《I Fabricated the Techniques, but my disciple really mastered them?》 Chapter 1 ¡°Senior, this is my gift to honor you as my master!¡± The young man placed three rosewood boxes respectfully in front of Li Xuan. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken; I¡¯m not some hidden expert, and I don¡¯t accept disciples. Take these back!¡± Li Xuan said, appearing slightly exasperated. The young man was named Xu Yan, a scion from a wealthy family in the prefecture city. His background was a source of envy to Li Xuan, who had transmigrated into this world. Unfortunately, Xu Yan wasn¡¯t too bright and insisted on taking Li Xuan as his mentor, believing him to be a reclusive sage. Li Xuan had been transported to this world for over a decade now. With no super system or cheats, and not being able to leave even the smallest village, what was worse was that he was now the only one left in this tiny village. The small village was surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides. The only narrow path barely a few feet wide was the only way in and out. It was an ideal place for hermits¡¯ dwellings. The ancestors of the village had moved here to avoid war and chaos. Now, with no wars in the outside world, the younger generation in the village, unwilling to live an ordinary life in this little mountain village, started to venture out into the world. The village was a hundred miles away from the nearest town, the journey fraught with danger. One would have to pass through a dense forest where fierce beasts and tigers would often surface. Over the past decades, the population of the village continued to dwindle. By the time Li Xuan arrived, there were only a dozen households remaining, composed mostly of elders. Including Li Xuan, there were only five strong young men left in the village. All of them, including Li Xuan, were dissatisfied with the village life and yearned for the city. But the journey was dangerous, especially through the thirty miles of the Deadly Woods, which was inhabited by ferocious tigers and beasts. Several young men who had left the village had died in the forest. One day, ten years ago, a villager who had left to wander came back. He wanted to take his mother to live in the city and claimed to have learned the skill to kill tigers, fearlessly facing the beasts in the Deadly Woods. So Li Xuan and a few other young men decided to join him on his journey. The Deadly Woods, although roamed by fierce beasts, could be crossed safely with good luck, avoiding any encounters with the animals. Luck wasn¡¯t on Li Xuan¡¯s side. A spot-striped tiger appeared. The man who had claimed to have learned how to kill tigers grabbed his sharp knife, roared loudly, and rushed forward in a sliding tackle¡­ Only Li Xuan escaped unscathed, returning to the small mountain village. He always believed that his survival was due to him noticing the sliding tackle and promptly deciding to run. That skill of killing a tiger was utterly unreliable, leading him straight into the tiger¡¯s mouth! After this incident, Li Xuan was the only able-bodied man left in the village. The older residents, having lost their loved ones, passed away one by one over the next decade, until half a month ago, when Li Xuan bid goodbye to the last old person in the village. Looking at the empty mountain village where he was the only one left, Li Xuan felt a surge of grief and anger. Other transmigrators either rose against the struggles or had extraordinary backgrounds. And him? He couldn¡¯t even get out of a tiny mountain village! Without any system or cheats, there was a good chance he would die alone in this tiny mountain village. ¡°Ah, I thought I could be the protagonist of an online novel, using Longsword to travel thousands of miles, slaying demons across the world, becoming a saint, and looking down upon the world. Clearly, I was thinking too much.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly and made a self-deprecating remark: ¡°I can¡¯t even get out of a small mountain village, and I¡¯m still dreaming about traveling thousands of miles with Longsword? Ha!¡± Because of these self-deprecating remarks, Xu Yan, who had somehow arrived in the tiny mountain village, heard the phrase ¡°travel thousands of miles with Longsword¡± and mistook Li Xuan for a reclusive expert. He immediately knelt down, insisting on taking him as his master. ¡°Senior, I have finally found you. Please take me as your disciple and teach me your unmatched martial arts!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Li Xuan was taken aback. He stared at the sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, dressed extravagantly with a Longsword hanging from his waist, and felt somewhat dazed. ¡°I am Xu Yan from Donghe Prefecture. From a young age, I vowed to find the true Martial Arts. Today, I am fortunate to meet Senior. I beg you to accept me as your disciple. I am determined to practice diligently and will not betray the traditions passed down by you!¡± Thud! Thud! Thud! Looking at the young man with fanatical eyes, reverently kneeling, Li Xuan was dumbfounded. The first thought in his mind was: this kid¡¯s brain might not be fully functional! No matter how much Li Xuan denied that he was a hidden expert, nor how he denied understanding the cultivation methods of martial arts, Xu Yan refused to believe it and insisted on pledging his loyalty as a disciple. His fanaticism gave Li Xuan a headache. ¡°I¡¯m not a hidden expert, nor do I understand the methods of martial arts cultivation. You got the wrong person. I am also looking for someone to teach me martial arts!¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Xu Yan looked resolute, and said, ¡°Honoured elder, stop trying to deceive me, you are definitely a hidden expert!¡± ¡°Look at this place, surrounded by precipitous cliffs, with enchanting scenery. It¡¯s clearly a recluse¡¯s hiding spot. If you aren¡¯t a hidden expert, why would you live here alone?¡± ¡°Elder, please accept me as your disciple, I promise never to let you down or waste your teachings!¡± Xu Yan continued to kowtow, his eyes brimming with zeal and a determined look. ¡°I¡¯m not a hidden expert, I have no method of cultivation, I do not take disciples, you¡¯ve seriously got the wrong person¡­¡± Li Xuan looked helpless. Just how stubborn was this kid? He had no idea how he¡¯d gotten through the sinister forest to reach this small village. Has he become irrevocably obsessed searching for a hidden expert? ¡°I understand!¡± Xu Yan suddenly stood up, with an enlightened expression on his face. ¡°Becoming a disciple is a matter of great importance, how can it be rushed? I will go back and prepare a ceremonial gift for becoming your disciple!¡± As Li Xuan stood there bewildered, Xu Yan ran off and quickly disappeared from sight. Half a month passed by in the blink of an eye. During this half month, Li Xuan had been full of regret for not seizing the opportunity to gather more information about the outside world from Xu Yan, or possibly even the chance to leave this small mountain village. Who would have expected Xu Yan to return again? and moreover, he brought a gift for becoming his disciple! He¡¯s completely determined to acknowledge him as his master! No matter how much he denies it, he stubbornly thinks of him as a hidden expert. Li Xuan didn¡¯t want to deceive anyone, especially not someone with such an unusual background. He had no cheats or systems, he couldn¡¯t even bear to think about what would happen if his lies were exposed. So he rejected it again and again, denied it again and again, but Xu Yan was so inflexible, firmly believing that he was a hidden expert, and this belief was unshakeable! ¡°Honoured elder, here is three hundred taels of gold. I know that practical objects don¡¯t catch an expert¡¯s eyes, but a gift for becoming a disciple cannot be absent, this is my sincerity!¡± Xu Yan opened one of the boxes, within which thirty gold bars were neatly arranged. Li Xuan looked at the gold bars, swallowing his saliva, somewhat tempted, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and insisted, ¡°I don¡¯t take disciples! I¡¯m also not a hidden expert, quickly take it back, I¡¯m only a few years older than you!¡± ¡°Although the elder looks young, it must be because of your high cultivation that you maintain your youth!¡± Xu Yan was still firmly convinced that he was a hidden expert, and opened the second box. ¡°This is a thousand-year-old ginseng treasured by my Xu Family, it¡¯s my second ceremonial gift, I hope the elder will accept it!¡± Li Xuan swallowed again, looking in the box at that root-complete, thousand-year-old ginseng that was already formed in a human shape, its faint scent of ginseng penetrated into his nostrils, and his whole being seemed to be invigorated. A thousand-year-old ginseng was undoubtedly a rare luxury. The elder in the village once said that a hundred-year-old ginseng could extend the life of a dying person for three days, greatly increase vitality, and it had miraculous longevity effect. With its amazing effects, a thousand-year-old ginseng must have even more divine power. Li Xuan was somewhat tempted, but he gritted his teeth again and continued to say, ¡°Take it back, I really am not a hidden expert and I do not have the method of cultivation!¡± Xu Yan opened the third box: ¡°Honoured Elder, this is a Nine Leaf Elixir, my third ceremonial gift!¡± Nine Leaf Elixir! Li Xuan found it difficult to look away. The village elder once said that the world¡¯s most precious herb, the Nine Leaf Elixir, when taken, could make one immune to all diseases, mind clear and hair not turn white, and life can be extended by twenty years! It¡¯s a rarely seen treasure in the world! Li Xuan looked at the box, the jade white colour, shape like a lingzhi mushroom, the stem growing nine purple leaves of the Nine Leaf Elixir. He took a deep breath, forced himself to look away, and sighed deeply pretending to be profound. ¡°Alright! Since you are able to come here, it must be fate. I will accept you as my disciple!¡± He really couldn¡¯t refuse because Xu Yan had given too much! Chapter 2 ¡°Disciple Xu Yan, greeting Master!¡± Overcome with excitement, Xu Yan knelt down with a thump, bowing respectfully. ¡°Hmm, rise!¡± Li Xuan reached out to close the box that contained the gift for accepting a disciple. His face was solemn, projecting the demeanor of a strict master. He did not wish to deceive others, yet the gift Xu Yan offered was simply too generous. he would accept the pupil, but as for the cultivation technique? There wasn¡¯t any! But, no matter, he could just make one up. Li Xuan reasoned that he was a failed online novel author in his past life, making up a cultivation technique should not be a big deal. Gaging from the dim-witted look on Xu Yan¡¯s face, it seemed unlikely that he could distinguish a genuine cultivation method from a fake one. And if he fails to achieve the entry-level of cultivation? It certainly wouldn¡¯t be the fault of the cultivation technique, but instead the lack of aptitude. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan stood up excitedly, eyes trained on Li Xuan. ¡°Master, when will you teach me the cultivation technique?¡± Looking at Xu Yan¡¯s hopeful eyes, Li Xuan put on a mystic air and slowly said, ¡°I have temporarily accepted you as my disciple, but if you can¡¯t achieve the entry-level of cultivation within a year, it means that we are not fated to be master and disciple. From then on, you should not bother me anymore. Understand?¡± At this, Xu Yan shivered internally, took a deep breath, and said seriously, ¡°Understand!¡± ¡°Rest assured, Master. If I¡¯m unable to cultivate within a year, it would be my own lack of aptitude. I won¡¯t blame you, Master, but will give up and not disturb you anymore.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s face was filled with relief. It was great that his disciple had this understanding. Achieving entry-level of cultivation in a year? More like never in ten, even a hundred years. Before he could make up a cultivation technique to trick Xu Yan, Li Xuan needed to learn about the martial arts situation of the world! As Xu Yan assumed he was a recluse who didn¡¯t bother with worldly affairs, Li Xuan proceeded to ask straightforward questions. The less Li Xuan knew about the outside world, the more Xu Yan believed he was a secluded ancient master with unparalleled mastery in martial arts and never aging. Naturally, he told everything he knew. After some understanding, Li Xuan had a general knowledge of the outside world. The small mountain village was located in the Eastern River region of Qi Country, a vigorous country that had been established over a hundred years ago. There were three countries in the world namely Qi Country, Wu Country, and the Barbarian Kingdom in the north. From Xu Yan, he learned that the martial arts level of this world was not too advanced, with a lack of earth-shaking power or the ability to traverse through the air. Strong fighters could only perform feats like running up walls, jumping several meters high, and lifting heavy loads. As for Xu Yan, since childhood, he was obsessed with legendary tales, always dreaming of finding a genuine master and train in an unparalleled cultivation technique. This obsession had earned him some fame in the Eastern River region, but not in a good way. People often mocked the young master of the Xu Family for being deluded, believing in myths, and seeking non-existent masters to learn their skills. After learning about the outside world, Li Xuan felt a tad disappointed because he had thought he was in a world of high-level martial arts. But could it just be that Xu Yan did not have access to them? No matter which case it was, it¡¯s currently out of Li Xuan¡¯s reach. However, he now had an idea about how to trick Xu Yan with a made-up cultivation technique. Successful cultivation was impossible. Xu Yan¡¯s failure would simply reflect his lack of aptitude, not a problem with Li Xuan¡¯s nonexistent cultivation technique. At this point, Li Xuan began to speak, ¡°The cultivation technique I will impart focuses on the word ¡®enlightenment¡¯. Whether you can achieve the entry-level depends on your aptitude and talent.¡± ¡°I will give you one year. If you cannot reach the entry-level in a year, then it just means that it¡¯s not meant to be.¡± As Xu Yan¡¯s heart pounded with excitement, he also felt slightly nervous. He was afraid that he would not be able to cultivate successfully. Taking a deep breath, he said reverently, ¡°Please guide me with the cultivation technique, Master. If I cannot attain the entry-level of cultivation, it would be due to my lack of fortune.¡± Li Xuan leaned back, looking up into the sky, speaking in a slow tone, ¡°The martial arts path is endless, but the beginning of cultivation is nothing more than refining the skin, refining the bone, refining the viscera¡­¡± Xu Yan listened intently, his eyes full of passion, afraid of missing a single word. Li Xuan recalled the settings he had made for different levels in his online novel. He elaborated on them and organized a relatively complete summary of the cultivation method. ¡°The beginning of martial arts is to sense the Qi and blood. Only by sensing the Qi and blood can one enter the skin-refinement stage. If one cannot even sense the Qi and blood, then everything else is mere talk¡­¡± ¡°Skin-refinement, as the name suggests, is about tempering your skin. Once the skin-refinement is complete, your skin would be extremely tough and normal blades or swords wouldn¡¯t harm it. Even if cut, it would only leave a pale mark¡­¡± If he was going to make it up, he should exaggerate the power of martial arts. After completing the skin-refinement stage, people would be invulnerable to ordinary attacks. That would be impressive, wasn¡¯t it? Seeing Xu Yan¡¯s excited expression, Li Xuan knew he had fooled him. ¡°This is real martial arts! Just at the skin-refinement level, one can already be impervious to blades or swords. If refining bone and viscera are more powerful, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I, Xu Yan, am finally under the guidance of a true master, learning the real martial arts. Once I attain the entry-level, let¡¯s see who dares to laugh at me!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were filled with fanaticism, his heart surged with excitement. ¡°Master, does achieving skin-refinement mean I¡¯ve reached the entry-level?¡± Xu Yan asked eagerly. ¡°Well¡­¡± Without thinking, Li Xuan was about to nod his head and tell Xu Yan that achieving skin-refinement meant attaining the entry-level of cultivation. But on second thought, wouldn¡¯t that seem too simple? Since he was fooling around anyway, why not exaggerate even more? Therefore, he said seriously, ¡°Of course not. Skin-refinement, bone-refinement, and viscera refinement are just the basics of martial arts. They can¡¯t even be considered as reaching the entry-level!¡± Xu Yan was stunned, ¡°If skin-refinement can already make one impervious to blades and swords, and bone-refinement and viscera-refinement are naturally more powerful, then this is not reaching the entry-level of martial arts? Then, how powerful will one be after attaining the entry-level?¡± At this moment, Xu Yan was filled with longing and desire to attain the entry-level of martial arts. ¡°Master, when will one be considered to have entered the martial arts?¡± ¡°The entry-level of martial arts¡­ When your viscera-refinement is complete, your Qi and blood circulate throughout your body, your body undergoes a small metamorphosis, your muscles and bones roar like thunder, and your Qi and blood surge like the sky, then you¡¯ll have reached the entry-level.¡± ¡°Master, what happens after the entry-level of martial arts? What¡¯s the small success like, and the big success? How strong can one be?¡± ¡°This martial arts¡­ has different stages. After the entry-level, when your Qi and blood can shoot up to the sky, burning intensely like a fire, keeping evil spirits at bay, burning rivers and seas, that will be the great success¡­¡± Li Xuan improvised on the spot. Xu Yan became more excited as he listened, just when he was about to ask again, Li Xuan waved his hand and interrupted, ¡°Alright, you haven¡¯t even reached the entry-level yet, don¡¯t ask too much! Don¡¯t overreach yourself. Cultivation requires calmness and patience, and impatience is detrimental to cultivation!¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan sobered up with a start, replying respectfully. ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. It was not that he didn¡¯t want to continue talking, but that he hadn¡¯t come up with the latter part of the cultivation technique yet. The skin-refinement, bone-refinement, and viscera-refinement stages that he had made up were absurd enough to trick Xu Yan. He won¡¯t be able to cultivate to even skin-refinement in a year, or even in eight to ten years. Let alone attaining the entry-level. Chapter 3 ¡°Establish a good horse stance. Adjust your breathing, calm your mind, focus on the Dantian, and feel your own Qi and blood¡­¡± Xu Yan adopts a horse stance, under the guidance of Li Xuan, adjusting his breathing and sensing his Qi and blood. Li Xuan, while providing instructions, speaks up: ¡°The method of my cultivation lies in the ¡®insight¡¯ and the ¡®intention¡¯, not in the form. You need to calm your mind, forget about everything else, and deeply understand it, while looking for the ¡®intention¡¯ within¡­¡± No matter what, it¡¯s all made up anyway. There are no techniques to teach. Surely I can¡¯t teach Xu Yan to do aerobics, right? That would be too lame. So Xu Yan can only do a horse stance and figure out the Qi and blood itself. As for not being able to sense it, that¡¯s a matter of aptitude. Not a problem with the cultivation technique I taught. ¡°Whether you can sense Qi and blood relies on your understanding. If you can glimpse the ¡®intention¡¯ within and sense the Qi and blood, then try to mobilize Qi and blood, refining your skin all over, and enter the skin refinement stage¡­¡± Li Xuan teaches Xu Yan cultivation with a serious expression. ¡°This is the foundation of martial arts. As they say, ¡®the master can lead the way, but the disciple must do the work.¡¯ You must cultivate diligently, understand deeply, and rest when tired. Combine work with leisure, but do not rush.¡± ¡°The more anxious you are, the harder it is to sense Qi and blood, understand?¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied: ¡°Yes, Master, your disciple understands!¡± ¡°Very well, cultivate diligently!¡± Li Xuan leaves with his hands behind his back, happily collected the offerings Xu Yan presented to him when he sought to become his disciple. ¡°Nine-leaf Ginseng is indeed a treasure, let me boil some and try its effects!¡± Thinking so, Li Xuan takes out a small knife, carefully cuts a piece of Nine-leaf Ginseng, catches a chicken from the coop to slaughter, and cooks it together with the Ginseng. ¡°This apprentice is here cultivating, but he needs to be fed. Considering the lavish gift he presented, if I don¡¯t even provide food, that would be a bit too heartless.¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself. While cooking, he took a look at Xu Yan, who was still practicing his stance, but shaking slightly, about to lose his strength. A while later, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t hold on any longer and began to rest. This was already his third break. ¡°I¡¯ll just deceive him for as long as I can. I didn¡¯t want to trick you, but you basically threw yourself at my doorstep.¡± Li Xuan shook his head and ignored him. He wouldn¡¯t be found out for a while. Moreover, Xu Yan¡¯s arrival provided Li Xuan with a chance to leave the small village. Perhaps he could safely traverse through the Evil Forest. He already planned his escape. Once he left the small village, he¡¯d head to Wu Country. To stay far away from Qi Country and DongHe County, even if Xu Yan found out he was deceived, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his background to take revenge on him! ¡­ Xu Yan once again adopted the horse stance, focusing his mind to sense his Qi and blood. ¡°Qi and blood, they reside within the body, flowing throughout. How do I sense them? How do I mobilize them? Master said, it¡¯s all about comprehension, intention, and not the form¡­¡± Xu Yan continued to sense his Qi and blood, but besides feeling the soreness in his legs from maintaining the horse stance, he couldn¡¯t sense any Qi or blood at all. ¡°Don¡¯t be disheartened. It hasn¡¯t been that long, persistence will surely pay off!¡± Xu Yan encouraged himself, his eyes firm as he continued to hold the horse stance and sense his Qi and blood. The chicken soup was ready. Li Xuan took a look, seeing that Xu Yan was still in his stance; he didn¡¯t disturb him and started eating by himself. ¡°Ah, Nine-leaf Ginseng. A rare treasure in this world. Eating it can keep all diseases at bay, black hair won¡¯t turn white, and it prolongs life by twenty years¡­ I wonder if that¡¯s an exaggeration!¡± After Li Xuan had eaten his fill, he didn¡¯t know if it was simply psychological, but he felt much more energetic, as if his whole body had become much more relaxed. ¡°There¡¯s a bit left over, I¡¯ll give it to Xu Yan.¡± After mumbling to himself, he got up and walked over to Xu Yan. ¡°How is it?¡± Xu Yan ended his horse stance, looking slightly dispirited: ¡°Master, I still can¡¯t sense any Qi or blood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. In the way of martial arts, the most important things are persistence and firm will!¡± Li Xuan comforted him. He thought to himself: ¡°Of course you can¡¯t sense any Qi or blood. What I taught you is all nonsense. If you could actually sense Qi or blood, wouldn¡¯t you be some kind of monster?¡± ¡°You still have a whole year, aren¡¯t you hungry now? Go and eat.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan suddenly realized his hunger and gratefully said: ¡°Thanks, Master!¡± ¡°This is chicken soup cooked with Nine-leaf Ginseng. Eat it. Consider it a nourishing meal.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan felt touched. The Nine-leaf Ginseng was his gift to his master, but his master used it to cook soup for him. His master truly didn¡¯t care about the gift, just as he had said, him being here was fate! While eating his meal and sipping the soup, Xu Yan asked, ¡°Master, how long does it usually take to sense Qi and blood and get started with cultivation?¡± ¡°Well, that varies from person to person.¡± ¡°Master, how long did it take for the fastest person to get started?¡± How long did it take to get started? Li Xuan rolled his eyes internally. According to the cultivation method he made up, one could never get started in a lifetime. ¡°If I set the threshold for getting started too low, will he become suspicious when he doesn¡¯t make any progress? I must set the standard of a genius a bit higher.¡± Thinking this, Li Xuan said: ¡°In ancient times, a genius would complete the skin refinement in five days, the bone refinement in ten days, organ refinement in fifteen days, then move on to the ¡®thunderous bones¡¯ stage and Qi and blood like the Gan, successfully getting started.¡± ¡°It took about a month in total.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Complete the skin refinement in five days? Get started in a month? Was this what his Master considered a genius? ¡°Can I complete the skin refinement in five days? Today, I wasn¡¯t even able to sense the Qi and blood. I probably can¡¯t do it in five days. Does that mean I¡¯m not talented enough?¡± Xu Yan immediately began to feel nervous. Li Xuan was paying attention to Xu Yan¡¯s expressions. It was good that he was feeling nervous. So he added: ¡°Of course, these are the ancient geniuses, one in a million. You don¡¯t need to rush. As long as you can get started in a year, you¡¯re qualified in my eyes.¡± ¡°So in Master¡¯s eyes, only getting started in a year is just about passable!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes firm up, declaring earnestly, ¡°Master, rest assured. In a year, your disciple will certainly have gotten started. I won¡¯t let down your efforts!¡± Li Xuan slapped his shoulder, his face filled with satisfaction, ¡°With this level of understanding, it was not in vain that I made an exception to accept you as my disciple!¡± Xu Yan was deeply moved. At the same time, he felt more pressured, hurriedly finished his meal, and stood up: ¡°Master, I¡¯m going to practice!¡± ¡°I need to strive hard in my cultivation, and certainly not disappoint my master¡¯s efforts!¡± With a determined heart, Xu Yan took off at a quick pace, returning to his horse stance to sense the Qi and blood. ¡°This silly boy!¡± Li Xuan shook his head, sighed ¨C he didn¡¯t want to deceive anyone. But now, there was no turning back. From the moment he accepted the gift and taught Xu Yan the made-up cultivation technique, Li Xuan knew there was no way back. He had to see this through to the end. The sky had already darkened. Before going to bed, Li Xuan stepped outside and saw Xu Yan still practising. He admired his determination. Feeling a twinge of compassion, he didn¡¯t want to exhaust the boy so he said: ¡°Remember to combine work with rest during your cultivation. Pushing yourself too hard might harm your foundation. It¡¯s essential to rest at the appropriate time!¡± ¡°Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan replied respectfully. Li Xuan shook his head, closed the door, and went back to his room to sleep. Chapter 4 Before dawn, Xu Yan was already practicing his horse stance. ¡°Master said, to comprehend and understand the meaning, not emphasize on the form, sense the flow of vital energy, mobilize it, and refine the skin¡­¡± ¡°The gifted ones of the past could complete skin refining in five days, but I haven¡¯t even sensed my vital energy yet. The gap is too wide. Master said you can¡¯t be impatient, the more impatient you are, the harder it is to sense vital energy¡­¡± Xu Yan calmed his mind, focused on himself, and delicately sensed his body, sensed his vital energy. A streak of white appeared in the sky. As the sun was about to rise, Xu Yan immersed in sensing his vital energy suddenly felt a warm current emerging from his chest and abdomen, delicate and warm, seemingly flowing with his breath. ¡°Vital energy!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve sensed vital energy!¡± Xu Yan, at this moment, was overjoyed. ¡°Stay calm, stay calm, must be calm and composed, cannot let the mind be disturbed¡­¡± ¡°Mobilize vital energy, refine the skin¡­ How to mobilize vital energy? Master didn¡¯t specify, should I go ask Master?¡± ¡°No! Master said it¡¯s about comprehension, about intent, I must grasp this feeling at this moment, if I relax, it will be hard to sense vital energy again¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, if I have to ask Master in detail about how to mobilize vital energy, won¡¯t it disappoint Master and make him think my comprehension is poor?¡± Thinking this way, Xu Yan immediately dismissed the idea of seeking advice from Li Xuan. Continuing to hold his horse stance, he tried again and again to mobilize his vital energy, while recalling the explanations Li Xuan gave about mobilizing vital energy. He focused his mind entirely on himself, immersed in the mobilization of vital energy, his breathing involuntarily adjusted to the rhythm of his vital energy, and gradually a wisp of vital energy spread throughout his body, His skin vaguely glowed red, as if a warm current was refining his skin. ¡°I suppose I have entered the stage of skin refining now?¡± Xu Yan was extremely exhilarated. Finally, he had sensed his vital energy and successfully mobilized it to refine his skin. ¡­ When Li Xuan yawned, he got up, washed, dressed, and went outside to prepare breakfast. He was the only one left in the village, living self-sufficiently had become routine. As soon as he went out, he saw Xu Yan practicing his horse stance, a corner of his mouth twitched, his apprentice was quite diligent, unfortunately, it was all pointless. The method of practice was a tall tale he¡¯d spun, it would be a miracle if it worked. ¡°Whenever he can¡¯t stand it anymore and comes to ask me, I¡¯ll just hoax him again.¡± Li Xuan shook his head and turned away. As Xu Yan saw his master, he was excited, and was about to tell his master that he had sensed his vital energy. And entered the stage of skin refining! However, seeing that the master shook his head, his heart immediately sank. ¡°Is my master dissatisfied with me?¡± ¡°Yes, how could the master, with his level, not see that I have sensed my vital energy and entered the stage of skin refining?¡± ¡°He must think I am restless, arrogant, and impatient¡­¡± After Xu Yan¡¯s round of speculations, he immediately dismissed the thought of telling Li Xuan that he had sensed his vital energy and entered the stage of skin refining. Taking a deep breath to calm his mind, he continued to mobilize his vital energy to refine his skin. ¡°The master is profound, he can see my ability at a glance, I must not be arrogant or self-conceited¡­ Having an understanding of my progress in cultivation, there was no need for me to say it.¡± Xu Yan realized in his heart that how he practiced was clear at a glance to his master, there was no need to deliberately tell him. Li Xuan caught a chicken from the chicken coop, ready to continue stewing the nine-leaf yuanzhi, a rare treasure in this world. After eating the stewed chicken soup with nine-leaf yuanzhi yesterday, he felt his body was strengthening. As he took out the knife and was about to kill the chicken, he froze: ¡°That¡¯s not right, I have an apprentice now, there¡¯s no reason for me, the master, to serve him. The apprentice should be serving the master!¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve tricked him once. He is my apprentice now. It¡¯s reasonable for him to serve his master, right?¡± Considering this, knife in one hand, chicken in the other, he walked towards Xu Yan. ¡°Apprentice, come, kill the chicken, add some Nine-leaf Ganoderma, and start cooking.¡± Xu Yan finished his training and took the chicken and the knife from Li Xuan, a bit bewildered. ¡°What, you can¡¯t cook?¡± Li Xuan frowned as he watched him blankly. ¡°Right, Xu Yan, this simpleton, is the son of a rich family, how could he possibly cook?¡± That said, since he is a disciple now, how could I not make good use of him? ¡°Apprentice, each moment, each action, even sleeping and eating, is training. Even though you haven¡¯t yet entered the threshold of Martial Arts, being too far from your master¡¯s realm, getting used to it in advance is beneficial for you.¡± Li Xuan said seriously. ¡°Master, I¡¯ll go right away!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s expression became serious, replied respectfully. ¡°My master¡¯s realm is too high! All these mundane chores are actually the gestures of a true sage, the demeanor of a hidden master!¡± The more he thought about it, the more unfathomable he found his master. On the surface, his master seemed ordinary, not exuding the might of a powerful being, but this was the true mark of a master hidden amongst the common people! Xu Yan went off to cook. Li Xuan watched him for a while, not reassured. He found that although Xu Yan was clumsy in killing the chicken and cooking, with his guidance, the food he cooked should at least be edible. So he took a chair and placed it under the big tree in front of the house. Li Xuan reclined on the chair, lazily waiting for the meal. ¡°Having a disciple to take care of household chores, these days are quite good.¡± ¡°With Xu Yan¡¯s intellect, he wouldn¡¯t be able to figure it out in a short time, but I should also prepare for a way out¡­¡± After the meal. Xu Yan resumed his training. ¡°The speed of refining my skin has increased¡­ my vitality has improved by at least 50%¡­¡± ¡°At this speed, although it won¡¯t be possible to complete skin refining in five days, it should be okay within a month.¡± Xu Yan noticed that the speed of his skin refining had greatly increased, and he was extremely excited. ¡°Why has the speed of skin refining suddenly increased? Could it be¡­¡± He thought of the chicken soup with Nine-leaf Ganoderma! Nine-leaf Ganoderma is a rare treasure. His Xu family only had this one piece in their treasury. If it hadn¡¯t been for Xu Yan being the lone heir of the Xu family and loved dearly by his parents, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to offer the Nine-leaf Ganoderma as a gift to his master. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan was moved beyond words at this moment. ¡°My master knew that the Nine-leaf Ganoderma could aid my cultivation, so he let me use it to cook the chicken!¡± ¡°I must not let my master¡¯s kindness go to waste, I must train hard and strive to enter the threshold as soon as possible!¡± With his own elaborate interpretations, Xu Yan felt an overwhelming admiration for his master at that moment, his respect as boundless as the sun and the moon, and was deeply moved. He summoned his vitality and continued to refine his skin. Through continuous refining, Xu Yan felt his body become stronger, his vitality more vibrant, his skin tougher, as if he had already entered the initial stage of skin refining. ¡°I feel like my strength has more than doubled. This is just the initial stage of skin refining, how powerful will I become upon completing this stage?¡± ¡°I must enter the threshold of Martial Arts within a year!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were resolute. ¡°This Nine-leaf Ganoderma is amazing, why do I feel like I¡¯m getting stronger?¡± ¡°Should I keep it all to myself? No, it was given by Xu Yan after all. Let¡¯s eat it together, one should not be too greedy!¡± Li Xuan felt the changes in his body, and for a moment, he had the idea of keeping all the Nine-leaf Ganoderma for himself. But he wasn¡¯t heartless enough to do so and dismissed the thought of keeping it for himself. Chapter 5 It has been over a fortnight since Li Xuan took Xu Yan as his disciple, teaching him the improvised cultivation technique. These past couple of weeks have been some of the most comfortable days for Li Xuan since his arrival in this world, every day being waited upon by a disciple, free from cooking, feeding the chickens, or growing vegetables. He spends his days sleeping, wandering around the village, or leisurely lounging in his chair. He was left with only one piece of the nine-leaf primordial herb, which was to be consumed after today¡¯s stew. Li Xuan sighs with admiration; the nine-leaf primordial herb, a rare treasure of medicine, had indeed shown outstanding effects. Over the past couple of weeks, he had noticed significant changes in his body. His spirit had improved, his vision had sharpened, his body had grown stronger, and his strength had increased. ¡°Shall I stew the millennium ginseng tomorrow? Would it be too nourishing?¡± Li Xuan wondered, sprawled out on his chair. ¡°The millennium ginseng is unique, should I save it?¡± He glanced at Xu Yan, who was practicing his horse stance, feeling somewhat puzzled. ¡°How is he so patient after these many days? This calm temperament is excellent, it¡¯s a pity he¡¯s a bit slow-witted.¡± ¡°This is for the better; the calmer he is, the more it benefits me¡­ But even after these many days, he hasn¡¯t made any progress in cultivation and doesn¡¯t seem to have any doubts?¡± Li Xuan was taken aback. ¡°I¡¯ll ask him about any concerns when eating, fulfilling my responsibilities as a master.¡± ¡°Let me think about how I can bluff him.¡± Li Xuan contemplated how to concoct a credible story, how to console Xu Yan, and how to encourage him to continue to persist¡­. ¡­ ¡°I have finally achieved the skin-refinement!¡± Within his cultivation, Xu Yan felt a surge of vitality throughout his body, and his skin tightened and then relaxed. He felt a huge leap in his progress at this moment. I have achieved skin-refinement! ¡°Master was right, one cannot rush cultivation, it needs a combination of effort and relaxation.¡± ¡°Every day, I manage to spare time for cooking, feeding chickens, growing vegetables, and even catching wild game for a supplementary meal. While it seems like my cultivation time reduced, the relaxation and dedication have led to a different state of mind, accelerating my speed of cultivation, making it easier in the process!¡± ¡± The level of our honorable Master is indeed far too high!¡± Xu Yan exclaimed in his heart. Master, being a hidden gem, has always given him immense benefits through every word and every deed. Looking at Li Xuan sprawling on the chair, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up with admiration and desire. ¡°When will I be able to reach the master¡¯s level? It seems ordinary, yet extraordinary, this is a true master.¡± ¡°Is this what Master meant when he spoke of ¡®Returning to Simplicity, Close to the Dao¡¯?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get ahead of myself. I need to keep my feet on the ground. One day, I will become as strong as master.¡± Xu Yan was absorbed in his thoughts, encouraging himself. ¡°In less than twenty days, I have achieved skin refining, I¡¯m only a step away from perfection. Within three to five days, I should be able to complete the skin-refinement stage and start progressing to bone-refinement.¡± ¡°Once I have completed skin-refinement, I¡¯ll inquire more from Master about any particular aspects of bone-refinement.¡± ¡°Master said that the chosen ones of ancient times would complete skin-refinement in five days. Although I may not be able to live up to that, completing skin-refinement within a month seems decent enough, right?¡± Looking at the time, Xu Yan realized it was time to cook. So, he finished his practice, caught a chicken from the coop, and slaughtered it to stew with the nine-leaf primordial herb. With one leaf consumed daily, only the last one left now. While slaughtering the chicken, Xu Yan had a sudden thought. ¡°The master said that when skin refining is complete, ordinary weapons hardly can harm the person. Should we test it? I¡¯ll just give it a light scratch.¡± Xu Yan held a kitchen knife and drew it across his arm. As a martial artist who has completed skin refining, he is naturally not ordinary, so he did not use any blood qi and didn¡¯t put much force into it. It was the strength of an ordinary person. The knife edge slid across his arm, only leaving a faint white mark which quickly faded back to normal! ¡°So this is the defensive power of complete skin refining?¡± Xu Yan was excited. Although he did not exert much strength into this slash, it was enough to gut a chicken easily, an ordinary person would be left with a deep cut that would even reach the bone. However, it couldn¡¯t leave even the slightest mark on his skin. ¡°Just as the master said, after skin refining, ordinary weapons hardly can harm me!¡± Xu Yan was full of anticipation for the following bone refining and even organ refining. ¡­ ¡°These days, I¡¯m relieved to see that you can keep your heart calm and not be arrogant.¡± During the meal, Li Xuan started to speak. ¡°Master, I understand, always reminding myself to be humble and calm.¡± Xu Yan replied respectfully. He was relieved that he managed to make a good impression on his master by restraining his impatience. ¡°He¡¯s been practicing for so long, Xu Yan seemingly is calm, he must be in a hurry inside. I should reassure him, make him persist more. Now that things have come to this, I can only carry on misleading him.¡± Li Xuan was mumbling inside, then started to speak: ¡°In the path of cultivation, persistence is vital. You need to have a firm will, and you need to be steady. Seeking quick success is not the way. Remember this.¡± ¡°Yes, master, your disciple will always remember your teachings!¡± Xu Yan nodded seriously. He finally realized: ¡°I have completed skin refining. The Master must be afraid that I would rush to bone refining without a solid foundation.¡± ¡°Even though I have perfectly refined my skin, I must be steady before moving to bone refining. I can¡¯t be impatient to give Master an impression of restlessness.¡± Xu Yan reminded himself not to be complacent and arrogant because of his power improvement. Li Xuan had no idea that his words had given Xu Yan different ideas. He did not know that Xu Yan was not only aware of blood qi but had also completed skin refining. Seeing Xu Yan so obedient, Li Xuan felt relieved. ¡°This disciple is indeed honest, but not very bright. If he encountered someone other than me, he¡¯d probably be cheated out of everything!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m not some hidden master, otherwise it would¡¯ve been rewarding to take on such a disciple who respects his master and acts properly.¡± Li Xuan pondered in his mind. Then he began to speak again, ¡°I know you must have some questions after practicing for this long. I can answer them for you now.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s spirit lifted, and he showed an excited look. ¡°The master knows that I¡¯m close to bone refining, and that I must have some doubts about it. By telling me not to rush and to stay calm, and then answering my questions, he can both soothe my restless heart and enlighten me on bone refining.¡± The more he thought about it, the more he believed that every word from his master was full of profound meaning and teaching. ¡°Master, I have no doubts about skin refining. I want to ask about bone refining. Are there any particular principles for qi and blood to infiltrate the bones, constantly refining, and tempering the bones?¡± ¡°At what level is bone refining considered done?¡± ¡­ When Xu Yan asked questions about bone refining, Li Xuan was taken aback because all the words he had prepared to deceive were about perceiving qi and blood and the stage of skin refining. He hadn¡¯t expected Xu Yan to ask about bone refining, and he hadn¡¯t prepared any deceptive words for that! Chapter 6 ¡°The method of bone refinement has its particulars, it varies in stages¡­¡± Even though Xu Yan¡¯s question about bone refinement was unexpected, Li Xuan remained composed. Having been an online novelist in his past life, he was good at making up stories. These days, consuming chicken soup stewed with Nine Leaves Yuan Mushroom had enhanced his memory and sharpened his mind, so he quickly figured out how to fabricate an explanation. ¡°Today, your master will explain in detail the knowledge about bone refinement.¡± ¡°Bone refinement is an extremely important foundation, it cannot be treated lightly. It determines the strength of your martial arts. If the bone isn¡¯t strong, the body can¡¯t be strong¡­¡± Li Xuan¡¯s mind spun rapidly as he began weaving tales in an orderly manner. His theories fascinated Xu Yan who was nodding frequently, sometimes appearing as though he¡¯s having sudden realizations. ¡°So bone refinement has so many considerations. Luckily, my master often instructs me to be calm and patient, otherwise I would rush to refine my bones without understanding its principles. Wouldn¡¯t that ruin my martial arts future?¡± Xu Yan sighed inwardly. ¡°Indeed, I must heed my Master¡¯s teachings. I must not be impatient, but calm and insightful!¡± The more he listened, the more he realized the depth of the bone refining stage, and once the bone refinement was complete, his strength would surely increase several times over. ¡°I¡¯m close to mastering skin refinement. After completing it, I must calm down and carefully contemplate the path of bone refinement before I start. I mustn¡¯t rush!¡± Xu Yan made up his mind. Li Xuan concocted a story while watching Xu Yan¡¯s expressions. Seeing his disciple attentive and serious, he nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°My child, remember, just because you start training slowly doesn¡¯t mean your training will always be slow.¡± ¡°Just like building a tower, the foundation is extremely important. If the foundation isn¡¯t solid, it isn¡¯t steady, it can¡¯t withstand wind and rain, and it¡¯s easy for it to collapse. It¡¯s the same with cultivation. Pursuing speed in the early stages might limit your potential and hinder your martial arts progress.¡± ¡°Many in the past have rushed their initial training, appearing gifted, but later on, with weak foundations, they progress slowly, sometimes even reaching their limits, unable to advance further.¡± Li Xuan shared these words to comfort Xu Yan, even though he hadn¡¯t sensed qi and blood yet, he needn¡¯t pursue speed in the foundational stage, ensuring a solid foundation was the key. However, when Xu Yan heard this, it invigorated him. He thought to himself, ¡°Master is warning me. Although my training speed doesn¡¯t compare to the gifted individuals of the past, as long as I have a solid foundation, I will surely surpass them in the end!¡± ¡°My Master has high hopes for me, I can¡¯t let him down!¡± ¡°I must lay a solid foundation and surpass those legendary individuals!¡± Xu Yan felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude and said respectfully, ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry. I will remember your teachings, be patient, lay a firm foundation, and will not let you down!¡± Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction, saying, ¡°I¡¯m relieved to know that you understand my intentions.¡± He sighed inwardly: ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve managed to fool him again. Even if it takes him a month, or two months to feel the qi and blood, he should be able to stay calm right? Besides, having consumed the chicken soup stewed with Nine Leaves Yuan Mushroom, I¡¯ve grown stronger and his body should be getting stronger as well. He must think that it¡¯s due to his training.¡± ¡°However, deceiving someone can only last for so long, especially when it comes to cultivation. Xu Yan may be a bit slow to the uptake, so I should come up with an exit strategy. This guy has a powerful background.¡± Having steadied Xu Yan¡¯s mentality, the rest is easy. He just needs to let him continue his training. There¡¯s still plenty of time for that one-year deadline. ¡°Master, you mentioned bone refinement has stages, could you explain this?¡± Xu Yan asked respectfully. ¡°Yes, indeed, bone refinement has different stages.¡± Li Xuan paused, nearly forgetting that he had to construct the stages of bone refinement. ¡°If I make the difficulty for refining bone high, Xu Yan hasn¡¯t even sensed his qi and blood and couldn¡¯t even do skin refinement, the more difficult bone refinement would be even more of a stretch. ¡°Once he can¡¯t cultivate successfully for a long time, he will acknowledge the difficulties and think his talent isn¡¯t enough, he would then suggest leaving and feels guilty for the master¡¯s wasted efforts in training him¡­ ¡°If I give him another chance, like allowing his children to enter, and let him see a glimmer of hope, even if he can¡¯t cultivate himself, let his children cultivate instead¡­ ¡°This way, the chances of being exposed become even smaller, I can also earn a bonus from his future children¡¯s initiation ceremonies¡­¡± He had already deceived him once, so he doesn¡¯t mind doing it a second time. Li Xuan decided that once everything was over, he would escape this small mountain village and hide in Wu Country. This way, the chances of running into Xu Yan again would be minuscule. With Xu Yan¡¯s initiation ceremony gift, he could live a better life in Wu Country. He composed himself, putting on a serious expression and said, ¡°The path of Bone refinement comprises four stages: refining the bone to Iron, refining the bone to Bronze, refining the bone to Gold, and refining the bone to Jade¡­¡± Xu Yan, looking excited, asked, ¡°Iron Bone, Bronze Bone, Gold Bone, Jade Bone, are these the four stages of bone refinement?¡± Li Xuan shook his head and answered, ¡°No! These are the four bone refinement stages that represent the potential limits of martial arts and the individual¡¯s strength.¡± ¡°Iron Bone is the most common stage of bone refinement for martial artists. Qi and blood temper the bones to be hard as iron, resistant to ordinary sword strikes. Of course, Iron Bone is just ordinary, the potential for martial arts isn¡¯t high.¡± ¡°Bronze Bone is stronger than Iron Bone, and its bones are like bronze. Even after death, it won¡¯t decay for a thousand years. Once Bronze Bone is cultivated, the foundation is deep, and martial arts potential is higher, it is considered above average.¡± ¡°Only upon reaching the Gold Bone stage, are you considered truly outstanding!¡± Li Xuan became solemn, ¡°All the legendaries of the past, without exception, have reached the Gold Bone stage!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s excitement reached a peak, his eyes gleaming as he asked, ¡°Master, how can one cultivate to the Gold Bone stage?¡± Seeing Xu Yan¡¯s enthusiastic expression, Li Xuan was a bit speechless. This fool, did he really think he could cultivate to the Gold Bone stage? This is just something I made up! So, he said seriously, ¡°Be patient, don¡¯t rush!¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan quickly reined in his enthusiasm and sat up straight. ¡°Once Gold Bone is achieved, even after death and burial for ten thousand years, it remains golden with hardness surpassing steel. But among the prodigies, only one in ten thousand can achieve Gold Bone.¡± Li Xuan spoke with a heavy tone, ¡°When I said one in ten thousand, I was referring to one among many prodigies.¡± ¡°Master, are there also different ranks among prodigies?¡± Xu Yan asked curiously. ¡°Of course!¡± Li Xuan nodded, ¡°It¡¯s the same as with beautiful women. Even if they¡¯re considered beautiful, there¡¯s still a difference in levels. It¡¯s the same with prodigies!¡± Xu Yan comprehended, ¡°I see, just like the top showgirls in Chunxiang Building in the Eastern River County, while they are all considered beautiful, the Oiran is even more beautiful!¡± Li Xuan gave him a strange look, inwardly cursing him, as expected of a rich young man, he¡¯s been to a few shady places! I want to go too! ¡°Master, as your disciple, I was just making a comparison, I haven¡¯t been there!¡± Upon noticing Li Xuan¡¯s strange look, Xu Yan immediately explained embarrassedly. Chapter 7 Li Xuan redirected his gaze, regaining the stern demeanor of a teacher. ¡°Your analogy, though crude, gets the basic idea.¡± Xu Yan heaved a sigh of relief, silently admonishing himself, ¡°I must not provide senseless analogies in the future. If I leave a poor impression on Master, it would be terrible!¡± ¡°Among thousands, only one can cultivate Golden Bones. Even if their initial cultivation speed is slower compared to the geniuses of the old times, if one can cultivate Golden Bones, they are no weaker than those geniuses!¡± Li Xuan continued his improvised explanation: ¡°To temper the Golden Bones, one must rely on tenacity, talent, and persistence. The vital energy and blood infiltrate the bones, tempering them down to the marrow, and trigger transformations in the vital energy. After nine cycles of this, the Golden Bones will form.¡± ¡°The difficulty of forming Golden Bones is self-evident. Tenacity, natural talent, and persistence are all indispensable. Anyone capable of forming the Golden Bones will have a clear path ahead in Martial Arts.¡± Xu Yan felt a surge of emotion upon hearing this: ¡°Master, I will definitely cultivate the Golden Bones!¡± ¡°I am comforted by your ambition, but do everything within your capabilities, there is no need to incessantly demand too much!¡± Li Xuan nodded approvingly. He muttered to himself: ¡°It would be a miracle if you could cultivate Golden Bones!¡± At this moment, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t wait to start practicing, striving to cultivate his bones into Golden Bones as soon as possible! After hearing his Master¡¯s words, his blood boiled with determination! ¡°Master, what about Jade Bones? What are Jade Bones?¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t forget that in the hierarchy of bone cultivation, above the Golden Bones, there are Jade Bones! ¡°Jade Bones!¡± Li Xuan paused before responding, ¡°Originally, I didn¡¯t plan to tell you about Jade Bones. But now that you have asked, I will share what I know.¡± At this moment, he was quickly brainstorming an explanation for Jade Bones. ¡°The cultivator of Jade Bones would have flawless, translucent bones, as beautiful as jade. Those who can cultivate Jade Bones are one in a million throughout history.¡± Li Xuan stood up, one hand folded behind him, lifting his head slightly, displaying a grand demeanour. He slowly began to speak, ¡°My prot¨¦g¨¦, Jade Bones cannot be achieved purely through talent, perseverance, and determination. Anyone who can cultivate Jade Bones is blessed with great destiny, a favoured child of the heavens. Only those with extraordinary perception who can sense the great Dao can cultivate Jade Bones.¡± ¡°You must remember not to overstretch your ambitions!¡± Xu Yan was deeply moved in his heart. It was all so cryptic¡ªthe great destiny, the favored child of the heavens, the sense of the great Dao, it was very mysterious! The more mysterious it seemed, the greater the power it promised once Jade Bones were cultivated. ¡°Master, what would happen if I managed to cultivate Jade Bones?¡± Li Xuan glanced at him with meaningful eyes, saying, ¡°Regarding Jade Bones, there¡¯s a saying: Pristine Jade Bones, eternal and undying!¡± ¡°Once Jade Bones are cultivated, even after death, they remain untouched by the passage of time for thousands of years, shining as treasured artifacts of heaven and earth. They would appear as if alive, forming a rare treasure in the world!¡± Li Xuan started his baseless explanations, making the Jade Bones sound immensely mystical! Xu Yan was overwhelmed with shock. Clenching his fists tightly, his blood boiled with passion, wishing he could immediately cultivate into Jade Bones. Li Xuan patted him on the shoulder, saying, ¡°As your Master, I do not expect you to cultivate Jade Bones. Just remember this belief in your heart and do your best.¡± Xu Yan fist-pumped with fervor, ¡°Master, rest assured, I will definitely strive hard and not disappoint your expectations!¡± Li Xuan had a gratified expression on his face, contemplating that since he had already mentioned bone cultivation, he might as well make up something about organ cultivation too. Xu Yan¡¯s demeanor was akin to a shot of adrenaline, full of fighting spirit for the foreseeable future. While he was feeling inspired, Li Xuan decided to tell Xu Yan about organ cultivation as well. Hence, Li Xuan began, ¡°Since I¡¯ve explained the method of bone cultivation to you in detail, I might as well talk about organ cultivation. Let me explain the foundational realm thoroughly for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master. Disciple is all ears.¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. ¡°Internal organ cultivation involves tempering the organs to enhance vitality and resilience. Those who perfect this technique can even survive a serious injury to the heart, using their qi and blood to heal and regenerate. Of course, this only applies to ordinary injuries; if one is damaged by the power of qi and blood it would be a different story¡­¡± Li Xuan said unhurriedly. Listening to this, Xu Yan was shocked. How could one survive a heart injury and recover through the power of qi and blood? The strength of martial arts truly exceeded the imagination of common men! ¡°The five organs correspond to the five elements; metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The circulation of qi and blood in the five organs forms a perfect unity. When the five elements merge as one, one has achieved perfection in organ cultivation. Then, by integrating the foundational realms into one, channeling it into your body, your bones will thunder and your qi and blood will surge like the firmament. That¡¯s when you¡¯ve entered the door¡­¡± Li Xuan elaborated on the theory of organ cultivation and some basic methods. Not being a real cultivator himself and having no cultivation techniques, Li Xuan¡¯s teachings may not be accurate or detailed, but they provided a rough guideline. This is why, after he finished explaining, Li Xuan added: ¡°Disciple, you need to remember that the real practice is realization and intention. Only thus can you tread your own path.¡± ¡°The methods I¡¯m teaching you embody the true intentions of martial arts. You need to perceive and understand the ¡®intention¡¯ within on your own, not just sticking to the form. Do you understand?¡± Xu Yan bowed respectfully, ¡°Yes, master. I will commit your teachings to heart, always maintaining awareness and not getting stuck on the form!¡± ¡°You understanding brings me great comfort!¡± Li Xuan looked satisfied. ¡°Get your chores done, feed the chickens or whatever, then start cultivating.¡± After dismissing Xu Yan, Li Xuan took out the millennium ginseng. With a look of dilemma, he sighed, ¡°This is such a rare treasure. Isn¡¯t it too much of a waste to stew it now?¡± ¡°With such a large piece, taking a bit to stew won¡¯t hurt. I¡¯ve never tasted millennium ginseng in my two lifetimes.¡± After pinching off two long roots of ginseng, Li Xuan instructed Xu Yan to use it to stew a chicken the next day. ¡­ After finishing up his chores, Xu Yan began to cultivate, squatting with his legs spread wide, enhancing his skin. Meanwhile, he was carefully contemplating the methods that his master had taught him concerning organ and bone cultivation. ¡°I need to genuinely recognize the profundity in all this!¡± Gradually, Xu Yan begun to grasp something, acquiring a clear direction for the specifics of organ and bone cultivation. ¡°If this is the way for skin cultivation, then the way for bone and organ cultivation can¡¯t be much different. It¡¯s all about the method and direction of circulating your qi and blood. I understand now!¡± Xu Yan was extremely excited. The next day. After eating a meal of millennium ginseng chicken soup, Li Xuan discovered to his surprise, that he felt more energetic and had greater stamina. His body had actually become stronger. ¡°Does this world¡¯s millennium ginseng really have such miraculous effects?¡± He immediately had Xu Yan bring out the whole ginseng and instructed him to stew a bit every day. Even though ginseng was precious, his own body was more important. But Xu Yan was so moved that he was almost in tears. ¡°This was my initiation gift, but my master unwaveringly used it to help in my cultivation. I can¡¯t let him down!¡± ¡°After I enter the stage of bone cultivation, I¡¯ll go back home and definitely pick a fine initiation gift for my master!¡± As Xu Yan cultivated, he felt his vitality becoming stronger, the tempering of his skin was speeding up. The power of the ginseng was being continuously refined, enhancing his vitality and the speed of skin tempering. ¡°At latest the day after tomorrow, I will have completed my skin cultivation!¡± Feeling the progress of his skin cultivation, Xu Yan was overjoyed! Chapter 8 The horizon began to glow white as a ray of the morning sun shone through the narrow passage of the village, illuminating Xu Yan, who was in the midst of his cultivation. As always, Xu Yan had risen before the break of dawn to practice cultivation. His heart was filled with excitement at this moment. As his vital energy circulated, his skin tightened at one point, producing a cracking sound, similar to a guitar string being rapidly tightened, resounding sharply. His skin seemed seamless and round in that instant. His power had grown stronger, and his vital energy had ascended instantaneously. His Skin Refinement was completed! ¡°Twenty days! It took me twenty days to finally complete skin refinement. Though I am far from the prodigies of the past, I am now among the ranks of the prodigies!¡± he thought. ¡°Once I refine the Golden Bone, I won¡¯t be inferior to the prodigies of the past!¡± With overwhelming excitement, Xu Yan lifted his hands and clenched his fists, feeling an immense power radiating from within. Even when unarmed, he was virtually fearless against swords! He could now easily take on hundreds of adversaries single-handedly! Yet, this is merely the result of completing the Skin Refinement, which is the most basic stage of the foundational realm! ¡°I¡¯ll settle down today and start Bone Refinement tomorrow!¡± Xu Yan finished his cultivation practice, picked up a hoe, went to plant vegetables, and feed the chickens. He relaxed the spirit, preparing for the Bone Refinement tomorrow. He remembered his Master¡¯s teachings, to combine work with rest, and to keep calm! After waking up and freshening up, Li Xuan left his house only to find, to his surprise, that Xu Yan wasn¡¯t practicing cultivation! For the first time since he was accepted as a disciple, Xu Yan wasn¡¯t practicing cultivation early in the morning! ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did he give up?¡± ¡°Impossible! Just yesterday, he was still practicing diligently. Did he suddenly give up?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s understanding of Xu Yan over the past few days suggested that Xu Yan was a man of singular focus and not very bright, so it¡¯s unlikely he would just give up abruptly. Li Xuan went to check on the chicken coop, where the chickens had just been fed, and saw Xu Yan weeding in the vegetable garden from a distance. So, he walked over. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan greeted respectfully. ¡°Hmm¡­not bad. You are calm and composed and have managed to keep the vegetable garden neat and orderly¡­¡± Li Xuan glanced at the vegetable garden, somewhat surprised to find all weeds gone and vegetables growing well, even better than when he was tending it himself! ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Master¡¯s excellent guidance.¡± ¡°Why did you decide to come weed the vegetable garden so early this morning?¡± Li Xuan came to inquire why Xu Yan wasn¡¯t practicing cultivation that morning. From what he observed so far, Xu Yan didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d given up. ¡°Following Master¡¯s teaching about balancing work and rest, I am settling down, preparing for strenuous training ahead.¡± Xu Yan responded respectfully. Li Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Indeed, Xu Yan had not given up but was simply calming himself before resuming practice and intuiting the flow of energy. A person of such singular focus wouldn¡¯t easily give up. Li Xuan then left with a satisfied smile on his face, ¡°I am reassured to see your profound understanding¡±. Xu Yan was extraordinarily ecstatic. He secretly thought, ¡°Indeed, it was the right choice. After completing the Skin Refinement, not rushing straight into Bone Refinement but to give the mind and spirit a break proves it as the correct path in cultivation!¡± ¡°Maintain a good mindset, neither proud nor impatient, and success will certainly follow!¡± Li Xuan encouraged before he left. He made a round in the village. Ever since the death of the last elder in the village, the houses in the village had become dilapidated. Several houses had been converted into chicken coops by him, and the rest had been overrun with weeds. ¡°How did Xu Yan get through the Evil Forest? Was it due to sheer luck, narrowly avoiding the ferocious beasts?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t always be trapped in the village, there has to be a way. The breakthrough is with Xu Yan¡­¡± Li Xuan pondered deeply in his heart. ¡°As a transmigrator, it¡¯s really pathetic that I can¡¯t even leave the beginner¡¯s village!¡± Li Xuan lamented. ¡­ The next day. Before dawn, Xu Yan had already got up to practice. ¡°The vital energy permeates the bones, polishing them¡­Although this is slightly different than skin refinement, the principles are similar. My goal is to obtain golden bones, only by doing that can I rival the prodigies of old.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s gaze was resolute. ¡°Although Master doesn¡¯t articulate this, he surely hopes that I can forge the golden bones. Only by rivalling those prodigies of old can I be worthy of being his successor!¡± ¡°As for jade bones, Master says that it can¡¯t be achieved by sheer persistence or talent alone¡­I¡¯ll do my best. If I can form jade bones, I will inevitably surpass those prodigies of old!¡± The challenge of creating jade bones is too high, and it can¡¯t be achieved through talent or perseverance alone, so Xu Yan¡¯s primary goal is to create golden bones! Xu Yan circulates his vital energy, which begins to slowly seep into his bones. At a certain moment, it feels like his whole skeleton is being nibbled at by ants, it¡¯s itchy and uncomfortable! ¡°The vital energy has seeped into my bones and is in the process of refining them. I didn¡¯t expect this feeling!¡± Xu Yan gritted his teeth and persisted. ¡°No wonder Master said that to form golden bones requires a combination of talent, persistence, and determination. Just the beginning of bone refinement is this difficult, it¡¯s clear that once I reach the stage of golden bones and the energy seeps into the marrow, the feeling will be even more unbearable!¡± With his whole skeleton feeling itchy as if ants were crawling all over, sweat started appearing on Xu Yan¡¯s forehead. Despite this, he gritted his teeth and persisted, his gaze firm. He will persevere no matter how unbearable it is. Fortunately, as the vital energy continued to seep in, after enduring the initial stage, the itchy feeling and sensation of ants crawling reduced. What followed was a sense of his bones being tempered. It was similar to skin tempering but much more difficult. The process of vital energy seeping into the bones for tempering was extremely slow. It remained on the surface of the bones and couldn¡¯t penetrate deeper. At this moment, Xu Yan realised that the difficulty of bone refinement was far beyond his imagination. No wonder there were so few who could form golden bones. Li Xuan came out of the house and instantly saw Xu Yan in the midst of his practice. He nodded, a stubborn person indeed wouldn¡¯t give up easily. He¡¯s maintaining a good attitude! Xu Yan, from the corner of his eye, saw his Master¡¯s nod and his heart instantly stirred. ¡°Master must be acknowledging that I¡¯ve endured the pain of bone refinement and persevered!¡± ¡°I must persist! Persist! No matter how great the pain, I must persist and never give up!¡± Xu Yan encouraged himself in his heart. He continues to temper his bones. As more and more vital energy seeps in, covering his bones and constantly refining them, the feeling of ants crawling disappears. But, a sensation similar to the friction of sand appeared. Sweat appeared on Xu Yan¡¯s forehead but he clenched his teeth, keeping quiet and continued with the tempering. He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but the sensation of sand grinding his bones grew stronger. Xu Yan felt that he was nearing his limit. Sweat dripped constantly from his forehead. Li Xuan, who was lying in a chair under the tree, looked at the time and then at Xu Yan. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for lunch, what¡¯s with my disciple today? Has he forgotten about time? He should be cooking by now!¡± So Li Xuan voiced out: ¡°All right, go and cook. It¡¯s late!¡± At his words, Xu Yan was instantly startled, he began to cease his exercise and the sensation of sand rubbing against his bones gradually disappeared. At that moment, he felt extremely touched, ¡°Master must have figured out that I¡¯ve reached my limit, so he told me to take a break.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Respectfully, Xu Yan ended his exercise. ps: Seeking continued following, votes, and all else Chapter 9 ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded, feeling it necessary to give his disciple a lesson. How could he have forgotten to cook? Being too engrossed in cultivation won¡¯t do. ¡°You need to balance work and rest. Don¡¯t overdo the training. Do you understand?¡± Li Xuan said, with a serious look on his face. Upon hearing these words, Xu Yan¡¯s face flushed with shame. ¡°Yes, Master. This disciple will always remember this in my heart!¡± He was overwhelmed with emotion: ¡°Master is afraid that I¡¯ll push myself too hard and end up hurting myself. He¡¯s right¡ªalthough persistence is key, I must also gradually increase my efforts. I¡¯ve just begun to temper my bones, if I overdo it, problems are likely to arise!¡± ¡°You must understand, the importance of persistence also lies in moderation. One must balance work with leisure and take time to relax the mind so you can cultivate more efficiently and gain a greater understanding!¡± Li Xuan patiently instructed. ¡°This disciple understands and will never repeat this mistake!¡± Xu Yan replied respectfully. ¡°Indeed, blindly pushing myself will likely cause problems. I should allow for some relaxation or I¡¯m like a string that is pulled too tight for too long¡ªliable to snap!¡± Understanding dawned on Xu Yan. ¡°Off you go!¡± Li Xuan gestured dismissively, instructing Xu Yan to go cook. ¡°This disciple is obedient, but it¡¯s a shame I¡¯m not a genuine master, and the cultivation techniques I¡¯ve made up are also useless, so perseverance will not work!¡± He inwardly sighed, but now that he¡¯d deceived Xu Yan, he could only continue the charade. ¡­ After Xu Yan started to cultivate his bones, whenever his vital energy seeped further into his skeleton, he would feel as if sand were rubbing against his bones. But Xu Yan didn¡¯t keep forcing himself. Whenever he felt he couldn¡¯t go on, he would stop cultivating and do other things to relax his mind. Five days later. During cultivation, Xu Yan felt a surge in his vital energy and his entire skeleton vibrated. The entry of the vital energy into the bones felt smoother. He had a sense of becoming stronger and his vital energy subsequently increased. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve mastered bone tempering.¡± Xu Yan was ecstatic. His five days of hard work had seen him through the first stage of bone tempering. The subsequent bone tempering would be much smoother and wouldn¡¯t involve the agonizing feelings of ant bites or sand grinding. Those painful feelings would only occur again at the initial stage of tempering his bones to the hardness of copper. ¡°I am currently at the beginners¡¯ level of tempering my bones to the hardness of iron, but now that I¡¯ve mastered the basics, the subsequent tempering phases, up until the copper hardness level, should be much easier.¡± Xu Yan was excited. If he could endure the tempering process without suffering agonizing pain, he could spend a longer time on cultivation. ¡°I¡¯ve already spent almost one month out here, and now that I¡¯ve mastered bone tempering, I should be able to hold my own against a hundred men, even empty-handed.¡± ¡°I should go back home once. I used all of my initiation gift for my master on my own cultivation. I should buy some rare medicinal ingredients and prepare another initiation gift for my master.¡± Xu Yan knew that although his master wouldn¡¯t care about his gift, as a disciple, he couldn¡¯t neglect the tradition of honouring his master. ¡°Given Master¡¯s level of cultivation, he wouldn¡¯t care about rare treasures. After all, in the eyes of common people, any treasure is but a worldly possession. What should I prepare as an initiation gift?¡± Lost in deep thought, Xu Yan suddenly smacked his forehead in realization: ¡°How silly of me! Master doesn¡¯t care about worldly treasures. As long as I show my sincerity, he¡¯ll appreciate it. If I get him some gold or jade ornaments to decorate his room, he would definitely like it.¡± Understanding this, Xu Yan felt much more relaxed. ¡°I should go out and capture a hare and fish in the stream for a grand meal before departing for Master.¡± Xu Yan stopped his cultivation, left the village, and went to gather the ingredients. ¡­ Looking at the bountifully served table, Li Xuan wore a satisfied smile. His disciple was commendable! The meals were getting tastier, and the number of dishes increased as well. ¡°Master, I have been out for almost a month, and I would like to go home for a visit.¡± After the meal, Xu Yan spoke up. A pang of apprehension struck Li Xuan¡¯s heart: ¡°Once this kid returns home, and he talks about initiating as my disciple before his family, won¡¯t my real identity be exposed? Although he¡¯s not the brightest bulb, his parents and relatives can¡¯t be all clueless, can they?¡± However, not allowing Xu Yan to go home was not justifiable and would likely arouse his suspicion. After a moment of deep thought, Li Xuan spoke: ¡°It¡¯s good for you to go home for a visit. However, I must remind you that until you¡¯ve reached a certain level of cultivation, you should not reveal this to anyone, including your parents. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes Master. This disciple will absolutely not discuss cultivation-related matters with others!¡± Xu Yan, puzzled, immediately made a solemn promise. ¡°I enjoy solitude and a low-profile life and dislike flaunting my achievements. Even though I¡¯ve taken you as my disciple, you must not mention me until you¡¯ve reached a certain level of cultivation. I hope you understand!¡± Li Xuan stressed seriously. ¡°Yes Master. Until I reach a certain level of cultivation, I won¡¯t mention you at all!¡± Xu Yan solemnly pledged. ¡°If I fail to reach a certain level, it would mean I¡¯m not destined to be Master¡¯s disciple. Master made an exception by accepting me as his disciple. If I fail to reach that level, it would tarnish Master¡¯s reputation. As a disciple, I should uphold Master¡¯s honor and reputation!¡± Xu Yan felt somewhat guilty. His aptitude wasn¡¯t all that great. If he fails to reach a certain level, he would tarnish Master¡¯s reputation and subject Master to ridicule. As a disciple, he should prioritize Master¡¯s honour and reputation! Li Xuan¡¯s original intention in warning Xu Yan not to mention him or the cultivation was to avoid exposing his real identity prematurely. Little did he know that Xu Yan had interpreted this in his own way. ¡°Of course I trust you. You should go home soon. Always ensure your safety on the road.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s expression softened, and he reminded Xu Yan again, ¡°You¡¯ll have to pass through the thirty-mile Evil Forest on your journey. There are fierce tigers and wild beasts within. You should be extra careful not to get hurt.¡± The Evil Forest was extremely dangerous. A lone Xu Yan, if encountered by fierce tigers or wild beasts, might struggle to survive. All Li Xuan could do was to give a warning. As for whether Xu Yan could safely cross it, it all depended on his luck. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan knelt down and respectfully kowtowed three times, ¡°Master, I will be gone for six or seven days at the shortest, or eleven or twelve days at the longest. I will definitely come back to serve you.¡± ¡°I appreciate your sentiments.¡± Seeing Xu Yan¡¯s respect for his teacher and his filial piety, Li Xuan was somewhat moved. ¡°How did this scam, which started so innocently, result in me developing feelings? Alas, I guess I¡¯m not cut out to be a con artist after all, I¡¯ve been forced into it!¡± Li Xuan felt helpless. He really hated fooling people, but damn Xu Yan, insistent on trusting anyone, was just begging to be scammed, and the price of the initiation gift he gave was just too high! Xu Yan then left. Li Xuan stood on the slope at the entrance of the village, watching Xu Yan¡¯s departing figure with a complicated look on his face. ¡°Hopefully, he¡¯ll make it safely through the Evil Forest. This silly boy¡­ sigh!¡± He sighed and returned to his dwelling when Xu Yan disappeared from sight. As he sat down on the chair under the big tree, he suddenly felt a bit¡­ lonely! ¡°Damn!¡± ¡°I had gotten used to having a disciple around me. Now that I¡¯m alone again, it feels so uncomfortable!¡± Li Xuan slapped his face and couldn¡¯t help cursing. Chapter 10 On the first day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan got up early and went out. He didn¡¯t see the figure that usually practiced relentlessly, and there was no one to cook for him. He had to feed the chickens and plant vegetables himself. Something felt off. On the second day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan began to worry. ¡°My foolish disciple, he didn¡¯t die in the Evil Forest, did he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been there twice and returned safe and sound each time. It should be the same this time, right?¡± ¡­ On the fifth day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan went to the hill outside the village and looked in the direction Xu Yan had gone. Nobody had come. He let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Even if I have been exposed, anyone coming to capture me, a fraudster, wouldn¡¯t arrive this quickly.¡± ¡°I wonder if I will be exposed.¡± ¡°Ah, Xu Yan is a blockhead, but he comes from a privileged background. There must be someone smarter around him, right?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m found out, won¡¯t I be in hot water?¡± Li Xuan felt in a mess; He was considerably worried. ¡­ On the tenth day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan watched from the hill. If anything seemed amiss, he planned to hide and flee. ¡°This disciple, he didn¡¯t die in the Evil Forest and fail to return, did he?¡± ¡°Or has he been confined?¡± Li Xuan berated himself in frustration as his mind raced: ¡°Crap! I didn¡¯t want to deceive him, it¡¯s his fault for being thick-headed. I can¡¯t be blamed for this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really doing badly for myself. Shameful!¡± Li Xuan sighed. He was a transmigrator who was disgracefully muddling through! ¡­ On the eleventh day, Xu Yan finally returned. ¡°Master, your disciple has returned!¡± Looking at Xu Yan who respectfully greeted him, and seeing only him with no others appearing to bind up this fraud, Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s good you¡¯re back!¡± With a nonchalant expression, as though he already knew of Xu Yan¡¯s return. ¡°Master, this is a token of your disciple¡¯s appreciation.¡± Xu Yan placed two long boxes on the table. ¡°I appreciate it!¡± Li Xuan opened a box with a calm expression. Inside was a sword with a gold hilt, adorned with patterns of auspicious clouds and mythical beasts, and inlaid with nine gems of red, white, and blue. A treasure indeed! Just a glance told Li Xuan that the sword was priceless. He was ecstatic, ¡°This foolish disciple is richer than I thought.¡± Showing no signs of being moved, he reached into the box and lifted the precious sword. It was hefty. The hilt was set with nine more gems, making eighteen in total. The gems alone were a small fortune. The hilt also had two larger red gems on it. Li Xuan gently slid the sword out of its sheath. A flash of gold caught his eye¡ªthe sword was made of pure gold! He placed the sword back into its sheath, then back into the box. Despite his outward calm, his heart was shaking with excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve struck it rich! This sword is a heirloom. Now I can flee to the Wu Country without worry.¡± With an approving look, he said, ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts. I¡¯m glad you thought of me. Even though this sword is ordinary, it will be enjoyable to play with.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was overjoyed, ¡°As long as you like it, Master!¡± ¡°My master truly is a hidden expert. Even a priceless sword does not move him, and he sees it as nothing more than a toy.¡± His reverence for his master grew yet again. Li Xuan opened the second box. Inside was a flawless Jade Ruyi. His eyes sparkled slightly ¡ª this Jade Ruyi was clearly a treasured item! ¡°Excellent!¡± Nodding his head, Li Xuan expressed his satisfaction. ¡°Master, I also brought some rare medicinal herbs with me.¡± Xu Yan said as he unpacked the bundle. Li Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself: ¡°Did he also realize that these rare tonics improved his physical condition and were beneficial for cultivation?¡± ¡°As always, you should carefully use these herbs.¡± Li Xuan glanced at them. There wasn¡¯t any Nine Leaf Yuzhi or Thousand-Year Ginseng. There were two Five-Leaf Yuzhi and three Hundred-Year Ginseng plants, both considered rare medicinal herbs. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan stored the medicinal herbs properly, began tidying up the room, and prepared to cook. Li Xuan was pleased. This apprentice of his was sensible, and knew to get to work as soon as he came back. ¡°Hmm? What happened? His face is filled with dejection. Did something happen?¡± Suddenly, Li Xuan noticed that Xu Yan seemed rather dejected as he worked. His heart jumped slightly. Could it be that someone had reminded him during his visit home, causing him to harbor doubts? Or was it perhaps he felt disheartened because he hadn¡¯t sensed any effect from the tonics and hadn¡¯t made progress in training in a while? ¡°He can¡¯t stay like this. We have come this far. If I do not continue to deceive him, things will easily backfire.¡± ¡°I have to boost his confidence!¡± With these thoughts, Li Xuan asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter, my disciple? Are you upset about your cultivation?¡± Xu Yan paused his cleaning, looked dispirited, and confessed. ¡°Master, it¡¯s not about cultivation. On my recent visit home¡­ I was dumped.¡± What? Dumped? Li Xuan was stunned, thinking to himself: ¡°Dumped? Your name is Xu Yan, not Xiao Yan ¨C there isn¡¯t a tragic story here. You have nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°What happened? Why did she break off the engagement?¡± With the concern of a Master for his disciple, he asked. With a disheartened look, Xu Yan muttered, ¡°She said I¡¯m not very intelligent, and that being with me was too humiliating.¡± She¡¯s not wrong, you¡¯re certainly not the brightest bulb! Li Xuan muttered to himself. Standing up, he patted Xu Yan¡¯s shoulder. Regardless of anything, he had to console his disciple. ¡°You are my disciple, it¡¯s her loss for not seeing your worth.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Master, that¡¯s what I thought too.¡± ¡°Did you shout back at her that thirty years on each side of the river amounts to the same, and that she shouldn¡¯t underestimate the poor youth?¡± Li Xuan asked after clearing his throat. Xu Yan looked at his master in confusion, ¡°Master, I¡¯m not poor!¡± Shit! Li Xuan¡¯s eyebrows twitched, his heart felt like it had been pricked! Immediately pulling a serious face, he said: ¡°My disciple, where do you see yourself as not poor? Is the poverty I¡¯m referring to about money? No! It¡¯s about poverty of cultivation, poverty of strength, poverty of martial arts knowledge!¡± Xu Yan was flushed with shame, ¡°You¡¯re right, Master. I am poor, very poor!¡± Quickly adding, ¡°But don¡¯t worry Master, I haven¡¯t lost heart. Although I didn¡¯t shout back ¡®Don¡¯t underestimate the poor youth!¡¯, I did tell her, ¡®You may ridicule, insult, and abandon me today, but one day you will regret this and won¡¯t be able to reach me!''¡± As he finished, Xu Yan raised his head with determination in his eyes. Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched, thinking to himself: ¡°This kid, why do I get the feeling of a chosen one? It must be an illusion!¡± ¡°Mmm, the fact you have such determination is really good.¡± Seeing the remaining hint of frustration in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes, Li Xuan added: ¡°Being dumped might not be all bad for you. Remember, you may be knocked down, but it just gives you the opportunity to come back stronger.¡± ¡°Every exceptional individual in history faced setbacks.¡± ¡°The cultivation path is all about understanding. When the mind is clear, understanding will naturally come!¡± Patting Xu Yan¡¯s shoulder, Li Xuan gravely said: ¡°There¡¯s a saying ¡®No woman in the heart, the cultivation brings divine progress.¡¯ Now that you¡¯ve been dumped, there are no women in your heart, no distractions, you are surely going to make great progress!¡± Chapter 11 ¡°Xu Yan felt a surge of energy, murmuring, ¡°No women in mind, practicing like having divine help?¡± ¡°Master, I think I¡¯ve got it, thank you for your teaching!¡± He respectfully bowed. ¡°Master, I¡¯m going to practice now!¡± ¡°Hmm, go ahead.¡± Li Xuan nodded, his eyes full of doubts, ¡°My foolish disciple, he can¡¯t really be so focused on training that he forgets about women, can he? What a mistake, I shouldn¡¯t have spoken so casually!¡± Xu Yan arrived at the practice spot, assumed the horse stance, his gaze unwavering. ¡°Master is right. Only through setbacks can one find courage!¡± ¡°No women in mind, practicing like having divine help¡­ I understand Master¡¯s profound meaning. Women represent worldly thoughts for men of my age. Women are the greatest distraction!¡± ¡°As long as I overcome this greatest distraction, my mind will be clear, my perception naturally improved, and my training speed will definitely increase!¡± He circulated his blood and Qi, beginning bone refinement. Suddenly, Xu Yan had a flash of insight, ¡°Master said, no women in mind, practicing like having divine help, is this a reminder that my method of bone refinement is slow because I haven¡¯t fully grasped its essence?¡± ¡°To re-ponder and understand, to let go of worldly thoughts and maintain a pure mind, to deeply perceive the transformation of my blood and Qi, to find the essence of bone refinement¡­ this must be the profound intention of the Master!¡± At that moment, Xu Yan underwent a mental refinement, the more he contemplated, the more he felt his Master¡¯s every word and action were profound. ¡°Master guides at the entrance, cultivates at one¡¯s discretion. As a hidden expert, the methods he teaches are unconventional and he emphasizes understanding¡­ constantly reminding me to comprehend more!¡± Realizing this, Xu Yan began to deeply perceive his blood and Qi and the transformation of his bones, gradually falling into a state of forgetting himself and everything else. ¡°Something isn¡¯t quite right here¡­ the circulation of blood and Qi is slow, not penetrating enough, not forging enough¡­ I should adjust it.¡± ¡°The speed of bone refinement has increased¡­ indeed, Master is reminding me that I haven¡¯t grasped the essence of bone refinement!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve comprehended it! This is the real method of bone refinement!¡± At one point, Xu Yan felt his blood and Qi circulating more smoothly, the speed of his bone refinement greatly increased, and his blood and Qi also strengthened with the bone refinement. ¡°No women in mind, practicing like having divine help, Master didn¡¯t deceive me!¡± Xu Yan was extremely excited. ¡°At this rate, I should be able to refine iron bones in five or six days!¡± ¡°Golden bones shouldn¡¯t be a problem, I¡¯m sure I can match the legendary talents of the past!¡± Xu Yan immersed himself in his training, forgetting himself and the world, unaware of the passage of time. Evening came. The village began to grow dark. Li Xuan looked at Xu Yan, who was still practicing, his eyes flashing with doubt, how did the boy forget about time? And has he been maintaining the horse stance this whole time? Didn¡¯t he rest at all in between? ¡°Impossible! Even if he is used to practicing the horse stance every day, it¡¯s impossible for him not to be tired from this long state, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Maybe he rested when I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± Li Xuan was about to ask Xu Yan to stop practicing and prepare dinner. However, he changed his mind, ¡°My foolish disciple, he was jilted, he¡¯s probably venting his grief through practicing. I won¡¯t disturb him, I¡¯ll cook dinner by myself tonight.¡± With a sigh, Li Xuan went off to prepare his own dinner. ¡­ Half a month later. Ever since Xu Yan had returned, the past half month had been leisurely for Li Xuan. Xu Yan had taken care of all the miscellaneous chores, Li Xuan didn¡¯t need to worry about a thing. The chickens they raised were getting fatter, and the chicks had grown significantly. They even started raising some wild rabbits. Li Xuan sighed internally, although the cultivation was fake, Xu Yan had indeed acquired many life skills. In these half a month, Xu Yan had become even more diligent in his cultivation. Such perseverance, Li Xuan could not help but admire. He didn¡¯t have the heart to discourage Xu Yan, so he could only occasionally offer a few words of motivation! Little did he know, Xu Yan had already entered the stage of Copper Bone cultivation. As for Xu Yan, these half a month of cultivation were like having divine assistance. Each time he perceived the methodology of bone tempering, refining speed increased even further. Every piece of encouragement from Li Xuan, he contemplated again and again. After deducing the teachings and self-supplementing, he was enlightened! The method of circulatory refinement was adjusted slightly once again, the refining speed of the bones had once again elevated. At every such instance, he was overwhelmed with excitement. The image of his master in his heart was no longer just a simple secluded expert. ¡°Master is truly unfathomable!¡± ¡°Upon reaching the master¡¯s level, he has transcended traditional and normal teaching methods. Instead, he is enhancing my perception at every moment!¡± ¡°Allowing me to constantly perceive the essence of cultivation, to understand the ¡®intention¡¯ within it!¡± ¡°Farming, cooking, raising chickens, and rabbits¡­ seemingly ordinary chores can relax my mind after cultivation and return me to the state of a normal person, instead of holding myself as a practitioner of Martial Arts all the time.¡± ¡°No wonder the master appears to be just an ordinary person. This is what the master means by returning to simplicity and the natural way of things¡­¡± ¡°Master¡¯s realm is too high!¡± Xu Yan marveled in his heart, wondering when he could reach the realm of his master. ¡°I have already tempered my bones to copper. I am one step closer to Gold Bone. In another half of a month, should I be able to touch upon Gold Bone?¡± ¡°According to the master, the leap from Copper Bone to Gold Bone is a huge transition and transformation, which won¡¯t be so easy to temper.¡± ¡°When I complete the tempering of Copper Bone, I will go home once again. Check, if I can buy precious medicinal herbs like the Nine Leaf Primordial Herb!¡± Xu Yan decided to, after tempering his bones to copper, make a trip home to see if he could find a precious medicinal like the Nine Leaf Primordial Herb to increase his chances of tempering Gold Bone. After ten days. Xu Yan had perfected Copper Bone. At this moment, during his cultivation, he had experienced a bottleneck as if his bone refinement had reached its limit. He knew he had encountered the Gold Bone bottleneck. At this stage, it depends on talent, determination and persistence. The most important thing was comprehension! ¡°With the aid of precious medicine, the probability of breakthrough will be higher.¡± Xu Yan prepared for another trip home in search for a medicinal herb to aid his cultivation. Li Xuan, standing at the doorway, watched Xu Yan practicing in the distance, and fell into deep thought. For some reason, he felt Xu Yan had changed as if he had become more¡­ masculine? ¡°Did my dumb disciple actually cultivate something?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s absolutely impossible. I made this up. Even if there are real Martial Arts involving qi and blood in this world, how could anyone cultivate using the method that I made up?¡± ¡°It must be because of the long-term horse stance that he looks more firm and powerful!¡± Xu Yan has been practicing the horse stance for a long while now, it¡¯s time to change his posture. Sticking with one horse stance is too monotonous. While contemplating what new horse stance to teach Xu Yan, images of martial arts videos and illustrations from his previous life came to mind. ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be the same. I can adjust the stance a bit and teach my dumb disciple!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all made up anyway, nothing real can be cultivated. I just need to continue giving my disciple the faith persevere. There is still plenty of time before the end of the year.¡± ¡°Being able to peacefully part ways using the excuse of the master and disciple not having a fate together is the best outcome.¡± Such thoughts filled Li Xuan¡¯s mind and he waved Xu Yan over to him. Chapter 12 Upon seeing his master signal him over, Xu Yan was immediately invigorated and rushed over excitedly. ¡°Master must have seen that I am only one step away from the Golden Bone level but have hit a bottleneck. He must be about to show me how to break through to the Golden Bone level!¡± Excited, he approached Li Xuan and respectfully greeted, ¡°Master!¡±. ¡°Mmm, you¡¯ve managed to keep your enthusiasm and have been diligent in your training, very good!¡± Looking at the excited face of Xu Yan, Li Xuan nodded in acknowledgment of his diligent training. However, inside he sighed, ¡°Those who aren¡¯t too bright are the most persistent. Even though they don¡¯t progress much in their training, they always remain committed and diligent. Truly admirable!¡± ¡°I have to admit¡­ the lad is not bad as a disciple. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m no expert!¡± Although Xu Yan was a bit slow and gullible, one must acknowledge his pursuit and persistence in training. This kind of determination was truly commendable. ¡°You have been training for some time now and have been practicing the horse stance for quite a while too. Today, your master will teach you something stronger.¡± Li Xuan spoke with the gravitas of a strict master. ¡°Thank you, master!¡± Xu Yan was brimming with excitement. He thought: Sure enough, master saw that I¡¯ve hit a bottleneck in reaching the Golden Bone level and will now teach me better tempering methods. ¡°Watch closely!¡± With this, Li Xuan twisted his body to a side, bent his knees, positioned one foot behind the other while squatting slightly. His hands were also one above the other, with one forward and the other backward. His left hand was in front of his lower belly, palm down, and his right elbow was bent upward till his palm was shoulder-height, palm facing upwards. After striking the stance, he looked at Xu Yan and instructed: ¡°You are to practice this horse stance next. Do you understand?¡± Xu Yan followed his master¡¯s stance, got into the horse stance, and nodded, saying, ¡°Master, I understand!¡± Li Xuan relaxed his stance, placed one hand behind him, and spoke: ¡°This is a foundational stance. There are a couple of mantras that go with it. The more you comprehend, the better, it all depends on your good fortune.¡± Just teaching a new horse stance seemed to monotonous. Let¡¯s make up a mantra to go along. Thinking so, Li Xuan slowly began: ¡°Remember, the mantra is ¡®Observe my true intent with a clear mind, make my Qi and blood as the dragon to mold a golden body.¡¯ You must comprehend this thoroughly. If you can comprehend the mantra, you would be able to grasp its deeper meaning.¡± Having said that, Li Xuan casually strolled off, both hands behind him, embodying the demeanor of an expert mentor. At this moment, Xu Yan was beyond excited, mumbling repeatedly to himself, ¡°Observe my true intent with a clear mind, make my Qi and blood as the dragon to mold a golden body¡­ Truly profound, I must meditate on this!¡± ¡°This is definitely the secret to tempering the golden bone and even the jade bone. If I can understand this mystery, I will surely be able to temper the golden bone!¡± At this moment, Xu Yan was entirely immersed in the ¡°mantra¡±, forgetting everything else. His mind was filled with the mantra. He repeated it again and again, trying to gain some insight from it. However, despite the night passing, he had not experienced any insights! ¡°Too profound! I have already achieved such a high level of comprehension with bone tempering, such a deep understanding, and yet I still can¡¯t comprehend its subtleties in such a short period.¡± ¡°As master said indeed, only if I can comprehend the mantra can I experience its profundity.¡± ¡°Xu Yan, you can do this! You can comprehend the mantra! You can surely temper the golden bone!¡± Xu Yan constantly encouraged himself. His gaze was firm, and he did not show any signs of defeat. It¡¯s been less than a day, and comprehending such a profound mantra in three to five days would be quite common. ¡­ Before heading to bed, Li Xuan came out to check and noticed that the foolish Xu Yan was still standing and mouthing the randomly made up mantra. ¡°Is this silly lad losing it?¡± ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t mess up his brain.¡± He then spoke out: ¡°It¡¯s late, time to go to sleep!¡± Xu Yan came to his senses abruptly and hastily bowed saying, ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Xuan nodded, his foolish disciple was somewhat dazed, but still obeyed him obediently ¨C that was not a big problem. If he had gone down a dead end, he would just need to persuade him and guide him a little. With that in mind, Li Xuan went back to his room to sleep. Xu Yan took a deep breath, thinking: ¡°Inspiration comes with timing and inspiration, forcing it farther away. I almost got stuck in it and lost my focus.¡± ¡°Thank goodness Master woke me up!¡± ¡°Rest, build up my energy, recover my spirit, and continue tomorrow.¡± ¡°The technique is so profound, it¡¯s not something I can comprehend overnight. I should be able to understand it in about three to five days. My talents as Xu Yan can¡¯t be that bad!¡± After figuring out, Xu Yan went to rest. ¡­ Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Xu Yan, as always, practiced, gardened, fed chickens, raised rabbits, cooked, etc. His schedule did not change at all. The only change was his horse stance posture. But he was stuck at the culmination of the Bronze Bones stage, unable to take another step. During his daily practice, he pondered on the ¡°techniques¡± but was unable to grasp the intricacies within. Three days have passed and he had gained nothing. ¡°If I can¡¯t comprehend these two techniques, how can I temper my Gold Bones and make a breakthrough? How can I advance?¡± ¡°These are just the basics, the advanced techniques after the breakthrough will undoubtedly be more profound and elusive ¨C how can I continue my cultivation?¡± ¡°Calm down, I cannot be restless! Master always says, don¡¯t be impatient, don¡¯t aim for unrealistic heights, stay grounded¡­ I must have missed something.¡± Xu Yan calms himself, allowing his heart to quiet down. ¡°Master said, having no women in mind during cultivation, such is a state of mind, this is to remove the biggest distraction¡­ strong-minded men are always easily attracted by women, leading to distraction.¡± ¡°Master uses women as an analogy for the greatest distraction during cultivation, there must be a deeper meaning, this is his way of advising me not to indulge in distraction.¡± ¡°What is my distraction?¡± Xu Yan extrapolated from the phrase ¡°no women in mind during cultivation¡± to a series of profound meanings and then fell into deep thought. If Li Xuan knew how well Xu Yan could extrapolate, he would definitely exclaim, this is not a case of a malfunctioning brain, but a case of an overly imaginative mind! ¡°My distraction¡­ it¡¯s cultivation, my mind is always thinking about cultivation, but does this count as a distraction? ¡°I understand!¡± A light suddenly flashed in Xu Yan¡¯s mind, and he had another epiphany. ¡°Cultivation is a pursuit, a belief, a will, and I just remained fixated on it, turning it into a distraction! ¡°I should discard the obsession with the act of cultivation itself, focus on the present, forget about external distractions, forget about excessive perceptions¡­focus on the technique and delve into it indiscriminately¡­¡± At this moment, it was as if Xu Yan had opened a skylight in his mind, with insights emerging endlessly. The true meaning of the two techniques seemed to be shrouded in a thin veil at this moment, just needing a gentle poke to unveil the truth underneath! ¡°¡®Understand the heart and observe oneself to cultivate true intention¡¯, ¡®understand the heart¡¯ is self-awareness, ¡®observe oneself¡¯ is the comprehension of blood, observing the changes in blood, ¡®cultivate true intentions¡¯¡­ is to nourish blood in the bones, deepen it in bone marrow, enable the transformation of blood, enable the sublimation of bone marrow¡­¡± ¡°I have a clear understanding!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes shone brilliantly, and his face glowed with excitement. ps: Please add to your favourites, continue reading, and support in any way possible~~~ Chapter 13 Xu Yan was invigorated after gaining insight into a cultivation technique. ¡°I must not hasten. The next step of the cultivation technique can be understood soon. It¡¯s time to cook now; I need to relax my mind, stay calm, and immerse myself completely in the act of cooking.¡± ¡°Discard the distractions of cultivation and focus on the present!¡± Xu Yan finished his exercise, his strides light, his entire demeanor radiating a different kind of vibrant energy. At this moment, with his thoughts unburdened, he felt an unexpected sense of ease, illumination, and liberality. ¡°Each of my master¡¯s words and actions carry deep meaning. I¡¯ve finally understood the true essence of his saying ¡®A heart devoid of distractions, cultivates as if divine¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ve truly been somewhat slow in comprehension.¡± Xu Yan sighed inwardly, full of regret. ¡­ Li Xuan looked at his disciple with a hint of puzzlement. Why did his usually serious disciple seem so utterly cheerful and jubilant today? The light steps, the satisfied demeanor, his whole disposition had become spirited, shedding the solemn and respectful manners of the past. He had returned to the spirited charm of a youth. ¡°Could it be that he feels he has progressed in his cultivation? Perceived his vital energy?¡± ¡°Impossible, it was all made-up by me, how could he possibly sense his vital energy?¡± ¡°Well, if he could maintain a relaxed and cheerful mood, it¡¯s not a bad thing. On the contrary, I don¡¯t have to worry about him bottling up too much and having a mental breakdown one day.¡± With these thoughts, Li Xuan decided he should encourage his naive disciple to relax more and maintain a good mentality. Otherwise, after a long period of cultivation with no gains, he might just break under the frustration. Therefore, during mealtime, Li Xuan spoke up, ¡°You¡¯re in good condition today. Keep it up, and you¡¯ll achieve something worthy!¡± ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan was thrilled to receive his master¡¯s approval. Indeed, his enlightenment was correct! Unfortunately, he had been extremely obtuse. He has only now gained a deep understanding of his master¡¯s intentions. ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded, the disciple was obedient, which was excellent! Two days later. In Xu Yan¡¯s mind, a flash of enlightenment occurred, and he instantaneously understood the true meaning of another cultivation technique! ¡°I understand now! ¡°The technique of molding blood energy into a golden body like a dragon involves condensing the blood energy into a dragon, circling the body, looping around the bones, and constantly circulating. It can surely break through and smelt golden bones!¡± At this instant, Xu Yan understood the method to smelt golden bones. ¡°I understand!¡¯Nourishing the real intention by observing my heart; forging a golden body with blood energy like a dragon. So that¡¯s how it is!¡± ¡°Blood energy nurtured within the bones, smelted directly into the marrow, circled outside with the blood energy dragon, a combination of internal and external, mutually entwined. In this way, one can further smelt the bones.¡± ¡°And thereafter, smelt golden bones.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes glittered, his fists tightly clenched: ¡°As expected, I needed to perceive and understand. Even if the master directly explained it, even if I knew, I wouldn¡¯t be able to comprehend the intrinsic meaning, and couldn¡¯t smelt or breakthrough.¡± ¡°Only by understanding it yourself within the cultivation technique can one truly comprehend its essence!¡± Taking a deep breath, as his blood energy surged, Xu Yan began bone refining. Consolidating his spirit, entering a state of selflessness, carefully observing the flow of his blood energy, its circulation, identifying its weaknesses and where the defects lay.¡± ¡°The second rib bone, the refinement isn¡¯t smooth enough. The left-hand joint refinement has a flaw. There are weak spots on both knee-caps¡­¡± By carefully observing the circulation of his blood energy, Xu Yan quickly identified the insufficient places in his bone refining. Despite having perfected Copper Bones, the strength of the bones around his body were not consistent. Some parts were relatively weaker. So, Xu Yan began refining those weaker parts again to ensure that every bone in his body was just as strong, with no weak points. Three days later. Xu Yan finally perfected the refinement of Copper Bones. His entire body was now unified, with no weak spots, no disparities in strength. ¡°Now, I have truly perfected the Copper Bones!¡± ¡°Next up, I should smelt the Golden Bones. I have already gained insight of the smelting method. I¡¯m certain I can smelt them!¡± ¡°I can take no longer than a month, at most one month, and I must smelt the Golden Bones!¡± ¡°After the refining of the bones, it¡¯s time to refine the viscera. You must grasp the basics within a year, or else, if your aptitude is too poor, how could you be worthy of being my disciple?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s gaze was firm. A year¡¯s time, in fact, was fleeting. The speed of refining the viscera would certainly be slower than that of refining the bones. His master had said to be careful when starting with the viscera refinement, so as not to harm his own internal organs. But the visceral organs are fragile. Initial tempering would inevitably be slow. He must seize the time to temper his golden bones so that he can make it within a year. Moreover, Xu Yan felt a surge of energy. His master had given him a year, but he couldn¡¯t really wait a whole year to grasp the basics! The earlier he got it, the better it would be. It would also make his Master happier! Xu Yan continued to refine his bones, as his vitality turned into clouds of mist, constantly seeping into his bones. Although slow and in small amounts, it was just the beginning. As the vitality slowly seeped into the bones, the long-lost feeling of numbness and itching returned. Xu Yan gritted his teeth, not uttering a word, his gaze remaining unwavering. Finally, his entire skeletal system had absorbed a trace of vitality and was gradually moving inward, trying to merge into the bone marrow. ¡°I can start now!¡± Xu Yan took a deep breath. His vitality gushed out in the blink of an eye, turning into a dragon-like shape, winding around the skeleton. The vitality was vibrating and constantly pressing his bones, continuing to slide along. Meanwhile, the vitality within his bones persisted in infiltrating, nourishing his bones. After combining internally and externally, Xu Yan discovered that the previously stagnant bone refinement began to change. With the refining, the bones began to emit faint golden color. Golden bones! After enduring it for half an hour, Xu Yan felt himself reaching his limit. So he stopped. At this moment, he only felt hungry. ¡°The consumption of refining golden bones is huge!¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. ¡°Those medicinal tonics aren¡¯t enough, unless it¡¯s a thousand-year-old mountain ginseng or nine-leaf primordial mushroom¡­¡± However, he had eaten all of them. ¡°I have just slightly broken through the copper bone limit, and I haven¡¯t even completed the first refinement of golden bones, yet they have improved so much. ¡°What if I accomplish golden bones, how strong would I be then?¡± Feeling his own improvement, Xu Yan was astonished. The cultivation technique that Master taught is truly immeasurable and profound. ¡°Master said that golden bones undergo nine vitality transformations. I haven¡¯t even completed one yet, and my bone strength has increased by at least 30%. If I complete one transformation¡­¡± Xu Yan dared not imagine how strong that would be. Golden bones tat could be bried underground for ten thousand years without decay, still radiating its shimmering gold color, is tougher than steel. Imagine the might of golden bones. ¡°Every vitality transformation is tougher than the last. Without the help of treasured medicine, how can I quickly complete it?¡± ¡°I must hurry back home to find those prized medicines. Time waits for no one!¡± Xu Yan felt that he wasn¡¯t as talented as the ancient prodigious heroes. Without the help of treasured medicine, he may not be able to refine his bones quickly. He must have the aid of treasured medicine to grasp the basics within a year. ¡­ Looking at the feast on the table, Li Xuan could tell that his silly disciple was planning a trip home once again. ¡°Still, I must remind him to keep a low profile and not expose himself. This silly disciple usually listens to advice, so there should be no problem.¡± ¡°As long as he keeps to the stipulated one-year period, he can be free.¡± ¡°The ferocious tigers and beasts in the Evil Forest must also be dealt with. This silly disciple is so lucky that he hasn¡¯t encountered any danger on his way back and forth!¡± Li Xuan felt rueful. He wasn¡¯t so lucky. The first time he left the village with a group, he was the only one who managed to escape. Since then, he dared not take risks, dared not gamble with luck and safely cross the Evil Forest. Chapter 14 ¡°Master, I wish to go home for a visit.¡± Xu Yan respectfully said. ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded, his expression unchanged. (¡°I will be back within half a month at the latest.¡± Xu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and spoke again. Li Xuan nodded, then spoke, ¡°No need for extra words, I prefer to keep a low profile, understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan nodded seriously. Seeing that the timing was right, Li Xuan slowly said, ¡°The fierce tiger beasts are full of vigor, they are good nourishment for the body, beneficial for cultivation.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up, his heart throbbing with excitement, ¡°Indeed, tempering the golden bones takes a lot, Master reminded me, apart from the precious medicine, the flesh and blood of a fierce tiger beast is also a great supplement, helpful for cultivation!¡± He nodded excitedly, ¡°Master, I understand!¡± ¡°What a silly disciple, and he saw hope once again, he must be overjoyed,¡± Li Xuan sighed to himself. ¡°Unfortunately, though it is very nourishing, don¡¯t expect it to help you enter the field of cultivation.¡± Li Xuan casually reminded him, ¡°There are fierce tiger beasts in ¡®Evil Forest¡¯, be extra careful on your way.¡± At last, he added, ¡°I prefer peace and quiet, I don¡¯t like disturbances, so don¡¯t stir up any big commotion.¡± There are fierce tiger beasts in the Evil Forest, and their blood and flesh are beneficial for cultivation. As long as Xu Yan successfully passes through the Evil Forest this time, given his status and background, he will certainly lead hunters to hunt fierce tiger beasts in the forest.¡± Li Xuan reminded him in advance not to allow people to come to the small village and disturb his peace. As long as there are no outsiders, the risk of being exposed is reduced and no one can identify him as a fraud. Once the danger of the Evil Forest is resolved, Li Xuan can escape from the village anytime. If his identity is exposed, he can run off immediately without being trapped in the village. Now Xu Yan was excited, ¡°Did my Master mean me to hunt those fierce tiger beasts? Am I strong enough now to hunt them down?¡± ¡°I mustn¡¯t let the beasts escape and cause a commotion to disturb Master. I must be quick and silent and create as little noise as possible!¡± Then he thought, ¡°Master is letting me hunt these beasts at this time, he is also tempering me, stimulating my stamina and practicing my strength, enhancing the control of my own power!¡± Xu Yan stood up, clenched his fists, and excitedly said, ¡°Master, rest assured, I will definitely not cause a big commotion, I definitely won¡¯t disturb your peace!¡± ¡°Hmm, very good, I believe in you!¡± Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction. This silly disciple still follows his instructions and can understand what he is saying. Xu Yan was extremely excited, this time, he understood the deeper meaning behind Master¡¯s words, he was certain that there would be gains from this journey through the Evil Forest! Perhaps before a month has passed, he would be able to temper his golden bones! ¡­ Watching Xu Yan leave, Li Xuan¡¯s heart was filled with mixed feelings: ¡°I hope this silly disciple can make it through the Evil Forest safely this time, then bring people to hunt the tigers and beasts inside.¡± ¡°In this way, I can also avenge the dead villagers.¡± Once the tigers and beasts in the Evil Forest are killed, the road away from the village will be safe. If he senses any danger of being exposed, he can escape immediately. He can directly escape to Wu Country. To hide far away. With Xu Yan¡¯s gift as a disciple, he can live a good life. ¡­ With the longsword on his back and a stoked expression, Xu Yan walked faster and faster, finally arriving at the Evil Forest. It was not the first time Xu Yan had crossed the thirty-mile Evil Forest. More than once, he had seen the remains of wild animals that had been half eaten. During the frequent trips, he had never encountered danger. This time, as he entered the Evil Forest, he was not in a hurry to get through, but began to look around in the dense forest. ¡°If master said so, this means that with my current strength, fighting a fierce tiger is not out of reach.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s vital energy circulates, his muscles tense, his keen senses alert to his surroundings, as he begins to hunt in the wicked forest. ¡°It¡¯s up ahead!¡± Suddenly, Xu Yan heard faint snoring sounds. Walking lightly, cautiously approaching, he finally spotted a colorful fierce tiger resting in the bushes. Even from several feet away, he could still feel the tiger¡¯s ferocious vibes and its strong, healthy body, its robust vital energy. ¡°Hiss!¡± At the sight of the tiger, Xu Yan was astounded. ¡°Why is this tiger so huge?¡± He comes from a wealthy family, and since he loved practicing martial arts from a young age, he had hunted tigers more than once with the family guards and some hunters. But, no tigers from his previous hunts were like the one before his eyes. This tiger in the wicked forest was more than twice as big. The colorful fur made it appear even more ferocious. ¡°No wonder master sent me to the wicked forest, this tiger is not an ordinary one, its vital energy is much stronger. ¡°Its blood and bones are a great supplement, beneficial for my refinement process.¡± Excitement flashed in both Xu Yan¡¯s eyes, and he thought: No wonder the Master wanted him to hunt the tiger in the wicked forest, this tiger is extraordinary. ¡°Using the blood and bones of this tiger, along with precious medicine, the effect is bound to be stronger. It will be enough for me to transform thrice or more!¡± Many thoughts flashed in Xu Yan¡¯s head: bring back this tiger after hunting it, let the family¡¯s pharmacist add precious medicine to the hunt, and it would certainly enhance the auxiliary effect of refining my bones.¡± ¡°I must not be complacent. This is an opportunity. Seize the chance, kill the tiger in an instant, without making too much fuss, and without letting the tiger escape from the wicked forest!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s vital energy boils, his heart throbbing, transferring a tremendous amount of energy all over his body. His muscles tense up, ready to pounce. He slowly draws his longsword, treads lightly, slowly getting closer. He was preparing to launch a surprise attack! One strike to kill the ferocious tiger! ¡°I can¡¯t use the sword!¡± Xu Yan suddenly thought of something: ¡°If I use the sword to kill the tiger, wouldn¡¯t it damage the tiger¡¯s skin?¡± ¡°This tiger skin is so beautiful to look at, it would be nice to peel it off intact and give it to master!¡± Having thought this, Xu Yan slowly put down his sword, clutching his fists, the vital energy rushing, muscles tensing, ready to fight this tiger barehanded. The distance is closing, the resting tiger suddenly flared its nostrils a few times. Suddenly lifting its head, it looked back. A human appeared in its line of sight. Roar! The tiger let out a low roar, ready to pounce, and Xu Yan at this moment, saw that the tiger was looking up, its eyes were blood-red, full of ferocity and bloodthirstiness. ¡°Red-eyed Tiger!¡± Xu Yan was taken aback, no wonder this tiger was so large, even twice as big as an ordinary tiger. It is the king of tigers in the legends, the Red-eyed Tiger! He had read about it in books, it was said that there was a kind of fierce tiger with eyes as red as fire, brutal and violent, fond of eating humans, even a hunting team of a hundred people would suffer heavy casualties if they encountered it! This tiger in the wicked forest was the legendary king of the tigers, the Red-eyed Tiger! At this moment, he had been discovered by it. Xu Yan¡¯s vital energy surged, not waiting for the Red-eyed Tiger to pounce, he dashed forward! Chapter 15 Roar! In the evil woods, a tiger¡¯s roar echoed. Xu Yan had already pounced on the Red-eyed Tiger, circulating his blood and energy, the strength erupting, just as his fist fiercely pounded on the tiger¡¯s head. Boom! The Red-eyed Tiger, just standing up, prepared to charge, was struck dumb by the punch, its limbs softened, and it went down again. Roar! The Red-eyed Tiger was furious, letting out a roar, shaking its head off, ready to roll and shake Xu Yan off, with its claws ready to strike. Xu Yan, being successful with a hit, naturally wouldn¡¯t stop here. He grabbed the back of the Red-eyed Tiger¡¯s neck and launched another punch at its head. Once again the Red-eyed Tiger was struck down to the ground. ¡°The Red-eyed Tiger is indeed the king of tigers, able to struggle after taking two of my punches!¡± Xu Yan was amazed inside. Although he hadn¡¯t yet refined his Golden Bones, he had already broken the limits of Copper Bones. His physical strength was such that swords and knives found it hard to wound him. With the burst of energy and blood, shattering stones was a piece of cake. This terrible punch didn¡¯t kill the red-eyed tiger, which showed its ferocity. ¡°Die!¡± Xu Yan threw another punch at the Red-eyed Tiger¡¯s head. Bang! This punch directly smashed the Red-eyed Tiger¡¯s head into the soil! The Red-eyed tiger tried to struggle up, its tail whipping around and making a pop sound. With such strong force, an ordinary person would probably not be able to get up after being hit. ¡°Still resisting?¡± Xu Yan shouted, and at this moment, his blood and energy appeared to reach a limit. His fist seemed to enlarge, enveloped by a surge of energy. ¡°Die!¡± This punch smashed viciously on the back of the Red-eyed tiger¡¯s neck. Snap! A bone-breaking sound was heard. Roar! The Red-eyed tiger let out a painful roar, its head fell into the soil, and it was unable to lift it. Its limbs were convulsing, appearing to lose its strength. Xu Yan¡¯s punch had directly broken the Red-eyed tiger¡¯s neck bone! ¡°This should kill it, right?¡± Although it was only a few punches, each one carried explosive energy, especially the last punch that pushed his energy to the extreme. Xu Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and panted, getting down from the tiger¡¯s body. The Red-eyed tiger was letting out low roars, its body spasming. It clearly looked like it was on the verge of death! ¡°I, empty-handed, have killed the king of tigers!¡± Xu Yan raised both fists, his eyes filled with insane excitement. He felt as if he was not satisfied yet. ¡°The king of tigers, so this is it!¡± ¡°This is the true Martial Arts. I haven¡¯t even entered the path yet and already possess such strength. How much more powerful will I be once I¡¯ve entered? ¡°Can I explode the bodies of beasts like the Red-eyed Tiger with just one punch?¡± At this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s determination for Martial Arts was growing stronger. His eyes were filled with fervor and longing! He picked up his sword and hung it on his waist. The Red-eyed tiger was dead. He hoisted it up on his shoulders and strode away. ¡°Going to process it in the village, then rush back to Donghe Prefecture as fast as I can for the pharmacist to concoct the precious tonic. That should greatly boost its medicinal powers!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s face was filled with excitement, sure that he could refine his Golden Bones. He was determined to be in no way inferior to the ancient talents. He would never disappoint his master! ¡­ East River Prefecture, one of the twenty-six prefectures in Qi Country. If asked what the common folk on the streets and alleys of East River Prefecture City find the most entertaining, nothing surpasses the stories surrounding the son of Xu Family, the wealthiest family in East River. From high-ranking officials to ordinary citizens, and even the beggars on the streets, everyone knows that the young master of this rich family is a martial arts fanatic. Not only is he a martial arts fanatic, but he¡¯s also a little dimwitted. After reading some biographical tales, he became obsessed with the idea that there are hidden experts in the world. He¡¯s determined to find one to be his master, to learn the true essence of Martial Arts. Occasionally, some daring individuals pretended to be experts in order to fool him. The moment these imposters were exposed, they would suffer a great beating and inevitably get thrown into jail. As the incidents repeated, people eventually stopped attempting to trick him. Still, that didn¡¯t dampen the spirit of the son of the richest family. He embarked on a journey, wandering around in search of that elusive expert to further his martial arts prowess. Last month, the engagement of the young master was called off. The entire city was astir. People sneered at saying it was good that the engagement was broken. The lady was not from any ordinary family; she was the only daughter of Jiang Pingshan, the General of the East River in Qi Country. For the Xu Family, this marriage was considered marrying above their station. This engagement was arranged by Xu Yan¡¯s maternal grandfather and General Jiang of East River. If you were to mention notable figures in East River Prefecture, Xu Junhe¡ªthe patriarch of the Xu Family¡ªwould definitely make the list. Rising from humble beginnings, he was a formidable businessman. The most astounding fact to everyone was his marriage to the daughter of the former Prefecture Head and current Minister of the Bureau of Personnel, Guo Rongshan. It was due to this connection, coupled with Xu Junhe¡¯s business acumen, that allowed him to quickly rise to become the wealthiest man in East River Prefecture. However, his only son was a disappointment. Without business acumen, obsessed with Martial Arts, and even unable to maintain the engagement with the General¡¯s family ¨C he was a disgrace. It¡¯s rumored that when the General¡¯s daughter came to break off the engagement, the young master of the Xu Family made wild claims, saying the General¡¯s daughter would regret it and that he was too good for her. Once this went public, it became the joke of East River Prefecture. For a mere merchant¡¯s family to have been able to engage with the family of a General was a great fortune indeed. How dare he boast about being too good for the General¡¯s daughter? If not for the Xu family¡¯s affiliation with the Minister of the Bureau of Personnel, Guo Rongshan, the General might have laid siege to their home as soon as he heard this. It was precisely because of their connection to Guo Rongshan that Xu Junhe, bringing lavish gifts, apologized and thereby pacified General Jiang Pingshan¡¯s wrath. A horse-drawn cart loaded with goods blanketed by a layer of burlap attracted many curious glances as it moved along the main street. The focus of public attention was not the goods on the cart, but the young man driving it. ¡°How did Xu Junhe, such a figure, have such a son?¡± ¡°The vast wealth of the Xu family has no adequate successor.¡± ¡°That might not be the case, Xu Junhe is still young. If his son is not up to it, his grandson might well be.¡± ¡°If he had married the General¡¯s daughter, it would have worked. Now, it¡¯s hard to say.¡± Many on the street engaged in such discussions. Some sighed, while others rejoiced at the Xu Family¡¯s misfortune. There were also those who sneered. Xu Yan remained indifferent to such talk. These discussions had been going on for quite a while. In the past, he might have been enraged. Now, he couldn¡¯t care less. What a bunch of frogs in the well. Do they know how vast the world is and how powerful Martial Arts could be? When I master Martial Arts, the insignificant commoners and merchants won¡¯t matter to me, let alone the haughty emperor! Think the General¡¯s daughter is very impressive? Once I master Martial Arts, even the princesses of the royal family will be beneath me! I said she¡¯s not good enough for me, then she definitely won¡¯t be good enough for me! At this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were full of arrogance, his gaze steadfast. He believed that day would not be far off. This Red-Eyed Tiger, the king of tigers, will certainly help him quickly develop Golden Bones. To be on par with the extraordinary talents from the ancient days! The mansion of the richest family in East River Prefecture, Xu Family, was situated along the main street in the east of the city, close to the Prefecture¡¯s office. It was a luxurious residence. There were no fewer than a hundred house servants and Protectors. Among the Protectors, there were some seasoned warriors. They could run on roofs and vault over walls, and possessed the power to split a stone monument or shatter a table into pieces. At this moment, in the inner courtyard of Xu Family, the madam of Xu Family¡ªdaughter of the current Minister of the Bureau of Personnel and mother of Xu Yan¡ªhad a worried look on her face. Her thick-headed son had not sent any news for a month¡­ ps: Looking forward to more readers, bookmark this story, and appreciate all supports ^_^ Chapter 16 ¡°My lord, it has been a month without any news from Yan¡¯er, I¡¯m really worried.¡± Mother Xu said with a worried expression. Xu Junhe, the richest man in the Donghe County, nearly forty, still held his youthful good looks, was also looking rather troubled at the moment. ¡°My lady, Yan¡¯er must be disciplined strictly, we can¡¯t continue to indulge him, you¡­you can¡¯t spoil him like this!¡± ¡°Where did that come from? He is my only child, if not him, who do I dote on?¡± Mother Xu said with displeasure. ¡°I¡­.¡± Xu Junhe sighed deeply. At this moment, a maid rushed in, ¡°Master, madam, young master is back!¡± ¡°Yan¡¯er is back?¡± Mother Xu expressed joy, hurriedly walking outside, murmuring to herself, ¡°Has he lost weight, or turned darker? Is he hurt?¡± Xu Junhe let out a sigh, following closely behind, wearing a stern expression. ¡°Where¡¯s Pharmacist Pan? You guys be careful, move this tiger inside, I will personally perform the dissection.¡± Xu Yan was commanding the house servants to move the Red-eyed Tiger to the slaughterhouse, preparing to skin the tiger himself. Simultaneously, he ordered the house servants to fetch Pharmacist Pan, the family¡¯s respected herbalist. ¡°What kind of tiger is this? Why is it so huge?¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯s dead, I¡¯m still trembling standing in front of it!¡± A few Protectors and house servants of the Xu Family were in utter astonishment at the sight of the body of the Red-eyed Tiger. Even though the beast was already dead, the fear and the shaky sensation remained strong when standing before the Red-eyed Tiger. Even a few battle-hardened Protectors who had experienced hunting other ferocious tigers, felt significant restlessness in their hearts standing before the carcass of this enormous tiger. A few Protectors lifted the stretcher, heading towards the slaughterhouse with the Red-eyed Tiger. ¡°Yan¡¯er, come here, let Mother see, have you lost weight?¡± Mother Xu called out with affection in her voice. ¡°Mother!¡± Upon seeing his own mother, Xu Yan instantly became obedient. ¡°Father!¡± Xu Junhe, poker-faced, ¡°You still remember the way home, huh?¡± As soon as he began to scold, Mother Xu immediately disapproved, saying, ¡°My lord, Yan¡¯er just got home, could you at least curb your temper?¡± ¡°I¡­.¡± Xu Junhe held his breath in, not able to utter a single word. He could only use a harsh gaze to scold Xu Yan. Mother Xu inspected Xu Yan from head to toe, he had not lost weight or become darker, in fact, he seemed healthier, knowing her son did not suffer outside, she felt a weight lifting from her heart. ¡°Yan¡¯er, you¡­.¡± Her sentence was cut off by sudden shock on seeing the Red-eyed Tiger on the stretcher, she exclaimed, ¡°Yan¡¯er, did you hunt this enormous tiger?¡± Mother Xu looked very worried at this moment. ¡°Mother, I bought this!¡± To prevent his mother from worrying, Xu Yan had to lie. He dared not admit that it was him who had personally killed this Red-eyed Tiger. ¡°You bought it, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good!¡± Mother Xu heaved a sigh of relief. Any problem that can be solved with money was not dangerous, sparing her precious son from any dangers, regardless of the money spent, was always worth it. Xu Junhe, looking at the Red-eyed Tiger, was frightened, this enormous tiger was too terrifying, even though it was dead, it still invoked a feeling of oppression. It wasn¡¯t his first time seeing a ferocious tiger! He had even gone on hunts before. However, this particular tiger was extraordinary, even in death it held a kind of intimidating presence. ¡°What kind of breed is this tiger? I¡¯ve never seen it before!¡± Xu Junhe asked, looking confused. ¡°Master, we have never seen it either!¡± The Protectors also shook their heads. ¡°Father, this is the king of tigers, the Crimson-eyed Tiger!¡± Xu Yan said. ¡°Crimson-eyed Tiger?¡± Xu Junhe was puzzled. He had never heard of it. Looking at several Protectors, they shook their heads as well. A house servant opened his mouth to speak: ¡°Master, the Crimson-eyed Tiger is a creature from folklore. It is said to be the king among tigers mentioned in legends!¡± Xu Junhe¡¯s face turned gloomy, and he glared angrily at Xu Yan. ¡°Folklore stuff, you think you can trust all that!¡± Although this giant tiger was shocking, he did not believe that it was a creature from folklore. He only considered it a rather rare species of fierce tiger. Xu Yan did not argue; he knew his father would not believe it. Nor would the others believe that this is something out of folklore. The Protectors carried the Crimson-eyed Tiger into the slaughterhouse. After speaking to his mother for a moment, Xu Yan went to the slaughterhouse himself to skin the tiger. ¡°The Crimson-eyed Tiger is indeed the king of tigers, ordinary people holding sharp knives probably won¡¯t be able to pierce its skin!¡± Xu Yan sighed with emotion. Pharmacist Pan came and was also in awe when he saw such a large tiger. At Xu Yan¡¯s request, he picked dozens of precious tonifying medicinal ingredients, mostly precious drugs that replenish Qi and blood, from the Xu Family¡¯s medicinal store. These were used to brew nourishing medicine with the Crimson-eyed Tiger¡¯s flesh and blood, mixed with its bones. Xu Junhe casually walked over, glanced at the nearly processed tiger corpse, and casually said, ¡°Pharmacist Pan, please take good care of the tiger¡¯s whip.¡± Pharmacist Pan hurriedly put on a smiling face and nodded. ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry. Using the king tiger¡¯s whip, half of it will be brewed into tiger king wine, and the other half will be used with precious medicines to prepare a large yang elixir. Even in old age, it will not diminish one¡¯s virility!¡± Xu Junhe nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°Hmm, Pharmacist Pan, just ask for any precious medicine you need.¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but chime in: ¡°Father, this tiger king¡¯s whip, I also need¡­¡± He had planned to offer it to his master. Xu Junhe glared at him and scolded: ¡°Do you think your father needs it? Your grandfather is getting old and busy with work, he needs this nourishing medicine. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your grandpa dote on you so much, don¡¯t you know how to show some filial piety?