Sword of Coming (剑来) drops you into Lizhu Dongtian (骊珠洞天), a place that first feels like a simple training ground for new fighters. But soon you realize it’s packed with hidden giants—some at the terrifying Fourteen Realm. One calm scholar, Li Xisheng (李希圣), seems ordinary. Yet he asks a simple question to a swordsman named Cao Jun (曹峻): “What’s your level?” That question isn’t small talk. It’s a careful math problem. He needs to pick the right number—not too high, not too low—so he can help a friend without breaking the whole game. Let’s see how he does it.
A Gentle Scholar’s Secret
Li Xisheng looks like a soft academic. He wears a scholar’s robe and speaks gently. But he’s actually a split body of the chief disciple of Da Zu (道祖), the founder of Daoism. That original self sits at the Fourteen Realm—one of the highest levels in the world. Why split into a scholar? Because he wants to walk the path of “three teachings in one” (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism). His name, Xisheng, means “hope to become a sage.” An old scholar once said that name is too big for anyone. But he carries it well.
He also loves his little sister, Li Baoping (李宝瓶), like crazy. So when a boy named Chen Pingan safely escorted her to the Shan’ya Shuyuan (山崖书院) in the Dasui (大隋) region—and even brought back a golden Guo Shan Ji (过山鲫), a rare fish that climbs hills—he felt true gratitude. Chen Pingan didn’t do it for reward. He did it because he’s honest. And he treats Baoping like family. So Li Xisheng decides to treat him the same way. That’s the rule: you protect his sister, he protects you.
Now Chen Pingan is in trouble. He owns a special sword embryo that some people want. One of them is Cao Jun, a swordsman at the eighth or ninth realm. Just hearing that Cao Jun might attack scares the usually cocky Paijian Dadi (拍肩大帝)—a local bully who fears only one thing: sword cultivators. Because a dragon’s worst fear is being chopped. And here comes a real blade master.
Tuning the Parameters
So Li Xisheng steps in. His first move? A direct question: “Cao Jun, what’s your real level?” Cao Jun answers honestly: “Eighth or ninth realm.” That’s when the scholar starts his secret work. He calls it “tuning the parameters.” If he sets his own level too high—say, ten or twelve—everyone will stare. Three powerful watchers are already tracking him: Yang Laotou (杨老头), Wei Bo (魏檗), and the local ruler Ruan Qiong (阮邛). They don’t miss a thing. Too much noise, and his cover blows.
But if he sets it too low—like four or five—he might lose. And losing means Cao Jun takes the sword embryo, maybe hurts Chen Pingan. That’s not acceptable. So he finds the sweet spot: the sixth realm. Why six? Because a sixth-realm fighter with the techniques of a Fourteen-Realm master can match an eighth- or ninth-realm swordsman blow for blow. It’s like driving a race car with a quiet engine. You don’t look flashy, but you still win.
He also has another reason. He doesn’t want a deadly fight. Just a lesson. A battle that goes back and forth, with neither side dying. That way Cao Jun retreats with his life, and Li Xisheng stays under the radar. He pulls out many magic tools during the fight—jade pendants, flying brushes, small charms. Using so many items at once is itself a clue. Any smart observer would think: “This ‘sixth-realm’ guy has way too many toys.” And that’s exactly what the red fox next to Cao Jun realizes.
Six Against Eight
The red fox sees it clearly. She whispers to herself: “He’s a Zhe Xian (谪仙)—a banished immortal reincarnated from the three teachings.” In other words, a fallen god playing small. She knows Li Xisheng is holding back. The fight becomes a polite dance. Both strike, both block. No blood. Then Li Xisheng stops. He nods and walks away. Cao Jun stands there, face red. He lost to a mere sixth-realm practitioner. His pride stings like a cut.
But if Cao Jun knew the truth—that this “scholar” is actually the split form of a Fourteen-Realm giant—he’d feel no shame. Because even the legendary sword immortal Cao Xi (曹曦), his own ancestor, was nothing special next to Li Xisheng’s original body. A ninth-realm swordsman losing to a fourteenth-realm master is like a creek losing to an ocean. No surprise there. The fact that Li Xisheng chose the sixth realm actually shows respect. It means he judged Cao Jun strong enough that a lower level—say, fifth—might have failed.
Think about that. A sixth-realm fighter using a fourteenth-realm’s moves can stand equal to an eighth- or ninth-realm sword cultivator. That tells you how huge the gap is between normal realms and the top. The Fourteen Realm isn’t just stronger. It’s a different kind of power entirely. So when Li Xisheng asks “What’s your level?” he’s not curious. He’s calculating. He’s setting a dial to the exact number that makes a fair fight—without scaring anyone, without killing anyone, and without losing. That’s the art of a true giant: winning quietly, then walking away like nothing happened.
