mountain bowed to him.

The light from the sun spilled down and framed him in an almost divine halo. His face was bearded, handsome, composed. But what struck the crowd most wasn’t his appearance.

It was the dignity that clung to his every motion. As though he had long since carved his place in the world with a blade—and no longer needed to prove himself to anyone.

Several female disciples visibly blushed.

”He looks like... a Sword Immortal descended from a painting...”

”He’s not walking. He’s gliding!”

”Don’t be stupid. He’s just that composed.”

Meanwhile, the male disciples swallowed nervously, unable to help the pressure building in their hearts. Just looking at him made their blades feel heavy.

Lin Mu stopped in front of the crowd. His gaze swept over them, calm and kind.

Then he bowed slightly and said,

”I am Lin Mu. A guest in your sacred sect, and like you, a cultivator walking the path of the sword.”

His voice was steady, warm, and sincere.

”I am neither immortal nor untouchable. I merely walked forward. And I hope to walk alongside all of you, not above you. If my achievements seem vast, it is only because I have walked for a little longer—and through a few more storms.”

The words struck the crowd with strange force.

Many of the disciples who had feared him now looked at him in awe.

So humble...

So poised...

He doesn’t look down on us...

Lin Mu’s composure that had been tempered in the Silent Lotus Temple and having been baptised by the Calming Heart Sutra truly inspired the idea of humbleness and poise.

For a brief moment, the tension in the crowd softened. Even Meng Bai, watching from the back with Daoist Chu, grinned. ”He’s got the whole ’mysterious master who acts like a friend’ thing down perfectly.”

Daoist Chu smirked. ”Of course. It’s Lin Mu.”

But just as everyone assumed the tournament would begin, Elder Yan Dao raised a hand once more.

”There is one final matter.”

He turned toward Lin Mu with a glint in his eye.

”While Lin Mu will indeed be part of the tournament...”

The crowd leaned forward.

”...he will not be participating as a competitor.”

That sentence alone sent a shockwave through the sect.

”Eh?”

”What do you mean?”

”Is he just part of the exhibition, along with the elders?”

”Then... then why is he—?”

Elder Yan Dao’s next words dropped like a lightning bolt:

”He will be your Examiner.”