¡± Xu Yan opened his mouth but eventually had to accept his father¡¯s decision on the handling of the tiger king¡¯s whip. ¡°Considering my master¡¯s Cultivation Realm, he wouldn¡¯t care about the tiger king¡¯s whip, and besides, this thing is not very elegant, what if my master doesn¡¯t like it, wouldn¡¯t it be a bad thing?¡± Thinking this way, Xu Yan felt that it would be more practical to give the tiger skin to his master. ¡°Humph!¡± Xu Junhe left only after putting his son in his place. Pharmacist Pan followed him and inquired, ¡°Master, are you sure you don¡¯t need it? I was originally planning to use the tiger king¡¯s whip to prepare a slightly weaker potion, more suitable for people your age.¡± Xu Junhe patted Pharmacist Pan¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Old Pan, although I don¡¯t need it, I can give it to others. Some peers of my age in the business might need it, so just go ahead with your plan.¡± Pharmacist Pan looked at him suspiciously, but he didn¡¯t probe any further, and nodded, ¡°Understood, I know what to do!¡± That night, Xu Mansion was filled with jubilation. The lady of the house was in high spirits, gave out a reward, and even held a banquet. The servants were high-spirited and had a marvelous feast. Their foolish young master had finally returned after a month away. And he brought back a giant tiger, supposedly the king of tigers! Inside the Xu Family¡¯s living quarters, they boiled the king tiger¡¯s meat. Xu Junhe and his wife each ate a small bowl, and they couldn¡¯t eat any more. Xu Yan alone ate most of the pot of the King Tiger¡¯s meat. The remaining portions were given as rewards to a few top-level Protectors in the house. These Protectors were all first-rate experts in the martial world, all hired by Xu Junhe from various martial arts factions. Now, these martial experts were no longer in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes. He deemed them too weak. He could kill one with a single punch. Of course, he had a good relationship with them, having learned martial arts from them when he was a child. After eating the tiger meat, Xu Yan returned to his residence. Without his permission, no one was allowed to enter. This was where he trained. After his last return, he made some renovations and added a secret room. PS: Please follow, vote, and support in every way possible ^_^ Chapter 17 Translator: 549690339 In the secret room, Xu Yan assumed a horse stance and began refining his bones. As he circulated the formula, his blood and qi surged, his body warmed, and his blood and qi began to grow stronger. The dragon of qi and blood wrapped around his bones appeared larger and its refining power while traversing his skeletal system became even stronger. ¡°As expected, the Red-eyed Tiger is the king among tigers, harboring immense qi and blood!¡± Xu Yan channeled his qi and blood and started to temper them. ¡°The tempering speed has vastly increased!¡± With the circulation of qi and blood, and continuous refinement, the copper bones started to show a faint glimmer of gold. This was a sign of the transformation towards gold bones! ¡°Once the supplement made from simmering Red-eyed Tiger is ready, my bone refining speed will increase even more!¡± ¡°At this rate, 1 can complete the first transformation in five days at the latest!¡± Tempering gold bones requires nine transformations to be perfect. ¡°It can be even faster, the enlightened formula I currently understand may not be all, I should continue to understand it!¡± ¡°Only in this way, can 1 temper the golden bones faster!¡± With resolute determination, Xu Yan entered the stage of forgetting both self and object, he continued to contemplate the formula while tempering his bones. The next day, Xu Yan received the supplement that Pharmacist Pan had simmered, and the processed tiger skin, then returned to the secret room to cultivate. ¡°Indeed, the tempering speed is even faster now!¡± ¡°I must purchase more precious medicines, more supplements that robustly boost qi and blood!¡± Xu Yan was extremely excited, judging by his current tempering speed, he might be able to complete the first gold bone transformation in another day and a half. After completing his cultivation, he found the person in charge of the Xu family¡¯s business and asked him to purchase more precious medicines. ¡°Money doesn¡¯t grow on trees, why are you buying so many precious medicines?¡± At lunchtime, Xu Junhe seized the opportunity to reprimand Xu Yan. ¡°You¡¯ve almost used up all the medicine in the family¡¯s store, where did the Nine-leaf Lingzhi go? What about the thousand-year-old ginseng?¡± ¡°You squanderer, do you want to kill me with anger? ¡°Where in the world can you find so many precious medicines? If the news of your purchase gets out, wouldn¡¯t others mark up the prices? If they know it¡¯s you ¡ª a naive lad purchasing all, won¡¯t they substantially increase the prices?¡± Having been rebuked not once or twice, Xu Yan understood that his actions would cause some loss to the family, but even at great cost, he must advance his martial arts. Just a mere loss of some wealth. As long as he could make the entrance to martial arts and truly become his master¡¯s disciple, what would a little loss of wealth matter? In desperation, Xu Yan glanced at his mother for help. ¡°Mother!¡± Xu Junhe¡¯s face turned green with rage, he commanded, ¡°Don¡¯t involve your mother in everything, I have the final say in this matter!¡± ¡°Why are you so loud? You scared Yan¡¯er!¡± Mother Xu saw her beloved son¡¯s plea for help and immediately softened. She glared at her husband disdainfully. Xu Junhe almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. ¡°My dear, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Mother Xu frowned and said, ¡°My husband, it¡¯s just a bit of money. If Yan¡¯er likes it, then it¡¯s fine. Can¡¯t our family afford this little amount?¡± ¡°Of course we can! This little bit of wealth is nothing.¡± ¡°Well then, aren¡¯t you always looking at money? He is our son after all!¡± Xu Junhe felt defeated. ¡°Mother is the best!¡± Xu Yan grinned. Xu Junhe could only tacitly approve of Xu Yan¡¯s purchase of the high-priced medicines. ¡°The first gold bone transformation is about to be completed!¡± Xu Yan felt like a massive dragon of qi and blood was coiling around his bones and the qi and blood seeping into his bones had already nourished its way into the marrow. A tingling sensation hit him, and in a flash, the dragon of qi and blood surged into his bones and into the marrow. In an instant, Xu Yan felt an overwhelming surge of qi and blood, his body seemed to be reborn, and he felt as if he was in a state of sublimation. New qi and blood were born, and the old blood was expelled. The first golden bone transformation! As his life energy became more potent, his whole body seemed to sweat, covered in a slimy layer of dark purple old blood. At one moment his body suddenly felt at ease and he looked as if his bones were turning a pale gold color. Xu Yan could feel that he was growing stronger. If he were to fight a red-eyed tiger with his newfound strength, he could crush its skull with a single punch! ¡°Is this the golden bone?¡± Xu Yan clenched his fist, filled with power as his life force grew even more abundant. Moreover, he felt that his life energy seemed purer and more potent than before! ¡°How powerful would I be after nine transformations, when 1 fully grasp the golden bone¡¯s capabilities!¡± Xu Yan was full of anticipation. ¡°I¡¯m filthy. Should I wash off? Is this some kind of blood replacement? By expelling the impurities from my life energy, it becomes purer. The foundation of martial arts is thus more solid and purer.¡± ¡°Perhaps the prodigies of antiquity mentioned by my master were incredible because of this purity!¡± A flash of enlightenment dawned on Xu Yan. ¡°Not only the purity of life energy, but also the purity of the heart of martial arts: a clear mind, pure and flawless!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not far from becoming a prodigy of antiquity now!¡± Xu Yan came out of the secret room, changed into fresh clothes, and washed away the old blood stains from his body. On the twelfth day since he returned to the Xu family. In the secret room, Xu Yan was covered in light red blood stains like beads of sweat. ¡°This is the fifth transformation!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes flickered with excitement. Over the past couple of days, he had made refined medicines from the ingredients of the red-eyed tiger and improved the efficiency of his cultivation through a deeper comprehension of the martial arts. His bones had already turned to gold through five transformations. He wasn¡¯t far away from nine transformations and truly refining his body into golden bones. And with the fifth transformation, no more impurities flowed out from his body. His life energy was almost completely pure! ¡°With my current strength, even the top martial experts are no match for my punch!¡± Xu Yan was stirred with excitement. As far as he knew, all the famous martial artists were weak in his opinion. A single punch would be enough to end them! Even those renowned powerhouses were no different! ¡°I can¡¯t be arrogant. There must be other martial art experts in this world, but they might be hiding their strength.¡± Xu Yan reminded himself. ¡°I should leave tomorrow.¡± This time, I still have some treasured medicines and medicines refined from red-eyed tiger which 1 haven¡¯t finished. If I can comprehend the profound essence of my technique on a deeper level, I should be able to speed up my cultivation even further.¡± Xu Yan left the secret room, preparing to return to the small mountain village tomorrow. ¡°It¡¯s been almost half a month, my stupid disciple should be coming back, right?¡± Li Xuan stood on the hillside, sighing mournfully. With his foolish disciple gone, he had to do all the work himself, which wasn¡¯t very relaxing. ¡°I wonder if he has killed the ferocious tiger in the Evil Forest yet?¡± ¡°Of course, assuming my stupid disciple made it out alive and wasn¡¯t killed in the Evil Forest.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but worry a bit. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but my body seems to have grown stronger.¡± ¡°Are the effects of the treasured medicine really that strong?¡± In the past half month, Li Xuan felt as though his body had bulked up a bit, and his strength had increased. He even suspected that he had some hidden cheat activated. However, he concluded that it was just his imagination. In the end, he attributed it all to the treasured medicine that Xu Yan had brought. He marveled at the extraordinary nourishing power of these medicines in their world. PS: Please continue reading, please bookmark, please support in everyway.. Chapter 18 Translator: 549690 Xu Yan rode his tall horse out of the city, two large packages hanging off the side of his horse contained the precious medicines needed for cultivation and a precious Red-eyed Tiger skin. ¡°¡®The silly son of the Xu Family is off to find a high master again.¡¯1 ¡°It seems he is bringing heavy gifts for his visit.¡¯1 Discussions rose as Xu Yan rode by. The stupid son of the richest family, off to visit the high master once again. In a short time, this became the hot topic, savored by the townsfolk in the prefecture city. Xu Yan sneered at these comments, his heart full of pride. What could these frogs at the bottom of the well know of the vastness of the world? After leaving the city, Xu Yan noticed right away that the family¡¯s Protectors were following him in secret, clearly an arrangement by his parents fearing that he might encounter danger on the outside, so they asked the Protectors to guard him covertly. These Protectors were too weak. If he faced danger with his current strength, these Protectors wouldn¡¯t be able to save anyone, they would likely be killed at first contact. After traveling more than ten miles from the city, Xu Yan spurred his horse and entered a forest, using a simple trick to lose the Protectors from his family. Once sure no one was following, Xu Yan returned to the small mountain village. Master dislikes being disturbed, so he couldn¡¯t let anyone know where Master lived, so as not to disturb Master¡¯s peace. The small town outside the mountain village was in sight. Xu Yan planned to rest in the small town before heading into the mountains and heading for the mountain village. Suddenly. A figure rushed up from behind, leaped into the air and landed steadily right in front of the horse, blocking the way. Xu Yan frowned, judging by the agility of the figure, this was a top-notch expert in the Jianghu, apparently boding ill to Xu Yan. ¡°Heh heh, Xu Family¡¯s young master, finally found you. Cut the crap, hand over the precious medicine and I¡¯ll spare your life!¡± The man blocking the way looked around forty, with unusually long and thick arms and legs compared to ordinary people. However, his torso seemed thin, giving him an unproportioned appearance, making him look gangly overall. Xu Yan, sitting on his horse, looked down on the man with scorn in his eyes, ¡°Just by you?¡± ¡°Seeking death!¡¯1 A cold flash of light in the gangly man¡¯s eyes, he bounded into the air, aiming a palm strike at Xu Yan¡¯s face. Xu Yan, still mounted on his horse, did not even frown at the man¡¯s move. He didn¡¯t take this palm strike seriously. Although Martial Artists in Qi Country can split stones and break slabs, their power is formidable compared to ordinary people. However, to Xu Yan, who has encountered true Martial Arts, these were nothing more than ordinary martial skills. Low ceiling, weak destructive power. Despite not having mastered Martial Arts, he had already undergone five bone transformations, and getting real Golden Bones was not far off. His Qi and blood were far stronger compared to an average top-level Martial Artist. Even if he stood still, allowing the man to hack and chop at him, Xu Yan was confident he could emerge unscathed. As the gangly man launched his palm strike, Xu Yan shouted coldly: ¡°Scram!¡± He swung a fist. And collided with rhe man¡¯s palm. The gangly man¡¯s eyes flashed with ferocity, confident that his sinister palm strength is enough to break the young master¡¯s arm, and with a follow-up palm strike, he could end his life. The precious medicine will be his own! This was a highly valuable precious medicine which could fetch a large sum of money. Boom! However, as fist met palm, the gangly man¡¯s face changed instantly. His palm strike was as fragile as paper and crumbled instantly. The overwhelming force shattered even his arm. The punch did not stop and landed directly on the gangly man¡¯s chest. Boom! The gangly man was sent flying backward, his chest caved in, bones shattered, his organs reduced to a pulp, instantly killing him. One punch killed a top-notch expert of the Jianghu, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes shone with excitement. So weak! Just like a grasshopper, died with just one punch. He didn¡¯t even use much strength. ¡°This is true Martial Arts!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were wild with fervor, despite his unformed golden bones, his uninitiated martial arts. Brilliant craftsmen under his hand seemed like they were just paper mache. The difference between heaven and earth was nothing more than this. ¡°Once I¡¯ve set foot on the path of the martial arts, I will be unmatched in the Qi Country. I will be able to defeat thousands of soldiers all by myself!¡¯1 ¡°Even if he is the lofty Emperor, what of it!¡± At this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s blood was inflamed, his eyes fervid, his determination to cultivate growing ever stronger. ¡°Within a year, I must initiate myself and truly become a disciple under my master¡¯s tutelage, cultivating the supreme martial arts! ¡± Having killed a top-tier master who barred his path, Xu Yan continued to rush along his way. ¡®I must not leave any trace of my movements. This horse can¡¯t be ridden anymore as it might lead people to track me.¡± Xu Yan, with this in mind, dismounted his horse. Glancing at the not-so-distant forest, he had a plan after a moment of contemplation. He immediately bent down and hoisted the horse onto his shoulders. Horse: ??? Xu Yan, carrying the horse, took large strides into the forest, taking a detour to erase his traces before heading for the small mountain village so as not to be tracked. It wasn¡¯t until he passed through the Evil Spirit Forest that he let the horse down and got back on, rushing towards the small mountain village. Xu Yan had finally returned, bringing with him a large bundle of medicinal herbs. What made Li Xuan even happier was the giant tiger skin. Looking at its flashy colors, Li Xuan was almost sure that this was the tiger from the Evil Spirit Forest! The threat of the Evil Spirit Forest has finally been eliminated, and he had avenged his villagers who tragically lost their lives. ¡°Master, I killed this red-eyed tiger in the Evil Spirit Forest without causing much disturbance.¡± Xu Yan respectfully said. ¡°Good! Good! Great job!¡± Li Xuan was pleased and could not help but compliment, highly satisfied with Xu Yan¡¯s task. ¡°Master has finally acknowledged my performance. My bones have already transformed five times, and I am not far from forging golden bones. You also think the speed of my bone refining is quite good, don¡¯t you?¡± Xu Yan was delighted to receive such praise. ¡°It¡¯s all due to Master¡¯s excellent leachings!¡± Li Xuan held the tiger skin in his hand, liking it more the more he looked at it. This tiger skin was of great value, perfect to be kept as a heirloom! This silly disciple of his, his work was indeed reliable. Li Xuan thought to himself and encouraged Xu Yan, ¡°Keep practicing, keep pondering, and you will succeed.¡± ¡°Yes, master, I won¡¯t let you down!¡± Xu Yan was excited beyond words. Seeing his excited appearance, Li Xuan sighed in his heart. This disciple of his was really gullible. Just a little encouragement and he was like a chicken pumped with blood. ¡°Very good, your master believes in you!¡± Li Xuan nodded and then said, ¡°The weeds in the vegetable garden have grown again, you should go and clear them.¡± Now that his silly disciple is back, it s time to clear out the piles of weeds in the vegetable garden. He will be taken care of, so life can once again be leisurely and carefree. ¡°Huh?¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. He just returned, and now he had to clear the weeds? With a serious face, Li Xuan said, ¡°Your master has observed you are restless. Clearing the weeds will help to calm your mind, which will aid in your cultivation.¡± ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan understood after hearing this and felt a bit ashamed, ¡°Master often teaches us to be calm and not arrogant. After killing a top-tier master with one punch, I¡¯ve become quite anxious. ¡°That¡¯s really wrong of me! ¡°Master¡¯s discerning eye noticed my restlessness and their advice to clear the weeds to calm my mind and refine my bones more effectively is perfect!¡± So, Xu Yan who just came back was assigned to clear the weeds. Li Xuan sighed and thought, this silly apprentice of his really is easily fooled. PS: Please continue reading and supporting in everyway possible.. a_a Chapter 19 Translator: 549690339 ¡°So this is what ¡®mindful perception in nurturing the spirit¡¯ means. Every slight change and alteration are within my thoughts, allowing me to understand the subtleties of bone refinement without any leakage.¡± Half a month has passed since Xu Yan returned to his small mountain village. As usual, before the crack of dawn, Xu Yan was already in the midst of practice. At this moment, he gained new insight. The subtle changes in his bones, every alteration in his body, and the circulation of his blood and energy were all within his mind. The efficiency of bone refinement increased once again. ¡°These two lines of mantra are far more than they seem. I have not yet truly understood their essence!¡± he exclaimed in his heart. The mantra handed down by his master was truly profound. Each time he felt as if he has grasped the manifold secrets, an unexpected spark of enlightenment would strike, making him realize that his understanding was still insufficient! ¡°Now I¡¯ve undergone eight transformations, and the bones throughout my body have turned into golden bones!¡± ¡°Only one last transformation is required to fully turn my entire body into golden bones!¡± The diligent bone refinement of the past half month, especially the new insight into the mantra, has deepened his control over his blood and energy. His speed of bone refinement has also improved a lot. He had already undergone the eighth transformation now. All his bones had turned golden. The ninth transformation, where his golden bones were without flaws and his body was harmonized as one, was not far away. Xu Yan continued his cultivation with a premonition that he would successfully refine his golden bones within the next day or two. ¡°Once my golden bones are refined, 1 will be peerless like the ancient prodigies and can start refining my organs.¡± ¡°Getting started within a year should not pose a problem.¡± ¡°As for jade bones, Master said they cannot be achieved just by talent and persistence. 1 shouldn¡¯t set my sights too high or be too greedy.¡± Golden bones were already extraordinary. As for jade bones, that was extremely hard. Being high-reaching and refining jade bones, thereby wasting time would likely hinder his entry within a year. Since he was already on par with historic prodigies, what was there to be dissatisfied with? Therefore, Xu Yan planned to start refining his organs after completing his golden bone refinement. He could start comprehending the method of organ refining. Thus, while refining his bones, Xu Yan started to recall the organ refining method taught by Li Xuan, carefully comprehending its profound significance and mystery. Having laid a foundation with skin and bone refinement, refining organs wouldn¡¯t be difficult. He already had a direction for refining organs. The efficiency of his refining was something that needed careful comprehension of the mysterious organ refining method. Li Xuan yawned and looked at Xu Yan, who was in the midst of cultivation and sighed, ¡°This foolish disciple of mine, how persistent he is! And he can actually remain calm and composed!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, for so long Xu Yan hasn¡¯t sensed any qi and blood yet he has been persisting? He hasn¡¯t shown any signs of impatience whatsoever. No signs of frustration, depression or feelings of shame in front of him for not being able to sense the qi and blood. He hasn¡¯t even asked him how to sense qi and blood. ¡°It¡¯s truly rare for him to maintain this composed attitude, not flustered nor frustrated, persisting in his cultivation every day. If there really was a method to cultivate, given his diligence, as long as he has talent, he could become a powerhouse.¡± ¡°What would he do if he knew that 1 was deceiving him, and that the cultivation method was made up by me?¡± Li Xuan felt it would be better to keep this secret. Xu Yan seemed like an honest man. Bullying an honest man too hard could lead to an explosive backlash, and that would be no laughing matter. Besides, he was an honest man with an extraordinary background. ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t bother about him. Let him do as he pleases. The road out of the village is safe now. When a year comes to pass, I¡¯ll just send him away.¡± ¡°Maybe 1 could even receive an additional tuition fee?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stay in Donghe County, or even Qi Country, any longer. 1 should head to Wu Country when the time comes.¡± Li Xuan had already thought of his escape route. He reclined on his chair, leisurely. He had grown accustomed to these leisurely days. He might feel uncomfortable without someone to attend to him in the future. Once he¡¯s in Wu Country, he must buy a few maidens to serve him. Two more days passed. Xu Yan had now reached the ninth stage of transformation. ¡°The golden bones are forming!¡± Through the tempering of his blood and qi, his bones began metamorphosing into lustrous golden bones, radiating a dazzling light. At a certain moment. Boom! His bone marrow flowed like a roaring river, the blood qi in his body surged instantly, like a mighty dragon, increasing more than twofold. Circulating around the bones of his whole body, and like a raging river, his bone marrow also changed with the qi and blood endless birth, his bones glowing with a faint radiance. The golden bones shone brightly, appearing immortal. Xu Yan was overwhelmed with excitement. At last, he had tempered the golden bones! Once the golden bones were formed, his physical body also underwent a transformation. His qi and blood became more pure, his physical body stronger, and intricate patterns of profound mysteries appeared on his golden bones. It was like understanding the mysteries of heaven and earth. With each circulation of qi and blood, it was like a roaring dragon. The instant the golden bones were formed, Wang Yang¡¯s body radiated a faint golden light, making him seem as if he was bathed in this radiance. At this moment, the sun rose. The golden sunlight passed through the small village¡¯s path, shining on Xu Yan¡¯s body. Li Xuan came out from the house; he only glanced at him, not paying too much attention. He only thought that it was sunlight shining on Xu Yan¡¯s body. This had happened several times before. However, he didn¡¯t notice that the golden glow emanating from Xu Yan¡¯s body at this moment was even more dazzling than the sunlight normally shining on his body. Moreover, it was radiating from within his body. As the golden glow receded, Xu Yan carefully felt the changes within his body, experiencing the power of the golden bones. The power increase from the formation of the golden bones far exceeded the previous eight transformations. At this moment, Xu Yan understood what it meant to be powerful and experienced the mysteries of martial arts. ¡°Is this the power of the geniuses of old?¡± ¡°I have finally formed the golden bones, achieving my master¡¯s expectations. 1, Xu Yan, am not inferior to the ancient geniuses!¡± ¡°Everyone said 1, Xu Yan, was stupid, they all laughed at me, ridiculed me, but in my eyes, you are all just frogs at the bottom of the well.¡± At this moment, Xu Yan remembered these past years when he visited experts and was laughed at in Donghe County. Now, with the formation of the golden bones and his increased strength, even the top martial artists are like paper in front of him. ¡°You said 1 was useless, that I lost your face. 1 told you, if 1 said you could not afford to offend me, you indeed could not afford to.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were full of sharp light. ¡°I feel an endless life force within me. Once the golden bones are formed, it seems my lifespan has drastically increased too.¡± ¡°Master said that once the golden bones are formed, they remain brilliant even after being buried underground for tens of thousands of years, and naturally, one¡¯s lifespan too drastically increases.¡± At this moment, Xu Yan felt that he and the other martial artists outside were people of two different worlds. ¡°With my current strength, even the old emperor of Qi Country, 1 do not fear in the slightest.¡± ¡°Do 1 have the qualifications to despise the imperial power?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t have such arrogant thoughts, 1 must guard against arrogance and impetuosity, I mustn¡¯t forget who I am just because 1 improved a bit, I must remember my master¡¯s teachings!¡± Xu Yan kept admonishing himself in his heart. ¡°I have formed the golden bones, I must go and tell my master, I am now on par with the ancient geniuses!¡± Having formed the golden bones, an excited Xu Yan, after finishing his practice, eagerly went to his master. He wanted to tell his master in person that he had formed the golden bones and was now on par with the ancient geniuses. He did not disappoint his master! After all, as a young man, he couldn¡¯t help but want his master¡¯s praise.. Chapter 20 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan, unbeknownst to him, Xu Yan had already crafted the golden bone he had made up. Xu Yan was excited to share the news and hoped for praise and recognition. At this time, Li Xuan was playing with the last gift Xu Yan had given him, a golden sword and a Jade Ruyi. The gold sword, embedded with precious gems and forged entirely from gold, held great value. The Jade Ruyi was engraved with auspicious cloud patterns, flawless throughout. It was obviously carved from the highest quality jade and, in terms of value, it might even exceed the gold sword. ¡°Although the value of this gold sword is not low, no matter how I look at it, I feel the Jade Ruyi is worth more, it¡¯s rarer. I like this Jade Ruyi more than the gold sword. Its quality, flawless throughout, crystal clear, gives a warm and smooth feeling when held. ¡°If I could pair this up as a family heirloom, that would be perfectly ideal. ¡°Regardless of the deception, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to cheat one more Jade Ruyi, right?¡± Li Xuan was toying with the Jade Ruyi, the more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He muttered in his heart for his naive disciple to find another Jade Ruyi to make a pair, to keep as a family heirloom. Just then, Xu Yan came over. ¡°My disciple, you¡¯ve come at the right time.¡± Li Xuan thrust the gold sword aside as if it was an annoyance. Jade Ruyi in hand, his eyes shone with admiration for it. ¡°Look at this Jade Ruyi, flawless throughout, nourishes one¡¯s soul and mind. A gentleman loves jade, as do I. If I could pair this Jade Ruyi, that would be ideal.¡± He looked up at Xu Yan, ¡°Do you understand, my disciple?¡± Li Xuan thought to himself: Go find another Jade Ruyi for me. Xu Yan had originally come, thrilled to announce to his master that he had crafted the golden bone, reaching the level of the giants of the past. Yet, seeing Li Xuan, with some disgust, thrust aside the gold sword and treating the Jade Ruyi with love. And, by the mouthful, expressing his love for jade and wishing he could pair the Jade Ruyi. Xu Yan thought to himself: Next time I go home, I¡¯ll get another jade ruyi for my master. But suddenly, he had a thought: ¡°Wait! Why would my master be talking about liking jade now?¡± ¡°There must be a deeper meaning to my master¡¯s words¡­¡± ¡°1 get it now, my master has high expectations from me. He hopes that I can craft the jade bone, hence the analogy with the Jade Ruyi. He must like the jade bone more than the gold bone!¡± ¡°But my master also fears I might not be ready to undertake the challenge of crafting a jade bone, hence the subtle hint with the Jade Ruyi. If 1 can¡¯t understand the hidden meaning in my master¡¯s words, he wouldn¡¯t persist¡­¡± ¡°So, even though my master says nothing, he must be disappointed in me. If I can¡¯t understand the hidden meaning in his words, his expectations of me would be reduced, believing that 1 lack the comprehension¡­¡± Xu Yan started imagining scenarios, convinced that his master wanted him to continuously craft bones, not to give up, to strive to craft jade bones. If Li Xuan knew about his wild fantasies, he would have been stunned: 1 was simply desiring for another Jade Ruyi! After imagining these scenarios, Xu Yan now understood his master¡¯s unspoken expectations and said with determination: ¡°Master, I understand. I will not disappoint you!¡± Li Xuan gave a satisfied smile: ¡°As long as you understand, that¡¯s good. 1 believe in you!¡± Xu Yan was deeply moved: ¡°My master has high hopes for me, he wants me to surpass the giants of the past!¡± ¡°What does the golden bone amount to? I will craft the jade bone!¡± Xu Yan did not bring up his golden bone again. Master must have seen this coming, the golden bone means nothing to him! When he resumed his cultivation, striving to craft more bones, Xu Yan found that no matter how he circulated his energy, refining the bones had no effect Golden bone seemed to be his limit. It was as though an insurmountable chasm loomed before him, barring him from further progress. ¡°Master said that a jade skeleton cannot be refined with innate talent, tenacity, or persistence alone. Those who succeed either have great destinies, are favored by heaven and earth, or have exceptional enlightenment that leads to comprehension of the Dao¡­¡± Xu Yan pondered, ¡°1 don¡¯t know if I have a great destiny, perhaps not. Favoured by heaven and earth, even less likely. That leaves me only one path, my enlightenment¡­¡± ¡°Master always emphasizes reverence and understanding. It seems he recognizes my ability to comprehend and reminds me of my strengths.¡± ¡°If I want to refine my jade skeleton, I have no choice but to rely on my enlightenment.¡± After understanding this, Xu Yan¡¯s mind was once again filled with two lines from the secret code, ¡°Sharpen the mind to nurture the true intention, and like a dragon, build a golden body with blood and energy.¡± ¡°I surely haven¡¯t fully grasped the core of these two lines of secret code. If 1 could understand them, wouldn¡¯t I be able to break the golden skeleton¡¯s shackles and refine a jade skeleton?¡± Xu Yan poured his whole being into the secret code with a mind free from distractions. Discarding everything else and forgetting self and other, he strove to comprehend its profound meaning. ¡°That¡¯s it! Nurturing true intention. I was under the impression that to nurture the true intention is to foster blood and energy within the bones, within the bone marrow. But where exactly does this ¡®intention¡¯ lie? ¡°The act of nurturing bone marrow ¨C perhaps that is merely the beginning and does not truly cultivate ¡®intention¡¯.¡± All of a sudden, a flash appeared in Xu Yan¡¯s mind. He realized that he had misinterpreted ¡®nurturing true intentions¡¯ in the secret code. He hadn¡¯t cultivated any true intention at all. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t even understand what was meant by ¡®intention¡¯. ¡°When I was refining the golden skeleton, was the circulation of blood and energy truly like a dragon? Is it something hollow, mere appearance without substance? How can the blood and energy ¡®dragon¡¯ without nurturing ¡®intention¡¯ be considered a dragon?¡± In his daze, Xu Yan felt as if he was touching an invisible barrier. If he could break through this barrier, he would be able to completely understand the secret code, break the shackles of the golden skeleton and advance to the jade skeleton stage. However, this barrier was always out of reach. Xu Yan was increasingly distressed. ¡°Shall I consult Master?¡± ¡°No, Master¡¯s instruction has been extremely clear. ¡®Intention¡¯ can only be grasped by oneself. There must be something I overlooked¡­¡± For the next three days, Xu Yan sought to comprehend the secret code during his cultivation, trying to grasp the essence of the ¡®true intention¡¯. But he always seemed to fall just short. He was unable to break through the barrier and understand its true essence. Li Xuan looked at his disciple with a touch of bemusement. For the past three days, his dull disciple had been somewhat absent-minded, occasionally appearing lost in thought. ¡°It¡¯s been so long without a breakthrough¡­ is he feeling hopeless? Has he lost confidence?¡± ¡°My Jade Ruyi is not yet in my possession! How can I retire so soon?¡± ¡°Let me think¡­ how can I create a profound statement to hoodwink him?¡±. Li Xuan went into deep thought. One day, after their meal, Xu Yan was about to clean the dishes when Li Xuan spoke, ¡°Persistence is crucial in cultivation. If you find yourself stuck at a bottleneck without progress, you can relax your spirits, clear your mind, and feel the life in a blade of grass or a piece of wood. ¡°Try to understand the nature of heaven and earth, grasp the hidden Spirit Mechanism around you. If you can have a sudden realization, the gate of Martial Arts will open to you.¡± ¡°Many through the ages, stuck at a bottleneck without a breakthrough in their cultivation, have broken their shackles from a sudden realization.¡± Unblinkingly, Li Xuan pulled his disciple into a ruse about perceiving hidden Spirit Mechanics and how a sudden realization could open the gate to Martial Arts. If enduring hardships doesn¡¯t work, then a sudden understanding might. Ps: Keep reading, favor, take everything a_a Chapter 21 Ferocious Beast_l Translator: 549690339 For Xu Yan, Li Xuan¡¯s words were guidance from his master, clues about how to gain enlightenment, how to break the shackles impeding his progress. ¡°Capture the concealed Spirit Mechanism around you, comprehend the essence of every blade of grass, every piece of wood, the nature of the heavens and the earth¡­¡± In a daze, Xu Yan seemed to have a sudden insight. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Master; I understand!¡± Xu Yan said reverently. Seeing his foolish disciple being so easily taken in once again, Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Over the next two days, Xu Yan stopped cultivating and began strolling around the small village instead. Feeding chickens, planting vegetables, sitting on a rock at night and staring at the stars in the sky. His mind seemed remarkably peaceful. The obsession to break through the golden bone shackles was gone, as was the attachment to cultivation. His mind, as though having put down a heavy load, felt lighter. At one point, he even had an unbidden insight that the heavens and the earth were incredibly wondrous. After three days like this, Xu Yan was about to leave after weeding, when suddenly, he noticed a earthworm wriggling back into the soil. He also saw a little bug digging a hole in the earth. A flash illuminated his mind, as if revealing the Spirit Mechanism. ¡°Cultivate true intention, blood and Qi like a dragon¡­ 1 understand!¡± In that moment, Xu Yan felt enlightened. Flash of insight burst within his mind, and suddenly he understood the profound meaning within the technique. ¡°Jade bone, 1 will definitely cultivate you!¡± ¡°Thank you Master for your guidance, 1 was able to have an epiphany and spot the hidden spirit mechanisms around me, understanding the technique and how to breach my bottleneck!¡± Xu Yan was beyond thrilled. The next day, before dawn broke, Xu Yan started cultivating. Seeing this, Li Xuan was surprised. Could his foolish disciple have regained his determination so quickly and continued to persevere? As long as Xu Yan doesn¡¯t discover he¡¯s being deceived, it¡¯s okay. Once the one-year limit is up, their Master-disciple relationship will be severed, the deceit will end, and 1 will go live my life in Wu Country! Maybe I will never see Xu Yan again. At this moment, Xu Yan was guiding his Qi and blood into the marrow of his bones, slowly, continuously accumulating Qi and blood in the marrow. After spending three days doing this, Xu Yan felt a sensation of sour swelling in his bones, only then did he begin refining. Once entered into cultivation, Xu Yan seemed to forget everything else. Only the profound Spirit Mechanism between heaven and earth appeared in his mind. Boom! The Qi and blood in his marrow roared like a dragon, his bone marrow churning as though it were alive. At this moment, Xu Yan felt an indescribable pain in every bone in his body. Itching, pricking, swelling¡­ His bones alternatively expanded and contracted. The alternating expansion and contraction birthed purer Qi and blood. Xu Yan felt as though a mysterious meaning was being born within his bones. The sensation he was experiencing now was even more painful and unbearable compared to his first time refining bones. Sweat dripped continuously. Xu Yan gritted his teeth and endured until he was on the verge of collapse, only then did he stop his cultivation. ¡°The golden bone, it¡¯s loosening up a bit¡­¡± Xu Yan found that his golden bone, which had already reached its limit and couldn¡¯t be refined any further, was now loosening up and becoming a bit stronger. ¡°I have the right comprehension, the jade bone is not far!¡± Exhilarated, Xu Yan continued the next few days with even more rigorous cultivation. The pain he endured was even more intense. Seven days later. The previously golden bones seemed to fade. Even though the golden color of his bones had faded, the strength of his bones had increased by over thirty percent. Half a month later, the bones all over his body turned back to white, but were more than twice as hard as golden bones. The blood and energy within him had become purer, and more powerful. ¡°Though I haven¡¯t reached the state of jade bones yet, I¡¯m already so strong. How powerful would I be if I achieved jade bones? My martial arts foundation surpasses even the ancient prodigies!¡± Xu Yan was extremely thrilled; he was nearing the stage of jade bones. After ten days, Xu Yan¡¯s bones had started to appear crystal clear, and he was just one step away from achieving flawless jade bones. However, it was this final step where Xu Yan again felt resistance. It was as if he had reached a bottleneck, unable to continue transforming. He was only one step away from completing his transformation into jade bones. How could Xu Yan bear to give up? Thus, for the ensuing two days, he continually refined his body, but he made no progress. It seemed that he needed to break through some kind of shackles to complete this final transformation. Li Xuan was not aware that his foolish disciple was on the brink of refining his jade bones. Having nothing to do that day, he dug out some relics left behind by the elderly in the village lost articles, which were all books and related items. The people in the village who took refuge here included some literate people who left behind books. Although there weren¡¯t many, they were considered the most valuable things in the village. Thud! A rolled-up scroll dropped to the ground, and Li Xuan bent down to pick it up, noticing there was writing on the scroll. ¡°Whose stuff is this? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen this before.¡± Out of curiosity, Li Xuan unrolled the scroll. The scroll was quite long, and when it was spread out, it was seen to be filled with words. It seemed to be a diary? ¡°Is this Da Niu¡¯s diary?¡± Li Xuan looked surprised. Da Niu, a rough and uneducated man, actually kept a diary? ¡°Da Niu was the one who had died in the Evil Forest. However, the tiger that killed him has been avenged.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. When their group had left the village, Da Niu was among them. But only he had managed to escape and return. While flipping through the scroll, reading Da Niu¡¯s diary, Li Xuan treated it as if it was a story of gossip to distract himself from boredom. ¡°Da Niu wanted to marry eight wives. He was definitely ambitious, such a pity.¡± When he finished the scroll, Li Xuan suddenly paused, his expression turning serious. The last part of the scroll contained a record of when Da Niu left the village alone to attempt to go to the city. He had seen a fearsome beast just outside the Evil Forest! ¡°The beast that Da Niu saw wasn¡¯t that tiger!¡± The villagers had always been talking about a fearsome tiger in the Evil Forest, and Li Xuan had just assumed there was only one tiger. In reality, there was another beast besides that tiger? ¡°The beast is larger than the tiger, has fiery sideburns, and fangs that are nearly a foot long¡­¡± After reading Da Niu¡¯s description of the beast, Li Xuan was shocked. This beast sounded even more frightening than the tiger. Why was there another beast in the Evil Forest besides the tiger? The tiger was known as the king of the forest. How would it allow another beast to reside in its territory? Such a formidable beast, how would it allow the tiger to occupy its domain? ¡°When I first heard that there was a beast in the Evil Forest, it was Da Niu who brought it up. He mentioned it more than once. Back then, when we were preparing to leave the village together, it was Da Niu who said there was a beast and it would be too dangerous. ¡°It was only after that guy came back claiming that he had learnt how to kill a tiger did we have the confidence to leave the village¡­¡± Li Xuan came up with a possibility. Could that tiger be the underling of the beast in the Evil Forest? ¡°My foolish disciple led people to hunt the tiger, did they encounter that beast? It doesn¡¯t seem that they did, could it be that the beast hid because there were too many people and didn¡¯t show itself?¡± ¡°This won¡¯t do, i have to find my disciple and ask him, have him lead a search of the Evil Forest and make sure that beast is killed!¡± After tidying up, Li Xuan went out to find Xu Yan.. Chapter 22 (Please Continue Reading) 1 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan confirmed, he¡¯d hit a bottleneck, if he couldn¡¯t break through this barrier, then refining his bones into jade would be impossible! The last step was all that was needed, but he was stuck. it was like there was an invisible wall in his way. If it wasn¡¯t shattered, there would be no hope of achieving jade bones. However, the way to break this barrier was unknown to Xu Yan. No matter how he circulated his qi and blood or how he refined his bones, everything seemed futile. ¡°Am I failing to comprehend? Do 1 have to relax my spirit to feel the Spirit Mechanism so I can break the barrier?¡± ¡°But, I have a feeling, I need pressure, a clash of the inner and outer world to breakthrough. But, I don¡¯t know what kind of pressure ¡­¡± Xu Yan fell into deep thought. He decided to consult his master. Just then, Li Xuan came out from the house. ¡°Apprentice, come here!11 Xu Yan¡¯s spirit lifted ¨C Had his master noticed that he¡¯d hit a bottleneck? Was his master here to give him guidance? ¡°Master!¡± He respectfully saluted. Li Xuan¡¯s face was stern, ¡°Apprentice, after you hunted the tiger in the Forest of Evil, did you search the entire forest?¡± Xu Yan was taken aback and shook his head. ¡°Aside from the tiger, there¡¯s a vicious beast in the Forest of Evil. Be careful, you¡¯ll need to deal with it! ¡± Li Xuan stated solemnly. According to Da Niu¡¯s journal, this beast was unusual, it would be trouble if it ever came to our small village. It was a massive threat. Upon hearing this, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes seemed to gleam, and he thought to himself, ¡°There¡¯s another beast in the Forest of Evil? More formidable than the Red-eyed Tiger? 1 get it now, the master is hinting that the breakthrough lies within the Forest of Evil! ¡± ¡°Hunt the beast and stimulate my potential. Break the barrier, and I shall attain the jade bones!¡± At that moment, insight sparked in Xu Yan¡¯s mind. He finally understood the kind of pressure he needed to break the barrier and attain jade bones. The beast in the Forest of Evil was his opportunity! He excitedly nodded, ¡°Master, I understand. I¡¯ll take care of it right away!¡± Xu Yan, thrilled, hopped on his horse and headed straight for the Forest of Evil. ¡°Why¡¯s he so hasty? I haven¡¯t finished speaking.¡± Li Xuan was left speechless. Why was his silly disciple so excited when he mentioned a beast in the Forest of Evil? Hooked on hunting? ¡°With many people and greater force, the beast should be unable to escape.¡± Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief. Although the martial artists from the outside world weren¡¯t very strong, they were low-level warriors. However, with teamwork, hunting a beast should not be a problem. No matter how strong the beast was, it couldn¡¯t be that formidable, right? Xu Yan rode on horseback to the Forest of Evil and began the search. As he searched deeper into the forest, the trees became larger. The horse began to tremble slightly; its pace slowing, even attempting to retreat. Xu Yan¡¯s spirit was ignited and he re wed up his qi and blood, staying alert to his surroundings. All of a sudden! A deep roar rang out. From behind a large tree, a fiery figure lunged out with its terrifying fangs glowing in the dark. It lunged directly at Xu Yan on the horse. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes brightened, he swung his fist, relying on his strong physique. The beast swung a claw at him too. Bang! Xu Yan felt a great force hitting him, knocking him off the horse. The horse, frightened, collapsed onto the ground, shaking uncontrollably. ¡°Howis this possible!¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. He was a martial artist, almost with jade bones, his strength was beyond imagination. If he encountered the Red-eyed Tiger at this moment, he could kill it with a single punch. Bang! Xu Yan rolled over, stood up from the ground, and a fiery red figure lunged at him again. ¡°Ah!¡± Xu Yan roared, his blood and energy boiling, he lunged forward to meet it head-on. Bang! A paw brutally slammed into his chest, while Xu Yan punched the beasty squarely onto its body. Xu Yan staggered backwards, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. The beast, too, was punched back a couple of steps. At this moment, Xu Yan squinted, seeing the beast¡¯s fiery red body) especially the ring of mane around its neck, flaming red like burning fire. Its head was like a wolf¡¯s, the eyes emerald green, two fangs almost a foot long, glowing with a cold light. Its lower body was small compared to the rest, but its hind legs were extraordinarily robust. The front legs were like tiger paws, sharp claws revealed, comparable to small daggers. Its body was half again as large as the Red-eyed Tiger, standing there, it exuded a dangerous aura. The green eyes gave a chilling and violent impression. Being stared at by those eyes, would give anyone the chills. At this moment, those green eyes were locked onto Xu Yan. It sensed a strong vitality from him, sparking a bloodlust within it. ¡°A flame-haired wolf?!11 Xu Yan¡¯s heart was terror-stricken. Wasn¡¯t this beast the Flame-haired Wolf that he had read about in an ancient book? Legend had it that the Flame-haired Wolf was incredibly powerful. It had rampaged through the city, causing countless injuries and deaths, and had even managed to escape from a group of elite soldiers! He had never expected to find a Flame-haired Wolf here in the Evil Forest! ¡°Who said that these ancient tales were false? Even a flame-haired wolf has appeared!¡± Xu Yan was filled with excitement, his blood surging, he was entirely invigorated. The Flame-haired Wolf, a legendary beast from the tales. Many had read the tales about the Flame-haired Wolf, but none believed they were true ¨C a beast that could rampage through a city and escape from a group of elite soldiers? That¡¯s absurd! Xu Yan believed it. Judging from their encounter just now, the strength of the Flame-haired Wolf was definitely enough to escape from a group of elite soldiers. Its formidable body, agile speed, and tremendous strength. Even he felt some pressure, which just goes to show the power of the Flame-haired Wolf. ¡°This is my chance to break through! ¡± Xu Yan believed that the Flame-haired Wolf was the key to his breakthrough, to tempered jade bones, to fighting the Flame-haired Wolf while under great pressure, to break free from shackles. ¡°Come on, today I, Xu Yan, will temper my jade bones with your life, Flame-haired Wolf!¡± Xu Yan roared, his energy boiling, his body even emanating a faint jade-like glow as he charged forward. Roar! The Flame-haired Wolf roared and lunged at him. Its claws came slashing down, its jaws wide open, its saliva-dripping fangs aimed straight at Xu Yan. Xu Yan grabbed hold of the Flame-haired Wolf¡¯s claws, before it could take a bite, he kicked it hard, sending it flying and slamming onto the ground. He then rushed forward, pounding it with his fist. The Flame-haired Wolf let out a roar; its eyes turned blood-red, and a violent aura filled the air. Its fiery red mane fluttered like it was alight. It lunged at Xu Yan again. Bang! Xu Yan was sent flying, aghast. How did the Flame-haired Wolf¡¯s body become so hot? The Flame-haired Wolf lunged at him again. Man and beast squared off in a fierce battle. With a roar, Xu Yan forced the Flame-haired Wolf back and lunged at him again, grabbing hold of its claws, pinning it to the ground. But the Flame-haired Wolf¡¯s hind legs kept kicking at Xu Yan. Each kick was incredibly powerful, causing Xu Yan¡¯s blood to surge and his nerves to scream out in pain. ¡°Die!¡± Bang! Xu Yan fiercely tossed the Flame-haired Wolf aside, his blood churned. At that moment, Xu Yan was enveloped in a foggy mist, his skin gradually turning red.. Chapter 23 Finally Becoming the Jade Bone_i Translator: 549690339 The Flame-maned Wolf was incredibly strong, far beyond the ordinary realms of wild beasts. Xu Yan felt the pressure, at this moment, he could only feel his blood and qi boiling over, his entire person in a state of sublimation. His body¡¯s blood and qi circulated, strength constantly building. Boom! He rushed forward again, entering combat with the Flame-maned Wolf. With each clash, his blood and qi boiled even more, to the point where at times, he was grappling with the Flame-maned Wolf on the ground, rolling over and over. He was unaware of how many times he had been kicked by the Flame-maned Wolf¡¯s rear legs. He gripped the wolf¡¯s gaping maw with both hands, while simultaneously kicking at the wolf¡¯s body. A man and a beast rolled around on the ground, kicking and grappling with one another. Thud! All of a sudden, Xu Yan was thrown against a large tree. He bellowed in fury, grabbing onto the wolf¡¯s sharp fangs, and, with a mighty heave, he swung the wolf onto the tree. The fight had reached a fever pitch. At this point, Xu Yan could feel the barrier on his jade-like bones starting to loosen as his blood and qi were relentlessly stimulated, expended, and squeezed out. At some moment, as though a ¡®snap¡¯ was heard, the barrier shattered. His blood and qi surged instantaneously, and his bones continued to temper. ¡°Think you¡¯re the only one who can bite?¡± Xu Yan gripped the Flame-maned Wolf¡¯s fangs and threw it onto the ground. Letting it beat against his body with its limbs, he bloodshot eyes widened as he sank his teeth into the wolf¡¯s exposed neck. Splutter! A mouthful of fur. Xu Yan spat out the fur and continued to bite down. The Flame-maned Wolf was a bit panicked at this point, struggling violently. Its limbs flailed at Xu Yan, whacking sounds filling the air. Xu Yan could even feel his bones vibrating from the onslaught. He held tightly onto the Flame-maned Wolf, changed his position, and with his legs, trapped the wolf¡¯s forelimbs, continuing to bite on the wolf¡¯s throat. Bite after bite, at some moment, with a ¡®squirt¡¯ sound, he ripped open the wolf¡¯s throat, fresh blood poured out. A stream of fresh blood entered his stomach, at that very moment Xu Yan only felt his blood and qi boiling over, as if a tonic had filled him, making him feel refreshed. The speed of bone tempering increased at this moment. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes brightened, he lay on top of the Flame-maned Wolf, pinning it to the ground, and continued to bite savagely at the wolf¡¯s throat. At this moment, the Flame-maned Wolf was on its back, writhing and struggling. It let out terrified howls, all in vain. With the beginning of bone tempering, Xu Yan felt his blood qi strengthen, his strength becoming greater. After countless times of biting, all of a sudden, the wolf¡¯s throat squirted blood, the major artery pierced. Xu Yan greedily consumed the Flame-maned Wolf¡¯s blood, like nectar, his eyes flashing with excitement. The blood that entered his mouth quickly turned into blood and qi, the speed of bone tempering was constantly increasing. His bones became more and more radiant, getting one step closer to the flawlessness of jade bones. The Flame-maned Wolf was on the brink of death and tried to escape with a burst of energy. But Xu Yan was not about to let his hard-earned prey escape. He pounced on it, punching and kicking, tearing and biting until the Flame-maned Wolf ultimately fell to the ground, barely alive, covered in wounds. ¡°Can¡¯t waste it, this is a treasure for bone tempering!¡± Xu Yan pounced forward, greedily sucking the blood from the Flame-maned Wolf. With his blood qi boiling, the speed of his bone tempering increased further. The blood had almost been drained dry, while Xu Yan himself was in a state of transformation. He hurriedly stood up and began his cultivation. His blood and qi were like dragons circling his bones, his marrow becoming crystal clear. His bones were undergoing some kind of transformation. They seemed integrated as one, with no more gaps in between. Boom! His blood and qi exploded, Xu Yan felt his body covered in a layer of old blood, his entire person shrouded in blood. A luminous radiance emanated from him, creating an unusual spectacle around him. Jade bone achieved! The bones all around Xu Yan were as clear as jade, devoid of any flaws, moist and smooth. On the flawless jade bone, it was as if exquisitely fine textures were born naturally, possessing profound mysticism. His blood and qi surged tremendously, and it was even more purified, it could be referred to as flawless blood and qi. Moreover, at every moment, new blood and qi were being born, continuously growing stronger. The loss from battle had long been recovered. If Xu Yan was to confront the Flame Mane Wolf again now, he wouldn¡¯t need to fight as intensely or as challenging as before. Maybe with just three punches and two kicks, he would be able to kill the Flame Mane Wolf. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve transcended, as if I¡¯ve broken away from the realm of ordinary people!¡± Xu Yan clenched his fists, a look of exhilaration on his face. Only after achieving the jade bone could he truly realize its power and profundity. ¡°My Martial Arts foundation surpasses the prodigies of old. I¡¯ve achieved jade bone!¡± The jade bone is unblemished, unchanging forever! Even if he perishes now, his bones will endure for countless ages. Far from decaying, they will continue to become more lustrous, and can even become a treasure between heaven and earth. This is the might of the jade bone, truly surpassing the realm of ordinary people. After refining the jade bone, his martial arts path is clear, unrivaled within the same realm! Overcoming his excitement, Xu Yan looked at the Flame Mane Wolf¡¯s body he had savagely mauled, and an expression of regret spread across his face. ¡°The Flame Mane Wolf¡¯s fur has been torn to shreds, 1 can¡¯t peel it off to give to my master now.¡± ¡°Master must have already known where the opportunity for my jade bone breakthrough lay ¨C in the Flame Mane Wolf. Master had already paved the path for my Martial Arts.¡± The more he thought about it, the more touched Xu Yan felt. Taking one look at the blood all over him, Xu Yan decided not to return to the small mountain village. He decided to go home once, and by the way, find another excellent quality Jade Ruyi for his master. Xu Yan hoisted the mangled remains of the Flame Mane Wolf with one hand, found the horse, and slung the corpse onto the horse¡¯s back. As a result, the horse, frightened by the smell of the Flame Mane Wolf, nearly fell to its knees, unable to move. Only when Xu Yan stimulated his blood and qi to mask the scent of the wolf did the horse begin to move under his intimidation. ¡°The blood and flesh of the Flame Mane Wolf are great tonics. They are just right for refining my viscera. Now that I¡¯ve shaped my jade bone, my viscera refining will soon be completed.¡± ¡°I aim to complete refining my viscera within three months!¡± Xu Yan was full of fighting spirit, not far from the entry to Martial Arts! He will finally become a real Martial Arts cultivator. All the mockery and disdain will be gone. He will make those people understand that the frog at the bottom of the well has no idea of the vastness of heaven and earth! And he himself, has already stepped into that vast world, while they still remain arrogant at the bottom of the well! Li Xuan stood on the hillside, looking at the route Xu Yan had taken, and sighed. This silly apprentice of his has not returned for five days. He wondered if Xu Yan had managed to safely pass through the Wicked Forest, or if he had been eaten by the ferocious beasts. Though he came up with a sham cultivation technique to deceive Xu Yan, after such a long time together, he couldn¡¯t say that he had no feelings of attachment. Li Xuan was actually quite content with Xu Yan as his disciple. Alas, he is not a secluded master. This deception was destined to have no good end, even if Xu Yan was kept in the dark all along, Li Xuan did not dare to keep up the deception. There is no scam in this world that won¡¯t eventually be uncovered. His only hope is that a year later, there will be no hiccups, and they can part in peace. Maybe he can leave Xu Yan with the regret that he once had an opportunity but due to his lack of talent, he couldn¡¯t grasp it. And he, Li Xuan, will still be the master revered in his heart. That way, it will be the best ending for this particular master-disciple bond.. Chapter 24 Translator: 549690339 Ten days later, Xu Yan returned, bringing with him a Jade Ruyi and several jade ornaments. ¡°Good, good, my apprentice has truly captured my heart.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t contain his happiness. This apprentice was really good! Look at this jade, it¡¯s so valuable! It¡¯s so beautiful! As for the ferocious beasts in the Evil Forest, since Xu Yan has returned, they must have been taken care of. Li Xuan didn¡¯t ask further. However, Xu Yan seemed a little different this time he had returned. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t specify exactly how he was different, he was just a little puzzled but didn¡¯t dwell too much on it. After his return, Xu Yan resumed his previous training rhythm, but this time he started to refine his organs. ¡°The organs are vulnerable, one must tread lightly at the beginning of the refinement. Otherwise, it could easily result in self-inflicted damage.¡± Xu Yan, who was refining his organs, was stimulating his blood and energy, first nourishing his heart. With the start of the tempering, his heartbeat became stronger, and with every beat, the energy and blood circulating throughout his body increased. ¡°I plan to complete organ refinement within three months.¡± After Xu Yan successfully refined his jade bones, his confidence soared. Finishing organ refinement in three months was rather conservative to him. Three days later, With ongoing refinement, his heart became stronger, and energy and blood also increased by more than half, making the refinement process more intense without worrying about harming his heart. However, with the enhancement of his heart, Xu Yan also noticed some issues. ¡°I feel a bit unbalanced. I can¡¯t solely focus on refining my heart, I must also refine my other organs.¡± Xu Yan began to refine his lungs. He kept in mind his master¡¯s teachings about organ refinement, five organs correspond to five elements, the energy and blood circulate through the five organs, When the five elements come together as one, organ refinement is complete. After the initial strengthening of the organs through refinement, Xu Yan began to refine the five organs simultaneously. The circulation of energy and blood between the five organs heightened with every refinement, making him feel stronger. His energy and blood were continuously intensifying. After Xu Yan¡¯s return, life went back to normal, and Li Xuan could finally relax. He was deeply moved by Xu Yan¡¯s perseverance. This silly apprentice was really persistent. ¡°Half of the one-year term has passed, just need to endure for another half year, then 1 can be liberated.¡± Li Xuan sighed. Just endure for another half a year, then he can dissolve the master-apprentice relationship and hide away in Wu Country. With Xu Yan¡¯s generous offering for becoming his apprentice, living a wealthy life was not a problem at all. He could marry three or four beautiful wives and live a fruitful life. Anyway, from the looks of it, there is no such thing as formidable martial arts. Furthermore, even with Xu Yan¡¯s background, if he couldn¡¯t reach it, how could he? There were no hitches in organ refinement, everything was going smoothly. Perhaps it was because of the successful jade bone refinement and the solid foundation of martial arts, the organ refinement was very successful, orderly, and continuously improving. After a little over two months of intense practice, Xu Yan was about to complete organ refinement. The strength of his organs had almost left the state of flesh and blood. Xu Yan¡¯s current strength had improved two to three times from the start of organ refinement. Especially his vitality, it was incredibly powerful, both the quality and quantity had been greatly enhanced. Vaguely, a strong vitality would burst out of his body at any time, forming a protective shield. ¡°In three to five days, 1 will complete the organ refining.¡± Xu Yan, feeling the changes within himself, was thrilled. With the completion of organ refinement, the door to martial arts is right in front of him. ¡°According to my master¡¯s instructions, once 1 achieve perfection in internal organ refinement, and have understood and unified the foundational realms of skin, bone, and organ cultivation into my body, 1 can then begin my journey in martial arts. ¡°When initiating the martial path, my muscles and bones will thunder, and my blood and Qi become Gang.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s spirit is immersed in this realization, meticulously experiencing his own body, exploring how one can achieve unification and cultivate the martial arts. Although it seems simple, achieving this unification and cultivation into a single entity is not so straightforward. ¡°Skin, bones, and organs are already parts of my body. How can they be unified? How can they be integrated into a single entity? They are already part of me.¡± Xu Yan was lost in contemplation. ¡°No, I¡¯ve gotten the direction wrong. ¡°Master said it¡¯s about ¡®understanding¡¯ and ¡®intention¡¯, not about form. Does unification and incorporation refer to understanding? Or the Qi and blood? ¡°I feel vaguely enlightened, but it¡¯s not enough. ¡°Don¡¯t rush, when I have perfected internal organ refinement, 1 will further ponder on how to unify and incorporate.¡± Xu Yan calmed his mind and continued refining his organs. Three days later, Xu Yan had perfected his internal organ refinement. However, he didn¡¯t have a clue about the unification and embodiment. Nor was he able to make his muscles and bones thunder, or turn his Qi and blood into Gang. ¡°I feel I¡¯m just one step away from the threshold of martial arts, one step away from Qi and blood becoming Gang, yet I¡¯m not able to cross the threshold. ¡°It seems that I¡¯m unable to thoroughly control myself, which is why I haven¡¯t entered the threshold.¡± Xu Yan carefully pondered his condition; he had a hunch that he was on the brink of crossing the threshold. Just one step away. Yet, it felt as if he couldn¡¯t take this final step. He clenched his fists; the thin layer of Qi and blood appearing on his fists glowed red like fire, giving off a sense of intensity. However, it seemed not solid enough, far from reaching the state of Qi and blood turning into Gang. He was even further from achieving a state where his Qi and blood would enclose his whole body. ¡°Just one step away from the threshold. There¡¯s no need to rush, eventually, 1 will step into it. ¡°What 1 need to do now is to relax, alleviate the worn-out condition from the hard training. Only with relaxed mind and spirit can 1 understand its essence.¡± Xu Yan began to relax, reducing his training time, feeding chickens, weeding, planting vegetables, and occasionally riding a horse for a leisurely ride. ¡°This silly disciple, why isn¡¯t he rigorously training anymore? It feels like he is just playing around.¡± Li Xuan was puzzled. In the past few days, Xu Yan had stopped his rigorous training and seemed to be almost idling away his time. ¡°Could he be suspicious that 1 deceived him?¡± Li Xuan sank into contemplation. After observing Xu Yan secretly for two days, he found that although he was not training as hard as before, he was still diligent in all his other chores, and nothing had changed. His attitude towards him was still as respectful as ever. Since there was no suspicion, Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief and didn¡¯t rush to urge Xu Yan to redouble his training efforts. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got a bit of an understanding.¡± Today, after dinner, Xu Yan began his training. With the relaxation of the past few days, and his self-realization, he suddenly understood how to unify skin, bones, and organs training into a single body. His Qi and blood circulated from his skin to his bones and then to his internal organs. In that instant, his Qi and blood were no longer separated but incorporated into one body. As his Qi and blood unified and incorporated into one body, Xu Yan¡¯s control over them greatly improved as he continued the unification process. The circulation of his skin, bone, and organ refinement formed a complete cycle, his Qi and blood surged, even began to extrude from his body. His power was also rapidly escalating. Xu Yan entered a mysterious state, completely forgetting everything around him. After an unknown period, the Qi and blood extruding out of his body became increasingly intense, solidifying from a foggy state and expanding outward. It only came to halt when it expanded about three feet around his body. The Qi and blood then began to surge, undergoing a metamorphosis-like solidification.. Chapter 25 Managed to Practice it Successfully? _1 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan¡¯s inner Qi and blood were circulating within him, merging into one, integrating into his body. The gate of Martial Arts had already been opened, and at this moment, he was lifting his foot to step in. Through a night of cultivation and comprehension, he finally understood how to merge and integrate everything into one. The foundational stages of refining skin, bones, and organs, while already tempered, did not signify stepping into the gate of Martial Arts. Only when the three elements come together, integrated into one body, with corporeal transformation completed, and Qi and blood smoothly integrated as one, emanating outside of the body, intense like a canopy ¨C that is the entry to Martial Arts. Only then have you truly stepped into the threshold of Martial Arts. ¡°This is integration, becoming one, 1 feel myself elevating, becoming more powerful.¡± Xu Yan silently experienced his transformation. His inner Qi and blood were growing fiercer, stronger, extending a foot outside his body, refining into a canopy. Thump! At a certain moment, a dull sound echoed inside of him, followed by continuous sounds one after the other. His muscles and bones trembled, each tremor causing a surge of Qi and blood, getting stronger causing his muscles and bones to emit louder sounds. ¡°Muscle and bone thunder, this is muscle and bone thunder!¡± ¡°I am finally going to step through the gates of Martial Arts!¡± ¡°Muscle and bone thunder, Qi and blood like a canopy, I¡¯ve achieved it!¡± Xu Yan was beyond excited, after such a long time of hard cultivation, this was the day he finally stepped into the gate of Martial Arts. With each episode of muscle and bone thunder, his Qi and blood would explode, his physical body becomes stronger, his power surges, his control over his body continuously increases. The canopy of Qi and blood also became more intense. BOOM! It was already dawn, the night having passed. The sky had faint dark clouds, covering the sun. In the small mountain village, the sound of thunder suddenly filled the air, each crash following the last, each louder than the others. Li Xuan got up to wash when he suddenly heard the thunder. He raised his head in doubt: ¡°Is it thundering? Is it going to rain?¡± Coming out of his house, he suddenly stared wide-eyed, his mouth agape, completely stunned. He rubbed his eyes with his hand, then opened them wide for another look. Xu Yan was at the spot where he cultivated, at this moment his muscles and bones were thundering, his Qi and blood flaring like a canopy, the intense canopy of Qi engulfing his whole body. Even from far away, he could sense the powerful force within. The sound of thunder was indeed coming from within Xu Yan. Seeing this, Li Xuan was speechless and stunned: ¡°1 made that up, how did you manage to cultivate it successfully? What kind of freak are you?!¡± Before, Xu Yan was adamant about becoming his disciple, and in return for a tribute, Li Xuan simply made up a cultivation technique and set a time limit of one year. He thought, given Xu Yan¡¯s hard cultivation, he must be a fool with a poor mind, focusing on this so-called path of Martial Arts! But the outcome! Am I the fool? Li Xuan was so shocked that his eyes nearly popped out. He made the cultivation technique up and yet, Xu Yan managed to cultivate it successfully. What kind of freak is he? Could it be that those who were rejected for marriage are bound to be the children of fortune? Wasn¡¯t muscle and bone thunder, Qi and blood like a canopy something he made up? At this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s muscles and bones were thundering, and the sound of thunder was echoing throughout the small mountain village. The intense canopy of Qi engulfing him contained a terrifying power. ¡°I¡¯m just a fraud. I made it up, yet you¡¯ve cultivated it? If you¡¯ve cultivated it, what do I do now?¡± ¡°Keep making things up?¡± ¡°What if my deception is exposed? Won¡¯t I get punched to death?¡± Li Xuan was dumbfounded. This disciple is such a freak, monstrous to the point where he himself is scared! At this instant, a burst of golden light emerged in his mind. A voice echoed in his mind: ¡°Your disciple has successfully made entry by practicing the cultivation technique you devised; your cultivation technique has greatly succeeded, with strength a hundred times that of the same realm!¡± Boom! In this moment, a vigor rose from Li Xuan, like a surge of vitality and blood, shooting up into the sky as high as a hundred lengths. In Li Xuan¡¯s mind, the process of cultivating his skin, bones, and organs appeared, his body pure and flawless like jade, a rhythm of life flowing through him, his vitality and blood like a vast, boundless sea. This was exactly the image he described when he made up the cultivation method: at its culmination, vitality and blood surge a hundred lengths high, violently burning like fire. ¡°The Golden Finger has appeared!¡± At this moment, Li Xuan was uncontainable with surprise and joy. What delighted him even more was his flawless bones, glowing with a transcendent aura. This was exactly the scenario he¡¯d fabricated¡ªthe realm of flawless, uncorroding jade bones. ¡°Xu Yan, this kid, is damn extraordinary. Not only did he succeed in cultivation but also tempered his bones to jade!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve stricken gold, I¡¯ve stricken gold! 1 must exploit this extraordinary disciple to its utmost! Whether I can be invincible or not all depends on you!¡± ¡°Damn it! If I¡¯d known he was such a freak, I would have made up a cultivation technique for immortality.¡± Li Xuan suddenly became a bit regretful. If he¡¯d known his disciple was such a freak, he wouldn¡¯t have made up a martial arts cultivation technique, but rather a cultivation technique for immortality. ¡°Fortunately, I left some leeway. This is just the threshold of the martial arts, I can continue to make it up, make it bigger and stronger. The realm of the upcoming cultivation, 1 must contemplate carefully. No more random concoction.¡± ¡°What is this ¡®Golden Finger¡¯ of mine? Does my disciple¡¯s cultivation success have anything to do with this Golden Finger of mine?¡± The golden light in his mind had long disappeared, as if it had never existed. No matter how Li Xuan called out or searched, there was no trace. As for his disciple, Xu Yan, he is definitely a freak. If he wasn¡¯t, how could he have succeeded in cultivation and even tempered his bones to jade? As for whether his successful cultivation is related to his own Golden Finger, Li Xuan is not quite sure. But no matter what, whether he can continue to grow stronger or not, it¡¯s all up to his disciple, Xu Yan. Xu Yan has entered the gates of martial arts, and Li Xuan¡¯s cultivation technique has greatly succeeded and is a hundred times stronger than the same realm. This ¡®a hundred times stronger¡¯ means a hundred times stronger than one who has fully mastered his cultivation technique. Li Xuan inwardly rejoiced that he hadn¡¯t priced his made-up technique too low. Moreover, this is just the beginner¡¯s realm. He is now only a grand achiever of the beginner¡¯s realm. After all, the cultivation technique he made up only included the basic realm of skin refinement, bone refinement, organ refinement, and martial arts introduction. ¡°Calm down, calm down, don¡¯t get excited, stay steady! ¡°I am a hidden master, 1 can¡¯t panic! ¡°My stupid disciple is coming, I have to continue to swindle him, let him know how powerful his master is. ¡°Let him know that the martial path is endless, and he must diligently continue his cultivation¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t you dare think about women, go grasp the essence of martial arts. 1 must keep fooling him¡­¡± Xu Yan¡¯s muscle and bones thundered, his blood and qi were strong, finally stepping into the gates of martial arts. His face was full of excitement. He could feel his strength, feel his hot blood and qi that seemed to burn grass and trees. ¡°This is martial arts! ¡°I, Xu Yan, have finally entered the gates of martial arts, finally become a disciple of my master!¡± ¡°Everyone laughed at me for being silly, right? Humph, let them see what a martial arts expert is!¡± Xu Yan, who was excited, agitated and filled with infinite longing for martial arts, suddenly felt a terrifying momentum rising. A supremely powerful force, as if it could destroy the heavens and earth, shot up into the sky. He looked up, completely stunned by the sight! ¡°Master!¡± This terrifying surge of vitality and blood, soaring a hundred lengths high, burning intense and fiery, boiling seas, made his own vitality seemed like a small creek compared to a vast sea.. Chapter 26 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Thud!¡± Feeling the terrifying vitality in his master, Xu Yan¡¯s heart trembled. The excitement and thrill he felt, upon stepping into the martial realm, suddenly came to a peaceful standstill. ¡°I am too weak!¡± ¡°In front of the master, 1 am as insignificant as an ant, 1 still have a long way to go!¡± At this moment, Xu Yan felt too insignificant. He had just entered the realm, what right did he have to be excited? What right did he have to be arrogant? ¡°It must be that the master saw my arrogance and decided to show a bit of his vitality, to let me know what true strength is! ¡°1 must remain humble and patient, and work hard on my cultivation!¡± Xu Yan subdued his own vitality and respectfully came before his master. ¡°Master, your disciple has entered the martial realm!¡± Li Xuan, with one hand behind his back, was slightly trembling- he was excited. Yet his expression was calm, still maintaining an image of a strict master. ¡°Hm!¡± With a nod, he looked at his silly disciple with a slightly gratifying gaze. ¡°Did you see? This is the vitality of entering the realm, and at the peak. 1 just wanted to show you a little.¡± Li Xuan spoke blandly. ¡°Master, 1 will definitely stay humble and patiently cultivate!¡± Xu Yan said, his face colored with shame. Li Xuan, containing his vitality, looked at his disciple and said contentedly, ¡°1 gave you a year, and you were able to enter ahead of schedule. 1 am very pleased!¡± As he sat down on a chair under a large tree, Xu Yan quickly poured tea for his master, respectfully waiting by his side. ¡°The Martial Path is endless, you have only just started, you still have a long way to go. Now let me ask you, is your commitment to martial arts firm?¡± Li Xuan asked with a serious expression. ¡°Master, your disciple¡¯s commitment to martial arts is firm!¡± Xu Yan knelt down with a thud and affirmed firmly. He was excited inside: ¡°The Master is truly accepting me as a disciple and imparting the supreme martial arts technique!¡± ¡°Good, very good. From now on, you are my true disciple!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s face was filled with gratification. Then, he seemingly casual asked, ¡°My pupil, your cultivation journey is difficult. Think carefully, when did you refine your skin, your bones, your organs?¡± Li Xuan was genuinely curious about how this aberration of a disciple managed to successfully cultivate the random techniques he made up. Xu Yan had entered the martial realm, the Golden Finger appeared, he directly achieved proficiency, and naturally understood the process and methods of refining his skin, bones, and organs. These processes and methods were clearly something Xu Yan had grasped on his own. It couldn¡¯t be said they had nothing to do with Li Xuan¡¯s random methods, as after all, they were inspired by them. But fabricated methods are still fabricated, whereas real cultivation techniques, are real cultivation techniques. The two were different. One could see the random technique as a kind of illusory theory, while Xu Yan turned this illusory theory into a practical cultivation technique. Only by understanding how Xu Yan turned the fabricated technique into real cultivation methods could he continue to fabricate supplementary cultivation techniques and subsequent martial realms. Li Xuan had a feeling that even random techniques required a certain theoretical basis, even if it¡¯s an illusory theory. They need to have a connection and a clear hierarchy. The previous realm cannot be martial arts, and the next realm cannot suddenly become immortal cultivation. Otherwise, it is absolutely impossible to succeed. Li Xuan felt these feelings were largely transmitted from the Golden Finger. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Hearing this, Xu Yan was excited. This was his master guiding him, wanting him to thoroughly understand the cultivation process and feel the mysteriousness of martial arts. And so, he began to narrate his experiences of cultivation. How he had understood the profound meaning of his Master¡¯s teachings. Li Xuan listened attentively, nodding occasionally, but his mind was filled with continuously erupting exclamations of ¡®WTF¡¯! This disciple is seriously an abnormality! His comprehension is simply against the heavens. He is incredibly good at interpreting and adding to things to the point of twisting them into something profoundly deep! ¡°The cultivation technique the Master passed onto me is truly extraordinary. Despite my slow comprehension, 1 spent a long time just to grasp it. If it weren¡¯t for the Master¡¯s technique, I¡¯m afraid 1 wouldn¡¯t have been able to refine my Golden Bones!¡± Xu Yan remarked with a sigh. Li Xuan was dumbfounded, thinking: ¡°1 just fabricated those techniques¡­ how can he grasp them? He is such a freak! 1 should just fabricate some more techniques and let this dumb disciple figure them out.¡± ¡°Once 1 had refined my Golden Bones, 1 was quite content. But thanks to Master¡¯s guidance to persist, 1 managed to refine my Jade Bones!¡± Xu Yan recounted, smiling proudly. He was about to report his accomplishments to his Master and was very pleased with how he was on par with the prodigies of antiquity. If not for the Master¡¯s hint to cultivate Jade Bones, how could he have become so powerful? Thinking of these points, Xu Yan displayed an ashamed look. Li Xuan was bewildered, ¡°When did I hint this silly disciple to refine Jade Bones?¡± Maintaining a calm expression, he asked, ¡°How did you come to understand my hint, my dear disciple?¡± Xu Yan, with shame on his face, said, ¡°When I had refined my Golden Bones and was about to report to Master, you put away your golden sword and merely toyed with the Jade Ruyi¡­ At that moment, I knew that Master was hinting for me to aim higher and persevere in refining my Jade Bones.¡± ¡°I am somewhat ashamed for almost misunderstanding Master¡¯s hint!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s view of his disciple changed slightly. At that time, he merely preferred the Jade Ruyi and thought it held more value than the golden sword. He never expected such a coincidence would lead his disciple to misunderstand. Moreover, he took his own spin to it and actually refined Jade Bones. Upon thinking about it, Li Xuan felt his scalp tingling. His disciple¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t dull, in fact, it was too sharp! ¡°Hmm! You were able to understand my hint, which shows your comprehension is satisfactory. You managed to persevere and refined Jade Bones, you must have endured a lot of hardships.¡± Li Xuan said, his face full of satisfaction. ¡°The fact that I could refine Jade Bones is all thanks to your guidance, Master. If it weren¡¯t for you pointing me to hunt the Flaming Fur Wolves in the Evil Forest, I would¡¯ve probably been unable to refine Jade Bones.¡± Xu Yan looked at his Master with a face full of reverence and respect. Li Xuan¡¯s scalp tingled. Now, he understood that the tiger, as well as the Flaming Fur Wolves he mentioned, were all hunted down by Xu Yan. Not by gathering Guardsmen and Hunters. That tiger looked fierce! Xu Yan actually hunted it down! What¡¯s the deal with the Flaming Fur Wolves? ¡°Tell me about your experience of hunting the Flaming Fur Wolves.¡± Passing on his request with no particular emotion, Li Xuan casually asked, seeming to want to point out some deficiencies in the process of his disciple hunting the Flaming Fur Wolves. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan respectfully assented and started to narrate his battle with the Flaming Fur Wolves, how he consumed its blood and refined its meat into a highly nourishing medicinal concoction to assist his cultivation. Only by doing so, he managed to quickly refine his energy system and enter the doorway to Martial Arts! Li Xuan maintained his calm exterior while in his heart he was shocked. Flaming Fur Wolves are this vicious? These are no longer ordinary beasts. What¡¯s even worse was that Xu Yan actually fist-fought the Flaming Fur Wolves and used that to refine his Jade Bones! From Xu Yan¡¯s recounting, he could feel how dangerous that fight was, one misstep and Xu Yan would have become the prey of the Flaming Fur Wolves! ¡°This idiot disciple is too impressive! He wants to refine Jade Bones so he fought a Flaming Fur Wolves!¡± Li Xuan inwardly exclaimed, this stupid disciple is really a freak.. Chapter 27 Translator: 549690339 ¡°The Flam mane Wolf is, after all, somewhat powerful for you. If you were to give up, 1 wouldn¡¯t blame you. To remain single-hearted, to break through the barriers and refine your jade bones, I am very comforted,¡± Li Xuan expressed his approval of his disciple. ¡°But, my disciple, remember, taking on challenges is commendable, yet cultivators of martial arts are not reckless fighters and are not brainless. Reckless fighters only know reckless, and they cannot last long in the end,¡± Li Xuan deliberated and said. He had to give his disciple a warning ¨C don¡¯t do anything too dangerous! Otherwise, his silly disciple might take his words out of context and fearlessly do dangerous things and lose his life because of it, leaving him to weep sorrowfully. Whether he can be invincible depends on his silly disciple! He can¡¯t afford to lose him halfway! Given Xu Yan¡¯s characteristics of self-interpretation and his against-the-heavens self-enlightenment comprehension capability, words need not be spoken expressly. Space has to be left for him to comprehend it in his way. Xu Yan respectfully said, ¡°Master, your disciple will keep your teaching in mind!¡± Li Xuan quickly contemplated and continued, ¡°We cultivators emphasize comprehension and discernment of blessings and disasters. We advance when we should advance and retreat when we should retreat. We need to have flexible minds and a keen sense of crisis¡­ ¡°We must make good use of wisdom, seize opportunities¡­ Those who only think of fleeting wins and losses in their minds are reckless; and those without courage and determination are mediocre. ¡°In short, don¡¯t be rigid. Understand?¡± Xu Yan respectfully responded, ¡°Master, 1 understand!¡± He was marveling in his heart. ¡°Master¡¯s words have profound meaning. It¡¯s fascinating. This is the way of martial arts. 1 just comprehend the superficial meaning to tackle enemies flexibly and be courageous in making decisions. ¡°My martial arts realm is ultimately a bit too low. ¡°1 have too few experiences. But 1 will always remember Master¡¯s words, to adapt and not to be rigid; 1 understand!¡± Li Xuan glanced at his disciple and muttered to himself, wondering if his silly disciple had comprehended and really understood his meaning. Probably he did? After all, this kid was flexible-minded and not a rigid person. What should he do next? Should he continue teaching Xu Yan cultivation techniques? He haven¡¯t made up all the details! Since Xu Yan could cultivate successfully, and he could also get feedback, he needed to have some order and make it sound mysterious and powerful. He had not thought about the martial arts realm yet. As for the martial arts introductory realm, let¡¯s call it the Qi-blood Realm. Whatever, it¡¯s his invention anyway, he could randomly give names to the realm levels. What should come next in the cultivation method? What realm? Li Xuan needed to spend some time contemplating. It had to be distinct and sound reasonable and theoretically robust. Luckily, he was a web novel creator in his previous life, making up the setting of cultivation was not hard for him. It¡¯s just a matter of time. Thus, Li Xuan said, ¡°You have just made a breakthrough, take some time to consolidate.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± ¡°The Martial Path is endless. You need to remember, entering the door is merely the start of the martial journey.¡± With an image of a strict master, Li Xuan continued, ¡°The entry-level martial arts, named as the Qi-blood Realm, you are now just at the starting stage of the Qi-blood Realm. Once you cultivate to the fullest extent of Qi-blood state like mine, it means you have completely mastered the Qi-blood Realm.¡± Hearing these words, Xu Yan felt tremendously excited. ¡°So, the martial arts entry level is called the Qi-blood Realm! ¡°And I have just entered the Qi-blood Realm. Master¡¯s Qi-blood power was so formidable earlier. Such terrifying strength belongs to the completely mastered Qi-blood Realm.¡± Recalling his power, Li Xuan thought about how his power is a hundred times that of the same realm. Even if Xu Yan mastered the Qi-blood Realm, he would still be far behind Li Xuan himself. However, if the Qi and blood can reach the sky, it signifies the consummation of Qi and blood. He continued, ¡°As for my power, it¡¯s rather high. Even though you¡¯ve reached consummation in Qi and Blood, you¡¯re still unable to achieve what I have. When your Qi and blood can reach the sky, burning fiercely, driving away all dark energy, that¡¯s when you¡¯ve truly achieved consummation.¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied, ¡°Disciple understands!¡± Reaching the sky with Qi and blood is the consummation of Qi and Blood Realm! Defeating enemies from a distance! What an incredible strength that would be. Considering the strength of martial artists in Qi Country¡¯s world of martial arts, Xu Yan was confident he could sweep the entire martial arts world. Even the legendary top masters wouldn¡¯t be a match for him. He felt that his current strength was enough to disregard the emperor of Qi Country. However, he needed to keep a low profile. Who knew whether there were other strong martial artists like his master? Therefore, Xu Yan asked, ¡°Master, how strong is the power of the Martial Arts world? The power level in Qi Country is rather low. Even the most skilled fighters seem weak compared to me!¡± Li Xuan was surprised. Was the strength of Qi Country really that low? Could a single breath of his Qi really kill the top martial artists? However, judging by the power of the Firemane Wolf in the Evil Forest, the worldly strength shouldn¡¯t be this low. As for whether there was a Martial Arts world or not, Li Xuan naturally didn¡¯t know. Looking at Xu Yan¡¯s expectant gaze, he replied, ¡°Once your strength has improved enough, you will naturally get in touch with it. Don¡¯t be too ambitious. If your strength isn¡¯t there yet, you¡¯ll only be cannon fodder in a place where there are stronger people.¡± Xu Yan thoughtfully nodded, ¡°Master is right!¡± Then, he curiously asked, ¡°Master, what is your realm?¡± Li Xuan smiled mysteriously, slightly raising his head towards the sky, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Realm? That seems to be a distant subject¡­¡± Xu Yan was confused. Was the realm a distant subject? ¡°Master said, ¡®The Martial Path is endless.¡¯ Does that mean Master has surpassed all known realms?¡± Having such thoughts, Xu Yan was shocked. No wonder his master is hidden as a recluse. He has already transcended the Martial Arts world. ¡°Master, I understand now!¡± Xu Yan said solemnly. Li Xuan was a bit confused inside, ¡°What on earth did this silly disciple understand this time?¡± Standing up, with his hands behind his back, he leisurely walked towards his house, saying, ¡°Disciple, you need to consolidate your strength.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Back in his house, Li Xuan began to contemplate how to fabricate a cultivation technique. ¡°The entry level for Martial Arts is to cultivate Qi and blood. The stronger the Qi and Blood, the stronger the physical body, which leads to a stronger strength. So what should be the cultivation path after reaching the Qi and Blood Realm? ¡°Even if I¡¯m fabricating, there has to be a framework, a present theory that would allow the disciple to self-enlighten on their own.¡± ¡°Got it! ¡°Above the Qi and Blood Realm lies the Innate Realm, where the Qi and Blood are refined into Innate True Qi.¡± ¡°Those in the Innate Realm control the Qi to fly in the sky, move hundreds of miles in an instant¡­¡± ¡°How can one cultivate to reach the Innate Realm?¡± After contemplating for a while, Li Xuan had defined the realm following the Qi and Blood Realm¡ªthe Innate Realm! But how can one break through to the Innate Realm? The conclusion that Li Xuan came to was that one has to condense Qi and blood into True Qi, and for that, one first needs to establish the Dantian Qi Sea¡­ ¡°Establishing the Dantian Qi Sea, condensing True Qi, turning acquired Qi into congenital Qi¡­ But how to establish the Dantian? ¡°Never mind. Just create a theory and let the disciple comprehend it on his own. There should be no major issue, right? ¡°Ren Meridian, Du Meridian¡­ Unblocking these two meridians¡­ It doesn¡¯t sound quite profound enough, how about calling it the Bridge of Heaven and Earth? ¡°Right, call it Bridge of Heaven and Earth.. Establishing the Bridge of Heaven and Earth lays the foundation to control the Great Power of Heaven and Earth¡­¡± Chapter 28 Translator: 549690339 Before Xu Yan had successfully cultivated, Li Xuan, with the idea of deceiving in mind, randomly made up things without any psychological pressure; he just concocted as wildly as he could. There was no need to consider whether it was practiceable or not. How could something made up out of the blue be successful in cultivation? However, Xu Yan, this freak, managed to succeed in cultivating the randomly fabricated Cultivation Technique and even triggered the Golden Linger. Li Xuan instantly mastered the technique, and his strength was a hundred times that of his peers in the same realm. From then on, he couldn¡¯t be carefree while creating the next Cultivation Technique. After all, it was related to whether he could successfully cultivate or keep gaining feedback from the Golden Finger to enhance himself. With psychological pressure, more thoughts came up. While creating, he had to consider whether the theory made sense. And if there were any loopholes. If he didn¡¯t make it exotic enough, he worried the technique wouldn¡¯t have enough power. If he made it too exotic, he was afraid Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t understand it and be able to continue his cultivation. In short, when he started to create the next stage, and how that would be cultivated, Li Xuan realized that he had been thinking too simplisticaily. With pressure on his mind, he started to hesitate and worry about gains and losses! ¡°Damn it! Maybe I should just make up something and let the disciple wrap his head around it and perceive it. ¡°But wait, what if he can t comprehend it? Wouldn¡¯t I be the one who misses out? ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this damn Golden Finger, anyway?¡± Li Xuan looked troubled. The Golden Finger was triggered, but after it infused him with cultivation power, it just disappeared as if it never existed. ¡°Because Xu Yan succeeded in cultivating the randomly made-up Cultivation T echnique, he triggered the Golden Finger. So if I want feedback, it has to come from Xu Yan. This kid¡¯s comprehension ability is abnormally strong. ¡°So, when I concoct Cultivation Techniques, 1 need to connect the stages properly. The specifics of the cultivation can then be comprehended by Xu Yan himself. ¡°All I need to do is create a theory, as well as a mantra that sounds mystical.¡± Li Xuan took a deep breath, sorted out the direction for making up the Cultivation Technique, and began to consider how to construct this imaginary theory. He should make a mantra that just sounds mystical. Afterwards, everything could then be left to Xu Yan to comprehend. Seeing as he had independently figured out cultivation involving refining the sldn, bones, and organs, why wouldn¡¯t he be able to handle the next stage of cultivation? ¡°The Bone Refining Mantra I made up was Observing oneself with a clear mind, cultivating genuine intention, Qi and blood forge a golden body, like a dragon. For the Qi-blood stage also, 1 should create a mantra or two for Xu Yan to comprehend. It will speed up his cultivation.¡± Li Xuan recalled that when he made up two mantras, Xu Yan figured out the method to temper golden bones from them and even cultivated jade bones. Therefore, the mantra is very important; it should be mystical but not obscure, it would be up to Xu Yan to comprehend it. ¡°The realm after the Qi-blood stage will be referred to as the Innate Realm for now. I don¡¯t need to worry about creating that just yet. I should first work on the mantra for the Qi-blood stage.¡± Even without a mantra, the direction of cultivation has already been confirmed, and Xu Yan can still cultivate to the ultimate point of the Qi-blood stage. However, if there was a mantra, Xu Yan could comprehend something from it and his cultivation speed would increase significantly. His strength would also increase. As Xu Yan¡¯s strength improved, his master, Li Xuan¡¯s strength would also consequently improve. Currently, Li Xuan had mastered the Qi-blood stage, with a strength of hundred times those at the same stage. The benchmark standard was based on his disciple, Xu Yan. At present, Li Xuan¡¯s strength was a hundred times that of Xu Yan at the completion phase of the Qi-blood stage. So, if Xu Yan could comprehend the mantra, and cultivate it to gain more significant strength than he has now, T he stronger Xu Yan becomes at the completion phase, the more powerful Li Xuan will naturally become. Therefore, 1 must create the Mantra. I¡¯ve already mastered rhe cultivation methods for refining the sldn, bones, and organs, as well as the entry level Martial Arts, which were imparted by feedback from the Golden Finger. T his completes the foundational system for entry-level Martial Arts cultivation. Gleaned from Xu Yan¡¯s cultivation and enlightenment, and a practical foundation for cultivation, Li Xuan generally knew how to create the mantra for the Qi-blood stage for Xu Yan to further comprehend. Essentially, the reason for creating the Qi-blood stage mantra is to let Xu Yan comprehend a more powerful and efficient method of Qi-blood stage cultivation. Enhance the strength of the Qi-Blood Realm. ¡°The Qi-Blood Realm focuses on strengthening our Qi and blood, as well as our physical bodies. The essence of its cultivation lies in improving the quality and quantity of our Qi and blood, and increasing the potential of our bodies¡­¡± ¡°Since it focuses on cultivating Qi and blood, this should serve as a suitable mantra, right?¡± After some contemplation, Li Xuan came up with a four-lined cultivation mantra. ¡°Four lines it is then. That¡¯s it, I¡¯ll pass it on to my foolish disciple to ponder. Even if he doesn¡¯t understand anything, it won t hinder his ongoing cultivation¡­¡± ¡°Achieving mastery of the Qi-Blood Realm is only a matter of time. The important thing is for my foolish disciple to continue cultivating his extraordinary abilities and manage to master the Innate Realm ¨C a purely hypothetical realm I just made up.¡± Li Xuan sighed, put his hands behind his back and walked out of the room leisurely, looking every bit the stern teacher. Xu Yan was in the midst of consolidating his realm. ¡°Disciple, come here, I will teach you the mantra for the Qi-Blood Realm,¡± said Li Xuan, beckoning. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan, excited, ran over. A Qi-Blood Realm mantra! ¡°Listen well,¡± instructed Li Xu, a note of solemnity entering his voice. ¡°The Qi-Blood Realm mantra consists of four lines. If you can understand its essence, your cultivation will progress rapidly. It won¡¯t take long before you¡¯ll master the Qi-Blood Realm.¡± ¡°Yes, Master, I will strive to understand the mantra, I will nor disappoint you!¡± said Xu Yan, thumping his chest in assurance. ¡°Your confidence heartens me, but do what you can, not being able to understand the essence of the mantra won¡¯t hinder your cultivation,¡± Li Xuan¡¯s tone lightened. We shouldn¡¯t push the disciple too hard. Too much psychological pressure could backfire and make it even harder for him to understand rhe mantra. ¡°I understand, Master!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Mmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded and slowly said, ¡°Listen well, the four-line Qi-Blood Realm mantra; ¡®A thousand streams join into a great river, a mighty current flows into the ocean; Raging waves swelling up, Qi and blood that can shake mountains endless¡¯!¡± Upon hearing the final line of the mantra, Xu Yan murmured: ¡°Qi and blood that can shake an endless mountain?¡± He felt awestruck by the imposing and incredibly powerful image evoked by this phrase. After a slight cough, Li Xuan said, ¡°Disciple, remember, the cultivation techniques 1 teach focus on understanding and context, not form, and certainly not surface value!¡± Upon uttering the familiar phrase, he continued to remind Xu Yan. ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan replied respectfully. At that moment, the four lines of the mantra were all that filled his mind. ¡°Mmm, go consolidate your cultivation.¡± Li Xuan nodded. He breathed a sigh of relief internally, finally having passed the mantra on to Xu Yan; whether it would be successful, now rested on him. If he couldn¡¯t understand it, it wouldn¡¯t be his Master¡¯s fault. Next, he needed to focus on the Innate Realm. He needed to conceive it in a way that seemed profound, yet could logically transition from the Qi-Blood Realm, thus avoiding any gaps where there would be no way of progressing. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± After respectfully bowing, Xu Yan returned to where he had been cultivating. As he began to ponder the four lines of the mantra, he thought to himself: ¡°This mantra taught by my Master is indeed extraordinary. It¡¯s like a poem with profound profound meanings that holds infinite martial arts wisdom.¡± ¡°I must understand it, I cannot disappoint my Master!¡± PS: Please continue reading, appreciate all the support a_a Chapter 29 Translator: 549690339 Although Xu Yan had stepped into the world of martial arts, his daily life remained the same, cooking when it¡¯s time to cook, feeding the chickens when it¡¯s time to feed them. Li Xuan seemed leisurely as usual. However, behind the scenes, he was truly fretting, contemplating how to conceptualize the framework of the Innate Realm cultivation, the theories of the Innate Realm, and even the cultivation techniques. Beyond the Innate realm, a concept for future cultivation directions was needed as well. In preparation for the haphazard creation of realms and cultivation techniques in the future, the theoretical groundwork was essential. If the cultivation technique devised was not mystical enough, Li Xuan¡¯s practice wouldn¡¯t be powerful enough, the concept wouldn¡¯t be deep enough, and it would not be sufficient to guide Xu Yan, the genius, to profound insights. If what he creates was too mystical and departed from the framework, he was afraid that it would not be possible to connect with the next stage, and even more scared that Xu Yan could not understand it, leading to stagnation or even regression in his cultivation! ¡°Damn, this is too hard!¡± Li Xuan sighed privately. Under the pressure, it was difficult to unleash his creativity, making the process seem restrictive and complicated. If he tried to let go and make things up, he feared that Xu Yan would not understand, staying stuck in the realm of basic cultivation! In the end, the one who would be damaged is himself. Li Xuan was fraught with concerns about crafting the cultivation technique for the Innate Realm. In these days, Xu Yan had also been scratching his head in distress while pondering the four phrases of the cultivation technique, but he was not making any progress, feeling deeply frustrated. ¡°If 1 can¡¯t comprehend such simple techniques, my master will surely be disappointed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of cultivating Jade bones? Without understanding the cultivation techniques, how can I continue my martial arts practice?¡± ¡°The Martial Path is endless. If 1 can¡¯t even understand such simple techniques, how can I step into a more powerful and profound realm of martial arts?¡± Xu Yan was consumed with worries. Suddenly, he remembered the words of his master. ¡°Master said, just do your best, inability to understand won¡¯t hinder cultivation¡­¡± ¡°I have devoted all my energy to the cultivation techniques and my energy consumption has caused me to neglect cultivation.¡± ¡°In fact, my master was telling me not to be too caught up, but to comprehend during cultivation, and thus understanding the essence¡­¡± After such consideration, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes brightened. He immediately calmed his mind and began to perceive the flow of True Qi and the slow increase keenly, without any distraction. Only during his cultivation did the four phrases of the cultivation technique occasionally surfaced in his mind. With the progress of cultivation, Xu Yan began to realize something gradually: ¡°Thousands of streams make a big river¡­ Each cultivation session added to my True Qi, isn¡¯t this just like the convergence of thousands of streams?¡± ¡°A long river streams into the ocean¡­ The essence here is to gather True Qi, like an ocean¡­ No, the body is like an ocean to accommodate True Qi.¡± ¡°Surging waves ripple across the ocean, and True Qi can shake a million mountains ¨C True Qi should not remain calm but should be like surging waves or turbulent currents. Only then can it effectively reinforce the body.¡± ¡°If True Qi can shake a million mountains, does it mean ¨C bones are like mountains, True Qi shakes the mountains¡­¡± Xu Yan experienced a moment of enlightenment, with the concept of the four phrases of the cultivation technique presenting itself before him. At this moment, he vaguely comprehended and discerned the essence of martial arts within it. ¡°Gathering of True Qi, like turbulent currents, like surging waves; striking the Jade bones¡­ The whole body is like an ocean¡­¡± Xu Yan immersed himself in the realization. His body¡¯s True Qi gradually became like a raging torrent, striking his Jade bones incessantly. ¡°I understand now!¡± At one moment, Xu Yan¡¯s heart was filled with excitement as he instantly grasped the concealed essence of martial arts within the four phrases of the cultivation technique. As he took a deep breath, his bones vibrated, a rumbling sound emerged around his body, and a thunderous sound seemed to echo inside him. The sound wasn¡¯t loud; it seemed to resonate only within his body. At one moment, strands of Qi and blood incessantly bubbled up, circulating throughout his body in a new manner. His marrow flowed like a river, generating Qi and blood continually and more rapidly than before. Meanwhile, his Qi and blood surged like a torrent, constantly churning, occasionally striking his bones. The Qi and blood rebounded on hitting the bone, causing a body-wide tremor. His physical body was fortified through this repetitive Qi and blood rebound. The Qi and blood itself was refined, becoming more powerful in the process. His Qi and blood swirled around him, and between Xu Yan¡¯s breaths, his chest and abdomen reverberated, Qi and blood boiling, an intense vitality was breathed out like a raging fire. After practicing for a while with the newly understood method, Xu Yan could feel his personal enhancement. More so, it was an all-rounded improvement, with both his physical body and Qi and blood growing stronger. ¡°The technique Master taught me is exceptionally profound. Indeed, understanding the technique brings a different experience to cultivation.¡± ¡°After understanding the technique, I¡¯m improving much faster, and my Qi and blood have grown stronger.¡± Xu Yan was filled with excitement. ¡°I have finally understood the technique. 1 won¡¯t let Master down!¡± He was thrilled to the core. Li Xuan was creating a cultivation method for the Innate Realm, mainly the theoretical framework and how to bridge it with Qi and blood. He had already established that the Innate Realm cultivates True Qi! The normal Qi and blood would transform into Innate True Qi. However, transforming into Innate True Qi required a process. The first step was to open the bridge between Heaven and Earth! ¡°Once the bridge between Heaven and Earth is opened, the Qi and blood circulates throughout the body, transforming into Innate True Qi¡­ Only after opening the bridge, one can inhale and exhale nature¡¯s spiritual energy, converting it into True Qi¡­¡± ¡°The Innate involves inhaling and exhaling nature¡¯s spiritual energy, rising in the air by controlling the energy, traversing hundreds of miles in an instant, no longer an ordinary human¡­¡± Li Xuan found the more he pondered, the more realistic this concocted theory became. It was theoretically sound and the structure held up. The only thing missing was for his naive student, Xu Yan, to comprehend it. The only problem was¡­ Looking up at the sky, Li Xuan wondered to himself: ¡°Does this world have spiritual energy? If not, isn¡¯t this all in vain?¡± ¡°The air here is so fresh, really sweet-smelling. There should be spiritual energy, right?¡± Regardless of the existence of spiritual energy, the Innate Realm definitely involves inhaling and exhaling nature¡¯s spiritual energy, refining it into Innate True Qi, and surpassing the physical constraints of mortality. ¡°The second realm I¡¯m creating is already so escalated. Once mastered, one would already become really powerful. Future realms must continue to be more mysterious. Otherwise, they won¡¯t be powerful enough.¡± Li Xuan sighed internally. Creating these techniques was not an easy task. But after several days of contemplation, he managed to devise the cultivation method for the Innate Realm. Theoretically, it would connect seamlessly with the Qi and Blood Realm. Whether it would work or not was now all up to Xu Yan. ¡°There¡¯s no rush to tell Xu Yan just yet. He has just entered the Qi and Blood Realm. At least let him get used to it first,¡± thought Li Xuan. ¡°Otherwise, if he hasn¡¯t even grasped the Qi and Blood Realm technique and starts pondering over the Innate Realm cultivation, what if he can¡¯t handle it and ends up doing more harm than good?¡± Li Xuan decided to hold off, at least until Xu Yan had managed to grasp the four sentences of the technique. ¡°I wonder if that silly student has made any progress? The four sentences of the technique weren¡¯t mysterious enough. They were slightly vague. I need to make them better next time.¡± Lixuan summed up his experience secretly. The next time he created a technique, it had to be more profound, have sufficient artistic conception, and be somewhat related to the cultivation realm. It couldn¡¯t be too vague. Otherwise, it would be hard to grasp.. Chapter 30 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan was contemplating whether or not to make up a couple more blood and qi cultivation techniques to replace the four he had already made up, allowing Xu Yan to brainstorm and glean insights from them. ¡°If it can be connected with the stage of blood and qi, then it allows the disciple to brainstorm more effectively and facilitates his understanding.¡± However, the four cultivation techniques had already been passed on. Does he now need to find an excuse to tell Xu Yan that these four techniques are not suitable for him and therefore need to be replaced? If so, wouldn¡¯t this make him, the secluded master, appear insufficient in his grasp of the disciple¡¯s talents? ¡°Maybe 1 should wait. If Xu Yan fails to come up with something with his own brainstorming, fails to understand the underlying martial arts principles, and comes to me for advice, should I then give him new cultivation techniques? ¡°But if I do so, won¡¯t this shake his belief?¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly, teaching this disciple was truly an uphill battle. Suddenly. A faint golden light emerged in his mind. ¡°Your disciple has understood the techniques you have made up, and from them, he has gleaned the principles of martial arts. You have received a means of cultivation for the stage of blood and qi, and your strength has increased ¡­¡± In that moment In Li Xuan¡¯s mind, a method of cultivation for the stage of blood and qi appeared, and his own blood and qi also doubled at that moment. ¡°Hiss!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s eyes widened, his heart pulsating with excitement, ¡°What a stupid yet impressive disciple, how did he even manage to understand the real principle of martial arts from such brainstorming? This cultivation method of blood and qi stage is not completely irrelevant to the cultivation technique but is also miles away¡­ ¡°How in the world did he manage to contemplate and brainstorm such accurate martial arts principles and cultivation method with that brain of his?¡± He had to give credit where it was due. This disciple was too monster-like. This was the second time the Golden Finger had given feedback, further enhancing his strength. However, after the Golden Finger had given feedback, it disappeared again, as if it had never existed. ¡°It seems that the Golden Finger only appears when my disciple successfully practices the cultivation techniques I¡¯ve made up.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. Of course, whether the Golden Finger has other potentials to be discovered, still needs exploration. Right now, teaching Xu Yan, his disciple well, to continue strengthening his abilities and diligently cultivating was the top priority. ¡°Disciple, you have managed to comprehend the cultivation technique within this time frame, which is rather commendable. But you must guard against arrogance and impetuosity; focus on your practice.¡± Li Xuan, with his calm strides, stepped towards Xu Yan. As if he had seen through his disciple¡¯s thoughts with just a glance, he spoke with a slight hint of contentment. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan marveled internally, ¡°Master¡¯s vision is truly keen. He knew I had understood the cultivation technique as soon as it happened!¡± ¡°Disciple, is your determination in martial arts steady?¡± Li Xuan asked gravely. ¡°Master, my determination in martial arts is as solid as a rock!¡± Xu Yan replied with a resolute gaze. ¡°Do you think of women in your heart?¡± ¡°There are no women in my heart!¡± ¡°Good! Very good! With such a determination in martial arts, my disciple will surely be able to reach the pinnacle of martial arts one day!¡± Li Xuan exclaimed joyfully. A good disciple should devote his all into the grand task of martial arts, and not be distracted by thoughts of women and hinder his practice. Only the pursuit of martial arts is the right path! I¡¯m counting on you! Li Xuan was very pleased with his disciple¡¯s martial arts determination. Since comprehending the cultivation technique of the blood and qi stage, Xu Yan¡¯s strength had been gradually increasing every day. Although he was still far from the great achievement of the blood and qi stage, he had made significant progress. In the short span of half a month, Xu Yan¡¯s blood and qi had already reached a length of ten meters! ¡°Master, 1 have been away from home for a long time, and 1 wish to go home and visit my parents.¡± One day, Xu Yan thought that he had been away from home for too long, his parents must be worried. So, he respectfully spoke up. ¡°Mmm, go then.¡± Li Xuan nodded appropriately. However, he was inwardly lamenting. Having lived in this world for a considerable time without leaving this tiny village, he felt it was high time to leave this isolated place. To observe, to learn about the customs and mores of this world. To see the scenery of Qi Country and get a taste of the world of martial arts in Qi Country, while also establishing whether it was as Xu Yan had described, the low level of martial strength. As someone who had reached the entry level of blood energy, Xu Yan could kill a top martial artist with a single breath. As for himself, who had reached the peak of blood energy, could he not kill someone with a mere glance? Is the martial strength of this world really disturbingly weak? Li Xuan remembered the Fire Mane Wolf that Xu Yan had fought. Looking at it, the martial strength of this world shouldn¡¯t be so low. Perhaps there were hidden aspects that Xu Yan, with his background, wasn¡¯t privy to? After watching Xu Yan depart, Li Xuan returned leisurely, hands behind his back. Next time Xu Yan¡¯s back, he should leave this place. Obviously moving, such a cumbersome task, should be left to his disciple to handle. In the Eastern River Prefecture City, the popular topic at tea houses and guesthouses these days was the Xu Family, the richest family, having a batch of goods stolen by bandits. ¡°From where did these bandits come? They even dared to rob the Xu Family¡¯s goods?¡± ¡°The foolish young master of the Xu family has just been rejected in marriage by the Grand General, the Xu Family¡¯s prestige plummeted, so they were targeted.¡± ¡°Although the young master of the richest family has been rejected by the General¡¯s mansion, the backing behind the Xu Family is the current Ministry of Personnel¡¯s servant.¡± Well-known figures in the Eastern River Prefecture City were all discussing the matter in private. In the Xu Family¡¯s reception hall, Xu Junhe sat at the top with a serious expression, looked at the group of people below, and said, ¡°Where did these bandits come from? These goods must be delivered as agreed, otherwise we will have to bear triple compensation!¡± ¡°Chief Chen, Master Wang, the two of you must personally ensure the safe delivery of these goods to Jin¡¯an.¡± Xu Junhe looked at the two burly men below. ¡°Master, please be assured, we will definitely deliver the goods as agreed. As for the bandits, we have our plan.¡± Chief Chen assured him with his hand on his chest. Xu Junhe nodded, gave his instructions, and let everyone exit. Chief Chen and Master Wang, one was the head of the largest escort agency in Eastern River Prefecture, controlled by Xu Junhe from behind the scenes; the other was the master of the largest martial arts academy in Eastern River Prefecture, also manipulated by Xu Junhe from behind the scenes. Whether it was Chief Chen or Master Wang, both were top martial artists who had cultivated their inner strength. The two of them should be able to deliver this batch of goods as agreed upon. However, thinking about the buyer of this batch of goods, Xu Junhe had some concerns in his heart. Becoming the richest man in the Eastern River Prefecture, married to the daughter of the former Eastern River Prefecture guard and current Ministry of Personnel¡¯s servant, he couldn¡¯t be an ordinary person. This batch of goods was robbed by bandits, and his attempt to seek assistance from the Grand General of Eastern River was unsuccessful. He immediately realized he was being targeted. And this force targeting him came from Jin¡¯an, the capital of Qi Country! Recognizing the severe situation, he decisively mobilized his two most powerful subordinates to ensure that the goods would be delivered, and not to give the enemy any reason to attack. ¡°I hope it¡¯s not as I expect.¡± Xu Junhe sighed inwardly. Back in the backyard, Madam Xu fretfully said: ¡°My husband, Yan¡¯er has been away from home for a long time. Is it possible something has happened to him?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, madam. Nothing will happen to Yan¡¯er.¡± Xu Junhe was somewhat perturbed. His silly son was really untroubled, having disappeared without a word for three months. What he was most worried about now was that his foolish son might be caught and held hostage, which would be absolutely devastating! While Xu Junhe was worrying about his foolish son, Xu Yan, riding a horse on the official road, was on his way back to Eastern River Prefecture City. ¡°The foolish son of Xu Junhe¡¯s family? Heh, I¡¯ve found you!¡± A sinister voice suddenly rang out, and two figures blocked Xu Yan¡¯s horse. ps: Please continue to follow, all support is appreciated a_a Chapter 31 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan rode on his horse, observing the two figures from the martial arts underworld up ahead. They had long knives slung around their waists, their faces displayed a mixture of surprise and delight, and their eyes held a hint of a cold, mysterious gleam. A thoughtful expression overtook his features. ¡°Am I being targeted? A kidnap attempt? ¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be right, why haven¡¯t I been targeted before?¡± ¡°Could it be because my engagement hadn¡¯t been broken off yet, and because I was affiliated with the high-ranking General¡¯s House, these underworld figures didn¡¯t dare to touch me?¡± He had been searching for skilled masters for quite a while, wandering around Donghe County on his own. No one from the martial arts underworld ever dared to kidnap him, the richest young master of Donghe. And now, someone was boldly plotting against him right on the main road! The first thing Xu Yan thought of was that his engagement with the General¡¯s house had been called off, which might have provoked these martial artists to target him, no longer fearing any consequences. ¡°Even though I am no longer the son-in-law to be at the General¡¯s House, my maternal grandfather is the Minister of Personnel!¡± Xu Yan reconsidered. Even if he was no longer connected to the General¡¯s House, he was still the Minister of Personnel¡¯s grandson, a very powerful official of the current court. ¡°Silly boy, just come along with us peacefully,¡± One of the martial artists sprang up, reaching out to grab Xu Yan from his horse. Although there were no passers-by on the road at that moment, they still had to act quickly to avoid any complications and take him away as soon as possible. With Xu Yan in their hands, their next steps would be a lot easier. He reached out and grabbed Xu Yan¡¯s shoulder, tensing up to yank him off his horse, but was shocked to find that it was like attempting to move a mountain. The opponent didn¡¯t budge! This is bad! A chill ran through his heart. As he tried to release his hand and back off, he felt a tight grasp on his neck. Before he knew it, he was hoisted into the air. ¡°Who gave you the audacity to lay a hand on me?¡± Xu Yan stared at him. Seeing this, the other man was taken aback. He drew his sword and lunged at Xu Yan, raising his blade. ¡°Let go!¡± A lethal intent burst forth from his eyes, accompanied by a flash of brutality. ¡°Humph!¡± Xu Yan scoffed. The other hand shot out to seize the incoming blade, a surge of energy swarming up his arm as he grasped it fiercely. Smack! Upon capturing the blade, it shattered into pieces under his unyielding grip of blood and energy. Boom! A surge of energy swelled from Xu Yan, instantly bombarding the attacker. There was a loud thud! The man, suspended in mid-air, exploded on impact. Blood and flesh rained down, startling Xu Yan as his energy enveloped him. As a result, the man whose neck he had held tightly was caught in the release of energy, his body cracking and shattering in an instant. His eyes were filled with horror as he died on the spot. Boom! The wave of energy rolled out, flinging all remnants of flesh and body parts into the bushes lining the road. ¡°They¡¯re far too fragile!¡± After disposing of the corpse in the bushes, Xu Yan stood shocked. It was just a surge of energy and it had caused the man to explode! ¡°Am I too strong? ¡°I am on a completely different level than them.¡± Xu Yan exhaled, his heart bursting with excitement. This was true martial arts in action! He was just in the energy realm but already possessed such terrifying power. ¡°I still need to work on my control over my own strength. I must be careful next time!¡± Having learned from this experience, Xu Yan continued on his journey. At this moment, the official road was deserted. The incident of the two martial artists being killed remained unseen, so Xu Yan could return home with an easy conscience. ¡°Yan¡¯er, you¡¯re finally home!¡± Madam Xu happily grabbed her son¡¯s hand, looking him up and down. He hadn¡¯t become skinny, nor tanned; he seemed even more robust, setting her mind at ease. As long as her precious son hadn¡¯t suffered, it was all good. ¡°Yan¡¯er, don¡¯t just roam around aimlessly after you return this time, it¡¯s not safe out there now.¡± Madam Xu warned. ¡°Mother, where¡¯s Father?¡± Xu Yan inquired, confused. Each time he returned, his father would always show up sternly, ready to reprimand him. Today, he was nowhere to be seen! ¡°Your father has gone to handle some business.¡± Madam Xu replied, a touch of worry in her eyes. ¡°Mother, has something happened to our family?¡± Xu Yan understood at once that something had happened to his family. Otherwise, his father wouldn¡¯t have had to handle matters personally. In order to make her son realize the dangers outside, Madam Xu sighed and said, ¡°A group of bandits suddenly appeared along the Jin¡¯an route in Donghe County and robbed our goods. ¡°Now, your father is arranging for the goods to be sent again. If the goods don¡¯t arrive as agreed, we¡¯ll have to pay triple the compensation. ¡°Yan¡¯er, your father will handle these matters. You actually just returned must be hungry, right?¡± Madam Xu instructed the servants to prepare a feast to welcome her precious son home. Xu Yan furrowed his brows and immediately an idea began to form in his mind. ¡°Even though I¡¯ve just started learning Martial Arts, the top martial artists on Jianghu are nothing to me! If these bandits dare to go after my family¡¯s goods, they must pay for it! ¡°Perfect opportunity for me to test my abilities, see if I can overturn all of these bandits by myself!¡± This was also a chance to solve his family¡¯s problem while testing his abilities. Over the years, he had spent a lot of family money. If a transaction this big got his father¡¯s attention, the shipment must¡¯ve been extremely valuable. ¡°Mother, where are these bandits? Why haven¡¯t the authorities sent someone to wipe them out?¡± Xu Yan asked, feigning curiosity. Unaware of her son¡¯s intention to single-handedly overthrow the bandits, Madam Xu didn¡¯t withhold any information and said, ¡°They¡¯re up on Heifeng Mountain, about 200 li away from Donghe county, right beside the Jin¡¯an route.¡± ¡°Jiang Pingshan is refusing to dispatch troops to eliminate the bandits under the pretext of preventing chaos from the Heavenly Mother Sect, Humph, he¡¯s just standing by indifferently because he¡¯s broken off the marriage and no longer has any ties with our family.¡± Madam Xu¡¯s face expressed anger when she mentioned Jiang Pingshan. Upon hearing this, Xu Yan understood the situation. This shipment which was going along the Jin¡¯an route was surely heading to the capital of Qi Country, and those bandits dared to rob it. Surely, there was more to it. However, Xu Yan didn¡¯t care. He just wanted to test his abilities and overthrow the bandits! ¡°Mother, something just came up, I need to step out for a bit.¡± ¡°Yan¡¯er, where are you going? Come back!¡± Madam Xu anxiously said. Xu Yan led a horse out of the stable, then he set off directly away from the city. ¡°I should reach Heifeng Mountain just as it¡¯s getting dark, perfect timing!¡± Xu Yan thought exhilaratingly. On Heifeng Mountain, a group of martial artists were gathered, discussing how to rob the Xu Family¡¯s goods. The leader was a burly man with a hairy chest, bare to the waist. A large machete was plunged into the ground beside him and he said in a deep voice, ¡°This mission must succeed. Xu Junhe is a formidable man, having already lost one shipment, he will no doubt be on guard. We must not take this lightly!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dark Bear, as long as Jiang Pingshan doesn¡¯t send troops, no matter how capable Xu Junhe is, he can¡¯t secure the shipment!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Just then, a figure emerged, wrapped in a fierce aura, fiercely charging up the mountain, sneering, ¡°If you desire my family¡¯s goods, we¡¯ll see if you¡¯re capable enough to take them!¡± Chapter 32 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± The chief bear roared in anger, pulling out the large cleaver resting beside him, fiercely gazing towards the abruptly appearing silhouette. At one glance, his scalp turned numbed! That blazing fierce qi, when beheld, aroused fear. ¡°It¡¯s Xu Junhe¡¯s idiot son!¡± A bandit cried out in alarm. The rest of them were terror-stricken, as the rumors had spread that Xu Junhe¡¯s idiot son was roaming around, looking for a hidden high-class master to learn real martial arts. Could it be, he has succeeded? ¡°Attack!¡± The chief bear roared in fury, his body leaping forward as he charged towards Xu Yan. ¡°Kill him! He¡¯s alone!¡± Among the bandits, numbering more than a hundred, the weakest was of mediocre Jianghu standard, while the chief bear himself was a nearly invincible expert. There were even around twenty high-class experts. Each and every one of them ¨C with their knives, spears, hidden weapons and such ¨C rushed towards Xu Yan. ¡°Come on!¡± Thrilled and excited, Xu Yan lets out a roar and his ten zhang qi-blood gushed out, directly charging forward. With the sweeping force of the ten zhang qi-blood, every punch and kick from Xu Yan inflicted enormous damage, the bandit gang instantly crushed, with heavy casualties. The chief bear himself exploded into pieces from a single punch. Blood and gore scattered everywhere, terrifying the remaining bandits. ¡°Run!¡± What kind of top-tier expert was this! It was so terrifying. Even getting close was impossible, let alone killing them instantly. The remaining bandits, frightened out of their wits, began running for their lives! ¡°Think you can run, think again!¡± Xu Yan snorted coldly and immediately went after them. ¡°Master said, must keep a low profile. If I kill everyone, no one will know I did it and my cover won¡¯t be blown. This is also a low profile!¡± The fight was a one-sided affair. Indeed, it was simply a case of brute force. Every single bandit had been killed, not one spared. After combing through the Black Wind Mountain, he found no traces of his family¡¯s lost goods. Nor were there any hiding bandits. Standing on the mountain at this moment, looking at the scattered limbs and severed arms, Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows knitted tightly. ¡°Indeed, I am strong, but only using brute force. Just like power is useless if I met an opponent with equal strength. I¡¯d surely lose. ¡°I don¡¯t know any martial skills, just brute power. ¡°When I get back this time, I must ask Master for guidance!¡± With that thought in mind, Xu Yan hurried down the mountain in the dark of the night, returning to the prefecture city of Donghe. After Xu Yan had left, Li Xuan looked through his theoretical training framework for the Innate Realm, refining it carefully after to assure nothing had been missed, until it could be connected to the Qi-Blood realm. Only then did he finally set his mind at rest. Just wait for an opportunity to pass on the cultivation method of the Innate Realm to Xu Yan. Of course, such burdensome work as cultivation should be left to his disciple, and he would enjoy the fruits of his labor. All he needed to do was come up with a rough cultivation method, along with the stage, cultivation frame, and basic theory. Whether it could be achieved or not was entirely up to his disciple Xu Yan. ¡°I should also leave this place soon. Since I¡¯ve arrived in this world, I¡¯ve been holed up in this small village. It¡¯s really pathetic.¡± Li Xuan sighed and lamented. Gathering his belongings. Just waiting for Xu Yan to return, then he would start moving. With nothing else to do, Li Xuan began to stroll around the small village. It has to be said the scenery was not bad at all, and extremely suitable for living incognito. After strolling around for a while, he returned home. ¡°Without my disciple to serve me, I have to cook for myself. It¡¯s a bit uncomfortable!¡± Li Xuan sighed. People tend to feel ill at ease once they get accustomed to being served and suddenly, there is no one to serve them anymore. ¡°Your disciple brutally crushed a den of bandits, your brutish way of killing enemies has achieved great success!¡± A voice rang out in his mind, instantly grasping the method of brutally killing enemies. Li Xuan was stunned. He felt as if he had carried out countless brutal killings, quickly mastering the art of violent killing. ¡°What has my foolish disciple done? Did he wipe out a den of mountain bandits?¡± Li Xuan was taken aback. Was his foolish disciple really that bold? Moreover, the outside world¡¯s martial strength, is it really that low? But Xu Yan, who had just entered the Blood Qi Realm, took out a whole den of mountain bandits on his own? The mountain bandits¡¯ strength was simply too weak. ¡°Too violent and brute! It seems like he relies solely on brute strength to kill enemies!