Just at this moment, a sword shadow flickered suddenly, and Sword Master Feng’s figure gradually became clear. He was dressed in a blue robe, with eyes as sharp as swords, piercing and profound. As he walked into the hall, he immediately locked his gaze on Li Mu, as if attempting to see through his heart.

"Greetings, Sword Master!"

The elders, alongside Li Mu, stood up one after another and respectfully greeted him in unison.

Sword Master Feng nodded, sweeping his gaze over everyone, finally resting it again on Li Mu. A hint of appreciation and satisfaction flashed in his eyes, as if delighted by Li Mu’s return.

"Elder Li, the journey must have been arduous! Why didn’t you use the teleportation array to return to the sect? Instead, you chose to travel on your own. If not for the elder token indicating otherwise, we almost thought you had been captured by the Blood Demon Lord - Dana!" Sword Master Feng looked at Li Mu with concern and asked.

Li Mu felt a tinge of embarrassment at these words, explaining with a slight awkwardness, "To be honest with you, Sword Master, I ventured to the Ten Thousand Stars Sea Region this time to seek some rare artifact refining spiritual materials. However, along the way, I encountered an attack by demon cultivators, and the battle at Celestial Spirit Island was exceptionally intense. I knew well that although my refining skills were adequate, my combat power was lacking and I was hesitant to fight, so how could I dare misuse the sect’s teleportation array to return?"

As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, a wave of lighthearted laughter arose within the hall.

Immediately, an elder jested, "Elder Li is too modest; everyone knows that you are the premier artifact refining master of our Profound Celestial Sword Sect— even the Sword Master holds you in high regard! How could there be any logic in sending you to the battlefield?"

Qiu Changming added with a smile, "Indeed, Elder Li’s artifact refining skill has reached a level of mastery and is the most precious asset of our Profound Celestial Sword Sect. Your safety is crucial to the sect, and fighting against demon cultivators should be left to other disciples in the sect."

"Absolutely right, absolutely, Elder Li’s dual mastery in artifact arrays is renowned throughout the Eastern Continent. If anything were to happen to you on the battlefield, that would be our sect’s greatest loss!" Another elder also chimed in.

The words of everyone were filled with respect and esteem for Li Mu; his contributions in artifact refining and array formation were indelible, and he held an extremely important position within the sect.

Should the Profound Celestial Sword Sect face war, at this moment, they would rather have Li Mu focus on refining artifacts and creating more magical treasures and spiritual artifacts for the sect than have him placed in danger on the battlefield.

"The elders are indeed right, Elder Li, your decision to avoid battle this time was not only blameless but meritorious, completely unraveling the conspiracy of the Nine Demons Sect." Sword Master Feng’s voice was gentle yet firm, smiling at Li Mu, with appreciation and profound meaning glimmering in his eyes.

Li Mu was slightly taken aback, as if doubting whether he had heard correctly. He furrowed his brow, intentionally displaying a puzzled expression, and asked, "I am blameless and even meritorious? And unraveled the conspiracy of the Nine Demons Sect? Sword Master, what do you mean by this?"

Sword Master Feng observed Li Mu’s reaction, a hint of profound meaning flashing in his eyes. He could not determine whether Li Mu’s confusion was genuine or feigned, requiring further probing for more information.

Thus, Sword Master Feng decided to explain in detail.

"Elder Li, based on our post-battle investigation, the Nine Demons Sect and the Blood Demon Lord hastily launched the great battle against the Ten Thousand Stars Island, seemingly targeting you specifically." Sword Master Feng paused before continuing, "The Nine Demons Sect’s assault on the Ten Thousand Stars Island resulted in huge losses, almost dismantling their decades-long layout in the Ten Thousand Stars Sea Region, yet you successfully avoided their trap, not only saving yourself from danger but also causing their plans to completely fail, hence my words."

Li Mu was secretly shocked upon hearing this, not expecting his decision to avoid battle to significantly impact the Nine Demons Sect. Simultaneously, he felt admiration for Sword Master Feng’s insight.

Sword Master Feng observed the flash of realization in Li Mu’s eyes before continuing to ask, "Elder Li, do you know why the Nine Demons Sect and the Blood Demon Lord are mobilizing so vehemently against you?"

Li Mu furrowed his brow and, after a moment of contemplation, shook his head, saying, "I truly don’t know. If it were because of my artifact refining skills, the Nine Demons Sect should have known long ago. If they intended to target me, they should have acted in the Ten Thousand Stars Sea Region earlier, not now by launching a great battle outside the Ten Thousand Stars Island."

Sword Master Feng nodded in agreement, "What Elder Li says is reasonable. We too were puzzled by this at first. However, through in-depth investigation, we discovered that the true purpose of the Nine Demons Sect’s actions this time was not merely targeting your refining skills."

This speculation was not impossible. Li Mu’s proficiency in arrays was exceedingly high. If the Nine Demons Sect and the Blood Demon Lord indeed targeted his skills, the situation would become troublesome.

"Sword Master, they might have found the world dao seal in the Ten Thousand Stars Sea Region, thus targeting Elder Li’s array formation ability," Qiu Changming said with a serious expression.

Sword Master Feng frowned deeply, his voice solemn, "It’s said that in ancient times, there existed seven world daos between this world and the Demon Abyss. These daos once caused great wars between the two worlds. Later, seven Daoist Monarchs jointly sealed these daos to maintain the balance between the two realms. This time, the fall of the South Wilderness Spirit Realm is due to a fissure appearing in one of these world dao seals."

After finishing, Sword Master Feng gravely added, "If the Nine Demons Sect and the Blood Demon Lord truly found the world dao seal in the Ten Thousand Stars Sea Region and intend to exploit Elder Li’s array formation skills to break it, the consequences would be unthinkable. We must quickly ascertain the location of the sealed land."

"Yes!" the elders responded in unison, their voices firm and powerful.

Sword Master Feng gave Li Mu a long, profound look and earnestly said, "Elder Li, concerning the seal, I hope you will remain within the sect for some time to avoid going out. This is for your safety and for the safety of the entire spirit realm."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu immediately understood Sword Master Feng’s intention and quickly nodded, responding respectfully, "Understood, Sword Master. I also plan to go into retreat for some time, focusing on cultivation, and will not be going out for a long period."

Sword Master Feng saw Li Mu’s sense of the bigger picture and was quite satisfied. He looked toward Qiu Changming and instructed, "Elder Qiu, due to Elder Li’s unexpected involvement, which exposed the Blood Demon Lord’s ulterior motives and inadvertently inflicted heavy damage on them, this is considered a major achievement. Remember to record Elder Li’s sect contribution to honor his merit."

Qiu Changming willingly accepted the task, nodding with a smile, "Understood, I will later record the accolades Elder Li deserves."

At this point, Sword Master Feng seemed to recall something and took out a cyan jade scroll from his bosom, handing it to Li Mu with a smile, "Elder Li, you have already cultivated the sword domain but have yet to comprehend the sword heart. This is a personal reward from me, a Saint Tier Sword Scripture fragment. I hope you will study it well and comprehend the sword heart soon. If you have time, you may visit the Sword Heart Hall to study the sword, or ascend the Sword Tower; you might have some gains."

"Thank you, Sword Master, for the generous gift! I will not disappoint!" Li Mu’s eyes brightened as he received the cyan jade scroll, feeling the strong sword intent contained within, and bowed deeply in gratitude.

Soon after, Sword Master Feng entrusted them with some instructions and then hurriedly departed.

Everyone quickly stood up and respectfully saw him out of the hall.