¡± Li Xuan received feedback: a mastery of brutal killing. Indeed, all reliance was on brute strength to charge and barge. There were no martial skills involved. At this moment, Li Xuan realized that he had been obsessively creating cultivation techniques, but he had forgotten about martial skills! With only brute strength, how could one be considered a qualified martial artist? ¡°No, I must create some battle craft techniques that can demonstrate his strength.¡± ¡°My foolish disciple, having wiped out the mountain bandits using sheer strength this time, should have realized this. He¡¯ll undoubtedly ask me to teach him martial skills when he returns. ¡°I must be prepared in advance.¡± Li Xuan suddenly fell into distress. How would he create martial skills? He didn¡¯t know how! Moreover, he had no practical martial skills for reference. Creating cultivation techniques seemed relatively easier since they were created for practice, not for battling an enemy. ¡°Such a headache!¡± Li Xuan had a look of distress on his face. ¡°Let me think¡­ should I teach my disciple the Palm Techniques? The Six Vein Divine Sword Technique? The Tathagata Palm? The Arhat Fist? ¡­How do I create these techniques? ¡°I don¡¯t even know all the fist and palm techniques!¡± At this moment, Li Xuan was somewhat distressed. ¡°No! I¡¯m approaching this wrong. These techniques are all for the disciple¡¯s comprehension. Why am I focusing on the techniques? In my Martial Arts creation, the usage of Blood Qi, Innate True Qi and others, fighting enemies, is nothing more than the application of Blood Qi and True Qi. ¡°All I need to do is to pass on the martial skills¡¯ mantra and the rough principles to my disciple. ¡°I¡¯ll let him comprehend them!¡± A thought flashed through Li Xuan¡¯s mind, instantly figuring out how he should pass on martial skills and cultivation techniques to Xu Yan. ¡°Don¡¯t start too high. Since it¡¯s Martial Arts, pass on the Palm techniques for now. But make it a bit more advanced so he can keep improving as his strength increases. ¡°He needs land movement techniques too, right? ¡°And he should have swordsmanship, right? No, instead of swordsmanship, I will pass Sword Dao onto him! ¡°Whether it will work or not, depends on how well my disciple performs.¡± Li Xuan had a general idea in his mind. How to create and transfer martial skills and similar cultivation techniques to Xu Yan. ¡°When my Blood Qi has completely reached its peak, with strength a hundred times that of peers, just by imitating, the power that is revealed will be enough to shock my disciple. ¡°Then find an excuse to fool him, there shouldn¡¯t be a big problem.¡± Thinking this, Li Xuan arrived outside the village. Boom! A hundred feet of Blood Qi soaring up into the sky, terrifying to behold. With both hands waving, one palm slap followed by another, the hundred feet of Blood Qi was like a flood, following his palm as it turned and revolved. Although it had no pattern and looked like it was relying on brute strength, Moreover, between the two swinging palms, it even seemed somewhat chaotic. However, the flood resulting from the hundred feet of Blood Qi had a shocking momentum and equally shocking power. With this terrifying Blood Qi alone, it could overtake an entire army! ¡°The Palm technique is a bit messy, it looks without rules, no skills to speak of, just like arbitrarily striking. ¡°This won¡¯t do, even if it¡¯s to fool the disciple, there must be some rules.¡± Li Xuan frowned in deep thought, then slapped one palm after another, trying to make the movements more structured, at least so it didn¡¯t look too chaotic. ps: seeking continued reading, seeking everything a_a Chapter 33 Descending Dragon Palm i Translator: 549690339 Boom! With a single palm strike, Li Xuan¡¯s vital energy was transformed into a torrent and unleashed on a tree several dozens of yards away. The tree, as thick as a man¡¯s thigh, was instantly shattered by the impact, its fragments flying all over the place. ¡°The power is quite impressive, but it drains a lot of vital energy.¡± ¡°Indeed, relying solely on brute force isn¡¯t the solution. If faced with an opponent of similar strength, it will surely spell trouble.¡± ¡°This palm technique, I¡¯ve already got a sense of it. 1 just need to arrange a set of mnemonic chants for it and teach them to Xu Yan.¡± Li Xuan let out a breath. ¡°But what about the movement technique? How should 1 impart that? 1 have no knowledge of it myself, how should 1 demonstrate it to my disciple? Relying solely on brute force won¡¯t demonstrate the intricacy of the movement technique.¡± The thought of the movement technique gave Li Xuan a headache again. ¡°Did I think too far ahead? Why do 1 have to demonstrate it to my disciple? I could just give him the mnemonic chants, provide him the theoretical framework, and let him comprehend it by himself, right?¡± With this sudden realization, Li Xuan had a plan at hand. He chose a flat piece of land outside the village. ¡°How is the Eight Diagrams drawn again?¡± Li Xuan recalled the pattern of the Eight Diagrams he had seen in the past life, and while swinging his arm, his vital energy gushed out, sketching it on the ground. ¡°It seems to be like this.¡± Looking at the Eight Diagrams drawn on the ground, Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Once Xu Yan was back, he would have him practice the movement technique here. Meanwhile, he would let him ponder over the Eight Diagrams. Who knows, he might gain some insights? Everything was ready, just waiting for his disciple, Xu Yan, to return. Li Xuan was now completely relaxed. Xu Yan returned in less than ten days after he left home. Aware of his lack of martial skills after his raw display of power against the bandits, Xu Yan did not linger at home and hurried back. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan paid his respects respectfully, pondering how to bring up the topic of learning martial skills with his master. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded and stood up, walking towards the outskirts of the village. ¡°You¡¯re back at the right time. Come with me.¡± Even before his disciple could ask, he decided to teach him the martial arts cultivation techniques, showing his masterful foresight. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan was puzzled, wondering what his master was instructing him to do. They arrived at a small hill outside the village. With his hands clasped behind his back, the master began, ¡°My disciple, although you have already embarked on the path of Martial Arts, you don¡¯t know how to harness and utilise your vital energy, or how to face an enemy.¡± ¡°Martial Arts is not just about power, the stronger a martial artist, the more exceptional and potent are his martial skills and divine skills.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was thrilled, ¡°Is my master going to impart some martial skills and divine powers to me? I¡¯m finally not just a brute relying on raw strength!¡± Li Xuan turned back to look at his naive disciple and said solemnly, ¡°Today, I will teach you the Descending Dragon Palm. It is both a martial skill and a divine power. The higher your level, the deeper your understanding, and the more powerful it is.¡± Considering it was part of Martial Arts, Li Xuan originally wanted to name it ¡°Eighteen Descending Dragon Palm¡±, but on second thought, he feared that it might limit his disciple¡¯s avenue for understanding. So, he simply named it the ¡°Descending Dragon Palm¡±. The name was not important. What mattered was its potency. Besides, his plan was for the Descending Dragon Palm to evolve along with the disciple¡¯s progress, becoming a powerful divine martial skill. Whether it would be successful, depended entirely on his disciple¡¯s comprehension. ¡°Descending Dragon Palm!¡± Xu Yan was thrilled beyond words. ¡°Thankyou, Master!¡± ¡°A dragon is a mythical creature, possessing immense power and divine skills¡­ My disciple, do you understand?¡± Li Xuan began his lecture. ¡°Master, I once read about the legend of the True Dragon in an old book. It was portrayed as a symbol of supremacy, invoking storms and thunder with its movements, causing the heavens and the earth to tremble in response¡­¡± Xu Yan reverently replied. ¡°There are dragon legends in this world as well? 1 wonder if the book Xu Yan read was a made-up story, or based on real events that took place in this world.¡± Li Xuan was taken aback for a moment. Since this world also contains legends of dragons, and Xu Yan has even read related legendary stories, things will be much simpler. ¡°Master, do true dragons really exist in this world?¡± Xu Yan asked with excitement and curiosity. ¡°That is too far beyond your current reach, whether they exist or not, you will know naturally when you become stronger.¡± Li Xuan naturally would not provide a definitive answer to such questions. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan nodded respectfully. ¡°Good, I will teach you the Descending Dragon Palm. With the name ¡®Descending Dragon,¡¯ you should understand its power.¡± ¡°I understand, Master!¡± ¡°Observe carefully.¡± As Li Xuan spoke, he lifted his hand and struck out with a palm. Boom! The powerful vital energy, terrifyingly potent, instantly shattered a tree as thick as a human thigh dozens of feet away. Xu Yan was dumbstruck! Was the power of the Descending Dragon Palm really this terrifying? Li Xuan was extremely satisfied with his reaction, pulling back his hand and placing it behind his back, he began bluffing, ¡°This is the power the Descending Dragon Palm can display at the entrance level of vital energy cultivation. ¡°However, 1 did not use the Descending Dragon Palm form when demonstrating, so as not to interfere with your comprehension of the true meaning of the Descending Dragon Palm.¡± Xu Yan listened respectfully, his face flushed with excitement, reflecting his inner agitation. ¡°Just a casual palm strike from Master at the beginner stage of vital energy cultivation can have such terrifying power, and he didn¡¯t even use the form of the Descending Dragon Palm. The Descending Dragon Palm is truly incomparably powerful!¡± With a grave expression, Li Xuan began to explain the Descending Dragon Palm, ¡°The form of the Descending Dragon Palm, with one palm strike, unleashes a palm force shaped like a dragon. The more deeply you comprehend it, the more true dragon palm forces you will be able to strike¡­¡± Then he casually struck out a few palms, explaining to his disciple, ¡°I did not demonstrate the true dragon palm force to you because 1 don¡¯t want you to get entrapped in the intent of my Descending Dragon Palm. Once you are caught in it, you will not be able to cultivate your own Descending Dragon Palm. ¡°I do not wish for you to be bound in my shadow. The Martial Path is endless, and I hope you can cultivate the true intent that belongs to you. ¡°Do you understand?¡± I¡¯m really doing this for your own good! It¡¯s definitely not because 1 can¡¯t demonstrate the dragon-shaped palm force that I didn¡¯t give a demonstration! Li Xuan looked stern. Xu Yan was deeply moved in his heart, ¡°Master is indeed a rare genius. By accepting me as a disciple, he¡¯s not only passing on his Martial Arts but also showing great expectations of me. He hopes that 1 will develop my own Martial Path true intent. ¡°And not to remain in the shadow of Master, unable to surpass him my entire life!¡± His eyes reddened with emotion, and he nodded, ¡°Master, 1 understand!¡± ¡°Very good! This Descending Dragon Palm, like the Martial Arts techniques I¡¯ve taught you, emphasizes comprehension and true intent, not outward form. You need to comprehend and realize its true essence. ¡°When you can simultaneously strike out eighteen true dragon palm forces, you can consider yourself to have made initial progress.¡± Li Xuan, speaking as he always does, once again patiently counseled his disciple, emphasizing the importance of comprehension and true intent, and not to pay too much attention to the few palm strikes he had just demonstrated. He should derive his own understanding from the theoretical framework of the Descending Dragon Palm. ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan nodded. Lixuan nodded in satisfaction. Before teaching him the fabricated chants of the Descending Dragon Palm, he asked, ¡°My disciple, do you have any questions?¡± It was a routine inquiry. After finishing his teachings, he always asked to see if the disciple had any questions. ¡°Master, I have one question.¡± Xu Yan spoke up. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Master, since the Descending Dragon Palm is about ¡®descending the dragon,¡¯ why do we strike out with palm forces shaped like a dragon?¡± Xu Yan asked, looking puzzled. Li Xuan:¡­. Chapter 34 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan never expected Xu Yan to pose such a question. He could only say, it¡¯s no wonder that this man, who managed to successfully cultivate a fabricated cultivation technique, has a thought process and focus different from ordinary people. But this question wouldn¡¯t baffle him! At once, he looked at Xu Yan with a gratifying gaze, his face full of satisfaction towards his disciple. ¡°My dear disciple, your ability to ask this question at this time indicates you have an acceptable level of comprehension and have already begun to catch a glimpse of the principles of the Descending Dragon Palm. ¡°There¡¯s an adage that says ¡®fight poison with poison¡¯, have you ever heard of it? ¡°The Descending Dragon Palm is just like this, using a dragon to subdue a dragon. ¡°Dragons are superior divine creatures, born with divine skills, how could it be easy to subdue them? ¡°This Descending Dragon Palm, using a dragon to subdue a dragon, not only conquers the dragon¡¯s body, but also the dragon¡¯s heart, attacking both its body and its will!¡± Li Xuan started inventing further as he spoke. ¡°Subduing the dragon¡¯s body, as well as the dragon¡¯s heart, attacking both its body and its will?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart shakes mighty; he feels the Descending Dragon Palm is indeed mystical and unpredictable. Although he hasn¡¯t clearly understood how to conquer the body and the heart, how to attack the body and the will, it doesn¡¯t lessen his awe towards the Descending Dragon Palm. His heart was wildly excited, ¡°I must master the Descending Dragon Palm. If I ever encounter a true dragon one day, I will use this palm to subdue the dragon!¡± ¡°Master, I understand, I will definitely master the Descending Dragon Palm, I will definitely comprehend the true meaning of Descending Dragon Palm!¡± Xu Yan said, firmly. ¡°Hmm, I believe in you!¡± Li Xuan was greatly comforted. ¡°As for the set phrase of the Descending Dragon Palm, you must remember it well, disciple. This is where the true meaning of Descending Dragon Palm lies. If you can understand a bit of it, Descending Dragon Palm can be learned. If you understand its true meaning, that would be a martial arts divine skill.¡± In order to create the Descending Dragon Palm, Li Xuan had to rack his brains and invent a set of phrases. As for whether it will work, it depends on Xu Yan himself. ¡°Disciple will definitely remember it in heart!¡± Xu Yan replied respectfully. ¡°Listen well.¡± Li Xuan said solemnly, ¡°Dragons possess divine skills, changing according to the situation; their actions dominate the world, their anger shakes heaven and earth; when angry, they stir up storms, when hidden, they leave no traces; striking thousands of miles, extremely yang and strong, nothing can resist; flexible as water, unpredictable, both compliance and defiance at will.¡± Xu Yan muttered the phrase, his eyes in deep thought, as if a burst of inspiration flashed across his mind, he vaguely felt that he had comprehended something. But he couldn¡¯t grasp it. ¡°Come follow me.¡± Li Xuan, with his hands behind his back, walked towards the flat area where the Eight Diagrams were drawn. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan respectfully followed behind. ¡°Do you see this? These are the Eight Diagrams!¡± Li Xuan pointed at the Eight Diagrams on the ground and said. ¡°Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui¡­¡± Li Xuan explained to Xu Yan all the knowledge he could remember about the Eight Diagrams, meanwhile randomly making up some theories that sounded mystical and strong. ¡°The mysterious and endless changes of the Eight Diagrams, how much you can comprehend, how much you can understand, it all depends on you¡­ Movement techniques, steps, etc. can all be understood from the Eight Diagrams.¡± ¡°After entering the door, cultivation depends on the individual. You need to be good at grasping the inspiration of the moment. Today, I will transmit to you the understanding of Descending Dragon Palm and the subtlety of the Eight Diagrams, so you can deeply ponder.¡± After explaining, Li Xuan spoke in a solemn voice. ¡°Yes, Master, I will certainly not disappoint you!¡± Xu Yan nodded respectfully. In his mind, at this moment, it was all theories about Eight Diagrams. The more he thought about it, the more mysterious it seemed to be. It felt like he could keep perceiving it. ¡°This is the supreme Martial Arts!¡± Xu Yan thought excitedly in his heart. ¡°You can allocate your practice time yourself. Cooking and feeding the chickens can be done once a day.¡± Li Xuan contemplated for a moment and said. He has to give more time for the disciple to practice, rather than waste it on feeding chickens, farming, and cooking. With his current state, even if he didn¡¯t eat or drink for several days, he wouldn¡¯t have any problems. Eating one meal a day is sufficient. ¡°Yes, Disciple understands!¡± Xu Yan said respectfully. ¡°Hmm, practice well.¡± With his hands clasped behind his back, Li Xuan strolled away leisurely. He returned to the village and sat down on a chair under a large tree. Li Xuan sighed, wondering if his disciple would succeed in his cultivation training? He focused his consciousness, trying to probe his Golden Finger. But he found nothing. The Golden Finger would only appear when Xu Yan made a breakthrough in his cultivation and received feedback. ¡°Could it be that my strength is too low to actively see the Golden Finger?¡± Li Xuan speculated inwardly. ¡°The function of the Golden Finger should be to make the cultivation technique I created theoretically successful. Of course, there are certain limitations, such as the cultivator cannot be too lacking in comprehension skills. ¡°Xu Yan, this silly disciple of mine, has a strong ability to fill in the gaps and has top-notch comprehension abilities, so he was able to succeed in his cultivation training. ¡°My Golden Finger should have been activated when Xu Yan successfully cultivated the random technique 1 created. Thanks to Xu Yan, this extraordinary being, for acknowledging me as his master. Otherwise, I would have been stuck in this little village, unable to go anywhere!¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. Taking Xu Yan as a disciple was indeed a very wise decision. Xu Yan completed a circle following The Eight Diagrams and fell into deep thought. Vague insights flickered in his mind, but he was unable to express them concretely. ¡°I¡¯ll allocate some cultivation time now. I¡¯ll practice the Descending Dragon Palm in the morning and contemplate The Eight Diagrams in the afternoon!¡± ¡°Today, I will start with Descending Dragon Palm training.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself and returned to the hillside where his master had taught him the Descending Dragon Palm. Taking a deep breath, he forcefully thrust out his palm. His Qi and Blood burst forth, like a burning torrent, crushing the air before it. ¡°That¡¯s not right! This is just the force of my Qi and Blood, not the power of the True Dragon Palm!¡± Xu Yan furrowed his brows and fell into deep thought. Again and again, he pondered over the mantra of the Descending Dragon Palm in his mind. ¡°The dragon has Divine Skills, and the power of the dragon is naturally invincible. To be invincible, one must be wild and robust, concentrating power in a single instant¡­ ¡°My realm is still low. 1 shouldn¡¯t demand too much. So, 1 should lower my expectations¡­ ¡°How can I, the dragon with Divine Skills, display the palm strength similar to the Divine Skills of a dragon?¡± Xu Yan entered a state of deep contemplation, forgetting everything else. At that moment, the images of legendary stories about the True Dragon and its portraits surfaced in his mind. In an instant, a sort of enlightenment dawned on him. Bang! Qi and blood accumulated in his palm. They compressed against each other, condensed into one, and then blasted out with a powerful palm strike. A wave of blood and qi, twice as mighty as before, violently crashed into a tree not far away. Crack! The tree broke and collapsed instantly. ¡°I understand how 1 can make my palm force strong and elevate it beyond normal limits.¡± At that moment, Xu Yan opened his eyes as a flash of insight illuminated his mind, enlightening him on how to unleash a fierce palm force. As he saw his abdomen and chest swell, he thrust out both palms. His blood and Qi swiftly turned into a violent torrent that burst forth, once again doubling its power! Bang! He punched a small pit into the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve finally understood a bit of it. This is just the beginning. This palm strike of mine is more than twice as powerful as the full-force strike I used to have before practicing the Descending Dragon Palm. This is not the limit, it¡¯s just the beginning!¡± Xu Yan was visibly excited at this moment. ¡°Just by understanding a bit of it, I could release such a powerful palm force. The power of the Descending Dragon Palm is truly unparalleled!¡± Now that he had gained some perception, the next step was to solidify this perception, practice repeatedly, continue understanding, and refine it. ps: seeking regular readers, seeking all the support a_a Chapter 35 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan was on the hillside, constantly practicing according to his understanding, hammering the ground into pits one after another, until the night grew deep. He had expended a great deal of his inner energy and felt tired, so he reluctantly returned to the village. The next morning, Xu Yan, spirited, returned to the hillside to continue his training. Boom! With a single palm strike, soil flew up three yards away, leaving a pit. ¡°My power has increased again, my understanding is correct, I¡¯m still at the superficial stage, I can continue to strengthen my palm¡¯s force.¡± Xu Yan stared at the pit on the ground, his heart humming with excitement. This strike was twice as powerful as before he started practicing the Descending Dragon Palm technique. Finally, he had abandoned the fighting style that relied on brute strength. ¡°Let¡¯s check how my silly disciple is doing in his practice.¡± Li Xuan approached with a leisurely stride. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan quickly performed a respectful salutation. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan glanced at the various pits on the ground, all made by Xu Yan¡¯s training. He was delighted, ¡°Has he had an epiphany? Judging by the power of these pits, it¡¯s beyond the realm of brute force. Though he has not yet mastered the Descending Dragon Palm, given time, he is certain to succeed.¡± ¡°Master, I have gained new insights.¡± As Xu Yan said this, he raised his hand and struck, producing a loud boom and carving out a hole in the ground. Li Xuan¡¯s face remained calm, but inside he marveled, ¡°This disciple truly has an extraordinary level of comprehension. He has found a way to harness his inner energy to maximize his power.¡± ¡°Did he understand the first part of the verse?¡± Li Xuan then spoke, ¡°The fact that you realized something shows that you have the potential to master the Descending Dragon Palm. However, always remember that an enemy will not give you time to gather your strength. Your palm must move with your heart¡¯s will.¡± ¡°Only when you have mastered the dragon-shaped palm force can you be considered to have barely entered the initial stage.¡± ¡°Keep your mind tranquil, contemplate more, practice more.¡± Xu Yan was taken aback, ¡°That¡¯s right. Each time I strike, 1 go through a preparation process. Even though it¡¯s very brief, mighty warriors can determine life or death in an instant.¡± ¡°The direction of my understanding is correct, but it¡¯s not deep enough. I still need to continue my efforts.¡± He respectfully saluted, ¡°Disciple thanks Master for the guidance!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded and left in his leisurely stride. He couldn¡¯t afford to stay too long or offer too many empty pointers. If he ever got stumped by his disciple¡¯s questions, it would be too embarrassing! So, after a glance at Xu Yan¡¯s progress, Li Xuan turned and quickly left. In the following period, Xu Yan practiced the Descending Dragon Palm in the morning and contemplated the movement technique in the Eight Diagrams in the afternoon, enhancing his personal strength through practice at night. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. The hillside was covered with pits of various sizes. Xu Yan¡¯s mastery of the Descending Dragon Palm had made tremendous progress. He could now launch his palm force instantly with a single thought, at his will. Every time he struck, the palm force transformed from his inner energy was like a stream as thick as a calf¡¯s leg, hitting the ground with high speed and ferocity. The palm force was extremely positive and powerful. Compared with before his training, his power had increased more than threefold. However, he hadn¡¯t yet been able to produce the dragon-shaped palm force. Though the palm force he released was no ordinary inner energy stream and its power had increased by more than threefold, it was still not regarded as having mastered the Descending Dragon Palm. At this moment, Xu Yan was deeply understanding the mnemonic of Descending Dragon Palm and was summarizing his training experience of the past half month. ¡°How should 1 gather the power of the Dragon Palm? Why should it be fashioned into the shape of a dragon?¡± ¡°How can 1 start cultivation?¡± Xu Yan fell into deep thought. In his mind, an image of the True Dragon emerged. His Qi and blood rotated, a surge of energy flowed from his palms, under his command, the Qi and blood gradually transformed towards the form of a dragon. However, in the end, it turned into a palm force resembling a python, far from the desired form of a dragon. ¡°I understand, consolidating the shape of a dragon, is the control over one¡¯s Qi and blood. Only by enhancing the control of Qi and blood, can a dragon form manifest. ¡°If achieved, the Dragon Palm formed would be indistinguishable from a True Dragon. This might be the ultimate form of the Descending Dragon Palm. ¡°At this stage, what 1 need to do is consolidate the dragon form, with horns, whiskers, and claws¡­¡± Once he determined the direction, Xu Yan began his training of the Descending Dragon Palm, manipulating the Qi and blood to form a dragon shape. However, each time he managed to form a horn, he was unable to form the claws, and his Qi and blood would uncontrollably collapse. Xu Yan realized that if he wanted to consolidate into a Dragon Palm, he must first enhance the use of Qi and blood. This was also the prerequisite for becoming proficient in the Descending Dragon Palm. ¡°Once 1 master the Descending Dragon Palm, my palm power will surge once again. Its strength will be under my control, no longer uncontrollable like now.¡± After figuring out the key to practising the Descending Dragon Palm, Xu Yan began to try to enhance his control over Qi and blood. Three days later, although his control over his own Qi and blood had made some progress, he was still far from being able to synthetize the Dragon Palm. ¡°Master, how can I enhance my control over Qi and blood?¡± Unable to hold back any longer, Xu Yan took advantage of a meal to ask this question. Li Xuan¡¯s hand paused slightly. How to enhance control over Qi and blood? How would 1 know? Of course, as a master, he couldn¡¯t respond like that. He glanced at the chicken leg in his bowl, suddenly had an idea and said, ¡°My disciple, understanding the importance of Qi and blood shows you have reached a bottleneck.¡± ¡°Qi and blood come from oneself. How to enhance control? Utilise every bit of Qi and blood, let it go where your heart desires? ¡°You could try using your Qi and blood to roast meat.¡± Li Xuan tore a piece of meat from his leg and while eating, he continued, ¡°Roasting meat with one¡¯s bare hands is a lost art. It requires a high degree of control over one¡¯s Qi and blood.¡± ¡°To have the roast crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, just right, is not easy.¡± ¡°You see this chicken leg?¡± Li Xuan tore off the remaining chicken leg, added it to his own bowl, and continued, ¡°When you can roast a chicken leg with your hand, have it perfectly cooked but the meat around it remains raw, your control over Qi and blood can be said to have passed the test.¡± Upon hearing these words, Xu Yan seemed deep in thought and exclaimed, ¡°So, cultivation is all about everyday practice. I¡¯m far behind. Master¡¯s realm is too high.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± Abandoning his meal, he said, ¡°Master, your disciple understands!¡± ¡°Good that you understand!¡± Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Xu Yan excitedly ran to the chicken coop, grabbed a chicken, skillfully plucked and butchered it, then held it in his palm. His Qi and blood surged, and the intense heat from them instantly enveloped the chicken. A hissing sound rang out, but as soon as the savory aroma wafted out, the chicken turned charred when he withdrew his Qi and blood. It was inedible now. Xu Yan scratched his head, summarizing the experience just now, grabbed another chicken, plucked and butchered it, then used his Qi and blood to roast it in his hand. He scorched another chicken. Li Xuan, having finished his meal and strolling leisurely around the village, saw more than a dozen charred chickens scattered around Xu Yan¡¯s feet. And in his hand, he was roasting a freshly butchered chicken. ¡°How sinful!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s mouth matched.. It¡¯s just been a short time and there¡¯re already more than a dozen chickens ruined! If he doesn¡¯t stop now, all the chickens will be gone by tomorrow! Chapter 36 Translator: 549690339 ¡°My dear disciple, you¡¯ve just begun practicing the control of Qi and blood. Chickens are too small. The Qi and blood can envelop them instantly. 1 low can that improve your control?¡± ¡°You need to practice with something bigger.¡± Li Xuan advised earnestly. ¡°Yes, master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up. With the burnt chicken tossed aside, he excitedly approached the horse he arrived on, rubbing his hands together and eager to try. Li Xuan:¡­ This disciple. His brain indeed doesn¡¯t work too well. ¡°Young one, this horse is also not suitable.¡± Xu Yan nodded. The horse was too big for the Qi and blood to envelop; he should look for smaller prey. ¡°Master, I¡¯ll go hunting right away.¡± Li Xuan felt relieved; his disciple finally understood. With some luck, he would get to eat game in no time. Three days later. Qi and blood surged on Xu Yan¡¯s hand, spreading a hot breath, and a scent of cooked meat arose. A wild boar was roasted to perfection by him. Although half of it was charred, at least the other half was roasted and worth eating. ¡°My control over Qi and blood has improved tremendously!¡± Xu Yan was ecstatic. He swung his hand, and a palm energy of Qi and blood rumbled forth, condensing into a long-horned python. Even the contours of its eyes and mouth were clear and distinct. ¡°I¡¯m close to being able to condense the Dragon-form palm force.¡± Xu Yan was beyond thrilled. He tossed down the roasted pig and continued to catch wild pigs for practice. ¡°I wonder how my silly disciple is progressing with his cultivation?¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly, he still hadn¡¯t tasted any game. All of it was burned to charcoal by Xu Yan. How could he eat it? ¡°You, my disciple, have gotten the hang of roasting meat bare-handed. Your control of Qi and blood has greatly improved. Your bare-handed roasting skills are excellent with a hundred percent control of Qi and blood.¡± Suddenly. A golden light emerged, and Li Xuan felt, in an instant, as if he had practiced bare-handed roasting countless times and reached a masterful level. Moreover, he had complete control of the Qi and blood. With the one hundred percent control of Qi and blood, Li Xuan felt his usage of his own Qi and blood reached an astonishing stage. Every bit of Qi and blood could be manipulated at will. His control over Qi and blood improved, and his abilities greatly enhanced. At this moment, his body¡¯s Qi and blood could completely be contained, without leaking at all. He lifted his right hand, and Qi and blood gushed out from his index finger like a flame, sometimes enlarging, sometimes shrinking, and the intensity of the Qi and blood could also be freely manipulated. ¡°This is what a hundred percent control of Qi and blood feels like!¡± Li Xuan was stunned. His silly disciple was doing well, progressing rapidly. That night, Xu Yan returned. He felt that he was close to condensing the Dragon-form palm force. His control over Qi and blood had improved significantly. Li Xuan sat in his chair. It was time to show his silly disciple a thing or two. ¡°Disciple, come here.¡± Xu Yan was holding a chicken that he had just slaughtered, ready to make dinner. ¡°Master.¡± Li Xuan took the chicken from his hand. ¡°Watch closely, my disciple.¡± Saying that, he placed his finger on the chicken¡¯s leg. As the Qi and blood churned, the scent of cooked meat wafted through the air in no time. He handed the chicken back to Xu Yan. ¡°Tear it open and take a look.¡± As Xu Yan did as he was told, he tore the chicken leg, his eyes widened in shock. The chicken leg was partly cooked. Only the section within a finger¡¯s width was cooked, the rest was still raw. ¡°This is what one hundred percent control of Qi and blood looks like. ¡°If you can do it, roasting a chicken leg completely without cooking the meat around it, then you have enough control of your inner energy.¡± Li Xuan finally revealed a trick in front of his disciple, feeling fulfilled in body and mind. Xu Yan was greatly shocked. Was this total control of inner energy? ¡°Master, 1 will definitely be able to do it!¡± ¡°Hmm, do your best, there¡¯s no need to pursue it relentlessly. Don¡¯t neglect your cultivation because of it!.¡± Li Xuan nodded and reminded him. Fearing that his silly disciple might neglect cultivation to pursue total control, which would slow down his progress, things would be inverted. ¡°Disciple understood!¡± Li Xuan sighed internally. His disciple indeed possessed extraordinary talent. After he displayed the technique, Xu Yan was able to roast a chicken leg perfectly in five days, without affecting the surrounding meat. Although he hadn¡¯t gained total control over his inner energy, he had already reached eighty percent. This was already quite impressive. Xu Yan wisely didn¡¯t obsess over achieving total control and shifted his focus to practicing the Descending Dragon Palm. On the hillside. Xu Yan thrust out his palm, and a red dragon about a meter long and as thick as his calf shot out, crashing into the ground and blasting a large hole. ¡°After cultivating the dragon-shaped power in my palm, my strength has more than doubled. But 1 still feel like something¡¯s missing.¡± Xu Yan frowned. Although he¡¯d succeeded in cultivating the dragon-shaped power, it had not produced the overpowering might he¡¯d expected. He always felt like he was missing something. ¡°Dragons bear divine skills, they transform according to circumstances ¨C the ability to transform means flexibility¡­ 1 get it now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s missing is flexibility. My power is too rigid.¡± ¡°It lacks vitality!¡± Xu Yan again immersed himself in comprehension, wondering how he could truly get started. In the following days, Xu Yan devoted himself to practicing the Descending Dragon Palm, neglecting even the Eight Diagrams and his movement technique. He kept practicing the Descending Dragon Palm again and again. He was constantly adjusting, constantly cultivating the Descending Dragon Palm according to his comprehension. And so, another seven days passed. Xu Yan, who was practicing the Descending Dragon Palm, struck out with his palm, and a red dragon about a meter long writhed and shot out, heading straight for a tree. Xu Yan slightly overturned his palm, and the red dragon suddenly wheeled around, bypassing the tree trunk and striking the trunk with its tail. Crack! The tree was struck and broken by the dragon¡¯s tail! The red dragon plunged into the ground elsewhere, leaving a huge pit. ¡°I¡¯ve almost mastered it. This palm attack is about ten times stronger than before 1 began practicing Descending Dragon Palm.¡± ¡°This is the power of the Descending Dragon Palm!¡± Xu Yan was incredibly excited. Raising both hands, he projected a meter-long red dragon-shaped force from his right hand. Then, with a follow-up strike from his left hand, another dragon-shaped force spouted out. Both forces twirled around his body, one protecting while the other was a fierce onslaught, the dragon¡¯s head was about to hit its target when it suddenly surged upward, its tail whipping downward, immediately followed by a swift turnaround and a powerful slam by its head! Boom! On the hillside, roaring sounds echoed continuously. The two red dragons, spouting force, dancing and swirling around, sometimes diving down, sometimes burrowing into the ground, sometimes swinging their heads and wagging their tails! ¡°Dragons bear Divine Skills, transforming according to circumstances, so that¡¯s it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finally figured it out!¡± ¡°Although 1 still don¡¯t possess the Power of Divine Abilities, only grasping the basic concept, my current realm is still low-level. This is already an initiation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finally managed to cultivate the Descending Dragon Palm!¡± Xu Yan was incredibly excited. He had finally understood the phrases of the Descending Dragon Palm, even though only superficially. But he had initiated it. If he had cultivated the Descending Dragon Palm when he fought the bandits, would he have relied on brute force? With one palm strike, he could have killed all those bandits! ¡°I need to practice more to do it effortlessly and fluently. Now I can only mobilize two dragons, far from small achievement.¡± ¡°Also, my power is still not imposing enough, the dragons 1 launch are not flexible enough!¡± Xu Yan was summing up his shortcomings, practicing on the hillside non-stop. For a moment, the hillside was a scene of flying fragments and crushed vegetation.. There were numerous large pits on the ground, densely packed! Chapter 37 Skills (Seeking More Reads)_i Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan sat in his chair, appearing calm and composed, but feeling a little uneasy. It had been quite a while, yet Xu Yan had still not managed to master the Descending Dragon Palm. Could it be that his teachings were too vague, hence making it difficult for Xu Yan to grasp? ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Seeing progress implies that there¡¯s still hope.¡± Li Xuan reassured himself. ¡°Even if Xu Yan doesn¡¯t succeed in mastering the Descending Dragon Palm, as long as his overall level of training is continuously improving, it should be fine. Worst case scenario, it can be explained by a lack of innate talent for that particular technique.¡± ¡°Should 1 share with him the secrets of the Sword Dao?¡± ¡°That should be easier to master, right? Xu Yan should have more talent for it, shouldn¡¯t he?¡± Li Xuan pondered how to go about teaching the Sword Dao to Xu Yan. Xu Yan always carried a treasured sword with him, which hinted at his interest in swordsmanship. This could mean that he might be highly talented in Sword Dao. But how to teach him the Sword Dao, that¡¯s the question. After all, Li Xuan himself wasn¡¯t skilled in swordplay, and could only attempt to demonstrate without fully understanding the techniques. The real issue was how to construct a set of Sword Dao theories that Xu Yan could understand and learn from. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait a little longer. Maybe one day, he can just magically master the Descending Dragon Palm.¡± Li Xuan tried to probe the elusive golden glow once again, but to no avail. ¡°What is the deal with this Golden Finger? Why does it only appear randomly?¡± He shifted in his chair, seeking a more comfortable position. Originally, after Xu Yan¡¯s return, Li Xuan intended to move. But now that he needed to impart martial skills to Xu Yan, he had to keep staying in the small village. ¡°Once your disciple masters the basics of your Descending Dragon Palm, the power of your Descending Dragon Palm, upon its completion, will be ten times more powerful than others in the same realm.¡± Suddenly, a golden glow emerged. Boom! The true essence of the Descending Dragon Palm appeared in Li Xuan¡¯s mind, instantaneously reaching a state of completion. Its power was ten times more potent than anything else in the same realm. For a moment, it appeared as if there were eighteen giant dragons, each a hundred feet long, roaring and circling in his eyes! ¡°Holy crap! ¡°The disciple¡¯s really done it! He¡¯s actually managed to master it!¡± Li Xuan was ecstatic. He leapt out of his chair and immediately left the small village. When he arrived at the hill where Xu Yan was training, he saw two thirty-foot-long crimson dragons spiraling and dancing from far away. When they roared down and crashed onto the ground, a large hole was created. He felt a sense of longing. ¡°Disciple, well done. You¡¯ve just barely scratched the surface of the Descending Dragon Palm.¡± Li Xuan strolled over, his tone holding a tinge of satisfaction. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan ended his practice, bowed respectfully and said, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your guidance, Master.¡± Li Xuan looked around, seeing the numerous small and large holes on the ground, all densely packed together. The surrounding vegetation had been entirely destroyed and disappeared. ¡°Even though you managed to manifest the Descending Dragon Palm, it lacks vitality.¡± ¡°Now that you have managed to acquire the technique, 1 no longer need to worry that showing it to you will affect your training of the Descending Dragon Palm. Today, 1 will show it to you, so take a good look. This is how the Descending Dragon Palm looks when it is fully mastered in the Blood Qi Realm.¡± Li Xuan emphasized, this was the Descending Dragon Palm in the Blood Qi Realm, not his real strength. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan was thrilled. The Master was about to showcase the Descending Dragon Palm from the Blood Qi Realm, from which Xu Yan also hoped to gain insights. ¡°Watch carefully!¡± Li Xuan raised his hand and struck out with his palm. Roar! A dragon¡¯s roar sounded, and a golden Giant Dragon thundered forth a hundred feet long, with its head held high as if it was alive, and roaring. Boom! The Golden Giant Dragon flew outwards, its claws tearing apart a large tree. Its tail swept across the ground, creating a deep trench. Boom! The Golden Giant Dragon eventually crashed on the ground, creating a large crater. Li Xuan¡¯s face remained composed, as if it was just a casual move and nothing worth mentioning. Indeed, he was incredibly exhilarated inside. For this palm strike, he utilized his full strength. The Perfected Realm¡¯s Descending Dragon Palm already displayed an element of ¡°liveliness¡±. With his power being ten times that of the same skill level, this strike showcased supreme Yang and pure firmness along with an unmatched might. Even though Xu Yan has trained to the Perfected Realm, he has far from reached such power. This is the testament of the strength of a master! After all, Li Xuan¡¯s Descending Dragon Palm is ten times as powerful as those in the same realm. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes widened, stunned beyond belief. ¡°Is this the Descending Dragon Palm executed in the Qi and Blood Realm? It¡¯s terrifying, with such power, one can effortlessly take on an army.¡± ¡°Master simply made a casual strike, yet it already exhibited such an overwhelming aura.¡± ¡°Moreover, Master¡¯s Descending Dragon Palm can roar like a living dragon.¡± ¡°I still have a long way to go!¡± Xu Yan was deeply stirred inside. He realized his shortcomings. His Descending Dragon Palm lacked liveliness. Compared to his Master¡¯s, his palm strike still seemed rigid! ¡°A dragon possesses divine skills, altering according to situation. This is the true essence of the mantra. This is just a dragon in the Qi and Blood Realm, if one achieves higher realms, will the dragon he creates possess divine skills?¡± The more Xu Yan pondered, the more he envisioned, leading him to realize the power and profundity of the Descending Dragon Palm. However, his comprehension of the Descending Dragon Palm mantra is barely at the basic stage. Seeing the astonished look on his disciple¡¯s face, Li Xuan felt satisfied. He walked away leisurely with his hands behind his back. ¡°My disciple, do not be influenced by the power of my palm. You must comprehend the essence of the Descending Dragon Palm that is unique to you.¡± ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan bowed to show respect. ¡°Mmm, since you¡¯ve managed to grasp the basics of the Descending Dragon Palm, try to understand The Eight Diagrams in depth.¡± Li Xuan nodded. Now that Xu Yan has successfully cultivated the Descending Dragon Palm, Li Xuan wanted him to delve further into The Eight Diagrams. If Xu Yan could attain some understanding, it would provide potent feedback for him. Chapter 38 Light Swan Movement Technique i Translator: 549690339 After thinking of the movement technique mantra, Li Xuan came to The Eight Diagrams and spoke, ¡°Disciple, you¡¯ve been training diligently these days. Your speed has improved, and your steps are much lighter.¡± ¡°But you are still far from truly comprehending the movement technique.¡± ¡°By now you should have made some progress in understanding the art of movement. It¡¯s time to teach you the movement mantra.¡± ¡°Listen and remember.¡± Xu Yan stopped and responded with excitement, ¡°Yes, Master!¡± ¡°The essence of movement, lies in being light, lies in being fast. Being light means you¡¯re silent and unnoticed, while being fast is like a flash of lightning¡­¡± Li Xuan spoke with the wisdom of a sage. Xu Yan listened thoughtfully and vaguely understood how he should comprehend the movement technique. ¡°As light as a goose feather or a falling leaf, as swift as a thunderbolt with no trace of physical form!¡± Li Xuan meticulously recited the newly developed mantra word by word. ¡°Disciple, ponder on this mantra!¡± After finishing, he turned around, hands behind his back, and left. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan bowed. Having given Xu Yan the two-line mantra, whether or not he could comprehend the movement technique now depended on Xu Yan himself. However, Li Xuan believed that his disciple wouldn¡¯t let him down. Those two lines of the mantra were all Xu Yan could think about. The more he pondered on them, the more profound he found them. Looking up and seeing his master had left, he prepared to continue practicing, when he suddenly paused. ¡°Master said the essence of movement is in being light and fast¡­ ¡°This is it? Master¡¯s steps are so leisurely, so relaxed¡­¡± Xu Yan saw his master leave, hands behind his back, walking with a leisurely pace, appearing relaxed and comfortable¡ªan unspoken kind of ease. ¡°Master¡¯s leisurely steps are him unconsciously displaying his movement technique? ¡°No! Master¡¯s level is so high, he has already returned to his true self. Although he seems to walk slowly, he actually embodies the highest principle of movement. ¡°The saying is ¡®lead byword and example.¡¯ After Master taught me the mantra, he demonstrated it with his calm steps. ¡°Yes! It must be that way. 1 must clearly understand the deep meaning contained within Master¡¯s steps!¡± After Xu Yan¡¯s own interpretation, his spirit was immediately invigorated. He watched Master¡¯s steps without blinking. His steps carried a charm that was hard to describe¡ªleisurely, light, and even more carefree! The more he watched, the more he grasped the hidden principles of movement in Master¡¯s steps. ¡°As light as a goose feather or a falling leaf, as swift as a thunderbolt with no trace of physical form¡­ 1 am starting to understand.¡± As Xu Yan watched his master¡¯s steps, gradually, a ray of comprehension seemed to emerge in his mind. The leisurely, swift, carefree steps merged with the mantra. He felt like he had vaguely understood something. At this moment, Li Xuan¡¯s figure had disappeared from Xu Yan¡¯s sight. At this moment, Li Xuan was in high spirits. After creating and passing on another two-line mantra to his disciple, he anticipated the feedback that he would soon receive regarding the movement technique. Therefore, his steps were comfortable and unhindered, full of joy. He felt so buoyant that he even wanted to hum a few songs. Little did he know that his carefree walk was taken seriously by Xu Yan, who interpreted it in his own way and sought to understand the profound meaning in his steps. After Xu Yan interpreted Master¡¯s steps to contain profound meaning, during his practice with the movement mantra, his head was filled with images of those carefree, leisurely steps. In combination with the mantra, his understanding of it grew steadily. It seemed as though puncturing through a layer of paper would reveal the powerful movement technique. In the diagram of The Eight Diagrams, Xu Yan¡¯s steps between movements became lighter, his landings soundless, his turns smoother, and his leaps carried a hint of being weightless. His figure floated around The Eight Diagrams, his steps becoming lighter, and his speed continuously increasing. ¡°I¡¯m faster! ¡°I feel as though I¡¯m on the cusp of comprehending the movement technique.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s gaze was firm. At one moment, the only thing left in his mind was the ease and unrestrained steps of his master ¨C gradually becoming more mysterious and clearer. He felt a kind of enlightenment rising up in his heart. ¡°As light as a goose feather falling leaf, as swift as thunder without a shadow¡­ I begin to understand, floating silence like a goose feather, thunder lasting only a moment¡­ This could be what we call the Light Goose Movement Technique. ¡°Although I have not yet grasped its true meaning, 1 have at least made a start in the movement technique. ¡°Silent and traceless as a floating goose feather¡ªthe Light Goose Movement Technique!¡± At a certain moment, Xu Yan felt an infinite sense of enlightenment flowing into his heart. In that instant, his figure began to flutter. In a blink of an eye, as if shifting, he arrived at another location. He landed without a sound, not even a speck of dust was raised. His figure constantly fluttered within The Eight Diagrams, getting faster and lighter, changing positions in an instant. Moreover, such swift speed didn¡¯t produce any wind noise at all. In between flutters, light as a goose feather, silent and traceless. ¡°I finally perfected the Light Goose Movement Technique!¡± Xu Yan was extremely excited. He roared, leaped into the air, and in an instant, he was a hundred feet away, launching a Descending Dragon Palm. A red dragon roared out, creating a crater on the ground. Xu Yan¡¯s figure flitted about, striking with the Descending Dragon Palm¡ªmoving left and right, up and down, rolling around and changing positions in an instant. Consequently, the Descending Dragon Palm instantly struck from different directions. With a grasp of the movement technique, Xu Yan¡¯s fighting power soared instantly. ¡°Next, 1 will strive to practice hard and level up to the minor achievement of the Qi and Blood Realm as soon as possible!¡± Xu Yan was ecstatic. ¡°Your disciple has successfully cultivated the movement technique you compiled and named it the Light Goose Movement Technique. You have now directly perfected the technique, increasing your power tenfold.¡± On the third day of passing the mantra to Xu Yan. Li Xuan was sitting in a chair, playing with Jade Ruyi. Suddenly, a golden light appeared. In his mind, the principles of the Light Goose Movement Technique appeared all of a sudden, and he instantly perfected it. Li Xuan immediately stood up, his face showing excitement. ¡°As expected, having a mantra and not having it makes a big difference. ¡°My disciple¡¯s talent is truly extraordinary. As long as he has the mantra, he can sense it. ¡°It¡¯s worth my trouble to rack my brains to compile the mantra. ¡°It seems that the cultivation method of the Innate Realm can be passed on to my disciple in advance, so he can familiarize himself with it and strive to break through the Innate Realm as soon as possible.¡± With a step, light as a goose feather, silent and traceless, he had instantly left the small village. His figure fluttered around at a very high speed, yet not a sound of wind was created, quietly and silently. Li Xuan, playing with Jade Ruyi in his hand, had already arrived at Xu Yan¡¯s training place. He saw his disciple, Xu Yan, constantly launching the Descending Dragon Palm while executing his movement technique, practicing his defense strategy. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to show some of my skills again!¡± A smile appeared on Li Xuan¡¯s face. With a single move, he silently arrived behind Xu Yan. With the mastery of Qi and Blood Realm, and a strength a hundred times that of the same level, and the perfection of the Light Goose Movement Technique, ten times that of the same level, how could Xu Yan detect his arrival? At this moment, Xu Yan, who was excitedly practicing, was completely unaware of someone behind him, following his every move. Li Xuan¡¯s hands were behind his back, no matter how Xu Yan rolled, he always kept behind Xu Yan, silently, without Xu Yan noticing at all. ¡°My dear disciple, in a while, you will experience the strength of your master!¡± A happy smile appeared on his face. PS: Seeking continued reading, seeking everything a_a Chapter 39 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan stopped his training, his face filled with an excited smile. ¡°Pairing the Light Crane Movement Technique with the Descending Dragon Palm, my combat power has greatly increased. With my current strength, even if 1 were in the midst of a hundred thousand troops, I could move about freely, cutting down commanders in the army with ease!¡± Xu Yan muttered to himself, a sudden feeling of pride emerged in his heart. He sneered mentally, ¡°Rejected our marriage engagement, huh? Thought that my mind is useless, and that I am a disgrace? 1 warned you, your Jiang family will sooner or later be out of my league, and now you are indeed out of my league.¡± ¡°So what if he is the great general of East River? Even if it¡¯s the old emperor of Qi Country, 1 won¡¯t even take notice of them now.¡± Xu Yan was a young man full of vigor and virility. Having had his marriage engagement annulled and being ridiculed, how could he not harbor some resentment? Right now, with his initiation into martial arts, his strength greatly increased, he viewed the martial force of Qi Country as nothing more than a chicken or a dog. Youthful pride naturally emerged. His current mindset was one of pity towards those who mocked him. They were like frogs in a well, ignorant of the vast world, and their ridicule no longer reached his ears. They were no longer people from his world. ¡°Disciple, you were able to comprehend the movement technique in such a short time and even thought of using it in combination with the Descending Dragon Palm. Good job!¡± Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind him. Xu Yan suddenly shivered and hurriedly turned around, only to see his Master leisurely standing behind him. ¡°Master, when did you arrive?¡± ¡°I came when you were practicing the movement technique and the Descending Dragon Palm.¡± Xu Yan was greatly shocked, ¡°I didn¡¯t notice at all. Master usually looks just like an ordinary person. Only when he reveals a bit of his power, do 1 realize how insignificant I am!¡± ¡°When will 1 be able to be like Master, appearing just like an ordinary person.¡± ¡°This must be what Master meant by returning to simplicity and following nature in martial arts!¡± The more he thought about it, the more unfathomable his Master seemed. ¡°Disciple, with your current strength, in the mortal army of one hundred thousand, not to mention freely moving about, even slaughtering them ail would just take a bit longer!¡± Li Xuan continued seriously, ¡°But remember, Disciple, Martial Arts is not about killing. If you succumb to the habit of killing, you will enter the path of the devil and will eventually be reduced to ashes.¡± He was worried that his disciple, a young man prone to pride and possessing great power, will become unstoppable in Qi Country, and consequently become arrogant and fearful of nothing. This was not a good thing. However, Li Xuan was not too worried that Xu Yan would go astray. This disciple¡¯s heart was still pretty good; he knew his limits. Furthermore, his determination for Martial Arts was firm. With him as his master for guidance, he won¡¯t lose himself due to the relatively weak external martial strength, no matter the circumstances. Moreover, the martial strength of this world was not necessarily as low as Qi Country¡¯s. The Fire Mane Wolf was a perfect example. ¡°Yes, Master, 1 will keep this in mind!¡± Xu Yan answered respectfully. ¡°Mmm, you cannot kill indiscriminately, but you cannot be weak either. Kill when necessary, discern between good and evil, don¡¯t bully the weak, as long as you know your limits.¡± Li Xuan spoke in a gentle tone. He didn¡¯t want his disciple¡¯s mentality to inflate and cause a massacre. Of course, he also didn¡¯t want his disciple to be soft-hearted, hesitating to kill when he should. Those who deserve death, naturally have to die. You cannot hesitate! ¡°I understand, Master!¡± Xu Yan bowed in response. ¡°Good. Keep practicing diligently and strive to reach the small achievement level of Qi-Blood Realm as soon as possible. When the time comes, I will teach you the cultivation method for the next realm.¡± Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction. Xu Yan was immediately excited. ¡°Master, rest assured, 1 will strive to break through to the small achievement level of the Qi-Blood Realm within half a month!¡± ¡°Alright, half a month later, 1 will teach you the method of the Innate Realm.¡± After injecting his disciple with a dose of ¡°chicken blood,¡± Li Xuan was very satisfied. Half a month later, he could teach Xu Yan the method of the Innate Realm, allowing Xu Yan to begin comprehending it and understand the method of the Innate Realm. In the next half month, Xu Yan dedicated himself entirely to strenuous training, even interrupting the continuing learning and cultivation of the Light Crane Movement Technique and the Descending Dragon Palm. Hard work indeed pays off. After half a month, Xu Yan¡¯s vigor and energy reached the height of thirty feet, advancing to the small success stage of the Blood and Qi Realm. On this day, Li Xuan sat on a chair, gazing at the gloomy sky, as if it was about to snow. ¡°It¡¯s time to leave,¡± he thought. Li Xuan sighed regretfully, deciding it was time to leave this remote little village. Since traversing into this world, he had not taken a step outside of this small village, completely uninformed about the outside world. All he knew was that he is in Qi Country, located within the territory of Donghe County. At this moment, a golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple has reached the small success stage of the Blood and Qi Realm, while you¡¯ve achieved completion in the same realm, which makes you a hundred times stronger than the others,¡± said the golden light. The Blood and Qi Realm is complete! Li Xuan felt his vigor and energy explode in an instant. In a mere thought, his life energy shot up three hundred feet into the sky! ¡°Good job, foolish disciple. Within half a month, you¡¯ve managed to reach the small success stage of the Blood and Qi Realm. It¡¯s time I teach you the laws of the Innate Realm. ¡°What if he comprehends the laws of the Innate Realm before breaking through it? Would that allow me to be directly promoted to the Innate Realm?¡± Li Xuan pondered. The feedback from the Golden Finger is based on the cultivation results of the disciple. If one has not reached a certain realm but has comprehended the laws of cultivation, can they also receive a response? Now, imparting the laws of the Innate Realm to Xu Yan could verify this. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve made a breakthrough!¡± Xu Yan obediently returned, bowing to his master. ¡°Mhm.¡± Li Xuan nodded, still sitting in his chair, slightly lifting his eyes, and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you the way of the Innate Realm, but don¡¯t be too ambitious and impatient. Cultivation requires stepping forward one at a time. ¡°You must be down to earth and strengthen your foundation. If the foundation is not solid and you blindly pursue a breakthrough, you will eventually ruin your future in martial arts.¡± To avoid his disciple neglecting the cultivation of the Blood and Qi Realm due to acquiring the laws of the Innate Realm, becoming overambitious, seeking a breakthrough into the Innate Realm without fully mastering the Blood and Qi Realm, Li Xuan was solemnly admonishing him. ¡°Yes, Master. 1 will definitely stay grounded and carefully cultivate the foundation of the Blood and Qi Realm,¡± Xu Yan responded respectfully. ¡°Mhm, I believe you understand this.¡± Li Xuan nodded, stood up, placed a hand behind his back, slightly raised his head and stared at the distant horizon. For some reason, Li Xuan felt that this posture was particular fitting. It gave off the aura of a strict teacher or a lofty person. ¡°Above the Blood and Qi Realm is the Innate Realm. What is the Innate Realm? It is the shedding of mortality and returning to the truth, stripping away all worldly impurities to reach the Innate Realm. ¡°Upon entering the Innate Realm, in some sense, you have already transcended the mundane world¡­¡± Li Xuan spoke, narrating the introduction concerning the Innate Realm that he had prepared beforehand. Xu Yan listened carefully, his heart pounding with excitement. Once in the Innate Realm, you¡¯ve already transcended the mundane world to some extent, no longer an ordinary person. This is merely the second state in martial arts. It¡¯s hard to imagine how powerful the future states will be. ¡°To break through to the Innate Realm, your Blood and Qi must be complete, your body bridge and the heaven and Earth must be interconnected in order to lead Nature¡¯s spiritual energy into your body, create the Dantian Qi Sea, and transform the Blood and Qi into the Innate True Qi. ¡°Transform all the Blood and Qi into Innate True Qi, and you will enter the Innate Realm. ¡°The cultivation of the Innate Realm involves guiding and processing nature¡¯s spiritual energy, solidifying it into Innate True Qi¡­¡± Li Xuan presented the techniques for cultivating the Innate Realm one by one to Xu Yan. Explaining what the Heaven-Earth Bridge and Dantian Qi Sea are, among other things.. Chapter 40 (Request for follow-up reading) 1 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan took a deep breath and finished explaining the cultivation technique of the Innate Realm, which he compiled to Disciple. ¡°Disciple, have you remembered it? The cultivation technique of the Innate Realm was the first time he put a lot of thought into it. The theory, framework, and so on were all more complete than practicing skin, bones, and organs of the foundational realm. It even pointed out the location of the Heaven and Earth Bridge, and Qi Sea in the Dantian. A more detailed method of cultivation like this is usually easier to understand and to practice successfully for Xu Yan. ¡°Master, Disciple has remembered it!¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. ¡°As you practice the way of Innate, meditate carefully. Do not neglect the cultivation of the realm of blood, nor be overly ambitious. ¡°You need to stay grounded!¡± Li Xuan once again reminded seriously. ¡°Master, Disciple understands. Before my Qi and blood are perfected, 1 will absolutely not practice the way of the Innate and attempt to break through.¡± Xu Yan solemnly replied. ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded, and then continued, ¡°These four sentences elucidate the realm of Innate, remember them as well.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan was energetically uplifted, revealing an excited expression. ¡°The Heavenly Bridge is connected to shed mortal dust, inhale Spiritual Energy to return to Innate, True Qi vast and endless, commanding the energy to soar into the blue sky.¡± Li Xuan spoke word by word. ¡°The Heavenly Bridge is connected to shed mortal dust¡­ commanding the energy to soar into the blue sky?¡± Xu Yan repeated to himself in a murmur. He felt that his heart seemed to gain some insight. He felt as if the Innate was not far away from him! ¡°In your leisure time, reflect more. When your Qi and blood are complete, you will be able to break through to the Innate.¡± Li Xuan glanced at his disciple. The way of the Innate Realm had already been passed on to the disciple. When he could gain insight, he had no way of knowing. But he believed that with Xu Yan¡¯s comprehension and that formidable improvising ability, and firm belief in the Martial Arts he taught, he could surely gain insight. ii It¡¯s about time to find another disciple to test.¡± ¡°The disciple must have a high comprehension and a rich imagination to comprehend the made-up cultivation technique.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. The method of practicing Martial Arts in the Qi-blood realm is already complete, if passed to a new disciple, would it also receive feedback? Can the new disciples be successful in cultivation? However, Li Xuan had an intuition that the newly accepted disciples must practice new ways to get more feedback. He believed this intuition would not be wrong. Therefore, getting another disciple would need another cultivation technique compiled. The realm may remain the same, but the cultivation technique must be different! ¡°After gaining experience, composing will be relatively easier, but good disciples are hard to find.¡± ¡°Ordinary people are definitely not suitable. They lack comprehension and are not strong in improvisation.¡± ¡°They certainly cannot success in cultivation.¡± Looking at Xu Yan engrossed in the tips of the Innate Realm, Li Xuan was very clear, if it not for this silly disciple who has excellent comprehension, strong improvising ability, and firmly believed in the Martial Arts he taught, he would not have been successful in cultivation. And activated his Golden Finger. Therefore, the requirement for the talent of disciples absolutely cannot be low. ¡°In such a bigQi Country, I can surely find a second suitable disciple.¡± Li Xuan was full of expectations. If he can¡¯t find one in Qi Country, he could go to Wu Country. ¡°I can also look for one or two suitable persons, if not accepting them as disciples, accepting them as servants should be possible, right? Teaching them the cultivation technique of the Qi-blood realm, to see the effects. ¡°If servants are not suitable, how about registered disciples?¡± ¡°As a secluded master, how can I casually accept disciples? ¡°Therefore, it¡¯s better to be servants.¡± Li Xuan had a few thoughts. The practiced method of Martial Arts, it is temporarily unknown whether it can be practiced successfully if taught to others. Even if it can be practiced successfully, there should be certain requirements for the aptitude. The feedback received by successors is not high. This was Li Xuan¡¯s intuition at heart. He believed this intuition was related to his Golden Finger. Therefore, if he wants to get larger feedback, he has to take disciples and compile a new cultivation technique. So, it¡¯s time to leave. Li Xuan glanced at his disciple, who was meditating on the tips of the Innate Realm, then he said, ¡°Disciple, pack up your things. It¡¯s time to leave.¡± ¡°Master, what¡¯s going on?¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. ¡°As a master, I should also venture out into the world.¡± Li Xuan said nonchalantly. ¡°Master, you¡¯re not going to live in seclusion anymore?¡± Xu Yan looked surprised. ¡°Now that I have accepted a disciple, it¡¯s time to be part of the world again. Besides, where can I not live in seclusion? ¡°To hide in plain sight!¡± Li Xuan said inscrutably. ¡°Hide in plain sight?¡± Xu Yan murmured and suddenly perked up. True to his reputation, his master was a hidden expert! Where could one not live in seclusion? To a real master, where could they not seclude themselves? Even the bustling market place can serve as a place of seclusion, too. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan eagerly nodded and began packing his bags. He didn¡¯t have much for luggage. Other than a few pieces of clothing, all he had were the gifts he had offered when he first became a disciple. Li Xuan toyed with a Jade Ruyi in his hand, finding himself more and more fond of it. A horse pulled an old wooden cart out of the forest. Li Xuan sat in the cart, toying with his Jade Ruyi, and looked back at the dense forest and mountains, which were slowly fading away. He was filled with a sense of nostalgia; after his long seclusion, he was finally stepping out of the mountains. Leaving the small village. At this moment, the day was approaching twilight. Xu Yan led the horse ¨C his footsteps were light, and he made no sound when he hit the ground. His movement technique had made a significant progress. ¡°Master, the town ahead is Yunshan County. Shall we rest there, or go directly to the prefecture city of Donghe?¡± Xu Yan asked. ¡°Let¡¯s spend some time in Yunshan County for now,¡± Li Xuan pondered before answering. He wanted to observer if there was any suitable disciple candidates in Yunshan County. Yunshan County was just a small county town with a population of several tens of thousands. In the evening, the townspeople suddenly saw a carriage driven into the county town. Two young men, one leading the horse, the other sitting in the carriage. The young man in the carriage was dressed ordinarily, but he toyed with a flawless Jade Ruyi in his hand ¨C its expensive value was obvious at a glance. A beggar squatting by the roadside stared at the man on the carriage for a long time. His face lit up with excitement and he signaled to a middle-aged man who had a stall nearby. The stall owner silently nodded, packed up his stall, and disappeared into an alley. All this had not escaped Li Xuan¡¯s notice. But he remained unmoved. The saying ¡°wealth should not be revealed¡± applied only to the weak. The martial strength of Qi Country was too low, there was no one who could threaten him. Even if there were powerful cultivators, they would not covet the Jade Ruyi in his hand. ¡°Master, we have a shop in the county town and we have bought a courtyard there. Let¡¯s go there now,¡± Xu Yan suggested. ¡°You, my dear disciple, handle the arrangements,¡± Li Xuan was indifferent. These mundane matters, naturally, should be left to his disciple to arrange. In the heart of the county town, in front of a small courtyard, Xu Yan knocked on the gate. Soon, a servant came out to open the door. ii It¡¯s Young Master! Please come in!¡± Surprised to see Xu Yan, the servant¡¯s face broke into a smile. ¡°Make sure everything is tidy, and find yourself another place to stay.¡± Xu Yan immediately ordered. ¡°Yes, yes, Young Master, please go in!¡± The servant looked obsequious and was about to take the reins from Xu Yan, but Xu Yan ignored him and led the horse into the yard himself. ¡°Master, this county town is a humble place, and the living conditions are simple¡­¡± ii No worries.¡± The servant stared at Li Xuan, who was sitting in the carriage, obviously confused. Master? Had the foolish heir of the wealthiest family been deceived again? Chapter 41 Universal Salvation for All Beings i Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan stood in the courtyard, for the first time in a bustling place with a sense of wonderment. After all this time, it was today that he really stepped into this world. Nightfall came. The streets of the county town grew quieter as the flow of pedestrians gradually fell into silence. At this moment, inside Yunshan County government, the county magistrate, deputy magistrate, and head clerk were all gathered together, surprisingly, even the beggar and a stall owner were also present. The one sitting in the main seat was not the county magistrate, but an old man dressed in coarse linen clothes. ¡°We¡¯ve found out that the rich man who entered the city is Xu Junhe¡¯s foolish son, along with his master.¡± The beggar said with a strange expression. ¡°Xu Yan? That young man is his master? That¡¯s impossible!¡± The county magistrate¡¯s face was filled with surprise. ¡°In the past, the mentors that Xu Junhe¡¯s idiot son found were all wise old men. This young man is only a few years older¡­¡± He didn¡¯t quite understand what methods the young man had used to fool Xu Yan into becoming his disciple. The elderly man in linen robes sitting at the head of the table spoke, ¡°Xu Junhe is stubborn and foolish. He possesses enormous wealth, yet he shows no mercy to the common people. Not only did he refuse to join our Heavenly Mother Cult, but he even had our followers captured and sent to the government. ¡°His son being here serves our Cult¡¯s purpose. ¡°Later, we shall use the righteousness of our Cult to influence his disciple and persuade him to sincerely join our Cult.¡± The county magistrate nodded, ¡°The protector speaks wisely!¡± The elderly man in linen robes stood up, ¡°We are all focused on Donghe County. We cannot afford any mistakes this time. The trouble with Xu Junhe is coming soon. If he softens his stance, we can save him.¡± ¡°Rest assured protector, Strategist Kou is in charge in Donghe County, and he is certain to seize control of the county successfully.¡± The beggar said with a look of admiration on his face. ¡°Hmm!¡± The man in the linen robe nodded. Strategist Kou is the think tank of the Heavenly Mother Cult, and his presence ensures everything is foolproof. ¡°Come with me to influence Xu Yan¡¯s young apprentice¡¯s master to join our Cult!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The county magistrate and others closely followed the old man in linen robes out of the county office. Xu Yan was practicing in the courtyard, while Li Xuan was sitting in a chair, holding a book. This was a popular storybook from the Qi country that he had bought. He was curious why his foolish disciple, Xu Yan, after reading the storybook, firmly believed that there was an incredibly powerful martial arts world and searched everywhere for a master to teach him. ¡°Blessed by the Heavenly Mother, savior of all, pray to the Heavenly Mother to escape from suffering, to be wealthy in the next life¡­¡± The sound rang out in the silent street, along with the sound of a bell and footsteps coming from the end of the street. ¡°May the Heavenly Mother protect us!¡± ¡°May the Heavenly Mother protect us!¡± Suddenly, doors on both sides of the street opened, and many devout citizens began to pray. Ding! The sound of metal falling echoed incessantly. Li Xuan, listening, could confirm that this was the sound of copper coins scattering on the ground. ¡°The Heavenly Mother is touring and transforming sinners, rescuing the good, and eradicating all evil in the world¡­¡± The bell sounded closer, and the bell rang clearer. Li Xuan wore a strange look, were they aiming at him? No! They were after Xu Yan. At this moment, Xu Yan had already stopped his practice, a look of displeasure on his face. ¡°Apprentice, what is happening?¡± Li Xuan asked. ¡°Master, they¡¯re charlatans from the Heavenly Mother Cult.¡± Xu Yan said, a bit angrily. ¡°Heavenly Mother Cult?¡± Li Xuan was startled, was it an evil cult within the realm of Qi Country? ¡°Yes, Master. The Heavenly Mother Cult is regarded as a rebellious and evil cult by the imperial court, and has been surrounded and suppressed, but it cannot be wiped out. ¡°It¡¯s not just Qi Country, it¡¯s the same case in Wu Country too. They¡¯ve been continually hunted down.¡± ¡°The Heavenly Mother Sect stirred up several rebellions, none of which succeeded. The last rebellion was twenty years ago. After being crushed, they¡¯ve become weaker and have almost stopped openly preaching their doctrines¡­¡± The Heavenly Mother Sect is an ancient sect, dating back to the previous dynasty. Since the establishment of Qi Country, they rebelled no less than ten times. They¡¯re a thorn in the eye and flesh of the Qi Country court, but despite multiple crackdowns, they¡¯ve never been entirely wiped out. Every once in a while, they rise again. The same happened in Wu Country. The Heavenly Mother Sect worships the so-called ¡°Heavenly Mother¡±. It¡¯s widely spread that worshiping the Heavenly Mother can help one escape suffering and enjoy immense wealth in the afterlife. Each time the Heavenly Mother Sect caused trouble, there would be a group of fearlessly faithful followers, asserting that they would return to the embrace of the Heavenly Mother, escape the pain of the mortal world, and enjoy wealth and honor in their next life! They were undaunted by death, causing significant damage to the armies of Qi Country several times. The followers of Heavenly Mother Sect were never few, even when the court tried to crack down on the sect, especially in places plagued by famine and disaster. The people there tended to believe more in the Heavenly Mother Sect. ¡°Members of the Heavenly Mother Sect like to seize wealth from others, and then distribute it to the impoverished, gaining their faith in the process.¡± ¡°They have even robbed government officials and distributed food from their granaries.¡± ¡°However, the Heavenly Mother Sect has been silent for nearly twenty years. At least since 1 was born, I have never heard of them parading openly, spreading their doctrines.¡± Xu Yan spoke in confusion. Li Xuan was surprised. The Heavenly Mother Sect seemed to echo the White Lotus Sect, and since it was strictly forbidden by Qi Country, it was a target to be wiped out. Why were they openly parading and preaching their doctrines in Yunshan County? Perhaps Yunshan County has already been covertly taken over by the Heavenly Mother Sect. The people in the county were either followers or members of the sect. ¡°It seems Yunshan County has already been taken over by the Heavenly Mother Sect.¡± Li Xuan said with a smile. Xu Yan was taken aback suddenly realizing something. ¡°My family¡¯s shop in Yunshan, has it been taken over by the Heavenly Mother Sect? Has it become part of the sect?¡± ¡°Master, they seem to be coming this way.¡± Listening to the sound gradually getting closer, it was clearly directed at them. ¡°How dare they seize my family¡¯s shop and disturb my cultivation late at night. I¡¯m going to deal with them right now.¡± Xu Yan said angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t rush. Let them come. It¡¯s quite entertaining.¡± Li Xuan laughed. Just out of the mountain cave, he was quite interested in these outside matters. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan respectfully agreed. He sighed, thinking, ¡°Master¡¯s mindset is so unique. Is he playing with the world? This is the demeanor of a true master!¡± Footsteps stopped outside the courtyard. The bell¡¯s sound rhythmically swayed. A voice came. ¡°The Heavenly Mother is merciful and brings relief to all creatures. Would any of you benevolent souls like to contribute to the cause?¡± The voice was magnificent and carried far without dissipating. Li Xuan raised an eyebrow. The person who spoke was not ordinary. Could this be a leading expert in the martial world? Just as Xu Yan said, they were too weak! For him and Xu Yan, the speaker was weak, but for ordinary people, he was a formidable expert. Xu Yan frowned, saying, ¡°A prime martial artist? Why does the Heavenly Mother Sect in Yunshan County have such a martial artist? Could this be their stronghold?¡± Li Xuan was astonished. He thought the speaker was a leading martial artist, but he turned out to be a prime one? The level of martial strength in Qi Country¡¯s martial world was way too low. ¡°This is a prime martial artist? So weak!¡± Li Xuan said helplessly. ¡°Master, their martial arts are merely mortal. Their strength is limited. A prime martial artist is someone who has cultivated inner strength. Judging from his voice, it emanates from his inner strength¡­¡± Xu Yan explained. ¡°Inner strength?¡± Li Xuan was a bit curious. What was this inner strength all about? Why was it so weak? ¡°It¡¯s a kind of explosive force whose power is not that strong. Roughly equivalent to the beginner stage of bone training? Like the initial stage of iron bone?¡± Xu Yan replied, sounding somewhat uncertain.. Chapter 42 Translator: 549690339 The martial prowess of Qi Country was so weak that it was beyond Li Xuan¡¯s imagination. He felt that with his power, he was like a god in Qi Country. He could completely disregard the court of Qi Country. ¡°Let me see what tricks these people are up to,¡± he said as their master. Li Xuan was fondling the Jade Ruyi and leisurely walked to the front gate of the courtyard and opened it. Outside the courtyard. A group of more than ten people, all dressed in coarse hemp clothes, looked solemn. The leader was an old man dressed in hemp, the top-notch expert from the martial arts world who spoken earlier. ¡°We greet the good Samaritan!¡± The old man in hemp put his hands on his chest and bowed in a salute. ¡°What can I do for all of you?¡± Li Xuan twirled the Jade Ruyi in his hand, pretending to be confused. ¡°Good Samaritan, the Heavenly mother is merciful and saves the world. You are a man of handsome bearing and great wealth, are you willing to donate to help the life of people? ¡°The Heavenly Mother is merciful, she will bless you with peace and happiness!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched. He looked at the old man in hemp, paused for a moment and said, ¡°You come here for money under the guise of helping others, and there¡¯s no fault in that. ¡°But, could you take your act more seriously?¡± Speaking, he pointed to the old man in the hemp¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Look at you, dressed so shabby, putting on a show of walking for the people, raising money to help the people in suffering. ¡°But can¡¯t you take off that big gold ring on your finger? At least hide it!¡± The man in hemp was stunned, he looked down at his own hand. His thumb and pointer finger both wore a gold ring inset with jade. Li Xuan looked up and turned his gaze to the middle-aged man standing beside the old man, sighed and said, ¡°And you, wearing an expensive thumb ring, outer clothes of coarse hemp, but underneath a fine brocade lining. ¡°You are really unprofessional!¡± Xu Yan stood behind and watched his master critique them. He looked quite dumbfounded. Moreover, everything the master said, there was nothing wrong. These guys from Heavenly Mother¡¯s cult, really, could they not even put up a good show? And that man wearing the thumb ring, he looks familiar. It took him a while to realize in shock, ¡°Are you the County Magistrate of Yunshan County?¡± The County Magistrate of Yunshan is from the Heavenly Mother¡¯s cult? The followers of the Heavenly Mother¡¯s cult fell silent, deep in thought. In the past, when they went to the wealthy families to ask for money, they would always give it without suspecting anything wrong about them. Why is it so different today? ¡°You have sharp eyes!¡± Old man in hemp showed a sharp light in his eyes, since it has come to this, it¡¯s time to be frank and use real power! ¡°Not that 1 have sharp eyes, it¡¯s just you guys are too lacking,¡± Li Xuan sighed, stretched out his hand and put it on the old man¡¯s shoulder, ¡°With your act like this, it¡¯s no wonder you¡¯ve been failing all along.¡± The old man in hemp was now terrified. Master! An absolute master among the masters. He was so scared that he was breaking out in cold sweat. ¡°I am the hemp-robed protector of the Heavenly Mother¡¯s cult, may I know who you are in the martial arts world?¡± The old man in hemp was stiff all over, his inner strength ready to burst forth as he asked in a deep voice. At this moment, the County Magistrate and others were nervous, Xu Yan¡¯s master, is actually a top-notch master? A top-notch master at such a young age is very rare. They signaled each other secretly and then suddenly attacked. They were not attacking Li Xuan, but Xu Yan; as long as they can seize Xu Junhe¡¯s foolish son, their goal will be achieved. Looking at the approaching followers of the Heavenly Mother¡¯s cult, Xu Yan slightly furrowed his brows, raising his hand, his blood surged, pressing down slightly, a powerful surge of blood and energy instantly suppressed them. As a result, the County Magistrate and others felt as if a mountain had descended upon them, fell to the ground with a thud, unable to get up. ¡°Overestimate your abilities!¡± Xu Yan snorted coldly. He had shown mercy, not killing them immediately. All depends on the master¡¯s decision. The elders in hemp clothes were already scared out of their wits. What manner of expert was this? ¡°We can discuss this calmly, we harbor no ill will,¡± said one elder, his face wreathing in cold sweat. At this moment, the County Magistrate hollered, ¡°I am the Magistrate of Yunshan County, killing me is tantamount to rebellion. Think thrice about this!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes widened, his internal energy abruptly pressurized the County Magistrate, who felt as if he was about to be crushed into a meat pie, scaring him greatly. Without delay, the County Magistrate pleaded, ¡°Hold on, hold on! Your parents, Young Master Xu, are in imminent danger. Only our Sacred Sect can save them. If you kill me, bear in mind the consequences!¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s face flared with anger, his energy surging, intimidating the eider in hemp to the point of turning him pale! ¡°It¡¯s the truth, but it has nothing to do with our sect!¡± The County Magistrate was scared witless. ¡°Speak! What¡¯s going on?¡± Xu Yan threatened, ¡°If you dare to deceive me, I¡¯ll crush you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!¡± It had not been long since he left home. How could his parents be in danger? ¡°Our Sect received intel that the Governor of Donghe Prefecture plans to take action against the Xu family, confiscating their properties and imprisoning them. And that¡¯s no false information!¡± The County Magistrate didn¡¯t dare to conceal anything else. ¡°Ha! Seeking death? The Governor of Donghe Prefecture, even with tenfold courage, would not dare to strike against the Xu family!¡± Xu Yan sneered, ¡°My maternal grandfather is the current Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. How does the Governor of Donghe Prefecture have the audacity?¡± Li Xuan, standing at one side, was astounded. His dull apprentice¡¯s background, after all, was not so simple. Having the richest man in Donghe Prefecture as a father and the Assistant Minister being the grandfather, with this kind of background, he could act unchallenged not only in Donghe Prefecture but also in the capital city of Qi Country. ¡°Of course, the Governor of Donghe Prefecture wouldn¡¯t dare. But this is the will of a higher-ranked official in the capital¡­¡± The County Magistrate feared that Xu Yan would squash him to death in rage. He hastily added, ¡°Allegedly, in the dispute over the crown prince, the eldest prince is gaining the upper hand. Assistant Minister Guo is a supporter of the Third Prince, so¡­¡± A struggle for succession, when one side wins, the losing party would not have a good ending. Looking at it this way, the Xu family really is in danger. ¡°The dispute over the Crown Prince?¡± Xu Yan frowned. He naturally wasn¡¯t aware of these matters. All his efforts were focused on seeking hidden masters and honing his martial arts after accepting Li Xuan as his master. As for his family affairs, he barely paid them any attention. Let alone the dispute over the Crown Prince happening far away in the capital. Xu Yan furrowed his brow, withdrew his oppressive aura, and the County Magistrate breathed a sigh of relief. He continued, ¡°The reason for the broken engagement by the General of Donghe, was due to them sensing that the Third Prince was losing ground. Realizing that the dispute over the crown prince was nearing a conclusion, they broke off the engagement to extricate themselves.¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. Behind the broken engagement by the General¡¯s family, there were such hidden circumstances? The Magistrate painstakingly got up, saying, ¡°The Governor of Donghe Prefecture will soon take action. Those who have connections in Donghe Prefecture everyone knows that the Xu family¡¯s downfall is imminent. ¡°They are all eying the Xu Family¡¯s business, and they want to tear away a piece of meat for themselves.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan became furious and cursed, ¡°The Emperor is blind! My grandfather supports his third son, he¡¯s doing him a favor! These people, dare to lay their hands on my family¡¯s business.¡± ¡°Who dares to confiscate my family, I¡¯ll kill them!¡± On hearing this, the County Magistrate was overjoyed, and said, ¡°Young Master Xu, it¡¯s wonderful that you have this realization. Join us in the Sacred Sect, let us rebel together!¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Xu Yan slapped the Magistrate, sending him flying. Li Xuan sighed inwardly, the dispute over the crown prince in this dynasty not only reaps great benefits but also poses a great risk. If successful, it amounts to assisting a dragon. If a failure, at most your entire family could be put to the sword. And if it were more severe, your nine generations could be exterminated! The crisis of the Xu family suddenly arrived. However, given Xu Yan¡¯s strength and the fact the martial power of Qi Country was so low, this could not be considered a crisis at all, even if thousands of soldiers and horses rushed over, he could deal with them easily.. Chapter 43 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Disciple, the urgency at hand requires you to return home and take care of this matter,¡± Li Xuan reminded him. ¡°Yes, I need to rush home immediately!¡± Returning to his senses, Xu Yan promptly said, ¡°Master, I will return home to deal with this matter. Once it is taken care of, I will return to your side!¡± ¡°Go!¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°But them¡­¡± Xu Yan glanced at the old man in sackcloth and the county magistrate, his expression darkening. ¡°Ignore them.¡± Li Xuan shook his head. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± After bowing respectfully to Li Xuan, Xu Yan moved and disappeared into the black night. He did not ride a horse to travel, but directly used his Light Crane movement technique. With his current strength, his speed was much faster than horseback. In his desperation to return home, he naturally used the Light Crane movement technique. The old man in sackcloth and the others were frightened. How was Xu Junhe¡¯s silly son, so powerful? Could it be that he had truly found a hidden master? Do such unbelievably powerful masters and Martial Arts truly exist in this world, just like the legends say? Who the hell is playing tricks on us? For a while, all the masters of the Heavenly Mother Religion were questioning their lives. After Xu Yan left, Li Xuan immediately laughed heartily, pulling the old man in sackcloth to his side and suggesting, ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there dumbfounded, come in and let¡¯s chat.¡± ¡°No, thank you. We have some urgent matters to attend to, we need to rescue¡­ yes, rescue the suffering common people!¡± The old man in sackcloth replied, breaking out in cold sweat. The young man in front of him may look young, but he could very well be an old monster. Since Xu Yan, the foolish lad, was incredibly strong and his abilities were beyond comprehension, his master could not be simply dismissed as an ordinary man either. ¡°Are you truly going to save the suffering people?¡± Li Xuan chuckled. ¡°Yes, yes, we are!¡± The old man in sackcloth stammered, his body trembling with fear. The county magistrate got up from the ground, scurrying back in fear, attempting to escape. ¡°The Cloud Mountain County Magistrate, come here.¡± Li Xuan waved his Jade Ruyi and beckoned to the magistrate. ¡°Senior, if you have any orders, this small one will do his best to fulfill them!¡± The Cloud Mountain County Magistrate bowed and fawned over him. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, come in and let¡¯s have a chat about this Heavenly Mother Religion¡­¡± As Li Xuan stirred his internal energy, an invisible pressure blanketed everyone present. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The followers of the Heavenly Mother Religion dared not disobey, entering the courtyard with ingratiating smiles plastered on their faces. Just as he entered the courtyard, a light bulb went off in the old man in sackcloth head, and he dropped to his knees immediately. ¡°Your omnipotent power is unrivaled in the world like the lofty sky. There is no one like you in the world. From today onwards, our Heavenly Mother Religion worships you as the Heavenly Grand Master!¡± ¡°The Heavenly Grand Master is invincible! There is no one like him in the world!¡± The old man in sackcloth began to knock his head vigorously on the ground, his expression solemn, like a true believer. The Cloud Mountain County Magistrate and the others saw this and frantically dropped to their knees. With solemn expressions, they acted like devout believers, knocking their heads against the ground without sparing any effort. The sounds of kowtowing could be heard. ¡°Greeting the Heavenly Grand Master! ¡°The Heavenly Grand Master is invincible and unparalleled in the world!¡± Li Xuan:¡­ What strange bunch is this Heavenly Mother Religion? What the heck is a Heavenly Grand Master? Is this supposed to be a balance with the Heavenly Mother? ¡°The name will no longer be changed to ¡®Heaven¡¯s Religion¡¯?¡± ¡°Two choices, either sit down and have a proper talk, or¡­ die.¡± Li Xuan said in an indifferent tone. The sound of kowtowing stopped. The old man in hemp clothing and others wiped off the blood oozing from their foreheads and quietly stood up. Whether to have a chat or to die, they still knew how to choose. Li Xuan sat on the chair, and let the old man in hemp clothing and others introduce him to Tianmu Religion, the royal court and the martial world, thereby further understanding this world. Xu Family, in Donghe Prefecture. At this moment, the Xu household was brightly lit. Protectors holding weapons, patrolled the Xu estate, were on high alert. On each house, one person sat, watching vigilantly around. And in the inner courtyard, Chief Chen and Master Wang, holding their weapons, sat in the pavilion. Apart from these two, there were three others, all on guard in the inner courtyard. Five top-notch martial arts experts from the martial world. ¡°Husband, why did the evildoers of the Tianmu Religion set their sights on our Xu Family? What does the government say?¡± Madam Xu asked with a worried expression. Xu Junhe sighed and said, ¡°The Tianmu Religion demanded more than half of the wealth of our Xu family in the name of helping the people in distress, in fact, they are forcing us to join the Tianmu Religion. ¡°This is a generally recognized rebellious cult. Once involved, the outcome is like rebellion, one can imagine the consequences.¡± Madam Xu frowned and asked, ¡°1 understand this, but why doesn¡¯t the government arrest them while the Tianmu Religion is causing chaos in the locale? Why does Jiang Pingshan, the general of Donghe, just sit and watch?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not time to act yet.¡± Xu Junhe paced the room full of worries, frowning. ¡°Husband, do we have to wait for the Tianmu Religion to break into our Xu household before we act? Do we sit by and watch our Xu family be destroyed by this rebellious cult? Doesn¡¯t the magistrate of Donghe fear being charged with accusations?¡± Madam Xu looked puzzled. ¡°They are waiting for some news.¡± At this point, Xu Junhe felt that it was time to let his wife know. ¡°Those mountain bandits suddenly disappeared without a trace, and the goods were successfully delivered to the capital. I thought we had survived a disaster, but 1 didn¡¯t expect a greater one to come. This difficulty is hard to pass through!¡± Madam Xu hesitated, ¡°What kind of disaster?¡± Xu Junhe sighed and said, ¡°The battle for the heir to the throne!¡± Hearing this, Madam Xu¡¯s face turned pale instantly. Trembling, she said, ¡°Husband, are you implying that my father ¡­¡± ¡°Your father¡¯s mentor is Pavilion Elder Chen, and Pavilion Elder Chen supports the Third Prince; therefore, your father has long been seen as a trusted person, belonging to the faction of the Third Prince. ¡°Ever since last year, when the Third Prince lost the jade offered to the emperor during his disaster relief in the three prefectures, he has been in a disadvantageous position in the battle for heir to the throne. Now, the dust is about to settle over this matter.¡± Xu Junhe sighed. If it was a normal jade, it would have been alright; Third Prince¡¯s merits in providing disaster relief would have spared him from punishment. However, that piece of jade was known as the Evergreen Longevity Gem, a rarity in this world. Carrying it could ward off diseases and extend one¡¯s lifespan. It was an invaluable treasure. This lost treasure soon led to rumors that the Third Prince did not want the emperor to live a long life and had intentionally lost the gem. Regardless of the gem¡¯s authenticity, as soon as this matter got out, the Third Prince fell out of Emperor Qi¡¯s favor and was out of the game for the crown prince. The faction of the Third Prince was naturally targeted for settlement. Madam Xu turned pale and trembled, ¡°Is¡­is there no way out? What about turning to the First Prince?¡± Xu Junhe gave a bitter smile, ¡°Your father was a student of Pavilion Elder Chen and a confidant of the Third Prince. There¡¯s no chance.¡± He held his wife¡¯s hand and after a moment of silence, Xu Junhe said, ¡°Our Xu family is so wealthy, so naturally we have become the target for settlement. It¡¯s fate. I Xu Junhe, with my insignificant being, have come to this. It¡¯s not too unfair a life.¡± He glanced at the helplessly and said, ¡°As for Yan¡¯er, sigh!¡± Madam Xu leaned on him, with red eyes, ¡°It¡¯s perhaps a blessing that Yan¡¯er is not a home. I hope he can survive this disaster. This child just foolishly believed in those book¡¯s tales and went to find some expert.¡± ¡°As long as Yan¡¯er can be found before the officials, he can be kept safe. 1 have already made arrangements.¡± Xu Junhe softly embraced his wife. Pharmacist Pan walked in and said, ¡°Master, everything is ready. As soon as the young master is found, he will be immediately escorted to Wu country.¡± Xu Junhe nodded and said, ¡°In Wu country, we have some assets that can ensure Yan¡¯er¡¯s wealth. Elder Pan, please take care of him a little more.¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± Pharmacist Pan sighed, ¡°I will take care of him. After this incident, he should no longer be such a fool..¡± Chapter 44 Translator: 549690339 Xu Junhe remained silent, bur inside, he sighed deeply. After such calamity, if his foolish son managed to escape by luck and hide in Wu Country, he feared that he would be consumed with thoughts of seeking out a hidden martial arts master. Only by locating a reclusive master and learning the mighty martial arts of legends could his son avenge their household. He knew his son all too well. ¡°Elder Pan, you should leave tonight. Chief Chen and his men might do their best against the Heavenly Mother¡¯s Teachings, but when it involves the government, they will not stand with the Xu Family to the bitter end.¡± Xu Junhe pondered. ¡°Understood!¡± Pharmacist Pan nodded, turning to leave. ¡°My husband, will the people from the Heavenly Mother¡¯s Teachings come tonight?¡± Madam Xu asked after a pregnant pause. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Xu Junhe nodded. His gaze swept towards the window, heavy with concern. Outside the mansion of the Xu Family, seated inside a tavern across the street, a group of over ten people , all dressed in coarse hemp cloth, met silently. Leading them, quill fan in hand, a man gazed out the window at the Xu Family mansion. ¡°Strategist Kou, shall we take action?¡± A burly man voiced his thoughts with a grave tone. ¡°Rest assured. The Xu Family will perish tonight. The East River Prefecture thought laying a snare would allow them to exterminate us while seizing the Xu Family. What a joke. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared everything in advance. The moment they act, it will be time to change the leadership of East River. The control of East River starts tonight!¡± Kou Ruozhi had an air of assurance written all over his face. ¡°The Emperor Qi is ignorant and incompetent. The Qi court is filled with nothing but inept officials who enjoy possession without the merit. Our Heavenly Mother1 s Teachings uphold the will of Heaven. We will start with East River to show Emperor Qi what real governance truly looks like!¡± Kou Ruozhi¡¯s gaze was icy. His voice brimmed with rage against Emperor Qi and the Qi court. The burly man nodded repeatedly, expressing his strong disapproval, ¡°Strategist Kou is well known for his martial arts and his wit and wisdom are unparalleled. Yet the Qi court shunned his talents, dismissing him from examination three times. The Qi court is indeed ignorant and incompetent.¡± The others also nodded, saying that Kou, the think tank of the Heavenly Mother¡¯s Teachings, was overflowing with unparalleled wit and wisdom, nonetheless, he had been dismissed three limes. Emperor Qi and the court officials were indeed ignorant. All the better. Ever since Strategist Kou joined the Heavenly Mother s Teachings, he has been steadily advancing their cause. Today, it is one step away from taking control of East River Prefecture and raising the banner of revolt! With Strategist Kou at our side, this revolt of Heavenly Mother1 s Teachings will undoubtedly succeed! Clatter clatter clatter¡­ Horse hooves and footfalls echoed in the silent street. From the distance, a group of people approached the Xu Family mansion. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Kou Ruozhi perked up, ¡°Act according to the plan. During the transportation of Mr. and Mrs. Xu Junhe to the jail, rescue them. ¡°As long as Xu Junhe joins our sect, we have businesses in both the Qi and Wu countries; an immense fortune is not a dream.¡± ¡°Will Xu Junhe agree to it?¡± The burly man asked, doubtful. ¡°He will.¡± Kou Ruozhi confirmed radiating confidence, ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t consider himself, he will do so for his foolish son.¡± Boom! The front door to Xu Family¡¯s mansion burst open. The East River Prefecture s troops stormed in, led by their commander. The Xu Family erupted into chaos. Chief Chen, Master Wang, and the others were taken aback. This wasn¡¯t the doing of the cultists of the Heavenly Mother¡¯s Teachings, but rather the government s soldiers? In an instant, their expressions flickered in surprise, silently retreating to the side, ready to escape if the situation turned sour. ¡°Xu Junhe conspired with the Heavenly Mother1 s Teachings, committing evil of the highest order. By the order of this Prefecture, the Xu Family will be confiscated and Xu Junhe, along with his wife, are to be arrested! ¡± The East River Prefecture¡¯s commander, glaring at the Protectors and Chief Chen among the other experts, commanded sternly: ¡°Present no resistance, surrender your weapons, and establish your identities. Afterwards, you may leave freely.¡± The group of Protectors laid down their weapons one after another. Chief Chen and the others were equally dumbstruck. This was the government, not some heretics from the cult of the Heavenly Mother. Resisting them would be tantamount to committing treason, a grave crime punishable by the slaughter of one s entire family. Xu Junhe supported his wife, Madam Xu, as they stepped forward, calmly looking at the governor of Donghe County. Just a short while ago, they had been sharing drinks and stories. But now, they were treated ruthishly. Such was the ruthlessness of the struggle for the crown prince¡¯s throne. ¡°Accusations of collusion with the cult of the Heavenly Mother? Why this sudden accusation?¡± Xu Junhe looked at the county governor, sighing: Charges of collusion with the cult of the Heavenly Mother were extremely serious and grave, enough to annihilate the entire Xu Family and his father-in-law¡¯s family if found guilty. The Donghe County governor remained cold, delivering with indifference, ¡°My office is responsible for examining the Xu Family, and whether there exist ties to the cult of the Heavenly Mother. These matters will naturally be determined through the judicial process.¡± Xu Junhe remained silent. The lack of a definitive sentence for his supposed collusion with the cult of the Heavenly Mother was perhaps to keep him pondering over whether to commit the act. Once committed, there would be no turning back. This would indeed be a sin that leads to the extermination of his entire family. If convicted on other charges, perhaps they would be exiled and not executed. All of this was beyond the control of a mere merchant. His only hope was that his father-in-law in the capital city would have the influence to adjust the outcome of the case. ¡°Take them away!¡± At the wave of the Donghe County governor s hand, two soldiers, carrying shackles, moved forward, prepared to arrest Xu Junhe and his wife. A swarm of soldiers stormed in with the intention to seize the Xu family¡¯s affairs. As the richest man in Donghe County, with vast wealth, who wouldn¡¯t be envious? Now, with this giant teetering on the brink of collapse, countless hungry wolves were bound to swarm in for a share. Suddenly, a roar of anger resounded like thunder. ¡°Who dares to investigate my family¡¯s affairs!¡± The face of Madam Xu changed drastically, exclaiming, ¡°Yan¡¯er!¡± Her face lost all color in an instant. Why had he come back at a time like this?¡¯ Boom! Just then, two fiery red dragons, bringing with them a terrifyingly blazing force, swooped down from mid-air. Like a force of nature, they swept across the amassed officials awaiting to seize the Xu Family¡¯s affairs. In an instant, all the soldiers were knocked flying, landing hard on the floor, unable to climb back up. The soldiers attempting to arrest Xu Junhe and his wife with their shackles were swept into the air by the looming dragons. In mid-air, they exploded into a burst of searing heat, resembling a terrifying flame. The soldiers turned into charred corpses, falling on the heads of the other soldiers. A young man, enveloped in scorching energy, descended from the sky, landing in front of Xu Junhe and his wife, his awe-inspiring valour on full display. Silence! The Donghe County governor¡¯s body was trembling, his eyes filled with shock. The soldiers lay on the ground, shivering in fear. The Xu Family¡¯s protectors were all stupefied, their mouths hanging open, eyes wide, as they stared at young Yan, who had descended from the sky. Chief Chen kept swallowing, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. His eyes wide open, his mind drew a blank. Xu Yan? The idiot son of Xu Junhe? How can this be possible? Most stunned of all were Xu Junhe and his wife, as they watched Xu Yan descend from the sky, especially the two enormous terrifying dragons that scattered all of rhe soldiers. It was beyond rhe realms of human capability. Their son had always been searching for great martial artists hidden from the world, wanting to learn the mighty martial arts from the legends and stories. Could it be that he had truly succeeded in his training? Xu Yan was furious. He had shown restraint earlier. If he hadn¡¯t, those soldiers would have been annihilated by one strike, their corpses strewn about. This was his family home, with his mother present. If he dirtied this household, it might scare her. Thus, he had held back. Only those two soldiers who held the shackles were carried into mid-air by his Descending Dragon Palm and killed on the spot. The intense heat from their blood immediately charred their corpses into cinders.. Chapter 45 Translator: 549690339 ¡°You dog of an official, dare to ransack my house, are you tired of living?¡± Xu Yan was seething with rage, glaring at the ruler of Donghe County, a scarlet dragon coiling around him. Its powerful aura forced the county ruler to sit on the ground. ¡°Has my father not worked hard, doing business to earn a little money? Is that so easy?¡± ¡°Because the emperor¡¯s two sons are fighting for the throne, he implicates the Xu family? This is outrageous!¡± ¡°My grandfather respected his third son, it¡¯s the emperor¡¯s good fortune.¡± The moment Xu Yan said this, the faces of ATr. and Mrs. Xu Junhe changed drastically. This is blatant treason! It leads to execution of the entire family! Hidden outside the Xu family mansion, Kou Ruozhi was overjoyed at Xu Yan¡¯s words. Looking at Xu Yan¡¯s awe-inspiring demeanor, a bold idea emerged in his heart. Meanwhile, the Ruler of Donghe County, with a shocked face, pointed at Xu Yan, ¡°You, you¡¯re committing treason, you are conspiring against the throne, what punishment should be meted out to you!¡± ¡°Move! Arrest the traitors Xu and his son. This is a great opportunity to make a name for yourself, hurry up, go!¡± The Ruler of the Donghe County roared. Although Xu Yan showed divine-like power, there were always those who could not see the situation clearly and thought they could gain merits. ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go together. It¡¯s just one person, don¡¯t be afraid!¡± The leader of the soldiers, wielding his weapon, roared. Suppressing the rebellion, capturing the rebel leader is a great achievement. Wealth and high positions are just around the corner. The ruler of Donghe County looked at Chief Chen and others in the distance, said: ¡°Anyone who participates in capturing the rebellious villain will be reported to the court for reward. High official positions and wealth are just around the corner. Seize this opportunity!¡± Those are all supreme masters! Chief Chen and others looked at each other, somewhat tempted but hesitating. ¡°Archers!¡± Outside the Xu¡¯s mansion, rows of soldiers, drawing their bows and aiming their arrows. The chilling arrowheads were pointing at Xu Yan and his family. Madam Xu turned pale and said tremblingly, ¡°Yan¡¯er, run away quickly, don¡¯t worry about me and your father!¡± ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry, I will see justice done for our family today!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were cold, and he roared, ¡°My father worked hard to do some business, abide by the law, and now he¡¯s implicated in the emperor¡¯s family problems, this is outrageous!¡± He was furious now. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for my father¡¯s business, where would 1 get money to spend?¡± ¡°Without the family wealth accumulated by my father, where would I get the gift for my master?¡± ¡°Without the gift for my master, how could I cultivate supreme Martial Arts? ¡°Daring to ransack my house, arrest my parents, this cuts off my martial arts path, this is outrageous!¡± Xu Yan was increasingly angry. Facing the cold arrowheads, hundreds of soldiers, and first-class masters, he wasn¡¯t scared at all. In his eyes, they were just mere dogs. With one slap of the Descending Dragon Palm, he could kill them all! ¡°Hmph, you are frogs at the bottom of a well. You do not know the breadth of heaven and earth. Today, 1, Xu Yan, will let you know what Martial Arts is!¡± Xu Yan snorted. ¡°Young Master Xu is right. The old Emperor Qi is ignorant and incompetent. He deserves to be overthrown!¡± Suddenly, an excited roar came. Thirteen figures soared into the air, flying over the heads of the soldiers and appeared in the field. The one in the lead, was holding a feather fan, his face full of excitement. The remaining twelve were all holding weapons, their faces cold. The Heaven¡¯s Mother Sect?¡± Xu Yan frowned. As for the Heaven¡¯s Mother Sect, he didn¡¯t hold any major resentment, as long as they didn¡¯t harm the Xu family¡¯s interests. He really didn¡¯t care. His timely return was due to the information he received from a follower of the Sky Mother Sect who was also the County Magistrate of Yunshan. The Eastern River County Magistrate coldly stated, ¡°There is ample evidence that Xu Junhe and his son are colluding with the Sky Mother Sect. They should be punished for their crimes!¡± ¡°Charge, kill without mercy!¡± He turned his hand with a cold command. Kou Ruozhi, fanning his feather fan, chuckled lightly, ¡°Gentleman, can you guess how many of your soldiers are followers of my Sky Mother Sect?¡± The expression of the Eastern River County Magistrate abruptly changed. Then he scoffed coldly, ¡°Do you think 1 wasn¡¯t prepared? These soldiers are no longer under my command; they were dispatched from the General¡¯s Mansion.¡± ¡°Release arrows, kill without mercy!¡± He signaled with an icy gaze. Bang, bang¡­ Arrows burst out like rain in an instant, but at the same time, there was a certain direction where not a single arrow was released. The soldiers in that area had turned their arrows towards the ones who were shooting arrows. Screams of agony rang out repeatedly. Shock washed over the Eastern River County Magistrate¡¯s face. How had the Sky Mother Sect managed to infiltrate so deep? Boom! Kou Ruozhi and other strong figures from the Sky Mother Sect retreated, avoiding the area covered by the rain of arrows. But at that moment, two tremendous, red dragons roared into the sky. Hummmm! All arrows stopped in mid-air, ten feet away from Xu Yan. ¡°Humph!¡± Xu Yan snorted coldly, shook off the force of the Descending Dragon Palm, and the arrows shattered to dust. With a push of his palm, the force of the Descending Dragon Palm roared out. All the soldiers touched by the red dragon spat out blood and fell to the ground, unable to rise for a long time. At this moment, Xu Yan stared fiercely at the Eastern River County Magistrate. ¡°A rebellion? What can Emperor Qi do to me, Xu Yan, if I rebel today?¡± The Eastern River County Magistrate¡¯s face turned pale, his lips were trembling, but he sternly said, ¡°Xu Yan, I don¡¯t know where you got your extraordinary power, but do you think you can resist a mighty army by yourself? ¡°Can our Qi Country¡¯s Divine Might Army be defied by you alone? ¡°You are a dead man, and your Xu family, as well as Assistant Minister Guo, are all doomed!¡± At this moment, Kou Ruozhi stepped forward. ¡°Young Master Xu, don¡¯t worry. My Sky Mother Sect supports you. That blind old Emperor Qi, who doesn¡¯t recognize talent and rules incompetently, should be overthrown!¡± Kou Ruozhi was excited and angry. The look in his eyes was even more fierce than before. ¡°I, Kou Ruozhi, was a top scholar and unparalleled in intelligence. However, I failed the state examination three times. This incompetent Emperor and his good-for-nothing ministers enjoy luxury and wealth, heaven is blind!¡± Xu Junhe looked strangely at the indignant Kou Ruozhi, who turned out to be a failed scholar. So, this was the reason he plotted a rebellion? ¡°Now, heaven has opened its eyes, a god-like Young Master Xu has appeared, this is a sign of the impending doom of Qi!¡± Kou Ruozhi grew even more excited and passionate as he spoke. He suddenly knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with fanaticism, and said, ¡°Young Master Xu, the entire Sky Mother Sect, from this day forward, is willing to venerate you as the Great Sage of Sky! ¡°The Great Sage of Sky, invincible and mighty, will surely pull that incompetent old Emperor Qi off his throne!¡± The twelve elite members of the Sky Mother Sect, seeing their chief strategist Kou kneel down, immediately planted their weapons into the ground and kneeled down on one knee, greeting him with a salute. ¡°Twelve elite of the Sky Mother Sect, paying respects to the Great Sage of Sky!¡± In their hearts, they praised Kou¡¯s foresight. With such an invincible Great Sage of Sky in our Sky Mother Sect, how could our great cause fail? Xu Yan looked at the excited and fanatical Kou Ruozhi, completely bewildered. What the hell? ¡°Great Sage of Sky?¡± Even if I did start a rebellion, what does that have to do with you? ¡°What¡¯s this Great Sage of Sky? Wait a minute, you¡¯re all from the Sky Mother Sect, right? Are you planning on changing it to the Sky Father Sect?¡± A puzzled Xu Yan finally spoke up.. Chapter 46 Translator: 549690339 Kou Ruozhi stood up, bowing his head and waist, his face full of a fawning smile. He said, ¡°The current celestial mother of our Heavenly Mother Sect is 28 years old, surpassing all in beauty, and she is the unparalleled beauty in this world. She and Young Master Xu are a match made in heaven.¡± ¡°Young Master Xu is the Grand Saint of Heaven. He is the consort of the celestial mother. The Heavenly Mother Sect naturally belongs to Young Master Xu, there is no difference.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan had an astonished look on his face, ¡°So, the Heavenly Mother Sect has a celestial mother? Is she very beautiful?¡± Seeing this, Kou Ruozhi was overjoyed and thought to himself, ¡°Xu Yan with his invincible aura and handsome appearance will surely please the celestial mother. And with the celestial mother¡¯s beauty, how could Xu Yan not be moved?¡± ¡°Yes, the current celestial mother is 28 years old, the most beautiful in the world, as beautiful as a celestial maiden. Young Master Xu, if you become the Grand Saint of Heaven, you can marry the celestial mother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exaggerating, I, Kou Ruozhi, have traveled throughout the countries of Qi and Wu, and I¡¯ve never seen a woman as beautiful as the celestial mother.¡± Kou Ruozhi was hurrying to speak. Constantly praising the beauty of their current celestial mother, claiming she is unique in the world, he wanted to use her beauty to tempt Xu Yan into joining the Heavenly Mother Sect. ¡°Is there really such a beautiful woman?¡± Xu Yan suddenly seemed interested. ¡°I assure you Young Master Xu, I¡¯m not trying to deceive you. The celestial mother¡¯s beauty is indescribable. Among the countless men in this world, only Young Master Xu would be worthy of her.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the Grand Saint of Heaven and the celestial mother be a perfect match?¡± ¡°Young Master Xu, join our sect, become the Grand Saint of Heaven in our sect. Together, we will rise in rebellion and overthrow old Emperor Qi!¡± Kou Ruozhi, seeing the situation was favorable, continually sought to manipulate him. ¡°Is there really such a beautiful woman in this world?¡± Xu Yan felt curious about the current celestial mother of the Heavenly Mother Sect. Something isn¡¯t right! He suddenly became alert, ¡°This man keeps describing the celestial mother¡¯s beauty to me, he obviously wants to use beauty to bewitch me. Once I join the Heavenly Mother Sect and become the Grand Saint of Heaven, I¡¯ll be entranced by the celestial mother¡¯s beauty.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this result in neglecting my martial arts training? Indulging in pleasure day and night, losing interest in martial arts, and becoming hopelessly lost in beauty?¡± ¡°Over time, my chi would become depleted due to overindulgence, and my appearance would become haggard and thin, and my path in martial arts would be cut off.¡± ¡°If the celestial mother uses some kind of method to drain my energy for her own benefit, wouldn¡¯t my strong energy be satisfying her?¡± The more Xu Yan contemplated, the more he thought deeply, the more stern he became. In his mind, he could already see himself with dark eye sockets, sunken cheeks, a thin body, depleted chi, swaying as if about to collapse. At this thought, Xu Yan took a sharp breath. His gaze towards Kou Ruozhi changed, and he shuddered inwardly, ¡°This man is so sinister and evil, seeking to disrupt my focus on martial arts. He mustn¡¯t be spared!¡± His eyes glaring angrily, he said coldly, ¡°You sinister, evil person, vainly trying to disrupt my focus on martial arts. Do you not know I, Xu Yan, would never be moved by the allure of women? I cannot spare you today!¡± He abruptly raised his hand, and the force of the Descending Dragon Palm manifested. A giant red dragon was about to be unleashed. Thump! ¡°Wait, wait, Young Master Xu, wait!¡± Kou Ruozhi, who had been observing Xu Yan¡¯s expression, saw that something was wrong. He hurriedly knelt down with a thud. ¡°Young Master Xu¡¯s will is as solid as a rock, not moved by the enticement of women. I, Kou, admire this. Only Young Master Xu in this world could be the Grand Saint of Heaven for our sect.¡± ¡°A moment ago, when 1 mentioned the celestial mother¡¯s beauty, it was only to witness Young Master Xu¡¯s steadfast will, not to be bewitched by beauty. There was absolutely no intention to distract you from your martial arts!¡± ¡°I, Kou, swear to heaven!¡± Kou Ruozhi hurriedly raised his hand and swore. Xu Yan¡¯s expression softened and he retracted his palm force. Kou Ruozhi¡¯s face was covered in cold sweat, and he was inwardly shocked, ¡°At this age of vigorous vitality, who can resist the celestial mother¡¯s peerless beauty?¡± ¡°Could it be that Xu Yan is not interested in women but rather in men?!¡± Thinking of this possibility, Kou Ruozhi had a thought, his eyes rolling, he had an idea. ¡°In fact, there are many handsome men in our Heavenly Mother Sect, whether they are delicate or sturdy, we have all kinds of temperament. If Young Master Xu joins our sect and becomes the Grand Saint of Heaven, you can choose freely.¡± Xu Yan, still a young man and completely focused on martial arts, didn¡¯t understand the implication in Kou Ruozhi¡¯s words for a moment. Doubtfully, he said, ¡°Handsome guys? 1 can choose any?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! You can choose any handsome guy from our group, Young Master Xu!¡± Kou Ruozhi wiped off his cold sweat, stood up, and smiled obsequiously. Xu Yan blinked, about to ask why he would pick handsome guys? Madam Xu behind him became anxious immediately, her voice trembling: ¡°Yan¡¯er, don¡¯t scare your mother. Are you¡­do you have¡­do you fancy men?¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan immediately understood and became furious, ¡°You really are crafty and wicked! When your beauty tactic didn¡¯t work, you tried to ruin my reputation, disrupt my focus, and destabilize my martial arts spirit. 1 won¡¯t let you get away with this!¡± Thud! Kou Ruozhi¡¯s soul nearly flew out of him, and he fell to his knees instantaneously. ¡°Wait, wait! Young Master Xu, it¡¯s a misunderstanding! 1 didn¡¯t mean that!¡± Kou Ruozhi felt the terrifying pressure contained in Xu Yan¡¯s palm, his face was full of cold sweat and turned pale. His thoughts were spinning quickly. He hastily said, ¡°What I mean, is to let Young Master Xu choose handsome men to send to Emperor Qi!¡± ¡°Right! Send them to Emperor Qi. It¡¯s been rumored that buffoonish Emperor Qi is fond of men. We can send him handsome men, destabilize his harem, and distract him from state affairs.¡± ¡°Once we preach about Emperor Qi¡¯s immoral and mess making behavior, we will surely win over hearts and minds. We can then take Jin¡¯an all at once and capture the foolish Emperor Qi!¡± Kou Ruozhi was drenched in cold sweat and could only pin every blame on Emperor Qi. The twelve elite warriors of the Heavenly Mother Sect looked at their think tank, Strategist Kou, in admiration. True to his role as the sect¡¯s strategist, with his ability to read the situation and adapt, no one could compare. If it were any of them, they might have lost their lives on the spot. At this moment, Kou Ruozhi was somewhat broken inside, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Xu Yan? He¡¯s not interested in women? Or men? Why does he think I¡¯m trying to disrupt his martial arts spirit?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being wronged. Did he misunderstand what I said?¡± Xu Yan glared at Kou Ruozhi, coldly saying, ¡°Whether I, Xu Yan lead a rebellion or not has nothing to do with your Heavenly Mother Sect. You don¡¯t need to resort to such base methods. Emperor Qi is nothing. 1 can just go directly to the capital city, and cut off his head.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Kou Ruozhi stood up with cold sweat dripping down his face. That was close! He barely survived! He shifted his gaze to Xu Junhe and laughingly said, ¡°Honorary Member Xu, may we discuss?¡± Xu Junhe glanced at the Prefecture Governor sitting at one side with a pale face and angry eyes, responding coldly: ¡°Kou Ruozhi, if you want to talk, bring out the qualifications to talk.¡± ¡°Understood, 1 will bring out the qualifications to discuss.¡± Kou Ruozhi let out a sigh of relief. Waving the feather fan in his hand, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, turned to the elites of the Heavenly Mother Sect, and said, ¡°It¡¯s time to make a move!¡± ¡°Yes, Strategist Kou!¡± A man took out a whistle, put it in his mouth, and blew. The whistle sounded once short and once long, and it was blown three times in succession. Shortly after the whistle sounded, whistles resonated from inside the prefecture city. ¡°Dad, should we kill him?¡± Xu Yan looked at the Prefecture Governor and asked. How he should deal with the Prefecture Governor and others was a decision he would allow his father to make ¡ª to kill them all or otherwise. Xu Junhe pondered for a moment and said, ¡°There¡¯s no rush to act. Let¡¯s wait for the news from the Heavenly Mother Sect.¡± He let out a sigh of relief and looked at his son with a gleam in his eyes. He initially thought his son¡¯s head was not right, and he believed in the serialized story¡¯s prophecy. Little did he know that his son would actually cultivate such terrifying power. That fiery red dragon was like a divine force, beyond human capacity. PS: Dear readers, please continue reading and give your likes and comments Chapter 47 Translator: 549690339 The crisis of the Xu Family had been exposed due to the aggressive and superhuman strength shown by Xu Yan, which made Xu Junhe consider some follow-up matters. Possible cooperation with the Heavenly Mother Cult to incite a rebellion? Xu Junhe dismissed the idea, he concluded that a rebellion by the Heavenly Mother Cult cannot succeed because it lacked the right timing, location, and public support. There was no need for his son to intervene on behalf of others. The Heavenly Mother Cult was not worthy! Moreover, the pivotal reason was Xu Junhe¡¯s understanding of his own son. Xu Yan had an obsession with the martial arts found in storybooks and had now truly mastered it. He would inevitably devote more of his thoughts to the cultivation of martial arts. The impacts of rebellion would be vast, inevitably giving rise to several hassles which would require Xu Yan to handle. This would delay his cultivation of martial arts, a lifestyle that Xu Yan did not desire. Consequently, Xu Junhe did not want to see his son get entangled in such messes. Therefore, for the issues initiated by the struggle for the throne, the source of which was in Jin¡¯an, the capital city, Xu Yan had to make a trip to resolve them once and for all. Suddenly, a long whistle sounded from the direction of the office of the Commandery Captain of Donghe County. The Commandery Captain of Donghe County turned his head back abruptly with a rapidly changing complexion. Was the office of the Commandery Captain of Donghe County about to fall? Kou Ruozhi revealed a smile, bowing towards Xu Junhe and said, ¡°As of today, the office of the Commandery Captain of Donghe County is under my control in the name of the Heavenly Mother Cult, and 1, Kou Ruozhi, am the new Commandery Captain.¡± At this moment, the Commandery Captain of Donghe County was astounded, staring at Kou Ruozhi in shock, exclaiming, ¡°You¡¯ve even infiltrated the government office?¡± With a wave of his folding fan, Kou Ruozhi scoffed and said, ¡°Oh, you incompetents, only the senile, foolish Emperor Qi would appreciate you. I merely took some initiative.¡± Looking down at the Commandery Captain, he continued, ¡°You wanted to trap turtles in a jar, but do you not realize, we have been waiting for this opportunity as well.¡± At this moment, a steady stream of footsteps echoed from the streets, as a large group of soldiers began to assemble. Leading them was the Commandery Captain of Donghe County! ¡°Sir, the rebels have been captured.¡± The Commandery Captain bowed to Kou Ruozhi on arrival. With a gesture, an attendant brought forward an official¡¯s uniform. It was the uniform of the Commandery Captain of Donghe County. Kou Ruozhi donned the uniform, took out a thin mask from his pocket, and wore it. And there he stood, looking remarkably like the Commandery Captain of Donghe County. ¡°Take these rebels, disguised as soldiers from the Heavenly Mother Cult, and lock them all away in the grand prison!¡± Kou Ruozhi issued the command. His voice was almost identical to that of the Commandery Captain. Thud! The Commandery Captain, horrified, fell to the ground. He stared at Kou Ruozhi in shock, exclaiming, ¡°You¡¯re impersonating me?¡± ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± Kou Ruozhi chuckled. The soldiers the Commandery Captain had brought were now preparing to disarm and tie up the fallen opposition and escort them away. ¡°Change our Commandery Captain¡¯s clothes and give him a new face.¡± Kou Ruozhi instructed. One of the experts from the Heavenly Mother Cult stepped forward, stripped off the Commandery Captain¡¯s uniform, changed him into a different set of clothes, and then put a mask on his face. In a blink of an eye, the Commandery Captain was transformed into the appearance of another expert from the Heavenly Mother Cult. ¡°Honorary Member Xu, what do you think?¡± Kou Ruozhi asked with a hint of pride. ¡°Impressive!¡± Xu Junhe exclaimed. ¡°Honorary Member Xu, what about our cooperation?¡± Kou Ruozhi opened the conversation with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss it when you can completely control Donghe County.¡± Xu Junhe replied indifferently. ¡°Well then, Honorary Member Xu, please wait for us!¡± Kou Ruozhi strode out. His gait was almost as identical as that of the Commandery Captain of Donghe County. He had evidently been secretly imitating the Commandery Captain for quite some time. The Sky Mother Sect has even infiltrated the prefecture government. This man, Kou Ruozhi, indeed possesses impressive tactics. ¡°Take them all away and do not disturb Honorary Member Xu!¡± Kou Ruozhi gave the order with a wave of his hand. The prefect¡¯s face turned pale under the control of a Sky Mother Sect expert. Still, he scoffed: ¡°The Sky Mother Sect will never amount to anything, Xu Junhe, you should be cautious!¡± ¡°There is no need for the Prefect to be concerned!¡± Xu Junhe calmly responded with a salute. The injured soldiers were all taken away, and the traces of blood on the ground were cleaned up. By now, the sky was turning bright. ¡°Dad, should we rebel?¡± Xu Yan asked. He was extremely dissatisfied with Emperor Qi. ¡°Your maternal grandfather¡¯s family is all in the capital, what would happen to them if we rebel? If we kill Emperor Qi, can we bring the dead back to life?¡± Xu Junhe looked at his son and responded calmly. ¡°What if 1 go to the capital now?¡± Xu Yan pondered and found it reasonable. If news of rebellion reaches the capital, his maternal grandfather¡¯s family would surely be executed. The journey was far, and he probably wouldn¡¯t make it in time to save them. ¡°Husband, what should we do now?¡± Madam Xu was looking worried. ¡°Yan¡¯er, tell me the truth about your strength. Can you withstand the Divine Might Army if they attack?¡± Xu Junhe asked solemnly. Only by knowing his son¡¯s strength could he make an accurate judgement and decide how to act next. Upon hearing this, Xu Yan confidently patted his chest and said, ¡°Even if a hundred thousand troops come to kill me, I can move freely and single-handedly push through their ranks. It won¡¯t be much of a problem!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Xu Junhe asked in amazement. ¡°Of course!¡± Xu Yan lifted his head proudly and said, ¡°Dad, although 1 just started my Martial Arts journey, my strength cannot be measured by ordinary means anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then!¡± Xu Junhe was relieved. His foolish son, luckily enough, had truly practiced such powerful Martial Arts. After pacing back and forth a few times, Xu Junhe said, ¡°Although Kou Ruozhi now controls the prefecture¡¯s government, taking over Donghe Prefecture is not so easy.¡± ¡°The Governor of Donghe is merely a scapegoat. Qi Country intends to eradicate the Sky Mother Sect within Donghe Prefecture.¡± ¡°The actions aimed at the Xu Family are just a bait. It¡¯s also an act by the Crown Prince¡¯s faction to achieve merit and consolidate the Crown Prince¡¯s position.¡± Xu Junhe, who managed to marry his ex-wife, the daughter of the previous Donghe Governor and current Ministry of Personnel¡¯s Vice Minister, and owns vast wealth, is not an ordinary man. Now he analyzed the situation and predicted what would happen next. ¡°Unless unexpected, Donghe¡¯s Commandery Captain, Jiang Pingshan, should act now. ¡°As for Kou Ruozhi and his men, they¡¯re like turtles in a jar. The real storm is about to come.¡± Xu Junhe said seriously, ¡°Yan¡¯er, you must defeat Jiang Pingshan¡¯s army, and demonstrate your godlike strength. Also, after defeating Jiang Pingshan¡¯s army, don¡¯t give Kou Ruozhi and his Sky Mother Sect disciples any opportunities to take advantage of¡­ ¡°Jiang Pingshan must not die!¡± After a pause, Xu Junhe said, ¡°Donghe Prefecture will be under control of the Xu Family. After this war, Emperor Qi in the capital should know what to do.¡± ¡°Yan¡¯er, you can go to the capital and show your grandfather some power to intimidate the royal family and the court.¡± Xu Yan nodded and said, ¡°Dad, 1 know what to do.¡± Then he looked up and asked, ¡°Dad, do you want to be the emperor?¡± Xu Junhe was taken aback, then shook his head and smiled, ¡°As a merchant, I am satisfied to control Donghe Prefecture. Being an emperor is too exhausting.¡± His son has practised vastly powerful Martial Arts, surpassed the ordinary, so Xu Junhe¡¯s eyes should also be raised a bit higher. What¡¯s so good about being a mortal emperor? Xu Junhe¡¯s face had a brilliant smile.. Who wouldn¡¯t want to become the legendary person who attain godhood through Martial Arts? Chapter 48 Translator: 549690339 Dawn had barely broken and the morning sun had not yet risen. In the prefecture city of Donghe, influential figures and well-informed powers were awaiting news from the government office. Common folk and petty traders were already starting to prepare for a new day. At this moment, the sound of bustling footsteps echoed throughout the alleys and streets. ¡°The imperial court has ordered the arrest of the heretics of the Tianmu cult. Everyone must stay indoors! Anyone who ventures out will be presumed to be a traitor of the Tianmu cult and punished accordingly!¡± In an instant, the citizens of Donghe became anxious, locking their doors. As they listened to the footsteps outside and peered through the cracks in their windows at the squads of soldiers passing by armed with weapons, they felt frightened. Was turmoil about to ensue again? The heavy footsteps sounded on the streets as soldiers clad in armor and wielding weapons besieged the government office. The battle had already begun. Inside the government office, Kou Ruozhi, the Think Tank, and twelve other top-tier warriors and the County Magistrate were staring at the army outside, their faces grave. ¡°Strategist Kou, it seems Jiang Pingshan had planned an ambush. He aims to annihilate us all!¡± The County Magistrate wore a heavy expression. ¡°There¡¯s a traitor in the cult. We¡¯ve been exposed. Look, that¡¯s the Shenwei Army!¡± Kou Ruozhi, however, didn¡¯t seem panicked as he pointed with his feathered fan. On the main street of the prefecture city, an army of heavy-armored soldiers, armed with lances and riding armored warhorses, was charging forward. The followers of the Tianmu cult were like paper dolls before them. Even the dozen or so top-tier masters who charged together eventually fell under their lances. This was the Qi Country¡¯s prestigious Shenwei Army! The County Magistrate gasped with shock. ¡°They¡¯ve dispatched the Shenwei Army to Donghe. Does this mean the imperial court of Qi Country knew of our cult¡¯s plot beforehand? ¡°This time, after the resolution of the princes¡¯ struggle, they are beginning the purge against the Xu Family, luring us here to be killed!¡± Kou Ruozhi chuckled coldly. ¡°The old Qi Emperor is indeed incompetent, but he still has one or two capable men under him. Thinking they can trap and kill us though, how naive.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. Now we will see how the Xu Family reacts.¡± Kou Ruozhi turned around and walked away, followed by the others. ¡°The Shenwei Army¡­ Let¡¯s wait and see if Xu Yan is superior, or if the Shenwei Army is stronger.¡± Kou Ruozhi muttered to himself, leading the group into an underground tunnel and leaving the government office. At this moment, the battle in the government office had nearly ended with the Tianmu cult disciples being decimated. Back in the Xu Family residence, Pharmacist Pan and a group of more than ten people had returned. ¡°Our young master has truly cultivated the unparalleled divine skill. It¡¯s truly unbelievable. The Xu Family is safe!¡± Pharmacist Pan exclaimed. ¡°Elder Pan, after Xu Yan leaves, the safety of the Xu Family will depend on you.¡± Xu Junhe let out a sigh. Chief Chen and the other Protectors were dismissed by him. The dozen or so masters brought by Pharmacist Pan were his trusted confidants, trained by him for years. They could even be considered as his secret weapon. Originally, they were meant to protect Xu Yan during his escape from Qi Country. Now that they won¡¯t be needed for that, they were naturally left to protect him and his wife¡¯s safety. ¡°Mister, rest assured!¡± Pharmacist Pan nodded. Rumble! The ground started shaking as a row of horsemen armed with lances and swords were charging down the street. At the same time, a voice resonated. ¡°Xu Junhe, stop resisting in vain. Surrender now, and perhaps you can save your life.¡± It was Jiang Pingshan¡¯s voice. Xu Junhe and his group walked out of the Xu Family¡¯s front door. ¡°The Shenwei Army!¡± Pharmacist Pan said solemnly. Xu Junhe took a deep breath and turned to Xu Yan. ¡°Yan¡¯er, are you sure you can handle this? If you¡¯re not sure, run, don¡¯t fight to the death!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement. His fighting spirit was soaring. Ever since he practiced martial arts, he¡¯d never had a worthy opponent. He¡¯d also never had the chance to truly experience a fight. Now, the chance to let loose had finally arrived! The Qi Country¡¯s Prestigious Army, renowned for their might, would today face the world¡¯s finest elite army. ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry, these people are nothing but worthless rabble in my eyes!¡± Having said this, he leaped skywards as if he were a falling leaf, lightly floating forward with the wind. ¡°Household matters of the old Emperor Qi have unjustly implicated the innocent. Is it easy for our Xu Family to conduct business? They actually dare to raid our home, slapping the charge of rebellion on our Xu Family. Today, I, Xu Yan, will personally experience the purported might of this Prestigious Army and see for myself, their true strength.¡± His voice resonated powerfully, like a thunderclap, echoing in the streets. The residence of the Xu Family was located in the core area of the prefecture city, where only the rich or the noble resided. At this moment, people watched from the loft windows which were cracked open a smidgen, their gaze fixated on the Xu¡¯s residence and the Prestigious Army in the streets. Upon hearing Xu Yan¡¯s words, they were all shocked to their core. ¡°The wise Xu Junhe has spawned a foolish son, now he¡¯s not going to survive!¡± ¡°They say that Xu Yan¡¯s brain doesn¡¯t work well, but it looks like it¡¯s more than just that ¨C he¡¯s outright courting death!¡± The people who secretly watched the scene couldn¡¯t help but get emotional. ¡°He¡¯s wildly audacious!¡± ¡°This Xu Yan is grossly defiant; he needs to be punished!¡± A furious roar came from the rear of the troop. ¡°Charge!¡± With the command, the ground quivered under the thunderous rumble. The Prestigious Army, with spears upright and armor glistening coldly, rushed towards the Xu residence like a terrifying torrent, directly charging at Xu Yan. ¡°Bring it on!¡± Xu Yan roared as his blood churned, a gigantic crimson dragon coiling around him. As he pushed out with both palms, two immense dragons came crashing forth. Those on the lofts, watching the people on the streets, were now horror-struck. They saw a colossal crimson dragon coiled around Xu Yan, and then two identical dragons burst forth from his palms, directly blasting towards the attacking Prestigious Army. From the bird¡¯s eye view, it was seen that the two giant dragons, with a terrifying surge of energy, were assaulting the incoming Prestigious Army like a devastating flood. Boom! The attack from the Descending Dragon Palm was formidable. In an instant, the soldiers and their horses were swept off their feet, tumbling onto the ground. Instead of retreating, Xu Yan surged forward, brandishing his arms, wave after wave of the Descending Dragon Palm Force was unleashed. The crimson dragons coiled and attacked on the street, instantly overturning the Prestigious Army¡¯s charge. Boom! The shops on either side of the street were shattered by the flying horses. One by one, the armor-clad Prestigious Army soldiers, utterly incapable of resisting, were flung into the air and smashed into the shops. ¡°This¡­this¡­¡± ¡°Impossible! It must be an illusion!¡± ¡°Has the foolish son of Xu Junhe actually found a master and learned otherworldly martial arts?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t these stories all false?¡± Everyone who witnessed this scene was completely awestruck. They could hardly believe that this was real. The crimson dragon was breathtakingly formidable, belying the capability of human power. Xu Yan, single-handedly repelled the Prestigious Army¡¯s charge. How incredible! The ¡®Prestigious Army¡¯ of Qi Country, the cream of the crop, deemed the defensive power of the country ¨C were they actually as weak as paper? The foolish son of the Xu family, known for his obsession with finding hidden world masters, was no secret and had been a subject of ridicule in East River County quite a few times. Laughing at the foolish son of Xu¡¯s family, believing his brain didn¡¯t work, naively having faith in the tales and legends. But the result! Perhaps it was they who were the fools?! Boom! A shop was blown open, and screams of terror spewed out from within. Drawing back his Descending Dragon Palm, Xu Yan looked at the street littered with chaos and the fallen soldiers of the Prestigious Army. Xu Yan coldly declared, ¡°Jiang Pingshan, your Prestigious Army can¡¯t fully utilize its strength within the city. If your defeat here isn¡¯t convincing enough, then let¡¯s take it outside the city.. I won¡¯t mind accompanying till the end!¡± Chapter 49 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan looked at the destroyed shops and couldn¡¯t help feeling pained, quite a few of them belonged to his family, the Xu Family! ¡°I was too impulsive! I shouldn¡¯t have acted in the city. It¡¯s quite a loss even if a single one of my family¡¯s shops gets destroyed. ¡°And if innocent people get hurt, it¡¯s even worse. ¡°My master said, Martial Arts isn¡¯t about killing. Since 1 have the ability to control it, I shouldn¡¯t cause unnecessary casualties!¡± The more Xu Yan thought about it, the more he realized that he had been impulsive and should have gone straight to fight outside the city. As for capturing Jiang Pingshan, Xu Yan had no such intention. He was here to demonstrate his strength and to make an impression on Old Emperor Qi. A single person defeating his invincible army, the Divine Army, wouldn¡¯t that shock be immense? From behind the Divine Army, a somewhat trembling voice came, ¡°Very well! Let us continue the battle outside the city!¡± Jiang Pingshan¡¯s voice was trembling. He couldn¡¯t believe it. What kind of terrifying strength was this? Who could single-handedly defeat the charge of the Divine Army! And this person was potentially his son-in-law! At this moment, a scene from the past surfaced in his mind. Xu Yan¡¯s resounding words,¡±¡­you will regret it one day, for you are not worthy of him!¡± Now, it seemed that his daughter really wasn¡¯t worthy! However, Jiang Pingshan didn¡¯t believe that Xu Yan could confront the Divine Army single-handedly! In the city streets, the Divine Army couldn¡¯t unleash their full potential, but outside the city, it would be different. That was the real battlefield of the Divine Army. This time, in order to obliterate Tianmu Cult and now to establish the Crown Prince¡¯s prestige, Emperor Qi had deployed an army of ten thousand Divine soldiers under his command! An army of ten thousand Divine soldiers, how could a mere mortal stand against them? ¡°Retreat, gather outside the city!¡± Jiang Pingshan managed to calm his trembling heart and issued the order. The Divine Army began to retreat. Even in the face of Xu Yan, who possessed strength beyond human, none of the Divine Army soldiers showed any hint of retreating. As the Divine Army retreated from the prefecture city, the people who had been confined at home also came out one after another, passing on the news with shock visible on their faces. The buffoon son of the richest family is challenging the Divine Army alone? What shocked them even more were the influential figures in the city. They found it hard to believe that Xu Junhe¡¯s son, had cultivated such unprecedented strength. Where did he find this hidden master? ¡°Quick, get on the city wall!¡± ¡°Hurry, hurry, this battle will determine the fate of Donghe Prefecture, and even, the Qi Country!¡± As the influential figures of the city, accompanied by their guards and servants, rushed towards the city wall. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the city wall!¡± Xu Junhe also spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Master, Madam, please!¡± One of the protectors brought a carriage over. Xu Junhe took his wife¡¯s hand and entered the carriage. The protectors escorted the carriage towards the city gate. ¡°Honorary Member Xu, does your son have a chance?¡± A voice came over. Xu Junhe looked out of the carriage window and saw Kou Ruozhi, along with several masters from Tianmu Cult, following them to the city wall to watch the battle. ¡°Yan¡¯er never fights a battle he¡¯s not sure of winning.¡± Xu Junhe calmly replied. ¡°Of course, I believe in the divine power of Sky Saint.¡± Kou Ruozhi laughed heartily. ¡°Honorary Member Xu, what do you think about this cooperation¡­¡± Kou Ruozhi¡¯s face was full of anticipation. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it after the battle.¡± Xu Junhe responded indifferently. The group soon reached the top of the city wall. The Divine Army outside the city was fully armed. Soldiers wore heavy armor, carried long spears, had long cutlasses hanging from their waists and even their horses were armored. ¡°This is the Divine Army, such a powerful Divine Army, is it an enemy that a single person can stand up against?¡± All the prominent figures and the people who had rushed on the city wall were shocked by the awe-inspiring presence of the Divine Army. Sure enough, it was the Qi Country¡¯s National Army! ¡°Husband, will Yan¡¯er be alright?¡± Madam Xu looked anxiously at the formidable Divine Might army encamped outside the city. ¡°Since Yan¡¯er is confident enough to engage in battle, he must have a plan. Rest assured, Madame!¡± Though Xu Junhe himself was nervous, he feigned calm and tried to reassure his wife. Pharmacist Pan and other bodyguards from the Xu Family surrounded Xu Junhe and his wife, on guard for potential attacks. Meanwhile, Kou Ruozhi and his party maintained a wider perimeter, watching all directions for anyone who might try to harm Xu Junhe and his wife. At this moment, Kou Ruozhi hoped someone would attack Xu Junhe and his wife, providing an opportunity for his Sky Maiden Sect to step in and save them. Owing Khun a favor. But as for the Sky Maiden Sect wanting to stage a scene themselves, Kou and his group didn¡¯t have the guts. If they were exposed, they would have to answer to Xu Yan¡¯s wrath. The Sky Maiden Sect could not bear such consequences. The big shots in the prefecture city were quietly observing Xu Junhe, waiting for the outcome of the battle. If Xu Yan emerged victorious, they would need to forge connections with Xu Junhe. Xu Yan was excited, and his eyes glowed with the will to fight. Surrounded by the Divine Might army, he felt his blood boiling, his body resounding with an inner roar like a raging torrent. His vital energy was flowing, priming his Descending Dragon Palm. Finally, since beginning his martial arts training, he was able to unleash his full power. ¡°Even though these soldiers are clad in heavy armor, they cannot withstand my palm strength. I need to temper my power, so I don¡¯t kill them all. ¡°I¡¯m no butcher. ¡°Moreover, 1 see this as an opportunity, a chance to hone my control over my vital energy and my ability to wield the Descending Dragon Palm however I wish.¡± With these thoughts in mind, Xu Yan widened his eyes and said, ¡°Come, let me show you what a true martial arts master looks like!¡± His voice echoed through the battlefield, reaching the ears of the observers outside the city. ¡°Attack!¡± Mounted on a horse, Jiang Pingshan took a deep breath and pointed his long spear forward. Thunderous noise erupted! The Divine Might army advanced, lifting their lances and spurring their warhorses, rushing towards Xu Yan from all directions like a surging flood! The lances gleamed coldly under the sun, the ranks of spearheads surging relentlessly towards Xu Yan. This charge was terrifying. Unless Xu Yan sprang into the air and flew over the army, he would have to resist the onslaught. Could a single person withstand such a terrifying charge? Could flesh and blood block it? ¡°God, the dumb heir of the richest family has really lost his mind! How can he resist this?¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead for sure!¡± The sidewalk spectators on the city wall could not help exclaiming: the dumb son of the richest family had truly gone mad. The bigwigs in the city shared this sentiment. Xu Yan was incredibly strong, possessing superhuman power, but he insisted on fighting the Divine Might army within the encampment, with no escape and no place to hide. How could he withstand the charge of an army on his own? His brain must indeed be unwell! ¡°Bring it on!¡± Xu Yan roared, pushing out his palms and sending two enormous red dragons flying out. Immediately after, with every flip and turn of his hands, more red dragons erupted continuously, spiraling and charging in every direction. While Xu Yan stepped forward, his Descending Dragon Palm pushing out and taking in between, the red dragons, diving, sweeping, circling, dashing¡­ One after another, the power of Descending Dragon Palm was showcased more proficiently. Between the pushing and retracting of the palm¡¯s power, his strength was unrivaled, his control was easy and natural, he could freely adjust between strength and gentleness, all at his will. In Xu Yan¡¯s mind, the mnemonic chant of the Descending Dragon Palm emerged: ¡°The dragon has divine skills, it morphs with the situation¡­ so that¡¯s what it means, I understand more clearly now!¡± In this instant, his skill with the Descending Dragon Palm reached a state of minor accomplishment. The palm power he released took the shape of a dragon, exuding a sense of ¡°life.¡± Aloud rumble! A more robust dragon roared out, spiraling around the entire battlefield with Xu Yan at the center. The dragon¡¯s tail, like a whip, swept across the battlefield! The onlookers on the city walls were dumbfounded. Xu Yan sent out dragon after dragon, knocking down both the men and horses of the charging Divine Might army, causing their formation to crumble. One row after another was knocked down or flung away in all directions. A single man sweeping through an army! At this moment, the only thought in the minds of the citizens of the prefecture city was: It¡¯s my brain that isn¡¯t working, not his! Chapter 50 Boiling (Please Continue Reading)_l Translator: 549690339 Outside the city battlefield. Xu Yan¡¯s qi and blood surged, his Descending Dragon Palm improving and growing more intuitive. His control over the strength of his palm attacks also became increasingly refined. After releasing his dragon-shaped palm force, his dragon¡¯s attack became more flexible. The formidable force also possessed a touch of softness. Through this battle, Xu Yan had gained a deeper understanding of the Descending Dragon Palm. He had a feeling that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he reached a new level of mastery over the Descending Dragon Palm. Boom! The crimson dragon swept through the area as Xu Yan advanced step by step. Bang bang! As the last row of Shenwei soldiers was thrown, Xu Yan stood in front of Jiang Pingshan. A vibrant red dragon encircling him, Xu Yan looked like a god controlling dragons, with fierce energy surrounding him. Jiang Pingshan¡¯s body was shaking, and his warhorse was retreating and trembling, as if it would fall to the ground at any moment. Looking at the youth in front of him, he couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. Could such powerful martial arts truly exist in the world, just as the legends say? He recalled that one of his daughter¡¯s reasons for breaking off the marriage was that Xu Yan¡¯s brain wasn¡¯t quite right! At this moment, he felt like he had been slapped in the face. The one with the brain problem was him! This awe-inspiring young man should have been his son-in-law, but now, he was far beyond his reach. His heart was bitter. ¡°The Shenwei army is nothing much, I wasn¡¯t even trying hard¡± Xu Yan said calmly. Jiang Pingshan looked at his soldiers scattered around him. Except for the first line of soldiers who suffered severe injuries, or some who had died, the injuries of the soldiers behind were not serious. They had merely temporarily lost their battle strength. Xu Yan had shown mercy. Even in the face of a horde of enemies, he still had the power to spare and show mercy. How formidable he must be to do so. ¡°You won, the Xu family won.¡± Jiang Pingshan let out a sigh and said complexly. ¡°My dad told you to meet him!¡± Xu Yan said. Jiang Pingshan was taken aback for a moment, seemingly understanding something. He nodded and said, ¡°Once I¡¯ve dealt with the battlefield, 1¡¯11 go to the Xu Mansion for a visit!¡± At this moment, a large crowd of people surged out from the prefecture city. They held weapons in their hands, their eyes excited, and screamed, ¡°Capture Jiang Pingshan, capture the Shenwei Army, may the Heavenly Mother protect us, may the Heavenly Mother protect us!¡± Seeing the followers of the Heavenly Mother rushing over, Jiang Pingshan¡¯s face changed. These followers of the Heavenly Mother had hidden themselves very well. Even after the mass cull, they still had so much strength reserved. ¡°Kou Ruozhi!¡± Jiang Pingshan¡¯s face hardened. This disappointed scholar was quite a schemer! ¡°Scram!¡± Xu Yan roared angrily, his qi and blood roiling, and the two crimson dragons swept out, blowing away the followers of the Heavenly Mother. ¡°The Shenwei Army that I, Xu Yan, defeated, how can 1 let others take advantage of them? Dare to come forward again, and don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless!¡± He remembered what his father had told him: he couldn¡¯t allow the Heavenly Mother sect to take advantage during this vulnerable moment. The followers of the Heavenly Mother were immediately frightened and didn¡¯t dare to go forward for a moment. Jiang Pingshan let out a sigh of relief. The soldiers who rushed out from the prefecture city held up their long spears. These soldiers were from the Grand General of Donghe¡¯s residence. Outside of the prefecture city, dust billowed, and another troupe of soldiers rushed forward. The army of Donghe County, the military force under Jiang Pingshan¡¯s command. The Shenwei Army was only temporarily under his command. Seeing things settling down, Xu Yan swiftly, yet silently, disappeared from the battlefield. In a flash, he appeared before Xu Junhe and his wife. ¡°Yan¡¯er, you¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± Madam Xu quickly grabbed his hand and began to examine him anxiously. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine. They¡¯re just a bunch of nobodies, they can¡¯t hurt me!¡± Xu Yan patted his chest and said. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Xu Junhe let out a sigh of relief once the dust had settled. The prominent figures of Donghe Prefecture had all been drawing nearer to make connections. Even many of the townsfolk who were rushing over with faces full of excitement, wanted to witness up close the demeanor of the foolish son of the wealthiest family, who was now invincible. ¡°Out of the way!¡± Xu Yan shouted out loud, and his blood and power expelled in a shock wave. In an instant, no one dared to approach! However, voices came from afar. ¡°Young Master Xu, where did you find the master?¡± ¡°Young Master Xu, where is the master?¡± It was well known that the son of the wealthiest family had been searching far and wide for a master. Now with his current prowess, akin to a divine being, he must have found the master. But, where was this mysterious master? Would they still take on a disciple? The big shots of Donghe Prefecture city were all excited, their eyes shone and were eager. Yes! They had to find the master! Rather than forming ties with the Xu family, it was more direct to become a disciple of the master. The likes of Kou Ruozhi and other high-ranking members of the Heavenly Mother Sect seemed equally excited, each sending their disciples to search for the location of the master. ¡°If that idiot son of the wealthiest family can become a disciple, learn such powerful martial arts? My son is smart and capable, he will definitely be able to become a disciple, and become stronger than Xu Yan after learning martial arts.¡± ¡°My daughter is smart and good-looking too, a master of many arts, how could she not be successful if she wanted to become a disciple? We absolutely must find the master!¡± The many influential figures in the prefecture city felt that if the silly son of the Xu family can become a disciple, and learn such powerful martial arts, their children who were even more intelligent, would definitely also be able to become disciples. Their martial arts prowess would undoubtedly surpass Xu Yan! That day, the entire prefecture city was in a state of frenzy, the chaos in Donghe Prefecture, the rebellion of the Heavenly Mother Sect, no one cared, their minds were full of how to find the master and become a disciple. In Yunshan County, the elder in grey robes and the county magistrate emerged from the yard, finally breathing a sigh of relief. They had been talking dry all night long. Fortunately, their lives had been spared. After leaving the yard, they hurried back to the county government office without a break to discuss matters related to their escape. It was too horrifying! In the yard, Li Xuan sat on a chair casually, after having listened to the elder in grey and the others describing the affairs of the Heavenly Mother Sect, Qi Country, Wu Country, and so on for a night. He finally had a clearer understanding of the outside world. What surprised him was that the Heavenly Mother Sect indeed had a Heavenly Mother. The current Heavenly Mother was a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old. The masters of the Heavenly Mother Sect praised her as the greatest beauty under the heavens, and also one with a compassionate heart, who couldn¡¯t bear to see others suffer. It was said that the Heavenly Mother was able to convince evildoers to stop their wickedness, and none of those who had been admonished by the Heavenly Mother engaged in wicked deeds again. It was indeed very magical. Moreover, the Heavenly Mother, despite her young age, was skilled in medicine and had saved countless people. Li Xuan had also become interested in this young girl after hearing this. ¡°I wonder, would she be suitable to become my disciple?¡± Being able to convince evildoers to stop their wickedness, this indeed was a great skill. Indeed, this skill was not insignificant! From what the elder in grey said, the current Heavenly Mother was a talented young girl with a kind heart and highly skilled in medicine. She was young, skilled in medicine, and also had significant martial arts prowess. This was genius. ¡°What a pity, this young girl is not in Qi Country, but has gone to Wu Country.¡± Li Xuan shook his head, he would see if this girl was suitable for apprenticeship when he had the opportunity. Concerning the Heavenly Mother Sect, Li Xuan took a very casual attitude. The day had dawned. ¡°I wonder how is everything at my disciple¡¯s home?¡± Li Xuan was considering whether he should go to the prefecture city. ¡°Given the martial power of Qi Country, Xu Yan¡¯s strength should be enough to take care of everything; there shouldn¡¯t be any major problems.¡± Suddenly. A golden light arose in his mind¡­. Chapter 51 Translator: 549690339 The appearance of Golden Finger signified that there was a payoff to reap. As expected, ¡°Your disciple single-handedly defeated the army of ten thousand, increasing the effectiveness of his Descending Dragon Palm, and you garnered battle experience from it!¡± Battle experience! In Li Xuan¡¯s mind, images of countless battles appeared in a flash, directly imbuing him with the knowledge, elevating him from a neophyte with untapped potential to a seasoned warrior. ¡°From now on, I am no longer an inexperienced rookie.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s hands clenched into fists. Just a moment ago, he was a novice who had never engaged in a battle. Now, he¡¯d become an experienced martial artist. ¡°My foolish disciple did well, single-handedly defeating the army and advancing his Descending Dragon Palm technique. This indicates he fought with superior command and used it as an opportunity to hone himself.¡± Since his protege, Xu Yan, had managed to refine the Descending Dragon Palm in the midst of battle, it indicated that the overall situation was under his control. ¡°Your disciple¡¯s formidable martial arts have stunned the city, made you famous, and added an aura of mystery around you, the mentor, thus you gained the aura of mystery.¡± The Golden Finger appeared once more. An ultra-mysterious, unpredictable aura emerged. It made Li Xuan seemed increasingly mystical. With a profound aura enveloping him, he was inscrutable and unfathomable to the onlookers! With this mysterious aura surrounding him, anyone who saw him would be convinced that he was a hidden sage. ¡°My foolish disciple indeed performed remarkably!¡± Although this mysterious aura seemingly didn¡¯t possess any power-enhancing function. But it could make one appear mysterious which in itself was an emblem of strength at times. With a thought, Li Xuan concealed his mysterious aura, returning himself to his ordinary guise. Another thought, and the mysterious aura returned, immediately making him appear mystical again. ¡°1 must take on disciples, 1 absolutely must!¡± Li Xuan grew restless. Just having Xu Yan as a disciple brought him such immense spoils, having another one would surely bring even more, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°That reigning goddess of the Goddess Church is a viable candidate. Let the martial experts of the Church notify her to rush over to Yunshan prefecture city.¡± Li Xuan rose and left the room. ¡°1 wonder if Yunshan prefecture city has any suitable candidates. I hope I find one.¡± His expectations of a disciple were quite high; they needed to have a nimble mind and a high comprehension capability. Only then could they successfully cultivate the techniques he taught. Xu Yan was a prime example. He had a beautiful and bright mind and was extraordinaire in comprehension, else he wouldn¡¯t have succeeded in cultivation. ¡°When it comes to disciples, quality trumps quantity. The more exceptional the disciple, the more feedback I get, which makes it easier to cultivate the techniques I¡¯ve created.¡± Li Xuan had a rough standard for accepting disciples now. Stepping out of the courtyard, he leisurely strolled around Yunshan prefecture city. The Goddess Church had already seized control of Yunshan prefecture city. The civilians were either followers or devout believers of the Goddess Church, every household worshipped the goddess. Suddenly, sounds of a commotion reached his ears. ¡°Meng Chong, stop running and surrender!¡± The voice was loud, and it sounded familiar. Indeed, it belonged to Shi¡¯er, one of the experts from the Goddess Church whom he¡¯d met last night. ¡°Why are you trying to catch me?¡± A young voice echoed out. ¡°Of course it¡¯s for the bounty!¡± The sounds of conflict echoed from a small alley, one person fleeing, another fighting off the chase. Two figures dashed out of the alley. The one fleeing was a muscle-bound lad, tall and sturdy, wielding a thick-spined chopper. Li Xuan gazed at the young man and was immediately taken aback. What was with that shiny, bald head? He looked quite young, around sixteen or seventeen. Why would he shave his head? And so shiny that it reflected light! It seemed like he was naturally bald, no hair growth at all! Neither the Qi Country nor the Wu Country adhered to Buddhism, and there were no sects that required shaving one¡¯s head. ¡°Could it be that he was born bald?¡± Li Xuan murmured. With a stirring in his heart, a mysterious aura emerged, making him seem enigmatic within moments. The bald youth and Shi¡¯er, one chasing and the other fleeing, soon ran over. ¡°Venerable¡­ Venerable one!¡± Shi¡¯er¡¯s face turned pale, he hastily stopped in his tracks, lowered his head and respectfully bowed. His heart was nonetheless shocked beyond belief. His elder was too mysterious, unfathomable! Meng Chong abruptly halted, his eyes wide as he stared at Li Xuan, unable to look away for a long time. ¡°Eccentric! Unprecedented eccentric!¡± This was the only thought in his mind. He was an enigmatic, unworldly eccentric! ¡°What has happened here? Why are you fighting in the street?¡± Li Xuan asked sternly. ¡°Venerable one, 1 am pursuing Meng Chong, a fugitive with a bounty issued by the Wu Country,¡± Shi¡¯er said in a low voice. ¡°You would actually assist the imperial Wu court in apprehending fugitives?¡± Li Xuan was taken aback. The Heavenly Mother Sect, with their heads filled with thoughts of rebellion, would help the Wu court apprehend fugitives? ¡°Primarily¡­ Primarily because the reward is too large!¡± Shi¡¯er admitted with an awkward expression on his face. ¡°How large a bounty?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s brows furrowed, looking interested. ¡°One¡­ One million taels of gold!¡± Shi¡¯er¡¯s eyes fervently blazed, with one million taels of gold, the funds needed for rebellion would greatly increase. Li Xuan was astounded. Looking at the bald youngster, Meng Chong, he was amazed. ¡°Young man, what kind of heinous crime have you committed to have a bounty of one million taels of gold?¡± Meng Chong felt the man before him was enigmatic and likely a grand master. He became serious and reverently said, ¡°Venerable¡­ Venerable one, I¡­ I revenged only. In fact, the Emperor of Wu is a benefactor who helped me exact revenge.¡± Li Xuan listened and became somewhat bewildered. If it was mere revenge, and furthermore, if the Emperor of Wu even helped him exact revenge, then why was such a major bounty placed on him? ¡°What happened?¡± He asked out of curiosity. Meng Chong rubbed his own bald head, looking somewhat embarrassed. His bashful appearance made him seem like a sincere and straightforward lad. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s like this. I, Meng Chong, am the legitimate son of the Meng family of the Tien Ping frontier of the Wu Country¡­¡± According to Meng Chong, he was born bald and had a much stronger body and greater strength than most people. He belonged to those with innate divine strength. At the age of five, he was sent by his parents to a martial arts school within a society of rivers and lakes, to eventually serve the imperial court as a martial officer. However, when Meng Chong returned from learning martial arts, he found both of his parents dead. Since the day he returned, everyone in his family, from the elderly to young children, began to discriminate against him, branding him as a plague demon, saying that his baldness was an ominous sign. They deemed his presence would bring about the downfall of the Meng family. He was the plague demon that had to be driven out of the Meng family to preserve its prosperous heritage. Instigated by his uncles and aunts, even the children in the family came to despise him and would spit at him whenever they saw him. His family took his parents¡¯ inheritance, not only refusing to give him a share, but also attempting to drive him out of the Meng family. Meng Chong secretly investigated and suspected that his parents were murdered. When he sought justice, the family elders had him beaten up and chased away by the family protectors. Meng Chong, severely injured, threatened that he would take revenge! However, his uncles and aunts didn¡¯t take him seriously, brazenly challenging him to come back, saying that if he dared to return, they would kill him and bury him then and there! According to normal logic of vengeance, one would strive to learn martial arts, align oneself with a powerful faction, and even join the imperial court after attaining sufficient strength, before taking revenge on the Meng family. However, Meng Chong¡¯s approach to revenge was unprecedented, groundbreaking, and left Li Xuan dumbfounded, causing him to see Meng Chong in a different light.. Chapter 52 Translator: 549690339 Everyone in Wu Country knows that the current Emperor of Wu loves to go on frequent inspection tours. During his ten-year reign, after spending the first two years consolidating the royal power and authority, he has made a tour every year for the following eight years. Of course, every time he returns from a tour, there¡¯s always a new concubine in the palace. An unexpected incident occurred during the tour three months ago. Meng Chong took a completely new approach to his vengeance. He didn¡¯t throw himself into martial arts training, nor did he join the bandits in the mountains to gather forces from the underworld for revenge. He didn¡¯t even take the route of serving in the government. After all, the Meng Family, led by Tian Ping, is one of the great families, and there are plenty of officials in the court of Wu country related to the Meng Family. Meng Chong came up with an even more ruthless way to exact revenge! He seized the opportunity of the Emperor of Wu¡¯s tour to launch an assassination! The Emperor was in his carriage, preparing to indulge in some intimate activities with a newly selected beauty, when he heard a loud roar. ¡°Tian Ping Meng Chong, here to slay the profligate, incompetent, and brutal dog emperor!¡± The sudden roar frightened the Emperor of Wu to the point of weakness. He was absolutely livid. Meng Chong was fierce. He rampaged with a large cleaver, piercing through layers of guards ¨C he even managed to escape successfully! The Emperor of Wu was livid. After investigation, he found out that the culprit who attempted the assassination was the legitimate lineage of the Tian Ping Meng Family! Banishment! Total banishment! Punishment to the ninth degree! It must be punishment to the ninth degree! The Emperor immediately issued a decree, his army marched directly into the Meng Family home and arrested everyone! The whole Meng Family was just dumbfounded. They didn¡¯t know what had happened, but suddenly they were criminals of high treason! Once they knew the truth, they cried out in profound injustice! What an enormous wrong! The Meng Family had just banished Meng Chong, and then he went to attempt to assassinate the Emperor? This was Meng Chong¡¯s way of revenge? Everyone in the Meng Family was struck dumb. What on earth was this? Who the hell takes revenge in such a way? Are you out of your mind?! This is a capital crime that incurs punishment to the ninth degree! The entire court of Wu Country was unsettled due to this assassination attempt, officials were fearful and cautious, anyone associated with the Meng Family was thrown into prison. This is a capital crime punishable by execution up to the ninth degree of kin! The repercussions were expanding. If punishment to the ninth degree were implemented, it seemed like it might even affect some members of the imperial family. In the end, the sentence was total banishment! Upon investigation, it appeared that this assassination attempt was actually Meng Chong¡¯s revenge against the Meng Family. Though that was the case, the Emperor of Wu wouldn¡¯t excuse the Meng Family. If this precedent were set, wouldn¡¯t others with ulterior motives simply banish a person from their family before committing a treasonous act against the emperor? If the act failed, wouldn¡¯t they avoid involvement? Where would be the dignity of royal authority? Where would be his dignity as the Emperor of Wu? Total banishment is a must! This precedent cannot be set! As a result, the entire Meng Family was executed! On the day of execution, with cries up to heaven and down to earth, they lamented how unjust this was and cursed at Meng Chong. How dare he exact revenge in such a way? News of this spread throughout Wu Country. Everyone was dumbstruck. Who takes revenge in such a way? What kind of mind could conceive such a ruthless method of revenge? The most ridiculous thing was that Meng Chong, the culprit of the assassination attempt on the Emperor of Wu, actually escaped¡­ The Emperor of Wu issued a reward for his capture! Caption: Ten thousand Gold! After hearing the reason, Li Xuan found his view towards Meng Chong had changed. This bald youth sure thinks differently. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that there was a bounty of ten thousand Gold on his head? Why did you say earlier that the Wu Country offered a hundred thousand Gold?¡± Li Xuan suddenly noticed something wrong. Meng Chong said that he had a bounty of ten thousand Gold on his head, and he had been hiding and fleeing all the way to Qi Country to seek refuge. However, Shi¡¯er had said the reward was a hundred thousand Gold! Shi¡¯er¡¯s face twitched, he looked at Meng Chong with a sort of awe ¨C this natural bald youth had invented such a unprecedented method of revenge. H Sir, the thing is, Meng Chong¡¯s method of revenge has set an example for others¡­¡± Shi¡¯er looked at Meng Chong peculiarly, recounting what had happened after Meng Chong had attempted to assassinate the Emperor of Wu. Meng Chong¡¯s unprecedented method of revenge had spread across Wu Country, naturally becoming a big topic of conversation. Unexpectedly, it led to a trend throughout the whole Wu Country. In Wu Country, a servant of the former Minister of Personnel fell in love with a woman. However, she was taken by force by the son of the Minister. The servant sought justice, but instead, his parents were killed, and he was brutally beaten, suffering torment every day. The Minister¡¯s son, somewhat sadistic, would frequently beat the servant and repeatedly claim the woman he loved right in front of him. He wouldn¡¯t kill the servant. Only torture him! Upon hearing of Meng Chong¡¯s actions, the servant was inspired. He suddenly understood what he needed to do in order to seek revenge. He managed to escape when no one was watching and hid himself. He made a bow and stole a knife. After the assassination attempt on Meng Chong had calmed down, the Emperor of Wu went on another tour, completing the one he couldn¡¯t finish last time. But! He was assassinated again! The servant from the Minister of Personnel¡¯s residence had dared to attack him! ¡°The tyrant must die!¡± With this roar, the Emperor of Wu was enraged. The servant was killed! Upon investigation, he was found to be a servant from the Minister of Personnel¡¯s household. Execution! The whole household had to be executed! The Minister of Personnel and his entire family cried out that they had been wronged! However, the Emperor¡¯s authority could not be challenged, even if the revenge was sought by a servant. Better to kill wrongly than let anyone escape! This precedent could not be set! The entire household of the Minister of Personnel was executed! Word of this spread, and the culture of Wu Country began to twist. The Emperor of Wu once again attempted a tour, trying to complete the previous two failed ones. However, he was assassinated yet again! The assassin was the nephew of the Prince of the Warriors! His mother had been insulted by the Prince of the Warriors and was driven to suicide. So, he decided to follow Meng Chong and seek revenge! The Emperor of Wu was in distress! Execution! Execution of the entire household! The household of the Prince of the Warriors was also executed. The officials of the imperial court were in turmoil. All these were consequences of Meng Chong¡¯s actions! Everyone advised the Emperor of Wu to stop touring and to just stay within the palace! If he toured again, there would be no telling which other high-ranked officials might be executed! The Emperor ended up feeling pressured to stop his tours. Just when it seemed like things were calming down, another high-ranked official was assassinated. A servant from a powerful merchant¡¯s house, feeling humiliated, took it upon himself to assassinate the official! The merchant¡¯s family was imprisoned, and their entire estate confiscated. If the officials can¡¯t be assassinated, then the ministers will be assassinated! The entire culture in Wu Country had been led astray. The way homeowners looked at their servants was full of vigilance. If they treated their servants kindly, wouldn¡¯t their authority be rendered meaningless? It was unheard of for them to treat these lowly people well. They couldn¡¯t possibly be associated with such people, could they? If they spoke harsh words and mistreated their servants, they feared the servants might retaliate with assassination. The ministers, too, were uneasy. They feared assassination while going out and worried that a servant might get a crazy idea to take up arms in their own home. If they let go of their pride and treated their servants well, wouldn¡¯t their authority be worthless? Where would their dignity as a lord lie then? The servants of the rich families in Wu Country were also suffering. They were afraid that their masters might suspect them of wanting to seek revenge, and be beaten to death to prevent them from attempting assassination. The whole atmosphere in Wu Country had been led astray. All this was because of Meng Chong! In Wu country, a popular saying had begun to spread: ¡°Want to seek revenge? Follow Meng Chong!¡±. This was truly a disaster! The Emperor of Wu increased the bounty, swearing to capture Meng Chong and have him executed by quartering! All the officials were very supportive, and they were willing to contribute their own wealth to increase the reward. They raised the bounty to an astonishing one hundred thousand taels of gold! Chapter 53 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan was stunned. Meng Chong, this young man, single-handedly skewed the entire ethos of Wu Country. Moreover, his way of revenge, was truly ingenious! The way his mind worked was too unique, something an ordinary person could never comprehend! A bounty of a hundred thousand taels of gold, no wonder even Shi¡¯er and the followers of Heavenly Mother Sect were enticed. He was basically a walking treasury. Who wouldn¡¯t be tempted seeing him?! Meng Chong was also somewhat dumbfounded, surprised, he exclaimed: ¡°So much has happened? And, I¡¯m worth a hundred thousand taels of gold?¡± He was also tempted, even to the point of wanting to sell himself! ¡°Yes, a hundred thousand taels of gold!¡± Shi¡¯er nodded, looking at Meng Chong as if he was seeing a goldmine. Gulp! Meng Chong swallowed a mouthful of saliva, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s cooperate!¡± What? Shi¡¯er was dumbfounded, cooperate? ¡°You escort me to a county government office in Wu Country, collect part of the bounty, then intercept me halfway, and again deliver me to another county government office, continue to collect the bounty, again intercept me¡­ and so on¡­¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes flashed brightly, continuing: ¡°Avoid sending me to prefecture city, it¡¯s too dangerous and not easy to break in. Just send me to county magistrate office, even they would be eager for merits, and would still be able to give a part of the bounty, even if at their own expense. ¡°The Emperor of Wu wants to draw and quarter me, the county office would absolutely not kill me. I think this is a safe move. ¡°We can split the bounty, forty-sixty. You get sixty, I get forty, how about that?¡± Shi¡¯er was stupefied and shocked at Meng Chong¡¯s unconventional thinking. No wonder he was the one who could come up with a revenge scheme that an ordinary person couldn¡¯t even dream of coming up with ¨C a plan to assassinate The Emperor of Wu, which resulted in his Meng Family being implicated and killed. Li Xuan looked at Meng Chong, a bald hunk of a man, with his unconventional thinking. Planning to fleece the county governments of Wu Country huh? A normal person would never think of such a scheme. Suddenly! A light bulb moment flashed in Li Xuan¡¯s mind. He looked at Meng Chong with a completely different expression. A person with such an ingenious mind, isn¡¯t he the perfect candidate to be his disciple? His future disciple was right in front of him! With such a thought, his mysterious aura grew stronger, and the image of an obscure cultivator has become even greater within seconds. He reached out his hand and grabbed Meng Chong¡¯s arm. While squeezing Meng Chong¡¯s arm and shoulder, he then said: ¡°Excellent, excellent. Young man, you have an exceptional framework and are a martial arts genius. Would you like to become my disciple?¡± Shi¡¯er was shocked. This senior actually wanted to accept Meng Chong as his apprentice? The thought of how they were planning to capture Meng Chong for the bounty made him break into cold sweat. Thump! Meng Chong immediately knelt down and respectfully kowtowed, ¡°Disciple Meng Chong, greets master!¡± ¡°Good, good, very good!¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed, his face beaming with happiness. Meng Chong¡¯s mind is smart, and his thinking unconventional. No doubt he could successfully cultivate the technique Li Xuan devised. Looking at the muscular and bald Meng Chong, Li Xuan already had ideas on what kind of cultivation technique to teach him. After accepting a disciple, Li Xuan lost interest in continuing to stroll around. He was preparing to take Meng Chong back to his residence when he suddenly thought of something. He turned to Shi¡¯er and said, ¡°Does your Heavenly Mother Sect have treasured herbs like the Nine Leaf Ginseng and Thousand Year Mountain Ginseng?¡± He suddenly thought, Xu Yan was able to perceive qi and blood, rapidly increasing the speed of his skin and bone refinement. It probably has something to do with consuming Nine Leaf Ginseng and Thousand Year Mountain Ginseng. Since he has accepted a disciple, the start of foundation building should be cased with treasured herbs like the Nine Leaf Ginseng. It should make for an easier introduction to cultivation. Although the cultivation technique may be different, the first realm is also the Qi and Blood Realm. And it¡¯s also for blood refinement. Undoubtedly, Meng Chong¡¯s physical condition was much stronger and his qi and blood were more robust than Xu Yan¡¯s was at the beginning. If he had treasured herbs to aid in his cultivation, he could undoubtedly reach the entry level much faster. Although he didn¡¯t have the herbs, the Heavenly Mother Sect had many top-notch martial artists and considerable followers, they should have these treasured herbs. ¡°Yes, yes, senior!¡± Shi¡¯er was overjoyed at hearing this. This was a chance to curry favor with the hidden expert. Merely rare medicinal herbs, they can¡¯t transform them into nobles. ¡°Bring some over!¡± Li Xuan said without mincing his words. ¡°Yes, yes, elder!¡± Shi¡¯er hastily nodded. Li Xuan looked satisfied. He wasn¡¯t worried that Shi¡¯er and the rest would run away. Where could they run? ¡°The little girl from your Heavenly Mother Sect, have her come over when she has time.¡± Li Xuan continued to order. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Shi¡¯er was caught off guard and hastily agreed. As for whether the Heavenly Mother would come or not, that was not his concern. As long as he agreed to the elder¡¯s instructions, that was enough. Li Xuan, satisfied, nodded his head. With his new disciple, Meng Chong, he returned home. Inside Yunshan County, Li Xuan just received a new disciple. Within the prefecture city, Xu Yan once again displayed his divine might. He beat Kou Ruozhi and other Heavenly Mother Sect experts one by one, beating them until they couldn¡¯t utilize even one third of their martial arts skills for half a month. Kou Ruozhi was utterly wrecked. What kind of people are they? We¡¯ve bowed down and submitted, but still they beat us half to death! Xu Yan¡¯s reasoning was just too brutal. ¡°You guys are a bit too powerful. I¡¯m afraid my father can¡¯t control you, so I beat you half to death to weaken you. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill you because I feel like you¡¯re still useful, it would be a waste otherwise. ¡°This is called¡­ turning waste into treasure!¡± Xu Yan said solemnly. Kou Ruozhi and the other Heavenly Mother Sect experts were crumbling inside, just because of this reasoning, he beat them half to death! What do you mean we are a bit too powerful? You¡¯re giving us too much credit! ¡°What¡¯s that? You can¡¯t accept it?¡± Xu Yan raised his eyebrow, staring at Kou Ruozhi and said, ¡°The look in your eyes seems like you can¡¯t accept it!¡± Kou Ruozhi turned pale, hurriedly responded, ¡°I accept! I absolutely accept! From the bottom of my bones, I accept!¡± He started fearing Xu Yan a bit, not understanding why this kid always misunderstood people. Was that the look of defiance? Damn it, I was just wincing from the pain! ¡°As long as you accept.¡± Xu Yan was satisfied and was about to leave, but suddenly stopped and turned around. He glared at Kou Ruozhi and said angrily, ¡°Your bones accept, but does your heart not accept?¡± He imagined that Kou Ruozhi, deceitful and cunning, only verbally submitted but didn¡¯t mention whether he did in his heart! He must have other thoughts in his mind! Kou Ruozhi looked a bit wrecked, cursing in his heart. What¡¯s wrong with this kid? Why is he always targeting me? ¡°I accept! I absolutely accept! My heart, my mind, my whole body, everything accepts!¡± Kou Ruozhi hastily swore. The other Heavenly Mother Sect experts were all curled up on the ground. Despite their bodies aching severely, they didn¡¯t dare to tremble in fear of causing a misunderstanding with Xu Yan. ¡°Good as long as you accept.¡± Xu Yan turned and left. The city of Donghe County was still in turmoil, with a craze for seeking experts cropping up. Nobody was working in the government office; Jiang Pingshan had settled in Xu Family¡¯s house, effectively being held under their control. Xu Yan dealt with all the potential threats and high-ranking martial artists within and outside the city, subdued them thoroughly so that they couldn¡¯t practice martial arts for half a month. Only the Xu Family¡¯s guards retained their full strength. Before heading to the capital city, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, he explicitly reminded his parents that they could hide in Yunshan County if the situation changed.. Chapter 54 Translator: 549690339 Jin¡¯an, the capital of Qi Country. The dispute over the crown prince is about to be settled. Pavilion Elder Chen, who supports the Third Prince, has already asked for retirement and the Emperor Qi has agreed. Pavilion Elder Chen is about to leave the capital after his retirement. Amid the intense feud over the crown prince, his retirement is not an easy feat, deeply tied to his highly respected status as a veteran of two dynasties. It remains uncertain what lies in the future for Guo Rongshan, the minister regarded as one of the right-hand men of the Third Prince. At best, he may be dismissed from his post. If things get worse, he may get exiled, and if they get even worse, his entire family may face capital punishment! It¡¯s well known amongst the court that the First Prince¡¯s faction is initiating actions in Donghe County. The final outcome ¨C whether Guo Rongshan¡¯s son-in-law is imprisoned under the charges of colluding with the Celestial Mother cult or some alternative crimes ¨C will determine Guo Rongshan¡¯s fate. The Imperial Palace, the royal study. Emperor Qi is looking at the confidential missive from Donghe County, his hand shaking and lips trembling. Even as the emperor, who stands aloft from the rest of the world, he feels fear for the first time. One man sweeping through ten thousand troops! Can a mortal human really achieve this? But, a confidential missive wouldn¡¯t lie! Guo Rongshan¡¯s grandson, Xu Yan, single-handedly defeated ten thousand divine soldiers without any injuries and made it look easy. Moreover, during the battle, Xu Yan held back and did not massacre all the divine army soldiers. ¡°Guo Rongshan¡¯s grandson, wasn¡¯t he supposed to be dim-witted? Isn¡¯t this the dimwit that everyone in the court was talking about?¡± Emperor Qi is trembling all over, his face turning ashen with rage. A dim-witted person practicing such unmatched Martial Arts? Who exactly is the dimwit then? The rumors are true! There really are hermit elders in this world who are as divine as gods. There really are such powerful Martial Arts! ¡°Guo Rongshan must die! Punish him by exterminating his whole family! Execute the whole Guo family to be buried with my Qi Country!¡± Emperor Qi¡¯s eyes flashed with ruthless determination. Since the Qi Country is to fall, before the enemy arrives in the capital, cut Guo Rongshan¡¯s family down, let them accompany the Qi Country in death! ¡°No! Just as the emperor was about to issue a decree to exterminate the Guo family, he suddenly became alert. He picked up the missive again for a careful look. ¡°Xu Junhe did not rebel. He only defeated the divine army and did not kill Jiang Pingshan. Moreover, he did not let the Celestial Mother cult take over the prefecture office¡­¡± In this brief moment, Emperor Qi understood. Whether the Xu family will rebel depends on his attitude and how he handles the Guo family! If Guo Rongshan dies, it will mean the end of the royal house of Qi Country! But if Guo Rongshan continues to serve Qi Country as minister, then Qi will remain Qi! Emperor Qi took several deep breaths. His extreme seriousness underlined that this was a decision concerning the survival of Qi Country, something he could not afford to take lightly. ¡°Summon my third son into the palace, order Minister Guo Rongshan to enter the palace, and send word to the ancestral temple to prepare for my son¡¯s mentoring ceremony¡­¡± Emperor Qi issued the orders sternly. He had to get it all done before the news from Donghe County arrived in the capital. The chief eunuch bowed and left, personally overseeing the process. Even though he was surprised about receiving the summon, the Third Prince rushed to the palace. Guo Rongshan, also confused by the Emperor¡¯s urgent summons, wondered what purpose it served. Could it be that this time after the dispute over the crown prince, his Guo family might escape unscathed? In hurried steps, Guo reached the imperial palace. However, instead of meeting with the Emperor Qi in the study, he was led to ¨C the ancestral temple! Confused, Guo Rongshan thought, is the ancestral temple really a place a minister like me can visit? Following the eunuch, Guo arrived at the ancestral temple. Upon arrival, he saw the Third Prince, and the arrangements of the ancestral temple seemed unusual! ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± As Guo Rongshan was about to bow in salute, Emperor Qi, with a smile on his face, personally helped him up and said, ¡°Minister Guo, there¡¯s no need for formalities, come, sit down!¡± ¡°Your Majesty, this¡­¡± Guo Rongshan was shocked as the Emperor Qi pulled him and asked him to sit at the principal seat of the ancestral temple. ¡°Minister Guo, you are a unique talent in this world. My third son is fortunate to have caught your favor. Today, I will let him officially take you as his mentor!¡± Emperor Qi spoke solemnly. ¡°Your Majesty, this should not be done!¡± Guo Rongshan was shocked. He was a prince, how could he simply accept such mentoring arrangements? The emperor ignored his protests, forced him to sit in the seat, turned around, glared at the Third Prince, and scolded, ¡°What are you standing there for, why aren¡¯t you performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows to greet your teacher?¡± ¡°Father Emperor¡­¡± The Third Prince had a befuddled look, what on earth was going on? Seeing the severe look in Emperor Qi¡¯s eyes, he flinched in fright, hastily kneeled down, and kowtowed three times before offering up tea, ¡°Disciple greets esteemed teacher!¡± Guo Rongshan was completely clueless throughout. His mind was dizzy, a messy pulp, and he felt utterly stupefied. What was Emperor Qi doing? ¡°Minister Guo, take a sip of your tea quickly!¡± Emperor Qi urged. Guo Rongshan took the tea and took a mouthful, remaining clueless throughout the whole event. ¡°Third son, keep in mind that a day as a teacher is considered a lifetime as a father. From now on, when you sec Minister Guo, treat him with the same reverence as you would your father! ¡°You are to pay your respects to Minister Guo daily, and any disrespect will be severely punished!¡± Emperor Qi¡¯s tone was extremely severe by the time he finished speaking. The third prince¡¯s body shook, his face turned pale, and he hurriedly replied, ¡°Yes, yes, father Emperor!¡± His mind was muddy, thinking his father Emperor was probably insane, other else why would he do such a thing. ¡°Get lost quickly!¡± Emperor Qi shot him a glare, and the third prince hurriedly retreated. ¡°Minister Guo, come on, come, the duties of the court still require your attention. With your talent, Minister Guo, I rest easy!¡± Emperor Qi hand in hand with Guo Rongshan, took a stroll in the Royal Garden. Like old friends for many years, they chatted about daily routines, occasionally mentioning his grandson Xu Yan, and now and then praising Guo Rongshan¡¯s devotion for the court. Among all the civil and military officials, only Minister Guo is the true loyalist! Guo Rongshan¡¯s mind was nothing but a muddle, even suspecting that he was dreaming! After strolling around in the royal garden, Emperor Qi, pulling Guo Rongshan, returned to the ancestral temple. Then Emperor Qi, along with Guo Rongshan, worshipped heaven and earth in front of the temple, intending to become sworn brothers of a different surname! Guo Rongshan¡¯s face turned pale, his body trembled, and he nearly fainted. There was only one thought in his mind: ¡°Has the Emperor gone mad?¡± Thud, thud, thud! Kneeling down, swearing a blood oath, and becoming brothers! After the complete procedure, Guo Rongshan felt completely drained, both physically and mentally. But for Emperor Qi, he felt slightly relieved. His thought was simple, being sworn brothers with your grandfather, don¡¯t you consider me as half an elder, Xu Yan? So I hope you will go light on me? After the sworn brother ceremony, he walked Guo Rongshan out of the palace. Halfway, they ran into one of Emperor Qi¡¯s favoured concubines, approaching gracefully. Guo Rongshan was dazed at this moment, completely at a loss, and unconsciously looked up at the concubine, his gaze lingering. It¡¯s a major disrespect, but his mind was so muddled at the moment that he didn¡¯t realize it. Upon seeing this, Emperor Qi immediately asked joyously, ¡°Brother Guo, what do you think of Concubine Yun?¡± ¡°Concubine Yun is beautiful and virtuous, Of course¡­¡± Guo Rongshan froze, a wave of panic surfacing in his heart, how did I start commenting on the Emperor¡¯s favourite concubine? Cold sweat started breaking out on his forehead. Next, Emperor Qi¡¯s joyful voice came from the side: ¡°Since Brother Guo likes her, someone, take Concubine Yun to Minister Guo¡¯s residence!¡± What?! Guo Rongshan was aghast, exclaimed hurriedly: ¡°No, no, Your Majesty!¡± In a panic, he added: ¡°My wife is fierce, I¡¯m scared¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let it be!¡± Emperor Qi wore a face of regret. Isn¡¯t Guo Rongshan¡¯s wife Xu Yan¡¯s grandmother? If I annoy her, won¡¯t I be asking for trouble? On the other hand, Concubine Yun had already fainted from fright¡­ Guo Rongshan returned home in daze, his mind in complete turmoil, as if the trip to the Royal Palace was an absurd dream! ¡°Father, what did the Emperor want to see you for?¡± Guo Yunkai expressed his eagerness and worry, and as soon as he followed his father into the study, he asked without waiting. His father returned from the palace, and the whole person was completely off! Guo Rongshan raised his head and after a while, managed to say: ¡°His Majesty might have a brain disease, his sanity seems slightly off.¡± Guo Yunkai: ??? Chapter 55 Translator: 549690339 Guo Yunkai had a dumbfound look on his face. He scans the room in panic, opened the study window to ensure there was no one eavesdropping, then only he exhaled a sigh of relief. Dad, how come¡­ Did his father lose his wits because the entire family was in danger due to his defeat in the struggle for the heir to the throne? Guo Rongshan took a deep breath, only then did he slightly calm down. But he still can¡¯t believe what happened. The Third Prince was kneeling and kowtowing to him, acknowledging him as his master. Even Emperor Qi stated that once someone is your master, he will be your father for life. Who on earth has ever seen a prince kowtow this way? What¡¯s even more outrageous is that he was sworn brothers with Emperor Qi! Even more shocking, Emperor Qi actually wanted to give him Princess Concubine Yun. Since when did emperors give their concubines to ministers?! Emperor Qi didn¡¯t have the habit of being cuckolded! Hearing everything his father said, Guo Yunkai was dumbfounded and looked at his father suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯s not Emperor Qi who¡¯s gone mad, it¡¯s my Dad!¡± Guo Yunkai thought sadly. The Third Prince returned to the palace feeling dazed. His core advisers rushed over. ¡°Your Highness, what was that urgent summon from the Emperor about?¡± They asked. The Third Prince looked around, took a deep breath, and whispered into his adviser¡¯s ear, ¡°I suspect that our Emperor has a brain disease!¡± Adviser: ??? Something seems wrong with the Third Prince! Back in the study, Emperor Qi issued another command: ¡°Issue an imperial decree; appoint Guo Rongshan as the Qi King, the Grand Premier of the Cabinet, and the Crown Prince¡¯s Supreme Master¡­¡± The title ¡°Grand Tutor¡± could no longer match Guo Rongshan¡¯s status. The Emperor established a new title¡ªCrown Prince¡¯s Supreme Master! The word ¡®Supreme¡¯ represented the exalted status. Issue an imperial decree; appoint Guo Yunkai as Duke Shenwei, the commander of Qi¡¯s army¡­¡± ¡°Make Ming King the Crown Prince!¡± Ming King was the Third Prince! Emperor Qi issued a series of decrees, and simultaneously had people spread how he rewarded the virtuous, had the Third Prince acknowledge Guo Rongshan as his master, and even humbly formed a bond of brotherhood with Guo Rongshan. He spread wide and far the deeds of Guo Rongshan and the Guo family¡¯s loyal service to the country, praising them for their unwavering devotion. He portrayed Guo Rongshan as the embodiment of loyalty, patriotism, virtue, and saintly morality! The capital was in an uproar! All the civilian and military officials were taken aback! Has the Emperor gone mad? Especially the eldest Prince and his supporters were like falling from the clouds to land in a pit full of feces, the pain was indescribable. The Third Prince was appointed as the Crown Prince! Guo Rongshan was made a King! Grand Premier of the Cabinet, The Crown Prince¡¯s Supreme Master¡­ His son, Guo Yunkai, became Duke Shenwei, who commands the national defense forces of Qi Country! And the rumor amongst the populace was that Guo Rongshan had become a saint, a great character! The parties concerned, Guo Rongshan, and his son were both bewildered, the only thought in their minds: ¡°The Emperor has lost his senses¡­¡± Countless ministers presented memorials and even remonstrated to death. The imperial court was in chaos. Those who remonstrated to the death were complied with. The only thought in the minds of all the civilian and military officials was: ¡°The Emperor is mad¡­¡± Until one day, two enormous red dragons burst open the city¡¯s gates. A figure riding one of the red dragons was heading for the palace. A deafening voice resounded: ¡°Emperor Qi, old man, I, Xu Yan, am here!¡± Xu Yan? All the officials in attendance were stunned; isn¡¯t he Guo Rongshan¡¯s outside grandson? According to rumors, his outside grandson was not very bright and was obsessed with looking for a master, wanting to learn the real Martial Arts. The ministers looked up to see the dragon coming, its oppressive power shaking all directions. His face was instantly filled with horror. Could there really be such powerful martial arts in the world? Am I the fool for being unaware? At this moment, all the officials understood why Emperor Qi had carried out a series of absurd actions and why he had been so eager to please Guo Rongshan. All this, was because of Guo Rongshan¡¯s grandson, Xu Yan! Emperor Qi watched as the enormous dragon, two to three tens of feet long, slithered through the air. His face turned pale. Though the Flying Hawk secret order had mentioned Xu Yan creating a red dragon with a wave of his palms, rendering all helpless, reading about it and witnessing it firsthand, were completely different experiences. He was nearly scared out of his wits. He hastily grabbed Guo Rongshan¡¯s hand next to him, his voice trembling as he said, ¡°Brother Guo, you must persuade your grandson. This old body of mine can¡¯t handle such shocks!¡± Guo Rongshan, upon seeing Xu Yan soaring in mid-air, was also stunned. His own grandson was so powerful? In that moment, he understood. It wasn¡¯t that Emperor Qi had lost his sanity, but rather, it was because of Xu Yan¡¯s prowess that he had made these seemingly absurd decisions! Xu Yan was now furiously charging towards the palace. The eldest prince must have provoked his grandson by attempting to settle accounts with Guo Rongshan in Donghe prefecture. That must be why Xu Yan was storming the capital city. Your Majesty, don¡¯t worry. My grandson, Xu Yan, is a kind and honest young man, he won¡¯t do anything excessive!¡± Upon understanding the situation, Guo Rongshan straightened up, his confidence restored. Emperor Qi¡¯s mouth twitched. A kind and honest boy? Only Guo Rongshan could say something like that! ¡°Yan¡¯er, what are you making such a fuss about? It¡¯s not good to alarm His Majesty!¡± Guo Rongshan called over to Xu Yan. Hmph!¡± Xu Yan glanced at Emperor Qi standing next to his grandfather, snorted coldly, and pushed his palms downwards, merging the two dragons into one giant dragon. With a resounding crash, it landed in the square outside the palace hall. A rumble followed, and clouds of dust billowed into the air. The impact of the dragon left a deep trench dividing the square into two equal parts! The officials, palace guards, and top martial artists all broke out in cold sweats. ¡°Grandfather! Xu Yan approached Guo Rongshan. ¡°Hahaha, Yan¡¯er, your arrival is timely. Let me introduce you. This is His Majesty, your grandfather¡¯s sworn brother!¡± Guo Rongshan pulled Xu Yan¡¯s hand, gleefully introducing him. ¡°Sworn brother?¡± Xu Yan looked at Emperor Qi in confusion. Since when did his grandfather become sworn brothers with Emperor Qi? Since they were sworn brothers, why did those officials dare to ransack his home? Emperor Qi forced a friendly smile onto his face, any traces of his royal dignity now completely non-existent. For the ministers of Qi Country, this was a day their worldview would be shattered. The legendary divine martial artist, as described in the storybooks, had actually appeared! Moreover, it was Guo Rongshan¡¯s grandson, the one who had been mocked as inept! In the end, the real fools were they themselves! That day, the capital city was rocked to its core when a divine being, controlling a dragon, burst into the royal palace. ¡°Emperor Qi is a foolish and incompetent ruler, the divine has come to destroy Qi Country. Qi Country¡¯s days are numbered. The Holy Mother¡¯s divine light is illuminating all living beings, saving the people from peril and restoring order in the world at the crucial moment¡­¡± Suddenly, members of the hidden Holy Mother Cult, excitedly emerged and charged towards the palace, ready to seize the chance to rebel! The people were stunned. Were there really hidden Holy Mother Cult followers in the capital city? They seriously dared to rebel given the opportunity! As for Emperor Qi, he was more afraid of Xu Yan, than some cult followers. He was already feeling stifled, so it was a perfect opportunity for him to vent his anger by suppressing these cult followers. So, forces were sent forth to capture and root out the cult followers. With the arrival of Xu Yan, peace was truly a stranger to the capital city of Qi Country, and even the entire country. Soon after, the news of Xu Yan single-handedly, and effortlessly, defeating tens of thousands of troops in Donghe Prefecture was circulated among the ministers. Only at that moment did they understand the reason behind Emperor Qi¡¯s absurd actions.. Chapter 56 Translator: 549690339 The capital was in turmoil, the ministers shocked. Emperor Qi was in the palace, hiding in a secret chamber, gritting his teeth with curses spilling from his mouth. However, in the mansion of the Qi King, an atmosphere of joy and celebration prevailed. Only yesterday did he move into the mansion of the Qi King, and today Xu Yan arrived. Guo Rongshan¡¯s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He felt a great sense of relief. It wasn¡¯t that Emperor Qi had lost his senses, it was just that his grandson was too formidable. At this moment, Xu Yan deemed Emperor Qi to be tolerable. Having sworn brotherhood with his paternal grandfather, he was bestowed the title of Qi King and appointed as Grand Elder and Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the whole of Qi Country, Emperor Qi was simply the nominal first person. His grandfather was the real first person! The more Guo Rongshan looked at his grandson, the more his joy overflowed, realizing his affection for him had not been misplaced! Ever since Xu Yan held the mighty dragon and soared across the heavens, his palm creating a dragon-shaped chasm in the palace square, the world view of the ministers has collapsed irretrievably. The world view of the citizens of the Qi capital had likewise collapsed. On this day, all the storybooks and legendary tales in the bookshops of the capital had sold out, with prices soaring non-stop. A down-on-his-luck scholar saw a business opportunity, selling his precious few storybooks that recounted the affairs of mythical beings for thousands of taels. He became wealthy overnight! On this day, the dissolute scions were not frequenting the red-light district nor bullying men and dominating women. They were all urged by their families to seek out sagely figures! The most adversely affected from this incident, the eldest prince, was even preparing to personally seek out a sage to apprentice under. A fever to seek out sages swept over the capital of Qi. The Third Prince came bearing gifts to the Qi King¡¯s Mansion, to pay respects to his mentor, Guo Rongshan. Several ministers almost wore out the doorstep of the Qi King with their visits. At last, Guo Rongshan used the pretext of a family feast celebrating his grandson, declining any outside visitors, thereby managing to hold off the visiting ministers. In the study of the Qi King¡¯s Mansion. ¡°Father, isn¡¯t His Majesty afraid that our Guo Family will rebel?¡± Guo Yunkai voiced the doubt in his heart. Not only forging a sworn brotherhood and bestowing the Qi King title, but also the Grand Elder, and Teacher of the Crown Prince¡­ isn¡¯t Emperor Qi afraid that the Guo Family would rebel against him? Even the mighty and formidable army, which stabilises the country, was now under his command. Given the current strength of the Guo Family, staging a revolt would be easy. Xu Yan alone would be sufficient. Guo Rongshan remained calm as he said, ¡°It is precisely because he fears our rebellion that he has bestowed upon us such unparalleled status.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Guo Yunkai was confused. Guo Rongshan exhaled, saying, ¡°What is my reputation outside? Rumours circulate that His Majesty respects the virtuous and pays great deference, even swearing brotherhood with me. ¡°Additionally, he instructed the Third Prince to become my disciple ¨C once a teacher, forever his father. ¡°It circulates outside that I, Guo Rongshan, am loyal to the Emperor and love my country, wholeheartedly serving the people, of noble character, and a virtuous sage. ¡°If you think about it, were I to rebel, how would the people perceive it? What would happen to my reputation?¡± Guo Rongshan chuckled lightly, saying, ¡°If I rebel, I would inevitably be labelled ungrateful, hypocritical, scheming, and extremely reprehensible. ¡°Our Emperor binds the Guo family using reputation. ¡°Not rebelling would let us be remembered for generations as virtuous sages while rebelling sees our good name ruined. ¡°Such decisiveness from the Emperor! Even before news of Yan¡¯er had reached him, he had already devised all the measures. An Emperor with this level of resolve isn¡¯t to be underestimated!¡± Understanding dawned on Guo Yunkai. So this series of commendations, all these rumors outside, were all Emperor Qi¡¯s doing, forcing the Guo Family to choose. Either they rebel, take over the Qi Country, and ruin their name. Or they become the supreme power behind the throne, safeguarding Qi Country and its lands while Guo Rongshan would be remembered in history with honor as a sage of virtue. Now that these rumors had deeply penetrated the populace, it was too late to change their course. ¡°So Father, what¡¯s your thinking?¡± Guo Yunkai¡¯s breath grew slightly heavier. Guo Rongshan flashed a small smile, saying, ¡°A saintly, virtuous self! That¡¯s good! Your Majesty, you¡¯re on the hunt for a powerful person. Once you find one, if they can suppress Yan¡¯er, they will surely strike like a lightning bolt. ¡°If their abilities are somewhat equal, then it would maintain a balance. ¡°Your Majesty also told me that if the royal family found a powerful person, due to my reputation of sainthood and virtue, they would not resort to murder and sully the face of the royal family.¡± In his heart, Guo Yunkai understood but worriedly said, ¡°What if Your Majesty really finds a powerful person¡­¡± Guo Rongshan laughed and said, ¡°Is that so easy? As we have a head start with Yan¡¯er, we¡¯ll always be ahead. Trying to suppress someone isn¡¯t that simple. ¡°Yunkai, don¡¯t be shortsighted. A worldly dynasty like ours really doesn¡¯t count for much. ¡°Go, ask Yan¡¯er what she needs for her cultivation. Use the power of our Qi King¡¯s mansion to find it for her!¡± ¡°Yes, father, I understand!¡± Guo Yunkai¡¯s eyes lit up, and he excitedly said. Yunshan County. Li Xuan took Meng Chong back to his residence and asked him to choose a guest room to live in. ¡°You should get to know the surroundings first. Can you cook? Can you make chicken soup? Can you? That¡¯s good, go cook then!¡± The first thing Meng Chong had to do after becoming an apprentice was to cook! ¡°Senior, I brought the things!¡± Shi¡¯er respectfully arrived. ¡°Put them down.¡± Li Xuan gave a nod. Shi¡¯er placed five boxes on the table. Li Xuan did not move, but as his breath shifted, all five boxes opened. This sight made Shi¡¯er tremble in fear and bow even lower. Two nine-leafed ginseng plants and three thousand-year-old mountain ginsengs. Li Xuan was rather surprised, this Heavenly Mother Sect was pretty rich. ¡°Nine-leafed ginseng and thousand-year-old mountain ginseng, how unusual. Your Heavenly Mother Sect, to have such treasures, is quite extraordinary.¡± It was because of the nine-leafed ginseng and thousand-year-old mountain ginseng that Xu Yan was deeply moved to become a disciple. ¡°Senior, while the nine-leafed ginseng and thousand-year-old mountain ginseng are rare, they can still be found in the Great Mountains. Our Heavenly Mother Sect managed to gather these treasures while being hunted down and hiding in the mountains multiple times.¡± Shi¡¯er respectfully responded. ¡°The Great Mountains?¡± A thought crossed Li Xuan¡¯s mind. ¡°Senior, just 200 miles from here is the edge of the Great Mountains. They are called the Endless Mountains because no one can pass through them. Nobody has reached the other end of these mountains.¡± Shi¡¯er pointed in the direction outside Yunshan County. Li Xuan wondered, ¡°The small village I came through is neighboring the Great Mountains. The Evil Forest seemed to extend to the Great Mountains, could the Wolfsbane Wolf have come from there?¡± Some suspicions arose in his heart. Of course, whether it was so, remained uncertain. ¡°Continue! tl Li Xuan picked up a nine-leafed ginseng and motioned for Shi¡¯er to continue. ¡°Senior, the Endless Mountains are named so because they seem to go on forever. Rumor has it that the deepest anyone has ever ventured into the mountains was a few thousand miles by martial arts masters. See, they had to stop because of the rampant poisonous miasma. ¡°No one who entered the Endless Mountains has returned if they ventured further than that. As for those who didn¡¯t come back, they likely died in the mountains as no word was ever heard from them again.¡± Shi¡¯er spoke respectfully, but inside, he was wondering if the senior didn¡¯t originate from the Endless Mountains. After hearing this, Li Xuan was increasingly suspicious about the Endless Mountains. The Wolfsbane Wolf is clearly not a common beast, and by this reasoning, the martial strength of this world should not be so lacking. Could the truth be on the other side of the Endless Mountains? Again, all these are just suspicions and their validity unknown.. Chapter 57 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan, after listening to Shi¡¯er¡¯s explanation, dismissively shook his head and chuckled. ¡°A mere couple of thousand miles and that¡¯s considered to be an endless mountain range? Such an ordinary perspective!¡± he scoffed. He was unveiling his superior aura. Upon hearing this, Shi¡¯er¡¯s body shook, his breath becoming slightly ragged. ¡°Indeed, he is an unparalleled master. In his eyes, we arc nothing but the ordinary. In his view, our endless mountain is not even worth mentioning!¡± Shi¡¯er exclaimed internally. He felt a surge of excitement. Perhaps under the master¡¯s guidance, he, too, could transcend the ordinary? ¡°Master is correct. It is only because we, ordinary people, are weak and unable to cross it, that we call it an endless mountain range,¡± Shi¡¯er admitted shamefully. Li Xuan stayed indifferent. Suddenly, a golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple has shocked the capital of Qi Country, shattered the worldviews of many officials. Your aura of mystery has grown stronger.¡± The mysterious aura instantly doubled in intensity. In that moment, Shi¡¯er became even more sober, bowed even lower, and his reverence and zeal became more pronounced. A superior man indeed! In that instant, the man seated on the chair gave him an impression of being a hidden superior man, mysterious, majestic, and profound, existing beyond the ordinary world. Li Xuan was ecstatic. His mysterious aura could be enhanced even further? At this moment, he could sense that by utilizing his mysterious aura, he seemed even more inscrutable and possessed an aura of an unparalleled master. His mood instantly brightened. His disciple, Xu Yan, had indeed gone to the capital of Qi Country to show off his abilities. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Shi¡¯er. ¡°I take my leave!¡± Shi¡¯er bowed and left. ¡°Meng Chong!¡± Li Xuan called out. ¡°Master, what are your orders?¡± The bald youth, Meng Chong, hurried over. Li Xuan picked up a Nine-Leaf Spirit Plant and said, ¡°Cut off a piece and use it to make chicken soup!¡± He hadn¡¯t had Nine-Leaf Spirit Plant chicken soup in a while and was craving it now. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong replied, talcing the Nine-Leaf Spirit Plant and headed off to cook. Having disciples around to serve you made life leisurely and pleasant indeed. Li Xuan lay back in his chair, squinted, and began contemplating¡­ what cultivation technique should he pass on to Meng Chong? ¡°Cultivating the skin, bones, organs, and bloodstream¡­those were the cultivation techniques I devised for Xu Yan to practice. They obviously won¡¯t work for Meng Chong. Only a new cultivation technique will bring significant gains.¡± ¡°The basics of martial arts, cultivation of the skin, bones, and organs, are inevitable, but the methods of cultivation can differ.¡± ¡°When Xu Yan was cultivating, he only knew some crude martial arts from the Jianghu, a third-rate level? Meng Chong has an exceptional physique, a natural strength unlike ordinary people, so even though he is just a first-rate Jianghu expert, he can confront top Jianghu experts¡­¡± ¡°Given that Meng Chong¡¯s talent resides in his physical strength, let¡¯s start from there.¡± Li Xuan decided to play off Meng Chong¡¯s strengths, devising a new cultivation technique to test if Meng Chong could successfully cultivate it. If he can, when accepting disciples in the future, he would have a direction. He also had a clear sense of how to devise new cultivation techniques. ¡°Master, dinner is ready!¡± Meng Chong had finished cooking. ¡°Good!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Meng Chong¡¯s cooking skills were surprisingly good, perhaps because he had left his home at a young age to practice martial arts, and had been cooking to serve others. But compared to Xu Yan, it still falls short. ¡°My apprentice, you need to improve your cooking skills. When your elder martial brother returns, you can learn from him.¡± Li Xuan spoke. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong touched his bald head, appearing somewhat ashamed. ¡°Tomorrow, I will teach you the methods of Martial Arts. Rest and settle down for today.¡± After the meal, Li Xuan left a message and then retired to his room to compile a Cultivation Technique. Meng Chong was full of anticipation. What kind of Martial Arts methods would his venerable master be passing down to him? In the room, Li Xuan sat with a pen, writing drafts of a Cultivation Technique on paper. ¡°I need to make a distinction now. Xu Yan is cultivating the pure path of Martial Arts, while Meng Chong is training in a side path of Martial Arts that emphasizes physical body cultivation.¡± ¡°This can also be referred to as Physical Martial Arts.¡± ¡°However, Physical Martial Arts does not abandon the core of Martial Arts. It just emphasizes the cultivation of the physical body. All of one¡¯s strength is reflected in a robust physique.¡± ¡°Thus, what I am going to teach Meng Chong is an attempt to create a new branch within Martial Arts: Physical Martial Arts!¡± Meng Chong was naturally bald with muscles bulging and a burly figure. His talents are clearly manifested in his physique. Therefore, an idea flashed across Li Xuan¡¯s mind, and he decided to try to open up a new branch within Martial Arts. A branch of Martial Arts that emphasizes physical body cultivation. If it succeeds, there will be a reference direction for accepting disciples in the future. ¡°The foundation of Martial Arts lies in skin refinement, bone refinement, and organ refinement. Orthodox Martial Arts begins with skin refinement, while Physical Martial Arts incorporates all three at the same time; ¡°Orthodox Martial Arts can refine jade bones, whereas Physical Martial Arts refines Vajra-Lucent bones, which is on par with jade bones yet unique in its own way. ¡°So, the initial cultivation method for Physical Martial Arts begins with a Golden Bell Shield?¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought, now a martial artist with his qi and blood at full capacity. Having mastered the methods of Martial Arts for the qi and blood stage, he had a reference point to compile the foundations and cultivation technique for the qi and blood stage, which is an improvement compared to when he had no clue and was completely guessing in the beginning. However, choosing the initial cultivation method for the physical path is crucial. ¡°Iron Cloth Shirt? Or Golden Bell Shield? Full-body impenetrable through Qi and blood¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s call it Great Sun Golden Bell Shield. This corresponds to Qi and Blood Stage cultivation. ¡°The Great Sun Golden Bell Shield I¡¯m creating doesn¡¯t have a so-called Shield Gate. To break this defense, one must surpass the Golden Bell¡¯s defense with sheer power. There¡¯s no finding any chink to exploit. ¡°This is the Immaculate Golden Bell.¡± Li Xuan mulled it over for a while, finally deciding on Great Sun Golden Bell Shield as the initial stage of cultivation. Next, the cultivation method for the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield needed to be compiled¡­ this was rather a headache. Cultivating skin, bones, and organs simultaneously was challenging¡­ ¡°This isn¡¯t orthodox Martial Arts and emphasizes unique talents, so it¡¯s normal for it to be more difficult. For those with such talents, the difficulty won¡¯t be too great. ¡°Alright, I have made up my mind. First, sensing Qi and blood is a must. Then, Qi and blood flow between the organs, move through the bones, replenish the skin¡­ forming a cycle. ¡°Stimulating the organs, erupting Qi and blood, penetrating bones, impacting skin¡­cultivate from the inside out, or from the outside in, practicing all three as one, refining the Golden Bell physique¡­ ¡°Upon successful cultivation of the basic stage in Physical Martial Arts and the Golden Bell reverberating, Qi and blood transform into an Immaculate Golden Bell, enveloping the entire body¡­this signifies entry into the Qi and Blood stage of Physical Martial Arts.¡± Li Xuan, with his methods for the Qi and Blood stage as a reference, managed to compile the cultivation method for the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield smoothly. Naturally, this technique was rather crude and not very detailed; even with the Qi and Blood Cultivation Technique as a reference, it couldn¡¯t be too detailed. In the end, it depended on Meng Chong drawing specific, practical techniques from this method. Therefore, when passing on the technique to Meng Chong, Li Xuan would still caution him to focus on comprehension and intention, rather than obsess over the superficial level of the technique. The form doesn¡¯t matter; comprehension and intention are the keys. ¡°Given Meng Chong¡¯s way of thinking, his comprehension should be excellent; he should be able to understand and cultivate it successfully, right?¡± Li Xuan still had confidence in Meng Chong. In Meng Chong¡¯s view, his master was an unrivaled expert. He would take whatever techniques his master imparted to him very seriously, certainly squeezing his brain to the utmost to understand them.. Chapter 58 Bell Cover of the Great Sun 1 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan wrote the cultivation technique of ¡°Daylight Golden Bell Guard¡± on a draft, carefully checked it to ensure the theoretical feasibility, and memorized the technique. The qi and blood in his hand surged, and the draft turned into ashes in an instant. The cultivation technique to be passed to Meng Chong had been compiled. The next step was to teach this disciple and wait for him to comprehend it. The next day. Just at the break of dawn, the sound of martial arts practice was heard in the open yard. Meng Chong held a large machete, his vigorous swings reflecting a shiny glow from his bald head. Li Xuan silently nodded. His second disciple, like Xu Yan, was diligent and hardworking. With disciples like these, how could he not become powerful? ¡°Disciple, come here!¡± Li Xuan sat down on a chair. ¡°Master! Meng Chong sheathed his knife into the ground, ceased his practice and walked excitedly over, respectfully saluting. ¡°Today, I will teach you the Way of Martial Arts.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s expression was solemn, he slowly said, ¡°The martial arts I¡¯m teaching you are not the ordinary fist and kick techniques you¡¯ve learned so far. Those are merely worldly skills. ¡°In my Martial Arts, moving mountains and filling seas, and breaking the void with a punch, all are easy feats. ¡°The Martial Path is endless, but the cultivation of Martial Arts should also start from the foundation, and the first realm of Martial Arts is the Qi and Blood Realm¡­¡± As Li Xuan spoke, he raised his hand, and in an instant, a surge of Qi and Blood swept into the sky, stirring the half-air. Even as he concealed his aura, Meng Chong could still feel the terrifying power contained within this surge of Qi and Blood at such a close distance. His eyes widened with excitement and a fanatic glint appeared in his eyes. Martial Arts! This is the real Martial Arts! The first realm alone, the Qi and Blood Realm, is so terrifying! Li Xuan retracted his Qi and Blood, and continued, ¡°Martial Arts cultivation starts with refining the skin, refining the bones, refining the organs. These are the foundations. ¡°Only by laying a solid foundation can one travel a long way in Martial Arts. Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.¡± Li Xuan lifted his hand again, his Qi and Blood solidifying into a palm, which he placed on Meng Chong¡¯s shoulder, gripping his arm, his thigh. ¡°Disciple, your talent lies in your physique, and your physique is extraordinary, making it perfectly suited for physical Martial Arts. Thus, I will teach you the basics of physical Martial Arts, the Daylight Golden Bell Guard¡­¡± Meng Chong excitedly touched his bald head and said, ¡°I will follow Master¡¯s arrangement!¡± ¡°Physical Martial Arts emphasizes the cultivation of the body, offering unparalleled defense and extraordinary prowess. It perfectly suits you.¡± Li Xuan stood up, walking around Meng Chong. Inwardly, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh at his second disciple: naturally burly, muscles bulging, and a naturally bald head. His facial features were quite handsome, but his masculine and powerful physique, bald head, and strong muscles overshadowed them. No elegance was seen, only a display of a bold and powerful aura. Anyone who saw him couldn¡¯t help but praise, what a magnificent young man! ¡°A Martial Artist who focuses on physical cultivation, once they achieve their peak physical form, their body becomes a divine weapon¡­Of course, this is still too far for you. As long as you cultivate the Daylight Golden Bell Guard, even in the face of a thousand-strong army, you will remain unbreakable¡­¡± Li Xuan continued to extol the power of Daylight Golden Bell Guard, inspiring Meng Chong¡¯s fighting spirit and igniting his fanaticism. Indeed, the more Meng Chong heard, the more excited he became. His muscles trembled, and his shiny head seemed even shinier. ¡°Listen well, I will now impart the cultivation method of Daylight Golden Bell Guard¡­¡± Li Xuan sat back down in the chair, and began speaking with a solemn face. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong immediately knelt down and began to listen respectfully. ¡°The physical cultivation of Martial Arts is slightly different from the orthodox path of Martial Arts, which refines the skin, bones, and organs respectively. The physical path, however, is a simultaneous process¡­¡± Li Xuan orally imparted the already compiled cultivation method line by line: first, you need to sense Qi and Blood, then guide the Qi and Blood from the inside to the surface, or vice versa, forming a circulation, thus cultivating the skin, bones and organs simultaneously. ¡°¡­My disciple, have you memorized it?¡± Li Xuan asked after he explained the technique thoroughly. ¡°Master, I have memorized it.¡± Meng Chong nodded. He memorized the cultivation technique, but he still had some confusion about how exactly to practice it. Li Xuan opportunately said: ¡°My Martial Arts revolve around comprehension and intent, not the form of cultivation techniques. My disciple, you need to understand and comprehend their true essence.¡± ¡°The practice of Martial Arts depends heavily on your natural gift. Having observed your method of avenging, you seem to have quite a peculiar understanding ¨C your talent should not be inferior.¡± ¡°Immerse yourself in understanding the Cultivation Technique, I believe you can comprehend it.¡± He offered Meng Chong some encouragement and then paused before continuing, ¡°The cultivation technique is all there is, whether one can begin practicing it depends on their comprehension.¡± ¡°A mentor can lead you to the door, but the practice depends on the individual.¡± ¡°You need to be calm and composed, neither arrogant nor hot-headed, to comprehend the intent in Cultivation Techniques.¡± Meng Chong was somewhat confused but felt that these powerful martial arts techniques were indeed profoundly mysterious. It wasn¡¯t easy just to get started. ¡°Master, I am confident that I will comprehend them!¡± Meng Chong asserted. ¡°Very good, do not let me down!¡± Li Xuan nodded his approval. He stood up and assumed a horse stance, saying, ¡°Take the horse stance, meditate deeply, begin by sensing your vital energy.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong nodded, perching into a horse stance in the empty courtyard. ¡°Cultivation requires a balance between work and rest. When it¡¯s time, cook, clean the courtyard, wipe the tables¡­ relax yourself, loosen your mind. Do not be always tense. Sometimes, the more stubborn you arc, the less you gain¡­¡± Li Xuan imparted earnestly. Xu Yan initially achieved enlightenment of the fabricated cultivation technique and successfully stepped onto the path of martial arts during such a training process. ¡°Master, I understand!¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Also, when stewing chicken, remember to add Jiuye Yuanzhi or Thousand-year Ginseng¡­¡± Li Xuan instructed. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Li Xuan, with his hands behind his back, prepared to go out for a walk. Suddenly, he said, ¡°If you need anything, feel free to ask Shi¡¯er.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong nodded. Shi¡¯er was quite competent. For now, Li Xuan considered him a runner, it was up to him to seize the opportunity to make a good impression. The County Magistrate¡¯s Residence in Yunshan County. The County Magistrate sat together with the elderly man in linen robes, Shi¡¯er, and others. ¡°Xu Yan exhibited unparalleled might in the prefecture city and single-handedly defeated the Shenwei Army¡­¡± The County Magistrate said with an astonished expression. ¡°Now, all the gentry and dignitaries of the prefecture city are seeking the expert, hoping to become his disciples and learn the indomitable martial arts.¡± His eyes exuded a glimmer of fanaticism. Initially, he had been prepared to run away. After all, Li Xuan was quite terrifying. He could easily crush them to death if he desired. However, news from the prefecture city about Xu Yan¡¯s display of power, like a god among men, dramatically changed his decision. And Li Xuan was Xu Yan¡¯s master! Isn¡¯t he a mysterious expert? The expert was right here! How could one even want to run away now? Instead, he was wondering how to flatter and please the expert, hoping to get some guidance. Since their world view has been refreshed, their initial rebellious intentions were fading. Their foremost desire was becoming genuine martial artists and acquiring the powerful martial arts. ¡°The expert has accepted Meng Chong as his disciple. I have given him some of the Nine Leaf Yuanzhi and Thousand-year Ginseng from our school¡¯s treasures. I think we should continue to give him more of these valuable medicines¡­¡± Shi¡¯er seized the opportunity to speak. Although these valuable medicines were precious, they couldn¡¯t help them to become powerful martial artists like Xu Yan. Giving them to the expert and receiving a reward would be more valuable.. Chapter 59 Translator: 549690339 The county magistrate of Yunshan nodded, ¡°We can do that, mobilize all the believers to look for the treasure medicine, but we also need to keep some for ourselves. The treasure medicine might be useful for practicing martial arts.¡± The old man in the linen robe also frequently nodded in agreement. Shi¡¯er continued, ¡°In addition, the expert wants to meet the celestial mother.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s convey the message to the celestial mother and let her make the decision.¡± The man in the linen robe clapped his hands decisively. ¡°Also, we must not disclose the message of the expert in Yunshan County, otherwise the people of the Prefecture City, the imperial city, will all rush to disturb the expert!¡± The Yunshan county magistrate gravely ordered. All the masters of the celestial mother¡¯s church nodded one after another. Opportunity is at hand, it depends on who can grasp it. They even refrained from telling people like Kou Ruozhi from the prefecture city. Yunshan County was not big, Li Xuan wandered around for half an hour before returning home. Outside the courtyard gate, a figure bowed with a box in hand. ¡°Yunshan County Magistrate?¡± Li Xuan spoke with surprise. These guys usually avoid him like rats in front of a cat, why did they come to him this time? ¡°Not at all! Senior, you may call me Little Shan.¡± The county magistrate of Yunshan nodded and bowed, showing great humility. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve accepted a disciple. I came to congratulate you for this, and to give you this small token of my respect. I hope you won¡¯t reject it!¡± The Yunshan County Magistrate raised the box in his hand. ¡°I appreciate it, I appreciate it!¡± Li Xuan took the box. ¡°Now, since I¡¯ve accepted the gift, if there¡¯s nothing else¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave!¡± The Yunshan county magistrate bowed and backed out. Li Xuan nodded. He seemed to be a sensible guy. He went into the courtyard, opened the box to find a ginseng root inside. ¡°This is not an ordinary thousand-year ginseng, the celestial mother¡¯s church has quite a few such treasure medicines. Now, my disciple won¡¯t lack the treasure medicine for cultivation.¡± Li Xuan was very pleased with this. Just as he was putting down the ginseng, another visitor arrived. Li Xuan sat still in his chair, letting Meng Chong open the door. It was the old man in the linen robe, also here to deliver medicinal herbs. Li Xuan didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and directly accepted it. ¡°It seems the endless mountain range is not as simple as it seems, having all these precious medicinal herbs.¡± Li Xuan mused. The suspicion in his heart was further confirmed. Of course, it¡¯s still too early to say for sure. All the masters from the celestial mother¡¯s church came one after another to offer their gifts, and Li Xuan accepted them all graciously. He would graciously accept their gifts, but if they dared to cause havoc using his name, they couldn¡¯t blame him for not being polite! These medicinal herbs, could be considered as the life-purchasing money of these masters of the celestial mother¡¯s church. Meng Chong was in the courtyard trying to comprehend the cultivation technique of the Golden Bell Shield. There was no progress for the time being, but Li Xuan was not in a hurry. In the evening, Shi¡¯er came to the door carrying a chicken. However, he was very sensible, not looking for Li Xuan but giving the chicken to Meng Chong, he laughed and said: ¡°Master Meng, here¡¯s the chicken you wanted!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Meng Chong took the chicken, turned around and went to kill it for making chicken soup. Shi¡¯er bowed to Li Xuan, who was sitting on the chair, and left. ¡°Interesting, he is a clever fellow.¡± Li Xuan looked up as Shi¡¯er carefully closed the courtyard door behind him and nodded silently. Having someone to run errands was not bad. He would watch him a bit more. If he was clever enough and adept at handling matters, he could consider keeping him as his servant. It couldn¡¯t be that he had to have his disciple do everything, after all, the main occupation of a disciple was to cultivate. If his disciple didn¡¯t devote himself to cultivation, how could he improve his strength? The imperial city of Qi Country. The shock brought by Xu Yan was still yet to subside. However, many officials¡¯ second generation, leading their guards and servants, left the capital and went to various mountains to find masters. The royal family mobilized all intelligence resources and hidden agents for this purpose. The Crown Prince was preparing to find the masters himself. In this turmoil, he suffered the most. The princehood position was about to slip away from his grasp. The ministers who used to support him evaded him as if he were the plague. If there¡¯s anyone in the capital who feels most aggrieved, it would be Emperor Qi, no doubt. He felt too aggrieved. Despite being a dignified Icing, he couldn¡¯t show any dissatisfaction towards a subordinate. What was even worse, that little child Xu Yan was totally bullying him! Day by day, he trotted into the palace, especially to stroll in the harem. In the harem, besides him, Emperor Qi, and his underage son, which other man could go in? However, Xu Yan went in during the day and even at night! If Xu Yan was going to bed with the concubines and princesses, Emperor Qi could still bear it. At least there was a way to win over Xu Yan. Sending concubines and princesses was a trifle. But! Xu Yan entered the harem under the excuse of honing his mind! According to him, at this age, he¡¯s most attracted to women. If he can remain calm in the face of beauty, his mind will definitely be steadier when it comes to martial arts! He wouldn¡¯t be disturbed by the material world and could better understand the cultivation technique! There¡¯s an abundance of beauty in the world, but nowhere more than in the harem! All kinds of beauty exist there, so that¡¯s why he ran to the harem! If it were only that, it would be alright. But Xu Yan entered the harem without concealing it from anyone. How did others see it? If it¡¯s said that Xu Yan entered the palace to hone his mind, not to sleep with his concubines, not to sleep with the princess, who the hell would believe it? The ministers looked at him strangely! As if the crown on his head was not a crown, but a green hat of a cuckold! If he were truly cuckolded, it would be fine. But he wasn¡¯t. The feeling of being misunderstood is so damn frustrating! Emperor Qi was all choked up. But Xu Yan felt that Emperor Qi was pretty nice. He entered the harem to hone his mind, and not only did Emperor Qi not get angry, he even had the concubines dance to help him hone his mind! II Emperor Qi, such a decent person. Why would he think of raiding my house? Could it be the Prefecture Magistrate acting fool? When Xu Yan came out of the harem, his mind was calm. He felt that his mindset of having ¡°no women in his heart¡± had improved significantly. His mind remained firm with martial arts and was not disturbed by external factors. II Master said that having ¡®no women in the heart¡¯ makes cultivation divine. This metaphor of a state of mind is truly mysterious. ¡°At this age, I¡¯m most prone to get swayed by women. If I can do this, not to be confused by women, have clarity in my mind, my understanding of the cultivation technique will not be disturbed by external factors. ¡°I can devote my entire attention to understanding the cultivation technique.¡± The more Xu Yan thought about it, the more he felt that Master¡¯s statement ¡°heart without women, cultivation is divine¡± was extremely profound. Moreover, at this age, he was most likely to be swayed by women. Women, for him, were the biggest external disturbance. If he could overcome this, no external factor could disturb his state of mind. Xu Yan believed he had succeeded. Beautiful women in Emperor Qi¡¯s harem, he wasn¡¯t moved by them! ¡°The cultivation technique of the Innate Realm, I seem to have some comprehension of it¡­¡± Xu Yan was pleased, he came out of the harem, moving around in the palace. It was just after court, and ministers were going outside. Everyone gave him strange looks upon seeing Xu Yan. He came out of the harem again? Seeing Guo Rongshan, the ministers in the group secretly wondered, did the Grand Minister ever enter the harem too? It sounds thrilling! When could they get a chance to go to the harem for a glimpse of the group of beauties? Xu Yan nodded to Emperor Qi as a form of greeting. He was thinking about the Innate Realm¡¯s cultivation technique and didn¡¯t notice the strange expressions on the ministers¡¯ faces, so he just left the palace directly. Emperor Qi saw him off with a smile. When Xu Yan left, Emperor Qi took a deep breath, his face turned serious, beckoned Guo Yunkai to come over. He issued a decree: ¡°Minister Guo, ministers showed no decorum after court, it¡¯s a violation of court etiquette. Give all of them twenty big beatings, to serve as a warning to others!¡± Guo Yunkai was stunned and nodded quietly: ¡°Your servant obeys your decree!¡± My darned nephew, he shouldn¡¯t have entered the harem so openly. The Emperor still has pride, you know. Only he could execute this kind of punishment on the ministers. That day, the ministers collectively received a beating outside the palace.. Each one of them had a glum face, cursing the dog emperor in their hearts! Chapter 60 Translator: 549690339 Emperor Qi, upon returning to his royal study, sunk into deep thought. When did he, the monarch of Qi Country, the supreme emperor, fall into such distress? It started with the struggle for the throne. His third son lost a precious jade, and was defeated in the contest of succession. His eldest son, victorious in the strife for the crown, commenced actions in Donghe Jurisdiction to deal with Guo Rongshan. It was his ministers who supported his eldest son, clearing the way for his son by eliminating the Ticnmu Sect in Donghe Jurisdiction, preparing him for the position of the Crown Prince. The root of all this started with the plundering Xu Yan¡¯s household¡­ At this thought, Emperor Qi seethed with anger and felt wronged. After all, Xu Yan¡¯s household has not been plundered yet, and he was the emperor! A mere merchant, why would he care? He wasn¡¯t even aware of this matter. And yet, he ended up carrying the burden of the acts he didn¡¯t commit. ¡°Issue the edict, the Crown Prince has been undutiful. Whip him thirty times, harshly!¡± Emperor Qi commanded, his teeth clenched in wrath. Unable to vent his anger on Xu Yan, he took it out on his own son instead! The Crown Prince was left bewildered, suffering thirty lashes for doing nothing. The injustice was enormous! He inwardly cursed his father, ¡°Old bag, taking blows from outsiders, only to vent it on his own son!¡± Within the mansion of King Qi. Xu Yan sat cross-legged on the bed, his mind clear, entering a state where he forgot both the world and himself, his whole being absorbed in the enlightenment of Cultivation Technique. With a significant enhancement in his state of mind, he was almost free to enter this realm, wholeheartedly comprehending the Cultivation Technique. A streak of enlightenment flowed to his mind. Xu Yan could feel that he was not far from understanding the Innate Realm Cultivation Technique. ? ? Three days passed. Meng Chong had yet to comprehend the Cultivation Technique, still mulling over it. Li Xuan sat on the chair, watching this scene, and began to ponder on how to guide his disciple. He tried to refine the method of practicing the Great Sun Golden Bell, detailed as much as possible, to aid Meng Chong in his enlightenment. ¡°Could it be that my second disciple is not very apt at comprehension?¡± Li Xuan too sunk into deep thought. From the outside, Meng Chong seemed like a rugged man. Yet, his thought process was unique. He thought things differently from others, indicating high comprehension abilities. Suddenly. A golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple frequently enters the Emperor Qi¡¯s harem to enhance his mindset. With no woman in his heart, his profound state of mind improves. You have acquired the Clear Mind State.¡± Li Xuan was startled. His foolish disciple entering the Emperor Qi¡¯s harem to enhance his mindset? Just to enhance his mind? ¡°Oh, this disciple¡­¡± Li Xuan sighed. Xu Yan, this disciple of his, possessed a peculiar understanding. His ability to comprehend unusual aspects was extraordinary. His phrase ¡°No woman in heart, enlightened as having divine presence¡± was peculiarly interpreted as a metaphor for his meditative state. ¡°Well, at least he is not truly without a woman in his heart, but uses it as a metaphor for one¡¯s state of mind¡­¡± At this point, Li Xuan¡¯s mind was clear, undisturbed by external influences, which allowed him to fully immerse himself in a state. ¡°This is the Clear Mind State? Unaffected by external things, seeing through illusions, and a firm mind¡­¡± Li Xuan found that the Clear Mind State allowed him to focus better, think more agilely, and stay unfazed even at the impending collapse of a mountain. ¡°My state of mind now resembles that of a wise man.¡± Li Xuan slightly squinted, ready to contemplate and refine the Great Sun Golden Bell Technique for Meng Chong, guiding him on how to understand the Cultivation Technique. He quickly got into the state and found the direction of refinement. ¡°Is this the advantage brought by the Clear Mind State?¡± Suddenly. He looked up at Meng Chong. He saw Meng Chong looking up towards the sun in the sky, muttering to himself. ¡°The Great Sun? The Great Sun Golden Bell Shield? From inside to outside, or from outside to inside? I understand!¡± It seemed that Meng Chong had an epiphany in that moment. He excitedly stripped off his clothes, baring his upper body, revealing his muscular build. He walked under the sun, settled into the horse stance, took a deep breath, then went into¡ªcultivation mode. Li Xuan: ??? Regardless of whether Meng Chong had misunderstood, as long as he had some sort of enlightenment, some idea, it would be a good thing. Li Xuan decided to silently observe, not interfering with Meng Chong¡¯s cultivation. The scary thing is not a student misunderstanding but having no ideas. Xu Yan in the past also had all kinds of misunderstandings and supplemented his own brain, only to eventually succeed in his cultivation. So, misunderstanding is not scary. What¡¯s scary is having no ideas! Secretly, Li Xuan began to hope, could Meng Chong successfully cultivate the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield! He glanced up at the sun. It was already winter, and the weather was cold. Although the sun was out, it wasn¡¯t scorching hot, so it wouldn¡¯t cause heatstroke. He did not know what Meng Chong, his disciple, had realized. Li Xuan had no intention to interfere. Since his disciple had some enlightenment, he would just silently observe with his current perfect state of blood and energy cultivation, and his keen perception as a martial artist. If there was any improvement in Meng Chong¡¯s cultivation, he would be able to sense the change. Meng Chong stood under the sun, the sunlight shining on his body, bringing a hint of warmth. ¡°First, sense the blood and energy. How to sense the blood and energy? The Great Sun Golden Bell Shield should be cultivated under the great sun, realizing the sensation of burning heat, thus moving from outside to inside, making the blood and energy seep into the bones, enter the visceral organs¡­ ¡°Since I cannot sense blood and energy from inside, refining from inside to outside, then I will borrow the burning heat of the great sun, stimulate the blood and energy, and then refine it from outside to inside¡­¡± Meng Chong was subtly contemplating, being under the sun for a long time, he gradually sensed the warm feeling on his skin, and between his breaths, a faint warmth emerged. ¡°I can sense the blood and energy!¡± At this moment, Meng Chong was overjoyed in his heart. His blood and energy swirled slowly, gradually gathering around his skin. Amazingly, it formed a miraculous resonance with the sunlight on his skin. ¡°From outside to inside, seeping into the bones, then flowing to the visceral organs, this is the basic refining method of the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, cultivating the physical golden bell, then erupting with blood and energy, transforming into the blood and energy Golden Bell Shield, which is stepping into the blood and energy realm¡­¡± Meng Chong was elucidating the cultivation process of the technique. After refining the blood and energy on his skin, it circled internally, dispersing amongst his bones. At this moment, he felt like ants were crawling on his bones, a sour pain, suddenly emerging. His muscles all over his body couldn¡¯t help but tremble a few times. However, he endured it, not making a sound, but his breathing became slightly heavier. ¡°Is this the Bone Refining? A little uncomfortable, but my sensation seems to have changed¡­¡± Meng Chong was thrilled in his heart. The blood and energy circulated once around his bones, slowly dispersed, and in tiny streams flowed into his visceral organs, refining the delicate organs. The first time refining the organs, you need to control blood and energy, can¡¯t rush, need to refine slowly and finely. Thus, Meng Chong put his whole mind on circulating the blood and energy, a strand and wisp of blood and energy, circulating amongst his organs. The process of refining organs is relatively slow, taking more time than refining skin and bones together. Once the first time refining organs was completed, blood and energy returned to bones, then returned to the skin, forming a cycle. Meng Chong was thrilled to discover that his body seemed to have a layer of unexplainable, indescribable roundness, as if the interior and exterior were harmonious, seamless throughout, as if a big bell covered his body, or as if his body had become an impeccable big bell! Chapter 61 Cultivate the Great Sun Golden Bell?-1 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan had always been paying attention to Meng Chong. At this moment, he noticed a change in Meng Chong¡¯s demeanor; an enhancement in his physical body and the emergence of blood and qi within him. ¡°Has he successfully understood the cultivation technique and begun practicing it?¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. He quietly observed, using his highly keen senses as a martial artist adept at the mastery of qi and blood stage, and sensed the changes in Meng Chong. ¡°Is this the nascent phase of the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, where the body is likened to a formidable bell?¡± Meng Chong¡¯s physical body had become stronger, reflecting an overall improvement that gave him an impression of being encased in a bell-like shield. As he looked up at the sun, Li Xuan fell into contemplation. Could it be that the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield required the practitioner to be under sunlight for effective absorption of qi and blood during cultivation? If it were the sweltering summertime, wouldn¡¯t they be susceptible to sunstroke? ¡°Exactly how did Meng Chong comprehend this? Why would he resort to practicing under the sun and manage to successfully cultivate?¡± A sense of bewilderment rose within Li Xuan. Adhering to his principle of imparting techniques without interfering in his disciple¡¯s comprehension, he decided not to intervene even if the disciple exhibited peculiar behaviors. But Meng Chong had successfully cultivated the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield under the sunlight. Could it be ineffective in the absence of sunlight? ¡°How exactly did he comprehend it?¡± Li Xuan decided to wait until Meng Chong finished his practice, then probe into how he figured out the cultivation technique, and how he would practice if deprived of sunlight. After all, Meng Chong had been practicing martial arts since he was young. He had a strong physique and his talents might indeed be leaning towards the physical domain. Having comprehended the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield technique, he persisted in practicing. Although he missed the cooking time, Meng Chong was not exhausted at all. However, Li Xuan did not disturb his disciple¡¯s practice. At this time, Shi Er arrived carrying a chicken. Delivering one chicken daily had already become his routine task. He was more than willing to do so. Yet, seeing Meng Chong immersed in his practice, a twinge of envy flashed in his eyes. Xu Yan, the disciple of the high-ranking expert, capable of single-handedly defeating the Divine Might Army, demonstrated a formidable strength indeed. It seemed that Meng Chong, too, was fast becoming an unparalleled martial artist. Li Xuan signaled Shi¡¯er to come over. Shi¡¯Er jogged over respectfully, ¡°Senior.¡± ¡°Can you cook?¡± Li Xuan asked indifferently. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± A wave of ecstasy swept over Shi¡¯er. Over the past days, he had been diligently learning how to cook, especially how to stew chicken soup! It seemed that the senior really had a thing for chicken soup! ¡°Go cook. When stewing the chicken soup, remember to add Nine Leaves Ganoderma or Mountain Ginseng.¡± Li Xuan waved his hand. ¡°Yes, senior!¡± Shi¡¯er was overjoyed. Now was his chance to shine. Carrying the chicken, he left to slaughter it and cook. Immersed in his cultivation, Meng Chong went through one cycle after another. After the second cycle, he felt his physique become stronger. It seemed as though he was invulnerable to swords and spears! ¡°So this is martial arts, it¡¯s so mysterious!¡± Meng Chong was filled with excitement and ecstasy as he continued to practice diligently. At this point, he had completely forgotten everything else. His whole mind was focused on cultivation. ¡°He¡¯s nearly reached his limit.¡± Li Xuan gauged Meng Chong¡¯s physical condition. Three refinement cycles were the limit. Just the fact that he could endure three refinement cycles during his first training signified Meng Chong¡¯s natural affinity for physical cultivation. True enough! After three refinement cycles, Meng Chong reached a state of exhaustion. At that very moment, he opened his eyes, and instantly felt the pangs of hunger. ¡°Damn! I forgot to cook!¡± Meng Chong quickly checked the time and was taken aback. Feeling the hunger in his stomach, he looked up at his master and admitted somewhat shamefacedly, ¡°Master, I will go cook right now.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. You¡¯ve just started your training, using a lot of your energy and you must be hungry now. It¡¯s time to refuel.¡± Li Xuan stood up, his pace unhurried. ¡°Let¡¯s have a meal!¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± Meng Chong let out a sigh of relief. He followed his master into the dining hall. Shi¡¯er had already served the food. A big pot of chicken soup was fragrant. Meng Chong smelled it and immediately felt an urge to eat. ¡°Eat!¡± Li Xuan said after sitting down. ¡°Yes, master!¡± Meng Chong was excited, eagerly enjoying the meal. After downing a bowl of soup, he felt energized and his hunger faded away. Shi¡¯er retreated to one side respectfully, waiting for Master Li Xuan and his disciple to finish their meal. After clearing the dishes, Shi¡¯er bowed,¡± If the senior has no other instructions, 1¡¯11 take my leave!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Shi¡¯er respectfully excused himself and left. When it was just master and disciple left, Li Xuan spoke, ¡°Tell me, what do you think about your cultivation of the Great Solar Bell Shield?¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong immediately became more alert. ¡°To cultivate the Great Solar Bell Shield, 1 realized that it must be practiced under the sun. To better perceive the flow of life energy within myself, I must first feel the heat of the sun¡­¡± Meng Chong explained in detail his process of understanding and how he trained. Li Xuan remained expressionless, his mind buzzed in confusion. Could it be that the Great Solar Bell Shield really needed to be practiced under the harsh sun to succeed? ¡°Or perhaps, this is just Meng Chong¡¯s own realization. He has merely used the sun¡¯s heat to warm himself and thereby stimulate his life energy to begin training,¡± Li Xuan thought, his mind suddenly clear, new thoughts emerging. You can also train the Great Solar Bell Shield even without the sun if you can just sense your lifeblood. However, Meng Chong was enlightened by the warm sensation of the sun, which allowed him to feel his life energy. ¡°Wait a minute! Does the intense sunlight help with the cultivation of the Great Solar Bell Shield? Is the effectiveness of the training better under the sun?¡± Li Xuan was unsure. Only after Meng Chong¡¯s martial arts entrance, stepping into the realm of synthesizing life energy, would he be able to gain complete feedback for the complete cultivation technique of the Great Solar Bell Shield know for certain. When Meng Chong finished speaking, Li Xuan calmly opened his mouth, ¡°My disciple, 1 am pleased with your realization. But now, 1 have a question for you.¡± ¡°Master, please speak!¡± Meng Chong was alerted and respectfully responded. ¡°What if there¡¯s no sun, for example on rainy or cloudy days¡­How would you practice?¡± Since the technique requires training under the sun, could one not practice should the sun not be divine? Would training be halted? What would one do in extreme cold conditions where there are only a few hours of sunlight for several months? Meng Chong was dumbfounded. He just recently understood the technique of the Great Solar Bell Shield and was still excited. He had never thought about this before. ¡°This¡­¡± Meng Chong was bewildered and didn¡¯t know how to respond. Li Xuan continued, ¡°If there¡¯s no sun at night, does that mean you can¡¯t practice either? My disciple, you need to dig deeper into your understanding.¡± Having spoken, he leisurely walked away leaving his disciple behind in thought. All he needed to do was present the problem to his disciple and let him find the solution himself. Li Xuan believed that Meng Chong could understand the true meaning of the Great Solar Bell Shield after breaking through this barrier. ¡°How do I practice when there¡¯s no sun?¡± ¡°Do I not practice at night?¡± ¡°Do 1 not practice on rainy days?¡± ¡°Is there such a martial arts technique? My understanding is obviously too shallow.¡± Meng Chong looks outside. It was now evening, with only the afterglow of the setting sun remaining.. Chapter 62 Meaning is Self-Evident i Translator: 549690339 A cultivation technique that needs sunlight to practice is not a good one. It should not limit the disciple¡¯s path, it must be corrected. The matter of the cultivation technique is left to the disciple to perceive, Li Xuan just needs to silently observe. Meng Chong fell into contemplation, deciding to practice that night. In the courtyard, with his legs set in a horse stance, Meng Chong began to practice. ¡°Why can¡¯t I sense my Qi and blood?¡± Without the warmth of the sun on his body, Meng Chong found he couldn¡¯t sense his Qi and blood when he started practicing. ¡°Indeed, 1 must have misunderstood the cultivation technique.¡± Meng Chong took a deep breath, calmed his heart, and began to finely sense his own body. At one moment, he finally sensed his Qi and blood, although it was weak and the refining process was too slow. ¡°Why is it faster to cultivate under the sun?¡± Meng Chong fell into thought. Li Xuan¡¯s expression changed slightly, he too fell into thought. Meng Chong, who practiced at night, was clearly much weaker. ¡°Something¡¯s not right, could the ¡®Sun Crossing the Sky¡¯ really requires the sun to shine on it for more efficient cultivation?¡± Even Li Xuan was stumped. He carefully revisited the ¡®Sun Crossing the Sky¡¯ cultivation technique he created and no matter how he looked at it, it had no relationship with cultivating under the sun. ¡°Could it be, it¡¯s the name of the cultivation technique?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but fall into thought. ¡°Let¡¯s see how Meng Chong solves this.¡± Li Xuan decided to leave it be. As long as he¡¯s teaching his disciples, he shares the cultivation techniques he creates and lets his disciples interpret them themselves. How to succeed in cultivation is up to the disciples themselves to comprehend. While Meng Chong stirred his Qi and blood to refine his body, he meditated finely on the changes within himself, his Qi and blood were weak and the refining process was extremely slow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s impossible that 1 need to practice under the sun, 1 must not have truly understood it.¡± While Meng Chong sensed the changes in his Qi and blood, he read the cultivation technique word for word. ¡°The ¡®Sun Crossing the Sky¡¯ must be related to the sun. Since it doesn¡¯t have to be practiced under the sun, then¡­¡± ¡°No, the sun never disappears.¡± ¡°It¡¯s covered by clouds on rainy days, and it temporarily sets at night¡­¡± ¡°So, the sun is always present.¡± A lightbulb seemed to go off in Meng Chong¡¯s mind, he vaguely grasped something. ¡°Master said it lies in perception, in understanding. 1 haven¡¯t grasped the essence of the technique, that¡¯s my shortcoming¡­¡± What is the ¡°essence¡± of the ¡®Sun Crossing the Sky¡¯? Meng Chong fell into thought. At this time, Qi and blood flowed from the bones to the internal organs, his heart was beating, and the Qi and the blood refining the heart felt warm. The Qi and blood flowing out from the heart became richer and more pure. In an instant, Meng Chong seemed to have understood the ¡°essence¡± of the ¡®Sun Crossing the Sky¡¯. ¡°The essence of the ¡®Sun Crossing the Sky¡¯ is naturally the idea of the sun. The sun in the sky may be absent, but the sun in my heart is unchanging¡­¡± At this moment, Meng Chong felt as though he had opened a window and saw a sun crossing the sky. ¡°My heart is like the sun, self-illuminating, its essence is clear, resonating with the sun above¡­¡± Meng Chong entered a mysterious state of cultivation. His heart began to beat rhythmically, wave after wave of Qi and blood surged out, pulsating within his heart, and flowing to the other internal organs. He seemed to see, not a heart beating in his body, but a sun. At one moment, the image of the midday sun at its peak during his practices appeared in his mind. His heart and the sun seemed to resonate with each other. Thump, thump, thump¡­ His heart was pulsating. With each beat, it seemed to erupt a surge of vitality that circulated throughout his organs. It then circulated through the bones and skin, and again from the skin to the bones and heart¡­ A complete cycle appeared. As he attuned himself to the image of the Sun Crossing the Sky, his breath gradually became rhythmic. Moreover, his heartbeat became stronger, and his vitality grew increasingly fervent and robust. At a certain moment, he felt warmth spread throughout his body. His vitality flowed in every corner of his body, and the sensation of soreness in his bones intensified. Furthermore, he felt as if he himself were a big bell, with his flesh, skin, bones, and organs forming a perfect round shape. Sun Crossing the Sky Golden Bell Shield! ¡°I finally comprehend the Cultivation Technique!¡± Meng Chong felt a surge of joy. At this moment, he was only aware of his physical body consistently strengthening. Round like a giant bell! ¡°I have already felt the sensation of the body like the Golden Bell Shield!¡± Meng Chong was so excited. At this moment, he had completely lost track of time and was persistently cultivating. Li Xuan had been attentively watching Meng Chong. As a martial artist, his keen senses allowed him to clearly perceive the changes in Meng Chong¡¯s body. ¡°His breath has become regular. His vitality is enhancing¡­ His vitality is all-rounded, pervading his whole body, merging internally and externally¡­ The body of the Golden Bell Shield¡­¡± At that moment, Li Xuan was ecstatic. Meng Chong had comprehended the method of cultivating the Sun Crossing the Sky Golden Bell Shield. At that moment, he was in the midst of his cultivation. ¡°His physical body is visibly strengthening. This disciple of mine is indeed suitable for the cultivation of body refinement techniques.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s body was continuously growing stronger. ¡°When accepting a disciple, one must focus on their talents, and create a cultivation method that fits their talent, making it easier for them to comprehend¡­¡± Li Xuan felt like he had found the standard for accepting disciples. A new disciple signifies a new cultivation method. He couldn¡¯t possibly create dozens or hundreds of new cultivation methods or systems. Thus, the requirement for his disciple was to have extraordinary talent, which would be suitable for creating a new cultivation method. ¡°Will Meng Chong be able to make a breakthrough within a month?¡± Expectation flashed through Li Xuan¡¯s eyes. There was no doubt that Xu Yan¡¯s talent was extraordinary, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have successfully practiced the cultivation method that Li Xuan had made up on the fly. The Cultivation Technique that Meng Chong was practicing, although also made up, at least had a reference. Moreover, Li Xuan was already a Martial Artist. What¡¯s more, Meng Chong¡¯s talent truly lies in body refinement techniques. ¡°It¡¯s time to tell Meng Chong about the categorization of bone refinement. In body refinement techniques, the level comparable to jade bone is ¡®Diamond Lazurite Bone¡¯. I hope he can refine this Diamond Lazurite Bone idea that I¡¯ve made up. ¡°If Xu Yan could refine the Jade Bone, Meng Chong shouldn¡¯t have any problem refining the Diamond Lazurite Bone, right? ¡°He still needs some assistance, just like how Xu Yan had to fight Fire Maned Wolves to break through to the Jade Bone.¡± Li Xuan began to plan Meng Chong¡¯s subsequent cultivation. If Meng Chong can practice the Diamond Lazurite Bone, once he steps into Martial Arts, Li Xuan will also receive feedback. If that happens, what kind of changes will occur with his own combination of Jade Bone + Diamond Lazurite Bone? It would undoubtedly become even stronger! Just thinking about it made him extremely excited. ¡°Meng Chong stepping into Martial Arts is just a matter of time. Next, 1 should prepare the martial skills and techniques for him. ¡°Xu Yan practices palm techniques, so Meng Chong can practice fist techniques¡­ ¡°As for movement techniques, as usual, just draw The Eight Diagrams for him, explain a bit, and let him comprehend it on his own. ¡°Moreover, 1 need to perfect the subsequent system of body refinement techniques.¡± In a calm and clear state of mind, Li Xuan began to consider the cultivation path for Meng Chong after his entrance to Martial Arts. The path of physical body refinement was one system within Martial Arts. It mainly emphasizes the physical body, but Li Xuan needed to perfect it, not merely focusing on brute strength, so the body refinement techniques can be just as formidable.. Chapter 63 Translator: 549690339 In Ynuansh Contu,y gMen nCgoh ylufl mitmcdoet himself to tcioaui,tlvn lewhi ¡®Siehr zedesi het tpootuinrpy to eresv sa a ctmiosde helper, igond eorcsh like kgcnio,o inpogmp dna nganeilc the sueosh ylad.i Li Xuan also devoted himself to the great undertaking of Martial Arts. He was preparing martial skills and Cultivation Techniques for Meng Chong, pondering how to perfect the physical martial arts system. hMen,waeli ni Donegh Couy,nt the arzce for eisknge esmarst had .reegmed A gruop fo lyaulsu ednigomrnei lsceoundr,s degilan iehtr gasdru and svrs,anet rouoyigrls radecesh ugthhro het vtas uona.mstin Their seuqt saw to dfin a tersam dna utdys true tiraMal sArt. The strength of Xu Yan spurred their envy. Before, they had often mocked Xu Yan behind his back, laughing at his lack of intelligence. But in the end, the real fool ended up being themselves? tl was tbpeacciaenlu They too wanted to become strong martial artists! Thus, the searching for masters craze swept across Donghe County. Even isolated mountains and wilderness, which people rarely visited, were frequently occupied by those seeking masters. guo¡±nY sMtear agWn, what a necoiincecd, evah you uondf a matrse ¡°y?et ¡°And you, Young Master Tian?¡± ¡°Nothing yet, I¡¯ve traversed several mountains, even encountering a wild beast, but still no signs of a master.¡± maSe¡± hee¡±r! ¡°Sigh, do you know where that fellow Xu Yan found his master? Could it not be in the mountains, but instead in the city?¡± ¡°How could it be in the city? All masters must live in seclusion in the mountains. If it were in the city, wouldn¡¯t everyone know?¡± ¡°oN meti rfo t,cha 1 eend ot ehckc eht iuomnnat ah.d,ew..iaat ueoy¡¯v already ebne e¡±?reht In the wilderness, searching groups met and shared their experiences. At the same time, they also expressed their envy and jealousy towards Xu Yan! As rof Xu naY, who had hrdttseae teh Idrow ewiv fo eht oepple fo Deongh touynC dna the courrites fo iQyCtrnu,o eh saw tclrueryn in het arlyo ytsreuar of the apeca.l ¡°Such wonderful items! Truly worthy of a royal treasury!¡± Xu Yan looked at the items in the treasury and couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. loGsd nda lisrves rewe on egrnol eht nmai tcotsenn fo the raersu.ty Rare gems, Luminous Pearls, nine-leafed elixirs, thousand-year-old mountain ginseng, and many more high-value items filled the treasury, their quantity simply astonishing. ¡°Young Master Xu, just name the treasures you desire, and this old servant will have them packed for you,¡± said the chief eunuch, wearing a flattering smile. As uX naY rldciec eht uytra,ser he udedysln fnoud a rwdos and a eifkn dhoues inwhit .ti Weapons that were collected in the royal treasury were naturally not ordinary. His interest piqued, Xu Yan walked over and picked up the treasured sword from its stand. The chief eunuch stood by respectfully, smiling flatteringly throughout, although some confusion flickered in his eyes. He couldn¡¯t recall when these two weapons had been added to the collection. As uX Yan dwre the sowrd fmro its ,saheth he titnyslan etfl a sruge fo ecreif rgeney reemg.e eTh dcol galem of the rodws was Iciglhin no hsi .ecaf The chief eunuch couldn¡¯t help but step back, a look of surprise on his face. When had such a sword been added to the treasury? This sword was clearly not commonplace. Xu Yan looked at the sword in his hand with surprise and joy; this sword was extraordinary. It tidd¡¯n msee to eb a onmmoc sltee .swrdo eTh alitv enreyg in sih miap eftl like it swa Ifwgoin into teh .drows Simultaneously, a faint humming sound ensued as the sword¡¯s radiance intensified upon the infusion of his vital energy. A treasure sword! uX Yan ehtaehds eht rowsd niaga btu nd¡¯idt tup it bk.ac end,last he gnuh it durnoa sih as.itw He idecedd to keep ihts rw.dso His gaze then fell on the knife. As he picked it up, he was momentarily stunned. tWha a heavy finike Even the most skilled martial artist in the world would have trouble handling this knife, unless they had unusual strength. Unsheathing the knife! tl aws sa sveipermis as eht sword. The blade was thick and heavy, with a blood-red pattern coursing through the middle. The blade was as cold as ice, exuding a sharp feeling at first glance. ¡°What a knife!¡± Xu aYn saw niarmgdi in shi he.tra Although he didn¡¯t like this heavy knife, since it was a precious knife, how could he not take it with him? So he held the knife in his hand. Yguon¡± Martse Xu, fi uoy evha tes your ehrta no ghonsmiet els,e shit bmeuhl rsvtaen liwl aveh ti edpakc dna esnt to your t,ta¡±ese said eht fercfio ni erhgca fo het ,sheucnu gnrhyuri fordwar tiwh a scaophytinc ms.iel ¡°I will take another look!¡± Xu Yan continued to wander around in the Treasury. The yaolr uyrtaesr asw full fo a ryieavt of itlloesoccn, eda,j elscr,uptu lcgpyhar,ail nda many ,osther lai roswk fo famous ,mcrfnstea or nief piesce aedpss donw rghhtuo aesvrel eag.tneionsr ¡°These calligraphies and such are of no use to me, besides, 1 don¡¯t like them, so, no need!¡± Xu Yan had glanced at the collection in the calligraphy section, shook his head, and prepared to leave. tiaW¡±, 1 mhitg ton be etetdsnei,r ubt pashrep my ramets ¡°.si Xu Yan suddenly thought of his master, who was a renowned hermit, who often appreciated insights in calligraphy to nurture his morale ¨C a typical preference of hermits. Perhaps his master might like them? fO¡± ,ueoscr I¡¯ll sloa etak sehte eajd v,grnsica lusmuoni a.erl.s.p as well as the cesiorpu ic.sinde¡±em He turned another round inside the treasury inevitably excluding certain objects that didn¡¯t offer much use and were only regarded as adornments, but held no considerable value. ¡°I¡¯ve made my selections.¡± uX Yan adsi to hte heda ce.hunu ¡°Young Master Xu, as per your order, this humble servant will have them packed up immediately!¡± The Head Eunuch exhaled, a fawning grin spread across his face. ,Tis¡±h uh¡­ eseht otness era fo on es,u Ila ehty veah era tecihaste aanp,aseprec I don¡¯t awnt m¡±h!te Xu Yan gestured towards those superficially attractive but practically useless stones, keeping them out of his selection. ¡°Pack up everything else and take it with me!¡± ,esY¡± .rM Xu¡­ h¡±?A The smile on the Head Eunuch¡¯s face froze. Take everything with him? We¡¯nret htey epussdpo to choose Inyo a ua?lndfh Those rocks were objects of adoration to the former Emperor, hence were deposited in the Treasury. They were the only non-valued objects in the entire Treasury. fl they erew ot deeulxc ,shote Iwoud Ila rthoe issnpoessso eb rrdieac away? The Head Eunuch was left dumbfounded and cautiously replied, ¡°Young Master Xu, there are many valuables in this Treasury, an accumulation of royalties over many years, if we were to pack and carry them all¡­¡± Xu Yan looked at the Head Eunuch curiously, and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Emperor Qi say that whatever I fancy, I can take? Now that I have taken a liking for everything, am I not allowed to take them?¡± ,oN¡± ts¡¯i ton at.t.¡±.h The Head Eunuch¡¯s face was sweating profusely, he had never experienced such a thing! While he offered to take whatever he liked, he certainly did not mean him to empty the entire place! Sieegn the aedH nsuh¡¯ucE jiottahnes Xu Yan of,rndewyan,isg ¡°Wah,t is merEpro iQynplaig a tsaf one no ?em eH dopiserm ttha tewvehar 1 l,ikde I cloud kat,e tub wnhe 1 do pike tiegnmo,hs eh lownt¡¯du tel em kaet ¡°it? ¡°What does he take me, Xu Yan, for?¡± ¡°I had assumed that Emperor Qi was a reasonable man, but it turns out he goes back on his word in front of me, Xu Yan¡± sA uX aYn ,raged he demsee ready ot nfonctro rErmoep .iQ The Head Eunuch was so frightened that he almost wet himself, and hurriedly explained: ¡°Young Master Xu, Young Master Xu, you have misunderstood, I was just meaning to say that there are too many things in here to pack, it would take too much time, and I fear it would delay your precious time¡­¡± In a panic, he changed his explanation, if this matter actually reached Emperor Qi, and he ended up with a beating, that would surely mean his life. ortmrre,uhFe eht ingutserl detha dulow eb rtublia They were merely treasures, and he presumed, once the Emperor got to know, he would grant permission. ¡°That¡¯s no problem. Have someone pack everything and I can wait for as long as it takes.¡± Xu Yan di,as sih naegr alnyilf sinbdusgi. ¡°Yes, yes, 1¡¯11 have people come and pack them up!¡± As the Head Eunuch ordered his men to load up all the items from the treasury, he simultaneously sent someone to report to Emperor Qi.. Chapter 64 Translator: 549690339 Emperor Qi, in a rare moment of relaxation, was resting with a certain consort. A eunuch came rushing in. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Emperor Qi asked majestically. Since Xu Yan had forcefully arrived in the capital, his sovereign majesty, once towering, had been greatly pushed back. Even the common people felt, that Emperor Qi is not all that, their respect for him has decreased substantially. The ministers feel the same! Only in front of this group of eunuchs, could his sovereign majesty be fully demonstrated. ¡°Your Majesty, Young Master Xu¡­¡± The eunuch¡¯s gaze was evasive, hesitating to speak. ¡°What about Xu Yan? Speak!¡± Emperor Qi¡¯s face changed slightly. ¡°Young Master Xu¡­ He¡­ He has emptied the imperial treasury¡­¡± The eunuch said, bowing his head. ¡°Emptied¡­ Emptied¡­¡± Emperor Qi¡¯s head was buzzing, a hand clutching at his chest, his face muscles twitching. 1 did say, feel free to take anything you want! Damn it, I didn¡¯t tell you to empty it out! Xu Yan, this boy, really does not have any manners! Taking several deep breaths, Emperor Qi calmed his restless heart, his face regaining tranquility. ¡°If Xu Yan likes it, good, feel free to take it all¡­ Go tell Xu Yan, if there¡¯s something missing, he can go look in the national treasury, if he likes anything, he can take it as well!¡± Emperor Qi waved his hand generously. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± After the eunuch left. Emperor Qi took a deep breath, giving orders: ¡°Go, tell the Imperial Kitchen to make me Nine Leaf Ginseng Soup to rejuvenate myself!¡± I must rejuvenate myself. I almost fainted just now. I¡¯m definitely getting weaker! For the sake of Qi Country, 1 should visit the harem less in the future, can¡¯t let myself get too weak! Emperor Qi gritted his teeth and made a firm decision! Not too long after, a eunuch came trotting over. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ the Nine Leaf Ginseng is gone!¡± Emperor Qi was furious: ¡°What, all of you slaves dared to deceive me? Do you think 1 don¡¯t know how many stalks of it we have stored in the treasury?¡± Xu Yan may have powerful Martial Arts and not regard me, how dare these slaves do so? Are they planning to rebel? Emperor Qi was unable to suppress his anger. ¡°Servants, drag him down, behead him!¡± The eunuch fell to his knees: ¡°Mercy, Your Majesty! The Nine Leaf Ginseng has already been taken by Young Master Xu!¡± Emperor Qi:¡­ He wearily waved his hand, letting the eunuch leave. Emperor Qi looked up at the sky: ¡°Could it be because 1 have heavily taxed? Or killed too much? That I am thus punished? How come the real tyrants of history haven¡¯t had to face such punishment? The heavens are not fair!¡± Xu Yan naturally didn¡¯t know, Emperor Qi was self-pitying in his palace. After emptying the all valuable items from the treasury, Emperor Qi had someone send a message, saying he could check out the national treasury if it was not enough. ¡°Old Emperor Qi is quite generous.¡± His approval of Emperor Qi increased. Xu Yan brought back mo large carts of treasures from the palace. The corner of Guo Rongshan¡¯s mouth twitched, his grandson was really shameless. Since they¡¯ve already been brought back, naturally there¡¯s no point in returning them. ¡°Grandfather, 1 am heading back to Donghe County.¡± Xu Yan prepared to return. ¡°Let your father handle matters of Donghe County, it won¡¯t be in a mess, nor will Qi Country.¡± Guo Rongshan thought about it and said, ¡°The members of the Heavenly Mother Sect, as long as they don¡¯t rebel, we can use them. If they do rebel, kill them. If Qi Country gets chaotic, it won¡¯t be a good thing.¡± His reputation among the people is of a virtuous and a wise man, he has to maintain that image through his actions. ¡°The Heavenly Mother Sect is not filled with mad men, moreover, their followers are spread across Qi Country, Wu Country, even in the northern Barbarian Lands, their information network is quite reliable, we could make use these, your father knows it, you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Guo Rongshan thought for a moment, knowing that his son-in-law was a capable man. He knew how to exploit the information dissemination and intelligence gathering capabilities of the Heavenly Mother Sect. ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t worry, I understand,¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Yan¡¯er, can ordinary people practice your method of Martial Arts?¡± Guo Rongshan asked with a hint of expectation. ¡°I am not sure, 1 would have to ask my mentor,¡± Xu Yan scratched his head. ¡°Alright, you ask him,¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Xu Yan nodded. He planned to take some of the treasures that he brought from Emperor Qi¡¯s treasury back to Eastern River County as a gift for his mentor. Treasures such as the Nine-Leaf Yuanzhi and other valuable medicinal herbs were naturally to be taken, as well as some precious calligraphy and gemstones. That night, Xu Yan was practicing in his own small yard. As his energy flowed, it continued to strengthen, and he felt that with the principles of the Innate Realm, he was just one step away from enlightenment. With his practice, Xu Yan felt he was close to fully mastering the state of Qi and Blood. The breakthrough would likely come in the next two or three days. With Xu Yan leaving the capital, Emperor Qi heaved a sigh of relief. The ministers also breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Yan¡¯s presence was like a mountain hanging over their heads, ready to collapse at any time, crushing them into pulp! Now that Xu Yan was gone, it was as if the mountain over their heads had disappeared. The Prince¡¯s Palace of Qi remained lofty, and Guo Rongshan, the king of a different surname, the grand elder, and the Crown Prince¡¯s teacher, still held high authority. Even if the ministers had objections, they dared not voice them. With the royal treasury emptied by Xu Yan, Emperor Qi openly asked the ministers to present some treasures to the palace. Those who did not oblige were dismissed, and in severe cases, their houses were confiscated! Anyway, the court had already changed because of Xu Yan. Guo Rongshan kept silent. His grandson had emptied Emperor Qi¡¯s treasury, so it only made sense for him to refill it, didn¡¯t it? The quickest and most direct way to replenish it was naturally to target the group of ministers. The ministers cursed silently in their hearts but had no choice but to donate. After all, in search of great talents, they still needed the status of the court¡¯s high officials. Without this status, how could they recruit guards and search for great talents? Eastern River County, Xu Family. Xu Junhe was entertaining Jiang Pingshan and Kou Ruozhi. He said with a smile, ¡°Yan¡¯er will be back soon. The position of the Eastern River County ruler is vacant. Do either of you have someone to recommend?¡± Jiang Pingshan glanced at Kou Ruozhi and said, ¡°Eastern River County is eventually a county of Qi Country. Honorary Member Xu, you should be cautious when using people.¡± Kou Ruozhi raised his brow and laughed coldly, ¡°What does it have to do with Qi Country or Old Qi Emperor? Eastern River County belongs to the Xu Family. Xu elder¡¯s decisions are none of Qi Emperor¡¯s business!¡± Jiang Pingshan¡¯s face darkened. He kept quiet. It was clear that Kou Ruozhi had expressed his intention to side with the Xu Family, and the fact that Eastern River County belonged to the Xu family was unquestionable. Still smiling, Xu Junhe continued, ¡°Brother Jiang, please continue to maintain law and order in Eastern River County. The General¡¯s Mansion is still the General¡¯s Mansion.¡± ¡°Understood. If Elder Xu needs anything, feel free to give the order!¡± Jiang Pingshan responded with a fist and a palm salute. He was a bit dejected. Originally, Xu Yan was his son-in-law. But one wrong step led to a world of difference. ¡°As for the role of the Governor of Eastern River County, I have another candidate in mind. Kou Ruozhi, you will serve as an adviser in the Xu Mansion. Being a strategist of the Heavenly Mother Sect, you should understand my intention,¡± Xu Junhe said with a sly smile. ¡°I understand!¡± Kou Ruozhi seemed regretful. But he knew that the Heavenly Mother Sect was still just a sect and could not make it to the mainstream. Nowadays, in Qi Country, it was neither an era of droughts nor of wars. The people were content, and there was no chance of rebellion. ¡°In the Eastern River County, everyone is searching for talents. Kou Ruozhi, you should keep your eyes on it, understood?¡± After letting Jiang Pingshan leave, Xu Junhe seriously said to Kou Ruozhi. ¡°I understand!¡± Kou Ruozhi nodded Talents are in Yunshan County, but nobody dares disturb them.. Chapter 65 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan has returned. He¡¯s returned with a large package on his back. ¡°Master, I¡¯m back!¡± Xu Yan put down the package and greeted respectfully. ¡°Good, good, it¡¯s good to be back!¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Come, this is your junior disciple brother Meng Chong, this is your senior disciple brother Xu Yan!¡± Li Xuan called Meng Chong over. ¡°Meng Chong pays his respects to the senior brother!¡± Meng Chong greeted respectfully. ¡°Junior brother, you¡¯re too polite!¡± Xu Yan reciprocated, a bit surprised that Master had already taken in a disciple! ¡°Junior brother, this is a gift from your senior brother!¡± Since he now had a junior brother, he, being the senior brother, should make some sort of gesture. Xu Yan reached into the package and pulled out a large saber. ¡°This¡­Thankyou, senior brother!¡± Meng Chong touched his bald head and gratefully accepted the saber. The moment he held it, it was heavy. He slightly pulled it out of its sheath, instantly filled with immense joy. This saber seemed extraordinary! Li Xuan¡¯s expression shifted, that saber didn¡¯t look like an ordinary steel blade. ¡°Disciple, where did this saber come from?¡± ¡°Master, I found it in the royal treasury. All these are from the royal treasury.¡± Xu Yan grinned excitedly as he opened the package to reveal medicinal herbs, calligraphy and paintings, precious gems and all sorts of rare treasures. ¡°Master, these are gifts I brought for you!¡± ¡°Very thoughtful!¡± Li Xuan felt gratified knowing that his disciple was so filial. However, he didn¡¯t particularly value these items. After all, as a Martial Artist, his mindset and perspective are now different. Meng Chong looked on with envy, thinking to himself, ¡°Senior brother got gifts for master from the palace, and 1 haven¡¯t presented master with a gift since 1 became his disciple. ¡°Once I succeed in martial arts, I¡¯ll make a trip back to Wu Country, get the one hundred thousand taels of gold from the Emperor of Wu, and also check out his treasury for any valuable items!¡± Li Xuan sat in his chair, listening to Xu Yan recount his adventures. Xu Yan told the whole story, very thoroughly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Emperor Qi to be such a decent fellow.¡± In the end, Xu Yan chuckled. Li Xuan sighed inwardly, Emperor Qi was a decisive individual. By trapping Gou Rongshan with his reputation, Gou Rongshan would certainly not rebel unless absolutely necessary for the sake of his esteemed status. ¡°Disciple, you need to remember, you now possess power beyond royalty and the entire Qi Country. No need to feel restricted when handling matters¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan nodded, then started talking about the Heavenly Mother Sect: ¡°That Kou Ruozhi actually wanted to name me as the Grand Saint of Heaven, tying me to the Heavenly Mother Sect. He¡¯s delusional!¡± Li Xuan was taken aback, the Grand Saint of Heaven? What a coincidence, that night the elderly man in the hemp robe and the County Magistrate wanted to name him the Grand Saint of Heaven. And in the prefecture city, Kou Ruozhi also wanted to make Xu Yan the Grand Saint of Heaven. It seemed the people in the Heavenly Mother Sect were always looking for the right person to become the Grand Saint of Heaven. So, it was such a coincidence. Xu Yan was back, and with both his disciples present, Li Xuan shifted his focus more towards the grand scheme of martial arts. Especially how Meng Chong should further cultivate his physical body. ¡°Master, the cultivation technique that junior brother practices seem a bit different.¡± Meng Chong was diligent in his practice; he spent over half of his day on cultivation. Xu Yan watched for a while, revealing an expression of confusion. ¡°Meng Chong¡¯s potential is in his physical strength, what I impart to him is body-oriented martial arts, focusing on the refinement of the physical body¡­¡± Li Xuan calls Meng Chong over. It is time to explain to his disciple the issues about the martial arts system, future new disciples may possibly open up new branches of martial arts. ¡°Xu Yan, you are cultivating the orthodox martial arts, your bones are pristine, and the purity of your martial arts has been achieved. You should understand it as well, so there¡¯s no need for me to elaborate.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s mysterious aura enshrouds him entirely, making him seem more inscrutable in his clear state of mind. Xu Yan and Meng Chong are both shocked at how truly inscrutable their master is. ¡°Meng Chong is cultivating body-oriented martial arts, focusing on physical body refinement, reflecting a strong strength in himself, but it is not brute force¡­ ¡°The Golden Bell Shield is foundational in body-oriented martial arts, with vitality as strong as the golden bell, confining it into yourself, a defense which is unrivaled¡­¡± Li Xuan briefly explains the body-oriented martial arts. ¡°Orthodox martial arts¡¯ fundamental state is to temper jade bones, jade bones without flaw, martial arts at its purest, this is the foundation of martial arts¡­ ¡°And the foundation of body-oriented martial arts is the Diamond Glazed Bone. Only after tempering the Diamond Glazed Bone, can one be said to have truly reached the quintessential foundation of body-oriented martial arts. ¡°Meng Chong, do you understand?¡± At the end, Li Xuan looks at Meng Chong and solemnly asks. Meng Chong¡¯s heart tightened, and he respectfully answered, ¡°Disciple understands, 1 will definitely not let down master, I will indeed temper the Diamond Glazed Bone!¡± ¡°Your unwavering determination reassures me.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Master, between orthodox martial arts and body-oriented martial arts, which one is stronger?¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but ask. Body-oriented martial arts doesn¡¯t sound simple, achieving the state of the Golden Bell, becoming invincible in defense sounds difficult to break! And the force of the physical body is extremely powerful. Li Xuan said calmly with a smile, ¡°Whether it¡¯s orthodox martial arts or body-oriented martial arts, there¡¯s no real distinction of strong and weak, strength or weakness simply depends on the person. ¡°Orthodox martial arts practitioners enter with gold bones, body-oriented martial arts practitioners enter with copper bones, who is stronger or weaker? ¡°Even if both disciplines start with gold bones, who is stronger or weaker? Whoever has a deeper understanding and richer experience in dealing with opponents naturally has an advantage.¡± Xu Yan nodded silently, excitement showing on his face, he looked at Meng Chong and said, ¡°Junior brother, once you¡¯ve entered the door, we¡¯ll compare notes, the experts in the outside world are too weak, and it¡¯s no fun.¡± ¡°Good! Brother, wait for me to get started!¡± Meng Chong has an excited look on his face as well. ¡°Master, can ordinary people practice martial arts? 1 want to teach martial arts to my family and let them give it a try!¡± Xu Yan lowered his head, sneaking a look at Li Xuan while speaking. Whether the cultivation technique can be passed on or not requires the master¡¯s permission. ¡°You may pass it on if you wish, but whether they can cultivate is a unknown, how long they will need, and how different everyone¡¯s martial arts talent is, those without martial arts talent might not be able to breakthrough their entire lives.¡± After a brief deliberation, Li Xuan gave Xu Yan permission to pass on the cultivation techniques. The benefits of sharing completed cultivation techniques with others can be fairly minimal, but what if many people are practicing? Little streams make a mighty river, there may be unexpected gains? Since Xu Yan wants to pass it on, it¡¯s a good opportunity to see what happens. The biggest benefit of Golden Finger is undoubtedly direct disciples successfully cultivating unique techniques that he devised. If the technique has been completed and is passed on to other disciples, the feedback is not high. But that does not mean there are no returns, just that the returns are very low. What if the technique is widely distributed? With more people practicing, accumulating over time, there might be unexpected gains. As Li Xuan thought about it, he decided to try it out by letting Xu Yan share the technique, after all, how many people can succeed in cultivating the technique is still unknown. Martial arts eventually favor those with talent. ¡°Thankyou, Master!¡± Xu Yan was very excited. ¡°Focus on your cultivation, strengthening oneself is what¡¯s important, the martial path is endless!¡± Li Xuan encouraged.. Chapter 66 Translator: 549690339 After receiving permission from his master, Xu Yan went home again to teach his parents the method of martial arts cultivation. Naturally, the foundation of martial arts cultivation begins with sensing the Qi and blood flow, and then refining the body¡¯s skin. For this, he deliberately brought back a nine-leaf Ganoderma herb to help his parents cultivate and sense their Qi and blood. The core protectors of the Xu family currently are Pharmacist Pan and more than a dozen staunch defenders, all of whom were cultivated in secret by Xu Junhe. Pharmacist Pan possesses the strength of a top martial artist in the rivers and lakes, while the rest of the protectors are all high-level practitioners. Moreover, Pharmacist Pan can also concoct nourishing medicines. Since they are core members of the Xu family, Xu Yan also imparted the martial arts cultivation methods to them. Whether they could successfully cultivate or have the gift, will depend on their own fate. Of course, Xu Yan only taught the method of refining skin, bones, and internal organs. He did not pass on the cultivation technique of the Qi and Blood Realm. The Qi and Blood Realm is too far beyond their reach. Xu Yan, who had just returned to East River County, once again set off for the capital city to impart his cultivation technique to his uncles, cousins, and others. In Yunshan County, Li Xuan leisurely sat on a chair. Meng Chong was diligently cultivating as usual. As the cultivation progressed, his golden bell-like physique was improving, and his bones had reached the stage of being as hard as iron. Shi¡¯er also came every day to do chores such as cooking and cleaning. He was a hardworking person, so Li Xuan decided to teach him the martial arts technique of refining the skin. Shi¡¯er himself was a top martial artist in the rivers and lakes. If he had a talent for martial arts and could sense Qi and refine his skin, his strength would increase significantly, and the speed of completing the skin refinement would not be too slow. ¡°Shi¡¯er, come here!¡± Li Xuan beckoned. ¡°Senior, what do you need?¡± Shi¡¯er hurried over, bending his body and asked. ¡°You are a sharp and hardworking person. Fine, I need someone to run errands during my time in this world. Are you willing?¡± Li Xuan asked in an incredibly calm manner. ¡°I am willing, I am willing. This is a grand opportunity for me!¡± Shi¡¯er was so excited that he knelt to the ground. ¡°Shi¡¯er, paying respects to the master!¡± Thud thud thud! ¡°Hmm, get up.¡± Li Xuan nodded and said, ¡°1 will teach you the basic method of martial arts. Whether you can grasp it depends on your own talent and fate.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, master!¡± Shi¡¯er¡¯s heart was pounding violently. Finally, he also had the chance to become a martial arts expert. ¡°The first step in martial arts cultivation is to sense Qi and blood, and then refine the skin. Today, I will teach you the method of skin refinement. Whether you can master it depends on your own talent and fate.¡± Li Xuan taught the method of refining skin to Shi¡¯er. As for the later refining bones and internal organs, he would teach them after Shi¡¯er could sense Qi and complete skin refinement. ¡°Thank you, master!¡± Shi¡¯er was extremely excited. ¡°Go and comprehend it yourself, find a room to live in.¡± Li Xuan waved his hand. Since Shi¡¯er had become a servant, he naturally had to live in the courtyard and take care of all the chores. ¡°Yes!¡± Shi¡¯er respectfully backed away. In the capital of Qi Country, because of Xu Yan¡¯s second visit, Emperor Qi and his officials became very cautious again. It felt like a mountain was hanging over their heads, which made Emperor Qi and his officials even more determined to find a martial arts expert. Only by finding a martial arts expert could this mountain hanging over their heads be moved away. After teaching the martial arts cultivation techniques, Xu Yan did not immediately return to East River County, but temporarily stayed in Qi King¡¯s Mansion. ¡°I¡¯m about to break through to the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm.¡± Xu Yan, who was cultivating, was extremely excited, he was only one step away from reaching the highest level of the Qi and Blood Realm. ¡°I have almost grasped the cultivation techniques of the Innate Realm. I have some understanding now, and not long after reaching the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm, 1 should be able to comprehend it completely.¡± After reaching the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm, he was one step closer to the second realm of Martial Arts, the Innate Realm. ¡°After reaching the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm, I aim to fully master Qi and Blood within a month.¡± Xu Yan set a goal for himself. Boom! The energy and blood surged ever more powerfully. His jade-like bones seemed to glow, his Qi and Blood continued to become increasingly pure and grow, not far from the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm, at a hundred Zhangs¡¯ length. At one moment, the Qi seemed to cross a vast gulf, suddenly soared, and became distinctly purer, and a tide of Qi and Blood erupted, reaching a hundred Zhangs in distance. Boom! Immediately afterward, the Qi and Blood that had shot skyward turned into a massive red dragon, soaring as if piercing the sky. The momentum of Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough was considerable. All people including Guo Rongshan were astonished at the sight of a hundred Zhangs-long dragon rising from Xu Yan¡¯s courtyard, taken aback. ¡°Has Yan¡¯er¡¯s strength increased again?¡± ¡°Great, very good indeed!¡± Guo Rongshan and his son were overjoyed. From the Qi King¡¯s residence, not far from the royal palace, Emperor Qi looked in the direction of the Qi King¡¯s residence. His color changed, was Xu Yan flaunting his martial power? No! Had his ability grown stronger? At this moment, Emperor Qi felt a sense of urgency, and must find a martial arts expert quickly! In the East Palace of the Crown Prince, the Third Prince excitedly ordered, ¡°Quick, prepare gifts, I want to go pay my respects to my mentor!¡± The assembly of ministers was awestruck. They whipped their good-for-nothing sons and sent them all out to find martial experts. The Crown Prince could no longer sit still. That day, he led his palace guards out of the capital to find martial experts. That day, the capital city of Qi Country was destined to be anything but calm, as a fever for finding martial experts swept the city. Xu Yan, as the instigator of all this, was immersed in the wonder of his breakthrough, feeling the strengthening of his own ability. Only after the breakthrough did he experience a greater awe of his master¡¯s power. ¡°The full development of Qi and Blood that the master showed me back then had such an overwhelming momentum, such an endless Qi and Blood. It¡¯s far stronger than what I have now!¡± Xu Yan felt somewhat ashamed in his heart. ¡°I¡¯m still too weak. Even after cultivating Jade bones, I¡¯m still far from enough.¡± ¡°Master¡¯s realm is unimaginably deep. What he showed me was probably how he was when he reached the peak of Qi and Blood Realm. In comparison, I¡¯m lacking too much.¡± ¡°No wonder master kept telling me to guard against arrogance and impetuosity. My strength is not strong enough.¡± The more he pondered, the more he felt the strength of his master. ¡°Although I¡¯m not as powerful as my master, I should not belittle myself. I¡¯m no weaker than the prodigious talents of ancient times; I am even stronger!¡± Xu Yan was encouraging himself in his heart. Master is too strong, like a lofty mountain that cannot be surpassed. But as long as he has faith, he can one day reach the same height as his master.¡± Xu Yan gathered his Qi and Blood and exhaled deeply. ¡°My Qi and Blood are at their peak. The cultivation technique of the Innate Realm is becoming increasingly clear to me.¡± Xu Yan entered his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, let out a breath, and his state of mind gradually became clear, entering a state of complete oneness with the world. Only the profound understanding, gradually appears in his mind. The cultivation method of the Innate Realm is becoming increasingly clear, gradually appearing before him like a continuous thread. How to connect the Heaven and Earth Bridge, how to refine Qi and Blood into Innate True Qi, how to ingest and exhale nature¡¯s spiritual energy, open up the Sea of Qi Dantian¡­ The cultivation technique became increasingly clear, as if an image of breaking through to the Innate Realm appeared in his mind, how to ingest and exhale nature¡¯s spiritual energy. ¡°Connect the Heaven and Earth Bridge, sense the nature¡¯s spiritual energy, guide the spiritual energy into the two bridges of Heaven and Earth, open up the Dantian Sea of Qi¡­¡± An excited expression appeared on Xu Yan¡¯s face. The more he comprehended, the clearer the cultivation method of the Innate Realm became. The sequence of breakthroughs, the process of cultivation¡­ gradually emerged in his mind. ¡°I have finally grasped the cultivation technique of the Innate Realm. Once my Qi and Blood Realm reaches perfection, I can proceed to break through to the Innate Realm!¡± Xu Yan opened his eyes, his face was filled with excitement.. Chapter 67 Translator: 549690339 Yunshan County. Li Xuan looked at the diligently cultivating Meng Chong. Every day he could sense Meng Chong¡¯s body getting stronger, which left him very satisfied. ¡°Meng Chong¡¯s body is becoming more and more robust, it will not be long until he temper into a copper body. Achieving a golden body should not be an issue for him. ¡°However, the Vajra Lustrous Bone will be somewhat challenging.¡± When Xu Yan was cultivating, the technique he was taught was after all made up on the spot, without any concrete technique for reference, everything depended on Xu Yan¡¯s own imagination to perfect. The difficulty of cultivation is naturally higher than that of Meng Chong. Xu Yan tempered into a Jade Bone only through combatting and slaying the fire-maned wolf, thereby breaking his shackles to temper into a jade bone. If Meng Chong wants to temper a Vajra Lustrous Bone, he probably also needs to push himself to his limits, breaking his shackles to make it happen. ¡°Where can we find the fire-maned wolf? In the Endless Mountains?¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought: ¡°We may not necessarily need the fire-maned wolf. What¡¯s needed to break through is shattering the shackles, so¡­¡± He thought of a method. Perhaps it can help Meng Chong to break the shackles and temper a Vajra Lustrous Bone. ¡°Can Meng Chong temper into a golden bone within a month? Probably not too far off.¡± Li Xuan estimated Meng Chong¡¯s rate of cultivation progress. ¡°Once Meng Chong starts on the journey of martial arts, I can gain the Vajra Lustrous Bone. Combining the Jade Bone with the Vajra Lustrous Bone, how powerful will it be?¡± Thinking about the rewards from the Golden Finger after Meng Chong¡¯s initiation, Li Xuan was filled with anticipation. In his free time, Shi¡¯er was also diligently cultivating, he had already begun to sense his blood and qi, and was preparing to refine his skin. ¡°As I thought, cultivating martial arts requires a natural gift. Shi¡¯er¡¯s talent is far inferior to Meng Chong¡¯s and Xu Yan¡¯s.¡± Li Xuan observed Shi¡¯er¡¯s speed of cultivation, and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Even if martial arts were widely known, the number of successful initiates would not be high. However, with more people practicing martial arts, the base is larger, so the number of successful initiates may not be too few. Suddenly! A golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has achieved great success in the Blood and Qi Realm, doubling your Blood and Qi!¡± Boom! The blood and qi in the body surged and doubled instantly. Li Xuan was overjoyed. Xu Yan had already achieved great success in the realm of blood and qi, and it wouldn¡¯t be long until he reached perfection. In that case, the next step would be breaking into the Innate Realm. He had made up the second realm of his martial arts journey ¨C the Innate Realm. This is the first realm where one breaks away from the worldly constraints, taking flight through controlling qi, traveling hundreds of miles in an instant! This is the truly formidable aura of a martial arts powerhouse! While the Blood and Qi Realm allows you to soar, it is not like flying freely through the air, these two are completely different things. ¡°Ever since I took in new disciples, the feedback from the Golden Finger has started mentioning the names of the disciples.¡± Li Xuan noticed the change in the feedback from the Golden Finger. ¡°Can Xu Yan perfect his Blood and Qi within a month?¡± Li Xuan fell into thought. Given Xu Yan¡¯s cultivation speed, he should be able to achieve perfection in the Blood and Qi within the month. I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to comprehend the technique of the Innate Realm. ¡°I hope you succeed, my disciple. Don¡¯t disappoint your master!¡± Li Xuan had high expectations for Xu Yan. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has successfully comprehended the Innate Realm cultivation technique you devised. You have broken through to the Innate Realm.¡± Suddenly, a golden light emerged. At that moment, Li Xuan could feel the blood and qi in his body condensing into Innate True Qi. Boom, boom, boom¡­ It was as though there were thunderclaps echoing within his body, a mysterious feeling enveloped him, as if he had connected with the world, feeling the existence of nature¡¯s spiritual energy. The bridge to the universe had been established! Boom! Li Xuan guided nature¡¯s spiritual energy into his body, creating a turmoil in his body, and opened up his energy field. At this time, Li Xuan was completely immersed in the intricacy of the breakthrough. The Innate Realm Cultivation Technique appeared in his mind ¨C what an incredible mystery it was. As nature¡¯s spiritual energy entered his body, his massive vital energy was refined into Innate True Qi, and his body underwent a transformation. He seemed to have transcended the mundane world, shedding all impurities. His bones gleamed brilliantly, and his body became pure and flawless, untouched by any worldly filth. Li Xuan broke through to the Innate Realm, and his body underwent a wonderful transformation. Nature¡¯s spiritual energy flowed into his body, causing Innate True Qi to continually surge out. At the moment when his connection with the world became unblocked, it was as if he had connected with the universe, sensed the existence of nature¡¯s spiritual energy, and guided it into his body. He opened up his energy field and refined it into Innate True Qi. The body underwent transformation, the bones blossomed brilliantly, and the Innate was flawless! The worldly filth seemed to have been cleansed at this moment, reverting to its Innate state. Li Xuan was still sitting in his chair, as if nothing had happened. There was no sign of a breakthrough. Only Li Xuan knew that at this moment, he had crossed a chasm and stepped into the Innate Realm! ¡°So this is what Innate is!¡± Li Xuan felt his own state, and his heart was filled with excitement! Such a good disciple! He actually comprehended the Innate Realm Cultivation Technique in advance, and the Golden Finger directly reflected his Innate Realm¡¯s strength! Therefore, even if Xu Yan does not break through to the Innate Realm, as long as he gains insight in advance, the Golden Finger will also reflect the gains. As Xu Yan has gained insight into the cultivation technique, it means that his breakthrough into Innate is a sure thing. Li Xuan guided nature¡¯s spiritual energy into his body, feeling the storm-like power coming through the connection with the world. His heart was filled with excitement, but also some doubts. Why does it feel like the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is not gentle enough? If it wasn¡¯t for the connection to the universe, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to accommodate the spiritual energy into my body. ¡°The spiritual energy can enhance a person¡¯s strength. It¡¯s a strong energy. It¡¯s normal for it to not be gentle.¡± Didn¡¯t Li Xuan feel that the spiritual energy was not gentle enough? It wasn¡¯t strange at all? He did not delve further into this issue. As long as there is spiritual energy and he can continue to cultivate, he can continue to become stronger. Whether it is gentle or not, it does not matter, it won¡¯t cause harm. ¡°Having reached the Innate Realm, I can say that I am no longer of the mortal realm.¡± ¡°As long as there is spiritual energy from heaven and earth, I can survive without eating or drinking.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s heart was stirred. This was only the second realm of his Martial Arts, and it was already so powerful. People in the Innate Realm could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and didn¡¯t need to eat. ¡°How long can someone in the Innate Realm live? How long is their lifespan?¡± Li Xuan suddenly fell into contemplation. Practicing Martial Arts naturally results in a lifespan far beyond that of ordinary people. Just being in the vital energy realm already makes one¡¯s lifespan extraordinary. But how long one could live was not known. ¡°The lifespan of the vital energy realm should not be short, especially after refining the jade bones¡­ Let me think.¡± Li Xuan, with his eyes half-closed and his mind clear, silently calculated the changes in the vital energy realm and the changes after the breakthrough to the Innate Realm to estimate the limit of life. ¡°After completing organ refining, the organs are strengthened, vitality is enhanced, and lifespan is much longer than ordinary people¡­ So, generally, the lifespan in the vital energy realm should be two to three hundred years.¡± ¡°If you refine the gold bones, you live longer, at least three hundred years. The jade bones, though, five hundred years?¡± Li Xuan was suddenly shocked. Had he calculated it wrong? If what he thought was true, then just at the entrance to Martial Arts, one can live such a long life? ¡°I calculated it based on the changes in the body and the depletion time of vital energy after entering Martial Arts. I shouldn¡¯t be too far off. So, the lifespan of the Innate Realm is over a thousand years?¡± ¡°I created this Martial Arts realm to be pretty amazing, the second Martial Arts realm can live for over a thousand years.¡± Li Xuan was excited. At this moment, he had a feeling that the lifespan division of Martial Arts has been determined! He calculated correctly! Could it be that this intuition came from the feedback of the Golden Finger? Chapter 68 Translator: 549690339 The Innate Realm has already transcended the mundane. In the eyes of ordinary people, there¡¯s not much difference between them and the deities. A lifespan of a thousand years was actually within reason. Inhaling and exhaling nature¡¯s spiritual energy, where the Innate True Qi is endless, so naturally, a longer lifespan is out of the ordinary. And if one has the foundation of jade bones in Innate Realm, naturally, the lifespan would be even longer. Li Xuan was extremely excited, ¡°What do we cultivate the Martial Arts for?¡± The fundamental reason is to become strong, to live forever with invulnerability! This is the ultimate meaning of the Martial Arts. ¡°I¡¯m now a beginner in the Innate Realm. My Innate True Qi seems inexhaustible, and I already have the martial arts technique for the Innate Realm. Next, 1 need to create a technique for the realm above the Innate Realm.¡± ¡°I need to set the realm specifically, then seamlessly connect it with the Innate Realm to create a complete system.¡± Li Xuan was completely exhilarated. His apprentice was too amazing! ¡°Xu Yan hasn¡¯t broken through to the Innate Realm yet, and he doesn¡¯t understand the wonders of the Innate Realm, so even if 1 create a technique for the realm above Innate Realm for him, he would not be able to comprehend it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible, I suppose, to comprehend a technique by crossing realms.¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought. So, the technique of the realm above the Innate Realm would have to wait until Xu Yan breaks through to the Innate Realm, then he would possibly be able to comprehend it. If he hasn¡¯t broken through to the Innate Realm yet, even if he comprehends the technique of the Innate Realm but not personally experienced the changes of Innate, he would not be able to use it as a foundation to comprehend the technique of the realm above Innate Realm. However, preparations for creating the next realm technique can be started now. ¡°With Xu Yan¡¯s cultivation speed, he should be able to complete his Qi and blood within a month. The breakthrough to the Innate Realm will take a bit of time. Xu Yan should be able to breakthrough to the Innate Realm within two months!¡± Every time he thought about this, Li Xuan was filled with anticipation. Once Xu Yan breaks through to the Innate Realm, he would be able to reap the benefits of the Golden Finger again. Directly achieve perfection in the Innate Realm! ¡°It¡¯s time to create the next realm; to create the technique!¡± Li Xuan was electrified with excitement. Meng Chong has forged himself to the copper bone stage. He sensed his own strength with his flesh-bound body, like it¡¯s covered in a golden bell. Clenching his fist, he felt like he could easily defeat a top martial artist with one punch. If he had this strength back then, he wouldn¡¯t have had to risk assassinating the Emperor of Wu and use him to seek vengeance. ¡°Stone Two, come over!¡±. Meng Chong shouted out. ¡°Young Master Meng, what can 1 do for you?¡± Shi¡¯er asked with a smile on his face. After tough training these days, he was finally about to start refining his skin stage, so he was extremely excited. ¡°Come on, hit me in the chest!¡± Meng Chong gave his chest a slap. Huh?¡± Shi¡¯er was somewhat stunned. ¡°What are you dazed for? Come on, hit me!¡± Meng Chong urged. Isn¡¯t this bad?¡± Shi¡¯er said, looking troubled. What if he hurt him? ¡°You think you can hurt me? Quit talking, quick!¡± Meng Chong looked at him with contempt. ¡°Alright!¡± Shi¡¯er took a deep breath, quickly moved forward, and punched Meng Chong hard in the chest. Thud! At this moment, Shi¡¯er felt as if he had hit a mountain. His fist hurt a bit, and there was also a bit of backlash that made his arm numb! ¡°That¡¯s it? Are you using all your strength?¡± Meng Chong just felt a scratch from that punch. ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 go again!¡± Shi¡¯er¡¯s eyes narrowed, he let out a great yell and punched hard at Meng Chong¡¯s chest. This punch, he used all his strength. As a top martial artist, he had trained to the point of having strong explosive force. A full-strength punch could split stones and break monuments. However, when it hit Meng Chong¡¯s chest, it still felt like punching a mountain, giving him the illusion of an ant colliding with a mountain. The backlash made him retreat two steps, and his arm became numb. Thud! Has Meng Chong really become this strong? In such a short time, he could already completely ignore the attack of a top-tier martial artist? ¡°Did you really use all your strength?¡± Meng Chong looked at Shi¡¯er with a puzzled expression. He held back his body¡¯s reactive force, afraid of hurting Shi¡¯er. Is this it? Has a top expert in the martial world become this weak? Shi¡¯er was at a loss for words. He said, ¡°That punch was the strongest I¡¯ve ever thrown.¡± Meng Chong was extremely excited. The Golden Bell Shield was indeed powerful. He pulled out the knife embedded in the ground and threw it to Shi¡¯er, saying, ¡°Come, slash me!¡± ¡°What?¡± Shi¡¯er was stunned, not knowing what to do. Slash him with a knife? Did Meng Chong lose his sanity while training? This is a knife, no matter how strong the flesh is, how can it resist? Moreover, hasn¡¯t Meng Chong mastered martial arts yet? He¡¯s still in the basic stage of training and he wants to resist a steel knife with his bare flesh? ¡°I¡¯m not afraid, why are you? Hurry up!¡± Meng Chong urged. Shi¡¯er was speechless, you brave fool might not be scared, but I am. What if I hurt you? What will I do then? ¡°You really want me to slash?¡± Shi¡¯er was still hesitant. Come on!¡± Meng Chong patted his chest. ¡°Alright then!¡± Shi¡¯er, holding the steel knife, stepped forward and slashed at Meng Chong. Boom! The sharp steel knife did not cut through. ¡°Put some effort into it! Meng Chong said discontentedly. Boom! Another slash with the knife failed to break the defense. There was not a scratch on Meng Chong¡¯s body. Use all your strength!¡± Meng Chong takes a deep breath. His flesh was like a bell, his body flawless, his muscles seemed to glow with a faint golden light. ¡°Alright!¡± Shi¡¯er gritted his teeth and chopped at Meng Chong¡¯s chest. Boom! The steel knife broke into two, Shi¡¯er staggered back, his hands trembling, his face full of shock. There was not a scratch on Meng Chong¡¯s chest! He was a top martial artist and his full-strength slash didn¡¯t harm Meng Chong¡¯s flesh at all? Too terrifying! Meng Chong patted his chest, he got his answer. His current physical defenses could completely ignore top martial artists. Ordinary steel weapons were unable to hurt him at all. However, if it was that precious blade, it¡¯s hard to say! ¡°Keep practicing, strive to temper the indestructible vajra bones soon, take the martial arts training to the next level¡± Meng Chong, in high spirits, continued his intensive training. Shi¡¯er was also stimulated, and buried himself in his training too! Li Xuan started walking around Yunshan County when suddenly he heard a voice that caught his attention. ¡°Young man, you have decent potential. This meeting must be fate. I have a martial arts secret manual here, and I¡¯ll sell it to you at a low price!¡± These words sounded somewhat familiar. Li Xuan followed the sound and saw a man with a white beard, dressed in a wide robe, holding a yellowed booklet, speaking to a rich young master. ¡°Elder, 1 would like to acknowledge you as my master¡­ ¡°Your qualifications are just decent, but you are not in my eyes. It¡¯s a stroke of fate that we met. I see your earnest desire for martial arts, therefore, I¡¯ll sell you a martial arts secret manual.¡± The bearded man looked like a condescending high expert, adding: ¡°The law shall not be easily transferred, the secret martial arts manual has its own value. 1 don¡¯t want your money, but this is the rule of the martial arts world, secret martial arts manuals must not be given away!¡± The rich young master appeared somewhat lost and regretful, but quickly cheered up. Although he was not taken as an apprentice, acquiring a martial arts secret manual made the journey worthwhile. ¡°Thank you, elder. I will buy the secret manual right now.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s destiny that brought us together, one hundred taels then.¡± Here you go, elder!¡± Rich young master handed over the silver and took the secret manual. ¡°Ponder over it well, practice diligently!¡± The white-bearded man offered some encouragement, turned around and left. Then he approached another rich young master, ¡°Young man, you have decent potential. I have a martial art practice here¡­¡± Li Xuan:¡­ Where did this fraud come from? And someone actually believes him. It¡¯s really unbelievable! Chapter 69 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan wandered around the city and discovered that many wealthy heirs had come to Yunshan County. They were all here to look for experts in the large mountain and were currently resting in the county town. And, unbelievably, there was more than one fraudster like the bearded man! Even more absurd was that there were fools who were tricked! ¡°Are those fellows from the Tianmu Sect also part-time con artists?¡± Li Xuan felt somewhat powerless to comment. Whether it was the bearded man or other swindlers, they were all posing as experts from the Tianmu Sect. ¡°Brother Shi, are you leaving?¡± ¡°Yes, Brother Tan, we shall part ways for now.¡± ¡°¡­Brother Shi, did you acquire a martial arts secret book?¡± How did you know?¡± ¡°I also got a martial arts secret book, but it seems a bit unreliable¡­¡± A group of wealthy heirs were somewhat stunned. Had martial arts secret books become common goods? They must be fake! Upon comparison, they found that these books were, infuriatingly, even less reliable than the martial arts secret books from the jianghu underworld. A crowd gathered noisily and headed towards the county government office, demanding that the County Magistrate arrest the fraudsters. Li Xuan didn¡¯t need to go and see to know that these wealthy heirs were going to be fleeced by the County Magistrate once they reached the government office. After Xu Yan¡¯s impressive display, there was a surge throughout Qi Country to find martial arts experts. And it wasn¡¯t just the children of the nobility and officials, even the experts in the jianghu underworld were looking for martial arts experts. They were all hoping to have a fortunate encounter of their own. Li Xuan thought of the endless mountain. Perhaps only after crossing it could he truly understand the nature of this world? Of course, these were just speculations, and whether they were true or not was still unknown. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. Xu Yan has entered the Innate realm, Meng Chong has started with martial arts, so teachings of the martial arts could be dispersed a little more.¡± Li Xuan had a plan in mind. Before spreading the methods of martial arts cultivation, he needed to ensure control over the situation, not allowing any risks of loss of control. Xu Yan had already started teaching martial arts to his close ones. He believed that in a few months, they would know if there were people who could not cultivate martial arts and did not have the potential to be martial artists. In the endless mountain, a team of hundreds were traversing through the dense forest, continuing their exploration. n If there are experts anywhere in the world, they must surely be in the endless mountain.¡± The son of the Minister of War confidently proclaimed. ¡°Indeed!¡± INFRINGEMENTThe son of the Minister of Rites agreed, nodding. The group of top elites from the capital who were accompanying them on the journey, all expressed their approval. The endless mountain was, indeed, endless. No one knew what was at the end of the endless mountain, and no one could cross it. If there were experts in the world, they must be in the endless mountain. Donghe County was the closest to the endless mountain. Perhaps Xu Yan had met an expert in the endless mountain. The group was fully equipped with leather armour, strong crossbows, insect repellents, antidotes, etc. The guards in the team were all top-notch experts. Among them were even supreme experts. Although the endless mountain was dangerous with beasts lurking around, with their strength, they could hunt any beast. With insect and snake repellents, they were well protected from snake bites. Even if they were bitten by a poisonous snake, they had antidotes. These antidotes were well-known in the jianghu underworld, showing miraculous effects against insect and snake bites. Besides, wearing leather armour, it was unlikely that they would get bitten. A group of elites were protected in the middle, with guards moving forward, clearing a path. Their bodies were smeared with repellent medicines with a pungent smell, which drove away snakes and insects as they swept away thorns and weeds with long sticks. Some people were holding strong crossbows and keeping their guard up, ready to attack with their crossbows at a moment¡¯s notice if danger arose. At night. The group found a place to spend the night. The next day, they continued to move forward, deliberately moving toward the high mountains and dense forests, apparently, where most experts live. Deep inside the endless mountain, a chilling roar echoed, followed by silence. A giant Flame-maned Wolf lay on the ground. A figure in grey clothes was hunched over the wolf¡¯s neck, devouring its blood. If Xu Yan were here, he would be surprised to find that this Flame-maned Wolf was more than twice the size of those in the Evil Forest. And such a mighty Flame-maned Wolf was now lifeless. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± The man in grey coughed continuously, lifting his head, his mouth stained with fresh blood. With each cough, drops of blood fell from the corner of his mouth. ¡°The beast¡¯s blood is mixed¡­ It can only temporarily suppress the injuries.¡± A bit of blood returned to the pale face of the grey-clothed man, but it quickly faded away, returning his face to its pale state again. His eyes emitted a cold light as he turned to look in the direction he had come from venomously. ¡°If you guys can¡¯t kill me, Blood Ruthless, just wait. Once I return to the Inner Domain, it will be your nightmare!¡± Blood Ruthless said, gazing forward. ¡°If I cross the Iron Barrier Mountain, it will be the border wilderness. You wouldn¡¯t expect me to escape to the border wilderness, would you? ¡°The border wilderness, where heavenly and earthly Lingji vanish, is an abandoned place for you since it¡¯s impossible to sense qi, refine qi, and the horrifically violent spiritual energy there can¡¯t be absorbed into your bodies, preventing you from cultivating. ¡°Once you get injured and retreat to the border wilderness, you won¡¯t only be unable to heal your injuries, they will actually get worse until you perish. ¡°But 1, Blood Ruthless, only need to devour the refined blood to recover from injuries and strengthen myself!¡± The eyes of Blood Ruthless flashed with a ferocious, excited, and bloodthirsty light. ¡°The border wilderness doesn¡¯t have any martial artists, and it¡¯s impossible to cultivate martial arts there, so regardless of how strong one may be, they cannot exceed the Seventh Grade. Although the refined blood is inferior, the quantity is substantial. ¡°Devouring hundreds, thousands, millions of people¡­ Even if they are ordinary people, 1 can not only recover my strength, but also achieve a breakthrough!¡± An excited look appeared on Blood Ruthless¡¯s face. Once he arrived at the border wilderness, he would be an invincible existence. To the people on the border, he would appear to be a god. Who could stop him from keeping up a constant massacre? As many as arrived, he would kill that many, using their blood for his blood sacrifice to grow stronger. In the Inner Domain, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do this. If he started a full-scale massacre, he would easily be targeted and then chased down. This time, he barely killed a few tens of martial artists when he faced a siege and almost lost his life. ¡°The border wilderness is where I, Blood Ruthless, will rise! Blood Ruthless¡¯s eyes were fervent. How many inhabitants were in the border wilderness? It should at least be hundreds of millions, right? He only needed to perform a blood sacrifice on just one-tenth of these. Then he could break through the realm of the Great Grandmaster. Once 1 break through the Great Grandmaster realm, 1 can strike back at the Inner Domain and exact my revenge! ¡°In the Border Wasteland, although the Heavenly Earth Lingji has withered, I can still strengthen myself by devouring blood essence. The drawbacks are significant, but what does that matter?¡± He formulated a plan in his heart. Cultivate a generation of people that will kill and sacrifice for him. Once they become powerful, he could then devour this generation. That will allow him to obtain higher quality blood essence. And he wouldn¡¯t have to do it himself! Everyone wants to become stronger. ¡°In the Border Wasteland, I am a god, and they will all become my loyal worshippers, following me back to the Inner Domain!¡± He became more and more excited, the more he thought about it. As if he can already see himself leading his followers back to the Inner Domain, wreaking havoc wherever they go. ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± He started coughing suddenly, overcome by his emotions, his face even more pale than before. ¡°No good! The effect of the beast blood is too weak, 1 must devour human blood!¡± He lifted his head to look ahead, with a flash of blood-red light in his eyes. His figure moved, soaring into the sky, heading outside Tiezhang Mountain. The team hunting for the reclusive guru has already covered five hundred miles, yet still no sign of a guru. They killed a tiger during this period and feasted heartily on its flesh. ¡°Look quickly, the high mountain ahead, with its precipitous peaks, there might be a reclusive guru inhabiting it, that¡¯s our next target!¡± The Minister of War¡¯s son pointed to a mountain up ahead. Though the mountain was visible, it was still a long distance away. After a day and a night of pushing through dense forests and traversing creeks, they finally reached the foot of the mountain. ¡°How do we go up?¡± The mountain was steep and dangerous, making the ascent not an easy task. A few experts with exceptional light-footwork skills volunteered to go up. They climbed for a while but returned without finding any reclusive guru. The group was disappointed. However, they quickly cheered up and continued advancing. ii Let¡¯s rest for a bit.¡± ¡°Where did that bastard Xu Yan meet that guru?¡± ¡°Damn that guy!¡± The group sat down on a wide mountainside. ¡°Senior, please accept my kowtow¡± All of a sudden, someone fell to his knees, teeming with excitement and shouting loudly. The rest followed the voice and saw a figure flying towards them. The figure seemed unsteady flying, but there was something carefree and unruly about it in the air. A guru! They had finally encountered a guru! The group erupted with excitement. Who in the world could fly if not a guru? ¡°We greet the elder guru!¡± ¡°Elder, I¡¯m the son of the Minister of War from Qi Country, I implore you to take me as your disciple!¡± The group was enthusiastic and fanatical, crying out. In the midst of his injuries, he was shaking and wobbling in the air, seeking a spot to rest and heal. Suddenly, he heard voices calling out from ahead, and he was instantly invigorated. ¡°There are people in the wilderness of Tiezhang Mountain! A crowd, no less!¡± His eyes glittered with excitement and bloodlust. There was a large group of people kneeling on the slope ahead. There must be at least a hundred of them. ¡°Most of them are around Ninth Grade martial artists, a small portion are Eighth Grade martial artists, and the strongest few are almost Seventh Grade martial artists. ¡°Are these the best of the Border Wasteland? ¡°Those young people appear to be ordinary, but they are young. The taste of their blood should be good.¡± With just a glance, he could see their abilities. ¡°The son of the Minister of War? Indeed, his position is not ordinary. No wonder there are so many Border Wasteland bodyguards protecting him. These Border Wasteland people really do revere me as a deity!¡± A smile appeared on his face. No need to find a place to rest anymore; once he devours their blood, his wounds should heal somewhat. He laughed heartily, overjoyed, and flew directly towards the slope. Those on the slope, upon hearing the laughter, became even more excited. It sounded like the elder was delighted. Could we really have the chance to be apprentices now? ¡°We greet the elder guru!¡± Not only the high-born youngsters, but also their bodyguards, they all kowtow respectfully, filled with excitement. ¡°Good, very good! You all arrived just in time!¡± He said this in high spirits. Everyone on the slope was overjoyed. Even the guru said we were just in time! This means we are destined! The chance to become a martial artist is finally at hand. Boom! A sudden burst of cold energy covered everyone. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but shiver. They looked up, only to see a horrifying sight. The guru was enveloped in thin, icy threads that were like spiderwebs. In a flash, these threads flew out. They only felt a sharp pain in their chests. Looking down, they saw one of the spiderweb-like threads drilled into their chest. As if they could see their blood being transferred to the guru through the threads. Their bodies were weakening, and their sight was darkening. They could almost feel the blood draining from their bodies. ¡°Alt! Help!¡± ¡°Elder, spare us!¡± ¡°Demon¡­ He¡¯s a demon!¡± The top experts screamed out, but they were powerless to resist. They watched helplessly as their blood was continually drained, their hearts aching continuously and their bodies gradually shriveling up. Their consciousness was gradually fading away.. Chapter 70 Translator: 549690339 Belch! A sound echoed from within Xue WuXin, as if he had just had a hearty meal and belched. His pale face flushed a little. His spider web-like veins withdrew from countless bodies back into him. A cold, damp aura enveloped him, turning his just-revived color again into an appalling pallor. ¡°The people from Borderlands have tainted blood. It needs to be refined to purify it. However, after sucking the blood essence of so many people, my injuries should be about half healed.¡± Xue WuXin murmured to himself. He looked out beyond the boundless mountains, his eyes gleaming with excitement. The Borderlands would be the place where he would rise to power. ¡°I need to find a place to refine the blood essence and heal my injuries. Once my strength is restored, 1 will perform the grand blood sacrifice, purify the blood essence, and cultivate.¡± ¡°Haha, await my revenge, everyone!¡± Xue WuXin, in high spirits, rose into the air and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye. Only on the hillsides were left over a hundred withered bodies, with traces of terror still visible on their shrivelled faces. The rush to find skilled experts swept across Qi Country. Those who came to the endless mountains to search for experts were obviously not only led by the Minister of War¡¯s son and his party. The endless mountains were fraught with danger. The seekers often came in groups, led by guards or hired experts, and entered the endless mountains together. One day, a team searching for skilled experts arrived at the foot of the slope. ¡°Let¡¯s take a rest here, who knows where this expert is hiding.¡± ¡°Why is Xu Yan so lucky to find an expert?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be downhearted! How can an expert be easily found? Xu Yan also searched for many years, and he even got tricked by fraudsters.¡± A group of nobles began to ascend the slope under the protection of their guards. ¡°Allh!¡± Suddenly, a scream echoed out. ¡°What the hell! You scared the hell out of me!¡± ¡°What happened? You¡¯re a top-notch expert in the martial world, how can you be so scared? Ah¡­¡± Screams resounded endlessly. All looked at the sight on the slope, feeling coldness creeping up on them with goosebumps all over. Over a hundred corpses lay on the slope, emanating a horrifying pallor. Each body was shriveled, as if the blood had been sucked dry. The mummified faces still retained the colors of terror on the verge of death. ¡°This is¡­ this is¡­¡± Someone recognized the identities of the corpses. ¡°The eldest son of the Minister of War!¡± ¡°The second son of the Minister of Rites!¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Fear surged in everyone¡¯s hearts. They unconsciously looked around, as if evil spirits were choosing their next victims. ¡°How did they die?¡± A brave expert stepped forward to examine the corpses, the more he saw, the more horrified he became. ¡°The corpses are shriveled like mummies¡­¡± It¡¯s too bizarre! How long had the Minister of War¡¯s son and his group been in the endless mountains? Even if they died, they wouldn¡¯t turn into mummies. Moreover, each person¡¯s death was extremely frightening, as if they saw something terrifying before their death. ¡°This is One-Blade King, a renowned top-notch expert in the capital, he¡¯s dead too!¡± People continuously recognized the identities of the corpses, including a few well-known leading martial artists. More than a hundred people, with numerous experts, equipped with strong crossbows and other weapons, all perished on the slope without a trace of a fight. It seemed as if they all died simultaneously! They directly turned into mummies! This eerie scene left everyone shocked, no longer interested in searching for experts. ¡°Let¡¯s leave, it¡¯s too dangerous here in the endless mountains!¡± A group of people didn¡¯t dare to stay and all fled down the mountain. ¡°Bring the body of the Minister of War¡¯s son, and take theirs too, back to the capital.¡± Yes, take their bodies back to the capital. Their deaths are too strange. We must investigate. Isn¡¯t Xu Yan a martial artist? Perhaps he can find some clues.¡± Someone suggested. The others agreed with the idea, bringing back the bodies could also bring them rewards. Concerning whether they would be suspected of being murderers, it was absolutely impossible. The bodies were strange, and besides, with their strength, they were incapable of killing the party led by the Minister of War¡¯s son. In the capital city, Xu Yan had successfully broken the Qi Blood Realm and realized the Innate Realm cultivation technique, his mood was high. Emperor Qi sent people to convey his congratulations and wanted to hold a banquet to celebrate his advancements in martial arts. However, Xu Yan declined. After staying in the capital for a few days, Xu Yan set off to return to the East River County. Not long after Xu Yan left the capital, the news about the mysterious deaths of the Minister of War¡¯s son and his party in the endless mountains spread among the officials. The bodies were brought back. Emperor Qi even personally inspected them. The mummified bodies, with residual fear on their faces, were uncanny. ¡°Lord Guo, bring your grandson back quickly.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Guo, this matter is too strange!¡± The officials were in a frenzy. Their own sons were also searching for experts. Moreover, most of them had gone to the endless mountains. The Ministers of War and Rites were both devastated, suffering a tremendous blow. Guo Rongshan also realized that something was wrong. Was there some monster in the endless mountains? He immediately sent a message to Xu Yan. He immediately utilized the newly established carrier pigeon system for communication. Upon his promotion to King of Qi, getting appointed as the mentor to the Grand Elder and Crown Prince, he delegated a few trained carrier pigeons from the Qi country¡¯s pigeon post, specifically for communication between Donghe County and the capital. This ensured smooth and swift communication between Donghe County and the Qi King¡¯s residence. Xu Yan, after a dusty journey, rushed back to Donghe County. Barely having time to have a meal with his parents and offer them some cultivation advice, he received a message from his maternal grandfather via carrier pigeon. Withered corpses? Strange circumstances of death? He was instantly intrigued. ¡°I once read in an ancient text about a legend of a creature called ¡®Corpse Treants¡¯, which is fond of feasting on human blood. Could they have encountered a Corpse Treants?¡± Once this thought crossed Xu Yan¡¯s mind, his interest was immediately piqued. It¡¯s said that Corpse Treants are brutal, bloodthirsty and extremely powerful. Given that I¡¯ve now reached the stage of grand accomplishment in the realm of Qi and Blood, my strength has increased significantly. It¡¯s high time I put my strength to the test.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s indeed a Corpse Treant, it would be worth a try.¡± Xu Yan, overcome with excitement, immediately set off for the Capital. He had only read about the Corpse Treants in an ancient book. The story hadn¡¯t been passed down among the common folks, so probably only a handful of people knew about this legendary creature. The Capital. Xu Yan, who had not long since left, had returned. ¡°Where are the bodies?¡± He immediately went to the place where the bodies were kept. There he saw several withered bodies. Emperor Qi and all his ministers were present. Upon examining the bodies, Xu Yan frowned. The corpses appeared to have been drained of their blood and shriveled up. There was a faint chili lingering within the bodies. However, compared to the description in the ancient text, the wounds on the victims were not suggestive of an attack by Corpse Treants. There were no bite marks. According to the legend, the bites were supposed to be on the victims¡¯ necks. Furthermore, victims of Corpse Treants wouldn¡¯t directly turn into shriveled corpses, but rather turn a cyanotic black color due to the corpse poison. However, these bodies were neither cyanotic black nor had any traces of corpse poison. They had completely turned into mummies. It was as if they had been sun-dried, and even after such a long time, there was no sign of decomposition. ¡°What were you able to deduce from this?¡± Emperor Qi asked. While continuing to examine the bodies, Xu Yan shook his head and said, ¡°I initially thought that these might be murders committed by the legendary Corpse Treants. But, judging from the bodies, it doesn¡¯t seem to be their doing.¡± ¡°What are ¡®Corpse Treants¡¯? ¡± Emperor Qi and his ministers looked at each other in confusion, not having heard of such a creature before. ¡°It is a kind of creature known for being extremely violent and feasting on human blood,¡± Xu Yan explained briefly. Emperor Qi and his ministers were horrified. Could such a frightening creature actually exist in this world? ¡°Young Master Xu, how did you find out about Corpse Treants?¡± One of the ministers, driven by curiosity, asked. He prided himself on having extensive knowledge and having read numerous books. He was well-informed about astronomy, geography, history, and relics. However, he surprisingly had never heard of this creature, which led him to harbor some doubts about whether Xu Yan was making up stories. ¡°I read about it in an ancient book, a very old one at that. It is said to be the only existing copy,¡± Xu Yan responded. Read it in a book? Caught off guard, the minister involuntarily said, ¡°Can the things written in books really¡­¡± However, he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. All of a sudden, he realized something. It was rumored that Xu Yan believed in the legends from books, and, in spite of ridicule, he sought out a master to learn true martial arts from. Eventually, he actually succeeded in cultivating a formidable martial arts technique from the stories told in the books! Given that, the legends in the books might indeed be credible! After realizing this, he couldn¡¯t muster up the courage to finish his statement. Xu Yan continued to examine the bodies, even undressing the corpses to have a thorough check. The Minister of War started tearing up and trembled, about to protest. However, at the formidable gaze of Emperor Qi, he ultimately decided to keep silent. He quietly watched as Xu Yan turned to the corpses. ¡°Strange. If it wasn¡¯t the Corpse Treants, then what was it?¡± Xu Yan was perplexed, combing through his memory of the ancient text he had read, which had no mention of such cases. Suddenly! His gaze focused on a small hole in the chest area of the withered bodies, appearing as if something had pierced their hearts. ¡°This is¡­¡± Frowning, Xu Yan touched the wound, which was so small it seemed as if a tiny awl had made it. ¡°A mosquito?¡± The bodies were drained of blood and turned into mummies with a small wound in the heart area. Involuntarily, Xu Yan visualised a giant mosquito knocking over the son of the Minister of War, its proboscis embedded in the heart, sucking out all the blood. ¡°Could it be the work of some sort of blood-sucking demon that resembles a mosquito?¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but recall the Fire-Maned Wolf. It had transcended the category of ordinary beasts; no ordinary beast could possess such formidable strength. Could the creature that killed the son of the Minister of War and others be a similar entity, one that had transcended the realm of ordinary beasts? After pondering for a while, he said, ¡°I do not know what creature could¡¯ve committed these murders, possibly a demon of some sort? I will go back and ask my master. Perhaps, he knows.¡± His master was a recluse who seemingly knew everything. He should know which creature caused this. Could there be such a creature lurking in the Endless Great Mountain? All of a sudden, Xu Yan was interested in the Endless Great Mountain. He was also intrigued by these unknown demons. He decided to ask his master whether he could go to the Endless Great Mountain to hunt these creatures given his current strength. ¡°I shall return and ask my master.¡± Bounding with excitement, Xu Yan left, getting ready to return to Donghe County and ask his master about what kind of creature could drain humans of their blood and how strong it would be.. More importantly, he needed to know if he was capable of handling it! Chapter 71 Translator: 549690339 The journey from the capital to Donghe County is long, including a desolate stretch of the imperial road that spans several dozen miles without any signs of settlement. Qi Country has set up a relay station along this route. The relay station is adjacent to the Endless Mountain Range and is over a hundred miles from Yunshan County. Ever since Qi Country began its search for highly skilled individuals, many of the capital¡¯s prominent officials and nobles pass through here to enter the Endless Mountains. Therefore, they often choose to rest briefly at the relay station which, as a result, has increased its staff to cater to the wealthy officials and nobles. Then one day, a figure flew out of the Endless Mountains. He landed directly in the relay station. ¡°You are¡­¡± A relay station official saw the sky-descending Xu Yan. His initial shock quickly turned into jubilant joy! Is my opportunity finally here?! Thud! He immediately knelt down to prostrate himself. ¡°Esteemed one, 1 am Ma Xiao¡¯er, and I beg for you to take me on as a disciple¡­¡±, he pleaded. Xu Yan was taken aback. Are the people in the frontier so straightforward? Seeing him for the first time and prostrating himself to be accepted as a disciple? ¡°Hehe¡­¡± With a sneer, he said, ¡°Liver-eater, you are not worthy to be my disciple!¡± The official was taken aback, liver-eater? Whoosh! Suddenly, a pain pierced his chest. Looking down, a thin thread had punctured his heart, extracting his blood. ¡°Help¡­.¡± In sheer terror, he tried to call out for help, but he collapsed onto the ground, his body shrivelled up into a mummified corpse. Xu Yan frowned, ¡°So poor in vital blood essence, the land is desolate, and the Spiritual Mechanism of Heaven and Earth has vanished. Even the people here are lacking in vital blood essence.¡± From his body spread thin threads, which instantly pierced the hearts of the other officials at the relay station. Thud! Dried-out corpses fell to the ground. Not a single soul in the relay station was left alive. ¡°Sinew blood is impure, and with each use, needs purification. In this manner, the amount of blood required becomes astronomical. Even if we sacrifice millions of people in a blood ritual, we may not be able to break through the smallest boundary,¡± Xu Yan said, his brow furrowing slightly. ¡°As of now, I¡¯ve no choice but to endure. If a million won¡¯t suffice, then ten million¡­ ¡°The frontier has no lack of people, and even if they were all sacrificed, what of it?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes glowed bloody. However, to carry out such a large-scale blood ritual and to purify it requires considerable time. ¡°First, sack a city to recuperate. Then find some suitable candidates to train as ¡®Blood Disciples¡¯ for carrying out the blood ritual and purifying vital blood.¡± ¡°Within ten years, I will break through the realm of the Great Grandmaster!¡± Xu Yan looked toward the direction of the Endless Mountains, a cruel glint in his eyes. ¡°Within ten years, 1 will return to the Inner Domain!¡± He left the relay station, ready to head towards a nearby city, to conduct a blood ritual and purify vital blood to recuperate. Full of questions, Xu Yan was eager to find his master for answers. Leaving the capital, he used his movement technique to head straight to Donghe County. His current strength allowed him to move faster than even the finest steed, so he did not choose to ride a horse. With his vital energy in circulation, he shaped himself like a gust of wind, heading straight for Yunshan County. ¡°If not a Corpse-Lao, what kind of creature did this?¡± Xu Yan still puzzled over what could have sucked a body dry. ¡°I¡¯m almost at Yunshan County.¡± Ahead of him was a relay station, and beyond that, Yunshan County. ¡°Time for a rest.¡± Xu Yan slowed his pace, intending to stop at the relay station to rest for a bit and ask the station officials if they had ever heard of a creature that sucked blood from people. The relay station was beside the Endless Mountains. The station officials were certain to have quite the amount of information about the legends of the Endless Mountains. He had rushed from the capital all the way here, consuming his vital energy in the process. Meeting his master in this state would not be appropriate. If his master detected his unsettled state, that would not bode well. ¡°You mustn¡¯t panic when you encounter problems!¡± So Xu Yan thought. As he halted his movement technique, his expended vital energy quickly recovered. His jade bones seemed to glow brilliantly, showcasing the strength of his elemental physique. By the time Xu Yan stepped into the relay station, his vitality had almost returned to its peak. ¡°Something¡¯s not right!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s expression hardened! The acute senses of a martial artist allowed him to detect the anomaly instantly. His vital energy began to circulate immediately, ready to activate its power, and he went on high alert. He sensed a lurking danger nearby. After cultivating martial arts and becoming a martial artist, this was the first time he had experienced such a feeling. Xu Yan instantly realized¡ªthe relay station was harboring danger! Moreover, this danger could actually pose a threat to him! ¡°What on earth is it?¡± Xu Yan only felt his vital energy boiling, the eagerness for battle emerging from his heart. He was actually excited to face this unknown danger in battle. He moved step by step into the relay station. Suddenly! His pupils contracted upon seeing a mummified corpse! The body of a relay station official! The shrivelled corpse bore an uncanny resemblance to the son of the Minister of War and his associates! ¡°Is it that creature?¡± A shiver ran through Xu Yan¡¯s heart, his keen senses on full alert. He gradually pinpointed the source of the danger, hiding behind a door inside the relay station. ¡°It¡¯s not a creature, but seems like a person!¡± In a split second, Xu Yan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Could this be another martial artist like himself? A person from the world of martial arts? Where did he come from? Why did he kill the relay station officials? And moreover¡­ drain the officials of their blood! What sort of martial artist is this? Whoosh! Suddenly, an almost invisible, Chapter 72 Translator: 549690339 Inside the post station room, Blood Heartless was utterly shocked. How could there be a martial artist in the border wasteland? Moreover, this young martial artist seemed to be amiss! He was about to leave the post station and head towards the nearby city, seeking a blood sacrifice to recover from his injuries. Suddenly, he sensed a powerful presence rushing down the official road. The exuberance of this energy¡¯s blood force shocked him. ¡°A martial artist from the Inner Domain pursued me here?¡± No! It¡¯s wrong, why is there such a terrifying surge of blood energy.¡± Blood Heartless was startled. With a sudden move, he retreated back into the post station. This powerful presence was too unrestrained and too overwhelming. Moreover, the strength of its vitality was downright petrifying! How could there be such terrifyingly vital beings in the world? ¡°If I could devour his vitality, wouldn¡¯t 1 instantly recover from my injuries, perhaps even enhance my powers?¡± The more Blood Heartless thought about it, the more excited he became. ¡°The border wasteland, where the Heavenly Earth Lingji was annihilated, should not be home to any martial artists. However, neither should the Inner Domain harbor any martial artists with this horrifying blood energy, not even a Great Grandmaster would have such vigorous vitality.¡± The more Blood Heartless thought, the more perplexed he became. ¡°Could it be that martial arts can be practiced in the border wasteland?¡± ¡°No, absolutely impossible!¡± As Xu Yan entered the post station, even though he stopped deploying his movement techniques and retracting his vitality, Blood Heartless could still sense the massive vitality within Xu Yan¡¯s body due to his acute sensitivity to blood energy. The more he sensed, the more shocked he was. ¡°Is this vitality? It feels different, and why is there a sensation of blazing fire? It¡¯s as though it¡¯s immense and inexhaustible, it can¡¯t be vitality, can it?¡± Questions filled Blood Heartless¡¯s mind. ¡°By killing him, 1 can feel it. If 1 can devour his vitality, not only will I recover from my injuries, but my foundation will be more solid, and 1 might even break through!¡± Blood Heartless¡¯s eyes were full of bloodthirsty light. With a flick of his finger, the Blood Vampiric Silk shot out towards Xu Yan¡¯s heart. The moment he made his move, he saw the youth strike out with his palm. Accompanied by a thunderous sound, a giant red dragon, with an unimaginable force roared forward. ¡°What cultivation technique is this!¡± Blood Heartless¡¯ face horribly paled. Boom! The room collapsed, debris flew around, and Xu Yan pushed out another palm, and a red dragon descended from the sky. The domineering force of the Descending Dragon Palm directly evaporated the Blood Vampiric Silk. Xu Yan, however, had a serious expression and his eyes held some confusion. As he looked at Blood Heartless, who had soared into the air to evade the attack, he was utterly shocked. ¡°An Innate Realm martial artist? Is that True Qi?¡± That cold silk line seemed to be condensed from True Qi. ¡°No! That¡¯s not right, True Qi isn¡¯t that weak!¡± ¡°The Innate Realm shouldn¡¯t be so weak either, what¡¯s going on with him?¡± Xu Yan was filled with questions too. As Blood Heartless stared at Xu Yan, the more he observed, the more he was shocked! ¡°A martial artist! He really is a martial artist!¡± ¡°Came from the Inner Domain in pursuit? No! That¡¯s not right, if he were a martial artist from the Inner Domain, he would have already known it¡¯s me.¡± Blood Heartless dismissed the idea that this was a martial artist from the Inner Domain. Clearly, this youth was a martial artist from the border wasteland! ¡°Is he a third-tier martial artist? No, he¡¯s stronger than a third-tier martial artist. Second-tier? That¡¯s also wrong, he¡¯s not a second-tier martial artist either. A first-tier martial artist?¡± ¡°Such a young first-tier martial artist?¡± ¡°Something is wrong, what type of martial artist is this? Even a first-tier martial artist should not be this strong!¡± While Blood Heartless was in shock, he was also full of doubts. ¡°Vitality as strong as Gang Qi? What type of martial artist is this, what martial art, what cultivation technique? First-tier martial artists refine their Gang Qi, but it¡¯s not as vast and domineering, not as powerful. ¡°Why does it feel kind of like a Qi refining Grandmaster?¡± ¡°But, his technique doesn¡¯t feel like the inner Qi of a Grandmaster. It seems to be just vitality. Why would the vitality be so strong?¡± Blood Heartless felt like his head was a mess. What the heck is going on?¡± Xu Yan was equally dumbfounded. Blood Heartless exuded a cold aura, that powerful force seemed to be True Qi, but it was weaker than True Qi and lacked the strength of Innate True Qi. However, the opponent was actually able to fly, which was something only those in the Innate Realm could achieve. If he is in the Innate Realm, why is he so weak?¡± ¡°Could it be because the cultivation technique I practiced is too strong?¡± Xu Yan fell into deep thought. ¡°That¡¯s not right either. Why do I feel that his physical strength is not high? It seems like his martial arts foundation is not solid, and it seems like he has never cultivated vitality?¡± ¡°How peculiar, is he truly an Innate Realm Martial Artist? ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be a good person, be careful!¡± Blood and qi roused, an enormous dragon coiled around him. Another hovered above his head, and yet another stood ready to strike at his sides. Facing a powerful enemy, Xu Yan dared not be negligent. Seeing the monstrous surge of blood and qi, as intense as fire, gave Blood No Heart an intense sense of threat but also stirred his desire. Instinct suggested that if he could consume his opponent¡¯s blood and qi, he could not only heal his injury but also enhance his strength! A glimmer of bloodlust flashed in his eyes. His already pale face turned even more ghastly. A chill spread around him, a frigid shroud that enveloped his entire body. Sliding out from his robe, an elongated blade radiating an icy ominous light. Xu Yan¡¯s gaze sharpened on sensing the threat emanating from his opponent¡¯s blade. ¡°It¡¯s a divine blade!¡± This blade resembled the sword he had obtained from the royal treasury of Qi Country. Its composition was hardly of simple steel. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my sword!¡± Xu Yan tensed slightly. ¡°Once 1 get back, 1¡¯11 learn swordsmanship!¡± He resolved in his mind to seek his master¡¯s guidance on this aspect once he returned. Buzz! With the long blade in Blood No Heart¡¯s hand, a dull hum emitted as the blade surged with cold energy. Around the blade, strands of fine threads floated, resembling long needles. ¡°Attack first to gain the upper hand!¡± Upon witnessing this, Xu Yan pushed his palms forward. With a thunderous sound, the Descending Dragon Palm Technique violently blasted out. With a cold look in his eyes, Blood No Heart swung his blade. The icy blade aura, carrying strands of thin threads, was inexplicably fierce, it directly shattered the force of the Descending Dragon Palm Technique. Boom! Blade aura streaked across the air as the freezing atmosphere spread out and the temperature instantly plummeted. Xu Yan swung both of his hands, executing the Descending Dragon Palm Technique. In an instant, nine dragons swept across from all directions towards Blood No Heart. His alarming blood and qi resembled a blazing flame. Under his searing blood and qi, the frosty aura was immediately evaporated. ¡°I must not let this child live! Blood No Heart¡¯s heart turned murderous. His opponent¡¯s burning blood qi could suppress his Inner Qi, this caused his power to fall over two-tenths. If it wasn¡¯t for his superior realm, he would have been completely overwhelmed in equal standing. At this moment, the blade light sweeps across, the fine threads like spider silk constantly coiling around to form a massive net. Boom! Nine enormous dragons swept across in all directions towards Blood No Heart. The domineering palm¡¯s force layered on top of one another, appearing infinite. However, the blade aura from Blood No Heart seemed even more sinister and fierce. With every strike, blades shattered the dragons. His figure darted around, continuously pressing closer. The battle had turned the whole area into ruins. So strong!¡± Xu Yan tensed inwardly. The opponent¡¯s blade technique was ruthless, and his blade aura had managed to break his Descending Dragon Palm Technique. Regardless, he did not step back instead he braced himself ecstatically. Eventually, he had encountered a worthy adversary. He could finally fully engage in a battle! Against the God¡¯s Might Army, he still couldn¡¯t cut loose. Now, he finally could! A Martial Artist lives to battle! With the surging blood and qi, the force of his Descending Dragon Palm Technique grew even stronger. With a thunderous sound, the tenth dragon emerged to further enhance its impact. ¡°Why do 1 get the feeling he¡¯s not that powerful? An Innate Realm Martial Artist shouldn¡¯t be this weak.¡± Even though his opponent currently had the upper hand, Xu Yan was neither panicked nor confused but rather felt a sense of curiosity. The opponent was definitely too weak. He lacked the strength befitting of an Innate Realm Martial Artist. If his blood and qi had been at their peak, he would definitely have defeated his adversary! The battle left Blood No Heart increasingly alarmed. Although he had the upper hand, defeating Xu Yan proved to be an immensely challenging task. That dragon-shaped palm technique was incredibly domineering and blazing. Moreover, the palm technique could change its attack pattern. What initially seemed to be a dragon head attack turned, at mid-air, into a tail slap! What kind of technique could do that? ¡°Something¡¯s off. What kind of Cultivation Technique is he practicing? Judging by his condition, he seems like a first-class martial artist? But no first-class martial artist holds this kind of strength or possesses such overpowering force!¡± Blood No Heart took a deep breath. He must finish this fight quickly! Executing a strike with his blade, countless blood-sucking filaments continuously entangled the dragons, obstructing their flexibility and speed, and stopping the dragons¡¯ attack speed. With his body soaring, at the moment Xu Yan executed his Descending Dragon Palm Technique, revealing a flaw, he launched himself into the air and thrust his blade down from mid-air! Chapter 73 Palm Breakthrough (Seeking Monthly Pass)_i Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan, while formidable in his own right, wielding the ruthless Descending Dragon Palm, was nonetheless outmatched in combat experience by the Blood Demon. As he unleashed his Descending Dragon Palm, at the moment when his guard was momentarily lowered above him, Xu Yan felt a prick in his heart and identified the problem. However, this brief window of vulnerability meant life or death, victory or defeat, for the battle-scarred Blood Demon. Hovering mid-air, his long knife radiated a chilling gleam as it cut through the empty space above. In an instant, Xu Yan felt goosebumps and a powerful sense of danger descending upon him. It was too late for him to defend against it with his palm. A picture of The Eight Diagrams instinctively emerged in his mind during this crisis. With a sudden insight, he shifted his steps and vanished on the spot, only to reappear a few yards away. Boom! A trench appeared on the ground where the Blood Demon¡¯s knife had fiercely struck. A wave of dismay washed over him! At such a critical moment, his opponent had managed to dodge, but what kind of movement technique was that? At this moment, Xu Yan was still shaken, his heart pounding hard, his vitality boiling, and a giant dragon swirling around him, its power growing stronger and stronger. He had had a brush with death just then! If it hadn¡¯t been for the sudden enlightenment brought about by The Eight Diagrams emerging in his mind during the crisis, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to come up with the new movement technique and dodge the attack. He was both shocked and incensed at this moment. As his body moved, he vanished, appearing instantly beside the Blood Demon, and blasted out his Descending Dragon Palm. Teleportation! Boom! The Blood Demon¡¯s eyes were icy, his long knife flickered, and his swordplay unfolded. The chilling blade aura intertwined and steadily advanced, using its formidable strength to continuously shatter the power of the Descending Dragon Palm. The pressure forced Xu Yan to switch positions frequently to dodge. A few strands of blood-sucking ghosts began to creep out from the Blood Demon¡¯s body with each strike, covering the surrounding area, seemingly forming a massive net. Xu Yan¡¯s gaze was solemn; his opponent was slightly more powerful than him. Especially that ruthless sword technique and the chilly, eerie aura were incredibly odd. If it weren¡¯t for his immense and flaming vitality, which allowed him to ignore the chilling aura¡¯s invasion, he might have already been paralyzed, drastically reducing his combat power. Xu Yan frowned. As the battle intensified, his mind became clearer, and he cast aside all distractions, immersing himself completely in the combat. The pattern of The Eight Diagrams emerged in his mind, and with each step, he shifted positions. The technique of teleportation gradually grew more proficient with the progression of the battle. Boom! The overbearing power of the Descending Dragon Palm had been once again shattered by his opponent¡¯s attack. The blade light dashed aggressively towards Xu Yan, who teleported once again, dodging it. It was at this moment, the mantra of Descending Dragon Palm emerged in his mind. His vitality boiled even more, and he seemed to be in a state of fervor. Suddenly, he roared out, pushed both his palms, and a gigantic Descending Dragon Palm power rushed out, splitting halfway into eighteen fierce dragons, instantly enveloping the Blood Demon. Descending Dragon Palm Mastery! With each passing moment in the battle, the Blood Demon became more shocked. The opponent was supposed to be inferior to him in both realm and strength. However, the formidable and awe-inspiring palm power was astonishing. Even the Blood Demon felt it somewhat strenuous to shatter it. Moreover, each transformation of the Dragon Palm¡¯s power formed a joint attack on him. ¡°This youngster is somewhat troublesome. He¡¯s not even afraid of my Blood Demon¡¯s ghastly aura; he even seems to be able to counter it!¡± That blaze-like vitality kept dissipating his chilling aura. The more he felt this way, the more he craved it. If he could devour the opponent, his strength would further increase. Never before had he seen a martial artist with such powerful vitality. Such pure blood essence contained a vast amount of spiritual essence. No one in the Inner Domain had such pure blood essence. Even a Grandmaster didn¡¯t have it! As the eighteen giant dragons swooped in for a joint attack, the Blood Demon¡¯s blade gleam surged spectacularly, scattering the Descending Dragon Palms¡¯ power in an instant, and charged towards Xu Yan with a speed that had reached its peak. With each strike of his blade, Xu Yan was once again pushed to a disadvantage. The teleportation technique was used more and more frequently, dodging continuously. However, he was not the least bit flustered, his gaze fixed firmly on the Blood Demon. His jade bones glowed luminously, and his exuberant vitality seemed limitless. ¡°¡­ Its demeanor ruins the world, its rage frightens the heaven and earth.¡± All of a sudden, the formula of the Descending Dragon Palm emerged in his mind, and he had a sudden insight in the midst of the battle. ¡°While my dragon palm power is impressive and seemingly unrivaled, it lacks the true ¡®demeanor¡¯ that can ruin the world. ¡°It is said that ¡®its demeanor ruins the world, its rage frightens the heaven and earth. How can it frighten the heaven and earth without rage?¡¯ My Descending Dragon Palm is lacking the ¡®demeanor¡¯ and the ¡®rage¡¯. It is only with rage that it can frighten the heaven and earth?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s mind was clear. The insight surfaced in his mind. In an instant, he seemed to have a deeper understanding of the Descending Dragon Palm, as if he had broken through a mental bottleneck. Suddenly, he halted and launched a formidable palm strike. This strike was significantly different from the previous ones. The moment he dispelled his palm power, it seemed to be accompanied by a howling sound, and a chilling sense of majesty resonated out. This dragon-shaped palm force seemed more solid and more rhythmic. The speed also increased significantly in an instant. Roar! The giant dragon opened its mouth, seemingly roaring as it fiercely charged towards the Blood Demon. ¡°Cut!¡± The Blood Demon felt a chill in his heart and slashed out with his knife. However, this strike didn¡¯t shatter the force of the palm. Yet, there was a sweeping force, like a giant mountain slamming towards him, its momentum unabated, as the dragon tail viciously swept towards him.. Chapter 74 Descending Dragon Palm (Request for Monthly Pass) 2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Not good!¡± Xue Wuxin¡¯s face slightly changes, his figure leaps up, dodging the strike. Boom! Another massive dragon thunders over. Then, one after another, massive dragons continuously howl towards him. Each dragon exudes an intimidating force. Xue Wuxin¡¯s heart tightens, as he looks at Xu Yan in horror. ¡°Did he just breakthrough?¡± What kind of monster is this! Xu Yan expels the ominous energy from his chest, his eyes light up with a chilling glint. He has achieved enlightenment! The Descending Dragon Palm has broken through its bottleneck, stepping into a new level. ¡°Its fury shakes the heavens and the earth. I can¡¯t fully grasp it yet. I can¡¯t make the dragon-shaped palm force truly angry, truly imbued with the ¡®fury¡¯ momentum. But, I can manifest this fury in another way!¡± Xu Yan looks at Xue Wuxin, who has been continuously pushed back by the Descending Dragon Palm. It¡¯s his turn to strike now. Let this martial artist from an unknown place, with apparent powers at Innate Realm, witness the strength of the Descending Dragon Palm. ¡°My current Descending Dragon Palm should be at the second level, right? I¡¯ve broken through the realms of the Descending Dragon Palm and stepped into its second level!¡± It¡¯s a pity, I¡¯m only at the Qi-blood Realm, and I can¡¯t fully manifest the power the second level should have. ¡°But against this guy, it¡¯s enough!¡± With this realization in his heart, Xu Yan knows that he has cultivated the Descending Dragon Palm to its second level. Boom! The impact of eighteen massive dragons, facing Xue Wuxin, explodes with lethal might. Just as Xue Wuxin summons his chilling blade glow, ready to strike the palm forces away, he suddenly feels his heart leap. Danger! A strong sense of crisis emerges instantaneously. The battle experience honed in life and death situations, at this moment, allows him to propel himself decisively into the air, the blade light sweeping up and trying to break out from the impact. But it¡¯s too late! With a thunderous explosion, the eighteen Descending Dragon Palm force that strikes together suddenly erupts. The massive dragons detonate, violently attacking Xue Wuxin! Xue Wuxin¡¯s face changes; uttering a light shout, darkness coils around his body, and his long blade whirls up layers of blade Qi, resisting this intense and raging force. He never expected that eighteen massive dragons could explode instantly, condensing an unprecedented wild power. ¡°Something¡¯s not right!¡± ¡°This is not a normal martial artist, what kind of Cultivation Technique is this?¡± Even in the Inner Domain, a Grandmaster could not make his palm force explode abruptly when necessary. How can the released palm force be controlled at will? It¡¯s absolutely impossible! This borderland youngster is not normal! What the hell is this Cultivation Technique? Boom! The blade Qi shatters, and the irresistible power of the Descending Dragon Palm ¡ªalong with its scorching aura¡ª seems to be evaporating his cold aura. This made Xue Wuxin extremely uncomfortable. ¡°I, must kill you!¡± A beaten Xue Wuxin uttered through gritted teeth. However, greeting him again was another attack formed by eighteen massive dragons. Boom! ¡°You want to kill me? Do you think you¡¯re worthy?¡± Xu Yan is brimming with excitement, utterly indifferent to Xue Wuxin¡¯s threat. He delivers one palm strike after another, each time, it¡¯s the combined strike of eighteen massive dragons that detonate instantly, forming an incredibly violent force that descends onto Xue Wuxin. It¡¯s as if he turns the power of the eighteen massive dragons into an instantaneous eruption. This instant eruption is the ¡®fury¡¯ that Xu Yan has enlightened. As his strength is still weak, he cannot fully manifest it, but he can show the power of ¡®fury¡¯ in this manner. The effect is great. ¡°My realization is indeed right!¡± Xu Yan is inwardly thrilled. From this intense battle, he reaped a lot. He attained enlightenment in the Descending Dragon Palm. After its major success, he made another breakthrough, enlightening to the second level of the Descending Dragon Palm! Boom! It seems as if Xu Yan¡¯s Qi-blood is endless, one palm strike after another, continuously bombarding Xue Wuxin. At this moment, Xue Wuxin is in a passive stance, taking the blows. His several attempts to break free are all repelled by the bombardment of the eighteen massive dragons. What shocks him even more is that the opponent¡¯s palm force is getting stronger and stronger. Even more so, he actually senses a type of ¡°fury¡± from within the palm force. Absurd! This is just too absurd! However, such an absurd scene is unfolding before his very eyes. ¡°Cough, cough¡­.¡± Suddenly, Xue Wuxin feels a sense of emptiness. His injuries seem to be flaring up again. The energy consumption is hefty. ¡°Damn it, doesn¡¯t he run out of energy?¡± Xue Wuxin was filled with shock and rage. As a grandmaster martial artist himself, he was surprisingly incapable of handling a young boy in the border wilderness, and even furthermore, he was left in a terribly wretched state! In the Inner Domain, he, Xue Wuxin, was also a renowned grandmaster of the demonic path! Who would believe it if this were to get out? ¡°I can¡¯t go on fighting like this!¡± Xue Wuxin knew that if he continued to take a beating passively in this manner, he would ultimately be drained to death. There was even a possibility that he could be killed by the attacker. He could sense that the power of the opponent¡¯s palm strikes was becoming more ferocious and domineering, and its might was growing stronger and stronger. The streaks of dragon-shaped palm force had solidified further, exploding with brutal force, subtly imbued with a hint of ¡®rage¡¯. ¡°Bound!¡± The chill aura around Xue Wuxin¡¯s broadsword surged as he brandished it. The densely packed, spiderweb-like blood-eating strands that blanketed around the battlefield suddenly contracted and tightened towards Xu Yan in that instant. ¡°What kind of trick is this?¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. The dense strands were carrying a chilly aura. Although they were melting under his blazing vitality, their numbers were simply too overwhelming. It was only at this moment did he realise that he was caught inside the opponent¡¯s web of tactics. ¡°I¡¯ve been careless! Lack of experience!¡± Xu Yan sighed inwardly. Despite this, he didn¡¯t panic. Although these strands appeared sinister, he believed they could not withstand his strong vitality. Boom! A hundred feet of vitality swept out, a colossal dragon coiled around it, bringing a force of terror along as it swept towards the incoming giant net. Strand by strand, the web began to disintegrate and vanish. In the end, the entire giant net was dissolved by Xu Yan¡¯s vitality. Taking advantage of this, Xue Wuxin managed to extricate himself. He didn¡¯t expect the blood-eating strands to pose a real threat to Xu Yan; his only aim was to divert Xu Yan¡¯s force and take the opportunity to escape. At this moment, he was floating in mid-air, a hundred feet off the ground. From above, he looked down on Xu Yan, as sword light flooded down. Xu Yan leaped up, striking out with his palm. However, being at the qi-blood stage, he was unable to float in mid-air. Even though leaping to a height of a hundred feet was no big deal for him, Xue Wuxin could always widen the gap, leaving him unable to get any closer. Having to hop around placed him at a disadvantage. The range of his Descending Dragon Palm attack was merely a hundred feet. Xue Wuxin, keeping a distance of more than a hundred feet, sent one chilling broadsword attack after another cascading down. Xu Yan could only adopt a defensive stance, deflecting the attacks with pulses of his Descending Dragon Palm. Occasionally, he would try to leap up and attack Xue Wuxin up close, but the experienced Xue Wuxin would not allow his advantage to slip away and would immediately distance himself. As a result, Xu Yan fell into a defensive position. From mid-air, flashes of broadsword light poured down, leaving chilling and terrifying crevices in the ground. And on the ground, enormous red dragons ascended into the sky, striking the sword lights. The attacks collided mid-air, resulting in echoes of thunderous roars. The battle continued. The inn had long been completely destroyed, leaving no trace behind. This section of the imperial road had also collapsed amidst the battle, rendering it impassable for travelers. Gorges crossed and huge potholes dotted the ground one after another. Even the surrounding forest had been completely devastated. ¡°As a grandmaster martial artist, 1 refuse to believe that I can¡¯t drain you to death!¡± A cold and cruel look flashed in Xue Wuxin¡¯s eyes. Even at the expense of his own strength, he had to eliminate this person. With the energy consumed from him, any price paid would be worth it. Boom! ¡°Hmph, let¡¯s see what you can do to me!¡± Xu Yan looked up defiantly at Xue Wuxin suspended in mid-air. His eyes were still full of fighting spirit, if he could float in mid-air, he would undoubtedly smash the opponent to death! At this moment, the power of his martial arts foundation at the jade bone realm was put on full display. His vitality surged relentlessly. Despite the intensity of the battle, Xu Yan remained unaffected, with no decrease in vitality or any feelings of heavy depletion. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Xue Wuxin started coughing. The sensation of emptiness within his body was becoming increasingly intense, hinting that his injuries were about to relapse. His energy was being consumed too rapidly. Looking at the still spirited Xu Yan below, who kept striking out one palm after another, full of vigour and showing no signs of weakening or exhaustion, a look of helplessness appeared on Xue Wuxin¡¯s face. The one who couldn¡¯t hold out was actually him, a grandmaster! Even though he was injured, he was still a grandmaster! Why was there such an unnatural existence in this barren land? Chapter 75 Translator: 549690339 Xue Wuxin was angered, persevered, and felt wronged, but he knew he could not continue to fight. Otherwise, the one who will eventually exhaust and die would surely be him! ¡°Recover from the injuries, restore all my strength, then I¡¯ll come for his life!¡± Xue Wuxin stared venomously at Xu Yan down below. ¡°The consumption has been too great. I need to replenish around the blood sacrifice area and get some rest!¡± So thought Xue Wuxin. After a single swipe, he immediately flew away from the battlefield. ¡°Don¡¯t run away, keep fighting!¡± Xu Yan frantically chased after him on the ground. He was not yet sated with the fight. As the fight goes on his understanding grew, he suddenly realized: A Martial Artist must fight. Those who do not know how to fight will have no future as Martial Artists. ¡°That¡¯s Yunshan County, why is he going to Yunshan County? My master is in Yunshan County.¡± Xu Yan watched Xue Wuxin¡¯s figure disappear from his sight, feeling somewhat puzzled. The direction that Xue Wuxin was heading to, was indeed Yunshan County! Seeing Meng Chong¡¯s strength growing day by day, Li Xuan was very satisfied, looking forward to the benefits that his second disciple could bring after he joined the ranks. It has to be said that Meng Chong¡¯s talent is indeed strong, especially in martial arts of the flesh. In such a short time, he had already refined his strength to the Copper Bone, not far from the Golden Bone. However, there is a bottleneck in the transition from Copper Bone to Golden Bone that needs to be broken through. Li Xuan is confident that the Golden Bone bottleneck is nothing for Meng Chong, but the real challenge would be in transitioning to Diamond Lucent Bone. ¡°I am already in the Innate Realm now, my second disciple is only in the Qi Blood Realm, can he help improve my strength?¡± Li Xuan was musing. ¡°Golden Lucent Bone will definitely help, and the Big Sun Golden Bell Shield should also help to improve my physical strength.¡± Mastering the orthodox martial arts, along with the martial arts of the flesh, how strong would I become? Li Xuan was filled with anticipation. Shi¡¯er had made some small progress in his training recently and had even started refining his skin. Although he was a top figure amongst the rivers and lakes, his refining process wasn¡¯t difficult, just slower than Xu Yan and Meng Chong. ¡°Shi¡¯er isn¡¯t that old, about thirty or so. Being a top figure in the rivers and lakes at this age shows considerable talent.¡± Li Xuan is quite satisfied with this servant. He¡¯s efficient in his tasks and has great culinary skills. Even though he could survive without eating, he still craved for tasty food. Shi¡¯er went out to buy chicken. As Meng Chong was earnestly practicing, Li Xuan sat leisurely in his chair. Suddenly! ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, in the midst of a fierce battle, has just comprehended the technique of teleportation, your teleportation technique has been perfected!¡± Golden light emerged. In an instant, the symbols of the Eight Diagrams appeared in Li Xuan¡¯s mind. He had mastered and perfected the art of teleportation. Li Xuan instantly stood up. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Xu Yan comprehended the teleportation technique amidst a fierce battle? Where was this fierce battle? Given Xu Yan¡¯s strength, he should be invincible in the Qi Country. Even thousands of soldiers wouldn¡¯t be enough to engage Xu Yan in a fierce battle. This means Xu Yan has encountered a formidable enemy! ¡°Is it a Martial Artist from this world, or a fierce beast like the Fire Mane Wolf?¡± Li Xuan pondered. ¡°Is Xu Yan in danger?¡± The comprehension of the teleportation technique obviously implies that he fell into unfavorable circumstances in the battle, and in the face of danger, he understood it at the crucial moment. This teleportation technique is peculiar as it¡¯s based on the Eight Diagrams and allows the user to instantly switch positions to evade attacks and counterattack. In battle, it is superior to the Light Hong Movement Technique. This has already transcended the realm of movement techniques. As one¡¯s cultivation level increases and their realm gets higher, the teleportation technique will also become stronger and stronger. ¡°In the midst of a fierce battle, your disciple Xu Yan has perfected his Descending Dragon Palm, and your Descending Dragon Palm has been fully actualized.¡± Golden Finger gave another feedback. Descending Dragon Palm fully mastered! Li Xuan could not help but feel restless. Xu Yan must have encountered a powerful enemy. First, he comprehended teleportation, followed by the enhancement of the Descending Dragon Palm in the midst of the battle. ¡°That won¡¯t do, I need to go and see.¡± He was both worried about Xu Yan¡¯s safety and marveled at Xu Yan¡¯s talent for having consecutive breakthroughs amidst the heat of battle. Indeed, Martial Artists need to fight! A Martial Artist who doesn¡¯t know how to fight isn¡¯t a true Martial Artist. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan is battling a strong enemy. Through the course of the fight, his combat experience improves tremendously, greatly enhancing your own battle experience.¡± Golden Finger continued to give feedback. It felt like the realization of a battle-conscious mind in his head. Instantly, his combat experience had a tremendous improvement. ¡°Off to Donghe County!¡± Without any hesitation, Li Xuan immediately took to the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Meng Chong, who was training, was utterly shocked. His master was flying! His figure had disappeared in the blink of an eye. Such speed! ¡°Innate Realm warriors can levitate and travel hundreds of miles instantly. Is my master an expert in the Innate Realm?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it!¡± ¡°Instead, my master¡¯s realm must surely surpass the Innate Realm by far. My senior brother once said that my master is a reclusive expert whose realm is so high that it likely surpassed all Martial Arts realms and is nearly as powerful as Dao.¡± Meng Chong was instantly electrified and agitated. ¡°I want to officially join the ranks as soon as possible!¡± His training became even more rigorous. The Big Sun image emerged. He seemed to be under the refinement of the Big Sun, and his Copper Bone refining was becoming increasingly perfect! This was the first time Li Xuan, who was levitating in the air after breaking into the Innate Realm, was travelling in this manner. ¡°Martial artists are indeed amazing, flying for the first time in my two lifetimes!¡± Li Xuan was consumed by nostalgia. With his current strength, he soon arrived above Donghe County at full speed.. Chapter 76 Translator: 549690339 There were no signs of combat. Li Xuan swept his gaze over the Xu family mansion. Xu Yan¡¯s parents were in cultivation, and the guards, some on duty, others in cultivation, were all safe and sound. ¡°Is Xu Yan in the capital?¡± Li Xuan furrowed his brows. The capital was too far from Donghe County. Even if he rushed at full speed, by the time he got to the capital, the battle would have already ended, the winner and loser decided. ¡°Should 1 go to the capital?¡± Li Xuan hesitated. Xu Yan was his beloved disciple. With his current strength, the powerful enemy Xu Yan was fighting could be obliterated with a wave of his hand. But the capital was so far away. If Xu Yan was defeated, even if he wanted to provide reinforcements, he wouldn¡¯t make it in time. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, made a breakthrough in the second layer of Descending Dragon Palm during an intense fight. You¡¯ve achieved great success in the second layer of Descending Dragon Palm.¡± The golden finger gave feedback again. Li Xuan was taken aback, the second level of Descending Dragon Palm? He was overjoyed, this disciple was not bad, he could actually elevate the level of Descending Dragon Palm. Since there was a second level, would there be a third, a fourth, a fifth¡­ The second level of Descending Dragon Palm possessed some dragon¡¯s power and was able to stimulate an intent of ¡°rage,¡± drastically increasing the power of the palm! The force of the dragon-like palm of the Descending Dragon Palm had become denser and more dragon-like. ¡°Xu Yan is able to comprehend in the midst of intense battles, meaning he is not incapable of resisting the enemy. Now that he has comprehended the second layer of Descending Dragon Palm, he should not lose, right?¡± Li Xuan pondered. Is Xu Yan truly in the capital, or has he gone somewhere else?¡± ¡°Is his opponent a martial artist from this world, or a fierce beast like the Flame Mane Wolf?¡± Li Xuan leaned towards the former. ¡°Has Emperor Qi found a martial artist? Or, did Xu Yan interfere with the mundane, which is why the people of the martial arts world are targeting Xu Yan?¡± Li Xuan furrowed his brows in contemplation. ¡°With my current strength, where do 1 rank among the martial artists of the martial arts world?¡± ¡°What is the state of this world¡¯s martial arts?¡± Li Xuan looked down at the Xu family mansion and silently waited. Up until now, there had been no movement from the Xu family mansion. Which meant, news of a crisis had not reached the capital yet. ¡°Go back and ask Shi¡¯er to use the information from the Maternal Sect to check the situation in the capital.¡± Li Xuan made up his mind. So, he turned and headed back to Yunshan County. Blood Heartless flew towards Yunshan County, feeling more depleted. The hundred miles journey made him feel even more breathless. But he dared not stop. Xu Yan was chasing behind him. If he descended halfway and slowed down, it would be dangerous if he was caught up to. His injuries were recurring. ¡°Damn it! I¡¯ve come to the desolate border yet I¡¯m still in such a terrible state! No, it¡¯s even worse than when I was in the Inner Domain.¡± Blood Heartless was angry and frustrated, his eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light. ¡°Wait until I perform a blood sacrifice on a city, consume its essence and blood to recover my strength, 1 will take your life!¡± Blood Heartless had a murderous thought in his mind. A small city appeared in his sight. ¡°This city isn¡¯t big, with only tens of thousands of people. A blood sacrifice should recover eight or nine tenths of my strength.¡± Blood Heartless¡¯ eyes shone with extreme blood thirst. ¡°In such a small town, there should be no powerful people.¡± He was also a little confused. He met a team in the mountains on the way from the Inner Domain. One of them was the son of the Minister of War of Qi Country. With his status, there must be a strong protector. Why didn¡¯t that team have a single martial artist? And why, just after he came out of the mountains, did he encounter an incredibly strong guy? Was it a coincidence? There are no martial artists in the border territory, was that one an exception? Blood Heartless was somewhat confused. But now was not the time to investigate, healing his injuries and recovering his strength was the priority. He flew directly above Yunshan County. His sharp senses instantly discovered that there were many people with vigorous vitality in the county town, and it was not inferior to those people he had absorbed in the mountains. ¡°What¡¯s that place?¡± Suddenly, Blood Heartless sensed a surge of vigorous vitality. In this county, this vigor was much more robust than all the people in the county, giving him an intense cravings. ¡°A martial artist! He was horrified at heart! In such a small county, there was even a martial artist! In the Border Wilderness, where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had vanished, a martial artist was not supposed to exist! He concentrated and tried to absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, but could not sense anything. The Heavenly Earth Lingji had not been restored and was still in a state of obliteration. ¡°Why is there a martial artist?¡± Xue Wu Xin thought of the young man who had fought him. His cultivation technique was extremely unique and different from the Inner Realm. ¡°Regardless, once I consume the blood and energy of this martial artist, I can recover. ¡°Once 1 regain my Grandmaster¡¯s strength, I refuse to believe that there is anyone in this barren land that can rival a Grandmaster.¡± A Grandmaster-level martial artist is among the top strongest in the Inner Domain. It is absolutely impossible for a Grandmaster-level strongman to appear in this barren land. ¡°This martial artist is much weaker than me. It shouldn¡¯t be difficult to handle.¡± Xue Wu Xin was extremely eager. With a single movement, he arrived above the small courtyard and found Meng Chong. Looking at the bald, muscular Meng Chong with his shiny head, Xue Wu Xin¡¯s eyes filled with greed and delight. ¡°Such abundant blood and energy. Although he is inferior to the youngster, consuming his essence blood will surely heal me, and my strength will return to its peak. ¡°After killing that youngster and consuming his essence blood, I will be closer to breaking through to Great Grandmaster level!¡± The more Xue Wu Xin thought about it, the more excited he became. Once he breaks through to the Great Grandmaster level, let alone in this barren land, he wouldn¡¯t fear anyone even in the Inner Domain. A Great Grandmaster represents the pinnacle of martial arts in the Inner Domain! ¡°Consume his essence blood!¡± Not wanting to waste time, Xue Wu Xin immediately took action. He remembered that Xu Yan was coming after him. He had to finish off the young man in front of him before Xu Yan arrived. Once he had refined the young man¡¯s essence blood and healed, he would show Xu Yan what the might of a Grandmaster is. With a flick of his finger, a thread of blood siphoning thread shot out, aiming straight for the heart. Meng Chong had achieved the perfect bronze bone in his cultivation. His body had become more robust, and he was only one step away from the golden bone. However, Meng Chong felt a bottleneck in making that step, momentarily unable to break through to the golden bone. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat! A sense of danger! Where did the danger come from? Before Meng Chong could identify where the danger came from, something suddenly pierced his heart. An extremely cold aura wormed its way into his heart. With the intrusion of this chill, his heartbeat violently increased, blood gushed out, and a storm seemed to surge through his body. It was like a drop of water had fallen into a pot of oil. As the blood storm swept through him, the bronze bone that had initially stopped moving forward, began to loosen under the violent impact of the blood. ¡°What is this?¡± Meng Chong was shocked. What was this cold thread? He followed the thread and saw Xue Wu Xin hovering in the air. In this instant, Meng Chong felt a chill down his spine, and his heart tightened! ¡°An Innate Realm martial artist? Where did this Innate Realm martial artist come from? Isn¡¯t the Qi Country devoid of martial artists? ¡°My older martial brother single-handedly crushed the Shenwei Army and trampled over the royal family of the Qi Country!¡± This mysterious martial artist was clearly malicious! That thread in his heart was a lethal attack. It was only because he was cultivating the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, which had extremely strong defense, that it didn¡¯t pierce his heart. Did it only pierce his skin? Meng Chong punched it out, breaking the thread instantly. ¡°Where¡¯s my master?¡± Meng Chong was sweating profusely. He had not even entered the door yet, how could he possibly be the opponent of that guy in the sky? Where was his master? His master had left and not returned. Had the other party taken advantage of his master¡¯s absence to come and kill him? ¡°Could it be an assassin sent by the Emperor of Wu?¡± At this moment, Meng Chong thought of the Emperor of Wu. He was on Wu Country¡¯s wanted list, with a reward of one hundred thousand taels of gold! But Xue Wu Xin in mid-air was shocked. The blood-siphoning thread he had just shot out, even if it wasn¡¯t at full strength, could pierce through a rock! But it couldn¡¯t pierce the heart of the bald-headed boy below! In fact, it only pricked a little bit of skin? He felt that this barren land was strange and even somewhat frightening. Just about anyone he met there was unusually strong. This one, his body was impossibly sturdy! ¡°I have to fight and win quickly!¡± Xue Wu Xin flicked his fingers consecutively, and two blood-siphoning threads shot out.. Chapter 77 Wilderness, Crush Their Bones and Scatter Their Ashes i Translator: 549690339 The two blood-sucking strands were far more powerful and faster than the previous one. They could easily penetrate a steel plate. Meng Chong felt a strong sense of danger at this moment. With a low growl, his whole body¡¯s muscles bulged, and his fleshly body was as solid as a brass bell, even flashing a faint golden glow. He blocked his chest with both fists, protecting the vital parts. ¡°Pfft!¡± The blood-sucking threads instantly pierced his fists, a cold feeling spread from his fists to his arm, invading his body. ¡°Boom!¡± The blood qi in his body suddenly surged, sweeping through his body. His bottleneck was broken, and he had surpassed the limit of the Copper Bone! However, the danger had not disappeared. Even when he was on the verge of achieving the Golden Bone, he was still not prepared. Sharp pain came from his fists, and the cold sensation seemed ready to freeze them. He growled again, and the storm of blood and qi inside his body surged to his fists under his control. ¡°Pfft!¡± Both fists struck out, breaking the blood-sucking threads that had pierced his fists. A look of horror appeared on the face of the Blood-hearted, what kind of physical body was this? Could it actually block his blood-sucking strands? ¡°I don¡¯t believe you can block this blow!¡± He stared seriously at the Blood-hearted. He was a grandmaster, although he hadn¡¯t used much strength, the two attacks just now could easily penetrate a third-ranked Martial Artist in the Inner Domain. Even a grandmaster, relying on physical strength alone, could not block them. However, this bald-headed youth, although not as strong as third-ranked martial artists and above, but the robustness of this fleshy body was absurd! ¡°Zzzt!¡± With a flick of the Blood-hearted finger, a slightly thicker blood-sucking thread shot out, aiming straight at Meng Chong¡¯s heart. In this blow, he used his power as a true grandmaster. ¡°I can¡¯t block it!¡± Meng Chong was terrified. He could not block this blow no matter what. He had not yet begun to practice the martial arts, no matter how strong the Golden Bell Barrier was, it was impossible to block the attack of a suspected Innate Realm Martial Artist. Even if he cultivated Golden Bones, and even Diamond Glass Bones, he couldn¡¯t block it. The gap was too huge! The threat of death loomed, but Meng Chong was helpless. He was too weak compared to the Blood-hearted! ¡°Boom!¡± At the critical moment of life and death, suddenly a golden dragon descended from the sky, the blood-sucking thread was instantly destroyed, and the Golden Giant Dragon rose, directly controlling and wrapping the Blood-hearted in mid-air and pulling him down. Meng Chong was overjoyed and felt like he had survived a calamity. ¡°Master!¡± Li Xuan returned from the East River County, prepared to let Shi¡¯er use the information of Heavenly Mother¡¯s teachings to explore the movements in the capital. However, as soon as he returned to Yunshan County, he sensed a cold aura. A Martial Artist! And it was in his yard! He was taken aback immediately. Where did this martial artist come from? Immediately, with a shift of his shape, he arrived above the small courtyard. He saw Meng Chong in a crisis and immediately saved Meng Chong while binding the Blood-hearted in mid-air. ¡°Fortunately, I was one step ahead, otherwise, I would have lost my second disciple!¡± Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that his second disciple was about to enter the Martial Arts, if he were killed by someone, his loss would be huge. Where could he find another disciple suitable for practicing the Great Sun Golden Bell Barrier? With this thought, he roared in anger. He looked sharply at Blood Heart, who was bound by the energy of the Descending Dragon Palm, his eyes darkening. It was a martial artist, and not a weak one. It seemed¡­ injured. In addition, the energy he cultivated wasn¡¯t blood qi, but a gloomy aura, and there was a smell of blood, definitely not a good man. ¡°True Qi?¡± Li Xuan slightly knit his brows. ¡°No, it¡¯s somewhat like True Qi, but the quality is worse than True Qi.¡± The ¡°True Qi¡± in the other¡¯s body was far less pure than his Innate Qi, and its power and quality were also much inferior. ¡°Master, who is he? He wanted to kill the disciple as soon as he arrived. Did the Emperor of Wu send him?¡± Meng Chong survived the ordeal and looked at the Blood-hearted with a display of anger. Li Xuan sat down in the chair, a mysterious aura emerged, making him appear even more unfathomable. ¡°How¡¯s the injury?¡± Li Xuan glanced at the wound on Meng Chong¡¯s fist, where a cold aura was lingering. However, the problem was not big, it was a minor injury. Given Meng Chong¡¯s current physical recovery ability, he would fully recover in two or three days. Also, through stimulating by this cold aura, Meng Chong¡¯s blood qi burst out, breaking through the bottleneck and surpassing the Copper Bone limit, entering the stage of refining the Golden Bone. Could this be a blessing in disguise? Feeling horrified, the Blood-hearted lay on the ground. A golden dragon was coiling around him, the terrifying pressure held him down firmly, making him unable to move. His Inner Qi was even more suppressed, as if it would collapse anytime. ¡°A Great Grandmaster? How could there be a Great Grandmaster in the frontier areas?¡± ¡°No! Wrong, even this terrifying momentum isn¡¯t necessarily possessed by a Great Grandmaster.¡± ¡°Who is this man? He seems unfathomable!¡± The Blood-hearted¡¯s heart sank. Because, in the frontier areas, the Heavenly Earth Lingji is not present, and the nature¡¯s spiritual energy is fierce, and due to the lack of the Heavenly Earth Lingji, it¡¯s impossible to guide the spiritual energy into the body. And the human body cannot refine and withstand the violent spiritual energy. Therefore, it¡¯s impossible for Martial Artists to exist. It was precisely because of this that he, having been relentlessly pursued in the Inner Domain with nowhere to escape, decided to flee to the frontier area. But who would have thought that such a powerful man would exist here in the frontier area! ¡°Is he their master?¡± A mysterious powerhouse, unleashing a golden dragon with an unstoppable momentum, sharing the same origin with the Palm Technique of the kid, undoubtedly this man must be the kid¡¯s master.. Chapter 78 Wilderness, Crush Their Bones and Scatter Their Ashes 2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°What on earth is happening in the Border Wastes!¡± Xue Wuxin felt extremely frustrated. At this moment, he felt as if he had made a long and fruitless journey to the Border Wastes, only to face death! Li Xuan looked at Xue Wuxin on the ground, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Who was this martial artist and why did he attack Meng Chong? Could it be what Meng Chong said, that he was sent by the Emperor of Wu? If he was a martial artist sent by the Emperor of Wu, his strength should not be weaker than Qi Country¡¯s, which was on par with Wu Country. And there should be other martial artists present; otherwise, they would have been swallowed up by Wu Country long ago. However, Xu Yan had been causing a ruckus in Qi Country for a while, and no martial artists had appeared. No, it¡¯s not right! Xu Yan has fought with someone. Could it be that Emperor Qi finally made a move and invited a martial artist to come?¡± All along, Qi Country¡¯s martial strength has been very low. From various indications, there seem to be no martial artists. Otherwise, Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t have been mocked for being a fool, seeking mentors everywhere, wanting to cultivate true martial arts. Just as Li Xuan was about to have Meng Chong inquire about Xue Wuxin¡¯s background and where his strength ranked in the martial arts world, he saw Xu Yan swooping in. His brow raised slightly, and he began to understand. Could this person that Xu Yan had been battling be the one before him? Following the direction that Xue Wuxin had fled, Xu Yan had pursued him all the way. Outside Yunshan County, he saw a golden dragon disappear in a flash. Shocked, he thought, ¡°Could it be that Master has made a move?¡± Xu Yan hurried over and indeed saw Xue Wuxin collapsed on the ground, with a golden dragon wrapping him up and binding him tightly. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan paid his respectful greetings. He then saw the wound on Meng Chong¡¯s hand and was shocked. ¡°Junior Brother, did he do this to you?¡± ¡°Yes, Senior Brother, if Master hadn¡¯t come back, I¡¯d be dead.¡± Meng Chong said with lingering fear. ¡°This guy. The Emperor of Wu may have sent him to kill me!¡± Meng Chong clenched his teeth and said angrily. ¡°That¡¯s not likely.¡± Xu Yan paused. Meng Chong had misunderstood. ¡°You¡¯ve fought him. Tell us about it.¡± Li Xuan looked at Xu Yan and asked. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan nodded, and then he recounted the events in detail. He spoke of going to the capital to investigate the source of the corpse and initially thinking that it was the work of a legendary ghoul. However, after finding it was not, he intended to return and ask Master what kind of monster was harming people. But at a station a hundred miles away, he found that all the station officials had been killed, their bodies drained of blood. He encountered Xue Wuxin¡¯s attack and after a big fight, Xue Wuxin, not being able to sustain the battle, fled. Li Xuan was shocked to hear this. Was this a demonic cultivator? Eating other people¡¯s blood, if not a demonic cultivator, what could it be? Where did this demonic cultivator come from? He finally understood why the other party had attacked Meng Chong. It must be because he saw Meng Chong¡¯s vigorous vitality and thick essence blood containing a vast power of essence blood. It could help him recover from his injuries and improve his strength. But he had underestimated Meng Chong¡¯s physical prowess and was careless both times. It was lucky he was careless; otherwise, by the time he returned, Meng Chong would already be dead! ¡°Speak, where are you from and what are you up to?¡¯ ii Li Xuan slightly loosened the golden dragon binding Xue Wuxin, allowing him to speak. This was a perfect opportunity to gather some information about the martial arts world of this realm. How strong were the martial artists of this world, and where did his current strength rank? ¡°Speak quickly!¡± Meng Chong clenched his fists, glaring angrily at Xue Wuxin. ¡°Tell the truth, or I¡¯ll kill you!¡± He almost died. Right now, Meng Chong was furious. Xue Wuxin felt his heart sinking. He looked at Li Xuan and felt an aura of mystery and profound strength from him that was far beyond any Great Grandmaster. There was no chance of escaping. He had to try to save his own life. ¡°Senior, please forgive me. I, Xue Wuxin, come from the Inner Domain. I was pursued by an enemy, so 1 fled to the Border Wastes.¡± Xue Wuxin said carefully. Inner Domain! Border Wastes! Li Xuan understood. Qi Country and Wu Country were located in the Border Wastes. Beyond the endless mountains was the Inner Domain! The Inner Domain had martial artists! Xue Wuxin must have been a demonic martial artist from the Inner Domain, wounded and hunted down, so he escaped to the Border Wastes. What level was the other party¡¯s strength in the Inner Domain? What was the martial arts style of the Inner Domain? Despite Xue Wuxin possessing ¡°True Qi¡±, its quality seemed somewhat poor. Was it because of the cultivation technique he practiced, or due to differences in the martial arts system? These questions, as a secluded master, Li Xuan wouldn¡¯t ask aloud. As a master, he ought to have a thorough understanding of this world. If he were to openly ask like this, wouldn¡¯t it make him, a supposed expert, appear ignorant about the martial arts world? Moreover, there¡¯s no need for him to speak up. Xu Yan was already enthusiastically asking questions. Where is the Inner Domain? Could it be where the Martial Arts World is located? His master always responded with a mysterious smile and refused to discuss the Martial Arts World, implying that everything would be clear once they were strong enough. Now is the perfect opportunity to understand more about the Martial Worlds! ¡°What is the Inner Domain? Is it the Martial Arts World? Why is here called the Border Wilderness?¡± Xu Yan asked eagerly. Shock washed over Xue Wuxin as he looked at Xu Yan with disbelief. Does he not know about the Inner Domain? Does he not know of the Border Wilderness? Turning his gaze toward Li Xuan, the figure of a mysterious powerhouse effortlessly relaxed in his chair, seemingly unperturbed by it all. ¡°This is an expert! ¡°An expert from the Inner Domain? Living secluded in the Border Wilderness. ¡°Is he hiding from his enemies, or is there another reason? He has taken on two disciples but never mentioned anything about the Inner Domain, so¡­¡± Xue Wuxin ventured a daring guess. ¡°The Inner Domain is over the vast mountains. This place is referred to as the Border Wilderness because the Heavenly Earth Lingji has vanished, the spiritual energy is turbulent, and there¡¯s no resonance with Lingji, no accumulation of spiritual energy, hence, Martial Artists cannot be born¡­¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong listened with knitted brows. The Border Wilderness, where the Heavenly Earth Lingji had vanished and Martial Artists can¡¯t be born? How could this be possible? Li Xuan also felt amazed inside: ¡°I can manipulate nature¡¯s spiritual energy to cultivate¡­ There must be something about the Martial Arts that I¡¯ve created. No wonder I feel that this spiritual energy is not gentle enough.¡± Finally, he understood why the spiritual energy wasn¡¯t gentle; it was because the Heavenly Earth Lingji had vanished. ¡°That is because of the Heavenly Bridge, which acts as a connection to heaven and earth, so even without the Heavenly Earth Lingji, cultivation is still possible.¡± Li Xuan made the realization. ¡°Continue speaking, disclose everything you know. How powerful is the Inner Realm Martial Arts? Are you in the Innate Realm? What¡¯s your level?¡± Xu Yan continued to ask. Innate Realm? Xue Wuxin was slightly dazed. What kind of realm is the Innate Realm? Is this lad in the Innate Realm? ¡°Martial Arts is divided into nine grades. Breaking through each grade, you become a Grandmaster of Qi Cultivation, a Great Grandmaster of Qi Cultivation¡­ I am an Inner Qi Martial Artist at the Grandmaster level. 1 sense the Heavenly Earth Lingji and induce spiritual energy into my body, transforming it into martial Inner Qi¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan and Meng Chong were both confused. What¡¯s this about nine grades, a Grandmaster of Qi Cultivation, and a Great Grandmaster of Qi Cultivation? The other party actually was a Grandmaster level martial artist. A Great Grandmaster is the pinnacle of the Inner Domain. Li Xuan listened in silence. From Xue Wuxin¡¯s words, he understood that the Innate Realm compared to the Grandmaster level was inferior to the strength of an Inner Realm Grandmaster by quite a margin. As for his current strength, it is comparable to a Great Grandmaster! Perhaps even stronger. Upon this thought, he felt a sense of relief. With his current strength, he would be among the top individuals in the Inner Domain. It wouldn¡¯t be long before Xu Yan breaks through to the Innate Realm. His strength, definitely surpasses the Great Grandmaster! ¡°I¡¯ve said everything that I know.¡± After Xue Wuxin had exhaustively recounted everything he knew, he sincerely added: ¡°Under chaos and fear of being hunted down, 1 didn¡¯t intend to kill. 1 implore Elder¡­¡± It was now time to beg for mercy! However, Li Xuan moved slightly, and the Golden Giant Dragon exploded out with intense pressure. Bang! Xue Wuxin abruptly shattered into dozens of pieces, and then the Golden Giant Dragon released a blindingly white flame which incinerated the remnants of his body, turning them into ash. A gust of wind blew and whisked the ash away. No trace was left behind. Only a bag and a knife fell to the ground. The giant dragon retracted itself, the knife and the bag falling into Li Xuan¡¯s hand. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were stunned. Just like that, he killed him? ¡°Master, this is¡­¡± Xu Yan asked in confusion. Li Xuan stood up with a stern expression. It was time to teach his disciples. ¡°My disciples, remember this well: do not show mercy to those of unknown origin who carry ill intentions and hostility. Grind them to dust, scatter their ashes, and annihilate their souls, leaving no trace and nothing to follow. ¡°This way, we can avoid a lot of unnecessary complications, such as killing the young only to have the old come after us, eliminate one person just to have their sect come knocking at the door, and so on. ¡°Grind their bones into dust, scatter their ashes, annihilate their souls, and leave no trace. ¡°As long as there is no one who knows that we did it, then it has nothing to do with us!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong listened attentively. This was their Master imparting the experiences of the Martial Arts World! ¡°Grind to dust, scatter ashes, extinguish souls? As long as nobody knows 1 did it, then it has nothing to do with me!¡± Xu Yan murmured to himself.. He felt like he had gained enlightenment! Chapter 79 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Master, I get it!¡± With a face full of realization, Xu Yan said: ¡°Any enemy must be completely annihilated, their spirits completely extinguished, and you must never be kind nor merciful! ¡°If the enemy has powerful backers, then after you annihilate them, you should erase all traces and sever all ties to yourself. ¡°As long as no one knows, it has nothing to do with you!¡± This is the experience of fighting in the realm of Martial Arts. Although the Master is unfathomable, he can¡¯t possibly protect him at all times. Only a true strong man can solve all enemies and troubles with his own strength. Li Xuan nods silently. His eldest apprentice always understands the ¡°deep meaning¡± in his words, which is very good. ¡°Master, I get it too!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s face is also full of understanding. He also felt enlightened, combining his experience in the martial world, he now understood how to deal with these enemies. If he¡¯s unable to handle it, then just find a scapegoat. As long as he can completely annihilate the enemy and extinguish their soul, it¡¯s enough. When he first sought revenge, he targeted The Emperor of Wu. It was clean and neat, all were put to the sword! Li Xuan felt gratified, his second disciple also understood! The two disciples are both extraordinarily talented, and as their Master, he feels extremely gratified! ¡°Master, the Inner Realm Martial Arts that Bloodheart talked about are divided into nine grades, above which is the Qi Refining Grandmaster, refining Internal Qi of Martial Arts, but above the Grandmaster is the Great Grandmaster, why is it different?¡± Xu Yan asked the doubt in his heart. The Martial Arts taught by the Master, involves refining skin, refining bone, and refining organs. This is the foundation of Martial Arts, not even considered as basic level, and the basic level of martial arts is the Blood Qi Realm. Above the Blood Qi Realm is the Innate Realm. The Grandmaster Realm of the Inner Realm Martial Arts is similar to the Innate Realm, which can also command Qi to fly in the air, but it¡¯s not a practice of Innate True Qi, but Internal Qi of Martial Arts. ¡°Master, here we are in a barren land, where the Heavenly Earth Lingji is annihilated, and we can¡¯t cultivate Martial Artists. What¡¯s going on?¡± According to Bloodheart, the barren land is where the Heavenly Earth Lingji is annihilated, and the Spiritual Energy is violent. The beings in the barren land, because they are in a Lingji-less world, cannot sense the Spiritual Energy. Nor can they cultivate Martial Arts by relying on Spiritual Energy. The Spiritual Energy in the world, because of the loss of the Spirit Mechanism, has become violent and cannot be guided into the body. There is a significant difference between all this and the Martial Arts taught by the Master. Meng Chong, on the other hand, nodded with a curious look on his face. Li Xuan sat in his chair, his gaze deep, instead of answering directly, he asked, ¡°Disciple, in your combat with Bloodheart, how did you feel his power was?¡± ¡°He was a bit strong, I was almost not his opponent, but of course, that¡¯s because of my lack of experience. But he also got injured.¡± Xu Yan thought for a moment, evaluating Bloodheart¡¯s strength, and then said, ¡°If I reach the peak state of the Blood Qi Realm, and Bloodheart is uninjured, I am confident that I will not lose to him, and even beat him.¡± Li Xuan smiled and said, ¡°You are only at the entry point of Martial Arts, the Blood Qi Realm, but he is already a Grandmaster.¡± Xu Yan was stunned. Yes, Bloodheart is a Grandmaster now, and he is among the strong in the Inner Realm. While he was just entering Martial Arts, at the Blood Qi Realm. An entry-level Martial Artist like him can actually fight with a Grandmaster, it went without saying who was the true Martial Artist! At this moment, Xu Yan understood! What Nine Grades, Eight Grades, Five Grades, Three Grades, One Grade, all of them seem not profound enough. On the other hand, what he practiced was refining skin, refining bone, refining organs, thunderous bones, and overwhelming blood Qi, which sounded stronger than One Grade and Three Grade. ¡°Master, I understand, what they practice is pseudo Martial Arts!¡± Xu Yan exclaimed with sudden enlightenment. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Meng Chong also understood, exclaiming with an enlightened look: ¡°So it¡¯s pseudo Martial Arts, so, the so-called Grandmaster, in fact, is just a pseudo Innate, much weaker than the real Innate Realm. No wonder he couldn¡¯t kill me with one strike!¡± Everything has now become clear. What Bloodheart practiced was not real Martial Arts, and his strength was too weak, so he wasn¡¯t able to kill him with one strike. Li Xuan smiled without saying anything, this was something his disciple had come to understand on his own. He had never said that what the others practiced was pseudo Martial Arts! Of course, the Martial Arts that he created certainly was not just false or pseudo. The stronger one is the real Martial Arts! Currently, it seemed that the Martial Arts he created was stronger. As for the future, whether there will be a dispute between real and pseudo Martial Arts, it¡¯s not something he, Li Xuan, cared about. ¡°The Blood Qi Realm really corresponds to the First, Second and Third Grade, only the strength of the Blood Qi Realm is stronger than that of the upper three grades Martial Artist in the Inner Realm. ¡°After all, Xu Yan is of jade bone foundation, his strength is much greater than that of an ordinary Blood Qi Realm, so he can fight across grades against Inner Realm Grandmasters whereas if it¡¯s a gold bone foundation, he can also fight against an Inner Realm Grandmaster. ¡°But for a Blood Qi Realm of copper or iron bone foundation, they wouldn¡¯t be able to combat a Grandmaster. However, they are still stronger than the upper three grades Martial Artist of the Inner Realm. Li Xuan evaluated in his heart, and this was the roughly estimated gap in strength between the two. In the Inner Realm, the strength of a Qi Refining Grandmaster Martial Artist is definitely much greater than that of a First Grade Martial Artist. ¡°The Qi Refining Grandmaster cultivates Internal Qi of Martial Arts. The name is just different, you can also call it True Qi. The only difference is in the Martial Arts cultivation. The True Qi they cultivate is inferior to that of the Innate Realm in terms of power, purity, and quality. ¡°Even though I¡¯m only at the basic level of the Innate Realm, my strength is not inferior to the Great Grandmaster of the Inner Realm.¡± Li Xuan compared and evaluated the two systems of Martial Arts in his heart. The Blood Qi Realm corresponds to the upper three grades of the Inner Realm. However, the Martial Artists of the Blood Qi Realm are stronger in their strength than the upper three grades Martial Artists of the Inner Realm.. Chapter 80 Translator: 549690339 Innate Realm, in actuality, corresponds to the Qi Cultivating Grandmaster of the Inner Domain, both cultivating True Qi. The only difference is the Innate True Qi of the Innate Realm is stronger than the Inner Qi of the Inner Domain¡¯s Grandmaster, hence those in the Innate Realm are naturally stronger. ¡°With the foundation of Iron Bone, a Martial Artist entering the Innate Realm has a slightly smaller difference in power compared to the Inner Domain Grandmasters. As a general rule, they are between thirty percent to fifty percent stronger than the Grandmasters. ¡°However, for those with Copper Bone, Gold Bone, Jade Bone¡­ they are much stronger.¡± Of course, there are also weaker and stronger Grandmasters in the Inner Domain. But generally speaking, a Martial Artist of the Innate Realm is stronger. The stronger the foundation of the Innate Realm, the larger the gap in strength between the two. ¡°In the Inner Domain, the Great Grandmaster is already at the peak. Is there anyone stronger than a Great Grandmaster?¡± Blood Unhearted is a Martial Artist of the Grandmaster Realm, and is one of the strong men of the Inner Domain Demon Sect, he should know a lot about the Inner Realm Martial Arts. ¡°Regardless of whether there is a stronger Martial Artist above the Great Grandmaster, for the time being, they do not pose any threats towards me. Xu Yan is not far away from reaching the perfection of Qi and Blood. ¡°Once Xu Yan breaks through the Innate Realm, my strength will be even stronger. ¡°The Realm after the Innate Realm should be set up soon. Once the realm is set and Xu Yan breaks through the Innate Realm, 1 will teach him the cultivation techniques above the Innate Realm.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself, the martial arts world of the Inner Domain posed little threat to him. After Meng Chong started his Martial Arts training, feedback from the Golden Finger also helped him improve his strength. ¡°Master, the Heavenly Earth Lingji in the borderlands is diminished, making it impossible to cultivate Martial Artists here. What can we do?¡± Since the differences between the Martial Arts have already been answered. The issue of not being able to cultivate Martial Artists in the borderlands is now in front of us. Could it be that we have to go to the Inner Domain to cultivate? Although he very much wanted to venture into the Inner Domain, the time was not right. His parents and family were too weak to suppress the borderlands. ¡°You are already a Martial Artist!¡± Li Xuan said with a smile. Startled, Xu Yan hit his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m already a Martial Artist. But then why did Blood Unhearted say that in the borderlands, where the Heavenly Earth Lingji is void, it¡¯s unable to develop Martial Artists?¡± He had already embarked on the path of Martial Arts, as a Martial Artist of the Qi and Blood Realm. His following cultivation would involve nature¡¯s spiritual energy. He would need to absorb nature¡¯s spiritual energy in order to break through the Innate Realm. ¡°Master, according to Blood Unhearted¡¯s words, if the Heavenly Earth Lingji is absent and it¡¯s not possible to absorb and exhale the spiritual energy into the body, then am I unable to break through the Innate Realm here in the borderlands?¡± Xu Yan looked somewhat worried. ¡°That¡¯s Blood Unhearted¡¯s conclusion, and that¡¯s how they practice their Martial Arts. You¡¯re not practicing the Martial Arts of the Inner Domain.¡± Seeing the worried Xu Yan, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°What if Heavenly Earth Lingji is absent? You can act as a bridge yourself, connecting Heaven and Earth. Why do you need Heavenly Earth Lingji to supplement?¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was taken aback, a light flashed in his mind. His eyes widened and he said, ¡°I understand now, so that¡¯s how it is!¡± Bridge of Heaven and Earth! So that¡¯s why breaking through the Innate Realm requires the connection of the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. It¡¯s to act as a bridge yourself, connecting Heaven and Earth, absorbing and expelling nature¡¯s spiritual energy! This is the true Martial Arts. You don¡¯t need to rely on the external Heavenly Earth Lingji to cultivate! So, what the Martial Artists of the Inner Domain are cultivating is surely a false way of Martial Arts! ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Looking towards the endless mountains, what kind of world is the Inner Domain? The Inner Domain should make it easier to find outlier apprentices, right? Li Xuan was thinking like this. Blood Unhearted escaped to the borderlands. Presumably, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the Inner Domain would discover Blood Unhearted¡¯s tracks. Perhaps someone would come to the borderlands to hunt him down. Although the borderlands are special, Blood Unhearted fled here because he could cultivate by devouring the essence of blood. Other Martial Artists who come to the borderlands, once they consume too much, their recovery will be very slow. For other Martial Artists, they wouldn¡¯t rashly come to kill him. But Li Xuan believed, there will surely be people who will come to hunt him down. He then said, ¡°Blood Unhearted came from the Inner Domain, there will definitely be other Martial Artists coming here.¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong were taken aback. ¡°I want to master Martial Arts within a month!¡± Meng Chong clenched his fist, speaking firmly. He didn¡¯t want to experience the frustration of almost getting killed by Blood Unhearted again! Meng Chong went off to train. He had already broken through the Copper Bone bottleneck, and could now cultivate the Gold Bone. After the Gold Bone, there was still the Diamond Lucent Bone. Xu Yan looked at his Master, his gaze determined as he said, ¡°Master, Disciple wants to learn Swordsmanship!¡± The Descending Dragon Palm was indeed strong, however, he felt it was not enough! The Swordsmanship of Blood Unhearted was actually very powerful. It posed a great threat to him when they first started fighting each other. If he knew Swordsmanship, would he have fallen behind? Li Xuan was not surprised by this. From the first time he saw Xu Yan, he noticed a sword hanging at his waist. Even though he practiced Martial Arts and learned the Descending Dragon Palm, he often carried a sword on his waist. It showed that he loved the sword! And from the treasure vault of Emperor Qi, he found a precious sword. This time, due to the rush to go to the capital city, he didn¡¯t bring it with him. Li Xuan was fully prepared for that. Li Xuan had already planned what to teach his two disciples for their cultivation and martial skills. Xu Yan would practice both palm and sword techniques, and be unmatched in both! As for Meng Chong, he would focus on both boxing and blade techniques, reaching the peak in both! As for other martial skills and cultivation techniques, it would depend on the disciples themselves to comprehend during their practice. He would draw a frame for each disciple, and they could fill anything they wanted within that frame. When the time came for the disciples to venture into the Inner Domain, they could absorb the essence of the Inner Domain¡¯s Martial Arts and embody it within their framework, making it their own.. Chapter 81 Translator: 549690339 Furthermore, with the Inner Realm Martial Arts Cultivation Technique, he had a point of reference. This made it easier for him to develop subsequent techniques, so he would not be left without a direction. However, there was one critical aspect that he needed to take seriously ¨C any future techniques he developed, no matter the circumstances, had to be stronger than the Inner Realm Martial Arts! Only this way could he solidify his teachings as the one true Martial Arts! ¡°If my Martial Arts were to be spread, hiss!¡± Li Xuan suddenly realized, if his teachings were to be spread, it would inevitably replace the existing Inner Realm Martial Arts. It would spark a doctrinal dispute! ¡°I cannot rush things; I must be cautious and patient, at least, until 1 have a powerful disciple,¡± Li Xuan decided. Starting a debate about authenticity prematurely could cause a massive storm that he would not be able to withstand with his current abilities. Besides, his goal was to develop techniques, teach gifted disciples, make himself stronger, and become invincible. He shouldn¡¯t get involved in conflicts that would hinder his progress toward becoming stronger. ¡°I can start from the borderlands!¡± Li Xuan had begun to formulate a plan. He could start by promoting his Martial Arts in the borderlands and, once their strength improved, they could venture into the Inner Realm and spread his teachings gradually. Even if a debate about authenticity arose, he could stay in the background and watch events unfold. There would naturally be warriors from the borderlands to defend their own Martial Arts. Of course, this was just a general idea. Whether it could be implemented, how it would be implemented, and if it could be implemented remained to be seen. What was urgent now, was for him to become stronger and help his disciples become stronger as quickly as possible. Only by enhancing his disciples¡¯ abilities and having them successfully cultivate the techniques he developed, could he reap a more substantial reward. He glanced at Xu Yan, who awaited his decision with anticipation. Li Xuan nodded, stating, ¡°Alright, take some time to absorb and reflect on the gains from your battle with Xu Yan. You may come to see me tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan replied enthusiastically. ¡°Master, I have to make a trip back to the Donghe County!¡± He had left his precious sword at home in Donghe County. ¡°Alright!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Xu Yan hurriedly left. Li Xuan glanced at Meng Chong, who was in deep cultivation, then turned to Shi¡¯er, who had just returned and was unaware of what had happened. ¡°You can just prepare meals for Meng Chong.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord!¡± Shi¡¯er respectfully replied. Li Xuan rose from his chair, holding the long knife from Xue Wuxin with one hand and the bag left by Xue Wuxin with the other, and went into his room. He had deliberately kept this bag. Upon entering the room, he placed the long knife to the side. The knife was not a conventional steel weapon; it was a treasured knife capable of bearing True Qi. He opened the bag to find a small booklet stained with blood. One look at it told him that it was not a typical item. ¡°The Cultivation Technique practiced by Xue Wuxin!¡± Li Xuan was delighted. There were indeed gains to be made. He took out the small booklet. Inside the bag were two white-colored crystals. Li Xuan took them out and sensed that they contained Spiritual Energy. ¡°These must be the Spiritual Stones, or Spirit Crystals, from the Inner Realm!¡± Given the existence of the Heavenly Earth Lingji in the Inner Realm, which offered a gentle Spiritual Energy, the presence of gemstones containing Spiritual Energy was only logical. Gemstones that stored Spiritual Energy were either Spiritual Stones or Spirit Crystals. However, it was clear that these were extremely rare. After all, Xue Wuxin, a Grandmaster-level martial artist, had only two Spirit Crystals. He relied on his own blood essence for healing, not Spirit Crystals, so there was no issue with him depleting the crystals for healing purposes. Ultimately, the rarity of the Spirit Crystals meant that even a Grandmaster like him did not possess many.. Chapter 82 Translator: 549690339 There was only a pamphlet and two Spirit Crystals in the bag, nothing more. Li Xuan wore an expression of disappointment. Blood Demon was such a miser. He couldn¡¯t help cursing in his heart, ¡°As a devil cultivator, isn¡¯t murdering and plundering quite normal for you? You¡¯re almost escaping to the border wilderness, wouldn¡¯t it be wise to loot some treasures for use there? ¡°Such a waste. Even if you turn into ashes, it won¡¯t be unjust at all!¡± He looked at the bag. It was nothing more than a common bag, definitely not one of those storage bags. Without any consideration, he chucked it aside. ¡°I wonder if there are items like storage bags in the Inner Realm.¡± He sighed, wondering if he should find a disciple with the talent for Artifact Refining and create a set of Artifact Refining techniques for him to study and create things like storage bags? ¡°But I don¡¯t know a thing about Artifact Refining. The challenge of creating a new set of instructions might be too big? Maybe 1 should go to the Inner Realm, look for some Artifact Refining techniques there, and design a perfect set based on those.¡± ¡°Probably only the Inner Realm can have such extraordinary Artifact Refining talents, right?¡± These thoughts were spinning in Li Xuan¡¯s mind. But Artifact Refining isn¡¯t as crucial as growing stronger oneself, so it¡¯s not urgent. He could wait and see if he could find such a prodigy later. He put away the Spirit Crystals. Then he looked at the fiery red pamphlet. Upon flipping it open, four words came into view. ¡°Blood Demon Evil Scripture!¡± At first glance, it¡¯s definitely the technique of demon cultivation. However, Li Xuan didn¡¯t mind. He wasn¡¯t going to learn these techniques directly. He merely wanted to draw some references to understand the Inner Realm Martial Arts. ¡°This is actually an incomplete scripture?¡± Li Xuan was rather surprised. The Blood Demon Evil Scripture was incomplete and lost some parts, leaving only the fragments. Despite being incomplete, it had still taken Blood Demon to the Grandmaster Realm and even further to become a Great Grandmaster. Therefore, could the complete Blood Demon Evil Scripture cultivate to a level above Great Grandmaster? As Li Xuan read through The Blood Demon Evil Scripture, he found it indeed was a demonic cultivation technique, revolving around absorbing and refining essence and blood, with self fortification as the core principle. The more pure and abundant the essence and blood, the greater the enhancement obtained. This was why Blood Demon had targeted Meng Chong. It also contained secret techniques specifically for The Blood Demon Evil Scripture. The Blood-eating Ghost Thread, used for absorbing essence and blood. ¡°It does have some special features.¡± Li Xuan was astonished as he read. The Blood Demon Evil Scripture provided him with some inspiration. For instance, the technique for absorbing essence and blood, and the Blood-eating Ghost Thread. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t develop a technique that absorbs essence and blood, but he could use this as a reference to create even more delicate and righteous cultivation techniques. ¡°The new martial arts system is gradually taking shape.¡± After going through The Blood Demon Evil Scripture, Li Xuan had some new thoughts. Besides the physical martial arts, there could be a new system for martial arts cultivation. Though, it was still incomplete and just an idea for now. Moreover, it also needed a suitable person to fully comprehend. ¡°The Blood Demon Evil Scripture is considered as a powerful devil cultivation technique in the Inner Realm. Despite Blood Demon not being weak amongst the grandmasters¡­ However, The Blood Demon Evil Scripture belongs to the category of dark and evil techniques that can be suppressed by Qi and blood.¡± The state of Qi and blood is as fiery as fire, perfectly capable of suppressing the dark and evil aura of The Blood Demon Evil Scripture. If they were to fight in the same realm, a martial artist practicing The Blood Demon Evil Scripture would be constantly suppressed. ¡°However, the Qi and blood are extremely tempting for them.¡± Why was Blood Demon so eager for Meng Chong¡¯s essence and blood? Why was he so eager for Xu Yan¡¯s essence and blood? It was precisely due to this reason. The Qi and blood martial artists had more vigorous and pure essence and blood than those martial artists in the inner realm, and they appeared to be great elixirs for the practitioners of The Blood Demon Evil Scripture! After going through The Blood Demon Evil Scripture, Li Xuan completely memorized its content, without missing a single word. A thought crossed his mind and The Blood Demon Evil Scripture turned into dust and disappeared. Surely, he couldn¡¯t let this devil cultivation technique remain. Just in case, someday, he got careless or forgot and left it behind, and someone picked it up, wouldn¡¯t it give rise to a new devil cultivator? Even though it¡¯s impossible to produce martial artists in the border wilderness, one could still enhance his abilities by absorbing essence and blood through The Blood Demon Evil Scripture. Granted, due to the weakening of Heavenly and Earthly Lingji, it¡¯s impossible to break through the limitation in the border wilderness, but one¡¯s abilities could still be elevated to that of a fifth or sixth-rate martial artist in the inner realm. This would definitely bring trouble to the border wilderness. Better to get rid of the manual once he remembered it so he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it libering around. In the forest outside Yunshan County. Li Xuan had one hand behind his back, gazing into the distant sky. Xu Yan was standing behind him respectfully, with a sword in hand. ¡°Disciple, you must remember, as a teacher, I pass on the Way, not the method. Hence, 1 am passing onto you the way of the sword, rather than the swordsmanship¡­¡± Li Xuan casually broke a tree branch, and solemnly said, ¡°Just like I always emphasize, cultivating is about comprehending and understanding its true intentions, and so is sword Dao. Watch carefully.¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± Xu Yan was full of excitement. With a mere flick of the branch in Li Xuan¡¯s hand, a burst of True Qi shot out, directly creating a hole in a large tree. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes widened in shock, ¡°Master¡¯s swordsmanship¡­ no, Sword Dao, is extremely powerful. He could wield a branch and with a casual flick, achieve greater power than Blood Demon¡¯s blade aura.¡± After testing the feel of the branch in his hand, Li Xuan began swinging it around. His Primordial True Qi wrapped around the branch, making it look extremely fierce. In reality, he was just randomly swinging it around. It was only because of his incredibly strong Primordial True Qi that it displayed such a powerful and fierce momentum. Of course, it can¡¯t be completely considered as random swinging. The techniques like slash, stab, rise, horizontal slash, wipe, and so on were being performed neatly. After a while of random swinging, Li Xuan put down the branch and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Disciple, have you remembered all?¡± Chapter 83 Not the Methods (Subscription Requested) 2 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan nodded excitedly, saying, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve memorized everything!¡± Everything? That¡¯s not right! Li Xuan raised the tree branch once again, his voice grave, ¡°Disciple, look again and remember. What I am imparting is Sword Dao, not swordsmanship. Grasp its true meaning!¡± Saying this, his hand began to shape the tree branch again, but this time much slower. This time, he was shaping it according to the style of Tai Chi sword from his past life. The difference was that he augmented it with Innate True Qi. It seemed slow in motion, yet seemed to form a current of Sword Qi, revolving around him. With his rotation, it carried quite a shocking momentum. Xu Yan stared unblinkingly, but he was a little puzzled. Why so slow? How could such slowness attack the enemy? After Li Xuan finished shaping the branch, he asked again, ¡°Disciple, have you memorized it?¡± ¡°Master, 1 have memorized it all!¡± ¡°And the previous one?¡± ¡°Also remembered.¡± This disciple really has a good memory, memorizing everything in one go. ¡°Disciple, look again!¡± Li Xuan once again swung the branch. This time, the branch moved extremely quickly, swiftly waving and then retracting. ¡°Remembered?¡± Xu Yan was somewhat bewildered at this moment. Why is the sword movement different every time? ¡°Remem¡­Remembered.¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°And the previous one?¡± ¡°Remem..Remembered about ninety percent!¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. He had completely memorized the unwieldy sword moves from earlier. But the first sword sequence, he only remembered ninety percent. He had actually forgotten a few moves! ¡°Why did 1 forget?¡± Xu Yan was deeply vexed. However, Li Xuan was delighted, ¡°Good, disciple, look again!¡± And with that, he was off to illustrate once again! Xu Yan was already confused in his mind, ¡°1 forgot, 1 didn¡¯t memorize everything, and yet Master said ¡®good¡¯?¡± ¡°Disciple, have you memorized?¡± Li Xuan asked after storing the branch. I¡­I didn¡¯t remember them all!¡± Xu Yan confessed, looking shamefaced. He had been distracted and failed to remember the sword moves Master demonstrated earlier. ¡°Good! Good! Disciple, you¡¯ve taken a step further in comprehending the Sword Dao!¡± Li Xuan said with satisfaction. What? Xu Yan was at a loss. He couldn¡¯t remember the sword moves, how could he have gotten closer to understanding the Sword Dao? ¡°That¡¯s not right!¡± ¡°I must not have understood the profound meaning of Master¡¯s words.¡± Lost in thought, Xu Yan was applying his impressive reasoning skills. ¡°Master repeatedly emphasized that he is only imparting the Dao, not the method. He is teaching me Sword Dao, not swordsmanship¡­¡± ¡°He wants me to grasp its true meaning, understand the Dao, not memorize the swordsmanship. Therefore, what 1 need to do is not to remember the sword moves.¡± ¡°But to forget the sword moves!¡± ¡°Not to be bound by the sword moves, not to remain fixed within the form, to blend everything together and follow my heart¡­¡± In that instant, Xu Yan felt he had understood the profound meaning of Master¡¯s words. In his mind, he began to recall the sword moves Master had just demonstrated¡ªfast, slow, fierce, tricky¡­ Gradually, the former and latter sword moves overlapped in his mind, blending together. Slowly, it seemed as though a new set of swordsmanship was forming in his mind. ¡°I need to learn to forget!¡± Xu Yan admonished himself internally. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve already forgotten half of it!¡± Xu Yan spoke up. ¡°Good! Good! Li Xuan was overjoyed. This disciple had entered a state of enlightenment, a good sign indeed! It indicated he had taken a solid step towards grasping Sword Dao. Xu Yan truly had a talent for Sword Dao, and a monstrously exceptional one at that. ¡°Disciple, continue to observe!¡± Li Xuan started demonstrating again. What he was showing this time was naturally different from the previous ones. In fact, every move he demonstrated was well thought out. The first time, he demonstrated a rough swordsmanship, then came Tai Chi sword, moving slow yet stepping on the rhythm of Tai Chi. The third time was swift, the fourth time was tricky, and this fifth time was completely messy. He had presented everything from slow to swift, from regular to tricky, and naturally it was up to Xu Yan to comprehend it all. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve forgotten half of it!¡± Xu Yan spoke up after watching. ii Good, watch again!¡± Li Xuan continued his demonstration. He performed several times in succession, Xu Yan watched with a mix of confusion, contemplation, and realization¡­ In his mind, all the sword moves were shuffled once again, overlapping and blending together, reshuffling and repeating. A set of swordsmanship seemed to emerge in his mind. Li Xuan stood by, watching his disciple gain insights. The time was almost right. The devised Sword Dao realm should be explained to his disciple, so he could better comprehend the Sword Dao from it. If successful, this would be another great accomplishment. Xu Yan opened his eyes, slightly bewildered. He felt as if he was in chaos. A jumbled mess of sword moves swirled in his mind, unable to find a direction. The incomplete swordsmanship made him feel like, he might be on the wrong path. The sword techniques passed down from his master had been forgotten, he could not remember how the original sword techniques were performed. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve forgotten everything!¡± Li Xuan spoke with satisfaction, ¡°Good, very good my boy, you¡¯re not far from grasping the Sword Dao!¡± A jolt of inspiration. Sure enough, upon hearing this, Xu Yan¡¯s spirits revived and his eyes lit up. ¡°My boy, what 1 have taught you is the Sword Dao. There are countless martial artists in the world, but only a few can comprehend the Sword Dao. To understand Sword Dao, you first need to get rid of the limitation of mere sword moves.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let swordsmanship or sword moves shackle you.¡± Li Xuan turned his body sideways, gazing upwards. With an enhanced aura of enigma, he looked even more like a profound master. Xu Yan¡¯s body trembled slightly, and he respectfully said, ¡°Master, please enlighten me!¡± ¡°To be able to forget the sword techniques and moves I demonstrated, it shows you have the potential for Sword Dao, not allowing yourself to be contained by mere sword techniques and sword moves.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s far from enough! ¡°If you want to comprehend the Sword Dao, only those with a clear understanding of what is Sword Heart, can step into the realm of Sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan said in a deep voice. ¡°Sword Heart?¡± Xu Yan was taken aback and respectfully asked, ¡°Master, what is Sword Heart?¡± ¡°Sword Heart is the foundation of Sword Dao. Those who have achieved Sword Heart can transcend the restrictions of the techniques and moves to have a clear heart of Sword Dao. ¡°Sword Heart means a clear heart of Sword Dao. Once you can see through any sword techniques, and sword movements just at a glance, seeing their strengths and weaknesses.¡± ¡°At a glance, you should be able to freely make use of the sword techniques, and moves, making them your own.¡± Li Xuan explained his tailored strategy of cultivation based on Sword Dao, ¡®Sword Heart¡¯s Clarity¡¯ to Xu Yan. Xu Yan was deeply moved, ¡°Sword Heart¡¯s Clarity. A clear heart of Sword Dao. Understand at a glance, the weaknesses and strengths of a move. Select any move at will, and apply it freely to my advantage.¡± In his mind, he visualized the sword techniques that his master had demonstrated. Gradually, he saw himself, extracting moves from his master¡¯s techniques, overlapping, integrating, interconnecting, and yet not really forming a complete set of swordsmanship. If he could master the techniques, combine them perfectly, and form a set of swordsmanship that would be his, drawing upon any move whenever he wanted, Would that be achieving Sword Heart¡¯s Clarity? He seemed to have a bit of understanding, and said, ¡°Master, Sword Heart¡¯s Clarity means that even though I don¡¯t have any sword skills or moves, the sword techniques of others are mine; other people¡¯s sword moves are my sword moves. ¡°My adversaries¡¯ swordsmanship is transparent in my eyes. 1 can easily see through their weaknesses, and anticipate the moves they will make¡­.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. Xu Yan was not far from understanding Sword Heart¡¯s Clarity. The Sword Dao realm he had devised was finally taking shape. ¡°In layman¡¯s terms, it¡¯s like that. Being able to do this means you have entered the basics of Sword Heart¡¯s Clarity.¡± Li Xuan nodded with a relieved tone. ¡°Master, I understand some of it, but 1 don¡¯t quite understand¡­.¡± Xu Yan was sinking into deep thought. ¡°My boy, Sword Heart¡¯s Clarity is something that can only be comprehended. Once you get it, you have entered the basics. If you don¡¯t get it, that¡¯s all there is.¡± Li Xuan said solemnly. He had never achieved Sword Heart¡¯s Clarity, it was just something he made up. How to master it, what the method is, how would he know? His disciple must rely on his own exceptional ability to fill gaps and his exceptional understanding to comprehend on his own. ¡°My boy, first you need to clear your Sword Heart. Only when your Sword Heart is clear can you achieve Clarity and not be confined by sword techniques and moves. ¡°You should ponder on this. 1 believe you can comprehend it.¡± After saying this, Li Xuan left the forest, leaving Xu Yan alone to deepen his understanding.. Chapter 84 Translator: 549690339 In the forest, only Xu Yan was left. He stood in the middle of the woods, looking around. Sword marks crisscrossed everywhere, and numerous holes had been pierced in the trees. Trees, neatly severed, lay on the ground, cut into dozens of pieces. Traces of swordsmanship and sword moves could be vaguely seen. The more Xu Yan observed, the more he seemed to understand yet not understand fully. In his mind, he visualized a chaos of sword moves that his master had once demonstrated. Only, he had forgotten them. No! Not that he had forgotten, but he had forgotten the sequence of the sword moves, and which move corresponded to which demonstration. The mixed-up sword moves in his mind and the traces around him cross-verified each other until suddenly, a particular move overlapped with a sword mark on the ground. ¡°This sword mark was made by this move,¡± Xu Yan murmured to himself. ¡°The clarity of sword intent is the key, starting with a clear sword heart, not being bound by sword moves and techniques, followed by transparency¡­¡± Xu Yan felt he had some insights. However, the clarity of sword intent was still far from his reach. At this moment, he felt as if he was back in his small village, at the beginning of his martial arts practice, not understanding much, yet having some insights. ¡°Forget the sword moves, forget the techniques, don¡¯t be restricted by forms¡­ The first thing to do is to clear my sword heart, and for this first step, I should try to completely forget the swordsmanship that the master demonstrated. ¡°No! Forgetting does not mean truly forgetting, but rather forgetting the form and freeing myself from the framework of swordsmanship¡­¡± ¡°Then what I have to do next is to sort out the traces of swordsmanship, reproduce them one by one, then forget the framework, select sword moves and techniques freely to eventually form my own sword art. ¡°This is the first step; once this step is completed, I should not be far from the clarity of the sword heart!¡± Xu Yan felt an enlightenment, understanding how to comprehend sword art and how to step into the realm of the clarity of the sword heart. He jumped onto a tree trunk, sat on a horizontal branch, looking down at the sword marks below, and silently overlaid them with the sword moves in his mind, verifying them against each other. ¡°This sword mark overlaps the previous one, the previous one is barely visible, how can I verify¡­ ¡°How did I end up getting stuck in sword techniques and sword moves?¡± ¡°Even though one sword mark is covered by another, the prior pattern still exists¡­ It should correspond to this move.¡± As it grew darker, Xu Yan returned to Yunshan County. However, his head was filled with sword moves and sword techniques. Seeing his apprentice return, Li Xuan observed in silence, letting him find his own path. Saying too much might become a distraction. Li Xuan remembered the scene of Xu Yan practicing in the small village and felt that today was much the same as Xu Yan once again went through the process of understanding. Li Xuan believed that Xu Yan would be able to comprehend it. The Sword Dao that Li Xuan had devised was much more comprehensive than the hastily improvised one from years ago; he had also personally demonstrated the sword moves to Xu Yan. ¡°A clear sword heart is the foundation of training in the Sword Dao. The starting point of my Sword Dao imposes higher demands on talent. ¡°Once stepping into the Sword Dao, its power naturally becomes much stronger. ¡°It¡¯s like a frame in which any sword move or sword technique can be placed. Once Xu Yan arrives in the Inner Domain, no matter what sword arts he learns, once it fits into this frame, it becomes his. ¡°Moreover, it can evolve, forming a new Sword Dao.¡± These were the thoughts of Li Xuan. Xu Yan practices Sword Dao, while Meng Chong, a muscular man with a different talent, is more suited to Knife Dao. Li Xuan decided to prepare lessons on Knife Dao, which he could teach to Meng Chong. ¡°Xu Yan memorized my swordsmanship just by watching it once, showing that his memory is exceptional. This forms the foundation for the clarity of the sword heart. With this foundation, his comprehension should be much easier,¡± thought Li Xuan, impressed with Xu Yan¡¯s memory. Xu Yan was able to remember everything after just one demonstration. And Li Xuan¡¯s demonstration was not slow at all. In the following time, Xu Yan spent every day comprehending the Sword Dao aiming to achieve clarity of the sword heart. He would go to the forest early in the morning to practice. And only return after dark. Inspired by Blood Unconscious, Meng Chong trained even more diligently. His progress in refining golden bones was accelerating. Shi¡¯er had also started refining his skin, and he was making decent progress. Nothing unusual happened in Qi Country. In the capital, Qi King, Guo Rongshan, remained the first among all ministers. The Third Prince paid his respects daily. The Crown Prince had already left to seek guidance from a sage. The heat for seeking sages among other ministers and their children was not reduced in the slightest. Although the Minister of War¡¯s son and his party had turned into dry corpses and the cause was not known, Xu Yan gave no answers, and no one dared to ask. Everyone guessed that they might have encountered an unknown monster, and thus died. They ventured cautiously into the endless mountains, not daring to go too deep. There were countless mountain peaks in the endless mountains. It would take endless time to explore one peak after another. Teams moved through the mountains. Most of them tacitly avoided the direction explored by the Minister of War¡¯s son and his party. It was too dangerous there. A month passed. Meng Chong¡¯s golden bones almost reached perfection, and he was about to hit a bottleneck where he could no longer refine. Shi¡¯er had completed refining his skin. Given his expertise as a top-notch rivers and lakes expert, it took him such a long time to refine his skin that it showed his potential was not as good as Xu Yan and Meng Chong¡¯s. Moreover, Li Xuan found that after Shi¡¯er had refined his skin, the strength of his skin and his blood qi were not as strong as Xu Yan¡¯s and Meng Chong¡¯s.. Chapter 85 Sword Heart Clear 2 Translator: 549690339 Similar in completion of skin refining, but the strength of the skin membrane could vary greatly. ¡°Skin refining is also graded, not everyone who completes it will have the same result.¡± This was the difference brought on by their martial arts aptitude. After completing skin refining, Shi¡¯er¡¯s strength had increased. Li Xuan then imparted the technique of bone refining to him. According to Xu Yan, his father had started refining his bones, and his mother had just finished refining her skin. This showed him the disparity in martial arts aptitude and the varying results of cultivation. Pharmacist Pan had also entered the stage of bone refining. The rest of the faithful guards, a small portion had entered the stage of bone refining, and a portion had completed the skin refining. This was all thanks to Pharmacist Pan, who had concocted medicinal supplements to aid in cultivation. As for Guo Rongshan, because of his old age and declining vitality, he had missed the optimal stage for cultivation and had barely entered skin refining with the help of precious medicines. Guo Yunkai, on the other hand, had better talent. He had completed skin refining and was about to start bone refining. His two cousins, one had completed skin refining and the other had started bone refining. ¡°We are still far from the entrance of martial arts. It¡¯ll be a while before we can verify and see what feedback is received.¡± Li Xuan sighed to himself. Among them, there should be people stuck at the entrance of martial arts. He noticed that the enhancing medicine for vitality concocted by Pharmacist Pan had a good effect in aiding cultivation. ¡°Should I get some elixirs out? How do I formulate elixirs? I don¡¯t understand it.¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought. ¡°The young girl from the Mother Goddess Sect is skilled in medicine, maybe I can start with her and attempt to comprehend something.¡± Li Xuan again recalled the current Mother Goddess of the Mother Goddess Sect, that young girl. The evil people she had persuaded actually stopped their evil deeds completely, truly a remarkable feat. Last time, he sent Shi¡¯er to pass a message, inviting the Mother Goddess girl to come over, but she was still in Wu Country and hadn¡¯t come to Qi Country yet. ¡°No rush, Meng Chong hasn¡¯t entered the door yet, the third disciple needs more consideration.¡± Li Xuan temporarily set this matter aside. Since Xu Yan went out yesterday and didn¡¯t return at night, it seemed he had made some progress. He should be close to complete comprehension of Sword Intent now! He was full of anticipation. Outside the town of Yunshan, on a hillside. Xu Yan sat cross-legged, silently watching the evening glow in the sky. He was not looking at the sword marks in the forest anymore, but had erased all of them instead. At the moment, he was looking at the evening glow in the sky, his mind clear. In his mind, the sword moves were evolving continuously. The sword technique his master taught him had already been forgotten completely. Now, a new set of sword techniques was about to take shape in his mind. His mood was increasingly clear, as if he had understood all the sword techniques, all the sword moves. At a certain moment, it seemed as if a bright light flashed in his mind. The evolving sword technique was completed! And at that moment, he entered a mysterious state. His heart was incredibly clear. Hum! The treasure sword on his knees, it started to tremble at this moment. It seemed eager to leave its sheath. Sword Intent was clear! Xu Yan understood Sword Intent clearly! The moment he completely comprehended Sword Intent, the gate to Sword Dao was already opened. In his heart, he has a set of sword techniques and traces of Sword Dao. He had already freed himself from the fetter of the sword technique. Even the Descending Dragon Palm had a new insight, as a result, it had been upgraded. The second layer of Descending Dragon Palm had reached a minor completion! Xu Yan opened his eyes. He flicked the treasure sword on his knees with his hand, and with a clear sound, the sword left its sheath. He grasped the handle and swung the sword forward with a lift of his hand. The light of the sword was like a long rainbow, cutting through midway and landing a hundred feet away. Where the sword light fell, there was no sound. If one took a closer look, they would see a small crevice on the ground, extending dozens of feet with an unknown depth! ¡°Today, my Sword Intent has become clear, I, Xu Yan, have finally stepped into the door of Sword Dao. You will be named Clear Sword!¡± Xu Yan said as he gently stroked the sword blade with his two middle fingers. Clear Sword! This was his first sword and also the one witnessing his stepping into the gate of Sword Dao! ¡°I have comprehended Sword Intent and entered the door of Sword Dao. Next, my vitality will be perfected and I will break through the Innate Realm!¡± A look of excitement appeared on Xu Yan¡¯s face. If he had comprehended Sword Intent and entered the door of Sword Dao earlier, how could Xu Wu Xin have been his opponent? ¡°Inner Domain!¡± Xu Yan looked in the direction of the endless mountains. His heart surged with excitement. There were martial artists in the Inner Domain, and the Inner Domain Martial Arts world, a place he had long yearned for. He had long wanted to venture into the martial arts world. ¡°Wait a little longer, after reaching the Innate Realm, I will head to the Inner Domain!¡± His parents¡¯ strength had not yet increased, and he himself had not yet broken through to the Innate Realm. Therefore, he could only suppress his excitement. In the small courtyard. As always, Li Xuan sat in his chair, but in his mind, he was sorting out the martial arts he had created. Especially the methods of subsequent martial arts, how to compose them, how to perfect them. He had already determined the realm after the Innate Realm. The direction of his cultivation was also fixed, but the martial arts realm and cultivation direction in the future needed an outline. ¡°My martial arts, from the beginning, is stronger than the martial arts of this world, so the subsequent martial arts realm should become increasingly strong. ¡°There must be smooth transitions between the realms. If there is a discontinuity, and the theory cannot be connected, then it is definitely not possible to comprehend it.¡± After days of repeated thinking and pondering, Li Xuan had essentially sorted out the direction of his subsequent martial arts cultivation. However, he still needed to progress step by step. Only by successfully cultivating it could he confirm its feasibility and continue to perfect the next realm. ¡°Meng Chong¡¯s Golden Bones have reached perfection, stuck at the Golden Bones stage, unable to refine the Vajra Glazed Bones, it¡¯s time to try to help my second disciple successfully refine Vajra Glazed Bones.¡± Li Xuan glanced at Meng Chong, who was still immersed in hard cultivation. Once the Vajra Glazed Bones were formed, he could break through to the Qi Blood Realm. After all, his cultivation was a combination of refining the skin, bones, and organs. Suddenly, golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has enlightened the Sword Heart, stepping into the Gate of Sword Dao, your Sword Heart is fully enlightened, and Sword Dao is perfected!¡± At this moment, Li Xuan felt his Sword Heart clear and shining with thousands of swords, and his comprehension of Sword Dao kept emerging. His Sword Dao was perfected, but it could only be regarded as the perfect foundation of Sword Dao! Li Xuan was overjoyed. ¡°My disciple has the bearing of a Sword God, as a master, I did not misjudge him!¡± Good job Xu Yan! As expected, he enlightened his Sword Heart and stepped through the Gate of Sword Dao. The improvement of his Sword Dao from now on will depend on himself. However, Li Xuan believed that once Xu Yan went to the Inner Domain, he would not worry about the improvement of his Sword Dao. And when his disciple improved his Sword Dao, his own Sword Dao would greatly improve as well! ¡°After the enlightenment of Sword Heart, I should pass on the understanding of Sword Dao to Xu Yan, in hope that he will comprehend Sword Intent as soon as possible!¡± Li Xuan thought with great delight. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, the second layer of Descending Dragon Palm has achieved minor success, and your second layer of Descending Dragon Palm has reached perfection!¡± Another gain. The second layer of Descending Dragon Palm was perfected. Having enlightened his Sword Heart, Xu Yan¡¯s comprehension of the Descending Dragon Palm also improved. This was as expected. This showed that Xu Yan¡¯s talent and comprehension had improved with the enlightenment of the Sword Heart. Li Xuan lifted his finger, and a Sword Qi appeared. With a point of his finger, the Sword Qi flew into the sky, silent, unexpected, and without a trace of sharpness that could be detected. In the sky, a Sword Qi weaved around. ¡°The Sword Dao I created is indeed powerful.¡± Li Xuan was thrilled. ¡°Should be much stronger than the Swordsmanship of the Inner Domain, right?¡± How strong the Sword Dao was in the Inner Domain Martial Arts world was still unknown. However, it could be roughly inferred that they were still at the strong Swordsmanship stage, not yet reaching the Sword Dao level, naturally it could not compete with the Sword Dao he created. The Swordsmanship of the martial artists of the Inner Domain, in the eyes of those who had enlightened the Sword Heart, could see through their flaws and the reality at a glance, and could easily use their sword techniques for themselves. ¡°With my current strength, even a Great Grandmaster can be defeated by one of my swords!¡± Li Xuan flicked his finger, and the Sword Qi disappeared in mid-air. His strength had greatly improved again, and even the Great Grandmaster of the Inner Domain would not be his opponent now. Now, he felt completely secure. He didn¡¯t need to worry about the strong people in the Inner Domain posing a threat to him. ¡°Master, I¡¯m back!¡± Xu Yan came back excitedly. ¡°Good! Good! Good!¡± Li Xuan was greatly relieved and said, ¡°My disciple has the bearing of a Sword God, truly he did not disappoint his master!¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan¡¯s spirit was immediately lifted, and his whole person seemed to have transformed. ¡°Master said I have the bearing of a Sword God!¡± Slapping his chest, he said: ¡°Master, I will definitely carry forward your Sword Dao. As your disciple, I will not let you down, I must become the Sword God!¡± ¡°Good! With this ambition, I believe you can do it! Li Xuan was overjoyed. His disciple was sure to become a Sword God in the future, and as for him¡­. He could already wear the title of Ancestor of Sword Dao! Chapter 86 Chong Enters the World of Martial Arts_l Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan stood up, his expression solemn, and said, ¡°Disciple, comprehending sword intent is just the foundation of the Sword Dao. You still have a long way to go. The Sword Dao is endless. You must not be impatient!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s expression became serious. He took a deep breath and respectfully said, ¡°Yes, Master. I promise to calm my mind, diligently practice, and steadfastly continue on the path of Sword Dao.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Li Xuan nodded, his face full of satisfaction. ¡°Now that you have comprehended the sword intent and stepped into the gate of sword dao, I will point out to you, the direction of Sword Dao.¡± Xu Yan was listening attentively, his heart filled with excitement. ¡°After understanding the sword intent, the second realm of the Sword Dao is the Heart Sword Realm. ¡°In my heart is a sword, and everything in this world can be my sword. ¡°Encountering a mountain, the mountain is my sword; seeing rivers and lakes, they are also my sword¡­ Even grasses and trees can be my sword. ¡°The mountain has the intent of the mountain sword, the water has the intent of a water sword¡­ Everything in the world is the sword of my heart¡­¡± The second realm of Sword Dao is the Heart Sword Realm! Xu Yan couldn¡¯t suppress his excitement. Could everything in the world truly be turned into a sword? A mountain could become my sword. Rivers can also be my sword! It was truly incredible. At this moment, he truly felt his insignificance. The Heart Sword Realm! It seemed so far away from him. What kind of understanding of Sword Dao must it be? In his mind, an image involuntarily formed: with a wave of his hand, a mountain turned into a sword, which then hurtled out and annihilated his enemies. ¡°Disciple, if you want to break through to the Heart Sword Realm, you first need to comprehend sword intent.¡± Li Xuan looked at Xu Yan, who was flushed with excitement, his eyes glowing with fervor and longing, and smiled as he spoke. Does it sound mystifying? Indeed, the more mysterious it was, the more driven Xu Yan seemed. He never doubted whether he could achieve these mysterious feats. All he did was strive towards this goal with the fervor of a transfused chicken. He really is a good disciple! Li Xuan sighed, taking Xu Yan as a disciple was one of the best decisions he had made in his two lifetimes. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan nodded respectfully. Sword intent! Comprehend sword intent! ¡°Everything under the heavens can help you comprehend the sword intent. However, you must remember, the most taboo thing when comprehending sword intent is obsession. Being overly obsessed can lead to being trapped in a cage, preventing true understanding. ¡°You must not blindly seek to comprehend sword intent while neglecting your own training. ¡°Now that you have understood the sword intent, it¡¯s only a matter of time before you comprehend it. Perhaps one day when you are practicing Descending Dragon Palm, you will suddenly comprehend it. ¡°Sword intent, it¡¯s not just something you can comprehend when practicing the Sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan earnestly instructed him. He couldn¡¯t let his disciple neglect his training of Descending Dragon Palm in order to practice the Sword Dao. Unparalleled in both palm and sword ¨C that was the true path for Xu Yan. ¡°If you understand the intent of the Descending Dragon Palm, you can also, by analogy, comprehend the sword intent. Similarly, if you understand the sword intent, you should be able to understand the intent of Descending Dragon Palm. ¡°How much you can comprehend, depends on you.¡± Li Xuan pondered that it was also time for Xu Yan to comprehend the intent of Descending Dragon Palm. If he could truly comprehend it, his strength would certainly increase significantly. ¡°Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan respectfully said. ¡°Hmm, continue your practice.¡± Li Xuan sat down again. The realm of Sword Dao after the Heart Sword Realm will be passed on to Xu Yan after he understands the Heart Sword Realm. If too much is handed over at once, it could affect his comprehension, wouldn¡¯t that be a mistake? It is best to make steady progress, one step at a time. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan nodded. Li Xuan glanced at Meng Chong and said, ¡°Your junior fellow disciple has hit a bottleneck. You should spar with him, stimulate his vitality, and help him breakthrough the bottleneck!¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. He looked back at Meng Chong and immediately understood. When he broke through the Golden Bone bottleneck and successfully cultivated Jade Bone, what helped him was the Fire Mane Wolf. As for his junior fellow disciple, who is cultivating the Martial Arts of the flesh body, he is stuck at the perfect Golden Bone and cannot further cultivate to Diamond Lustrous Bone. It requires external forces to temper his flesh body, stimulate his vitality, and break through this bottleneck. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan nodded. Meng Chong, who cultivates the Martial Arts of the flesh, needs to break through restrictions. The best way is external tempering. This not only suppresses oneself but also stimulates potential and breaks through the bottleneck. The method is quite simple. Of course, it also depends on the individual¡¯s aptitude. If the aptitude does not meet the requirement, no matter how much tempering or squeezing, it will only hurt oneself, rather than break through the bottleneck. Meng Chong¡¯s physical aptitude is obviously high, so there is no risk of hurting the foundation of his body. During the tempering and squeezing process, he will stimulate potential, break through the bottleneck, and cultivate into the Diamond Lustrous Bone. When Meng Chong broke through the Copper Bone bottleneck, it was because of the stimulation of the ruthless and cold Inner Qi of the Blood Heartless, which provoked his potential and vitality, and he broke through the bottleneck in one fell swoop. ¡°Junior Brother, come, let¡¯s spar.¡± Xu Yan beckoned to Meng Chong. ¡°Okay!¡± Meng Chong nodded. The two directly left the city of Yunshan and went outside the city to spar. On the surface it was a spar, but in fact, it was to temper Meng Chong¡¯s flesh body, stimulate his potential, and thus break through the bottleneck. Outside Yunshan County, in the forest between the mountains. The sound of thunder erupted. Xu Yan¡¯s vitality surged as he struck one palm after another, his hot vitality continuously bombarding Meng Chong¡¯s body. Meanwhile, Meng Chong was operating his Grand Sun Golden Bell Shield. His body, like a golden bell, hummed under the impact of vitality, and the muscles all over his body were trembling. ¡°Not enough, make it more intense.¡± Meng Chong flexed his muscles as he spoke. ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly, admiring his junior fellow disciple¡¯s body that was indeed hardy ¨C befitting one who was solely dedicated to the Martial Arts of the flesh body.. Chapter 87 Chong Enters the World of Martial Arts_2 Translator: 549690339 Boom! Once again, his blood and Qi increased, encompassing Meng Chong within. After enduring for half a moment, Meng Chong finally couldn¡¯t keep up. He was huffing and puffing, his whole body¡¯s skin was burning red, his muscles were trembling, and his bones were making faint noises. To temper the body, to spur potential, to break through the bottleneck; it¡¯s not something that can be done once or twice. ¡°Junior brother, let¡¯s end here today. We will continue tomorrow!¡± Xu Yan ceased his actions. ¡°Alright, thank you, senior brother!¡± Both of them returned to the courtyard. Li Xuan glanced at Meng Chong, quietly nodding. Even though Meng Chong¡¯s bottleneck hadn¡¯t been broken, advancing to the tempering stage of Vajra Lucid Bone, there already had been some improvement. The bottleneck had loosened a bit. In the following days, Meng Chong was tempering his body under Xu Yan¡¯s bombardment of Qi and blood. However, he was still just a little bit away from breaking through the bottleneck. After thinking for a bit, Li Xuan believed that if they continued to temper like this, there was a chance to break through the bottleneck. However, it would take a significant amount of time. Thus, following another session of tempering, Meng Chong¡¯s bottleneck had loosened slightly. However, he was still a bit away from a complete breakthrough and needed a little catalyst to stimulate this. Li Xuan took out a spirit crystal. Reflecting on the technique in the Blood Demon Sutra, on how to absorb essence blood, he slightly adjusted the technique, using his true Qi to absorb the spiritual energy within the spirit crystal. For Li Xuan right now, this wasn¡¯t much of a challenge. His strength was in clear sight. Extracting a strand of spiritual energy from the spirit crystal, Li Xuan guided it into Meng Chong¡¯s body with a casual wave of his hand. Shh! In that instant, Meng Chong¡¯s Qi and blood boiled like it was being stimulated, and it felt like it was being replenished. A roaring sound resounded from within his body. Meng Chong was overjoyed. He hurriedly channeled his Qi and blood, beginning to cultivate the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield. Puff! A muffled sound echoed within his body. His bottleneck was broken, his Qi and blood once again began to temper his bones. At this moment, a faint lucid brilliance appeared on his golden bones. ¡°Thankyou, Master!¡± Meng Chong gratefully bowed to Li Xuan. ¡°Cultivate well and gain entry as soon as possible.¡± Li Xuan nodded. He put away the spirit crystal. For him at his current stage, these two spirit crystals were precious. If Xu Yan were to have a breakthrough to the Innate Realm and encounter some bottlenecks, he might also need to absorb the spiritual energy in the spirit crystal to aid him in making a faster breakthrough. The faster his disciple enhanced his strength, the faster he could enhance his own strength. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong nodded excitably. ¡°Junior brother, when you¡¯ve gained entry, let¡¯s spar again.¡± Xu Yan suggested expectantly. ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Master, I need to go home.¡± Xu Yan thought for a while. He should try to achieve the complete realm of Qi and blood in these few days. He should also go home and guide his family in cultivation. ¡°Go on.¡± Li Xuan nodded. Xu Yan wasn¡¯t far from achieving the perfection of the Qi and blood realm. This was just a matter of a few days. However, achieving the perfect Qi and blood realm did not imply that he could immediately achieve the Innate Realm. He needed to consolidate his cultivation for a while before he could start breaking through. And breaking through also required time. Meng Chong was cultivating Vajra Lucid Bone. He was getting stronger every day and in less than a month, he could probably complete the tempering of Vajra Lucid Bone. Shi¡¯er was full of envy. He too had begun the bone refining process. Only after personally experiencing the bone refining process did he understand the difficulty of it. During the initial stage of bone refining, the pain of being gnawed by countless ants was really unbearable. Those with a weaker will would scream out loud. Once one screamed, the Qi and blood would be interrupted, and the bone refining would stop. In this way, the completion of bone refining was extremely difficult. Shi¡¯er, with his strong will, barely managed to endure it several times. However, he finally gritted his teeth and pulled through the most difficult stage. At this point, he could feel the changes brought about by bone refining. His strength had significantly improved. ¡°I dare not hope for golden bones, aiming for bronze bones is my goal!¡± Shi¡¯er set a goal for himself. One¡¯s own family knows one¡¯s own situation best. The goal of golden bones was too lofty, he couldn¡¯t achieve it due to his lack of innate talent. Bronze bones were still achievable. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has reached the perfect realm of Qi and blood, your true Qi has improved.¡± Xu Yan had fully broken through the Qi and Blood Realm, and the feedback from the Golden Finger had arrived. ¡°The feedback is somewhat less due to a realm difference, but the True Qi has also increased by about twice.¡± Li Xuan sighed lightly. Although his True Qi had increased twice, he was still in the beginner stage of the Innate Realm, his power had improved furher. ¡°The clarity of my Sword Heart has reached its peak, the foundation of my Sword Dao is complete. Should I try to understand the essence of Sword Intent?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but ponder. After a long while, unable to grasp the essence of Sword Intent, he cast it aside. ¡°Never mind, such strenuous tasks are better left to my apprentices.¡± Now that Xu Yan had fully broken through the Qi and Blood Realm, he was on the cusp of reaching the Innate Realm. Li Xuan hoped that Meng Chong could enter the Martial Arts, striving to cross the Qi and Blood Realm before Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough into the Innate Realm. What kind of feedback would the second apprentice get from practicing the newly revised Cultivation Technique? More importantly, under the assistance of the Great Solar Golden Bell, his defense would be enhanced. Can he stand motionlessly, with martial artists in the Inner Domain unable to break his defense? After Xu Yan fully broke through the Qi and Blood realm, he returned to the small courtyard and started to consolidate his realm in preparation for breaking through to the Innate Realm. He would often go outside Yunshan County, sitting on the mountains, attempting to comprehend the Sword Intent and practice the Descending Dragon Palm, trying to grasp its essence. However, there had been no significant progress yet. Ten days after Xu Yan fully broke through the Qi and Blood Realm, during a practice session, Meng Chong began to emit a faint lustrous golden light, his aura undergoing a transformation. Li Xuan watched silently, his second apprenticeship was about to begin Martial Arts. Shi¡¯er watched from afar, full of envy. Meng Chong was about to begin his Martial Arts, but his own journey seemed indefinitely far away. ¡°No wonder the Master accepted him as a disciple, his talent is too powerful. I¡¯m also fortunate to have the opportunity to touch martial arts, practice it, and serve the Master.¡± Shi¡¯er couldn¡¯t help but sigh in his heart. At this moment, Meng Chong, enveloped in the lustrous golden light, gradually morphed into a golden bell encasing him. With time, Meng Chong seemed to have turned into a gold figure, with a majestic momentum in concentration. Li Xuan nodded in approval: ¡°This second disciple of mine, he has a resemblance to the Arhat Vajra. It truly fits him to pass down the Great Solar Golden Bell.¡± Crack! Suddenly, a sound rang out, akin to the snapping of tendons and bones. The lustrous light on Meng Chong¡¯s body started to intensify. His muscles were trembling, and the sound of thunder began to emanate from within. The qi and blood turned into the lustrous light, condensed into the golden bell, merging with his flesh and blood. A rampant aura, like a storm, was emerging from Meng Chong. Boom! The thunder roared, the golden bell appeared! Thud! With the appearance of the golden bell, it seemed as if the sound of a bell was ringing. Blood Qi turned golden bell, lustrous gold light, enveloping Meng Chong, the sound of thunder getting louder. Some neighbours were looking at the sky, puzzled. How come there was thunder on such a clear day? Could it be that the County Magistrate has lost his morality? So, there was thunder in clear weather? Or perhaps, does Yunshan County have any great grievances? Li Xuan frowned, flipping his palm, with True Qi surging out, covering the courtyard, concealing the momentum of Meng Chong¡¯s breakthrough. Roar! With a loud roar from Meng Chong, the snapping sound of tendons and bones echoed, Blood Qi solidified into a golden bell, his body emitting a lustrous golden light, his muscles becoming far more robust, his stature increasing slightly with the movement of his Blood Qi. His robust and stocky figure had grown even more muscular. Almost bursting out of his leather pants. ¡°I, have begun Martial Arts, the Great Solar Golden Bell, I¡¯ve entered it! Meng Chong was extremely excited. At this moment, he could feel his own strength. Even steel couldn¡¯t compare to the strength of his own body. In an instant, the golden bell was enveloped, any attack could be ignored. No weakness existed within him, other than violently breaking his own defense, there were no other methods to damage him. He had a feeling, unmatched by others in the same realm, able to sweep everything aside. Shi¡¯er was shocked by Meng Chong¡¯s ferocious aura. This was just the beginning of Martial Arts, it was already so terrifying? He had a feeling that even if his own Blood Qi realm was accomplished, he wouldn¡¯t be a match for Meng Chong who had just entered. The gap was too vast. ¡°Come on, use the precious blade to strike me!¡± Meng Chong excitedly beckoned Shi¡¯er. Directly instructing Shi¡¯er to use the precious blade Xu Yan had gifted. ¡°Alright!¡± Shi¡¯er did not hesitate this time. Wielding the precious blade, he rushed forward, using all his strength to swing a hefty blow towards Meng Chong. Finally, as the second disciple began his Martial Arts, Li Xuan revealed a radiant smile, ignoring Meng Chong testing the blade with his flesh. The long-awaited feedback from the Golden Finger had finally arrived.. Chapter 88 Translator: 549690339 Meng Chong made a breakthrough, stepping into the door of martial arts, the familiar golden light emerged, brilliant and beautiful. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, practicing the cultivation technique you compiled, stepping into martial arts, your Great Sun Golden Bell Cover has become successful.¡± Boom! With the feedback of the Golden Finger, Li Xuan could see in his mind the full cultivation technique of the Great Sun Golden Bell Cover. At this moment, his physical body became even stronger. Although he was in the Innate Realm, the Great Sun Golden Bell Cover could still be used by him. Using True Qi to activate the Great Sun Golden Bell Cover, the defense is unparalleled, incredibly robust. The foundation of physical martial arts has been solidified. Jade bones emerged with the lustrous light of glaze, carrying a sense of Vajra. This was the fusion of the Vajra Glazed Bones with the Jade Bones, which seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation. ¡°You¡¯ve got an Innate Spirit Bone with your Jade Bones + Vajra Glazed Bones!¡± Golden light emerged, with the feedback from the Golden Finger. Innate Spiritual Bone! At this moment, Li Xuan felt his whole being had sublimated, his flawless jade bones shone with the gleam of glaze, and the spirit lingering around, as if it were a set of divine bones naturally bestowed on them. With the emergence of the Innate Spiritual Bone, Li Xuan¡¯s Innate True Qi was actually purified, becoming stronger. The violent nature¡¯s spiritual energy, due to the loss of the Heavenly Earth Lingji, became gentle after entering his body. ¡°The Jade Bones + Vajra Glazed Bones unexpectedly resulted in an Innate Spiritual Bone, this is unexpected!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s heart was filled with excitement. He had been pondering whether the stacking of Jade Bones with Vajra Glazed Bones would lead to a transformation, becoming stronger. He didn¡¯t expect to get feedback and acquire an Innate Spiritual Bone, this instantly raised its level. Whether it¡¯s jade bones or Vajra Glazed Bones, after all, they were cultivated in the acquired days, and compared with the innate spiritual bones, they were somewhat inferior. Moreover, this innate spiritual bone that he possesses has been stacked with the features of both Jade Bones and Vajra Glazed Bones. ¡°I must take on disciples, 1 must take on disciples, ah, I have jade bones, 1 have Vajra Glazed Bones, next time, what kind of bones should 1 compile?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s eyes shone, and he toyed with the idea of accepting new disciples again. After a good while, Li Xuan calmed down his excited mood. Accepting new disciples is not something that can be done easily, and a new cultivation method has to be compiled and a new kind of bone created. In the courtyard, Shi¡¯er was waving his treasured sword, slashing at Meng Chong one after another, making a thumping sound but couldn¡¯t cause any harm to Meng Chong. Even though what he held was a treasured sword, it was no exception. He was deeply shocked. With Meng Chong¡¯s current strength, even if he stood among thousands of soldiers, allowing the onslaught, they could not harm him in the slightest. His hands soft from slashing, Shi¡¯er stopped. ¡°Too strong!¡± His face was full of envy. Meng Chong was extremely excited at this moment, clenching his fists, feeling the power within him, and this was just the entrance to martial arts. ¡°Senior Brother, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s have a competition!¡± Meng Chong couldn¡¯t wait to have a competition with Xu Yan. ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Yan nodded. The two directly left the city and arrived at a forest outside the county. Shi¡¯er excitedly followed to watch the battle. Li Xuan took a step and came to the top of the forest, watching his two disciples compete. ¡°Junior Brother, you just entered martial arts, and my brother only uses the strength of the entrance level to compete with you!¡± Xu Yan spoke, suppressing his own blood qi, only revealing the blood qi realm of martial arts entry. He also wanted to see just how strong the body martial arts were. Whether his own pure martial arts could suppress him in the same realm. Meng Chong practiced the Vajra Glazed Bones, while Xu Yan practiced Jade Bones. Theoretically, they had the same foundation in martial arts. The difference in strength depends on the individual. Xu Yan practiced Sword Dao and Descending Dragon Palm, while Meng Chong hadn¡¯t practiced any martial skills yet. But before he practiced the Great Sun Golden Bell Cover, he was already comparable to the top masters in the martial arts world. He was not a novice, he also knew fists and kicks skills. ¡°Senior Brother, bring it on!¡± Meng Chong was surrounded by glazed golden light, and his whole person became stronger, his muscles bulging, like a Vajra Arhat, with a strong aura undeniably radiating from him. Xu Yan¡¯s expression was serious, with each outpouring of blood qi fiery as if it could incinerate, his blood qi was exceptionally pure, not like Meng Chong¡¯s, where his blood qi was like a bell, evolving into a glazed golden form. Boom! A palm strike slammed directly onto Meng Chong¡¯s chest. Thump! A deep sound rang out, Meng Chong¡¯s figure swayed a little, but he had no injuries at all! ¡°Senior Brother, come again!¡± Meng Chong, who seemed to have transformed into a glazed golden man, patted his chest and said. He had cultivated the Great Sun Golden Bell Cover. To defeat him, you had to break his defense and be able to hurt him, otherwise you couldn¡¯t defeat him. This was a prerequisite for defeating him! No matter how flexible the enemy¡¯s attack, no matter how much they tried to deplete him, as long as they could not break his Golden Bell Cover, they would not be able to defeat him. In terms of a war of attrition, a martial artist like him who practiced body martial arts would not be afraid, would he? This competition did not need fierce fighting, Meng Chong¡¯s current stage did not match Xu Yan¡¯s in terms of martial skills and speed. But if Xu Yan could not break his defense, he could not defeat him. Even if he wanted to drain Meng Chong with exhaustion, that might not be possible because the martial arts foundation of the two men was about the same. ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s blood boiled, and he became very excited. He was also a proud person. He naturally wouldn¡¯t use his own advantages to bully his Junior Brother. So, he lowered his own level of strength and only revealed the strength of martial arts entry, and he didn¡¯t use the Descending Dragon Palm and Sword Dao either.. Chapter 89 Thunder Vajra Fist_2 Translator: 549690339 Pure Qi attack. Boom! Xu Yan took another shot, his True Qi exploded, but this time, he didn¡¯t hit Meng Chong with his True Qi, instead, his True Qi gathered on his palm, he moved forward and hit Meng Chong¡¯s chest with a palm strike. Thud! Meng Chong stumbled back, his body shimmering with golden light, looking like it could collapse at any moment! But he finally stabilized. Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, he didn¡¯t break through the defense? The Great Sun Golden Bell Cover was indeed incredibly strong. He could feel the strength of Meng Chong¡¯s body, that palm strike on his chest, if it were any other martial artist, they would probably be numbed by the backlash. His jade-like bones were flawless, his martial arts foundation was solid, and his True Qi was strong, so he wasn¡¯t affected by the backlash. ¡°Again!¡± Meng Chong took a deep breath, took a horse stance, and the golden light on his body became stronger. A golden bell could be vaguely seen, covering his body. ¡°Then let¡¯s go again!¡± Xu Yan inhaled deeply, raised his hand, his True Qi was concentrated but not dispersed, there was no True Qi radiating from his body. He stepped forward, and hit Meng Chong¡¯s chest with a palm strike. Li Xuan had been silently watching, as soon as Xu Yan threw this palm strike, he knew the result. Meng Chong¡¯s Great Sun Golden Bell Defense was to be breached, the golden bell shield was broken, but the power of Xu Yan¡¯s palm strike had almost been completely nullified. It won¡¯t cause Meng Chong any harm. With Meng Chong¡¯s robust physique, he could naturally withstand it. In Flesh Artistry, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be seriously injured when the golden bell defense is broken, it¡¯s just a layer of defense for the body. The truly formidable thing still lies within the body. As expected! Below the palm strike, the golden light on Meng Chong¡¯s body shattered with a cracking sound, Xu Yan¡¯s palm struck Meng Chong¡¯s chest. Meng Chong stumbled, his True Qi surged, and the golden light quickly recovered. ¡°Come on, junior brother, let¡¯s spar!¡± Xu Yan exclaimed excitedly. Although this palm shattered the golden bell defense, the power of the palm strike also be countered largely, it couldn¡¯t harm Meng Chong¡¯s strong body at all. This attack and defense can only be considered evenly matched! ¡°Okay!¡± Meng Chong nodded, took a step forward, and threw a punch. He used the martial skills he had learned, although he couldn¡¯t bring out the power of his True Qi fully, but the moves were still useful. Xu Yan did not use the Descending Dragon Palm either, he also used a palm technique he had learned before. The two began to spar. With booming sounds, trees fell one by one, the golden light and intense True Qi clashed and collided. In less than a quarter of an hour, half of the forest turned into flying debris. Shi¡¯er was completely stunned. Even though his body was covered in debris, he couldn¡¯t care, watching the fight becoming more and more intense, he felt if he moved slightly closer, the shockwaves might break his bones and kill him on the spot! ¡°1 feel like an ant right now!¡± Shi¡¯er thought helplessly. Li Xuan observed silently, from this spar, he already knew who was strong and who was weak. ¡°Xu Yan is really better, his martial arts are so pure, and the foundation of martial arts was from him!¡± Meng Chong was indeed strong, his Flesh Artistry defense was unmatched, his golden bone was not weaker than the jade bone, but he still lost to Xu Yan by a small margin. In terms of the purity of martial arts, and the foundation of martial arts, Xu Yan is stronger. In the end, the foundation of these martial arts was inspired from the methods Xu Yan had concocted on a whim. Xu Yan was superior in his talent, Li Xuan was not surprised at all. Looking at this world, it is absolutely impossible to find a disciple stronger than Xu Yan. He didn¡¯t continue to watch the battle. As a senior brother, Xu Yan¡¯s position was firm, and his strength was undoubtedly the strongest. Boom! Meng Chong was panting, there were several palm prints on his body, and it hurt all over. ¡°I can¡¯t hold on any longer!¡± Meng Chong looked helpless. Xu Yan stopped, with a look of admiration on his face, ¡°Junior brother, your Flesh Artistry is really strong!¡± Only a bit weaker than him. In the same realm, except for him, no one could break through the junior brother¡¯s defense. ¡°Hehe, not bad, I rank just below senior brother in the same realm!¡± Meng Chong grinned. Although he was a little bit inferior, he was not disappointed. His talent lies in his body, if he were to practice the orthodox martial arts of his senior brother, he wouldn¡¯t be close to this strength. After their sparring session, the two apprentices returned to the courtyard. Xu Yan continued to focus on self-improvement, preparing for his breakthrough into the Innate Realm. Meng Chong, on the other hand, made his way over to Li Xuan. ¡°Master, I have become a disciple, what do you think?¡± As he spoke, he rubbed his shaven head, chuckling goofily. His fellow-apprentice practiced Descending Dragon Palm, a powerful Martial Technique¡ªhe should strive to learn such a powerful technique as well. ¡°Master, I don¡¯t want to learn Palm Techniques, 1 want to learn Fist Techniques!¡± Meng Chong excitedly blurted. ¡°Very well, i¡¯ll teach you tomorrow.¡± Li Xuan nodded in agreement. He had prepared for this early on. ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Meng Chong nodded with glee. The next day. The forest where Meng Chong and Xu Yan sparred was now an open field, bereft of trees and other vegetation. Li Xuan stood with one hand behind his back, an air of mystery surrounding him, his aura of a profound master imposingly elevated. Meng Chong respectfully stood adjacent to him. ¡°My apprentice, 1 can only pass on wisdom and not technique. The Fist Technique I¡¯ll teach you is not just a technique but the essence of the fist.¡± Li Xuan spoke gravely. ¡°The essence lies in comprehension and understanding the meaning within. You must know that only by understanding the essence of this, will one continually grow stronger. All techniques exist within this essence.¡± ¡°As I teach you the essence of the fist, once you comprehend it, your aptitude will improve, your cultivation will elevate, and you will continually understand the essence within.¡± ¡°The Martial Path is endless, hence, all along, I¡¯ve emphasized you to comprehend and understand the true meaning rather than focusing on the form, focusing on the moves. Do you understand?¡± Meng Chong respectfully replied, ¡°Master, your disciple understands!¡± Li Xuan nodded, turned, and looked at his second apprentice, ¡°What I¡¯m passing on to you is the Vajra Fist of Wind and Thunder. Just focus on its essence, forget about the form.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong nodded. He thought to himself, ¡°Master¡¯s Martial Arts is the true Martial Arts!¡± Li Xuan clenched his fist and infused it with True Qi, and then he punched out. This punch exerted mighty True Qi, naturally its might was astonishing. Moreover, under his intentional control, the True Qi thundered like a lightning bolt, producing a booming sound of thunder. It seemed like a streak of Angry Thunder had flashed by. Boom! Meng Chong was astonished, as if seeing a streak of lightning rush out, reducing the distant trees into dust in an instant. Too quick! Too fierce! Li Xuan nodded contentedly; now wasn¡¯t like before when he lacked strength. Since he had strength now, naturally he displayed it, giving his apprentice a shock with his overwhelming strength, which could help his apprentice achieve enlightenment. Anyway, his overwhelming power alone, without any martial skills applied, was horrifyingly potent. Boom! Then he swung his fists, this time without the furious might of a thunderstorm. It was as if a gust of wind, rapid punches seemingly piercing through all defenses. The spectacle dazzled Meng Chong, making him feel somewhat dizzy. ¡°Too strong! Just a demonstration from the Master and yet such might¡ªit is truly unbelievable! Meng Chong inwardly trembled with awe! After Li Xuan finished his sequence, he looked at the awed face of Meng Chong, feeling extremely satisfied, and adopting the demeanor of a strict teacher, he stated, ¡°Apprentice, this is the Vajra Fist of Wind and Thunder, performed with the perfect Blood and Energy Achievements.¡± Nonchalantly bragging without blinking an eye, he started to blow his own trumpet. ¡°I am that formidable! With my perfect Blood and Energy Achievements, my Vajra Fist of Wind and Thunder is comparable to the Innate Realm, cool isn¡¯t it?¡± He wanted his apprentice to know that his Master is like a towering mountain, impossible to surpass. Meng Chong¡¯s eyes widened. Was it really the Vajra Fist of Wind and Thunder, executed at the Blood and Energy Perfection Realm? This was absolutely terrifying. Even at his best Blood and Energy Achievement, he could not generate such power! ¡°Master definitely is the true Master!¡± Li Xuan spoke in a low voice, ¡°The Vajra Fist of Wind and Thunder, its essence lies in the Wind and Thunder¡ªthe thunder¡¯s rapid fury and the wind¡¯s formless penetration. ¡°What you need to comprehend is this Wind and Thunder, the swift and stormy, all-pervasive Wind and Thunder in the fist.¡± ¡°Just now, I demonstrated to you the Vajra Fist of Wind and Thunder¡¯s swift and fierce Thunder, and unblockable, all-pervasive Wind. Comprehend it well.¡± His punch, driven out with power far exceeding his apprentice¡¯s, naturally appeared swift and stormy, and all-pervasive to his apprentice. The rest was up to Meng Chong¡¯s own comprehension.. Chapter 90 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Yes, Master, this disciple will surely comprehend it, and will not let you down!¡± Meng Chong fervently bowed in salute. ¡°I believe in you!¡± Li Xuan nodded and soared into the sky, quickly disappearing. Meng Chong took a deep breath, looking at the remnants of his master¡¯s Wind Thunder Diamond Fist demonstration, he closed his eyes, the scene of his master unleashing the technique surfaced in his mind. An intensity that was violently rapid, just like the might of thunder. It was like a violent wind, leaving no stone unturned. The terrifying power that the master displayed amazed Meng Chong. Was this really a cultivation from the Blood Qi Realm? ¡°Master taught the way of the fist, not just the moves!¡± ¡°This is the way of the Wind Thunder Diamond Fist. 1 should grasp its rapid and imposing manner, like thunder, and its invisible penetration, like the wind¡­ not just the movements of my master.¡± Meng Chong repeatedly reminded himself in his heart. He caused himself to downgrade the movements his master used during the session, and focus more on the violent natures of the wind and thunder. After teaching Meng Chong the customised Wind Thunder Diamond Fist, Li Xuan relaxed a bit, occasionally guiding Shi¡¯er in his practice. As for whether Meng Chong could comprehend it, he believed it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. As for how long it would take for him to comprehend, he couldn¡¯t predict that, but it probably wouldn¡¯t take too long. Every day, Meng Chong meditated in the mountains and forests to comprehend the Wind Thunder Diamond Fist, the resounding power of his master¡¯s demonstration playing continuously in his mind. Gradually, he imprinted this power into his memory, continuing to contemplate it. From then on, Meng Chong spent his days, early till late, training in the mountains and deepening the impression of his master¡¯s demonstration of the power of Wind Thunder Diamond Fist in his mind. Li Xuan, in the meantime, was waiting for Xu Yan to step into the Innate Realm. Once Xu Yan broke through, he could start teaching him the cultivation technique above the Innate Realm. The way of martial arts needed Xu Yan to forge ahead. As for Meng Chong¡¯s future cultivation, the strategies and methods of training, and the forms of cultivation to follow after Great Sun Golden Bell, Li Xuan had already prepared. The physical Martial Arts were gradually being perfected. However, the physical Martial Arts cultivation techniques of the Innate Realm would have to wait until Meng Chong had comprehended the Wind Thunder Diamond Fist. It was best not to bother him too much, lest he become distracted and slow his progress. Endless mountains. The eldest prince of Qi Country, under the protection of a group of experts, continued to explore the mountains, gradually penetrating deeper into them. ¡°Where is the expert?¡± The Crown Prince¡¯s face was filled with desire. The struggle for the successor to the throne, the position that he was about to snatch, had suddenly disappeared! And it all happened because of Xu Yan, the martial arts expert, which forced his royal father to bow, forcing the royal family of Qi Country to bow. Even though Guo Rongshan seemed to be second only to the Emperor, there was actually no one in the entire Qi Country who dared to go against his will, even his own father. Up until now, Guo Rongshan had not done anything outrageous, mainly because he was bound by the reputation of being a sage, and he did not want to lose that reputation. Also, his eyes had opened up and he was no longer interested in mundane power. The Crown Prince felt that his quest to find the expert was not just for his own sake, but also for the whole Qi Country and its royal family. ¡°Who was it that suggested initially to start confiscating property from Guo Rongshan¡¯s son-in-law?¡± The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and ground them together in secret. If they hadn¡¯t confiscated Xu Yan¡¯s property in the first place, they wouldn¡¯t have gotten in this mess. ¡°Your Highness, we have already traveled more than five hundred miles into these endless mountains, should we continue to go further?¡± The eunuch following the Crown Prince expressed his concern. The son of the Minister of War seemed to have met with an accident more than five hundred miles into the endless mountains. Of course, it wasn¡¯t in these mountains, but a hundred miles away at another entrance to the mountains. The Crown Prince surveyed his surroundings: their options now were either to explore to the left or right, or to continue deeper, which carried risks. He looked at his team, all of them were experts, including several dozen high-ranking ones from the Inner Domain. The combat power of this group was far superior to that of the son of the Minister of War. Even if they were to encounter danger, they would not be helpless. Even if they had no means to resist, there were so many people, it would be impossible for a beast to attack them all. The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Keep going forward to explore!¡± One needs to face danger to seek wealth, and so is the case with martial arts! ¡°Yes, Your Highness!¡± The eunuch nodded in compliance, relaying the commands that followed. However, he thought to himself: ¡°1 wonder whether martial arts can grow back my root? Or would losing it affect my cultivation?¡± Although he was physically incomplete, he still had a desire for the martial arts. The Crown Prince¡¯s group of more than three hundred people was well-equipped. Wherever they passed, fierce beasts fled, climbed mountains and crossed ridges, and they did not encounter any danger along the way. Occasionally when poisonous snakes appeared, they were slashed before reaching the inner circle of the group. The bodyguards, wearing leather armour and smeared with snake insect repellent, made most of the poisonous snakes stay far away. ¡°Where on earth is the expert?¡± The spirit of the Crown Prince was somewhat defeated. Deep within the endless mountains, two figures were leisurely walking, their feet not touching the ground, almost like they were strolling through the woods. Suddenly! A roar resounded, and a large colourful tiger leaped out. The figure in front was a young man in his twenties. He glanced sidelong at the colourful tiger and laughed, ¡°Is this a Red-eyed Tiger?¡± The middle-aged man following closely behind nodded and said: ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡± As the colourful tiger that had leaped out was about to show its might, it was made docile by the young man¡¯s glance and laid down on the ground, looking like a well-behaved big cat. The young man smiled, his gaze towards the exterior of the endless mountains.. Chapter 91 Translator: 549690339 ¡°So Xue Wuxin really managed to escape and even fled to the border wastelands. Does he think no one would venture into those desolate lands to kill him?¡± ¡°Others might not dare, but I, Xie Lingfeng, do!¡± The middle-aged man said cautiously, ¡°Young Master, don¡¯t forget your vigilance. Xue Wuxin is a grandmaster of the demon cult and his cultivation practice is the legendary ¡®Blood Demon Devil¡¯s Sutra¡¯, which absorbs the essence and blood of people, especially that of martial artists.¡± ¡°He¡¯s residing in the border wasteland where, although the Heavenly Earth Lingji does not exist to further his cultivation, there are still people living, and considering Xue Wuxin¡¯s ruthless nature, he will surely evoke a city massacre as blood sacrifice. ¡°His power, I fear, has not only recovered but might also have become stronger.¡± Xie Lingfeng arrogantly replied, ¡°Hu Shan, you are also a grandmaster, even if Xue Wuxin has grown stronger, we, by combining our forces, can certainly kill him! ¡°Furthermore, even if 1 were alone, I, Xie Lingfeng, alone would be enough to kill him. Have I not killed grandmaster martial artists before?¡± Hu Shan thought for a moment and believed it made sense. The young master was one of the three youngest martial artists at the grandmaster rank in the inner domain and was also highly renowned in martial arts. His strength significantly surpassed ordinary martial artists. Moreover, he was also a martial artist at the grandmaster stage. Even if the young master alone couldn¡¯t kill Xue Wuxin, with his support, Xue Wuxin would surely die. ¡°Hu Shan, it is because there are still people living on the border wastelands that we need to kill Xue Wuxin; otherwise, the wasteland will turn into a purgatory.¡± Xie Lingfeng said seriously. His tone grew cold and somber. ¡°Xue Wuxin has been in the border wasteland for some time now. He might have already committed a massacre.¡± Hu Shan nodded. There were no strong martial artists in the wasteland, but facing Xue Wuxin, even thousands of soldiers would merely be throwing themselves at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we need to hurry to the border wasteland.¡± As he spoke, Xie Lingfeng took to the sky, flying beyond the endless mountains. Hu Shan followed closely. ¡°Young Master, look there, there are people!¡± About half an hour later, Hu Shan suddenly pointed at the area to his left front. Xie Lingfeng looked and saw a group of over three hundred people. They formed a protective circle, warily guarding their surroundings and a young man nestled in its center. The group appeared somewhat ragged. The one being protected in the center was clearly a person of importance. Xie Lingfeng sighed, ¡°Just as I suspected, Xue Wuxin has already committed a massacre. These people were forced to escape into the endless mountains. Given their abilities, even if they did bring bows and crossbows, if they continued deeper in the mountains, they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against ferocious beasts like Red-Eyed Tigers and Fire-Maned Wolves. Their group would be annihilated.¡± Hu Shan nodded. One glance was all he needed to tell that these people had fled into the mountains for refuge. Combined with the fact that Xue Wuxin had fled to the border wasteland, it wasn¡¯t hard to guess that it was his massacre that had forced these people here. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go down and ask!¡± Xie Lingfeng flew towards Qi King and his followers. Qi King and his people searched until they were worn out. They began to rest where they stood. ¡°Where on earth is that high man? Where did Xu Yan met that high man?¡± Qi King was close to giving up. Having always lived a lavish and pampered life, when had he ever endured such hardship? ¡°Your Highness, look, the high man!¡± A eunuch exclaimed excitedly. The Qi King¡¯s spirit was lifted. Looking up he saw two figures in the sky, descending before him. A high man! At that moment, Qi King felt a surge of excitement and his face flushed. His fatigue evaporated. He leaped up in excitement but thinking it might not be appropriate, he kneeled down as soon as he got up. The An Wang of Qi country, pays his respects to the high man!¡± Seeing Qi King kneeling, the rest of the guards were also visibly excited and quickly followed suit. ¡°Paying our respects to the high man!¡± Xie Lingfeng internally lamented this tragedy Xue Wuxin has inflicted that has forced the dignitary of an entire nation to venture into these endless mountains in search for a high man to reform this national crisis. ¡°Rise!¡± Xie Lingfeng spoke in a solemn voice. ¡°Yes, high man!¡± The Qi King stood up, excitedly. He glanced surreptitiously at Xie Lingfeng. Although Xie Lingfeng seemed younger than himself, he absolutely didn¡¯t believe that Xie Lingfeng was actually younger than him. He was a high man, blessed with the artistry of eternal youth, forever appearing young. Xie Lingfeng spoke in a solemn voice, ¡°Your Qi Country, has there been any changes? Is there a great calamity looming?¡± Qi King was taken aback, how did this high man know? That was indeed the case. Ever since Xu Yan¡¯s arrival, Qi Country had undergone major changes and as to whether a great disaster was looming? That too was possible, who knew when Guo Rongshan might plot a rebellion? ¡°Yes, yes, high man, you foresee events like a deity!¡± Qi King answered excitedly. Xie Lingfeng sighed internally. As expected, Xue Wuxin had already begun his massacre and started consuming the essence and blood of others to empower himself. If he hadn¡¯t come, he didn¡¯t dare to imagine how dreadful the situation in the border wasteland would be. Thinking of this, his face twisted in anger, ¡°What insolence! Tell me, how many people have died?¡± How many have died? Qi King was taken aback. He wasn¡¯t quite sure, but it was common knowledge among the court officials in the capital that Xu Yan had routed ten thousand soldiers of the Shenwei Army. However, he didn¡¯t know how many of the Shenwei soldiers had died as a result. ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact number, but I heard that ten thousand of our elite Shenwei Soldiers were routed!¡± The Crown Prince honestly answered. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s murderous intent became more and more intense. Has he already slaughtered ten thousand people? And they were the elites of Qi Country, what about before this? He must have already killed countless people, and even carried out the blood sacrifice of a city, causing Qi Country to dispatch its best troops for extermination. ¡°Tell me, where is he?¡± Xie Lingfeng asked in a deep voice. ¡°Probably in Donghe County?¡± The Crown Prince was not quite sure. However, it seemed that the esteemed one held a grudge against Xu Yan, or Xu Yan¡¯s master? A grudge is good! Only then would he not join forces with Xu Yan. ¡°Esteemed one, please protect my Qi Country¡¯s imperial family. Qi Country is willing to recognize the esteemed one as the National Protector Grandmaster!¡± The Crown Prince bowed and said. ¡°There is no need for a National Protector Grandmaster. I will settle the trouble in your Qi Country.¡± After thinking for a moment, Xie Lingfeng said, ¡°You should follow me back to Qi Country to look for his traces. I will take care of him!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, esteemed one!¡± The Crown Prince was slightly disappointed. However, as long as the esteemed one arrives at the capital of Qi Country, there is still a chance of turning the tables. ¡°Esteemed one, please follow me back to the capital. We will soon know his whereabouts.¡± The Crown Prince ordered his men to prepare immediately for their return to the capital of Qi Country. Xie Lingfeng looked at this group. They were too slow. By the time they returned to the capital of Qi Country, who knew how many people Xu Yan would have killed. To avoid unnecessary delays, Xie Lingfeng directly reached out, grabbed the Crown Prince¡¯s shoulder, and said, ¡°You just need to point the way, follow me.¡± The Crown Prince was a little confused and forced a smile, saying, ¡°Well¡­ Esteemed one, 1 can¡¯t recognise the directions!¡± ¡°But, my companion does recognise the directions!¡± The Crown Prince quickly pointed to his accompanying eunuch. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go together.¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded. Hu Shan grabbed the accompanying eunuch and rose into the air with Xie Lingfeng. ¡°We¡¯re flying!¡± The Crown Prince was extremely excited. He looked down and was so frightened that he shivered. Xu Yan couldn¡¯t even fly. This esteemed one was stronger than Xu Yan. Let¡¯s see how arrogant Xu Yan can be. The glory of the Guo Rongshan family ends here. His father, the Emperor, is old and should retire. Such a useless old man, only knows how to vent his anger on his own son! The Crown Prince thought resentfully. ¡°Point the way.¡± Xie Lingfeng looked at the accompanying eunuch. ¡°Over there! The capital is over there!¡± The voice of the accompanying eunuch trembled with excitement as he pointed in the direction of the capital of Qi Country. At this moment, he really wanted to ask the esteemed one if severed roots could grow back from practicing Martial Arts. But he didn¡¯t have the courage to ask. ¡°Go!¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s inner Martial Arts Qi surged, shielding the Crown Prince as they flew towards the direction of the Qi Country¡¯s capital. Hu Shan took the accompanying eunuch and followed closely behind. The Qi Country¡¯s capital was still bustling as usual. The ministers had no mind to attend court and the common people didn¡¯t care either. As long as the nobles didn¡¯t disturb their lives, it didn¡¯t matter whether they attended court or not. The Qi King proved to be virtuous and wise. Since he took over the government affairs and assisted Emperor Qi, miscellaneous taxes had been reduced and their lives had become better. In the palace, Emperor Qi was entertaining Guo Rongshan. He spoke kindly, addressing him as Brother Guo, while his favorite concubine, Princess Concubine Yun, attended the gathering. Guo Rongshan felt very uncomfortable. Last time, Emperor Qi tried to give him Princess Concubine Yun and it scared him into quickly refusing. What does it mean to have Princess Concubine Yun attend this meeting now? ¡°Brother Guo, I see that you are getting stronger as you grow older. Would you like to accept¡­¡± Emperor Qi said with a hearty laugh. His heart was filled with discontent. Had he become the first emperor to end up in such a state throughout history? Where is the esteemed one? Why hasn¡¯t he been found yet! ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m afraid. My wife is like a tiger, 1 dare not have any thoughts!¡± Guo Rongshan hurriedly tactfully refused. Is Emperor Qi developing some strange fetish? He¡¯s not thinking about giving away concubines again, is he? ¡°Father, the esteemed one is here. I¡¯ve found the esteemed one!¡± Suddenly, an excited voice came from above.. Chapter 92 Translator: 549690339 Emperor Qi and Guo Rongshan looked up at the sound, as four figures descended from the sky. A young man with a treasured sword hanging on his waist, carrying the elder prince, descended from the sky. Another, a middle-aged man, with a similar precious sword on his waist, was accompanied by the prince¡¯s eunuchs. Emperor Qi immediately rejoiced and stood up abruptly. The highly esteemed person he eagerly hoped for had finally arrived. ¡°Greetings, highly esteemed ones!¡± Emperor Qi¡¯s demeanor was very humble, almost moved to tears with excitement. But Guo Rongshan¡¯s heart sank at seeing that this respected person arrived by flying; his own grandson Xu Yan was still unable to fly using the Qi technique. However, his grandson¡¯s master was an unrivaled top-class figure; he should not fall short, right? He too hastily stood up, following suit in a respectful salute. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s gaze was stern, with no unnecessary words, he directly asked: ¡°Where is the one causing the chaos?¡± Emperor Qi was taken aback ¨C who was he referring to by troublemaker? Xu Yan?! Guo Rongshan¡¯s heart trembled, these esteemed people sounded displeased. Could they have any grudge against Xu Yan or his master? A feeling of unease welled up within him. ¡°Guo Rongshan, where is your grandson?¡± Emperor Qi even now stood tall; he had stopped using fraternal address, calling him directly by name. Guo Rongshan pondered for a moment. His grandson was in Donghe County, following his master to practice. If these two martial artists go there, perhaps Xu Yan¡¯s master would be able to handle them. ¡°In Donghe County!¡± He didn¡¯t attempt to deceive them; standing tall, he gave a sidelong glance to Emperor Qi. Emperor Qi¡¯s heart jumped, the situation was still uncertain; what if these renowned individuals failed to win in the end? He immediately tried to charm with his smile: ¡°Brother Guo, since the esteemed ones are looking for your grandson, we dare not conceal anything.¡± Hearing that Xu Yan was in Donghe County, Xie Lingfeng immediately asked: ¡°Which direction is Donghe County?¡± The elder prince with his upright posture spoke: ¡°Esteemed ones, there¡¯s no need for you to go there personally. 1 will send a messenger to call him to the capital to meet you.¡± Having spoken, he gestured towards Guo Rongshan, instructing, ¡°Lord Guo, why don¡¯t you quickly send a message to your grandson, requesting him to come to the capital to meet the esteemed ones?¡± Guo Rongshan narrowed his eyes and glanced at the elder prince ¨C this young chap deserved to be disciplined. The elder prince, feeling a bit intimidated under his gaze, gathered courage thinking of the support from the renowned individuals and glared back hard. Zheng Yuanming wore a confused expression, fixating his puzzled eyes on Guo Rongshan. ¡°Your grandson?¡± Xu Yan was someone¡¯s grandson now? ¡°Yes, indeed. May 1 know the esteemed one¡¯s purpose for seeking my grandson?¡± Guo Rongshan nodded and replied. Xie Lingfeng blinked, feeling that something didn¡¯t quite add up. He turned to Hu Shan, speaking in whispers: ¡°How old is Xu Yan? Could he be from a remote region?¡± Hu Shan was equally puzzled: ¡°Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t be younger than me. As for coming from a remote region to the inner domain, there¡¯s no chance. Dangers abound in the mountains near the boundary, only those with strength beyond the fourth or fifth rank in cultivation can make it.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s going on here?¡± Xie Lingfeng couldn¡¯t believe a martial artist could appear from such a remote place. Hu Shan pondered a while, speculating: ¡°Probably Xu Yan changed his style; on the surface, he is the grandson of this person, but in reality, he might be controlling him in secret, aiding him to control the Qi court, secretly consuming others¡¯ essence, avoiding causing a big disorder.¡± ¡°As a result, dodging our pursuit?¡± ¡°If it were someone else, on reaching this remote area and not finding any massacre, they won¡¯t continue pursuing and return to the inner domain.¡± Hu Shan elaborated his analysis. It made sense to Xie Lingfeng ¨C Xu Yan had paid a significant price in the inner domain, barely managing to escape to this remote place. To evade the pursuit of the inner domain martial artists for now, he had to keep a low profile. While hiding his identity, did he actually condescend to become someone¡¯s grandson? He indeed underestimated Xu Yan¡¯s level of forbearance. Thinking this way, Xie Lingfeng narrowed his eyes, addressing Guo Rongshan: ¡°Send a message to your grandson. Invite him to the capital. Tell him there¡¯s no place to hide.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Without any hesitation, Guo Rongshan nodded in agreement. This matter had exceeded his ability to handle and resolve. To inform his grandson about everything and if it was really impossible to resist, his grandson would have to run! ¡°Your Majesty, 1 request to take my leave!¡± Guo Rongshan bowed to Emperor Qi. ¡°Take care!¡± Emperor Qi was absolutely delighted. As Guo Rongshan left, Emperor Qi immediately ordered a banquet to celebrate the arrival of Xie Lingfeng and his companion. But Xie Lingfeng declined, only seeking to be provided with a quiet place to stay. Emperor Qi readily agreed. He personally escorted Xie Lingfeng to a quiet place within the palace. After returning to his imperial study, his aura had changed, the majesty of an emperor had returned. ¡°Pass my decree; secretly monitor the Qi residence¡¯s activities and prepare to control the military force.¡± Emperor Qi ordered. ¡°Father, let¡¯s simply confiscate the Guo family¡¯s property!¡± The elder prince suggested. ¡°You fool!¡± Emperor Qi glared at his elder son, saying: ¡°The outcome is still uncertain, so why hurry? What if it¡¯s a draw? Or what if we lose? Be composed, don¡¯t rush recklessly!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, father is right!¡± The elder prince gave a remorseful look. Yet, inwardly he was quite displeased with his father. He began pondering ¨C should he try to get in good with the great figures and seek their support to become the Emperor of Qi Country? His father was getting old, becoming rather senile; it was time to dethrone him. In Yunshan County, Li Xuan had been persistently perfecting the technique of cultivation above the Innate Realm. He could establish a smooth connection with the Innate Realm; the power of this realm was still formidable, surpassing the Grandmasters in the inner domain martial arts. But one day, a message was relayed from the capital to Donghe County. Martial Artists had descended on the capital! Xu Yan was ordered to go to the capital to see them! It appeared that the arrivals harbored ill intentions! Chapter 93 Translator: 549690339 The two newcomers descended from the sky, undoubtedly Grandmaster Martial Artists from the Inner Domain. ¡°Master, I am going to the capital to meet the Martial Artists from the Inner Domain!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s face was filled with excitement. ¡°Inner Domain Grandmasters, are you confident?¡± Li Xuan pondered for a moment before asking. Xu Yan has already perfected his blood level, and his Sword Dao insight is clear. His power has improved significantly compared to the past. However, if the two opponents collaborate, Xu Yan might be unable to keep up. Furthermore, even among Grandmasters, there are varying degrees of strength. ¡°Master, rest assured, 1 understand Sword Dao and have already broken through the second level of the Descending Dragon Palm. Grandmasters from the Inner Domain should not be feared. Even if they collaborate, 1 am not afraid!¡± Xu Yan confidently asserted. If you have confidence, then go.¡± Li Xuan nodded his approval. ¡°Do you need me to accompany you?¡± After a brief moment of thought, Li Xuan asked once more. ¡°Master, please stay in Yunshan County to guide my fellow disciples. 1 am more than enough on my own. They came because of Xu Wuxin, and they didn¡¯t give my grandfather¡¯s family a hard time, so they may not have any ill intentions. ¡°I can take this opportunity to refine my Sword Dao through them. Perhaps 1 can comprehend Sword Intent through this.¡± Xu Yan thought for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°If you have such confidence, then go.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Excited, Xu Yan immediately set off on his journey. ¡°Inner Domain Grandmasters, and there¡¯s two of them, are they here to hunt Xu Wuxin? From the communication I received from Guo Rongshan, they seem to harbor ill intentions, but they haven¡¯t hassled the Guo Family. ¡°Also, they do not display arrogant or domineering attitudes. ¡°They are not sadistic individuals, Xu Yan should be fine on this venture. Moreover, with Xu Yan¡¯s current strength, he won¡¯t lose to a Grandmaster.¡± Li Xuan pondered in his heart. ¡°My precious disciple can¡¯t encounter any mishap, 1 should go and take a look.¡± Ultimately, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t rest easy. ¡°Disciple, the key in the Fist of the Wind Thunder King Kong lies in the momentum of wind and thunder. You should meditate and comprehend it more, 1 need to take a trip.¡± After Meng Chong returned, Li Xuan instructed him before soaring into the sky, heading toward the capital of Qi Country. The capital of Qi Country, Guo Family¡¯s residence. ¡°Dad, are those two experts here for Yan¡¯er?¡± Guo Yunkai asked with worry. ¡°This matter is beyond our control, let¡¯s see how Yan¡¯er handles it.¡± Guo Rongshan sighed helplessly. Ever since the experts descended on the capital, all the officials had become excited, eager to show their loyalty to Emperor Qi. Just to see the expert once. The Qi King¡¯s palace was deserted in the blink of an eye. In the eyes of the officials, the palace was doomed. One by one, they distanced themselves, as if the Qi King¡¯s palace was the plague and they were afraid to catch it. Emperor Qi had no interest in dealing with the officials. He visited the expert morning, noon and night, bringing all kinds of precious medicines and rare treasures, sending them to the expert¡¯s residence. Although the expert didn¡¯t accept them, Emperor Qi didn¡¯t take them back either. Eating from someone shortens one¡¯s hand. He was the monarch of a country, showing such respect and enormous amount of treasures, the expert should show some consideration, right? Emperor Qi was quite pleased with himself, just waiting for an opportune time to inquire about the Martial Arts technique. Maybe even get the expert to accept a disciple. The crown prince was also serving the expert diligently each day, hoping to be accepted by the expert as a disciple and learn the powerful Martial Arts technique. ¡°Where¡¯s the person? Is he hiding?¡± Xie Lingfeng was getting impatient. ¡°Rest assured, he is already on his way to the capital.¡± The crown prince reassured him, his face full of flattery. On this day, a shadow dashed toward the royal palace. ¡°Emperor Qi, 1, Xu Yan, have arrived. Where is this so-called expert?¡± Xu Yan had arrived! Just like the last time, he outrageously flew in. His aura oppressed all sides, exuding incomparable dominance. ¡°What is this?¡± The faces of Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan changed. A Martial Artist! Where did this Martial Artist come from? In a flash, both disappeared from their original location, and in the blink of an eye, they were in front of Xu Yan. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes narrowed, indeed it was the Grandmaster Martial Artist. His gaze landed on Xie Lingfeng. His instincts told him that this person was the strongest amongst them, giving off an aura of extreme sharpness. There was a long sword hanging from his waist. A Sword Dao Martial Artist! His eyes brightened instantly. Standing on top of the palace, he rubbed his palms together, filled with anticipation to challenge the Sword Dao Martial Artist from the Inner Domain. This Martial Artist from the inner domain wasn¡¯t much older, probably twenty or so, only about ten years older than himself, right? But his strength was even stronger than Xu Wuxin¡¯s! ¡°Is it you people who are looking for me?¡± Xu Yan asked enthusiastically. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s eyebrows knitted tightly together. The young man in front of him seemed a bit off. He appeared to be a Martial Artist! But his aura differed from a typical Martial Artist; his vital energy was extremely exuberant. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: ¡°You are not Xu Wuxin. Where is Xu Wuxin?¡± Indeed, they had come looking for Xue Wuxin. ¡°Xue Wuxin is already dead!¡± Xu Yan did not hide the truth. ¡°Dead?¡± Xie Lingfeng was taken aback. Even a grandmaster martial artist had died in the border wilderness? ¡°Who killed him?¡± He didn¡¯t believe that the young man in front of him could have killed Xue Wuxin. ¡°My master did!¡± ¡°Who is your master?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know that. Since you¡¯re here looking for me, let¡¯s get started. I¡¯ve been wanting to see the full strength of an Inner Domain grandmaster for myself!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s vitality exploded, his body reverberating with a resounding boom. A red dragon wrapped around him. Xie Lingfeng was greatly surprised. He asked in a deep voice, ¡°Who are you? Did you come from the Inner Domain?¡± Xu Yan stood boldly, saying, ¡°What do you mean ¡®from the Inner Domain¡¯? I am Xu Yan, a citizen of the Eastern River County of Qi Country, I am a man of the border wilderness!¡± ¡°Impossible! Absolutely impossible!¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face was full of disbelief. ¡°The border wilderness could never produce a martial artist!¡± Xu Yan scoffed, ¡°Then what would you consider me, if not a martial?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng was stunned. Indeed, standing right before him was a martial artist from the border wilderness. Hu Shan was also taken aback. He tried to sense the Heavenly Earth Lingji, but he found nothing. This showed that the border wilderness still lacked the Heavenly Earth Lingji! ¡°Stop dawdling, let¡¯s fight!¡± Xu Yan, visibly impatient, pointed at Xie Lingfeng as he spoke. ¡°Alright!¡± Xie Lingfeng took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go outside the city! Xu Yan started to move and darted towards the city outskirts. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan exchanged glances, both seeing disbelief in the other¡¯s eyes. They took to the air and flew towards the city outskirts. The capital was stirring. There was a grand battle between martial artists! People rushed out of the city to watch, but they couldn¡¯t see anyone. Near Qi King¡¯s capital, a dozen miles away. Xie Lingfeng flew through the air, sword in hand. His air was sharp and powerful, making him seem like a sword himself. His aura locked onto Xu Yan from afar. Xu Yan was excited, his blood boiling and body trembling. ¡°I am Xie Lingfeng, the Sword Grandmaster from the Cliff!¡± Xie Lingfeng introduced himself. ¡°From Eastern River County, Xu Yan!¡± Xu Yan returned the greeting. Feeling Xie Lingfeng¡¯s sharp aura, he became increasingly excited. He had just entered the world of Sword Dao, and his heart was clear, but he had yet to comprehend Sword Intent. Maybe this was an opportunity! To fight with a martial artist from the Inner Domain, and understand the highs and lows of the Sword Dao! ¡°Brother Xu!¡± Xie Lingfeng inquired curiously: ¡°May I know, what level are you at?¡± He was unsure about Xu Yan¡¯s level. It was clearly not grandmaster level, but it did not seem like the first-grade level either. How could a first-grade martial artist have such a powerful aura? What surprised him more was the red dragon coiling around Xu Yan. Its overwhelming presence shocked him. He had never seen such a cultivation technique in the Inner Domain. ¡°I¡¯ve just entered the world of Martial Arts, I¡¯m at the stage where I have mastered control over my vitality and blood!¡± Xu Yan replied straightforwardly. ¡°Vitality and Blood stage?¡± Xie Lingfeng was puzzled. What kind of stage was this? Why had he never heard of it? Turning his head to look at Hu Shan behind him, he found the same baffled expression on Hu Shan¡¯s face. Moreover, just entering the world of Martial Arts? ¡°Brother Xu, what is the ¡®Vitality and Blood¡¯ stage? The first step to enter the world of martial arts is reaching the ¡®Ninth Grade¡¯¡­¡± Xu Yan said impatiently: ¡°Less talk, let¡¯s fight first!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s eyes turned cold. Holding out his longsword, he said, ¡°Brother Xu, please make your move!¡± ¡°Then, 1 won¡¯t be courteous!¡± Xu Yan took a step forward, swinging his palm out. With a loud boom! The power of his Descending Dragon Palm coalesced into a giant dragon, charging forward with dreadful momentum. Xie Lingfeng stabbed out with his sword. The Sword Qi at the sword¡¯s tip looked like a flash of lightning, directly hitting the dragon¡¯s head. With a crackling sound, it split the dragon-shaped palm force in two. Xu Yan¡¯s gaze sharpened. Xie Lingfeng was stronger than Xue Wuxin, and by more than just a little. He took a deep breath, with the Descending Dragon Palm Technique, he hurled eighteen gigantic dragons towards Xie Lingfeng. With a loud rumble! Xie Lingfeng was shocked. What kind of palm technique was this? He spun his longsword, creating layers of Sword Qi that enveloped him, blocking the attack. Then, with a swift movement, he hovered in the air. His sword flashed, and like lightning during a thunderstorm, a sharp Sword Qi shot towards Xu Yan¡¯s throat. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes narrowed. In that instant, he saw the weak spot in Xie Lingfeng¡¯s sword strike. But the attack was too fast, and he didn¡¯t have time to aim for it. He quickly used his movement technique and dodged to the side. Xie Lingfeng was surprised again.. What kind of movement technique was that, which could reposition oneself instantly! Chapter 94 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan directed the flight of eighteen giant dragons in an up and down motion, striking Xie Lingfeng from all directions, fully unleashing the furious power of the Descending Dragon Palm. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s gaze grew intense, his aura increasingly fierce. The sword in his hand shone with a brilliant light. In a moment, he thrust out the sword, and the Sword Qi was like a grand river, the sound of rushing water filled the atmosphere. Boom! The Sword Qi swept across the giant dragons, causing roaring sounds and the collapse of the dragons. Although most of the Sword Qi had dissipated, it remained intensely sharp. Whoosh! Xie Lingfeng¡¯s eyes were cold, a surge of Sword Qi wrapped around him, the brilliant light of the sword in his hand fluctuated, and between the ebb and flow of the Sword Qi, it was like the surge of countless rivers. Hu Shan who was watching the battle at a distance was shocked in his heart: ¡°What kind of palm technique is this young man using that even the young master has had to employ the ten-thousand river Swordsmanship?¡± The ten-thousand river Swordsmanship, a single sword stroke as vast as thousands of rivers, it is one of the top Swordsmanship techniques of Sword Master Cliff. It is with this Swordsmanship that Xie Lingfeng was once able to slay a Grandmaster Martial Artist! In the Inner Domain, it is renowned throughout. ¡°This is Swordsmanship!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart tightened. He could feel intense pressure from Xie Lingfeng¡¯s Swordsmanship. The Sword Qi weaved in all directions, layer upon layer, vast and unstoppably crossing, like a series of cascading rivers. There is no evasion, no resistance. The Sword Qi can either be relentlessly fierce or gentle as water, yet there is no gap it cannot penetrate! Every strike of the Descending Dragon Palm felt as if it was falling into a river, making it increasingly heavy and strenuous! Dragons should control the water. Now they are trapped in the water, showcasing the extraordinary aspect of this Swordsmanship. However, Xu Yan also understood that when he was at the realm of blood Qi, he was not able to bring out the true power of the Descending Dragon Palm, hence why he was trapped in the long river. He felt no disheartenment, instead, he was more excited than ever. Right now, his mind was clear, and the image of Xie Lingfeng¡¯s Swordsmanship technique appeared in his mind. ¡°This is, the weakness!¡± Boom! A giant dragon broke through a Sword Qi and launched an attack at Xie Lingfeng. ¡°This is, the point of sharpness. Dodge it!¡± A giant dragon suddenly dived upwards, avoiding a Sword Qi, then immediately dived down, destroying another Sword Qi. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s gaze was heavy, the Ten-Thousand River Swordsmanship was continuously executed. The Sword Qi transformed into tens of thousands of rivers, blocking Xu Yan from all sides, making the Sword Qi increasingly denser and fiercer. Li Xuan, not too far away, silently watched the battle between Xu Yan and Xie Lingfeng. At this moment, with his sword heart clear and complete, he had completely understood the Ten-Thousand River Swordsmanship. In his mind, he built, based on the foundation of the Ten-Thousand River Swordsmanship, a stronger version of the Ten-Thousand River Swordsmanship. This is the strength of having a clear Sword Heart. The enemy¡¯s Swordsmanship is my Swordsmanship, the enemy¡¯s sword play is my sword play, improving on the strengths and discarding the weaknesses, the Swordsmanship is on a higher level. His cultivation realm is higher, so he was able to see the Ten-Thousand River Swordsmanship clearly in such a short period of time, improving on its shortcomings. But Xu Yan, after all, is of lower realm, just entering the realm of Sword Heart Clarity, although he recognized the weaknesses and sharp points of the Swordsmanship, he is not able to fully grasp it all at once. After all, this is his first time executing Sword Heart Clarity, it is normal to be a little stiff, he will become proficient later. The battle continued, the Sword Qi transformed into long rivers, crisscrossing each other, and the eighteen giant dragons were rolling in the intertwined Sword Qi. However, the space for their attack was getting smaller and smaller. If it continues like this, the result is already set. But Li Xuan knew that this was just Xu Yan learning the Ten-Thousand River Swordsmanship. He hadn¡¯t taken out his sword yet! Xie Lingfeng was also amazed at Xu Yan¡¯s strength, at the borderland, there was such a young Martial Artist, it¡¯s truly beyond belief. And what he said about the entry level of Martial Arts, what is the realm of blood Qi? He had many questions in his heart. ¡°Is he just entering the realm of Martial Arts? No! Absolutely impossible!¡± How can one who¡¯s just entered the realm of Martial Arts have such powerful strength? Hu Shan was watching the battle from a distance, at this moment, as the Ten-Thousand River Swordsmanship unfolded, there was only one scene in the battlefield, the Sword Qi was like a rushing river, and the powerful giant dragons¡¯ attack range was getting smaller. In not much longer, they would be crushed by the Ten-Thousand River Sword Qi. ¡°Being able to fight with the young master to this extent, he is truly a heaven-born genius!¡± Hu Shan couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. Xu Yan¡¯s blood Qi was surging, at this moment, he thrust out a palm, and the eighteen giant dragons unexpectedly merged into one, transforming into an even more massive and solid giant dragon! Boom! The giant dragon burst out, its power was astounding, bold and ferocious, it directly shattered the crisscrossing Sword Qi, creating a wide opening. Xu Yan moved a step forward, his palms struck out, and at this moment, his surging blood Qi produced a giant dragon with each palm strike. No fancy tricks, only direct brute force. The utterly forceful and fiery power of the Descending Dragon Palm shifted to its utmost, and as Xu Yan drove the Descending Dragon Palm to the peak of blood Qi stage, a surge of blood Qi rose above his head. With the utterly forceful and fiery Palm techniques, directly clashed with the Ten-Thousand River Sword Qi. ¡°The power of Descending Dragon Palm, aside from its flexible variations, its core lies in its utter strength, utterly hot and forceful, only then can it possess the power to descend dragons!¡± Xu Yan had a sudden insight. Xie Lingfeng was taken aback, he quietly exclaimed to himself, what a domineering Palm Technique! As Xu Yan withstood the Ten-Thousand River Sword Qi with the utterly hot and forceful palm force of Descending Dragon Palm, the originally compressed space began to expand continually. One after another, the Ten-Thousand River Sword Qi started to collapse. Xie Lingfeng took a deep breath, his gaze grew more serious, and as he moved his body, the Ten-Thousand River Swordsmanship was continually executed. The Ten-Thousand River Sword Qi intensified significantly, layered upon layer, to the point that it eventually echoed with the sound of flowing river water.. Chapter 95 Translator: 549690339 It was as if thousands of rivers were surging, rushing by and transforming the battlefield into the domain of water. Xu Yan¡¯s gaze became focused. As the vital energy in his body circulated, he stomped out with one palm fiercely. As this palm strike was issued, a whistling sound rose along with the force of palm power, resonating like a dragon¡¯s roar. In the blink of an eye, the sound of thousands of rivers rushing in the battlefield became louder and louder, until finally, they sounded like a cascading waterfall, producing an earth-shattering rumble. Hu Shan, who was watching the battle, had a solemn expression. A look of awe flashed in his eyes, as the young master was forced to use the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship to its limit! Even in the Inner Domain, the Grandmasters who could force the young master to display the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship to its utmost limit were only those old, prestigious Grandmasters. Could this young man¡¯s strength truly compare to those seasoned Grandmasters? In the thunderous sound of the cascading waterfall, the whistling sound still managed to pierce through, akin to a series of enraged roars. Suddenly, eighteen huge dragons swept out once again. Boom! The layers of Thousand Rivers Sword Qi collapsed one by one, and the eighteen huge dragons also shattered constantly. Xu Yan has mastered the second level of the Descending Dragon Palm! Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but admire. Every time Xu Yan engaged in an intense battle, he would gain something, he would have a revelation. Indeed, he¡¯s the pioneer of my Martial Arts path. ¡°Your apprentice Xu Yan, has mastered the second level of the Descending Dragon Palm, you have perfected the second level.¡± The feedback from the Golden Finger arrived. Li Xuan continued watching the battle in the field, as the outcome was still undetermined. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s strength, it must be said, was much stronger than that of Wu Xin. His Swordsmanship was also extremely powerful. He was a Martial Arts prodigy, and his talent for the Sword Dao was especially exceptional. But ultimately, he did not fully understand the way of the sword, he did not step into the Doorway of the Sword Dao. At this moment, Xie Lingfeng¡¯s gaze became sharp, and a ray of sword light shot out from his hand. The sword was like a flying rainbow, swift like lightning! In that instant, the sword glare was already dangerously close to Xu Yan¡¯s throat. ¡°Flying Rainbow Swordsmanship! The young master is actually forced to use the Flying Rainbow Swordsmanship!¡± Hu Shan was shocked. One of the three unrivalled swordsmanship techniques of Sword Master Cliff. Xu Yan¡¯s gaze focused and his figure abruptly drifted to the side, as light as a feather but incredibly fast. Shh! He was fast, but Xie Lingfeng¡¯s sword was faster, yet another Flying Rainbow Sword light came stabbing. Shifting matter, changing position! Xu Yan instantly changed his position, yet despite this, his sleeve was still slashed open a bit! Hum! The third sword light was following closely. Even with Xu Yan¡¯s clear understanding of the Sword Dao, although he could see the weakness of this sword, the fleeting opportunity was simply not enough to grasp. ¡°This Swordsmanship technique must be of a high level!¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. He once again shifted and changed his position, avoiding this sword. Immediately after, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword by his waist. Hum! The sword is out of its sheath! Xie Lingfeng paused his hand, did not continue attacking, but said, ¡°You are also a Martial Artist of the Sword Dao? Then let me see, how your Sword Dao is like!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you!¡± Xu Yan replied with a brilliant smile. He intended to use the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship to exchange blows with the opponent. Xie Lingfeng moved, the sword light flashed, in an instant, the sword glare was already close to Xu Yan. Just then. A wave of Sword Qi swept out, like a vast river, a loud rumbling noise sounded, the sword light seemed to have plunged into the vast river, disappearing without a trace. Xie Lingfeng was taken aback. The Swordsmanship Xu Yan used, seemed somewhat familiar! A ridiculous thought arose in his mind, only to be squashed immediately. ¡°Impossible!¡± Immediately, he used the Flying Rainbow Swordsmanship, the sword light moved fleetingly, like a flying rainbow piercing the sky. With a sword strike from Xu Yan, the Thousand Rivers roared with might and the Sword Qi crisscrossed, colliding with the Flying Rainbow Sword light constantly! Hu Shan, who was watching the battle from afar, had widened his eyes with a face full of horror. ¡°The Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship? Impossible!¡± This was one of the top-ranked Swordsmanship techniques of Sword Master Cliff, how could he know it? No, something¡¯s wrong, it seems slightly different from the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship?¡± The more Hu Shan watched, the more his scalp tingled. This Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship, looked identical to that of Sword Master Cliff, however, some of the sword movements were different, what was more frightening was that the Thousand Rivers Sword Qi was more continuous, had more of the grandiosity of the rushing river, and possessed more of the gentleness of flowing water. Was it like an advanced version of the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship? Xie Lingfeng was not just surprised, but trembling through and through. This was the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship! No one understood the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship better than him, even though some of the sword movements that Xu Yan used were different from his, it was exactly for that reason, he was trembling. Those moves, he vaguely felt, were the shortcomings of the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship. They failed to display the momentum of the rushing river. Now, Xu Yan was exhibiting it, stronger than him, exhibiting a raging river-like Sword Dao, perfectly flawless, without any weaknesses. His Flying Rainbow Swordsmanship felt somewhat stifled within it. ¡°Ten Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship! How do you know my Sword Cliff¡¯s Ten Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship?¡± Xie Lingfeng exclaimed in shock. Xu Yan raised an eyebrow and replied, ¡°You just taught me.¡± What? Xie Lingfeng was stunned, then overwhelmed by shock. ¡°You¡­ you learned it while we were fighting just now?¡± How the hell is that possible! Even he, Xie Lingfeng, hailed as the first prodigy of Sword Dao in a thousand years from Sword Cliff, couldn¡¯t do it! ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Xu Yan wore a puzzled expression and said, ¡°Once I¡¯ve grasped Sword Dao, isn¡¯t it natural to freely understand and utilize someone else¡¯s swordsmanship?¡± ¡°Or could it be that you haven¡¯t grasped Sword Dao yet?¡± Grasping Sword Dao allows you to understand and utilize someone else¡¯s swordsmanship? Which of the Sword Cliff martial artists hasn¡¯t grasped Sword Dao, and who can freely understand and utilize someone else¡¯s swordsmanship? Xie Lingfeng¡¯s mind was overwhelmed with confusion. ¡°Are you sure that once you have grasped Sword Dao, you can freely understand and utilize someone¡¯s swordsmanship?¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face betrayed disbelief. It felt like the other party was insulting his intelligence! Even a grandmaster of Sword Dao couldn¡¯t do it, not to mention an initiate! ¡°Of course!¡± Xu Yan affirmed confidently, then looked at Xie Lingfeng skeptically, ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have not grasped Sword Dao yet, can you?¡± This man¡¯s swordsmanship was formidable and ruthless. Defeating him would not be easy. ¡°Bullshit!¡± Xie Lingfeng was furious, stating, ¡°I, Xie Lingfeng, started studying Sword Dao when I was just six years old!¡± Really?¡± ¡°Absolutely true!¡± Xie Lingfeng responded through gritted teeth. Xu Yan launched an attack. His sword light was as swift as a rainbow and as fast as lightning, reaching Xie Lingfeng¡¯s chest in an instant. Xie Lingfeng was taken aback and hastily dodged. Whoosh! His clothes were slashed open! Yet, at this moment, he didn¡¯t worry about his torn clothes, his face filled with horror. Flying Rainbow Swordsmanship! This was a move he had previously used! Xu Yan attacked again with another move from the Flying Rainbow Swordsmanship. Xie Lingfeng blocked with his sword in confusion. Couldn¡¯t believe it, the unprecedented Flying Rainbow Swordsmanship of Sword Cliff, he learned it just by watching once? No! It¡¯s impossible! ¡°How did you¡­ practice the Flying Rainbow Swordsmanship?!¡± Again Xu Yan attacked with the same move and said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t this what you just used? I have told you, an individual who has grasped Sword Dao sees through all swordsmanship and can freely utilize it.¡± He then shook his head regrettably and said, ¡°Turns out you haven¡¯t grasped Sword Dao. 1 was hoping to have a worthy sparring opponent.¡± Xie Lingfeng was furious. He was considered the prodigy of Sword Dao for a millennium by Sword Cliff and grasped Sword Dao since the age of six. But this man dared to insult him like this! ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Xu Yan raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Well, let me demonstrate a few sword moves. You watch and see if you can incorporate them.¡± With that, he thrust his sword forward. A slash echoed as a sword light, unrivaled and mighty, split the sky in the place where he stood. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s heart jumped and he hurriedly blocked with his sword. But Xu Yan was already attacking again, unleashing a series of rapid, ferocious, and unrivaled sword moves. ¡°What kind of swordsmanship is this? It¡¯s no inferior to Ten Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship!¡± Xie Lingfeng was taken aback. ¡°Have you learned it yet?¡¯ Xu Yan asked. Xie Lingfeng clenched his teeth in anger and retorted, ¡°You¡¯re mocking me. Who could learn the enemy¡¯s swordsmanship and sword moves in battle?¡± Even the most genius of geniuses couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°An individual who has grasped Sword Dao can do it. That¡¯s why a Sword Dao warrior¡¯s battle is never about swordsmanship, but Sword Dao,¡± Xu Yan said matter-of-factly. ¡°Nonsense!¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s anger made his face turn red. Xu Yan sheathed his sword and backed away, a disappointed look on his face. ¡°I see now. You haven¡¯t really grasped Sword Dao. You just don¡¯t even realize it. You think you have, when you actually haven¡¯t. It¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°Your limited vision hinders your understanding!¡± Xie Lingfeng was livid to the point of eruption. This was the third constant insult! It was too much! ¡°I, Xie Lingfeng, today, I will make you¡­¡± Before he could finish, Xu Yan interrupted him, ¡°You don¡¯t even know what Sword Heart Illumination is, do you?¡± What?! Xie Lingfeng was completely dumbfounded.. What did this man just say about illumination? Chapter 96 Translator: 549690339 ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xie Lingfeng took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging heart. ¡°Clear Mind in Sword Heart, the essence of Sword Dao. Only with a clear mind can one step into Sword Dao, don¡¯t you know?¡± Xu Yan asked, puzzled. ¡°???¡± Xie Lingfeng looked perplexed. Clear Mind in Sword Heart? He had never heard of it! He turned to look at Hu Shan, who was watching the fight from a distance. Hu Shan was equally bewildered, shaking his head to indicate that he too had never heard of it. ¡°Are you making up a name to deceive me? Do you think I, Xie Lingfeng, would fall for it?¡± Xie Lingfeng drew a deep breath, glaring at Xu Yan. He kept telling himself: ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled, this is a lie, he¡¯s deceiving me!¡± Xu Yan looked as if he had expected this reaction, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t even know the Clear Mind in Sword Heart, yet you claim to have entered the gate of Sword Dao?¡± More than ever, he became certain that the Inner Realm Martial Arts were false martial arts, the real martial arts were the ones taught by his master! ¡°Ha! Why don¡¯t you explain what this Clear Mind in Sword Heart is?¡± Xie Lingfeng sneered. He wasn¡¯t going to fall for it! ¡°Those who have Clear Mind in Sword Heart have a clear mind in Sword Dao. They can see through swordsmanship and sword skills at a glance and use them at will. ¡°Only Clear Mind in Sword Heart can lead one into Sword Dao. ¡°This is the foundation of Sword Dao!¡± Xu Yan thought with pity that Xie Lingfeng didn¡¯t even know about the Clear Mind in Sword Heart. Despite having not yet entered the gate of Sword Dao, he mistakenly believed that he was a Sword Dao Martial Artist. ¡°Nonsense! How can there be someone with Clear Mind in Sword Heart in this world?¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s mind was in a whirl, but he was convinced Xu Yan was lying to him! If someone had Clear Mind in Sword Heart, wouldn¡¯t that make swordsmanship skills easy to learn? Where would the challenge be then? ¡°I have Clear Mind in Sword Heart, that¡¯s why 1 can see through your sword play and use it as I wish!¡± Xu Yan said arrogantly. ¡°No! That¡¯s impossible!¡± Xie Lingfeng gritted his teeth and said: ¡°Stop tricking me, you must have learned my ¡®Sword Zun Cliff¡¯ swordsmanship elsewhere!¡± ¡°I only study Sword Dao, not swordsmanship. As for your Sword Zun Cliff swordsmanship, 1 look down on it. If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s continue our duel!¡± Xu Yan raised his sword, indicating Xie Lingfeng could make his move. Xie Lingfeng gritted his teeth, but he didn¡¯t make a move. At this moment, he discovered that he didn¡¯t have the courage to draw his sword! As soon as he made a move, his sword skills would be used by the opponent the next moment. How could he fight this way? Hu Shan, who was watching from a distance, became worried and ran over, saying: ¡°Young Master, don¡¯t let him confuse you and shake your confidence!¡± Xie Lingfeng gritted his teeth and said: ¡°But his sword skills¡­¡± ¡°He definitely stole them. 1¡¯11 deal with him!¡± Hu Shan said with a grim expression. He drew his longsword and turned to Xu Yan: ¡°Let¡¯s see how you ¡®borrow¡¯ my sword skills for your own use!¡± Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, saying, ¡°Go ahead!¡± ¡°Take this! Let¡¯s see how you ¡®borrow¡¯ my sword tricks!¡± Hu Shan sneered, his longsword sweeping out like a violent gale. Xie Lingfeng took a deep breath, watching the battle with a serious expression, and thought to himself: ¡°Did he also learn Hu Shan¡¯s Gale Swordsmanship? When were the Sword Zun Cliff¡¯s swordsmanship skills leaked? ¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s impossible, top swordsmanship is not available for ordinary disciples to practice, and among the three top-level swordsmanships, not all core disciples qualify to practice them.¡± Xie Lingfeng was haunted by an absurd thought. That was, Xu Yan¡¯s words might be true! He had Clear Mind in Sword Heart, and he could understand the swordsmanship at a glance, and use whatever he wanted at will. When he thought of this possibility, he felt a bit bewildered. How could he, who was hailed as the first Sword Dao genius of Sword Zun Cliff in a millennium, not even have entered the gate of Sword Dao? He found it hard to accept! Hu Shan sneered in his heart, thinking how ridiculous the idea of Clear Mind in Sword Heart was! This guy must have stolen Sword Zun Cliff¡¯s swordsmanship through some means or channels. Unleashing his Gale Swordsmanship, Hu Shan launched continuous fierce attacks. Suddenly, Xu Yan drew his sword. His sword was like a gale, and it was Hu Shan¡¯s Gale Swordsmanship. Hu Shan¡¯s face displayed a cold smirk, but he didn¡¯t seem surprised. Suddenly, he changed his moves! Hiding behind the gale work sword qi, a ray of sword light whipped out, following by the second and the third¡­ The ground-hugging sword light, concealed by the gale work sword qi, exploded all of a sudden. This was his unique kill move, created to kill enemies! It didn¡¯t belong to Sword Zun Cliff. Over the years, through numerous death battles, he created this ground-hugging sword light move and achieved ultimate victories! Under the cover of the Gale Sword Qi, it produced an unexpected effect. Anyone who had seen his ground-hugging sword light was dead! No one knew that he had such a hidden kill move! Xie Lingfeng, who was watching the duel, was impressive. Hu Shan actually had such a hidden move. This was not Sword Zun Cliff¡¯s swordsmanship. Let¡¯s see how the opponent borrowed it for his own use! Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, pointed his sword and swiftly moved his figure to dodge. Then he waved his sword, and among the Gale Sword Qi, one after another ground-hugging sword light launched. It was stronger, faster, and more exquisite than Hu Shan¡¯s! At this moment, Hu Shan had not noticed the ground-hugging sword light launched by Xu Yan. Xie Lingfeng, who was watching the battle, his pupils contracted and his heart was hit by a storm. Isn¡¯t this the kill move used by Hu Shan? Does Clear Mind in Sword Heart really exist?! ¡°Careful!¡± Xie Lingfeng hastily drew his sword, rainbow-like sword light burst out, making a sharp whooshing sound, blocking Xu Yan¡¯s ground-hugging sword light. Despite this, there was still a sword of light that burst out from the ground, shearing off a few strands of Hu Shan¡¯s hair and leaving a shallow sword mark on his cheek! Chapter 97 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan sheathed his sword, standing proud. Hu Shan¡¯s lips quivered, his face horribly pale, eyes wide in disbelief. This was his original creation! He just used it, and it was immediately stolen by the opponent? And used better, stronger than him! Is this some kind of demon? With such an ability, who among the world¡¯s swordsmen and martial artists can stand against him? Who could possibly cross swords with him? Unless, with a higher realm, he crushes with absolute power. Otherwise, within the same realm, he is invincible! No! He could even cross realms to fight! At this moment, he had to believe what Xu Yan said was true. He learned the swordsmanship on the spot and used it as he pleased. Xie Lingfeng was somewhat dispirited! This battle had impacted him greatly, he began to question his life. His confidence in his gift for sword Dao began to waver! After a while, he managed to calm his mind slightly, sheathed his sword, took a deep breath and bowed, ¡°Brother Xu, I admit defeat!¡± Although, he hadn¡¯t really lost yet. However, Xie Lingfeng knew he could not win. His swordsmanship was completely understood by the opponent, and he could only remain undefeated by relying on a stronger realm. ¡°You haven¡¯t lost, I haven¡¯t defeated you yet!¡± Xu Yan thought about it and said honestly. Xie Lingfeng was strong, his swordsmanship was proficient, all he lacked was a clear understanding of the sword. Although he could see through Xie Lingfeng¡¯s weak swordsmanship, with his current strength, he couldn¡¯t guarantee that he would seize the fleeting opportunity. In addition, Xie Lingfeng was remarkable at adapting to changes, and even if he seized the weak points to counterattack, it might not necessarily result in his defeat. However, if the battle really continued, Xu Yan felt that he could win. But the opponent was already dispirited, so it would be better to leave some room for maneuver. Xie Lingfeng gave a bitter smile. His swordsmanship was completely understood by the opponent. It was absolutely impossible for him to win. He could only be defeated. It was only a matter of time. Xu Yan was just comforting him. After a long silence, Xie Lingfeng said, ¡°1 started learning the sword at the age of six, and after twenty years, 1 became the youngest Grandmaster martial artist on Sword Sovereign Cliff in a thousand years. ¡°Throughout the Inner Domain, 1 believed there was no one of my generation who could defeat me. Today, after a battle with Brother Xu, 1 realized that there are people beyond people. ¡°However, 1 have many doubts in my heart, I wonder if Brother Xu can enlighten me.¡± Xu Yan considered it. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s attitude was decent, he was not arrogant, and Xu Yan also wanted to learn about the Inner Domain from Xie Lingfeng to prepare for his future visit. So he nodded and said, ¡°Sure!¡± Xie Lingfeng stared at Xu Yan and asked, ¡°Brother Xu, are you a Border Desolate native?¡± Xu Yan chuckled, saying, ¡°1 know what you want to ask, and I¡¯m not afraid to tell you, I am the Border Desolate person you speak of. ¡°You definitely want to ask, how did 1 become a martial artist? ¡°In the Border Desolate, there is no Heavenly Earth Lingji, and thus, cultivation into a martial artist should be impossible, right?¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded, saying, ¡°Exactly!¡± He was genuinely stunned. A martial artist from the Border Desolate, and so strong at that. ¡°The true martial arts don¡¯t concern themselves with the world they are in. Even if the world lacks the Lingji, by using oneself as a bridge, one can still connect with Heaven and Earth, and become a martial artist¡­¡± Xu Yan said solemnly. ¡°True martial arts?¡± Xie Lingfeng furrowed his brows, what is true martial arts? Could it be that what he had been cultivating was false martial arts? An absurd thought welled up in his heart. ¡°Yes, the true Martial Arts, and what you in the Inner Domain practice is actually pseudo martial arts!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Impossible! Absolutely impossible, nonsense!¡± Hu Shan jumped up and shouted. What nonsense! The Inner Domain cultivates pseudo martial arts? The Border Desolate practices the true martial arts? The greatest fallacy under the sky! ¡°I know it¡¯s hard for you to accept, but this is the truth!¡± Xu Yan wasn¡¯t surprised by their reaction. Anyone who has been cultivating for most of their life, suddenly being told that what they have been cultivating is false, who would accept that! Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face grew solemn, and he said in a deep voice, ¡°Brother Xu, what makes you say this? My martial arts, could they possibly be false martial arts? No more than there being some differences between the two, it¡¯s not a matter of true or false, right?¡± If the martial arts he cultivated were false, wouldn¡¯t the legacy of the Sword Master Cliff also be false martial arts? Is all of the martial arts in the Inner Realm fake? He simply couldn¡¯t accept such a conclusion. Once it spreads, how many martial artists will rage, how many faction legacies will be filled with murderous intent, this would shake the foundation of the martial arts in the Inner Realm. ¡°Come, come, come, let¡¯s discuss martial arts. Clarity will make you understand why it¡¯s considered false martial arts!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s spirit revived, his face filled with excitement. Discuss martial arts! Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were energized. Discuss martial arts! ¡°Alright!¡± Xie Lingfeng sat down cross-legged. ¡°Should 1 start, or will you?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s face was filled with excitement. Finally, someone could discuss martial arts with him. He wanted to tell Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan what real martial arts were like. H 1¡¯11 go first.¡± Xie Lingfeng started to speak. ¡°Good, please proceed!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Martial arts begins from the Ninth Grade¡­ a First Grade, is already a martial arts master. Breaking through the First Grade shackles, drawing nature¡¯s spiritual energy into the body, condensing the martial arts Inner Qi, means one becomes a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster. This is a strong practitioner within martial arts, and above the Qi Cultivation Grandmaster, is the Qi Cultivation Great Grandmaster¡­ ¡°A Qi Cultivation Great Grandmaster¡¯s Inner Qi flows like rivers, circulating throughout the body like blood¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng started from the beginning of martial arts, the Ninth Grade stage, and all the way up to the Qi Cultivation Great Grandmaster stage. This was the martial art of the Inner Realm. Xu Yan listened with fascination. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s explanation was more detailed and complete than the one given by the Bloodless Heart, giving him a true understanding of the Inner Realm martial art. The Inner Realm martial arts was not without its merits. However, Xu Yan remained adamant in his belief that the Inner Realm martial arts were false. His conviction only strengthened. Li Xuan, who had been watching quietly, couldn¡¯t help but sigh after listening to Xie Lingfeng¡¯s explanation: ¡°The martial arts of the Inner Realm is indeed very strong, but it¡¯s ultimately not as good as the martial arts 1 created. If my martial arts were more widely practiced, once it spreads, 1 fear it would have a significant impact on the Inner Realm martial arts.¡± All martial artists yearn for power. They all want to cultivate more powerful techniques, and the martial arts he created was stronger than those in the Inner Realm. Once spread, the Inner Realm martial arts would gradually be abandoned. And those martial arts forces with long-standing legacies, certainly would not accept this easily. Moreover, with the huge number of believers in the Inner Realm martial arts, this would inevitably trigger a vigorous dispute over the truth and falsehood of martial arts. Of course, the premise of all this was that he¡¯d spread his martial art, and it had gained some scale and attention. There would be no danger for Xu Yan on this journey. Xie Lingfeng and the others did not act arrogantly for coming from the Inner Realm, so Li Xuan didn¡¯t stay on. The final result of the martial arts discussion, he could predict. ¡°Brother Xu, it¡¯s your turn!¡± After Xie Lingfeng finished speaking, he seriously turned his gaze at Xu Yan. ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Yan nodded, and began to speak, ¡°To practice martial arts, you first need to have a solid foundation. This foundation begins from refining the skin¡­ the one who temper into golden bones is the pride of the ancient times. Once golden bones are formed, even if they are buried underground for ten thousand years after death, they will remain golden and brilliant, and their hardness surpasses steel¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Xie Lingfeng interrupted. His brain was buzzing at that moment. The foundation of martial arts is refining the skin? Mastering skin refining makes it hard for common blades or swords to harm you? Then refining bones, and even dividing it into iron bones, copper bones, and golden bones? After refining into golden bones, even if you die and are buried underground for ten thousand years, the bones will still be golden and brilliant, and even harder than steel? This sounded very mystical, and surreal. He felt his head buzzing, and even a bit burning, as if his brain was on fire. ¡°You said, golden bones buried in the ground, are still brilliant golden after ten thousand years?¡± Is this the basic stage of martial arts? ¡°Yes!¡± Xu Yan nodded, ¡°Only with a solid foundation can we get to the core of martial arts. Above golden bones are jade bones, which are flawless and ever enduring!¡± Xie Lingfeng scratched his head, he felt his brain burning, under extreme shock. Is martial arts like this? So mystical? Is what 1 practiced really false martial arts? ¡°Brother Xie, are you alright?¡± Xu Yan looked at Xie Lingfeng, whose hair was disheveled, his face flushed, and his entire being seemed off. ¡°The blow of learning that what he has been practicing is false martial arts is too great. Sigh, 1 shouldn¡¯t have been so blunt with him.¡± Xu Yan sighed in his heart.. Chapter 98 Thunder Vajra_i Translator: 549690339 Xie Lingfeng took several deep breaths to calm himself, saying in a deep voice, ¡°Brother Xu, continue!¡± ¡°Are you sure you want me to continue?¡± Xu Yan hesitated. ¡°Continue!¡± Xie Lingfeng gritted his teeth. ¡°Alright.¡± Xu Yan nodded and continued, ¡°After the Bone Refinement stage is the Organ Refinement stage¡­ Thunder resonates in tendons and bones, and Qi courses through the blood, marking the entry to Martial Arts. I have already reached the peak of Qi and blood circulation!¡± When Xu Yan had finished speaking, Xie Lingfeng felt as if his head was going to explode. He heard a buzzing sound and felt as if his head was on fire. It was as if his mind was ablaze! He was gasping for breath, his eyes gradually becoming dull, and he started questioning his entire existence. He had started practicing Martial Arts when he was six, and had entered the door to Sword Dao when he was six¡­ Everyone praised him as the Sword Prodigy, the foremost Sword Dao genius of the last thousand years. He also thought so. In the Inner Domain, there were few who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. And in terms of Sword Dao, he was the best of his generation. But upon arriving in this frontier, it was as if he had uncovered a cruel truth he hadn¡¯t even entered the door to Sword Dao. What¡¯s more, the Martial Arts that he had been training was nothing but a sham! Hu Shan was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot, gritting his teeth and growling, ¡°Stop spouting nonsense, my Sword Prodigy lineage couldn¡¯t possibly be based on sham Martial Arts!¡± Xu Yan showed no anger, but rather a gaze filled with pity. It truly was pitiful to have cultivated for the most of one¡¯s life, only to discover that one had been practicing a sham version of Martial Arts. It was understandable to find it hard to accept. He couldn¡¯t help but reflect on himself: ¡°Was I too blunt?¡± His mouth asked: ¡°Let me ask you: My Qi and blood have reached perfection, but I have only just entered the realm of Martial Arts. In contrast, you¡¯ve reached the realm of Grandmaster, the epitome of Martial Arts, but your strength is inferior to mine. ¡°Isn¡¯t the distinction between real and sham Martial Arts clear enough?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Hu Shan couldn¡¯t find his words. Here was someone who had just entered Martial Arts, whereas someone else had already peaked in Martial Arts. The result was that the beginner was stronger. This made it very clear who was training in the real style and who was learning the false one. Xie Lingfeng rose to his feet in a dazed and listless manner, saying, ¡°Brother Xu, thank you for your enlightenment. I need some time to contemplate. I will visit you another day to express my gratitude!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Brother Xie. Go ahead!¡± Xu Yan revealed a bright smile. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan took to the air and headed back to the Imperial City of the Qi Country. Their journey to this frontier was initially meant to kill the heartless Blood-No-Heart, but it turned out that he was already dead. Unexpectedly, there were Martial Artists in this desolate place. But the result of their combat led to the shocking revelation that they had been training in a sham form of Martial Arts? Their worldview on Martial Arts has collapsed! The Imperial City was bustling with activity. Emperor Qi and his ministers were waiting for the result of the battle. Finally, two figures returned. They headed straight back to their residence in the palace. Emperor Qi was delighted, ¡°Quick, prepare a generous gift to thank the high-ranking individual!¡± He provocatively glared at Guo Rongshan, as if saying ¡°just wait and see!¡± Guo Rongshan felt a sinking sensation in his heart. As soon as Emperor Qi left, the officials dispersed like they were avoiding the plague, staying far away from Guo Rongshan and his son. They followed closely behind Emperor Qi, shouting praises of his wisdom and bravery. ¡°Father!¡± Guo Yunkai looked worried. ¡°Yan¡¯er is back!¡± Guo Rongshan suddenly spoke, his body relaxing. Xu Yan was flying over. ¡°Yan¡¯er, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re ok. What was the outcome?¡± Guo Rongshan let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. The Martial Arts practiced by Xie Lingfeng and his ilk are nothing more than a sham. They¡¯re not a threat. He has already realized his shortcomings!¡± Xu Yan said with a smile. Guo Rongshan paused, looked back towards the palace, squinted his eyes. ¡°Yunkai, send out an order for a grand court assembly to be held tomorrow!¡± ¡°Understood, Father!¡± Guo Yunkai was also overjoyed. Xu Yan was victorious! At a separate palace, where Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan resided, after they returned, they sat on the stone stools, staring blankly, their bodies feeling numb. Xu Yan¡¯s discussion on Martial Arts had dealt a huge blow to them. Their worldview on Martial Arts had collapsed, and they started questioning their existences. Especially Xie Lingfeng, who was constantly replaying Xu Yan¡¯s discussion on Martial Arts in his head. The more he thought about it, the more peculiar it seemed, as if it wasn¡¯t real. His brain felt burnt out, but he still couldn¡¯t understand how such an incomprehensible form of Martial Arts was cultivated. ¡°Honored guests, honored guests, did you bring Xu Yan¡¯s head back?¡± Emperor Qi excitedly ran over. The Crown Prince followed behind him. As for the Third Prince, he was already being neglected. ¡°Honored guests?¡± Emperor Qi looked puzzled. Why did his revered guests seem a bit¡­ off? They didn¡¯t even react when he approached them. ¡°Honored guests? Both of you?¡± Extended his hand and waved it in front of Xie Lingfeng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Get out of my sight!¡± Finally, one of the respected guests reacted, but it was to seize Emperor Qi by the collar and throw him out. The Crown Prince¡¯s face turned white, swallowing hard, he hurriedly made a hasty exit. Outside the palace, he saw his father, Emperor Qi, getting up with a livid look on his face. ¡°Father!¡± He hastened to help him up. Emperor Qi¡¯s face was dark with anger as he said, ¡°Those you invited¡­¡± ¡°Shh!¡± The Crown Prince¡¯s face turned white from fear, hastily raising a finger signaling Emperor Qi to stay quiet. Emperor Qi quickly shut his mouth and under the support of the chief eunuch, left with a dark face. ¡°His Majesty, Grandmaster Guo wishes to hold a grand court assembly tomorrow!¡± An eunuch hurriedly came with news. Emperor Qi was furious, ¡°That Guo¡­¡± ¡°His Majesty, Xu Yan has returned!¡± The eunuch quickly interjected. Emperor Qi swallowed his words, his face turning red with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Summon the ministers for a grand court assembly tomorrow!¡± This is so humiliating! The Emperor seethed with humiliation. He looked at the Crown Prince standing by his side, took a deep breath, and kicked him to the ground. ¡°You unfilial son! Where did you find these people? They¡¯re driving me mad!¡± After kicking him several times, he felt better and strode away.. Chapter 99 Translator: 549690339 The Crown Prince was so frustrated he felt like puking blood. He cursed internally, ¡°Old geezer, always taking his anger out on his son, good for nothing!¡± Xu Yan settled in the residence of the Qi King, waiting for a visit from Xie Lingfeng. He was absolutely thrilled. It was a worthwhile trip ¨C he had exchanged techniques with the grandmaster from the Inner Domain and gained new insights about Sword Dao, which was helpful for his comprehension of Sword Intent. And he¡¯d shown the martial artists of the Inner Domain that they were practicing false Martial Arts. In the palace¡¯s side residence, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan had been sitting still for a day, their minds in turmoil, feeling completely at a loss. The collapse of their Martial Arts viewpoint had dealt them a devastating blow. They wanted to refute the claim that they were practicing false Martial Arts, but every time they thought of Xu Yan¡¯s explanation of Martial Arts, it was too profound and incredible, making their own Martial Arts pale in comparison. Xu Yan, being only a beginner in Martial Arts, was already able to fight with them at a grandmaster level. It was apparent which was real and which was false. Emperor Qi, who had started the day on cloud nine, had his mood drop down, thinking he could reestablish his imperial prestige, yet it all came to naught. The grand court meeting began. Court officials fawned with smirky faces, greeting Guo Rongshan before and after, acting even more respectful than they would towards Emperor Qi. In the current Qi Country, it was common knowledge that Emperor Qi was merely a figurehead with no real power. All matters of state were decided by Guo Rongshan. The Crown Prince entered the grand hall, only to be tripped up by the Third Prince as soon as he approached him, stumbling and almost falling over. He immediately glared at the Third Prince. ¡°Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is behaving improperly in the court meeting¡­¡± Guo Rongshan stood up solemnly and bowed to Emperor Qi. Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Qi had already lost his temper and shouted, ¡°Bring that rebellious son of mine out, beat him with thirty wooden planks, and beat him hard!¡± The Crown Prince was instantly shocked: !!! Another thirty wooden planks?!? He cursed inwardly, ¡°You old fool, do you really know how to do anything other than vent your anger on your son?¡± Guo Rongshan¡¯s mouth twitched as he quietly sat down. He had meant to use this opportunity to definitively disqualify the Crown Prince from the succession, perhaps by confining him to the palace for a month. He didn¡¯t expect Emperor Qi to announce such a severe punishment directly. As expected, the royal family is ruthless indeed! Guo Rongshan sighed to himself. During the rest of the grand court meeting, several state affairs were discussed, some officials were demoted, some were promoted, and Emperor Qi was not involved at all. All he needed to do was sit at the top, listen and give his edict. After the grand court meeting, Guo Rongshan had complete control over the affairs of Qi Country. Emperor Qi returned to his bookroom, fuming. Unable to hold back, he once again visited the side residence seeking Xie Lingfeng, and was once again tossed out. Emperor Qi was nearly enraged to death! What kind of great man is this? Intolerably arrogant! ¡°Bring someone to beat my rebellious son with thirty wooden planks again!¡± Emperor Qi ordered. The chief eunuch felt sorry for the Crown Prince and said softly, ¡°Your Majesty, if you beat him with another thirty planks, I¡¯m afraid the Crown Prince won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± Emperor Qi was silent for a moment and said, ¡°Then wait until his injuries have healed a bit, and then beat him!¡± After two whole days of sitting still, Xie Lingfeng finally regained some spirit. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Hu Shan, I¡¯m going to visit Xu Yan.¡± ¡°Young Master, go ahead, 1 need some more time to think.¡± Hu Shan responded listlessly. Xie Lingfeng left him, emerged from the side residence, and went to visit Xu Yan at Qi King¡¯s residence. ¡°Greetings to Elder Guo!¡± Xie Lingfeng pays his respects to Guo Rongshan as he sees him. Although the man before him was not a martial artist, he was Xu Yan¡¯s grandfather, so the respect that should be shown was not to be omitted. ¡°It¡¯s Young Master Xie, Yan¡¯er has been waiting for you. Please, go in.¡± Guo Rongshan greeted him with a smile. Today, Emperor Qi has invited him, his sworn brother, to visit the imperial garden. ¡°Brother Guo is here, please have a seat.¡± Emperor Qi said with a warm expression. ¡°Your Majesty is too kind.¡± Guo Rongshan performed a bow. After some pleasantries, Emperor Qi said with a trace of anger, ¡°Brother Guo, those two so-called great sages, have no sense of propriety, disrespect elders, and show contempt for the court of my Qi Country. They should be punished severely!¡± They have the audacity to throw me out directly! Even Xu Yan did not do such a thing. Emperor Qi¡¯s anger grew as he thought. Since high-ranking people cannot deal with Xu Yan, let Xu Yan deal with these two high-ranking people and vent his anger. Yet, Guo Rongshan showed a surprised expression and said, ¡°How could that be? Young Master Xie has always been very respectful to me and is not disrespecting his elders. Who¡¯s trying to slander Young Master Xie?¡± Emperor Qi: !!! His composure was somewhat shattered. Everyone is belittling me, aren¡¯t they! He glanced silently at Guo Rongshan, then clenched his teeth and shouted, ¡°The dog slave dare to slander the high-ranking people and instigate troubles. He should be put to death!¡± Emperor Qi was seething with rage. He pointed to one of the eunuchs standing on standby outside and commanded, ¡°Take that man down for me and chop him off!¡± The eunuch, shocked, lifted his head pleading, ¡°Your Majesty, please spare me, I didn¡¯t¡­¡± The Chief Eunuch covered his mouth abruptly, and several other eunuchs surrounding him hastily came forward, restraining and dragging him away. Guo Rongshan¡¯s mouth twitched a little. He felt that Emperor Qi seemed to have been too agitated, and it was taking a toll on his mental state. ¡°The Emperor has aged. Perhaps it¡¯s time for the Crown Prince to ascend to the throne? Young people can better endure such stimulation!¡± he thought to himself. Interjected Rongshan, ¡°Your Majesty, thirty lashes would suffice. Please refrain from causing unnecessary death!¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Emperor Qi grunted in response. Such royal duty is stifling! At Prince An¡¯s mansion, the First Prince had already given up on himself. He was lying on his bed, attended by two beautiful women, seemingly waiting aimlessly for death. The search for a great master is abandoned. Before seeking a great master, he was flogged thirty times! Having found a great master, he still was flogged thirty times. Seems like regardless of finding a great master or not, he would face punishment. So why bother searching for a great master! Therefore, the First Prince had completely given up. In Yunshan County, Li Xuan had returned from the capital. He was waiting for a visit from Xie Lingfeng, the great master. Meng Chong, however, was still contemplating the Fist of Wind and Thunder. For the time being, there did not seem to be much progress. One day, Yunshan County was shrouded in dark clouds. Meng Chong was on a hillside outside the county town. Images of his master demonstrating the Fist of Wind and Thunder repeatedly surfaced in his mind, and he pondered over the intent of the Wind and Thunder in these movements. Suddenly! A strong wind swept across! Whoosh! Rumble! Lightning tore through the gloomy skies, flickering and disappearing into the clouds. A storm is coming! Meng Chong abruptly looked up at the sky. Rumble! In an instant, another blinding bolt of lightning tore through the thick clouds, illuminating the dark sky. A sudden gust of wind swept across. In that instant, something sparked in Meng Chong¡¯s mind. He faintly seized the momentum of the wind and thunder! Crash! A bolt of lightning suddenly struck down, instantly splitting a massive tree in the distance. A gust of wind suddenly arose, rustling the fallen leaves through the cracks of the trees. In an instant, the leaves were flying and dancing among the trees. ¡°I understand!¡± In that moment, a flash of enlightenment crossed Meng Chong¡¯s mind. He felt like he had grasped the essence of the momentum of Wind and Thunder. With his Blood Qi surging, a golden light appeared, and his Blood Qi Golden Bell shone brightly. Meng Chong launched a punch, a powerful force that resembled a thunderbolt, swift and fierce. Then, one punch following another, like a raging wind that seemed to penetrate everything. Rumble! With a sudden punch, like an abrupt flash of lightning, the fierce and unparalleled force of the fist knocked a large tree down. ¡°Fist of Wind and Thunder, I¡¯ve understood, this is the momentum of Wind and Thunder!¡± Meng Chong was extremely excited, his body moving nimbly as he unleashed a flurry of punches. Crackle! Large raindrops began to fall, a storm was approaching. And amidst the rain, a burly, bald young man was practicing his punches. His fists carrying the momentum of thunderbolts and gusty winds, repelling the falling raindrops. Each punch seemed to carry a thunderbolt and whip up a gust of wind, scattering the falling raindrops and dissipating the incoming gusty wind! Around him was a glow of golden light, emitting the fierceness of a Golden Vajra Arhat, each punch raising wind and thunder. Successful comprehension of the Fist of Wind and Thunder! ¡°Such a heavy rain!¡± Under the eaves, Li Xuan was watching the downpour, the lightning and thunder amid the thick, dark clouds, the strong winds that seemed about to lift the eaves. ¡°My second disciple is practicing in the woods. He won¡¯t get struck by lightning, would he?¡± A worry suddenly crossed Li Xuan¡¯s mind. It was uncertain if Meng Chong¡¯s current Great Solar Golden Bell could withstand a direct lightning strike? Chapter 100 Translator: 549690339 Boom! A thunderbolt cleaved the sky, the roar of thunder, deafening. Li Xuan sighed inwardly, ¡°The power of heaven and earth, it truly is extraordinary. The force of this bolt, even with my current strength, would be somewhat challenging to withstand.¡± His curiosity piqued, he wondered if the concept of crossing tribulations existed in the martial arts of this world? ¡°The Martial Arts 1 create won¡¯t include crossing tribulations. It would be foolish to arbitrarily set up a Heavenly Tribulation test for oneself.¡± Li Xuan was thinking such. As for whether, without a Heavenly Tribulation test, strength would be insufficient. That¡¯s not a question at all. Who said that only those who endure a Heavenly Tribulation are powerful? Is it not possible to directly control the strength of heaven and earth, the power of Heavenly Tribulation, instead of crossing the so-called Heavenly Tribulation? ¡°As long as the cultivation technique is good and the disciple is a genius, everything is possible!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s face was covered in a smile. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has successfully cultivated the Thunderbolt Vajra Fist; your Thunderbolt Vajra Fist has been completed!¡± Suddenly, a golden light emerged. Feedback from the Golden Finger came. Meng Chong understood and had cultivated the Thunderbolt Vajra Fist. ¡°Excellent! Now that he has grasped the Thunderbolt Vajra Fist, it¡¯s time to continue teaching Meng Chong new cultivation techniques.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. In his mind already existed the cultivation method of the Thunderbolt Vajra Fist. He could only exclaim, this Thunderbolt Vajra Fist was truly formidable. With a slight punch, there was a force of thunderbolt. ¡°For a devil cultivator like Blood Heartless, facing the Thunderbolt Vajra Fist, he would be severely suppressed!¡± If Blood Heartless wasn¡¯t dead and had to face Meng Chong now, it would be difficult to predict the outcome. The rain continued to pat down, but the gale had stopped. The thunder and lightening also subsided. Meng Chong returned in the rain. ¡°Master, I have realized the Thunderbolt Vajra Fist!¡± Meng Chong said excitedly. ¡°Good! You have not disappointed your master. You should meditate for a while, and then your master will teach you the Eight Diagrams and the Dao of the Blade!¡± Li Xuan nodded approvingly. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong was thrilled. Li Xuan decided to teach each disciple about the Eight Diagrams. What they could comprehend would depend entirely on the disciples themselves. Each disciple¡¯s understanding would be different. The movement techniques are within; other subtleties are also within. Perhaps, as the disciples grow stronger, they will have new insights. For example, Xu Yan, who understood the Light Crane Movement Technique, during the fight against Blood Heartless, he had a sudden insight into the technique of transporting through space. He wondered what kind of movement technique Meng Chong could comprehend. Perhaps it will be a fluke, and he will understand the technique of transporting through space too? Three days later. Outside Yunshan County, in a familiar forest. Only the periphery of the forest had trees at this point, the inside was now a flat piece of land without even a single piece of grass. With a wave of Li Xuan¡¯s hand, amidst the surge of True Qi, an Eight Diagrams pattern emerged on the ground. ¡°This is the Eight Diagrams. It contains the mysteries of heaven and earth. Movement techniques can also be understood from it. Your master will teach you the Dao of the Eight Diagrams¡­¡± Li Xuan recounted to Meng Chong all the knowledge related to the Eight Diagrams, as well as his own insights and theories, which contained powerful mysteries. ¡°Did you remember all of that?¡± In the end, Li Xuan asked with a deep voice. ¡°Master, your disciple has remembered!¡± Meng Chong nodded. He stared at the Eight Diagrams pattern, lost in thought. ¡°This Dao of the Eight Diagrams is really profound. It sounds strong, containing the mysteries of heaven and earth, and one can always comprehend it. ¡°Master has said, each stage will have different enlightenments, and each person¡¯s understanding will be different. One can comprehend their own martial arts from it.¡± He decided to spend the next period of time understanding the Eight Diagrams. ¡°I have already understood the Thunderbolt Vajra Fist, next 1 need to comprehend a footwork or movement technique from the Eight Diagrams. ¡°The movement technique of my elder martial brother is extremely mysterious, and it was also understood from the Eight Diagrams. I am not learning his movement technique, 1 want to understand my own.¡± ¡°The one I understand myself will be the most suitable for me.¡± Meng Chong was contemplating as he started to tread upon the Eight Diagrams pattern. Seeing this, Li Xuan reminded him, ¡°In understanding the Eight Diagrams, do not forget your own cultivation and aim to perfect your Qi and Blood as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong replied respectfully. ¡°Hm, practice well!¡± After Li Xuan finished speaking, he left. Next, it was up to Meng Chong to see when he could comprehend his own movement technique from the Eight Diagrams. As for the mantra of the movement technique, Li Xuan didn¡¯t bother to make one. Meng Chong¡¯s talent wasn¡¯t in understanding mantras. It might even have the opposite effect if he was taught a mantra. Capital of Qi Country. The hubbub regarding the powerful person had gradually died down, and the court officials all understood that even if they sought out a powerful person, they would not be able to shake the position of the Guo Family. The fervor to find a powerful person gradually abated as well. All court officials wanted to learn martial arts from the powerful visitors or have their descendants become disciples of these powerful people. Without exception, they couldn¡¯t even get a glimpse of the great visitors. In the backyard of the Qi King¡¯s Mansion, Xu Yan¡¯s residence. Xie Lingfeng held a wooden stick and was sparring with Xu Yan. One did not use his inner martial arts qi, the other did not use his Qi and Blood. They were just practicing swordsmanship. This wasn¡¯t their first time. ¡°Brother Xu, are you sure that sparring like this will help you comprehend Sword Intent?¡± Xie Lingfeng asked curiously. After extensively discussing martial arts and especially swordsmanship with Xu Yan, Xie Lingfeng had recognized the reality that what he had been practicing was fake martial arts! He hadn¡¯t even touched the door of the true Sword Dao! Now that he realized his mistakes, he naturally wanted to correct them. Therefore, he asked Xu Yan for guidance.. What is the true Martial Arts, and how should he cultivate it? Chapter 101 Translator: 549690339 Reestablishing the martial arts path was now out of the question. One solution Xu Yan proposed was to convert the cultivation of the Grandmaster realm to the cultivation of the Innate realm, with the first step being the cultivation of Innate True Qi. This was similar to martial arts Inner Qi, but purer, more mystical, with greater potential, and stronger than martial arts Inner Qi. According to Xu Yan, the Inner Qi of martial artists in the Inner Domain was actually True Qi, merely a false form of martial arts, hence, it was also an imitation True Qi. Because of this, it lacked the purity and power of Innate True Qi. Xie Lingfeng found this quite reasonable and believed it wholeheartedly. However, he didn¡¯t know how to convert his whole body¡¯s martial arts Inner Qi into Innate True Qi. Xu Yan couldn¡¯t provide a method either, but told him that once he had broken through to the Innate realm and understood its mysteries, he might know the method for transformation. Before breaking through to the Innate realm, he wanted to grasp the Sword Intent. The earlier he grasped the Sword Intent, the more solid his foundation in Sword Dao would be. If he could not grasp the Sword Intent within a month, Xu Yan would not continue to suppress it, but choose to break through. Hence, Xie Lingfeng and Xu Yan began to spar, to help Xu Yan understand the Sword Intent. ¡°Yes!¡± Xu Yan nodded: ¡°The comprehension of Sword Intent lies in calming the mind and spirit, understanding the world, and in Swordsmanship. I have an intuition that sparring constantly with you will be beneficial for comprehending the Sword Intent.¡± ¡°It will be even more useful in understanding the Sword Intent!¡± Xie Lingfeng thrusted his sword, curiously asking, ¡°Brother Yan, what exactly is Sword Intent?¡± It sounded mysterious. When he first heard of it, he was utterly baffled. In the Inner Domain¡¯s Sword Dao, only the peerless Swordsmanship, formidable invincible Sword Qi, and chillingly sharp sword light were discussed. Even though there were occasional mentions of Sword Intent, it was a different concept from the Sword Intent Xu Yan spoke of. ¡°Sword Intent, that is the intent within the sword. It¡¯s my intent, the intent of heaven and earth, and also the intent of Sword Dao. It¡¯s a kind of understanding, a kind of mood in line with heaven and earth¡­¡± Xu Yan slowly pondered and said. Xie Lingfeng opened his mouth slightly, looking somewhat baffled. He understood each word, but when put together, he was confused. It was too mysterious, completely beyond his grasp. At this moment, he sighed inwardly: ¡°I am known as the Sword Majesty Cliff, the top Sword Dao prodigy in a thousand years, but compared to Brother Yan, I¡¯m just a joke!¡± Suddenly, Xie Lingfeng was stunned. His eyes widened in amazement as he looked at Xu Yan in disbelief. In an instant, he felt the branch in his hand become heavier, as if it was not obeying his commands. What shocked him even more was that an inexplicable, unfathomable, yet clearly powerful and mystical force was emanating from Xu Yan. Faintly, elusive, indescribable. But it carried a sharp intent with an eternal, indestructible charm. He no longer had control over his Swordsmanship. His hand was trembling, and the branch in his hand began to crumble bit by bit. Alarmed, he quickly let go and stepped back. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, he had entered a state of self-forgetfulness. Rounds and rounds of inexplicable aura emerged from him. ¡°Sword Intent is the intent within the sword, and the sword in my hand; that is my intent¡­ What should be the intent of Sword Dao? The sharpness of the sword is indispensable, while my bones are flawless, endless. ¡°The Martial Path is endless, Sword Dao is also endless, and should be eternal¡­¡± Xu Yan self-examined; in his mind, he recollected every word and action of his master, the carefree demeanor when seated, the casual steps when walking; these were all ordinary gestures in life. However, how extraordinary was his master? What kind of realm was that? It surfaced in Xu Yan¡¯s mind how he practiced diligently in the small mountain village, fed chickens, cooked meals every day, and how carefree his master¡¯s life was. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how profound his master¡¯s realm was. ¡°This is what my master meant by the ¡®Dao follows nature! Recalling when his master was teaching the Eight Diagrams also surfaced, Qian, Kun, Zhen, Dui¡­ The more he recalled, the more realization Xu Yan had: ¡°So my master, from the very beginning, laid the foundation for me to understand Sword Dao, to feel Sword Intent.¡± But, I¡¯ve been ignoring it.¡± ¡°Looking back now, every word and action of my master was in line with the Dao, and I was close to the Dao. ¡°The realm of the master is so unfathomable that it is almost like the Dao.¡± At this moment, Xu Yan understood. His Sword Heart was clear and his Sword Intent, transparent. A Sword Intent rose around him. He had made a small achievement in the clear Sword Heart. He had comprehended the Sword Intent! ¡°The mountains and rivers are immortal, enduring wind and rain, devoid of sentimentality, burying countless lives¡­ My first Sword Intent shall be called Mountain and River Sword Intent.¡± Xu Yan opened his eyes, the Mountain and River Sword Intent emerged, being thick, long-lasting, sharp and merciless. Looking up at the shocked Xie Lingfeng, he laughed, ¡°Brother Xie, how about you face one of my Sword Intents? Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t go all out.¡± He wanted to test the power of this Mountain and River Sword Intent! Without Xie Lingfeng accompanying him in sword practice, he would not have grasped the Sword Intent so quickly, and finally comprehended the Sword Intent before breaking through to the Innate realm. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face was full of shock, is this the Sword Intent? It was too profound to predict. Taking a deep breath, he solemnly said, ¡°Alright!¡± He also wanted to experience firsthand whether this so-called Sword Intent was really that powerful. Zing! He unsheathes his sword, his expression incredibly serious. With a twig in his hand, Xu Yan says, ¡°Brother Xie, you take the first move!¡± He¡¯s afraid that once he makes his move, Xie Lingfeng won¡¯t get the chance to do so. ¡°Alright!¡± Xie Lingfeng doesn¡¯t beat around the bush, he thrusts his sword immediately. The sword light morphs into a flying rainbow, darting across the sky, bridging the gap between them in a split second. Hum! A hum resounds in the universe as if for an instant. In his daze, Xie Lingfeng seems to see the mountains and rivers moulding together, continuous but harsh and cruel, as if it could bury all life. The rainbow sword light plunges into the mountains and rivers, leaving not a trace behind. But the reflection of the mountains and rivers looks like a landslip and the roaring rivers seem as if they are going to bury all beings, and he¡ª is in there, amongst that life about to be buried! His heart is struck with terror! Is this what Sword Intent is? Shush,shush! Xie Lingfeng hastily engages his sword, one stroke after another. The twinkle of the rainbow sword light churns up layers of cold light, continuously pouring onto the mountain-river Sword Intent. He had launched a hundred strokes in a flash! Plop! Finally, the mountain-river Sword Intent dissipates. The twig in Xu Yan¡¯s hand has turned to dust. He feels his head going empty, as if he has greatly strained his mind and used up around 10% of his Qi and blood in an instant. The Jade bones are gleaming brightly, and his Qi and blood are recovering rapidly. The drained spirit is also slowly replenishing. ¡°The Sword Intent is too powerful, it¡¯s too draining for me to utilize with my current strength.¡± Xu Yan sighs in his heart. After all, the level of Sword Intent is extremely high, and he is currently only at the Qi and blood realm, the first realm of the Martial Arts. The consumption of actualizing Sword Intent is beyond imagination. ¡°I¡¯m a Jade Bone foundation, so I¡¯m able to handle it. But if I had a Gold Bone foundation, 1 would probably only manage to launch Sword Intent once or twice at the Qi and blood realm.¡± Xu Yan thinks to himself in silence. His expenditure is significant, but he could still actualize Sword Intent again. He can manage to hold up if he had to summon it five or six times. While Xu Yan is shocked by the consumption of Sword Intent, Xie Lingfeng is already stunned. It was just one Sword Intent. He gave all his might, launching a hundred strokes, just to put out this one Sword Intent. Moreover, he could clearly feel that the Sword Intent could drain the power of his swordsmanship. The rainbow sword light plunges into the Sword Intent, like into a quagmire. Only around 30% of its power remains. He realizes a problem, a Martial Artist who has comprehended Sword Intent has the power to crush those who haven¡¯t! Once the Sword Intent is understood, it can beat the higher realm! Sword Intent is indeed terrifying. No wonder it sounds so mysterious! After this incident, Xie Lingfeng even more sorrowfully believes that what he had been practicing was fake martial arts! The so-called martial arts inherited from Sword Lord Cliff since antiquity are all fake martial arts! And himself, he¡¯s no swordsmanship genius! He is just a common Martial Artist who has learned a bit of swordsmanship! ¡°I cannot sink any further, I have to comprehend swordsmanship, 1 also want to enter the door of swordsmanship. ¡°I want to become a real swordsmanship Martial Artist!¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s eyes are resolute, this trip to the wastelands, quite possibly, is a stroke of fate! ¡°I want to ask Brother Xu, how can I attain a clear understanding of swordsmanship!¡± Only with clear comprehension of swordsmanship can one enter the basics of swordsmanship. And only with clear understanding can one comprehend Sword Intent! ¡°Congratulations to Brother Xu for gaining an understanding of Sword Intent!¡± With an envious expression, Xie Lingfeng clasps his hands in respect and congratulates him. ¡°Brother Xie is being too kind, if it weren¡¯t for your sparring with me, 1 wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand Sword Intent so quickly.¡± Xu Yan modestly replies. ¡°Brother Xu is being modest. I played no part in it. Even without me, it would have taken Xu Yan merely a day or two more to understand it.¡± Xie Lingfeng says with a wry smile.. Chapter 102 Translator: 549690339 ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been the same without your company for practice. I would not have had a sudden realization, not have understood that my master¡¯s words and actions have all laid the groundwork for me to comprehend Sword Intent.¡± Xu Yan shook his head, speaking truthfully. Without Xie Lingfeng¡¯s questions and company, he would not have had his awakening, so Xie Lingfeng indeed deserves some credit for his rapid comprehension of the Mountain and River Sword Intent. ¡°Brother Xu, may I meet your master?¡± Xie Lingfeng asked, a look of reverence on his face. ¡°I have to ask my master first.¡± Xu Yan considered, then replied. ¡°Thank you, Brother Xu.¡± Xie Lingfeng expressed his gratitude. He paused, then sighed, ¡°As Xie Lingfeng, I thought I was gifted in Sword Dao. But it turned out that 1 haven¡¯t even stepped through the door of Sword Dao. ¡°Brother Xu, how can one attain clarity of the sword¡¯s intentions?¡± The basis of entering Sword Dao is achieving clarity of the sword¡¯s intentions. Xie Lingfeng also wanted to comprehend clarity of the sword¡¯s intentions. As for the state beyond it, it was too distant for him right now. In this life, it would be an honor to achieve clarity of the sword¡¯s intentions and step into the gate of Sword Dao. How can one achieve clarity of the sword¡¯s intentions? Xu Yan was stumped. He didn¡¯t know how to guide Xie Lingfeng since the methods they cultivated were different. After some thinking, Xu Yan believed that before one can achieve clarity of the sword¡¯s intentions, it was most important to improve one¡¯s state of mind to a clear and bright state. ¡°My master once said ¡®Without women in mind, cultivating is like the presence of God.¡¯ This deep state of mind breaks the shackles of one¡¯s own self, allowing for a solid foundation to then build on for the basis of a clear mind in swordsman. ¡°So to achieve clarity of the sword¡¯s intentions, you must first reach the state of ¡®having no women in your mind,¡¯ undisturbed by external things, and purify yourself to step into the realm of mind clarity in swordsman.¡± Thinking about this lead Xu Yan to ask: ¡°Brother Xie, do you think about women?¡± Although Xie Lingfeng was older, he was still in the boisterous stage of adolescence, the time when one is most easily attracted to women¡¯s charms. If he can resist the temptation of lust, and act as his heart desires, then he would have laid the groundwork for clarity of the sword¡¯s intentions. However, Xie Lingfeng was left dumbfounded. I asked about Sword Dao, and you mention women? Your leaps in logic are too drastic. ¡°Maybe¡­ I do think¡­ I think about it?¡± For a moment, Xie Lingfeng didn¡¯t quite know how to respond. ¡°Brother Xie, to achieve clarity in swordsmanship, you must have a clear state of mind where you can control yourself and not be disturbed by external factors. ¡°To enter Sword Dao, one prerequisite is ¡®having no women in your mind¡¯. Only then can you have hope.¡± Xu Yan spoke with great gravity. Continuing to be confused, Xie Lingfeng looked vacantly at Xu Yan and asked, ¡°Having women out of my mind? Does that mean I have to¡­¡± He glanced down at his lower abdomen. ¡°Brother Xie, you¡¯ve misunderstood. ¡®Having no women in your mind¡¯ is not to abandon women; it¡¯s a state of mind¡­ In simpler terms, if I am not moved, even the charm of a woman is not enough to make me moved¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a state of self-control and self-purification.¡± Xu Yan quickly clarified. He didn¡¯t want Xie Lingfeng to misunderstand and make a hasty decision that would harm himself. Xie Lingfeng continued to look lost, wondering what the heck this mindset was and how to comprehend it. It¡¯s so freaking bizarre. ¡®No women in your mind¡¯ yet not abandoning women, controlling myself¡­ ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m not suited for cultivating Sword Dao?¡± Xie Lingfeng started to question himself. After a moment, he took a deep breath and said, ¡°Brother Xu, how can one attain the state of ¡®having no women in your mind¡¯ like you mentioned?¡± Xu Yan thought for a moment. Initially, he had improved his state of mind greatly after going to Emperor Qi¡¯s harem to watch his beautiful concubines dance and carry themselves elegantly. So he replied frankly, ¡°In the beginning, I went to old Emperor Qi¡¯s harem to watch his beautiful concubines. Both their dance and their graceful demeanor helped me cultivate my state of mind, and eventually I found success.¡± ¡°Thank you, Brother Xu, for your guidance!¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s eyes brightened and he sincerely expressed his gratitude. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Brother Xie.¡± Xu Yan felt that it was only right for him to point out how to cultivate and improve since Xie Lingfeng had helped him comprehend Sword Intent ahead of time. That day, for Xie Lingfeng, seemed to open up a skylight, allowing him to truly witness the world. The mysteries of Sword Dao, he could now see some of, although not enough to attain complete mastery. It turns out the Sword Intent is so profound. If you do not comprehend Sword Intent, how can you claim to have stepped through the door of Sword Dao? After leaving Xu Yan¡¯s place and returning to his palace, Xie Lingfeng saw Hu Shan, still looking a bit dejected. He said, ¡°Hu Shan, you should be happy. Knowing the truth about Martial Arts, you should pursue the true Martial Arts!¡± Hu Shan sighed bitterly, ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s easy for you to say, but it¡¯s hard for me to accept!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing unacceptable.¡± Xie Lingfeng said firmly, ¡°I want to cultivate the true Martial Arts. I want to truly enter the realm of Sword Dao.¡± This seemed to stun Hu Shan, as if he was witnessing his young master in pursuit of the Sword Dao once again. ¡°Young Master, what happened to you?¡± ¡°Hu Shan, do you know Sword Intent? Today, I finally understood what true Sword Dao is.¡± Xie Lingfeng exhaled deeply. ¡°Sword Intent?¡± Hu Shan muttered to himself. Xie Lingfeng recounted today¡¯s events, speaking about how Xu Yan had comprehended Sword Intent. Finally, he said, ¡°Sword Intent of mountains and rivers, truly powerful indeed!¡± Hu Shan was stunned for a long time, unable to calm his emotions. Now that Xu Yan had finally comprehended Sword Intent, he decided to return to Yun Shan County to breakthrough to the Innate Realm. Before leaving, he provided some guidance for Guo Rongshan and the others on cultivation.. Chapter 103 Translator: 549690339 On this day, Xie Lingfeng said farewell to Hu Shan. ¡°Brother Xie, if my master agrees to meet with you, I will send a message to my granddad, asking him to notify you!¡± Xu Yan respectfully said. ¡°Many thanks, Brother Xu!¡± Xie Lingfeng gratefully said. He desired to visit Xu Yan¡¯s master, a mysterious recluse. This was an opportunity! And it must be seized! ¡°I take my leave now!¡± Xu Yan respectfully took his leave and turned away. In Yunshan County, Meng Chong was contemplating The Eight Diagrams. The more he dwelt on it, the more profound it seemed. He felt that he was on the verge of understanding it but couldn¡¯t grasp the essence. ¡°I can¡¯t rush,¡± Meng Chong took a deep breath, calming his anxious heart. Li Xuan had paid attention to Meng Chong for a few days and felt no need to continue. With Meng Chong¡¯s talent, he would surely gain some insight. Suddenly, feedback from the Golden Finger emerged. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has comprehended the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers; your own mastery over it is now complete!¡± A reverberating sound! Images of Sword Intent emerged in his mind¡ªit was as if he was born with it. Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers! Li Xuan was overjoyed, ¡°What an excellent disciple! He has already comprehended Sword Intent even before breaking through the Innate Realm. Truly a budding sword deity!¡± His martial journey took another significant step forward. In that moment, an indescribable aura shrouded the courtyard. It was as if mountains and rivers were all contained within the courtyard, relentless and insidiously ruthless. Shi¡¯er, who was in the middle of his practice, suddenly felt as if he had entered a world of mountains and rivers. He felt so insignificant. The mountains and rivers seemed ruthless, as if they could bury all life, including him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Shi¡¯er was shocked. ¡°I must break free!¡± He wanted to struggle, but he was unable to move. Finally, he clenched his teeth, continued his Cultivation Technique, and refined his bones. ¡°I need to become stronger. The faster 1 become stronger, the quicker I can escape from this place!¡± With such conviction in his heart, Shi¡¯er fiercely refined his bones. In his daze, it seemed as if he was being eroded by mountains and rivers, yet his unwavering resistance quickened his bone refining pace, gradually slowing down the pace of erosion. Overjoyed, he redoubled his efforts in his training. Li Xuan silently glanced at Shi¡¯er. He had merely manifested the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers and, despite this slight pressure, Shi¡¯er¡¯s bone refining speed had greatly increased. ¡°Sword Intent can be used to refine oneself, from the physical body to the spirit.¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought. When Xu Yan returned, he¡¯d remind his disciple to continue appreciating the uses of Sword Intent. When Shi¡¯er snapped out from the state of being enveloped by mountains and rivers, he was astonished to find that his bones had been refined to the level of copper! Unconsciously, in such a short period of time, he had completed the iron bone refinement. In that moment, he understood something. ¡°My deepest gratitude to you, Master!¡± In respect, he bowed to Li Xuan. ¡°Yes, keep up with your training and strive to reach higher,¡± Li Xuan nodded in response. Xu Yan returned. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan respectfully saluted. ¡°Good! Very good! My boy, you have comprehended Sword Intent before your breakthrough. My efforts were not in vain!¡± Li Xuan looked at him with a gratified expression. ¡°Indeed! Master has been setting the foundation for my understanding of Sword Intent from the very beginning,¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was deeply moved. ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± ¡°My boy, Sword Intent is mysterious and can refine oneself. It¡¯s not only used just to defeat the enemy. You should contemplate on it more,¡± Li Xuan seriously advised. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Xu Yan contemplated deeply, not yet fully understanding the essence of Sword Intent. Master is reminding him that Sword Intent is not just used for combat! ¡°It¡¯s time for you to break through to the Innate Realm,¡± ¡°Master, I should be able to make the breakthrough in a few days,¡± ¡°Go on, take some time to prepare. Only by breaking through to the Innate Realm can you truly be considered above the mundane world. Only then will you have truly embarked on the martial path. ¡°The Qi and Blood Realm merely means you have pushed open the door to the martial path,¡± Li Xuan spoke in a serious tone. ¡°I understand, Master!¡± Xu Yan bowed deeply. Outside Yunshan County, Meng Chong was still walking the Eight Diagrams, seeking to comprehend the profound principles within, immersing himself in the understanding of the movement technique. The figure of Xu Yan appeared, observing Meng Chong in the middle of practicing the Eight Diagrams and feeling a sense of surprise. ¡°Disciple¡¯s understanding of the Eight Diagrams seems different from mine? Could it be, has the disciple comprehended it wrongly? No! If the disciple¡¯s comprehension was incorrect, the Master would have surely corrected it.¡± Thinking like this, Xu Yan could not help but fall into contemplation. ¡°The profound principles of the Eight Diagrams vary for each individual. Perhaps we can verify with each other, leading to more insights.¡± Meng Chong stopped in his tracks, happily saying: ¡°Brother, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Disciple, are you in the middle of comprehending the movement technique?¡± ¡°Yes, but the disciple is slow-witted, I have not yet fully understood!¡± Meng Chong rubbed his bald head showing a somewhat embarrassed look. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry in comprehending the cultivation technique, the essence of the Eight Diagrams is diverse in its complexity. After 1 break through to the Innate Realm, let¡¯s discuss and share our insights, I am sure there will be unique gains for both of us.¡± Xu Yan patted Meng Chong¡¯s shoulder as he spoke these words. ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong nodded in approval. After exchanging some pleasantries with Meng Chong, Xu Yan left the forest and arrived at a nearby hillside. He sat down cross-legged, calming his mind. Preparing for the breakthrough to the Innate Realm. He had already comprehended the needed cultivation techniques of the Innate Realm. The breakthrough is not the issue. Three days later. Xu Yan took a deep breath, began to circulate qi and blood, continuously refining them. As the qi and blood are being refined, the jade bone started to shimmer. ¡°Qi and blood are refined into Innate True Qi, connecting the bridge between heaven and earth, articulating and pulling in nature¡¯s spiritual energy, developing the qi sea in the Dantian¡­¡± Xu Yan mobilized his Qi and blood, while refining them he was also building the bridge between heaven and earth. The rumbling sound resonated within his body. A peculiar feeling emerged in his mind. Intuition told him that once the bridge between heaven and earth was established, he could then sense and cultivate nature¡¯s spiritual energy. Rumble! The celestial bridge was gradually being established by the assaulting Qi and blood, and it seemed as if a grand avenue that was glowing from within was taking shape inside his body. ¡°Is this the celestial bridge? The connection between self and the universe?¡± Xu Yan was excited. Rumble! The Qi and blood continued to assault the Celestial Bridge, slowly opening bit by bit. However, the process was not rapid. With the gradual establishment of the Celestial Bridge, the Qi and blood continued to refine, starting to show signs of transformation. The whole body¡¯s jade bone was glowing at this moment. ¡°The Master said, Sword Intent could refine self, not just for combatting enemies¡­¡± Xu Yan suddenly remembered the Master¡¯s words. As he moved his thoughts, Sword Intent surfaced. ¡°The Sword Intent integrates with Qi and blood, penetrating the Celestial Bridge, fusing into the jade bone¡­¡± In Xu Yan¡¯s body, the Riverside Sword Intent was flowing. As the Sword Intent entered the Qi and blood, something seemed to be transforming in an instant. On the flawless jade bone, with the flowing of Sword Intent, intricate patterns were gradually emerging. The delicate and flawless patterns seemingly depicted a riverside landscape. Immersed in the breakthrough, Xu Yan circulated the Sword Intent, refining the Qi and blood, connecting the celestial bridge, not knowing about the particular transformation happening to his body. Rumble! After integrating the Sword Intent into Qi and blood, the speed of opening the Celestial Bridge seemed to increase gradually. The Celestial Bridge was showing the illusion of a sword. At a certain moment, Xu Yan had a flash of inspiration: ¡°The Sword Intent is combined with Qi and blood, then if I use Qi and blood to refine the Descending Dragon Palm in order to penetrate the Celestial Bridge, wouldn¡¯t it be faster?¡± With the thought, he acted upon it. Rumble! The Qi and blood suddenly transformed into a giant dragon. As it roared, it constantly attacked the Celestial Bridge. With the giant dragon penetrating the Celestial Bridge, slowly, a dragon shape seemed to appear on the Celestial Bridge. It¡¯s as if a giant dragon was coiled up on the Celestial Bridge! The Sword Intent fused with Qi and blood, and the Qi and blood transformed into a giant dragon. At this moment, it seemed that some kind of change occurred in Descending Dragon Palm. Some enlightenment emerged in Xu Yan¡¯s mind. Rumble! The Celestial Bridge was constantly penetrating, getting bigger and wider. The Qi and blood gradually assumed the form of the Innate True Qi. In its purity, it contained a tremendous force, like the might of a True Dragon. Also, it held a sharp and relentless edge, as enduring as rivers and mountains. The jade bone shined, and the rivers and mountains painted on the flawless jade bone exhibited the image of unblemished landscape. At a certain moment, it seemed like a dragon¡¯s chant echoed in his body. The giant dragon was coiled around his body, disappearing into his jade bone as if a true dragon were hiding between the rivers and mountains. The celestial bridge was completely connected at this moment. Rumble! The Qi and blood underwent a sudden transformation and turned into the Innate True Qi. At this moment, Xu Yan only felt that his sense had transformed, as if the heaven and earth had suddenly become clearer. As if he himself had integrated into the heaven and earth. He sensed the spiritual energy of the heaven and earth. The vigorous spiritual energy, undulating under his influence, surged in through the Celestial Bridge, pouring into the Dantian Qi sea. Rumble! The Dantian shook, as if exploding heaven and earth, under the impact of spiritual energy, the nascent Dantian Qi sea began to take shape.. Chapter 104 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan is currently breaking through to the Innate Realm, bridging Heaven and Earth, allowing nature¡¯s spiritual energy to enter his body and forming a Dantian Qi Sea. His physical body is also transforming, seeming to completely cleanse the worldly impurities, to become innate and flawless, untouched by the mundane world. Streams of Innate True Qi are condensing into form. With a rumbling sound, the Innate True Qi forms a Dantian Qi Sea, which circulates throughout his meridians. ¡°This is the Dantian Qi Sea, drawing nature¡¯s spiritual energy into the body and transforming it into Innate True Qi¡­¡± Under the impact of spiritual energy, the Dantian continuously expands, and Innate True Qi is also steadily increasing. All his massive energy and blood has been refined into Innate True Qi. Xu Yan is still in the process of ascension, the transformation is still ongoing, the Dantian Qi Sea is still expanding, with nature¡¯s spiritual energy continuously pouring into his body, and Innate True Qi is kept on increasing. However, it seems that it can never fill the Dantian Qi Sea that has been formed. ¡°I have already comprehended a Sword Intent. But the Descending Dragon Palm is far from understanding its true essence. Now is the time.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. In his mind appeared the scenario of his Master performing the Descending Dragon Palm. The colossal Golden Giant Dragon seemed to genuinely possess the might of a divine dragon. Roaar! It seemed like the sound of a dragon chant resonated within his body. On the Heaven and Earth bridge, a giant dragon appeared, gradually changing from scarlet to gold as it rolled with spiritual energy. Golden Giant Dragon! At a certain moment, the Mountain River Sword Intent emerged, showing the vicissitudes of mountains and rivers, and the cycle of time within the Sword Intent. A Mountain River appears with one sword, a Mountain River perishes with one sword! The Sword Intent surges, the golden dragon roars. At a certain moment, the Golden Giant Dragon seemed to open its eyes, becoming increasingly realistic. The awe-inspiring gaze overlooks the world and the mountains and rivers. Its might is unbearable to behold. At that moment, Xu Yan felt that he had achieved enlightenment. Boom! Within the Dantian Qi Sea, a shadow of the Golden Giant Dragon emerged, circling in the Qi sea, its eyes radiating awe-inspiring power. The Golden Giant Dragon seems to have only an outline, with no visible dragon scales, no whiskers, but a pair of imposing eyes seem to possess enormous divine might. ¡°Finally, I understand, this is Dragon Might, one of the meanings of Descending Dragon Palm. Its imposing manner rules the world, that¡¯s exactly it!¡± At that moment, Xu Yan attained enlightenment. The meaning of Dragon Might in Descending Dragon Palm has been comprehended. The intense surge of nature¡¯s spiritual energy constantly rushes in, pouring into his body. Like strong alcohol, Xu Yan feels entirely transparent and comfortable. His entire being is in the process of sublimation. Outside the slope, Li Xuan stood in mid-air, silently watching Xu Yan during his breakthrough. His breakthrough was feedback from the Golden Finger, which could be accomplished instantly. But Xu Yan is truly cultivating steadily. Breaking through is not something that can be done in an instant. Especially from the Blood Qi Realm to the Innate Realm, this is truly a process of transcending the mundane world in all aspects. ¡°Mountain River Sword Intent¡­ Is this Xu Yan comprehending something during his breakthrough?¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. What was happening to Xu Yan was not just a simple breakthrough to the Innate Realm. The moment the Mountain River Sword Intent emerged, Li Xuan sensed some change. ¡°Is Xu Yan using the Sword Intent for his breakthrough?¡± Li Xuan had a face full of anticipation. This is good. The more remarkable Xu Yan is, the stronger the feedback of Golden Finger he will receive after this breakthrough. ¡°Xu Yan¡¯s physical body is getting stronger, and the Mountain River Sword Intent seems to have been integrated into his body. Yet, it does not seem to be Sword Intent¡­¡± ¡°What is actually happening?¡± Li Xuan was amazed. Xu Yan was constantly transforming. He continued to watch silently, waiting for Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough to be completed, waiting for the feedback from the Golden Finger. All of a sudden! A powerful aura emerged from Xu Yan¡¯s body. As if a golden dragon was coiling around in his body. ¡°Oh? Could it be that Xu Yan has already comprehended the true essence of the Descending Dragon Palm?¡± Li Xuan was overwhelmed with joy. Once the true essence of the Descending Dragon Palm is comprehended, it means that the level of the Descending Dragon Palm has been further upgraded. We are one step closer to the real power of the Descending Dragon. Meng Chong, standing on a large tree, was also observing Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough. Although he couldn¡¯t perceive Xu Yan¡¯s changes as clearly as Li Xuan could, he could still sense that Xu Yan was getting stronger, giving him a feeling of transcendence from the mundane world. ¡°So this is the Innate Realm!¡± Meng Chong was incredibly shocked. ¡°What would it be like when I, who practice physical Martial Arts, break through to the Innate Realm?¡± He still didn¡¯t know how to cultivate physical Martial Arts after the Blood Qi Realm. His Master had not yet taught him the cultivation technique after the Blood Qi Realm. ¡°I need to achieve the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield as soon as possible.¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. Once the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield is perfected, the Master will teach him the method of cultivation for the next stage. Xu Yan, who is sitting cross-legged on the ground, suddenly begins to slowly rise into the air. A golden dragon is coiling under him, as if holding him up in mid-air. ¡°He¡¯s finally going to break through.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough means that the feedback from the Golden Finger is about to arrive. Xu Yan, suspended in mid-air, suddenly stood up with an excited look on his face. He had finally made a breakthrough! At this moment, he could continuously draw in nature¡¯s spiritual energy every second. His True Qi was inexhaustible, and he no longer felt hunger. He had truly transcended the mundane world! Overwhelmed with excitement, he raised his hand and struck out a palm. The Golden Giant Dragon roared, its might terrifying, especially its eyes, which were chilling to look at! With his middle and index fingers together, he pointed out a sword. The Mountain River Sword Intent swept out, it seemed capable of burying all living beings. His strength was far beyond what it used to be! The moment Xu Yan made his breakthrough, the feedback from the Golden Finger arrived.. Chapter 105 Translator: 549690339 Only then did Li Xuan realize the transformation Xu Yan had undergone during his breakthrough. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, cultivated the technique you created. He broke through to the Innate Realm, with your complete mastery of the Innate Realm, your strength is hundred times that of your peers.¡± ¡°Your disciple has elevated his Descending Dragon Palm to the third level, understanding the true interpretation of the Descending Dragon¡¯s Domineering Intent. You¡¯ve achieved mastery of the third level of the Descending Dragon Palm and complete understanding of its Domineering Intent.¡± ¡°Your disciple has transformed into a Dragon Ascending Mountain River Spiritual Bone, you have acquired the Dragon Ascending Mountain River Spiritual Body.¡± Dragon Ascending Mountain River Spiritual Body! Li Xuan was thrilled to bits, the breakthrough that Xu Yan had made this time brought him immense gains. His strength skyrocketed instantaneously. Having just obtained an Innate Spiritual Bone, he has now achieved the Dragon Ascending Mountain River Spiritual Body. At this moment, Li Xuan felt the mysteries of the spiritual body. Without the need to operate his cultivation technique, nature¡¯s spiritual energy automatically entered his body and continuously transformed into True Qi. He has an innate affinity with nature¡¯s spiritual energy and all spiritual entities. With the Dragon Ascending Mountain River Spiritual Body, it¡¯s as if there¡¯s an actual dragon and river hidden within him, embodying immense power. ¡°With the power I possess now, I can travel unimpeded within the Inner Domain, right? ¡°I can even face off against Great Grandmasters, right?¡± Li Xuan thought excitedly. However, he couldn¡¯t simply view the situations within the Inner Domain plainly. After all, the secrets hidden within it might not necessarily be understood by Xie Lingfeng and Xu Yan. Being a Grandmaster of Qi Cultivation doesn¡¯t necessarily mean one has reached the top. Furthermore, there can be a significant power disparity even among Great Grandmasters. Xie Lingfeng practices evil cultivation techniques, which seemingly makes him strong, but actually contains hidden defects. After all, Xie Lingfeng is still young. Thus, one should not become arrogant, and assume that there are no more powerful people in this world. Li Xuan glanced at Meng Chong below, hoping for his second disciple to also step up his efforts. Now that Xu Yan has broken through, there was no need for him to continue observing. Li Xuan immediately left and returned to his small courtyard. He was in a good mood today and gave Shi¡¯er some pointers while teaching him the method of Renal cultivation. A stream of Mountain River Sword Intent appeared, allowing Shi¡¯er to refine his bones faster. Shi¡¯er was overjoyed; at this pace, he would soon complete the tempering of his Bronze Bones. He wasn¡¯t hoping for Golden Bones. After the Bronze Bone refinement, he will start his Renal Cultivation, striving to step foot into martial arts as soon as possible. After Xu Yan broke through, he didn¡¯t return immediately and continued to consolidate his realm. Meng Chong was standing under the scorching sun, practicing the Golden Bell Cover technique. At this moment, he entered a mysterious state. Feeling a blazing sun within his heart that responded to the sun in the sky, heat permeated his entire body, golden brilliance flickering. His blood and energy were getting stronger and his physical body was rapidly becoming more powerful. ¡°The sun within my heart is resonating with the sun in the sky. I¡¯ve finally done it, my cultivation speed has improved, and I feel like I¡¯m growing stronger in a melting pot.¡± Meng Chong was very excited. He felt he was not far from achieving minor success in his Golden Bell Cover. Xu Yan returned on the third day after his breakthrough. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve broken through to the Innate Realm.¡± Xu Yan exclaimed excitedly. ¡°Well done, my disciple, you¡¯ve truly embarked on the path of martial arts. Don¡¯t slack off, strive for early perfection in the Innate Realm.¡± Li Xuan said with a gratified expression. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan replied respectfully. Glancing at Shi¡¯er who was in the midst of serious cultivation, Xu Yan sensed a faint Sword Intent surrounding him, seemingly accelerating his speed of bone refinement. ¡°Master, what¡¯s happening to Shi¡¯er?¡± ¡°Shi¡¯er¡¯s aptitude is average, his cultivation is too slow. A hint of Sword Intent accelerates his cultivation.¡± Li Xuan smiled and said: ¡°Bronze Bones is Shi¡¯er¡¯s extreme limit. But even if he only achieves Bronze Bones, he would have elevated himself from the lowly ranks of martial artists.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan pondered, ¡°Master, can 1 also use Sword Intent to assist my father and others in speeding up their bone refinement?¡± Li Xuan laughed and said: ¡°The foundation of martial arts depends on oneself, step by step, steadily cultivating and understanding the epiphany of cultivation. Fast-tracking won¡¯t help strengthen the foundation. ¡°However, if there¡¯s no hope for Golden Bones, there¡¯s no harm trying. Assisting in refining bones with your Sword Intent is only for achieving Bronze Bones, it doesn¡¯t quite count as fast-tracking.¡± ¡°You need to control your Sword Intent in a way that it doesn¡¯t hurt people.¡± Xu Yan suddenly realized, thinking to himself, ¡°Unless one possesses the talents of a legendary prodigy, one can sharpen their skills with Sword Intent without worrying about growing rapidly but loosely rooted.¡± Upon this thought, Xu Yan instantly understood, ¡°The reason why Master didn¡¯t use Sword Intent to assist my bone-refinement, but encouraged me to pursue the Martial Arts thoroughly and systematically, was because he saw me as having the potential to be the prodigy of the ancient times.¡± ¡°Yes, Master, 1 understand.¡± Xu Yan responded with a delighted nod. Now that he knew Sword Intent could assist his parents and speed up their bone-refinement, he considered it a good thing. He didn¡¯t believe his parents possessed the kind of qualifications that top prodigies have. Besides, their age and late start in cultivating Martial Arts were obvious drawbacks. Achieving a copper bone body would already be a commendable feat for them. ¡°Why is Shi¡¯er¡¯s copper bone a bit weak?¡± Xu Yan queried with a frown. While Shi¡¯er was currently in the refinement stage for copper bone, he fell short of Xu Yan¡¯s own state at that stage. ¡°Even within the same copper bone level, there are differences in strength.¡± Li Xuan explained. ¡°I see!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up, excitedly asking, ¡°Master, what about my jade bone in comparison to others at the same level? Is it stronger or weaker?¡± Li Xuan chuckled to himself, thinking: ¡°Strong or weak? Besides me, your Master, your jade bone is the strongest. Especially now that it has further evolved into the Dragon-Treading Spiritual Bone.¡± But he merely responded, ¡°As long as your heart for Martial Arts remains clear and you hold firm to the belief that you won¡¯t lose to anyone in this lifetime, you won¡¯t lose to anyone.¡± Xu Yan fell into contemplation. ¡°When Master said this, he seemed to hint that there are stronger jade bones than mine. But as long as 1 am firm in Martial Arts, 1 can catch up with and even surpass them!¡± With a determined look and burning spirit, he said, ¡°Master, rest assured, my dedication to Martial Arts will never waver. I will certainly practice constantly, holding fast to the belief that 1 won¡¯t lose to anyone in this lifetime. 1 won¡¯t get knocked down by any setbacks!¡± ¡°Good! As long as you hold such a belief, I, your Master, believe you won¡¯t lose to anyone!¡± Li Xuan affirmed him with comfort. Though he supplemented in his thoughts, ¡°Except for me, of course.¡± ¡°Master, Xie Lingfeng and his associate want to visit you. Will you see them?¡± Xu Yan brought up the matter regarding Xie Lingfeng. Li Xuan contemplated. ¡°Xie Lingfeng is from the all-powerful Sword Master Cliff in the Inner Domain. He has an extraordinary identity and must possess numerous Martial Arts cultivation techniques.¡± ¡°If I could obtain the Inner Realm Martial Arts technique for reference, it would make it way easier to compile the technique. Plus, the technique won¡¯t be made weak.¡± ¡°These two, Xu Yan had them fully convinced that the Martial Arts they¡¯ve been practicing is fake. They must be contemplating how to switch to the true Martial Arts.¡± ¡°The Inner Qi of Grandmaster level Martial Artists is actually similar to True Qi. If you want to convert it to True Qi, you simply need to refine it a bit, and then it will advance into True Qi, just not Innate True Qi.¡± Xie Lingfeng must be seeking him out for Martial Arts purposes. Indeed, the Inner Qi used in a Grandmaster Martial Artist¡¯s cultivation is also a type of True Qi. It¡¯s just referred to differently in the Inner Domain. However, it falls far short of Innate True Qi. To convert it to True Qi, you simply need to refine it ¨C to enhance its quality. As for the method ¨C Li Xuan, having fully achieved the Innate Realm and possessing an Innate Spiritual Bone and Dragon-Treading Spiritual Body, is capable of manipulating spiritual energy in a way far beyond the reach of other Martial Artists. Refining the Martial Arts Inner Qi and converting it into True Qi in its real sense won¡¯t be a problem for him. By merely tweaking the method of condensing Qi and blood into Innate True Qi a bit, he can accomplish this. Of course, the True Qi condensed from Martial Arts Inner Qi is bound to be weaker than pure Innate True Qi. However, that is in comparison to Martial Artists with gold bones or jade bones. For those with copper bones or less, it might not be as weak, plus, Inner Domain Martial Arts Inner Qi varies in strength too. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s Martial Arts Inner Qi is stronger than that of Xu WuXin¡¯s. If he condenses it into True Qi, although it may not be as good as Xu Yan¡¯s Innate True Qi, it will definitely not lose to Shi¡¯er¡¯s Innate True Qi. After all, Xie Lingfeng is among the prodigies of the Inner Domain. ¡°Alright, tell him to come by when he¡¯s free.¡± Li Xuan nodded. Xie Lingfeng has a good reputation in the Inner Domain, and Xu Yan will venture there sooner or later. It could be beneficial to increase his connections in the Inner Domain through the amiable Xie Lingfeng. Moreover, if the controversy over the true and fake Martial Arts really breaks out someday, they could use all the help they can get. Of course, the most essential part is to swindle the Inner Domain¡¯s Martial Arts techniques from Xie Lingfeng and the other one ¨C with a model to refer to, compiling subsequent techniques would be much easier.. Chapter 106 Wu Country¡¯s Martial Arts Conferences Translator: 549690339 ¡°Master, I will arrange for him to visit us soon.¡± Xu Yan sighed in relief when his master agreed. Xie Lingfeng was quite good, arguably his first friend in the martial arts and had significantly contributed to his understanding of Sword Intent before breaking through. ¡°Master, my younger fellow-disciple is currently pondering over the mysteries of The Eight Diagrams. I noticed that our insights are somewhat different, so I want to have a discussion with him; perhaps, we may gain new insights.¡± Xu Yan asked for his master¡¯s opinion. Li Xuan paused, suddenly realizing an issue. He planned to teach The Eight Diagrams to each of his disciples, and naturally each would have their unique insights. If they were to discuss and exchange views, could it potentially trigger even more insights? Not only The Eight Diagrams, but also the broader Martial Arts as well. Necessarily, whilst Xu Yan cultivates the orthodox Martial Arts, Meng Chong cultivates a physical strength-oriented Martial Arts; as they are all Martial Arts, they can naturally critique each others¡¯ experiences. Maybe his disciples could gain insights and add some colour to the grand scheme of Martial Arts? And he himself would also gain even more benefits. After pondering, Li Xuan nodded, ¡°The Eight Diagrams embodies the mysteries of heaven and earth, everyone¡¯s insights depend on their stage of understanding, and are bound to vary. Discussing and exchanging ideas with each other will indeed enhance your understanding. ¡°You and Meng Chong having such an idea is very good. ¡°As mutual disciples, the insights of the Martial Arts should interconfirm and enhance each other¡¯s understanding. Whether it be orthodox Martial Arts or body-centric martial arts, everyone will glean some insight into Martial Arts. ¡°Perhaps it will bring about fresh insights, thereby helping each other understand more about Martial Arts.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes shone, saying excitedly, ¡°Yes, Master!¡± ¡°Go ahead!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Xu Yan left excitedly. ¡°Meng Chong should also have come to comprehend the movement techniques, right?¡± Li Xuan pondered. Suddenly. The Golden Finger¡¯s feedback arrived. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has achieved minor success in the ¡®Great Sun Golden Bell Cover¡¯, breaking through to minor success in the realm of Qi-Blood. Your physical strength has increased accordingly!¡± Physical strength enhanced! Li Xuan felt his body instantly becoming even stronger. Although the feedback brought about by Meng Chong¡¯s minor improvement wasn¡¯t great, only doubling his physical strength, he was already blessed in having taken on two disciples and reaped the benefits. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but contemplate whether it¡¯s time to accept a third disciple? Which cultivation technique should he design for the third disciple? In discipleship, the quality matters more than quantity. After all, creating a new powerful cultivation technique isn¡¯t easy. ¡°Should 1 travel more frequently? 1 can¡¯t gather new disciples by just staying in Yunshan County.¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought. Was it because he had crossed over to another world and had been confined to the mountain village, or because he became a shut-in? Especially as he didn¡¯t need to exhaust himself practicing or increase his strength to acquire resources. He could rely on his disciples, leading him to desire even more inactivity. At this, he thought about the current Heavenly Mother from the Heavenly Mother teaching, the young girl. ¡°This young girl¡¯s medical skills are commendable, and she¡¯s even capable of persuading villains to be good. I wonder what her innate talents are like? If she doesn¡¯t come to Yunshan County, I, being a renowned figure, don¡¯t have the duty to personally seek her out to be my disciple. ¡°To practice Martial Arts, one still needs some help, like elixirs¡­ 1 should think about it, if it¡¯s possible to create a Cultivation Technique specific to elixirs.¡± Li Xuan sank into contemplation. He had ideas for the third martial arts branch. However, how could he create it, and he needed a suitable disciple, who could comprehend it. That required a certain foundation. How could the practice of Martial Arts lack elixirs? Unlike freaks like Xu Yan and Meng Chong who don¡¯t need elixirs to aid in Martial Arts, other normal Martial Artists might require them. Moreover, if one had the appropriate elixirs, this would also assist with tempering the body to form the golden body. Although relying on elixirs to temper the body to form golden bones may not be as pure and powerful as using one¡¯s innate talent, it¡¯s still making it to the golden bone stage. The foundation of Martial Arts far surpasses copper bones. ¡°In the Inner Domain, there should be drugs to assist Martial Art practice, yes? When Xie Lingfeng comes, let¡¯s see if he can coax out some tricks from the Inner Domain. Having a reference will make it easier to create.¡± Li Xuan had a plan in mind. Outside Yunshan County, within the mountains. Xu Yan and Meng Chong stood on the map of The Eight Diagrams. ¡°This is Qian, symbolizing Heaven; this is Kun, representing Earth¡­.¡± Xu Yan stepped onto The Eight Diagrams diagram, narrating his understanding and insights. Meng Chong listened quietly, thoughtful. ¡°Brother, this is the Floating Goose movement technique I¡¯ve learned.¡± After Xu Yan finished explaining, he utilized the Floating Goose movement technique. His figure became elusive, moving swiftly without making a sound. Then he also narrated the process of how he gained deep understanding and learned the Floating Goose movement technique. Next, between his crossed steps, he instantly moved him to a different spot. ¡°This is the Shifting and Transferring technique. I figured it out suddenly during my fight with Xue Wuxin.¡± Xu Yan explained the Shifting and Transferring technique a bit more. Upon listening, Meng Chong showed admiration, ¡°Brother, I¡¯m no match for your natural talent.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just a matter of talents being highlighted differently.¡± Xu Yan shook his head. ¡°Brother, these are my comprehensions.¡± Meng Chong too shared his recent understandings and insights on The Eight Diagrams. Xu Yan fell into deep thought. Meng Chong¡¯s certain insights were beyond Xu Yan¡¯s expectation. The brothers then began to discuss mutually and bring out each other¡¯s insights, starting with the movement technique.. Chapter 107 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan was explaining the method of shifting shapes and positions to provide a direction for Meng Chong¡¯s enlightenment. However, Meng Chong felt this method didn¡¯t suit him very well. So, he needed to gain an understanding of a movement technique that would suit him. Over the next few days, Xu Yan and Meng Chong would spend each day on The Eight Diagrams, discussing and sharing their insights. Most of the time, it was Xu Yan explaining his understanding of the movement technique. Li Xuan watched in silence, astonished: ¡°I never knew The Eight Diagrams could be understood this way. I, as a master, didn¡¯t realize this. My disciple is remarkable, his insights are growing!¡± He felt that Meng Chong was close to understanding a movement technique. Through their mutual exchanges, Xu Yan also gained new insights, although he was uncertain about what kind of advanced movement technique they would help him understand. After observing them a few times, Li Xuan stopped watching and started instructing Shi¡¯er in body refining instead. That day was just like any other. Li Xuan was leisurely lying in a chair, contemplating the potential of various branches of martial arts and contemplating how to make them more profound and powerful. A golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has understood the technique of sidestepping. Your sidestepping technique has greatly succeeded.¡± Sidestepping! This was similar to shifting shapes and positions, yet different. Sidestepping is a flash across, either to the left or right, forward or backward, or even upwards and downwards. The direction of sidestepping is relatively fixed, but as it can be performed continuously, it means that the position can change continuously. This is a real combat movement technique. In a flash, one can get close to the enemy or pull away from them. It¡¯s similar to shifting shapes and positions, yet it distinctively different. Sidestepping is more in line with Meng Chong¡¯s style. With his ferocious physical martial arts, if he fights hand-to-hand, he has more advantages. What fits, is always the best. ¡°Shifting shapes and positions + Sidestepping, you have achieved mastery in Heaven and Earth Change.¡± The Golden Finger continued to provide feedback. Heaven and Earth Change! It¡¯s a combination of shifting shapes and positions and sidestepping, and it¡¯s even more profound and elusive. If one¡¯s power is strong enough, they can turn heaven and earth upside down in a flash. Li Xuan was ecstatic: ¡°Good disciple, you have added bricks and tiles to your master¡¯s martial arts career!¡± His strength has become stronger again. ¡°Having genius disciples gathered together, exchanging martial arts insights, can promote mutual progress and aid in the understanding of martial arts.¡± A light dawned in Li Xuan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Moreover, the cultivation techniques that I have created for my disciples are all different. With such mutual verification and exchange, even more new martial arts methods can be understood. ¡°Xu Yan¡¯s exchange with Meng Chong is the exchange of orthodox martial arts with physical martial arts. They should gain new insights and gains from each other. ¡°If they succeed, the feedback from the Golden Finger will greatly promote the development of my martial arts career.¡± Li Xuan was looking forward to his two disciples continuing to comprehend powerful martial arts methods for him. The more martial arts methods he gains, the more cultivation techniques he will master, making it easier for him to create more in the future and ensuring he doesn¡¯t lose direction. Meng Chong had come to understand the sidestepping method and was incredibly excited. He had finally realized a combat movement technique that was suitable for himself. ¡°Master, I finally have understood a movement technique.¡± Upon returning, an excited Meng Chong relayed his news. ¡°It¡¯s decent, but your technique is somewhat limited. It¡¯s fine for combat, but when it comes to long-distance travel or chasing after an enemy, it¡¯s not quite up to snuff.¡± Li Xuan nodded his head, pointing out the limitations of the sidestepping method. Meng Chong paused, deep in thought. The battlefield is confined to a certain range. His sidestepping technique allows him to reach his destination in an instant; the speed is extremely fast and can catch the enemy off guard. He can avoid the enemy¡¯s onslaught in an instant. If he were to pursue an enemy, requiring long-distance running, it would seem insufficient. The advantage of the sidestepping technique lies in the instant arrival over a short distance and instant evasion. ¡°Master, I understand; I will continue to work hard.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s gaze was firm. Just then, Shi¡¯er returned from outside. He was carrying a chicken in his hand, and when he saw Meng Chong, he seemed to be hesitating to speak. ¡°Do you have something to say to me?¡± Meng Chong asked with a frown. ¡°I heard some news, it came from the Wu Country and it¡¯s about you¡­¡± Shi¡¯er gave a coy smile. ¡°What news?¡± Meng Chong was full of curiosity. He had fled from the Wu Country to Yunshan County and taken Li Xuan as his master; ever since then, he had paid no attention to anything else, immersing himself entirely in Martial Arts cultivation. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Emperor of Wu put a bounty of a hundred thousand taels of gold on your head? After such a long period of time, without him capturing you, the reward has increased. Whoever captures you can obtain a three-thousand-year-old Ginseng, plus ten divine pills, and a noble title¡­¡± Shi¡¯er was tempted as he spoke. Meng Chong widened his eyes in surprise and said, ¡°That guy, the Emperor of Wu, is that generous? Am 1 that important to him?¡± Shi¡¯er smiled wryly, ¡°Because of you, Meng Chong, he can no longer leave his palace and is confined, where he can¡¯t breathe. Can¡¯t he hate you to death?¡± ¡°Regarding this matter, the martial artists of Wu Country are preparing to hold a martial conference to elect an Alliance Hierarch to collectively capture you and win the Emperor of Wu¡¯s reward.¡± It¡¯s said that the Emperor promised that whoever captures you shall be made the martial lord of the territories and be given an entire county as a territory!¡± Shi¡¯er sighed. The Emperor of Wu was determined to capture Meng Chong, he was willing to invest heavily. As for the martial artists of Wu Country, this was a great opportunity, a chance to start a new era for the martial arts world. Now, the martial experts of the Wu Country were already gathering, preparing to elect the Alliance Hierarch and plan to capture Meng Chong. Li Xuan also sighed deeply, just how much does the Emperor of Wu hate his second disciple? If Meng Chong had not taken him as a master and practiced powerful martial arts, he would have inevitably been captured and his end would have been miserable. Meng Chong, hearing this, suddenly became intrigued, and excitedly asked, ¡°Where will the martial conference in Wu Country be held? When will it be held?¡± ¡°In three days, in the Tianping Mountain of Wu Country.¡± Shi¡¯er replied. ¡°Tianping Mountain?¡± Meng Chong was ecstatic, rubbing his bald head, he said, ¡°That guy, the Emperor of Wu, owes me a hundred thousand taels of gold, one three thousand-year-old ginseng, ten divine medicines, a title, and a territory. I must ask him for them.¡± Shi¡¯er looked at him weirdly, as he functionally held a moment of silence for the Emperor of Wu. ¡°I don¡¯t want the title and territory. 1¡¯11 just choose some items from his imperial treasury as compensation.¡± Meng Chong continued clearly. The eldest brother had emptied Emperor Qi¡¯s treasury, which he was envious of, it was now finally his turn to raid the treasury of the Emperor of Wu. Upon hearing this, Shi¡¯er thought of Xu Yan who had emptied the treasury of Emperor Qi. ¡°Master, I want to go to the Wu Country.¡± Meng Chong rubbed his head and smirked. ¡°If you want to go, then go.¡± Li Xuan did not stop him. With Meng Chong¡¯s current strength, he could, as Xu Yan had done in the past, sweep across Wu Country with no problems. The Emperor of Wu was doomed to be miserable. ¡°Yes, Master, I will be back very soon.¡± Meng Chong exclaimed excitedly. ¡°By the way, Master, is there anything you like? I¡¯ll ask the Emperor of Wu for it.¡± He thought about it and asked. Li Xuan¡¯s mind started to race, ¡°Then, see if there are any books, such as medical books, pharmacology books, historical records, and so on. It would pass the time.¡± ¡°I understand, Master, I will definitely ask the Emperor of Wu for some rare books!¡± Meng Chong got it. When your master wants to read books, they are naturally not the ones sold in the streets. Li Xuan nodded his head, ¡°Just mind your manners.¡± Meng Chong chuckled, ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry. The Emperor of Wu did help me take my revenge after all, I won¡¯t treat him too harshly.¡± Taking his treasured sword, Meng Chong immediately prepared to go to Tianping Mountain. He would meet the martial arts experts of Wu Country, get the Alliance Hierarch in his hands, and then go find the Emperor of Wu for the reward. At this point, Xu Yan spoke, ¡°Little brother, Tianping Mountain is quite a long way off, it would be better to ride a horse. Although it will be a bit slower, it¡¯s always more comfortable than running on your own two legs.¡± Meng Chong thought about it, ¡°Thank you, brother.¡± Having fetched a horse from the stables, Meng Chong eagerly rushed off towards Tianping Mountain. ¡°Master, should 1 send some books over?¡± Xu Yan looked at his master sitting in his chair, playing with the Jade Ruyi, and asked. He almost forgot, his master was a man of great talent and almost a hermit in the world. His only remaining pleasure was likely teaching his disciples and reading some books. He thought of his master¡¯s arrival in Yunshan County, his first activity was looking for books to read. Inside, he felt a pang of guilt, ¡°I was only thinking about my own cultivation and forgot about master¡¯s particular interests..¡± Chapter 108 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Hmm, yes, you can!¡± Li Xuan nodded, and then said: ¡°Books, miscellaneous notes, books on medical wonders, and so on, can all be found to pass the boring time.¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Master, my junior fellow apprentice has gone to Wu Country, and I also want to go back to the Donghe County.¡± Meng Chong went to Wu Country to trouble the Emperor of Wu, he temporarily couldn¡¯t continue to corroborate his perception of The Eight Diagrams. Xu Yan planned to go back home to help his parents speed up their bone refining with his Sword Intent. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Li Xuan nodded. The next day, Shi¡¯er brought some books. These were all treasures of the Tianmu School, containing various Jianghu strategies, among which were some medical books. In the afternoon, Xu Yan also sent some books. Li Xuan first read medical books to understand what the medical system of the barren land and even the Inner Domain were like. ¡°No acupoint acupuncture, no principle of using drugs for the monarch, minister and assistant¡­¡± After reading several medical books, Li Xuan felt more and more feasible about the hypothetical new branch of Martial Arts. Once successful, it would be another overthrow of the world¡¯s martial arts. ¡°Now, all that¡¯s left is to continue to improve the theory, and I lack a disciple to understand it.¡± Li Xuan thought silently. Tianping Mountain, named for its broad and flat mountaintop. The martial arts experts of Wu Country gathered for a Jianghu conference, aiming to capture Meng Chong and to get rewards granted by the Emperor of Wu. Famous Jianghu experts appeared one after another, all for the position of Alliance Hierarch. They led martial arts experts from Wu Country to Qi Country to capture Meng Chong and win the title of Jianghu Marquis. Since then, these Jianghu figures also have a respectable status. Moreover, they also have a county as their fiefdom, equivalent to having a foundation in Jianghu. Those who can come to Tianping Mountain to participate in the Jianghu conference are all top martial arts experts in Jianghu. Many figures of the Jianghu continuously appeared under Tianping Mountain that day. ¡°Is that Senior Tie? He¡¯s here too!¡± ¡°Senior Tie, our great expert from Wu Country twenty years ago, who has long since retired, didn¡¯t expect he would come too.¡± ¡°Nonsense, this is the Jianghu Marquis, who wouldn¡¯t be moved by it?¡± ¡°Exactly, whoever wins the position of Alliance Hierarch, will become the leader of this generation¡¯s Jianghu!¡± Many people in Jianghu sighed inwardly. Their faces were full of envy. They regretted their insufficient strength and were not eligible to participate in the competition for the Alliance Hierarch. Those who were eligible to participate in the competition for the Alliance Hierarch were all top experts in Jianghu. On Tianping Mountain, heroes of the Jianghu gathered. Hundreds of famous experts from Wu Country all gathered here. Among them were people who had personal grudges. However, this time they came for the position of Alliance Hierarch. They didn¡¯t fight to death on sight. They were all contemplating that once they won the Alliance Hierarch¡¯s position, they would immediately command the heroes of Jianghu to kill their enemies¡­ ¡°Please welcome the revered elder of our Wu Country¡¯s Jianghu, Senior Wu, to preside over the Jianghu conference!¡± A Jianghu expert opened his mouth as if a huge bell rang out. Above the high platform, an old man with a hunched back, almost 100 years old, was helped to be seated on a chair. ¡°It¡¯s Senior Wu!¡± The people beneath the high platform whispered to each other. ¡°Senior Wu is already nearly a hundred years old, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, only Senior Wu is eligible to be the judge.¡± People from Jianghu sighed one after another. They did not expect this Jianghu conference to be presided over by Senior Wu. This is a real legend of Jianghu. Even though he is old and his strength has declined to 10% of his peak, his reputation in Wu Country¡¯s Jianghu is unmatched by anyone. Moreover, Senior Wu has five personal disciples, each of whom is a top expert. One of his disciples is even a top expert of Wu Country¡¯s royal family. Other than his disciples, his grand-disciples also included three top experts. This indicated Senior Wu¡¯s status in Wu Country¡¯s Jianghu. ¡°The competition for the Alliance Hierarch is based on strength and moral integrity. Neither can be lacking. Those with poor moral integrity will harm Jianghu. Those with insufficient strength will disgrace the face of Wu Country¡¯s Jianghu.¡± Senior Wu stated in a serious voice, setting the conditions for the competition for Alliance Hierarch. ¡°Under these conditions, I presume none of you present here object, right?¡± All Jianghu people expressed their support for Senior Wu¡¯s rules! ¡°The competition for Alliance Hierarch is based on ability. Don¡¯t harm the atmosphere. Otherwise, it will weaken our Wu Country¡¯s Jianghu strength.¡± Senior Wu continued. Then, with a twinkle in his eye and a hint of ridicule, he said: ¡°I heard recently that our fellow Jianghu people in Qi Country were all busy looking for some great person to learn the true Martial Arts. It¡¯s truly a joke.¡± ¡°Stories from the books, biographies written by pedantic scholars, some people even believe them!¡± All people from Jianghu burst out laughing. ¡°That¡¯s right, 1 also heard about this.¡± ¡°The brains of the Qi people are not very good. It must have been spread by some phonies.¡± ¡°Hahaha, wait until the conference is over, let¡¯s go capture Meng Chong and disparage those comrades of Qi¡¯s Jianghu.¡± On Tianping Mountain, the people of Jianghu were all very happy. Senior Wu knocked the ground with his cane and said: ¡°Now, the competition for Alliance Hierarch begins. Who will come out first?¡± Suddenly! A loud voice echoed through Tianping Mountain. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± A figure, as if descending from the sky, landed on the high platform. Meng Chong set off from Yunshan County and finally reached the foot of Tianping Mountain. He looked up at Tianping Mountain, and he could no longer see the figures of the Jianghu people at the foot of the mountain. The conference had probably started already. He dismounted and was about to climb up the mountain when he suddenly paused. He looked around and then at the horse next to him.. Chapter 109 Translator: 549690339 ¡°What if someone rides off with my horse that I tethered at the foot of the mountain? It may not be worth much, but it is a gift from my senior brother. In the martial arts world, there is no lack of petty thieves. If someone turned up while he was up the mountain and stole his horse, wouldn¡¯t that cause him, Meng Chong, embarrassment? He looked up at the path to the mountaintop, noticing its steepness would make horse-riding a bit challenging. Meng Chong scratched his head, suddenly having an idea. He turned to his horse and hoisted it onto his shoulders, beginning to ascend the mountain. The horse thought, ¡°How thrilling, I get to ride a human again!¡± Atop the plateau of the mountain, Meng Chong appeared, carrying his horse, before the crowd on the stage. The martial arts experts of Wu Country opened their eyes wide in shock. They saw a robust youth carrying a horse, as if descending from the sky, landing on the stage. Senior Wu, who was seated on the stage, jumped in surprise, almost out of breath with his face growing red and his hand holding his cane trembling. Where did this horse-carrying lad come from? It almost scared him to death! After catching his breath, Senior Wu demanded angrily, ¡°Hey lad, where are you from? Don¡¯t you know the rules? State your name!¡± Meng Chong glanced around, coldly retorting, ¡°I am Meng Chong, the one you all want to capture. Here I am, anyone who wants to capture me, step forward! ¡°Once I have defeated all you fools, I still need to claim my reward from the Emperor of Wu!¡± Meng Chong! All the martial arts experts present were shocked and many were thinking of fleeing. This robust and horse-carrying youth evidently had extraordinary skills. So, it¡¯s Meng Chong!¡± Senior Wu was overjoyed and announced, ¡°Whoever captures Meng Chong will become the Alliance Hierarch, attack him!¡± With a wave of his hand, Senior Wu swiftly moved aside with his cane to avoid being involved. ¡°Attack!¡± The experts shared a glance and moved forward eagerly. ¡°I have him!¡± One expert held Meng Chong, trying to subdue him, but it was as if he was trying to shake a mountain, impossible to move. ¡°Watch this!¡± Whoosh! A shooting star dart was sent straight to Meng Chong¡¯s shoulder blade, intending to penetrate it and incapacitate him! Bang! The dart hit Meng Chong but fell straight down without causing any injury. ¡°Attack together!¡± The martial arts experts swarmed towards him. Meng Chong stood still with the horse on his shoulders, indifferent to their assault. They launched all sorts of moves; those who could grab his legs did so, those who could pull his arms did so. They were flushed in effort, using every ounce of their strength. They stacked up like a human wall, surrounding Meng Chong in the middle. Even the horse that he was carrying had people jumping onto it, almost completely engulfed by the human wall. Senior Wu, the old fox observing from a distance, was surprised by this. This horse-carrying youth was incredibly strong and robust! This was not a place to stay for too long! As a man of the martial arts world who had lived to such an age, he was not ordinary. ¡°Disciple, let¡¯s leave quickly¡± He immediately called out to his disciple standing by his side. ¡°Yes, master!¡± His disciple, too, sensing a bad turn, quickly picked up senior Wu and they made their escape. Boom! Suddenly, the stage collapsed. A golden, radiant light burst forth accompanied by an aura of terror, sweeping in ail directions. One by one, shadows of people were flung outwards from the stage as if the sky was raining down on them. ¡°Impossible, how can he be so strong!¡± ¡°I¡¯m done for, I think my ribs are broken!¡± ¡°What, your ribs are broken? Great, finally a chance for revenge. Old rascal, your life ends here!¡± Many martial arts experts lay scattered on the mountain top. Some even saw it as an opportunity for revenge when they noticed their enemies were badly injured. They launched themselves at their enemies! However, most of the martial artists were horrified, looking at the horse-carrying lad with a terrifying aura, like a god descending from the heavens. The radiant golden light made even the horse he was carrying seem extraordinary! Gulp! ¡°What kind of martial arts is he using?¡± ¡°How can there be such a powerful martial artist in the world?¡± ¡°Qi Country! Is the rumored expert from Qi Country real?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we have anyone like this in Wu Country?¡± The martial arts experts were horrified. Meng Chong looked down at the martial arts experts who lay scattered around him. He ignored the ones taking advantage of the situation to retaliate against their mortal enemies. With his gaze cold and intimidating, he asked, ¡°Is there anyone else who wants to capture me, Meng Chong? Feel free to make your move!¡± Silence! No one dared to make a sound. ¡°Where is the Alliance Hierarch¡¯s command?¡± Meng Chong continued to ask. Once he received the the Alliance Hierarch¡¯s command, he could logically ask the Emperor of Wu for the title of ¡®Marquis of the Martial World¡¯. Meng Chong always acted rationally and justifiably, ensuring that the Emperor of Wu had to acquiesce. It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s with Senior Wu!¡± Finally, someone responded in a hushed voice. Meng Chong looked around; the old man had run away. ¡°Old fox! He grunted, leaped up carrying his horse, and darted down the mountain. Halfway down, he saw a bronze token embedded in a large tree. With a twitch of his lips, he thought about how the old fox, Senior Wu, had been able to survive this long for a reason. During his time in Wu Country learning martial arts, he had already known about this famous figure in Wu Country¡¯s martial arts world. Truly an old fox, seeing strengths beyond most people¡¯s comprehension. ¡°This old man!¡± Meng Chong reached out to remove the Alliance Hierarch¡¯s command, set the horse free after descending the mountain. Afterwards, he headed straight to the capital of Wu Country. On Tianping Mountain, the martial arts masters were picking themselves up, all of them still in shock. They had almost died! ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ve finally taken my revenge!¡± ¡°Meng Chong, good man!¡± ¡°Bastard, dare to kill my master, I¡¯ll never let you go!¡± The martial artists on Tianping Mountain were in chaos, many of them greatly impacted. Is there really a master in this world? Is the Qi¡¯s unparalleled martial arts real? Wasn¡¯t it just made up by fraudsters? The capital of Wu Country. The Emperor of Wu was in a bad mood. Being cooped up in the palace was making him sick. However, every time he tried to go out, his ministers would block him. The ministers were not having a good time either. They carefully selected their house servants, for fear that people like Meng Chong might infiltrate their residences. For those relatives and clan members with whom they had a bad relationship, they simply wrote to the emperor asking him to be a witness of them severing all relations! Not only that. When they go out, their bodyguards are carefully chosen. Carriages or palanquins needed to be sturdier to prevent arrows from being shot in and getting killed. Even in the capital, they were always apprehensive each time they attended court, fearing a sudden appearance of an assassin intent on sacrificing his life for revenge. When did life start becoming so difficult? It all started when that bastard Meng Chong attempted to assassinate the Emperor of Wu. And the worst of all, what the hell were the Emperor of Wu¡¯s guards doing? They actually let Meng Chong escape! There were recent rumors that a big event had happened in Qi Country. The new Grand Tutor, the Crown Prince¡¯s master, the Emperor Qi¡¯s sworn brother, the former minister of personnel Guo Rongshan¡¯s grandson, was a martial arts master. A strong presence that could suppress Qi Country¡¯s army on his own. Of course, the ministers of Wu Country did not believe it. ¡°It¡¯s just that Emperor Qi is incompetent, Guo Rongshan has seized control of the government, and this is just an excuse.¡± ¡°I heard that Guo Rongshan¡¯s grandson, what¡¯s his name again? Has been obsessed with storytelling since childhood, he treats stories and biographies as real, seeks masters everywhere. There¡¯s even a rumor that he¡¯s mentally ill.¡± ¡°This Guo Rongshan is really something, silently and suddenly took control of Qi¡¯s politics, even the Emperor Qi has to listen to him.¡± ¡°Be careful what you say! If our emperor gets suspicious because of this, our lives will become more difficult!¡± The Wu Country¡¯s ministers were quietly discussing before the court session began. The Emperor of Wu attended court with a black face. ¡°Has Meng Chong been caught?¡± The first sentence at court was about Meng Chong. The Secretary of Justice gritted his teeth and said: ¡°Your majesty, the martial arts people have gathered on Tianping Mountain for the reward. I believe Meng Chong will be captured soon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all incompetent! The face of my Wu Country has been utterly lost! ¡°A reward of 100,000 pieces of gold, a 3000-year-old ginseng, ten precious medicines, such a generous reward, and yet Meng Chong has not been captured. What use are you to me!¡± The Emperor of Wu was furious. The ministers looked at their feet in silence, every court session was like this. They would wait for the Emperor to finish venting his anger, then they could start discussing affairs. They were used to it! ¡°Speak!! Why are you all silent, have you all gone mute?¡± The Emperor of Wu roared angrily. ¡°Your majesty, please take care of your health!¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty, your health is important!¡± The ministers began to try and calm him down, their attitudes somewhat perfunctory. It felt like a routine. After all, it wasn¡¯t the first time. ¡°Besides those words, what else can you incompetent fools say? What I want is Meng Chong captured!¡± The Emperor of Wu slammed the table and roared. ¡°Emperor Wu, I am here. Is my reward ready?¡± At this moment, a voice echoed from outside the main hall.. Chapter 110 Translator: 549690339 With the voice emerged a burly figure, the most eye-catching part of him was his shiny bald head. The Emperor of Wu was instantly shocked! Meng Chong?! The officials were taken aback too, Meng Chong? They were all familiar with Meng Chong since they often gritted their teeth in hatred of him! Why has he come? And how did he manage to storm into the court meeting? The Emperor of Wu abruptly stood up, his face full of astonishment. ¡°Guards, seize him!¡± This is the palace! A key spot for the royal court, and it was broken into by Meng Chong? Are the imperial guards and the palace guards all useless? ¡°Meng Chong, surrender now!¡± In the main hall, the military officials were immediately invigorated, an opportunity to serve had come. With a roar, they all rushed up. With a stretch of his hand, like picking up chicks, Meng Chong threw all these military officials out. Seeing Meng Chong throwing a large number of military officials out of the hall as if they were chicks, the officials were almost scared out of their wits. Among these military officials, there are exceptional masters! They didn¡¯t even have a chance to resist? The Emperor of Wu went even paler out of fright, trying to hide, but he couldn¡¯t escape. Meng Chong grabbed him and smirked, ¡°Emperor of Wu, remember the hundred thousand taels of gold, a 3,000-year-old mountain ginseng, and ten precious herbs you owe me?¡± ¡°Not¡­ Not forgotten!¡± The Emperor of Wu was almost scared unconscious and stammered in response. Meng Chong sat on the imperial throne, took out the Alliance Hierarch¡¯s badge, and slammed it on the table, saying, ¡°This is the order of the Alliance Hierarch, according to which, you should make me a Marquis. But I don¡¯t like it. So, I won¡¯t accept it. Instead, how about fetching something from your palace treasury. That seems fair right?¡± The Emperor of Wu nodded his head, ¡°Fair! Fair!¡± His only wish was to keep away from this villain Meng Chong and then order the palace¡¯s top fighters to surround and kill him! At this moment, the courtiers in the hall saw that Meng Chong did not pay attention to them, they exchanged glances, and then in a very coordinated manner, they shakily retreated, preparing to run away. As for the life and death of the Emperor of Wu, they were powerless to help! After this event, just crown another emperor, such a simple matter, it¡¯s not worth risking lives over! Moreover, they can¡¯t even fight the tide! Meng Chong looked at the courtiers who were shrinking back and sneaking away, he chuckled and said: ¡°Emperor of Wu, these courtiers of yours, do not seem very loyal!¡± The courtiers were startled and hurriedly stopped their steps. The Emperor of Wu was so angry that he gnashed his teeth! ¡°Your Majesty, we are loyal, we are going to get reinforcements to save you!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Your Majesty, we are going to get reinforcements.¡± The courtiers righteously claimed. Meng Chong grabbed the Emperor of Wu and sternly said, ¡°Emperor of Wu, you helped me get my revenge. So, I won¡¯t make things hard for you. 1 know you¡¯re not satisfied. Rumor has it that the Heavenly Mystery Guard of the Wu Country is the guardians of the country. ¡°I will give you a chance to deploy the Heavenly Mystery Guard. If they can kill me, it counts as your ability.¡± Since my brother crushed the Might of Qi Country single-handedly, then I will crush the Heavenly Mystery Guard of the Wu Country. This was what Meng Chong was thinking. ¡°Really?¡± The Emperor of Wu was overjoyed. No matter how strong Meng Chong is, can he really fight the Heavenly Mystery Guard alone? ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Fine, then let¡¯s fight in the drill ground!¡± The courtiers heard this and were shocked to look at Meng Chong. Has his brain gone bad? He wants to fight against the Heavenly Mystery Guard alone? Then they rejoiced, this kid is doomed! The drill ground of Heavenly Mystery Guard, filled with a stern murderous aura Meng Chong stood alone, surrounded by heavily armored Heavenly Mystery Guards. The Emperor of Wu clenched his teeth and ferociously ordered the leader of the Heavenly Mystery Guard, ¡°Kill him!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The leader of the Heavenly Mystery Guard nodded solemnly. Boom! The Heavenly Mystery Guard launched an attack, charging from all directions, directly blocking all of Meng Chong¡¯s escape routes and dodging spaces. They all stabbed forward with their spears, using the force of their galloping horses, they ruthlessly thrust at Meng Chong. However, an astonishing scene unfolded. The spears all broke from the middle, leaving Meng Chong unharmed. ¡°Is that all?¡± Meng Chong laughed, his body radiating golden light like a Vajra Arhat, resisting the Heavenly Mystery Guards single-handedly. The courtiers were shocked beyond words. The Emperor of Wu had a stunned look on his face, murmuring, ¡°How is this possible? That voice tricked me, and dared to say that this place cannot generate warriors? How dare it fool me!¡± As if he thought of something, the Emperor of Wu¡¯s face was extremely gloomy, he gritted his teeth and muttered to himself. Meng Chong arrived in front of the Emperor of Wu, patted his bald head, smirked and said: ¡°Emperor of Wu, what do you think?¡± The Emperor of Wu took a deep breath and said, ¡°Meng Chong, whatever you want, I¡¯ll give it to you, even if it¡¯s offering a marquis title, or a king title!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for a title. Just prepare the things from the reward for me. As for the marquis position, we can exchange it for the treasures in your palace.¡± Meng Chong had made his decision. ¡°Agreed!¡± The Emperor of Wu nodded his head resolutely. In the palace of the Wu Country, boxes of gold ingots were placed in front of Meng Chong. Looking at the gold ingots, Meng Chong paused for a moment and said, ¡°Keep the gold here for now, it¡¯s not convenient for me to carry.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The Emperor of Wu also was straightforward. Meng Chong collected the 3,000-year-old mountain ginseng and ten precious herbs, and he signaled the Emperor of Wu to lead the way to the treasury. Upon reaching the treasury, the Emperor did not go in. ¡°You can take everything, I can give it all to you!¡± The Emperor of Wu took a deep breath and said resolutely. Meng Chong entered the treasury and started selecting treasures. ¡°The books and other things my master needs are easy to find, but these gemstones, they¡¯re not very useful.¡± ¡°The treasury of the Emperor of Wu is not good at all, why are most of it gemstones, with only a few precious herbs, I¡¯ll just take all of them.¡± Meng Chong took a tour of the treasury, a little disappointed. After becoming a martial artist, precious gemstones no longer attracted him. Besides some books to take back to his master, there wasn¡¯t much else that he found suitable.. Chapter 111 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Let¡¯s keep looking.¡± Meng Chong scrutinized carefully this time and suddenly spotted an ancient book on a shelf. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± It was an ancient parchment book, so old that one couldn¡¯t determine what kind of skin it was made of. Two vigorous characters were written on the cover of the ancient book. ¡°Taicang?¡± Meng Chong opened the cover. Instead of text, he saw lines, twirling and twisting, seemingly drawn according to some specific pattern on the parchment. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, 1 will take it back for master to look at.¡± Meng Chong took the parchment book. Upon leaving the treasury, Meng Chong casually said, ¡°Emperor of Wu, I have chosen my treasure. Considering you helped me in my vendetta, I won¡¯t empty your treasury.¡± The Emperor of Wu remained silent, his face dark. ¡°I¡¯m leaving!¡± Meng Chong had come in a rush and left in a rush as well. Now that his mission was accomplished and matters between him and the Wu Country were settled, it was time to return and diligently cultivate his Martial Arts. As word spread about Meng Chong single-handedly defeating the martial arts experts in Tianping Mountain and the Tianxuan Guard in the capital of the Wu Country, he once again shocked the entire Wu Country. Many citizens of Wu Country, upon hearing the rumors of the Qi Country searching for a high-level expert, were astounded. Were there really such high-level experts in this world, and was there indeed such a powerful form of Martial Arts? In some corner of the Wu Country, Senior Wu, a reputable martial artist, was shocked by the news that Meng Chong single-handedly defeated the Tianxuan Guard. It was as if he remembered something. ¡°Apprentice. Come quickly!¡± Two apprentices rushed over. ¡°Master, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Quick, pack your things, prepare for a journey to the mountains. We¡¯re going to the Endless Mountains!¡± Senior Wu ordered his apprentices. In his mind, he recalled the time when he was young and had to hide from his enemies in the Endless Mountains, where there was a rather peculiar place. He had never ventured deep inside for fear of not being able to come out. Now thinking about it, could it be that place held some kind of opportunity? ¡°If only I had been 20 or 30 years younger, I would have gone by myself!¡± Regret was apparent in Senior Wu¡¯s heart. Meng Chong, on horseback and carrying the spoils of his journey, was on his way back to Yunshan County. He was unaware that his incredible strength had not only shocked the Emperor of Wu, who was surprised beyond his expectations, but also those officials whose worldviews had collapsed due to the shock. In a secluded corner of the Wu Country¡¯s royal palace, there was a lonely courtyard bereft of eunuchs or maids, with some weeds that had just begun to sprout. The Emperor of Wu walked in with an unpredictable expression. The head eunuch stopped outside the courtyard, allowing only the Emperor to proceed. The Emperor of Wu entered the courtyard and headed towards the main hall in the middle. Pushing open the doors of the main hall, to his surprise, he found a stone house! The stone house was not large, being only about thirty feet in dimensions, as if it were carved out of a single massive piece of rock. The ancient stone house, with a weather-beaten surface, was a testament to the passage of time and the changes it witnessed. The Emperor of Wu stood in front of the stone house, his eyes shadowed and expression solemn. He walked into the stone house. The light inside was dim, making the interior of the gloomy stone house seem a bit desolate. ¡°Today, a man came to my palace. Single-handedly, he crushed my Tianxuan Guard. Didn¡¯t you say that martial artists don¡¯t exist? That it¡¯s impossible to become a real martial artist? How will you explain this to me!¡± The Emperor of Wu suppressed his dissatisfaction and anger, speaking in a low voice. His voice echoed in the stone house for quite some time before a sudden voice resonated in the stone house. The mysterious voice seemed to appear out of thin air, unable to trace its origin, as if the stone house was speaking. The mysterious voice expressed doubt, ¡°A martial artist? Impossible. The Heavenly Earth Lingji at the frontier of Taicang has been extinguished, making it impossible to cultivate into a martial artist.¡± ¡°Bullshit! If Meng Chong is not a martial artist, then what is he? Each time I ask you for cultivation methods, you always fob me off with this so-called narrative of the extinguished Heavenly Earth Lingji!¡± The Emperor of Wu angrily retorted. ¡°Is he really a martial artist?¡± The mysterious voice still carried doubts. ¡°Would I lie to you?¡± The mysterious voice was silent for a long while before saying, ¡°That must be a martial artist from the Inner Domain. But what is an Inner Domain martial artist doing here?¡± The Emperor of Wu scoffed coldly, ¡°You talk about martial artists from the Inner Domain, yet since the founding of my Wu Country, we have never encountered one!¡± ¡°Your Wu Country¡¯s founding is too recent. How could you possibly have seen it? Besides, even if a Martial Artist had come, you wouldn¡¯t have known.¡± The mysterious voice seemed to be recalling something: ¡°The last time a Martial Artist came from the Inner Domain to the borderlands, that was¡­ Three thousand years ago.¡± ¡°I knew it, you would use the Inner Domain Martial Artist to fob me off again, but this time, I need to tell you, he is not from the Inner Domain, his name is Meng Chong, he is one of my people from Wu Country.¡± ¡°He once tried to assassinate me, his power was then barely on par with the peak of the martial world, but within less than a year, he has already become so powerful, and you still try to fool me that one can¡¯t cultivate Martial Arts?¡± The Emperor of Wu suppressed his anger. ¡°Impossible! Absolutely impossible! There¡¯s no way a Martial Artist could appear in Taicang borderlands!¡± The mysterious voice sounded somewhat excited. ¡°I saw it with my own eyes, are you still trying to deceive me? Besides, I am hearing rumors that the Qi Country has gotten a peerless expert, and even a powerful Martial Artist is single-handedly suppressing the Qi Country!¡± The Emperor of Wu growled lowly. His face turned red with fury. ¡°It¡¯s impossible, absolutely impossible.¡± The mysterious voice didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°If you don¡¯t show me the way of cultivation, I¡¯ll smash this stone house!¡± The Emperor of Wu threatened. ¡°Hahaha, if you want to smash it, then go ahead. Do you think you can break it? Do you think that if the stone house is smashed, I¡¯ll be gone¡­¡± The mysterious voice started laughing, but the laughter was somewhat crazy. ¡°All liars, I won¡¯t be fooled again, hahaha¡­ Liars, all of you are liars. You want to lie to me again, it¡¯s impossible, 1¡¯11 never be fooled¡­¡± The mysterious voice laughed madly as if he was deranged. Regardless of how the Emperor of Wu tried to communicate, he kept on repeating: Liars, all are liars, I will never be fooled again¡­ The voice in the stone house gradually silenced. The Emperor of Wu¡¯s face darkened, showing a mixture of anger, helplessness, and unwillingness. He glanced around the stone house, and with a somber face, he left. He left the stone house, walked out of the main hall, closed the door, stepped out of the courtyard, locked the courtyard¡¯s gate, and looked at the newly grown weeds in the courtyard. He instructed, ¡°As always, pick someone from the death cell to clean all the weeds here. Once it¡¯s done, dispose of them properly.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty!¡± The eunuch complied obsequiously. Meng Chong returned to Yunshan County. ¡°Master, what is this?¡± After putting all the books in place, he took an ancient book to Li Xuan. ¡°Hmm?¡± Li Xuan took the ancient book and paused. This book seemed unusual. The material itself was extraordinary, and it was not made from ordinary animal hide. Moreover, it had a very old feel to it. On the cover of the book, two words: Taicang. ¡°Taicang? What is it?¡± Li Xuan flipped the book open and instead of seeing lines of text, he saw lines drawn painstakingly. These lines seemed somewhat messy at first, but upon closer examination, they formed a consistent pattern. ¡°Rune?¡± The first thought that came to Li Xuan after seeing the lines on the book was rune. But he realized that it wasn¡¯t a rune after careful consideration. It¡¯s not like runes, and it doesn¡¯t exactly resemble a map either¡­¡± Li Xuan was unable to comprehend what the lines represented. His intuition told him that these patterns were not simple. ¡°Master, what does this mean?¡± Meng Chong looked curious. ¡°It¡¯s normal for you not to understand. One¡¯s strength and realm determine their perspective. As your strength is still weak, it¡¯s natural that you don¡¯t sense its meaning.¡± Li Xuan remained expressionless. ¡°Once you¡¯ve improved your strength and realm, you will naturally understand. Don¡¯t be overly ambitious. Be diligent in your practice, and don¡¯t let your curiosity about the unknown get the better of you.¡± I can¡¯t understand either. But as a peerless master, I definitely can¡¯t show my confusion¡­ Li Xuan thought to himself, but outwardly, he continued to counsel his disciple. ¡°Yes, master!¡± Meng Chong nodded respectfully. Since his master did not explain, it must not be necessary for him to know at this time. Furthermore, since the ancient book came from the Emperor of Wu¡¯s treasury, it was likely just a mundane object, despite its antiquity. Meng Chong didn¡¯t dwell on it he hastily left for the outskirts of the city to cultivate. Li Xuan, on the other hand, turned to the second page of the ancient book. The second page had even more lines drawn, and the pattern appeared to be continuous mountains or chains. Upon closer inspection, it once again seemed like random doodles.. Chapter 112 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan flipped through the ancient leather book, page by page, for a total of eighteen pages, each page depicting a pattern. But each page seemed to be a type of terrain or other pattern at a first glance. Upon a second look, it looked as if it was drawn randomly. When he looked at it a third time, it seemed to transform into yet another pattern. The more he looked, the more confusing it became, the more unclear it got, he even wasn¡¯t sure what exactly was depicted. ¡°This book has something special, but I can¡¯t understand it.¡± Li Xuan sank into deep thought. He closed the ancient leather book, staring at the two words ¡°Taicang¡±, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°What does ¡®Taicang¡¯ mean?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t resist, he opened the ancient leather book to look again, this time he felt that the patterns drawn in the book seemed a bit different. The drawings clearly hadn¡¯t changed. ¡°Could it be some kind of martial arts technique? But it¡¯s too esoteric, my realm of understanding can¡¯t comprehend the hidden depth?¡± Li Xuan was puzzled. ¡°If it really is a martial arts technique, wouldn¡¯t it be even stronger than the martial arts I¡¯ve created?¡± He flipped through the ancient leather book again. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like a martial arts technique, how come it feels more like a map?¡± He closed the ancient leather book and put it away. Playing with the Jade Ruyi in his hand, squinting slightly, he recalled the content of the ancient leather book, pondering carefully. As a result, Li Xuan was surprised to discover that whenever he remembered, the patterns outlined in the ancient leather book seemed to be different, as if they were constantly changing. ¡°Strange, what on earth is this?¡± Li Xuan frowned and couldn¡¯t help but take out the ancient leather book to read it again. Just as before, the first time he looked at it, and the second time he looked at it, it seemed a bit different, yet he couldn¡¯t explain why it gave him a different feeling. ¡°There¡¯s something odd about this old leather book, it doesn¡¯t look like a technique, it doesn¡¯t feel like a map, and it¡¯s not like a talisman either, it¡¯s so strange. Maybe when my power increases, I¡¯ll be able to see something.¡± Li Xuan muttered, Meng Chong couldn¡¯t understand. In his view, they were just some drawings, without any meaning. ¡°I wonder if my eldest disciple, Xu Yan, can figure something out.¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought. If Xu Yan could perceive something, would the Golden Finger give him some feedback? It¡¯s hard to say. After all, he didn¡¯t draw the patterns on the ancient leather book. ¡°Let Xu Yan take a look.¡± Li Xuan had made up his mind. Xu Yan is such a freak, he might be able to see something. The day after Meng Chong returned, Xu Yan also came back from Donghe County. With his aid of Sword Intent, Xu Junhe had already begun refining impurities. The strength of Xu Family was increasing, and the speed was not slow. Li Xuan was sitting in a chair, with a pile of books on the table next to him. At the moment, he was reading a book about elixirs. ¡°The frontier areas have no concept of elixirs, only some simple potions, and they don¡¯t have the theory of the Sovereign, Minister, Assistant, and Guide¡­¡± The more Li Xuan read, the more he felt that his new conception of martial arts system was feasible. The ancient leather book was on the table. Xu Yan came to greet him: ¡°Master!¡± Li Xuan nodded, Xu Yan¡¯s gaze was drawn to the ancient leather book. ¡°Master, what is this book?¡± As a fan of storybooks, he had read too many storybooks. If we were to talk about familiarity with storybooks, probably no one could beat him. This ancient leather book looked like it had a unique version at first glance. He immediately became interested. ¡°You take a look.¡± Li Xuan said casually. Xu Yan excitedly picked up the ancient leather book. ¡°Taicang?¡± He saw the two big characters on the cover of the ancient leather book and curiously asked, ¡°Master, what is Taicang?¡± ¡°When your strength and realm have reached, you naturally know when it¡¯s time to know.¡± Li Xuan said perfunctorily. Xu Yan opened the ancient leather book and looked at the lines on it. They were twisted and distorted, but seemed to have definite patterns, and numerous lines drew an unknown shape. It looked a bit like a map. Or was it some type of terrain? He couldn¡¯t understand, so he turned to the second page, the third page¡­ After reading the entire ancient leather book, Xu Yan was all puzzled and asked, ¡°Master, what are these lines? Are they drawings of a treasure map?¡± His eyes lit up as he finished. Seeing Xu Yan¡¯s expression, Li Xuan knew that he couldn¡¯t figure anything out either, and he didn¡¯t even notice that the patterns in the ancient leather book were a bit special. He only saw the simple lines. ¡°Even my disciple can¡¯t understand this. Is it because his realm is too low? Never mind, I¡¯ll just keep it.¡± That was what Li Xuan thought. Taking the ancient leather book in hand, he said, ¡°When your strength and realm have reached, you may understand.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, working intensively on cultivation is the right way, consolidate your Innate Realm, and in a few days, your master will teach you the techniques beyond the Innate.¡± Li Xuan knew his disciple had a wild imagination, to prevent him from wasting time in blind speculation and getting distracted from his cultivation, so he added. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t think too much either. After his greeting, he went outside the city to practice, exchanging insights about the Eight Diagrams with Meng Chong. The capital city of Qi Country. Xie Lingfeng had always been meditating on the theory that Xu Yan had mentioned. To achieve a clear understanding of the sword spirit, the first step is to have a clear state of mind, untroubled by external things. What kind of mentality is it to have no women in mind? ¡°It seems to have no women in mind, but it doesn¡¯t mean to really abandon women, but rather not to be disturbed by external things? What kind of artistic conception is this exactly?¡± Xie Lingfeng was wearing a face of confusion. He vaguely felt that he seemed to understand somewhat, yet he also seemed not to. ¡°My comprehension is too poor. Brother Xu has already explained it so clearly and intelligibly, but I still can¡¯t comprehend..¡± Chapter 113 Translator: 549690339 He was sighing inside. Suddenly, he had a thought. ¡°Brother Xu once said that he borrowed from Emperor Qi¡¯s palace to temper his mind and improve himself¡­ can I too? To enhance my mental state, to clear my self, only then do 1 have a chance to understand the heart of my sword. ¡°Only by understanding the heart of the sword could 1 step into the true Sword Dao!¡± With this thought, Xie Lingfeng became restless. Immediately, he sought out Emperor Qi to borrow his palace beauties to refine his mindset, perhaps there would be rewards. ¡°Exalted one, do you have any instructions?¡± Upon hearing that Xie Lingfeng intended to meet him, Emperor Qi was overjoyed. The opportunity had come! Could he acquire the Martial Arts Method? Xie Lingfeng gave Emperor Qi a glance and for a while, found it difficult to speak. After all, borrowing someone else¡¯s palace to temper one¡¯s mind seemed somewhat difficult and awkward. He was shy and honestly didn¡¯t know how to bring it up. Seeing his difficulty, Emperor Qi was even more delighted, eagerly asking, ¡°Exalted one, if you have a request, just ask, I will do my utmost to fulfill it!¡± ¡°In that case, I will say it outright.¡± Hearing this, Xie Lingfeng thought, since Xu Yan had borrowed his harem to temper his mind, it wouldn¡¯t be much to Emperor Qi, right? So he said: ¡°Indeed, I have recently intended to temper my mind. 1 once heard Brother Xu mention that he borrowed the beauties of Emperor Qi¡¯s harem for this purpose. It was very effective, hence my visit.¡± Damn! In his heart, Emperor Qi cursed: ¡°What kind of crappy exalted master is this? Is he going to learn from that little Xu Yan?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my harem! They¡¯re my concubines! How dare he use them to cultivate his mind?¡± ¡°What does he take me for? ¡°This is too much, 1 can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± Yet on the outside, his smile remained unchanged. He gave a big wave of his hand and said boldly, ¡°Oh, is that all? Just training your mind. A small matter, a small matter.¡± ¡°Call the servants! Announce my decree, let my consorts dance, help the exalted one to refine his mind.¡± Emperor Qi directly gave the order. Xie Lingfeng was instantly moved. Emperor Qi was magnanimous and righteous. No wonder Xu Yan didn¡¯t rebel. Such a generous and righteous emperor is rare. With a grateful face, he clasped his fists and said, ¡°Your majesty is righteous. I am eternally grateful!¡± ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s my honor to assist a nobleman!¡± Emperor Qi retorted, feigning nonchalance. Internally, he had long cursed Xie Lingfeng a thousand times over. The harem was bustling. Emperor Qi¡¯s concubines were dancing their hearts out, hoping to catch the eye of the exalted one and rise to the top. Rather than waiting in the palace for Emperor Qi¡¯s favor, it¡¯s better to seize the opportunity to become the close companion of a Martial Arts Nobleman, vastly superior to being emperor¡¯s side consort. Xie Lingfeng sat on the wall, staring at Emperor Qi¡¯s concubines and sighing, ¡°Indeed, these are the beauties of a monarch¡¯s harem, all with their unique grace and charm. ¡°But, how am I going to temper my mind?¡± ¡°Right, having no woman in my heart would mean 1 can¡¯t be moved by beauty.¡± After watching for a while, Xie Lingfeng found it unbearable, after all, he was young and vigorous. He ran off. ¡°Slow down, I must slow down!¡± In his study, Emperor Qi wore a black face, feeling as if his hair was turning green. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked in a deep voice. The Chief Steward responded, ¡°The exalted one watched for a while, then left, but after less than half an hour, he returned and continued watching, then left again¡­¡± ¡°Did he do anything?¡± ¡°Nothing, he watched for a shorter time than Xu Yan did.¡± Upon hearing this, Emperor Qi felt somewhat relieved. But for some reason, he also felt regretful, not being able to send off a consort. If a consort was sent out and the exalted one accepted, he couldn¡¯t just enjoy the benefits without giving anything in return, right? Damn it! Emperor Qi cursed in his heart, ¡°I¡¯m the emperor, how can 1 be so disgraced!¡± Holding it in was so frustrating! The affair at the harem couldn¡¯t be kept secret, and when the ministers learned of it, they looked at Emperor Qi strangely. Emperor Qi was furious inside. What kind of exalted one is this? Xu Yan brought all of this! Thinking of this, Emperor Qi was furious and ordered: ¡°Arrest my rebellious son! I will personally administer thirty hard slaps!¡± The Chief Steward carefully said, ¡°Your Majesty, the Crown Prince left the capital yesterday.¡± Emperor Qi fell silent. The Crown Prince, who had originally been muddling through things, was scared pale when he heard the news of the exalted one visiting the harem. This exalted one was brought by him. Estimating that he was going to be spanked again, he fled the capital in a hurry. He couldn¡¯t stay in the capital any longer. Xie Lingfeng felt that his mindset had improved a little, he was no longer so moved by beauty, and that day, Guo Rongshan brought him news. Xu Yan¡¯s master, the mysterious exalted one, was willing to meet him. Overjoyed, he immediately set off with Hu Shan, heading for East River County to meet the exalted one! ¡°Young Master, have you been sleeping around with the concubines of Emperor Qi in these past few days?¡± Hu Shan asked curiously. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face darkened, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Am I someone who would do such a thing? I went there to temper my mindset.¡± Hu Shan wore a skeptical look on his face. ¡°Young Master, how did you temper your mindset?¡± Xie Lingfeng perked up, saying, ¡°In the past few days, I¡¯ve made some progress. 1 am not far from reaching a mindset devoid of thoughts of women.¡± Hu Shan: ??? ¡°Hu Shan, you wouldn¡¯t understand. This state of mind can only be understood, not described. Once you comprehend it, the path of the Sword Dao will lay right before your eyes.¡± Xie Lingfeng yearned in his heart. Without stopping, the two journeyed from the capital to Yunshan County in Donghe Prefecture. Outside Yunshan County, Xu Yan and Meng Chong were waiting. ¡°Brother Xie! Xie Lingfeng and his companion arrived. ¡°Brother Xu, thank you!¡± Xie Lingfeng said earnestly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Xu Yan patted Meng Chong¡¯s shoulder, saying, ¡°Let me introduce you, this is my junior brother, Meng Chong.¡± ¡°So you are Brother Meng, pleased to meet you!¡± Xie Lingfeng and his companion greeted with a clenched fist. ¡°We should spar when we have the chance.¡± Meng Chong said, eager to try. ¡°Sure! it Xie Lingfeng nodded. Inwardly, he was astounded. Meng Chong gave off the impression of a fierce beast, extremely ferocious. Even without fighting, he could sense that Meng Chong¡¯s physique was stronger than steel. He feared that even a first-class martial artist from the Inner Realm would have difficulty breaking through his physical defense. ¡°This is the essence of martial arts. With just his physical body, he could probably take on a first-class martial artist, right?¡± Xie Lingfeng was secretly shocked. In the courtyard, Li Xuan lounged on a chair, playing with Jade Ruyi. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were about to arrive. He was on the verge of obtaining the Inner Realm Cultivation Technique. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, both Grandmaster Martial Artists, hail from the great power of Jianzun Ya. Their cultivation techniques are by no means ordinary in the Inner Realm, they are at the pinnacle. Finally, he could get a glimpse of the Inner Realm Martial Arts technique and refer to it for his own martial arts. The Blood Demon Skill was after all a demonic skill and not complete. Although it had its advantages, it was ultimately limited. They¡¯re here! Li Xuan made himself even more comfortable, a mysterious aura emerged. The Jade Ruyi in his hand also seemed to become mysterious. ¡°Brother Xie, please,¡± urged Xu Yan, as he opened the door. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were tense, finally about to meet this mysterious expert. Taking a deep breath, they stepped through the door. As soon as they stepped in, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were stunned, their faces full of shock. In the yard, a young man lounged in a chair, playing with Jade Ruyi with tranquility. At his sight, they felt as if beholding a sacred light, enveloping the young man. The light was mysterious, inscrutable, and lofty, unreachable. He seemed to transcend the world, as if sitting outside time. In that instant, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were all stunned. An expert! A peerless expert! They could not help but kneeled down. ¡°Xie Lingfeng (Hu Shan) pays respect to the senior!¡± Bang, bang, bang! They knocked their heads hard three times. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were stunned. Such grand gestures when they arrived? The force of their kowtow was even greater than when they were initiated. They even left two small pits on the ground! Looking at their master, he was as inscrutable as ever. Li Xuan was pleased. This mysterious aura was really powerful. It actually had such an effect. ¡°Rise,¡± he said flatly, without any hint of emotion. ¡°Yes, senior!¡± Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan stood up reverently, daring not to even breathe heavily. But they were extremely excited in their hearts. What a great opportunity! With guidance from such an expert, they were sure to benefit greatly! Chapter 114 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan calmly looked at Xie Lingfeng and his companion and said, ¡°I understand what your intentions are.¡± ¡°1 beg you, sir, to guide us through confusion!¡± Xie Lingfeng respectfully replied. ¡°To find a solution to the confusion, one must first understand its root. What cultivation technique are the two of you practicing?¡± Li Xuan twisted the Jade Ruyi around his hand, revealing a faint smile on his face. ¡°Humbly be it known, we are practising the legacy cultivation technique of Sword Cliff.¡± Xie Lingfeng responded. ¡°How much have you comprehended from the cultivation technique?¡± Li Xuan continued to ask. Xie Lingfeng was startled, how much had he comprehended? ¡°I have fully comprehended it in my heart.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s smile was filled with mystery and profundity, ¡°Have you truly comprehended it in your heart?¡± Confronted with his question, Xie Lingfeng¡¯s self-confidence faltered. ¡°Could it be that I have missed something and failed to fully understand it?¡± Hu Shan was deep in thought. Had he truly comprehended it? ¡°Bring the cultivation technique to me. I¡¯ll peruse it, ascertain your capability, and determine if you have truly understood its essence.¡± Li Xuan seemed confident that they had not understood the essence of the cultivation technique. ¡°Yes, senior!¡± Xie Lingfeng and his companion didn¡¯t think any further. They were convinced that they had been practicing fake martial arts, and no longer cared about its exclusivity. Moreover, would such a high personage even care for such crude and counterfeit martial art technique? ¡°Senior, please wait a moment while I write down the cultivation technique.¡± Xie Lingfeng respectfully said. ¡°No problem!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Shi¡¯er brought pen and paper for them. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan started writing silently. Li Xuan spoke again, ¡°Write down all the cultivation techniques you know. Perhaps you just bit off more than you could chew and failed to grasp its true essence.¡± ¡°Yes, senior!¡± Xie Lingfeng and his companion felt revitalised. ¡°What I¡¯ve practiced, could it be genuine martial arts? It¡¯s just that I have failed to understand its true essence and thus haven¡¯t cultivated true martial arts?¡± With this thought in mind, their eyes gleamed with excitement. An hour later. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan had written down everything they knew. Li Xuan received their writings and glanced over them. Just one glance, he didn¡¯t even look at the specific contents of cultivation technique. A high personage indeed! Taking a mere glance, how like a high personage. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t even intend to give a true critique of their cultivation techniques. ¡°True or false, as long as the martial arts heart is firm, there will be achievements.¡± Li Xuan placed down the cultivation technique, speaking placidly. Xie Lingfeng and his companion looked despondent. ¡°It indeed is a false martial arts cultivation technique, sir carefully softens the blow with comfort.¡± Hu Shan¡¯s eyes dimmed, his heart sank, seemingly, the ignited hope had been extinguished again. ¡°I earnestly entreat senior to guide us, where lies the path of my martial arts?¡± Xie Lingfeng knelt down and pleaded. ¡°I earnestly plead, senior, to guide us!¡± Hu Shan followed suit and knelt down. Weighing his words, Li Xuan slowly said, ¡°The two of you, have made your foundation and it is late to start fresh¡­ However, you have nonetheless.Jet¡¯s call it True Qi.¡± ¡°Your True Qi is chaotic, hence, your martial path wavers and foundation is unstable. ¡°The primary issue at hand is to refine the True Qi and put martial arts back on track.¡± This was all long ago contemplated by Li Xuan. ¡°Senior, how can I refine the True Qi?¡± Xie Lingfeng asked respectfully. During his exchange with Xu Yan in Qi country¡¯s capital, he thought about this issue. But Xu Yan had not yet broken through to Innate Realm and couldn¡¯t give a method. As long as the martial arts Inner Qi could be condensed to True Qi, it would mean returning to the track of martial arts. This was the first, critical step. If they were unable to refine True Qi, everything would be in vain. In that case they would have to continue practicing false martial arts until they break through to the stage of Great Grandmaster. Xie Lingfeng did not want this. Even as a Great Grandmaster, so what? He would still not be able to enter Sword Dao and become a true martial artist. ¡°Refining True Qi, it is challenging yet not challenging.¡± Li Xuan did not offer any assurances. After all, the method he proposed to condense martial Inner Qi into True Qi was adapted from the basis of refining blood and energy into Innate True Qi. Whether it would be a success, he could not guarantee. Hu Shan was somewhat confused, ¡°Sir, what do you mean?¡± Meng Chong, who was standing on the side, couldn¡¯t help but explain, ¡°What my master means, whether you can refine True Qi or not, depends on your talent and comprehension of the cultivation technique. ¡°You must know that people vary while learning a cultivation technique, some might succeed, yet some others might not find the entryway. ¡°This is the meaning of ¡®it is challenging yet not challenging.¡¯¡± Upon hearing this, Hu Shan¡¯s face turned flush with embarrassment, he lowered his head in shame and said, ¡°I¡¯m slow witted!¡± He panicked, ¡°Will 1 be unable to understand and refine True Qi?¡± Xie Lingfeng did not panic, he firmly believed that he could refine True Qi. ¡°Sir, please teach us the method to refine True Qi!¡± He respectfully knelt down and said. ¡°Our encounter is destiny, so be it!¡± Li Xuan nodded in agreement. ¡°Thankyou, sir!¡± Xie Lingfeng and his companion were ecstatic. ¡°You both listen carefully¡­¡± Li Xuan shared the method for refining True Qi with them. After hearing the method, Xu Yan suddenly realised, ¡°It is so!¡± The method was not much different from refining blood and energy into Innate True Qi. ¡°Have you memorised it?¡± Li Xuan finished his explanation and asked. ¡°We have memorised it!¡± Xie Lingfeng respectfully replied. Hu Shan opened his mouth, but finally also nodded, ¡°I have memorised it too!¡± Li Xuan glanced at Hu Shan, knowing that the latter had not memorized it, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered to mind anymore. Anything he didn¡¯t understand, Hu Shan would ask Xie Lingfeng. This showed the difference in their talents.. Chapter 115 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Thank you for your teachings, Elder!¡± Xie Lingfeng respectfully kowtowed three times. Hu Shan hurriedly followed suit, bowing deeply three times. ¡°Get up.¡± Li Xuan said. These two are truly respectful! Such kowtows ¨C even more earnest than my own disciples¡¯ during their apprenticeship ritual. ¡°I will not disturb Elder¡¯s tranquility anymore.¡± Xie Lingfeng bowed and said. ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Brother Xie, let¡¯s go and spar.¡± Xu Yan was full of excitement. After reaching the Innate Realm, he hadn¡¯t had a chance to spar with Xie Lingfeng. Now, they would have an opportunity to do so. ¡± Alright!¡± Xie Lingfeng agreed, nodding. Every match would offer him some gain. Meng Chong, with an eager look on his face, turned to Hu Shan and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a match.¡± Hu Shan still had a knot in his mind. He didn¡¯t manage to fully remember the cultivation technique for refining True Qi. It was too embarrassing to say that he didn¡¯t remember. ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing Meng Chong¡¯s invitation, he absent-mindedly agreed. The four of them left the courtyard and went to the forest outside the county. ¡°Young Master, I didn¡¯t manage to memorize the entire Qi refining cultivation technique. Can you tell me about it?¡± Hu Shan approached Xie Lingfeng and awkwardly asked. Xie Lingfeng looked at him speechlessly. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t dare to mention it in front of the elder.¡± Hu Shan stuttered. Meng Chong patted his shoulder and said,¡±Come on, let me see the Martial Arts of the Grandmaster of the Inner Domain. Anything you didn¡¯t remember, I can tell you.¡± Hu Shan felt more embarrassed. Out of the four of them, he was the only one who did not remember. ¡°Alright.¡± Hu Shan nodded and followed Meng Chong to another area. ¡°Brother Xie, please!¡± Xu Yan grasped a tree branch and smiled. Just as Xie Lingfeng was about to grab a branch, Xu Yan said, ¡°Brother Xie, use your sword.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s mouth twitched. Has Xu Yan become so confident that he dares to spar with me using a mere branch? Is it possible that after reaching the Innate Realm, his strength has increased this much? Considering Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Intent, Xie Lingfeng couldn¡¯t be careless. He drew his sword. ¡°Brother Xu, be careful!¡± He attacked with his strongest move, the Flying Rainbow Sword! The sword light flashed for an instant, moving with exceptional speed. Xu Yan struck out with the tree branch, releasing a wave of Sword Qi that shattered the sword light, followed by an immense Sword Qi, like a vast, relentless river! Xie Lingfeng was taken aback. This seemed like the Thousand Rivers Swordsmanship, yet it was even more ferocious, more powerful! ii Is this the power of Innate True Qi?¡± The Sword Qi was immense and unceasing. Although it was just a tree branch that produced it, and Xu Yan did not use his Sword Intent, Xie Lingfeng still felt a significant pressure. The spirit of a Grandmaster Martial Artist had exploded to its full strength. The Martial Arts Inner Qi was running, and the sword was shining with a dazzling sword glow. He was exerting his full power. Xu Yan¡¯s strength after breaking through was exorbitantly strong; he was definitely not his match. The purity and power of the Innate True Qi were much stronger than his Martial Arts Inner Qi. The spar between Xu Yan and Xie Lingfeng was purely a Swordsmanship contest, with intense Sword Qi intertwining. The match between Meng Chong and Hu Shan, however, was much more dramatic. Meng Chong held a large knife, his whole body glowing like golden glaze. With one swift movement, he instantly reached Hu Shan¡¯s left side, and the knife chopped down fiercely. Hu Shan felt a chill in his heart. With a clang, he parried with his sword. He just felt an enormous force from the knife, startling him. What tremendous physical strength! Instantly taking the situation seriously, he exercised his Gale Swordsmanship. Meng Chong propped up his big knife, slashing one blade after another. His Qi and vitality were like a golden bell, as if his sturdy body was swelling up. His style was madly fierce, with all his strength concentrating on the big knife. However, he was just at the initial mastery level of Qi and Blood Realm, not as strong as Hu Shan. Although he was fighting fiercely, Hu Shan was still able to deal with it comfortably. Suddenly, Meng Chong rushed forward, ignoring the sweeping Sword Qi. His machete fiercely chopped towards Hu Shan. ¡°Be careful!¡± Hu Shan¡¯s face changed, and he hurriedly tried to retract his move, but it was already too late. He could only watch as several waves of Sword Qi swept towards Meng Chong, his heart sinking! This attack, whether Meng Chong would die or be seriously injured was uncertain. What can be done about this? However, an even more shocking scene appeared. The Sword Qi bombarded Meng Chong¡¯s body. The golden light on his body swayed and cracked open gaps. The remaining Sword Qi hit Meng Chong¡¯s flesh, leaving only shallow white marks! Not even a single wound appeared! Caught off guard by this surprise, he suddenly felt a violent blade light slashing down and hurriedly raised his treasured sword to block it. With a crash! The swords heavily collided with each other, Hu Shan only felt a huge force pressing down from the sword, his arm bending down instantly, his treasured sword almost slipped from his hand, and his feet sunk half a foot into the ground with a bang! ¡°How could this be possible!¡± He almost couldn¡¯t handle this blade! Although he was caught off guard, he is after all a martial artist in the realm of Grandmasters. Even with the augmentation of his Martial Arts Inner Qi, he was barely able to withstand Meng Chong¡¯s blade¡ªan initiate in Martial Arts! Is this the gap between true Martial Arts and pseudo Martial Arts? He vibrated his treasured sword, shaking off the big knife, and quickly retreated with his figure. Looking at Meng Chong with a surprised face, he asked, ¡°You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± Meng Chong patted his chest and said, ¡°Of course not, your Sword Qi is indeed strong. If it were five or six percent stronger, you would have been able to hurt me!¡± Hu Shan was at a loss for words upon hearing this. What a terrifying body! Even steel would be effortlessly cut under his Sword Qi. However, Meng Chong was unharmed. Just leaving a shallow white mark on his skin, which has already disappeared. This body is indeed horrifying. ¡°Is this the strength of pure physical Martial Arts?¡± Hu Shan wasn¡¯t sure how to express his feelings at the moment. If Meng Chong breaks through the Innate Realm, even if he tries his best, he may not be able to penetrate Meng Chong¡¯s physical defenses, right? Meng Chong looked at the treasured sword in his hand. He had attacked fiercely just now, but he always felt that it lacked something and couldn¡¯t perform to his full strength. ¡°The river and lake swordsmanship I learned is ultimately too poor. It can¡¯t unleash my strength and doesn¡¯t exhibit the strength Martial Arts should have. I need to find master to teach me swordsmanship!¡± Thinking this, Meng Chong stabbed the treasured sword into the ground, clenched his fist, and looked at Hu Shan, saying, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go again!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not using the sword?¡± Hu Shan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°I haven¡¯t learned the sword yet, I don¡¯t know how to use it. I¡¯ll use the Wind and Thunder Vajra Fist to discuss with you.¡± Meng Chong spoke bluntly. Hu Shan was speechless. Such wildness, and he says he hasn¡¯t learned swordsmanship? Doesn¡¯t know swordsmanship? ¡°This strength, even among martial artists in the Inner Domain, a first-grade martial artist would not be able to take his sword.¡± In the Inner Domain, probably only a handful of first-grade martial artists could withstand such a ferocious attack from Meng Chong. And these first-grade martial artists are truly among the best of the first-grade martial artists. Meng Chong is just a beginner in Martial Arts, according to his terminology, he has only achieved a small success in the Qi and Blood Realm. If he masters the Qi and Blood Realm, defeating first-grade martial artists in the Inner Domain and even some weaker Grandmasters would not be a problem. With his pulse surging, Hu Shan yearned: ¡°This is the might of the true Martial Arts. I must condense my True Qi. Once my martial arts is corrected and I become a true martial artist, will I have the opportunity to fight back against some weak Great Grandmasters?¡± Thinking about it made his blood boil. He sheathed his sword and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll also use fist techniques to spar with you!¡± Meng Chong raised an eyebrow, ¡°Are you sure you want to spar with me using fist techniques?¡± Hu Shan¡¯s swordsmanship was indeed strong, and he was not his opponent. However, if they sparred with fist techniques, the outcome would be unpredictable, especially if it turned into a close-quarter melee. Don¡¯t look down on me. Although Sword Monarch Cliff is known for swordsmanship, our fist techniques, palm techniques, and movement techniques are all top-notch.¡± Hu Shan clenched his fists, initiating the attack. ¡°Watch carefully!¡± Boom! His fist was fiercely powerful, reaching Meng Chong¡¯s face in an instant. ¡°Good!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes sparkled, he roared lowly, his fist moved like a thunderbolt, overpowering and swift. One punch out, followed by another like a violent wind. The figure hopped and kept getting closer. The sound of wind and thunder echoed. The whole person transformed into a Vajra Luohan. In just an instant, he suppressed Hu Shan¡¯s fist technique. In a flash, he was already near Hu Shan, whose thunderous fist force seemed to penetrate everywhere, constantly punching through Hu Shan¡¯s defensive gap. For a while, Hu Shan seemed a bit flustered. All he could see was thunder and lightning roaring with terrifying power, attacking unpredictably and defensively. He suddenly regretted, should not have abandoned the sword. Meng Chong¡¯s fist technique was too terrifying.. Chapter 116 Translator: 549690339 Outside Yunshan County, Xu Yan and Xie Lingfeng, Meng Chong and Hu Shan were sparring, while Li Xuan sat on a chair, looking at the cultivation techniques written by Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan. ¡°Martial arts from the Inner Domain are powerful too. Grandmasters should not be underestimated.¡± Li Xuan felt a sigh of appreciation as he looked at the cultivation techniques. In his eyes, both Xue Wuxin, and Xie Lingfeng with Hu Shan seemed weak. They paled in comparison to Xu Yan. However, Xu Yan, after all, had a Jade Bone foundation and, when he broke through to the Innate Realm, he transformed into a Dragon Ascending Rivers and Mountains Spirit Bone and also comprehended Sword Intent. He had enlightened himself with the true might of the Descending Dragon Palm. His strength was naturally unparalleled compared to an Inner Realm Grandmaster like Xie Lingfeng. But to think that the martial arts of the Inner Domain were weak would be biased. Of course, now, without a doubt, the martial arts he created and the martial arts system he founded were stronger than those of the Inner Domain. But this does not mean that the martial arts of the Inner Domain are weak or without value. ¡°Someone like Shi¡¯er with a Copper Bone foundation may not necessarily be able to defeat Xie Lingfeng after breaking through to the Innate Realm.¡± Xu Yan silently made an assessment. Having a reference to the cultivation technique and knowing Xie Lingfeng¡¯s specific strength, he could easily make an evaluation. ¡°The talent of Xie Lingfeng is indeed very high, and among the young generation in the Inner Domain, he is also at the top. It¡¯s not surprising that Shi¡¯er is inferior, but he would not lose to Hu Shan and might even be superior.¡± Li Xuan contemplated the gap between the two in his mind. Overall, the martial arts he created were stronger and had more potential, especially in terms of the fundamental martial arts foundation, far exceeding those of the Inner Domain. It also sounded more profound. No wonder Xie Lingfeng himself believed that what he practiced was a pseudo-martial art. ¡°After this comparison, my martial arts win completely. I wonder if Great Grandmasters are indeed the peak in the Inner Domain?¡± Li Xuan looked at the cultivation technique in his hand. Great Grandmasters were already at the pinnacle. Of course, it was possible that Xie Lingfeng and others had not yet come into contact with, techniques above the level of a Great Grandmaster. ¡°I feel that Great Grandmasters are not the ultimate peak, and it¡¯s likely that Xie Lingfeng and the others simply have not encountered the secrets beyond the level of Great Grandmasters.¡± Li Xuan took out an ancient leather book. Although he could not understand it, Li Xuan was certain that this ancient leather book was extraordinary and that it covered a very high level. With his current power, he was not yet able to understand it. Every time he looked at the ancient leather book, it seemed as though he had a different understanding, and the symbols he saw seemed to change. The only conclusion was that his cultivation realm was too low to see through its secrets. ¡°The ancient leather book came from the treasure vault of the Wu Country Royal Palace, a relic of the past, indicating that the Wasteland once had powerful beings.¡± The inability to cultivate in the Wasteland stemmed from the extinction of the Heavenly Earth Lingji, but when the Lingji had disappeared was now impossible to trace. Even Xie Lingfeng and others did not know. ¡°Located within the same world, why are the Lingji active in the Inner Domain but extinct in the Wasteland? Could it be that Lingji is shrinking and over time, areas of the Inner Domain close to the Wasteland will also experience the extinction of Lingji?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s face showed his perplexity. To cultivate martial arts in the Inner Domain, the existence of Lingji was necessary, only with Lingji one could sense Spiritual Energy, which was mild enough to refine into the body. ¡°What exactly is the Heavenly Earth Lingji?¡± Li Xuan had never left the Wasteland and although he could sense the existence of Spiritual Energy after breaking through to the Innate Realm, he had never sensed what Heavenly Earth Lingji was. ¡°My martial arts can be cultivated regardless of the existence of Lingji, showing that Lingji is not essential to cultivation.¡± Li Xuan continued to flip through the ancient leather book. When Xu Yan and the others returned from their sparring, Xie Lingfeng and others once again sought martial arts guidance from Li Xuan. They wanted to seize this rare opportunity to receive advice from an expert. Li Xuan had already finished reviewing their cultivation techniques and, with his Innate Realm power, it was not difficult for him to give guidance. The focus of his guidance was on refining True Qi. Without the ability to refine into True Qi, all would be in vain. ¡°Do you know of Taicang?¡± Li Xuan looked at Xie Lingfeng and asked. Xie Lingfeng was taken aback, ¡°Taicang?¡± He shook his head: ¡°I have never heard of it.¡± Li Xuan nodded quietly, understanding that Xie Lingfeng had also not heard of Taicang, and the ancient book had not appeared in circulation. With the Jade Ruyi spinning in his hand, Xie Lingfeng bowed and said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb your peace any longer.¡± Li Xuan nodded. Xu Yan was entertaining Xie Lingfeng and his companion, naturally inquiring about the Inner Domain, to which Xie Lingfeng and his companion began to introduce the Inner Domain and the cultivation of martial arts there. Li Xuan listened quietly. As Xie Lingfeng explained, he learned more about the cultivation of martial arts in the Inner Domain. ¡°In the Inner Domain, martial arts cultivation starts from the Ninth Grade which can be assisted with pills and medicinal soups¡­ If one can afford to buy Spiritual Medicine, the effects of cultivation will be much better. ¡°According to Xie Lingfeng, one should not take these medicinal soups and pills too frequently; after each dose, at least a seven-day interval is necessary to completely refine the residual effects. ¡°Otherwise, it piles up in the body, which is detrimental to martial arts cultivation. ¡°Spiritual Medicines don¡¯t have these drawbacks as they contain pure Spiritual Medicine power, are easy to refine, and leave no residue, but Spiritual Medicines are rare and usually beyond the means of ordinary martial artists.¡± Li Xuan found that the Inner Domain did not have pills, they had pharmacists, but they did not know how to refine pills. Spiritual Medicines were simply boiled and consumed directly, with different types of medicines exhibiting different medicinal properties, and there were no methods to combine and refine them into pills. Chapter 117 Crystal, Xu Yan Gains Insight Again ¨C 2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°If there are no pills in the Inner Domain, then I¡¯ll create a pill refining method. If successful, it will definitely be a delicacy for martial artists.¡± Li Xuan was incredibly intrigued. ¡°Grandmasters and above martial artists also cultivate by directly consuming spiritual medicines, but ordinary spiritual medicines have limited effects on grandmaster-level martial artists. They mainly rely on their own bodies for cultivation. ¡°Alternatively, they cultivate with spirit crystals to increase the speed of condensing and refining inner Qi, but spirit crystals are rare and can only temporarily boost the condensing of martial inner Qi. They¡¯re usually not extravagantly used for cultivation. In most cases, spirit crystals are used after battles, when the consumption is great, to enhance the recovery speed of inner Qi.¡± Xie Lingfeng spoke about the cultivation of grandmaster martial artists. ¡°Spirit crystals?¡± Xu Yan was full of curiosity. ¡°This is what a spirit crystal looks like!¡± Xie Lingfeng took out five spirit crystals and explained. Xu Yan picked up a spirit crystal, and he could sense that the spiritual energy contained within was much gentler compared to the nature¡¯s spiritual energy he was accustomed to sensing. The amount of spiritual energy contained within a single spirit crystal was not very significant. ¡°Spirit crystals are naturally formed by nature and are relatively scarce in the Inner Domain. They are the currency of martial arts, used to trade for spiritual medicines, treasures, and other items. Only spirit crystals can be used in these transactions.¡± Xie Lingfeng knew Xu Yan was unfamiliar with the origin of spirit crystals, so he explained: ¡°The formation of spirit crystals is similar to the jade mines in the Border Wilderness. However, the difference is that the spirit crystal mines in the Inner Domain evolve from jade mines. The jade mines nurture the spiritual energy of Tian Di, and over time, they transform into spirit crystals. ¡°Big spirit crystal mines are composed entirely of spirit crystals, but most spirit crystals are mixed within jade mines because only part of the jade has transformed into spirit crystals. ¡°Jade mines in the Inner Domain are very valuable because most jade mines contain at least some spirit crystals.¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong, looked like country bumpkins who had never seen the world. At that moment, they had an epiphany. They couldn¡¯t help but yearn for the Inner Domain. The Inner Domain was bustling with martial arts activity! Much more interesting than the Border Wilderness. ¡°I¡¯ll give these spirit crystals to Brother Xu as a gift.¡± Xie Lingfeng said with a smile. ¡°Then I won¡¯t be polite.¡± Xu Yan gleefully accepted them. Hu Shan, seeing this, also took out five spirit crystals and handed them to Meng Chong. ¡°Thank you, thanks a lot!¡± Meng Chong was overjoyed. ¡°One spirit crystal is worth ten thousand taels of gold in the Inner Domain, but while spirit crystals can be exchanged for gold, gold is not readily exchanged for spirit crystals. Normally, no one would really use spirit crystals to exchange for gold. ¡°There are things that can be bought with spirit crystals that gold cannot necessarily purchase.¡± Xie Lingfeng continued to introduce the uses of spirit crystals. Li Xuan watched with a sigh, realizing that his disciple had suddenly become wealthier than himself. Not true! His disciple had always been wealthier than him. ¡°The Inner Domain is interesting. The Border Wilderness is like a backward, desolate town, while the Inner Domain is like a bustling big city. Once you go to the Inner Domain, you probably won¡¯t want to return to the Border Wilderness, right?¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. He was definitely going to the Inner Domain, but there was no rush as to when. Xie Lingfeng and his companion settled down in Yunshan County. Every day, they sparred with Xu Yan and Meng Chong, while also contemplating the True Qi cultivation technique. Xu Yan also provided guidance for them. After all, he was an Innate Realm martial artist who was already extremely familiar with condensing blood and Qi into True Qi. The cultivation technique of condensing True Qi given to Xie Lingfeng and his companion by Li Xuan was naturally something they were intimately familiar with, allowing them to fully comprehend the true essence of the technique. However, Xie Lingfeng and his companion were still unable to condense True Qi. For a moment, they were quite dispirited. ¡°Let¡¯s ask the master,¡± Xu Yan suggested thoughtfully. Xie Lingfeng and his companion nodded; their only option was to seek advice from a more experienced senior. After listening to their story, Li Xuan instantly understood where the problem lay. Heavenly Earth Lingji! Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were Inner Realm martial artists. To practice, they needed the Heavenly Earth Lingji, and to refine their martial inner Qi into True Qi, they naturally needed nature¡¯s spiritual energy. They practiced Inner Realm Martial Arts and lacked the spiritual mechanism of Tian Di. Unable to sense nature¡¯s spiritual energy in the Border Wilderness, which lacks the Heavenly Earth Lingji, they naturally could not cultivate. Without the capability to refine their martial inner Qi into True Qi. The technique given to Xie Lingfeng and his companion had no issues at all. Understanding the reason, Li Xuan spoke: ¡°Inner Realm Martial Arts require the Heavenly Earth Lingji, and the refining of True Qi requires spiritual energy. It¡¯s natural that you two can¡¯t condense True Qi.¡± With this realization, Xie Lingfeng and his companion finally had peace of mind. ¡°Thank you for the guidance, Senior!¡± Since they couldn¡¯t cultivate in the Border Wilderness, it was time for them to return to the Inner Domain. Their purpose for coming to the Border Wilderness was to kill Xue Wuxin. ¡°Brother Xie, when are you going back?¡± Xu Yan naturally understood this principle. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s eyes were firm as he said, ¡°In the cultivation of martial arts, one must not slacken for a single day. Brother Xu, I will return to the Inner Domain tomorrow.¡± ¡°Good! One day, I will go to the Inner Domain to find Brother Xie! Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Brother Xu, if you come to the Inner Domain and encounter any troubles, just use my name and it will serve some purpose; my name, Xie Lingfeng, still carries weight in the Inner Domain!¡± Xie Lingfeng earnestly said. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up with joy as he asked, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Xie Lingfeng, patting his chest, proudly said, ¡°I, Xie Lingfeng of Sword Venerate Cliff, indeed have a certain renown in the Inner Domain.¡± ¡°Great! H Xu Yan, delighted, then asked, ¡°Can I use your name for anything?¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded and said, ¡°Of course, anything at all. Whenever you encounter difficulties or find yourself in a troublesome situation, Brother Xu, you can just mention my name!¡± ¡°Understood! I got it!¡± Xu Yan nodded solemnly. ¡°What about me?¡± Meng Chong leaned in to ask. ¡°Brother Meng, it¡¯s the same for you as well; you can use my name!¡± Xie Lingfeng said, patting his chest. ¡°Is your name really that influential in the Inner Domain?¡± Meng Chong asked in surprise. ¡°Naturally!¡± Xie Lingfeng finally regained a bit of the pride that was uniquely his own. ¡°I, Xie Lingfeng, am a renowned prodigy in the Inner Domain, possessing a certain prestige,¡± he asserted. Meng Chong nodded and said, ¡°If I run into any trouble, I won¡¯t hesitate to use your name.¡± Hu Shan thought for a moment and then spoke up, ¡°Ahem, actually, you could mention my name as well. My fame in the Inner Domain isn¡¯t inferior to the young master¡¯s.¡± Hu Shan, a grandmaster of Sword Venerate Cliff, also had a lofty reputation as a martial artist in the Inner Domain. ¡°No problem!¡± Meng Chong nodded. Li Xuan looked at Xie Lingfeng, then at Hu Shan, and felt a strange sensation in his heart. Once they reached the Inner Domain, could they really use the names of these two when facing issues? He had an intuition that these two would be put in a bind! His own disciple¡¯s thought processes were sometimes quite different from those of ordinary people. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan bid their farewells and left. Before returning to the Inner Domain, the two planned to visit the Capital City of Qi Country one more time. According to Xie Lingfeng, Emperor Qi was a decent man, allowing him to borrow his concubines to temper his heart before leaving. It was only proper to give thanks. Xu Yan expressed his agreement, stating that Emperor Qi was indeed a rather good person; it was because he had tempered his mind in the emperor¡¯s harem in the past that he laid the foundation for a clear sword heart. After seeing off Xie Lingfeng and the other, Xu Yan and Meng Chong continued to contemplate The Eight Diagrams. Life returned to its previous routine. Every day, Li Xuan would review the ancient leather-bound book and, using the Cultivation Technique of the Inner Domain Martial Arts as a reference, he further perfected the techniques for the realms above the Innate Realm. Meng Chong had already made his entry into blood qi and belonged to the Physical Body Martial Path of the Innate Realm, so it was time to perfect that method as well. Xu Yan had already broken through to the Innate Realm, albeit just getting started, but he could also be taught the techniques of higher realms. If Xu Yan could gain understanding ahead of time, then the feedback from the Golden Finger would arrive sooner, enabling him to break through to the next level. Shi¡¯er had reached the late stage of Viscera Refinement and was not far from the threshold of entering the path of martial arts. ¡°Shi¡¯er is now a servant. What kind of feedback will I get when he enters the path of martial arts?¡± Li Xuan pondered in his heart. Shi¡¯er was a servant, not a disciple, and the cultivation technique he practiced was already perfected, not newly created. Whether it would generate feedback was an unknown. Even if there was feedback, it was likely to be minimal at best. Outside the Cloud Mountain County Town, Xu Yan was practicing The Eight Diagrams when his footsteps paused, coming to a stop on the Zhen Trigram. The Zhen Trigram represents thunder! In his mind, the technique of changing position, along with the light crane movement technique and the profound principles of The Eight Diagrams he had comprehended, suddenly surfaced. In that instant, he seemed to have an epiphany. ¡°As swift as thunder, the body without shadow¡­ Thunderclap, merely a flicker, then leaving no trace.¡± A flash of inspiration struck Xu Yan¡¯s mind, and in that moment, he understood! A brand new movement technique emerged in his mind. Whoosh! His figure instantly disappeared from where he stood, leaving no trace. Meng Chong¡¯s eyes widened as he looked around, unable to see his senior brother anywhere, as though in the blink of an eye, he had vanished from sight! Chapter 118 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan had another epiphany, integrating displacement and the Light Crane movement technique, and comprehended a new movement method. Meng Chong was observing, when suddenly, a figure appeared beside him! This figure was Xu Yan. ¡°Brother, what movement technique is this?¡± Meng Chong was astounded. Too fast, silent and without trace, appearing and disappearing like a phantom. With a smile, Xu Yan said, ¡°Junior brother, I call this movement technique the ¡®Heavenly Lightning Flash¡¯, as fleeting as heavenly lightning, leaving no trace, impossible to capture.¡± ¡°Heavenly Lightning Flash?!¡± Meng Chong muttered. ¡°Yes, Heavenly Lightning Flash!¡± With Xu Yan standing still, he disappeared in an instant, losing all trace. Even though they were so close to each other, Meng Chong didn¡¯t notice any indications of Xu Yan using the Heavenly Lightning Flash in advance. As if in a blink of an eye, he had vanished into the distance. ¡°Such a powerful movement technique!¡± Meng Chong could not hide his admiration. The profundity of their senior fellow apprentice¡¯s insight, truly frightening! Xu Yan¡¯s figure reappeared, he said, ¡°Junior brother, how about 1 teach you the Heavenly Lightning Flash?¡± Meng Chong pondered for a moment, then shook his head: ¡°Brother, my cultivation is physical Martial Arts. Although Heavenly Lightning Flash is rapid, I don¡¯t think it suits me.¡± He scratched his bald head and laughed: ¡°I like domineering movement techniques that are both quick and fierce. Additionally, even if 1 cultivated Heavenly Lightning Flash, 1 couldn¡¯t achieve the level you have.¡± Xu Yan thought for a moment and agreed. Their master said that everyone¡¯s understanding was different, and only what suited oneself was best. ¡°Well, junior brother, you can also reflect on it in your own way and comprehend your own movement technique.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong nodded. Xu Yan standing on the array of the Eight Diagrams said, ¡°Junior brother, if you desire a domineering, quick and fierce movement technique, you should focus on this thunderbolt and study it carefully.¡± Meng Chong thought it made sense. Li Xuan habitually took out the ancient hide book and looked at it daily, hoping one day it would suddenly make sense. Just like Xu Yan, who always seemed to suddenly comprehend things on his own. Golden light suddenly appeared. He was delighted, feedback from the Golden Finger had come. Was it Meng Chong reaching the pinnacle of Innate Realm or Xu Yan breaking through to the small achievement of the Innate Realm? ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, from your compilation of the Eight Diagrams, has comprehended the movement technique of Heavenly Lightning Flash, you have achieved a great completion of the Heavenly Lightning Flash!¡± Xu Yan has comprehended a new movement technique! Heavenly Lightning Flash! In an instant, he had mastered the Heavenly Lightning Flash movement technique, and had immediately reached a high level of mastery. It was as if he was born with this movement technique. ¡°What a powerful movement technique!¡± Li Xuan was amazed. With this movement technique, even if he can¡¯t win, it is more than enough to escape. His figure suddenly disappeared from his chair. Shi¡¯er, who was practicing hard on the side, did not notice anything. Outside of Yunshan County. Li Xuan¡¯s figure emerged, looking at his two disciples below who were discussing the understanding of the Eight Diagrams, with Xu Yan guiding Meng Chong on how to comprehend his own movement technique. Meng Chong seemed to have gained some insight. In an instant, he was back on his chair. From leaving to returning, Shi¡¯er was oblivious to everything. ¡°My second disciple, will also soon comprehend, I wonder what powerful movement technique he will comprehend!¡± Li Xuan looked forward with joy. ¡°Xu Yan really is the eldest brother, indeed my pioneer in the Martial Arts. My future disciples can learn from him, and may increase their understanding.¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. When it came to comprehension and imagination, Xu Yan was undoubtedly the strongest. Three days later. Outside Yunshan County, a figure radiating golden light with a domineering aura flew past the forest like a golden lightning bolt and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Although Meng Chong has not broken through to the Innate Realm and even though he has comprehended a movement technique, he can¡¯t facility move through the sky and disappear immediately like Xu Yan. However, when he flew past, his speed was astonishing. He was like a thunderbolt sweeping the ground, domineering and unparalleled. Truly quick and fierce! ¡°I comprehend it!¡± Meng Chong had an image of a movement technique in his mind. Just waiting for him to break through to the Innate Realm, and he could truly move through the sky like a thunderbolt, domineering and unparalleled, disappearing in an instant. Although its speed is slightly inferior to Heavenly Lightning Flash, this movement technique perfectly fits his style, wild and domineering! A moment later. Meng Chong came back to the place where he started. ¡°Brother, I have decided on the name for the movement technique, it¡¯s called Angry Thunder Crossing the Sky¡¯, like a thunderbolt crossing the sky!¡± Angry Thunder Crossing the Sky! ¡°Our realm is still low, and the comprehension of the Eight Diagrams has almost reached its limit, we can¡¯t go any further. So, next, work hard on cultivation and improve your realms!¡± Xu Yan nodded and agreed. ¡°I want to break through to the Innate Realm as soon as possible.¡± Meng Chong nodded earnestly. Only by breaking through to the Innate Realm can such a domineering movement technique be utilized! He was full of anticipation. Li Xuan was reading the ancient hide book when a golden light emerged. He was ecstatic. This must be Meng Chong comprehending the movement technique. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, from your compilation of the Eight Diagrams, has comprehended the movement technique Angry Thunder Crossing the Sky¡¯, you have achieved a great completion of Angry Thunder Crossing the Sky!¡± Angry Thunder Crossing the Sky¡¯ movement technique! ¡°This movement technique truly suits Meng Chong. On his bald head, he looks like a strong and fearless warrior. This kind of movement technique has a sort of domineering air, which suits him perfectly!¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. Angry Thunder Crossing the Sky¡¯, like its name, although not as quick and traceless as ¡®Heavenly Lightning Flash¡¯, is also extremely fast, like an angry thunderbolt crossing the sky, disappearing in an instant. ¡°Heavenly Lightning Flash + Angry Thunder Crossing the Sky, you receive Divine Thunder Crossing the Void!¡± Suddenly, the golden light appeared again. Li Xuan was overjoyed. ¡°Finally, I have my own unique Martial Arts technique!¡± It wasn¡¯t easy! ¡®Divine Thunder Crossing the Void¡¯ is a powerful Martial Arts technique.. Chapter 119 Translator: 549690339 Like a divine thunderbolt that could traverse virtual space, crossing through vacuum and space. In an instant, it spans the void. Of course, this requires a high realm to accomplish. Li Xuan, with his current strength, naturally couldn¡¯t cross the void and space. Nevertheless, when used, it was more swiftly and domineering than Xu Yan¡¯s Heavenly Lightning Flash, and exuded more of the divinity of thunder than Meng Chong¡¯s Furious Thunder. ¡°Such a good disciple! 1, your teacher, am invincible mainly because of you all!¡± Li Xuan was immensely excited. In his high spirits, he conjured a true Qi resembling a tiny lightning bolt and tossed it into Shi¡¯er¡¯s body, aiding Shi¡¯er to hurry his internal cultivation. As for the possibility of causing undesired rapid growth in Shi¡¯er, that was not an issue; given Shi¡¯er¡¯s innate talent, there was no risk of undermining his foundation. Shi¡¯er instantly felt like his organs were entwined with threads of lightning. Although it was painful, the speed of his internal cultivation unexpectedly increased. He was immediately overjoyed! ¡°I am about to complete my internal cultivation and hope to enter martial arts within a month!¡± The Qi and Blood Realm seems not far away! Li Xuan vanished from his chair in a flash and reappeared like a thunderbolt before Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were shocked. When did their master come? A moment ago, they seemed to have sensed an overwhelming divine might! ¡°Considering your two realms and understanding about The Eight Diagrams, you are almost there. Don¡¯t be overly obsessed and just go with the flow. As your realm elevates and your vision widens, you will naturally gain new insights.¡± Li Xuan glanced around and noticed that The Eight Diagrams had been erased. He realized that the study of The Eight Diagrams by Xu Yan and Meng Chong had come to an end. He then solemnly instructed in an authoritative tone. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong replied respectfully. ¡°Master, while rehearsing with Hu Shan, I found that my knife skill seems like blatant force and can¡¯t bring out my full strength. Hence, 1 would like to learn knife-based martial arts.¡± Meng Chong humbly requested. Li Xuan had prepared for this and intended to impart Meng Chong the knife Dao he organized at an appropriate moment. Then he asked, ¡°What do you think is the Dao of the Knife?¡± Meng Chong was taken aback and began to ponder. ¡°What my master imparts is the Dao, not the technique. What he gives me is naturally the Dao of the Knife¡­ What is the Dao of the Knife?¡± Meng Chong drew out the large knife he carried and said, ¡°Master, is the Dao of the Knife about killing the enemy, about ferocity, about brutality?¡± With hands behind his back, Li Xuan took on the air of a stern and lofty master and said, ¡°Pupil, what you are referring to is the brutality of the knife, not the Dao of the Knife. ¡°The Dao of the Knife is not limited to ferocity, to brutality. ¡°The Knife, it opens the world with one stroke, cuts the universe with another, making me invincible! ¡°Stand between heaven and earth, dominate the world, even with numerous enemies in front, I march fearlessly onward!¡± Meng Chong was thrilled by Li Xuan¡¯s words, his face flushing with excitement. ¡°Open the world with one stroke, cut the universe with another, making me invincible?¡± Repeating the words to himself, the more he muttered, the more he felt their domineering spirit. This, he thought, was the true power of the Dao of the Knife. ¡°Master, please instruct me!¡± Meng Chong requested excitedly. ¡°The Dao can only be comprehended. As your master, I can only open this door for you. Whether you can comprehend it and step through the door relies solely on you.¡± Li Xuan looked at him with deep-set eyes. Meng Chong took a deep breath and said respectfully, ¡°Disciple understands, I will not let Master down!¡± ¡°Good, very good!¡± Li Xuan nodded approvingly. ¡°Entering the Dao of the Knife has its basics, the same as the Dao of Sword, only those with a clear Sword Heart can truly master it. ¡°For the Dao of the Knife, to set foot into the door, you must awaken your Knife Soul!¡± Speaking the last line, Li Xuan¡¯s voice was deep and resonant. Awaken a Knife Soul? Meng Chong was stumped. He thought entering the Dao of the Knife required a clear Knife Heart, similar to the Sword Heart. But, in fact, it required awakening a Knife Soul? Xu Yan by the side was also perplexed. Seeing their expressions, Li Xuan knew his disciples believed the Dao of the Knife required a clear Knife Heart, similar to the Sword Heart. He chuckled inside, ¡°The cultivation technique I made up is not so easy to guess.¡± ¡°Master, what is a Knife Soul?¡± Meng Chong was a little puzzled. If entering the Dao of the Knife required a clear Knife Heart, he might follow Xu Yan¡¯s approach, and probably succeed. However, awakening a Knife Soul was something he was completely at a loss about. What is a Knife Soul? ¡°A Knife Soul, in simple words, is to endow the knife with a soul.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s voice was faint, ¡°This is a state of mind where the knife in hand feels like part of your body. Though sharp, the knife does not harm itself. ¡°All blades under the heavens sing for me, serve me¡­ ¡°They resonate with my sword-heart, revealing mysteries similar yet different.¡± Meng Chong fell deep into thought, this all sounded too mysterious. He looked at the blade in his hand. Although it was a precious sword, it didn¡¯t evoke the feeling of ¡®being a part of me¡¯. Li Xuan continued, ¡°The awakening of the blade spirit is the basis of the Dao of Blades. Regardless of whether the blade is big, small, long or short, you can utilize it as you please, you can be dominant under the heavens.¡± Meng Chong was shocked into silence. He liked the big broadsword. It felt dominant and fierce when he used it, but a short blade, how could it exhibit a dominating presence under the heavens? Is this, the difference between blade techniques and the Dao of Blades? In his mind, he seemed to see the vision of a dominating presence under the heavens. With one slash, the sky collapses and the earth cracks, creating chaos in the cosmos. His heart was excited, his eyes were full of longing. ¡°I must awaken the blade spirit, 1 must step onto the Dao of Blades!¡± His breaths had become rapid. ¡°Master, how can I awaken the blade spirit?¡± ¡°Awakening the blade spirit, in addition to self-enlightenment, and searching for the profound mysteries, there is another method.¡± Li Xuan had already prepared the method to awaken the blade spirit. Whether it can be successful, whether it can be done, is all up to Meng Chong. ¡°Master, what method?¡± Meng Chong eagerly asked. Compared to being clueless and searching for mysteries, naturally it is easier to grasp if you have the method. ¡°The method is to raise the blade!¡± Li Xuan solemnly answered. Meng Chong was taken aback, ¡°Raise the blade? How to raise it?¡± In the pugilistic world, there were also talks of raising blades, but that was just about maintaining precious swords. What the master meant by raising blades was evidently not this! ¡°Raise the blade with your body, raise the blade with your heart, raise the blade with your mind, raise the blade with yourself¡­¡± Li Xuan¡¯s expression was serious as he slowly proclaimed, ¡°Never leave your blade behind, raise it with your body, your heart, and your mind. The blade is me, I am the blade. ¡°Raise your energy and blood in the blade, raise your emotions in the blade, raise your comprehension in the blade¡­ ¡°Until one day, you feel something in your heart, the blade resonates with the man, the heart and the blade are united, my heart is the blade¡¯s heart, my spirit is the blade¡¯s spirit. ¡°That will be the moment, when you pull out your blade, the blade spirit awakens!¡± Meng Chong was startled, raising the blade was so profound? ¡°The blade resonates with the man, the heart and the blade are united, my heart is the blade¡¯s heart, my spirit is the blade¡¯s spirit¡­¡± Meng Chong repeated softly. The more he recited, the more his heart was shocked, feeling the power and mystery of Dao of Blades. Just the awakening of the blade spirit was so profound and unpredictable. The more he recited, the more his heart was stirred, as if the blood in his body was boiling. ¡°Master, I will definitely raise the blade, to awaken the Blade Spirit! He said with determination in his eyes. ¡°Then start raising the blade from today.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong took a deep breath, sheathed his broadsword, hung it tightly on his waist, and held the hilt with one hand. But how to raise the blade? He felt a bit lost and could only look to his master. ¡°First, raise the blade with your energy and blood, nourish the precious blade with your energy and blood, raise the blade with your body, your heart, and your intentions¡­ this is all up to you. Nourishing with energy and blood is easy, but as for the heart and intentions, it all depends on you.¡± Li Xuan guided him. ¡°Master, 1 understand!¡± Meng Chong took a deep breath. Energy and blood in his palm flowed into the precious blade, carefully nurturing it, and sensing the changes of the blade, he started searching for how to raise the blade with his heart. Li Xuan spoke again, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to cultivate, to truly raise the blade without neglecting your cultivation. It is not wholeheartedly raising the blade, at the expense of cultivation. ¡°Otherwise, even if you manage to raise the blade, you will be wasted. ¡°The blade raised in such a way will only be temporary.¡± He must prevent Meng Chong from focusing on one thing and neglecting cultivation, this would be putting the cart before the horse. Raising the blade and awakening the blade spirit are secondary, cultivation is the right path. ¡°Raising the blade is a long process, all depends on the heart. If you don¡¯t succeed in the realm of energy and blood, then raise it to the Innate Realm, persist and there will always be gains. If you squander cultivation, it will all be in vain in the end.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s voice sounded like a large bell, making Meng Chong¡¯s heart tremble. He suddenly snapped back to his senses, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. ¡°Fortunately, the master has reminded me, otherwise, I would have been obsessed with it and neglected my own cultivation.¡± Respectfully he said, ¡°Thank you, Master, for reminding me. 1 understand, I will definitely not delay cultivation!¡± ¡°Mm, diligently cultivate and elevate your realm of power, that is the most important.¡± Li Xuan nodded his head. After saying what he needed to say, his figure disappeared in an instant. Xu Yan, who was in the same Innate Realm, couldn¡¯t detect any trace of him at all.. Chapter 120 Translator: 549690339 After instructing Meng Chong on the method of nurturing swords, Meng Chong made sure never to part with his sword, often nurturing it using his blood and Qi, while also pondering how to nurture the sword with his heart. Whether Meng Chong can develop the sword and wake the sword¡¯s soul, Li Xuan can only wait for time to provide the answer. Fortunately, Meng Chong¡¯s cultivation never showed a sign of slackening, on the contrary, he was getting more diligent. He was not far off from mastering the ¡°Great Sun Golden Bell Shield¡±. Xu Yan had become more adept and profound in the Heavenly Lightning Flash technique while shuttling back and forth between Yunshan County, Donghe Province and Qi Country¡¯s capital. His personal training was also not slack, and he was not too far away from reaching the minor achievement stage of the innate realm. Li Xuan figured it was about time to teach Xu Yan a cultivation technique beyond the innate realm. He understood Xu Yan¡¯s intentions behind his constant traveling, which were nothing more than trying to swiftly enhance the strength of his parents and the others, so that he could let go of his worries and venture into the inner domain once they had sufficient power. Xu Yan had longed to be in the inner domain for a long time. The border wastelands seemed too boring for Xu Yan as they lacked any Martial Artists. From Xie Lingfeng, Xu Yan learned the inner domain was vast, filled with countless sects and innumerable Martial Artists, making the Martial Arts world of the inner domain extremely prosperous. In comparison, the border wastelands were rather barren. A Martial Artist should explore the Martial Arts world. With Xu Yan¡¯s assistance, the other members of the Xu Family were progressing faster in their cultivation, but it would still take a substantial amount of time to start learning Martial Arts. As for cultivating to the Innate Realm, based on their current progress, there is probably no hope within ten years. Meng Chong, now in the stage of nurturing the sword, spent most of his time in the mountains outside the city, or sitting on a hillside. He was in search of the enlightenment of nurturing the sword, hoping to reach the realm of nurturing his sword with his heart and will. Li Xuan was unsure if Meng Chong had made any progress. Even though the method of nurturing the sword was consistenly practiced by Meng Chong ¨C and Li Xuan himself had a much higher level of power ¨C he still could not decipher the specific progress of this profound method. He didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, as long as Meng Chong didn¡¯t neglect his cultivation, even if he didn¡¯t cultivate the sword or awaken the soul of the sword. As long as his realm continued to improve, he would continue to receive feedback from the Golden Finger. One day, he was studying an ancient parchment. He decided to change his approach and study only the first page, the first pattern of the ancient parchment each day, focusing on one page, perhaps there would be some gain? A golden light appeared. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has mastered the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield. Your physical body has improved, the defense of the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield has improved, and the True Qi has slightly increased.¡± Meng Chong mastered the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, breaking through to the full Qi-blood realm, the next step is to reach the perfection stage. He also received feedback from the Golden Finger. Although Meng Chong¡¯s realm was a step lower than his, the feedback was comparatively less. But his flesh and the defense of his Great Sun Golden Bell Shield both improved more than twofold. His True Qi increased a little less, probably by about 80 percent. Li Xuan nodded, he was quite satisfied with the benefits received from the Golden Finger. ¡°I should pass on the Innate Realm physical Martial Arts cultivation technique to Meng Chong now. If he can realize it before reaching perfection, then 1 would be able to attain the Innate Realm in physical Martial Arts.¡± If the orthodox Martial Arts and physical Martial Arts were both integrated, could he receive a greater benefit? Just like Diamond Luoli Bones combined with Jade Bones, transformed into the Innate Spirit Bones. Li Xuan was full of anticipation. If both orthodox and physical Martial Arts were elevated to the Innate Realm, his power would greatly increase. Then, even if he was besieged by five or six Great Grandmasters, he could easily beat them, right? They would not even be able to break his physical defenses. Outside Yunshan County, on a small hill. Meng Chong was sitting cross-legged, holding the sword by the hilt. At this moment, he seemed to have felt a mysterious sensation. The sword in his hand seemed to be responding to his heartbeat, as if he was already nurturing the sword with his heart. During this period of nurturing the sword, he faintly sensed a change in the sword in his hand, but couldn¡¯t really figure out what the change was. There were even times when he couldn¡¯t resist the curiosity and wanted to pull out the sword. But he ultimately held back. ¡°Pulling out the sword halfway would lead to failure, I shouldn¡¯t pull it out!¡± While Meng Chong was cultivating, he was also trying to resonate with his sword. The Great Sun Golden Bell Shield has finally been mastered, and it is not too far from perfection. ¡°I hope to succeed in nurturing the sword and awaken the sword soul before breaking through to the innate realm!¡± The sooner he could awaken the soul of the sword, the stronger his potential would be. Awakening the soul of the sword during the Qi-blood realm, compared to awakening the soul of the sword in the Innate Realm, does make a difference. A martial artist who awakens the soul of the sword in the Qi-blood realm would naturally be stronger once they reach the Innate Realm. When facing off against a Martial Artist who only awakens the sword soul in the Innate Realm, victory undoubtedly tails the former. Meng Chong hoped to awaken the soul of his sword during his Qi-blood realm, so his foundation and potential would be stronger. At this moment, he was cultivating while nurturing his sword. Suddenly, he seemed to have a flash of insight. ¡°In cultivating the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, my heart is like a great sun, the meaning is self-evident, every time my heart is a great sun, resonating with the sun in the sky, my cultivation speed quickens and the Great Sun Golden Bell shield possesses a strong mood.¡± ¡°Should I do the same when nurturing the sword? The sword in my heart resonates with the sword in my hand. That is what nurturing is.¡± ¡°This is true nurturing. Only by nurturing the sword like this can the soul of the sword be awakened.¡± ¡°But how can I resonate with the sword in my hand?¡± Meng Chong fell into deep thought. He didn¡¯t even know what the sword in his heart looked like. ¡°No rush, as long as I keep at it, eventually I¡¯ll be able to resonate with the sword in my hand..¡± Chapter 121 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Meng Chong was contemplating. While he was practicing, his mind became like a big sun, gradually seeming to resonate with the sun in the sky. He felt as though he was being tempered in a furnace, with the sound of a golden bell ringing inside him. As he cultivated, Meng Chong had a sensation. The sun in his heart gradually revealed the silhouette of a knife. The knife was hidden in the sun, as if it was being tempered, undergoing transformation. With his cultivation, the knife¡¯s silhouette gradually became clearer. ¡°This is the knife in my heart! I temper the knife in my heart with the big sun. When 1 resonate with the knife in my hand, this is to nourish the knife with intention, with the heart, with the body!¡± Meng Chong had a sudden awakening at this moment. ¡°As long as I steadfastly cultivate, taking one step at a time without hurry or impatience, I will eventually resonate with the knife in my hand and enter the state of nourishing the knife with intention and heart.¡± Meng Chong was overjoyed. He knew that he had finally awakened and found the correct method of knife cultivation. Given time, he would certainly be able to cultivate his knife and awaken the knife spirit. He just needed to proceed step by step and cultivate solidly. Having awakened to the path of nurturing the knife with intention, Meng Chong practiced even more assiduously. He wished he could be practicing all day long. Each day he cultivated, the sun in his heart resonated with the sun in the sky, and the knife in his heart gradually became clearer. Its silhouette became more distinct, and he became one step closer to resonating with the knife in his hand and entering the state of nurturing the knife with intention. V¡¯Cultivation requires a balance between exertion and rest. Resonating with the sun in the sky ultimately consumes mental energy and can¡¯t be sustained for long. If I blindly persist, 1 would harm my mental energy and in turn damage myself.¡± Meng Chong collected his mental energy, no longer resonating with the sun in the sky. Once mental energy is damaged, recovery would demand considerable time, which would, in turn, delay cultivation. One day, while Meng Chong was cultivating, a sudden impulse arose in his heart. The knife in his hand seemed to enter his heart, seemed to resonate with his mental energy, and seemed to merge with his understanding. At this moment, the silhouette of the knife in his heart became clear. Gradually, it became identical to the knife in his hand. The knife in his heart resonated with the knife in his hand! ¡°This is to nourish the knife with my heart and intention! I have finally started to truly nurture the knife. I only need to keep going. When the day comes that the knife resonates with me, my heart is the heart of the knife, and my spirit is the spirit of the knife. This will be the day 1 draw the knife, and the moment the knife is drawn will be the time to awaken the knife spirit. I am just beginning to nurture the knife, just starting to nurture it with my heart and intention.¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. He wasn¡¯t sure how long it would take to complete the nurturing of a knife and to awaken the spirit of the knife. But he firmly believed that as long as he persisted, there would come a day when he could awaken the spirit of the knife! A figure landed next to him. Meng Chong quickly rose to his feet and gave a reverential bow: ¡°Master! Li Xuan took a look at his disciple, his aura seemed somewhat different. Could it be that his knife cultivation had made progress? Although he couldn¡¯t discern anything, his eyes seemed to see through everything. ¡°Today, I am going to teach you the technique of the Innate Realm for physical body cultivation.¡± Li Xuan spoke slowly. Meng Chong was overjoyed, saying, ¡°Thankyou, Master!¡± ¡°You should fully comprehend this. When you understand it, and when your qi and blood realm is complete, you can break through to the Innate Realm.¡± Li Xuan hoped that Meng Chong could awaken to the cultivation technique sooner. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong nodded excitedly. With one hand behind his back, Li Xuan glanced at the horizon, his figure shrouded in a mysterious aura, exuding the demeanor of a master. ¡°The physical Martial Arts focus on the mystique of the physical body. It is about strengthening the physical body, strengthening the self, opening up the hidden potential of the physical body, and enhancing the physical body¡¯s divine strength.¡± Li Xuan spoke word by word. He began explaining the cultivation technique of the physical Martial Arts in the Innate Realm that he had prepared in advance.¡± ¡°The foundational technique for physical martial arts is the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, but of course, the foundation of physical martial arts is not just this technique. What I am teaching you is the strongest and most fundamental method in physical martial arts.¡± Li Xuan patted his own back. He muttered inwardly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. After all, besides the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, 1 can also create the Dragon Chant Iron Cloth Shirt. Surely there isn¡¯t just one basic technique.¡± Meng Chong listened attentively, terrified of missing a single word. ¡°Physical martial arts also require a breakthrough into the Innate Realm, by comprehending the link between heaven and earth. This is fundamental and unchanging. However, the difference from orthodox martial arts is that after establishing the dantian qi sea, the cultivation of physical martial arts specializes in opening orifices!¡± Li Xuan continued explaining. ¡°For the Great Sun Golden Body technique I¡¯m teaching you, you have to open up 36 golden body points, stimulate the physical strength, nurture the mysteries of the physical body within these orifices. Each of the 36 golden body points hides a unique mystery.¡± ¡°Absorbing nature¡¯s spiritual energy, nurturing the 36 orifices, uniting as one, the golden body is immortal, with infinite divine power¡­¡± For the cultivation of physical martial arts, after reaching the Blood Qi Realm and stepping into the Innate Realm, Li Xuan has been pondering for a while and has finally perfected it. In orthodox martial arts, the Dantian Qi Sea is opened, the True Qi circulates throughout the body, and the Qi Sea is vast and endless. This is the cultivation of orthodox martial arts. Physical martial arts, focusing on the physical body, naturally has to differ from the cultivation of orthodox martial arts. However, if it is not the circulation of True Qi throughout the body, how can the physical body grow strong and possess immense power? The answer lies in opening the golden body points, using nature¡¯s spiritual energy to nurture the points, infuse one¡¯s body, and once the thirty-six points are fully opened, it will be akin to the upper realm of the orthodox martial arts¡¯ Innate Realm. Each point has its own mystery and every time a point is opened, the physical body is strengthened. Therefore, he came up with the Great Sun Golden Body. Although physical martial arts also establish the Qi Sea, the emphasis is not on the Qi Sea. Instead, it uses the Qi Sea as the foundation to open the Golden Body points. ¡°Each of the 36 Golden Body points possesses unique properties. After opening and nurturing them to perfection, if the physical body suffers an injury, the mystery of the points can be triggered and the wound can heal instantly. Once a point is activated and nurtured to its full potential, it can even expel toxins.¡± Li Xuan explained in detail how to open and cultivate each Golden Body point. Naturally, this is just theoretical knowledge. The specifics of how to cultivate and perform lie entirely on Meng Chong¡¯s personal comprehension and practice. Only when he successfully comprehends and practices will there be a true Great Sun Golden Body technique. Meng Chong listened attentively, his face flushed with excitement. This Great Sun Golden Body was incredibly formidable and profound. Opening the 36 Golden Body points, each one held its own mystery. When the 36 points unite as one, the golden body is immortal! As Li Xuan explained, he also pointed out the rough positions of the 36 points to Meng Chong. He had put a lot of thought into these 36 points. These points weren¡¯t randomly derived but carefully selected based on his knowledge from his past life. The thirty-six points form a cycle. The reason for choosing 36 points is that he doesn¡¯t remember many more points. To form a cycle and to increase the success rate of cultivation, after much contemplation and pruning, he decided on these 36 points. These are conveniently also the number of heavenly stems. ¡°My disciple, once you have successfully opened and fully cultivated the 36 Golden Body points, and they blend perfectly as one, you will attain the transformation of the golden body. This is the profoundness of the heavenly stems. Thinking can bring about the infinite body, turning into a three Zhang tall golden body, quite formidable!¡± Li Xuan said solemnly. Upon hearing this, Meng Chong was boiling with enthusiasm. He couldn¡¯t wait to cultivate the Great Sun Golden Body right away and fully open and nurture all 36 Golden Body points. A three Zhang golden body! This would essentially turn him into a miniature giant! Imagine how many martial artists could withstand his punch? Just thinking about the future, where he could transform into a golden mini-giant, valiant and robust, taking on his opponents as if they were mere mice, excited him to no end. Seeing his disciple flush with excitement, Li Xuan felt extremely satisfied. His newly composed Great Sun Golden Body was indeed formidable and profound. The three Zhang golden body did indeed sound impressive! As for how to progress in the cultivation of physical martial arts after reaching the Great Sun Golden Body, which spans the range of the Innate Realm and above, Li Xuan has a direction and clues but has not yet fully developed it. This requires the orthodox martial arts to be fully developed first as a reference. After all, the cultivation of physical martial arts is an extension of the system of orthodox martial arts. This is also why, after Li Xuan has thought through the realm above the Innate Realm, he fully perfected the Great Sun Golden Body. The final opening of the 36 points, embodying the profoundness of the heavenly stems and turning into a mini giant, is based on this foundation.. Chapter 122 Translator: 549690339 Dhari Golden Body, opens thirty-six golden orifices, and having a small cycle with eighteen orifices is the cultivation of the Innate Realm. After the eighteen orifices are opened and cultivated, forming a cycle, even though the transformation into a three zhang golden body is not possible, once the cycle is set in motion, it can still strengthen one¡¯s physical body. Having a cycle in the thirty-six orifices, unlocking heavenly mysteries, can transform one into a three zhang golden body. This strength can only be achieved above the Innate Realm. After finishing explaining the Dhari Golden Body, Li Xuan carried on lecturing, intensifying the disciple¡¯s awareness, saying, ¡°What I impart is Dao, even though it is martial arts cultivation technique, it is founded on Dao. ¡°So, comprehend deeply, do not focus on the physical form, comprehend the real meaning of the cultivation technique, only in this way, can you succeed in your cultivation.¡± The cultivation techniques he crafted are like a basket with very little content in them. It is up to his disciple to comprehend and fill this basket until it becomes full and solid. Only then is the basket complete. He merely crafted a basket for his disciple. When the disciple succeeds in filling the basket, he will reap all the benefits. Therefore, after passing on the techniques to his disciple, he must make his disciple understand that the basket needs to be filled. ¡°The secret of the Dhari Golden Body lies in opening the orifices and cultivating them. The orifices that each cultivator nurtures carry unique traits. For instance, one¡¯s nurtured orifices could potentially harness the ability to heal wounds; someone else¡¯s nurtured orifices could have a completely different capability.¡± Li Xuan began to compensate for potential shortcomings in the golden body techniques he had created. For example, he mentioned that once an orifice is opened and cultivated, it could enable swift recovery from physical injuries. If Meng Chong cultivates and fails to achieve this, wouldn¡¯t it tarnish the reputation of Li Xuan, as an eminent master? Li Xuan won¡¯t leave loopholes like these in his teaching, so he tells his disciple that the capabilities derived from each person¡¯s nurtured orifices vary, and some sensations may even be impossible to cultivate. In this way, regardless of what unique capabilities Meng Chong has cultivated, or if he fails to produce any, it won¡¯t be deemed that his master is wrong in what he says. After all, it was already explained that the capabilities derived from each nurtured orifice vary with each individual. In some cases, it may not even be possible to cultivate any unique capabilities. Not every orifice can nurture unique capabilities. ¡°The human body isn¡¯t limited to just thirty-six orifices. During your practice, if you discover other orifices, do not be taken aback. If you can activate them, if you can complete the cycle, you can proceed to unlock them. ¡°However, the thirty-six orifices form the primary foundation of the Dhari Golden Body.¡± Li Xuan added in a grave voice. After all, there are far more than just thirty-six acupuncture points. If Meng Chong finds orifices beyond the thirty-six during his cultivation and Li Xuan, his master, didn¡¯t mention them, this could tarnish the image of a knowledgeable master. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± At this moment, Meng Chong was filled with fervor. The Dhari Golden Body truly is formidable. ¡°Meditate on this carefully, do not slack in your own cultivation, be patient in nurturing your blade. Stay calm, be patient, and you will naturally gain insight.¡± Li Xuan said in a strict tone after finishing the explanation of Dhari Golden Body. ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°The Martial Path is endless, take each step with determination. Cultivate seriously, the Dhari Golden Body is merely a starting point on the martial way.¡± Seeing his disciple, still in an excited state, agitated as if he had been injected with chicken blood, Li Xuan spoke, with a grave tone. Meng Chong was startled. He quickly calmed his excited emotions and said deferentially: ¡°Yes, Master, 1 will certainly cultivate seriously and decisively, and will never be impulsive or arrogant!¡± ¡°Hmm, work hard on your cultivation!¡± Li Xuan nodded. He moved, and was gone in an instant. Meng Chong took deep breaths to calm himself down. ¡°The Dhari Golden Body, in my eyes, is already very powerful. However, my master said that it is merely the starting point in the martial arts path. 1 can¡¯t be complacent or arrogant! ¡°The Martial Path is endless, there are stronger powers waiting for me after the Dhari Golden Body!¡± Meng Chong, with a determined gaze, sat down again to continue his cultivation. While cultivating, he was nurturing his blade and meditating on the Dhari Golden Body. ¡°The cultivation of the Dhari Golden Body requires unlocking the orifices. How to unlock orifices, I need to contemplate deeply¡­¡± Just like the Dhari Golden Bell Cover that he meditated on previously, Meng Chong began to meditate on the Dhari Golden Body. He is currently at the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm, still some distance from the Innate Realm. This is why he did not rush. He was cultivating the Dhari Golden Bell Cover, nurturing his blade, and also taking the time to meditate on the Dhari Golden Body. First, he needed to familiarize himself with the thirty-six orifices. The cultivation of the Dhari Golden Body also began with bridging the bridge between heaven and earth, and opening up the Dantian Qi Sea, just like traditional martial arts. The subsequent cultivation was different though. The cultivation emphasizes the golden body orifices and deciding which orifice to open first also needs to be determined. Meng Chong was meditating on the Dhari Golden Body. Meanwhile, Li Xuan returned to his courtyard and heaved a sigh of relief. Having handed over the ¡°basket¡± of the Dhari Golden Body to Meng Chong, he was waiting for him to comprehend it and fill the ¡°basket¡±. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any issues, right? Meng Chong¡¯s comprehension is pretty good. If he can understand it, there shouldn¡¯t be a big problem; it will just take a bit of time, right?¡± Li Xuan pondered. He believed Meng Chong should be able to meditate on the Dhari Golden Body. ¡°Next, I will be giving Xu Yan the technique for cultivation at the level above Innate.¡± Li Xuan felt a little helpless. Fortunately now, he is a real martial artist, and he has reference techniques from the Inner Realm Martial Arts, so he has more confidence in the techniques he has created.. Chapter 123 Translator: 549690339 Rather than be confident in his own crafted cultivation technique, he was more confident in Xu Yan! ¡°Xu Yan should be able to comprehend the cultivation technique. There¡¯s no issue in mastering the technique beyond the Innate Realm. The realization of my grand martial arts ambition completely depends on him.¡± Li Xuan expressed his admiration. Initially, it was a technique he had casually made up, but Xu Yan was able to comprehend and practice it successfully. The cultivation technique he formulated now is more comprehensive than before. The theory is more solid, the levels are more distinct, and it¡¯s based on reasonable data. Considering Xu Yan¡¯s exceptional talent, there should be no issues practicing it. Nevertheless, the higher the realm, the more difficult it is to practice. After all, the cultivation technique is more comprehensive now. ¡°When Xu Yan comes back from this trip, I¡¯ll transmit the cultivation technique beyond the Innate Realm to him.¡± Xu Yan went to the capital of Qi Country to instruct his grandfather¡¯s people in cultivation. ¡°It should be roughly in these few days that he can break through the initial stage of the Innate Realm, right?¡± Li Xuan estimated that Xu Yan would break through the initial stage of the Innate Realm within these few days. He glanced at Shi¡¯er, who was in the midst of strenuous cultivation. He was about to complete his Body Refinement. ¡°The gap in talent is truly tremendous.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. Even after Shi¡¯er fully completes his Body Refinement, it would still take some time to reach the Thunderous Bone stage, with his Qi and blood soaring and successfully stepping into ATartial Arts, breaking through the Qi and Blood Realm. He will be stuck at the Body Refinement completion stage; it would be a bottleneck for him. ¡°This is like the bottleneck of Inner Realm Martial Arts when trying to break through from fourth-grade to third-grade?¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. As he had nothing else to do, he took out his ancient book and began to study it in detail as he does, opening it at the first page. ¡°I have a feeling, if I can deduce some of its mysteries, 1 will definitely make progress. ¡°Is this Taicang, a kind of cultivation technique? ¡°But at the looks of it, it doesn¡¯t seem like a cultivation technique. Sometimes, it seems like a map, some kind of terrain, and seems like some sort of a charm¡­¡± The ancient book was clearly not simple, but its mysteries were not yet understood. Li Xuan wasn¡¯t in a hurry, he was free anyway. Studying it daily, surely he¡¯d understand something one day. Wu Country, Nanhe County. Nanhe County was a border county, neighboring Qi Country ¨C a place too far from the imperial capital. Honorary Member Zheng was the bully of Nanhe County. He was notorious for his many evil deeds such as forcibly taking girls and seizing fertile lands¡­ Half a month ago, he even had the audacity to force himself on a widow in the middle of the night. When met with resistance, he even killed the son of the widow. This incident stirred up great public outrage, but even the County Magistrate had to tread carefully around Honorary Member Zheng. The angry public not only failed to get justice but were also brutally beaten up by his house servants. Then, Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s mansion had trouble this day. A young girl clad in a white skirt, exceptionally ethereal and beautiful, approached him to persuade him to repent for his evil deeds and apologize to the people, pleading for their forgiveness. Would Honorary Member Zheng listen? However, upon hearing that the girl was the current Heavenly Mother from the Heavenly Mother sect, he was a little unsettled. The Heavenly Mother Sect had numerous experts. If they wanted to kill him, how could he evade it? Therefore, he agreed perfunctorily. Moreover, he even asked his steward on the spot to distribute money and compensate the people who had been harmed by him to apologize. He instructed preparation for a grand banquet to entertain the Heavenly Mother. While claiming to listen to the Heavenly Mother¡¯s teachings, he was actually harboring malicious intentions. The Heavenly Mother¡¯s extraordinarily beautiful face was something he had never seen in his life. Furthermore, in his view, she was just a young girl. If she fell into his hands, he knew many ways to make her submit. Once she submits, not only will the crisis be resolved, but he could also control part of the power of the Heavenly Mother sect. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. His face, however, maintained a sincere expression, proclaiming his heartfelt repentance and willingness to give away his entire fortune to atone for his lifetime of sins! ¡°You are merciful, Heavenly Mother. Please forgive my sins. This is my atonement. Heavenly Mother, since I am sincere, please have this cup of tea and forgive my sins.¡± With sincerity and devotion, Honorary Member Zheng knelt on the ground and offered her the fragrant tea with both hands. The young girl in white, with clear eyes and a face that seemed to radiate mercy, took the tea from him. With a melodious and touching voice, she said, ¡°If you sincerely repent, you will certainly be forgiven. Do more good deeds in the future to atone for your sins!¡± ¡°Yes, Heavenly Mother!¡± Honorary Member Zheng prostrated himself on the ground. The white-clad young girl lifted her hand, took a sip from the teacup. Honorary Member Zheng was overjoyed immediately and sprung to his feet, instructing his maid by his side: ¡°Quick, assist Heavenly Mother to my bedroom to rest!¡± Task accomplished! That Heavenly Mother is too naive. ¡°You?¡± The white-clad young girl was furious. As she rose her hand to point at him, she suddenly felt dizzy and leaned onto the table. Two maids stepped forward and helped the young girl to leave. Honorary Member Zheng looked thrilled, walked out of the hall, and instructed the steward: ¡°Tell Coach Wang to keep close guard. We definitely cannot let any experts from the Heavenly Mother sect discover this. ¡°I want to treat this little beauty well. Fetch my medicine and also those toys, make everything ready.¡± The steward nodded and replied: ¡°Master, enjoy yourself. I have fetched the medicine for you, and those toys are kept in the secret room.¡± A flask of medicine was handed to Honorary Member Zheng. Overjoyed, Honorary Member Zheng directly poured out a pill and swallowed it. This pill was made using tiger, leopard, and deer whips blended with precious medicinal ingredients. ¡°Little beauty, I am coming. Let you, Heavenly Mother, experience my prowess! ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m so excited. This kind of beauty, only I am worthy of her..¡± Chapter 124 Translator: 549690339 Honorary Member Zheng was excitedly heading towards his bedroom. The girl in white, supported by two maids, made her way to outside Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s bedroom. Seeing no one around, she instantly perked up. The maids were no longer assisting her. ¡°Mother Goddess, everything is ready.¡± The girl in white clapped her hands and nodded, ¡°Excellent!¡± With that, she pushed open the door and entered. Right then, the huge room was filled with mounds of dirt, and a significant pit, almost three yards deep, had been dug in the center. ¡°Miss, the pit is ready.¡± A woman ¡ª robust and towering ¡ª climbed out of the said pit to speak. At first glance, she might¡¯ve been mistaken for a man. ¡°Aunt Zhou, you are getting better at digging pits, this one was so big, and yet you finished in no time,¡± remarked the girl in white playfully. Aunt Zhou looked distressed yet somewhat indulgent. ¡°Miss, practice makes perfect indeed,¡± she replied. Outside the room, Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s excited voice could be heard. ¡°My beauty, I¡¯m here!¡± Honorary Member Zheng was positively ecstatic. He felt a rush of adrenaline surging through his veins, seemingly ready to explode if not released soon. ¡°My little beauty, accompany me for three days and nights.¡± He pushed open the door and casually closed it behind him. However, upon turning around, he was startled to notice the large pit in the center of the room. Before he could react, he was pushed into the pit with a swift kick. Looking up, he recognized the Mother Goddess herself! His heart sank. He realized he was in deep trouble. ¡°Help¡­cough, cough¡­¡± Just as he opened his mouth to yell for help, a scoop of dirt covered his face, filling his mouth with soil. Above the large pit, the girl in white was filled with glee. The moment Honorary Member Zheng opened his mouth, she sent down a shovelful of dirt. He was terrified, ¡°Help¡­cough, cough¡­help¡­¡± His face was all muddy. What scared him even more was that due to the drug, he felt as if his body was literally burning. In a hurry, he turned over face down, spit out the dirt and started calling for help, ¡°Help! Somebody, help! Coach Wang¡­¡± ¡°Keep shouting. You can burst your lungs for all i care, but I assure you, no one is coming to save you!¡± Above the pit, the girl continued to shovel the earth into it, chuckling all the while. Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s heart sank; didn¡¯t he once tell the same thing to those beauties¡­ was it now his turn? ¡°Mercy, Mother Goddess, have mercy on me. I¡¯m willing to repent, 1 will repent, I will give away my wealth as atonement¡­Mercy, Mother Goddess, I swear, I truly repent, 1 won¡¯t be evil again!¡± Kneeling in the pit, Honorary Member Zheng cried his heart out, promising sincerely that he wouldn¡¯t be evil again. ¡°Are you truly not going to be evil again?¡± The girl seemed to soften as she asked. ¡°Yes, I humbly beg for the Mother Goddess¡¯ mercy. I won¡¯t be evil again.¡± ¡°Alright, then. I believe you.¡± Honorary Member Zheng was overjoyed, ¡°Thanks to the compassionate Mother Goddess!¡± However, he soon realized something was off. Why was the dirt still falling? ¡°Mother Goddess? I won¡¯t be evil again, pull me up?¡± Honorary Member Zheng looked up at the girl with hopeful eyes. The girl was busily shoveling dirt into the pit. Excitedly, she replied, ¡°Understood, just stay there quietly. Soon, you won¡¯t be evil anymore. ¡°Yes, anyone 1 bury, has never been evil again.. As soon as they¡¯re buried, they stop being evil forever!¡± Chapter 125 Translator: 549690339 Atop the large pit, the girl was excitedly burying dirt into it. Below the large pit, Honorary Member Zheng was stunned. Could burying people stop them from doing evil deeds? They were going to bury him alive! He had heard about how the Madonna of the Madonna Sect persuaded evildoers, who later refrained from committing misdeeds. Was this her method of persuasion? ¡°Mercy, Madonna! I genuinely won¡¯t commit any evil deeds, 1 swear!¡± ¡°Believe me, I¡¯m willing to¡­I am willing to become pure as a pledge, never to commit evil again!¡± Honorary Member Zheng steeled his resolve. Nothing mattered more than his life. Even becoming a eunuch was better than dying! The girl was shocked; of all the people she¡¯d buried, Honorary Member Zheng was the first willing to take such a harsh step to prove his sincerity. ¡°Really?¡± She stopped burying the dirt. ¡°Really!¡± Honorary Member Zheng gritted his teeth. ¡°Fine, the Madonna will believe you this once!¡± The girl thought for a while, gritting her silver teeth and said in a soft hearted manner. She then turned her back and said, ¡°Quick!¡± Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s lips trembled, his face turned pale, beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead, but in order to save his life, he had to resort to this measure. He regretted it deeply. If he would¡¯ve known, he should have offered his fingers as a pledge! ¡°I¡­1 didn¡¯t bring a knife!¡± ¡°Aunt Zhou, give him one.¡± The girl ordered. The stout woman threw a dagger down. ¡°Quick, remember not to let the blood splash. Cover it with your pants. If too much blood is lost, you can¡¯t be saved!¡± The girl reminded him from behind, with her back to the pit. Honorary Member Zheng almost burst into tears, muttering under his breath, ¡°You¡¯re truly compassionate.¡± He held the dagger in his trembling hand. He discovered that due to the medication he¡¯d taken, his blood was already building up. The moment he put the dagger down¡­ He was too afraid to imagine! ¡°Hurry up!¡± Aunt Zhou urged, in a resonant voice. ¡°I¡¯m almost done, almost!¡± Honorary Member Zheng was trembling, his hand was in his pants, the cold dagger was against him, but he couldn¡¯t muster the courage to act. He was about to beg, to offer his hand instead. However, Aunt Zhou kicked a stone which hit his elbow. Suddenly, there was a sound akin to the burst of a bubble. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Honorary Member Zheng started yelling. A hand appeared from his pants, clutching an object¡­ Hearing the cry, the girl excitedly said, ¡°Aunt Zhou, throw his thing out to feed the dogs. I¡¯ve heard, those without roots die and become incomplete ghosts. He wanted to be incomplete himself.¡± Aunt Zhou waved her hand, a silk thread flew out and wrapped around the object in Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s hand. With a swing of her hand, it was thrown out of the window. Unexpectedly, an incident had occurred that stunned Honorary Member Zheng into silence. ¡°No¡­no¡­you tricked me¡­¡± A moment later, Honorary Member Zheng started yelling and cursing. The girl was energetically shoveling dirt into the pit, her efficient movements showing her ample experience. The soil was falling on Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s face and mouth, blocking his speech. However, it was still visible that blood was turning the falling soil red. As the soil on top of the pit was diminishing, in the end, only faint cries could be heard from Honorary Member Zheng. Most of his body was covered by the soil, with only his head exposed. ¡°You¡­you won¡¯t die naturally!¡± Honorary Member Zheng now barely had any strength. ¡°Hehe, today the Madonna has persuaded another evildoer to refrain from committing evil.¡± The girl was giggling and merrily filling the pit with soil. The large pit was filled in, and Honorary Member Zheng was buried alive beneath it. The girl held the shovel, jumping up on the soil and stomping it firmly with her feet. ¡°The evildoers persuaded by the Madonna won¡¯t commit any more evil. How could you be an exception?¡± After burying Honorary Member Zheng alive, the girl left carrying her shovel. Aunt Zhou followed with a helpless expression. Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s butler asked humbly, ¡°Madonna, 1 did everything as you ordered, can you spare me now?¡± ¡°Yes, I can.¡± The girl nodded her head. Aunt Zhou skillfully took out a thin mask and put it on the butler. He instantly turned into the spitting image of Honorary Member Zheng. She ordered, ¡°You know what to do next, right? I don¡¯t need to spell it out, do I?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I will do as you command.¡± The housekeeper nodded and bowed, then put on Honorary Member Zheng¡¯s clothes to impersonate him. In front of the South River County Office, he knelt down and cried out for Madonna¡¯s mercy. He stated loudly that he would no longer dare to commit evil. He was willing to distribute all his wealth and retreat to the mountains to repent for his sins! The citizens of South River County were shocked, even the County Magistrate was bewildered. That mysterious Madonna from the Madonna Sect had targeted Honorary Member Zheng? Moreover, Honorary Member Zheng had genuinely stopped committing evil? Under the incredulous gaze of the South River County public, Honorary Member Zheng actually distributed all his wealth, provided for the less fortunate, sincerely repented for his sins, and even prostrated himself religiously. He then left South River County. He said he would go to the mountains to repent for his sins! The housekeeper climbed halfway up the hill and didn¡¯t see anyone behind him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had saved his life! However, when he raised his head, he saw a large pit had been dug halfway up the hill. The stout Aunt Zhou, picked him up by one hand and threw him into the large pit. The housekeeper was dumbstruck. The girl was swinging a shovel, panting as she started burying dirt in the pit. ¡°Spare me, Madonna, didn¡¯t you promise to spare me?¡± The girl nodded, ¡°Yes, the Madonna promised to spare you. What does that have to do with me, Su Lingxiu?¡± ¡°But you are the Madonna!¡± ¡°I was, but now I¡¯m not.¡± The girl continued burying dirt as the housekeeper started cursing.. Chapter 126 Translator: 549690339 ¡°So, you¡¯re the steward of Honorary Member Zheng. You¡¯ve done countless evil deeds. If 1 don¡¯t bury you now, what will stop you from doing evil next time?¡± Su Lingxiu chuckled softly. She quickly and skilfully buried the steward, jumping and stamping on the soil to make sure it was tightly packed. ¡°Miss, where shall we go next?¡± Aunt Zhou had a look of helplessness on her face. ¡°We will go to Yunshan County. Didn¡¯t they say there¡¯s a wise man there? I want to see what kind of wise man can compare to me, Su Lingxiu, and to Aunt Zhou.¡± Su Lingxiu suggested after giving it some thought. ¡°Miss, why did you choose to become the heavenly mother of the Tianmu sect?¡± Aunt Zhou could never quite understand. Laughing, Su Lingxiu explained, ¡°The members of the Tianmu Sect have good information networks and can gather many medicinal materials. It¡¯s just a title, and I can utilize their power. What¡¯s wrong with that? ¡°Kou Ruozhi has some skills, surprisingly leading the Tianmu sect effectively.¡± ¡°On this trip to Qi Country, I will see if he has committed any heinously immoral crimes. If he has, I, the heavenly mother, will bury him!¡± Aunt Zhou advised, ¡°Miss, you¡¯ve punished many evil people. Evil exists everywhere and can never be completely eliminated. Don¡¯t be too kind-hearted, or you may end up suffering.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Zhou. I know what I¡¯m doing. This place is not conducive to cultivation, and it¡¯s boring. I need something to keep myself entertained.¡± Su Lingxiu carried a shovel and started walking downhill. Aunt Zhou sighed inwardly and quietly followed her. If the Miss wanted to be unconventional, then so be it. With her around, she assured there would be no danger. News of the heavenly mother convincing Honorary Member Zheng to abandon wrongdoing in Nanhe County quickly spread. ¡°Have you heard? The heavenly mother persuaded Honorary Member Zheng to stop doing evil yesterday. Today, he has given away all his wealth and gone to the mountains to atone for his sins.¡± ¡°The heavenly mother is so compassionate!¡± ¡°Yes, she is indeed¡­¡± The followers of the Tianmu Sect were invigorated, enthusiastically spreading the compassionate and holy deeds of the heavenly mother. This was an excellent opportunity to expand their follower base. As to how the heavenly mother convinced Honorary Member Zheng to abandon wrongdoing¡­ They didn¡¯t know! All they knew was that the people counseled by the heavenly mother stopped doing evil deeds. Yunshan County. Li Xuan heard about what happened in Nanhe County from Shi¡¯er. ¡°The heavenly mother is truly compassionate. She convinced Honorary Member Zheng of Nanhe County to give up his evil ways. He dispersed all his wealth and went up the mountain to repent his sins.¡± Could this be true? Li Xuan found this interesting. What special capability could this little girl possess, that even wicked people gave up their evil ways under her guidance? Furthermore, Honorary Member Zheng not only gave up his evil ways but also disbursed all his wealth to help the people of the county. This was simply unimaginable. ¡°How did she persuade him?¡± Shi¡¯er thought for a while and said, ¡°They say the heavenly mother, with her great compassion and sacred beauty, spoke in detail about the sufferings of the world, urging people to be charitable and abandon evil.¡± On hearing this, Li Xuan looked skeptical. The story was more mysterious than any cultivation technique he could concoct. ¡°Are you sure this is how it happened?¡± Scratching his head, Shi¡¯er said, ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯s told in the sect. It should be true because the heavenly mother¡¯s counseling has affected not just one or two wicked people.¡± On second thought, Li Xuan found it plausible. Could this young girl possess some ability to manipulate people¡¯s hearts? ¡°Where is this young girl?¡± Li Xuan was intrigued and wanted to meet her. ¡°It seems she is on her way to Qi Country?¡± Shi¡¯er said unsurely. Even the upper echelons of the Tianmu Sect often couldn¡¯t keep track of the heavenly mother¡¯s whereabouts. Li Xuan nodded. This young girl was most likely heading to Yunshan County. When Su Lingxiu arrived in Yunshan County, she went straight to the county government office. The County Magistrate and the grey-robed old man hastily bowed in greeting. ¡°Greetings to the heavenly mother!¡± Su Lingxiu sat down with a solemn expression, and using her shovel, tapped the head of the Yunshan County Magistrate. She asked, ¡°Have you been corrupt? Have you oppressed the people? Have you exploited the populace?¡± ¡°The heavenly mother, no! ¡°Under my governance, the people live peacefully and happily!¡± The County Magistrate of Yunshan County was sweating profusely. Despite the heavenly mother being a young maiden, the person accompanying her was quite formidable. ¡°If you dare deceive me, I will bury you!¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s face was stern. ¡°Absolutely not, absolutely not!¡± The county magistrate of Yunshan let out a sigh of relief. ¡°1 heard that a highly esteemed person has come here and wishes to meet the Heavenly Mother?¡± Su Lingxiu asked. ¡°Yes, yes, he resides in Yunshan county, he is truly an esteemed person!¡± The county magistrate of Yunshan hurriedly replied. ¡°Humph, the Heavenly Mother will go and see for herself. If he¡¯s a fraud, I will bury him!¡± Su Lingxiu, carrying a spade and accompanied by Aunt Zhou, headed towards Li Xuan¡¯s home. County magistrate of Yunshan and others exchanged glances. It seems like the Heavenly Mother will have a dispute with the esteemed person? They didn¡¯t dare to witness the ensuing chaos, for they feared getting involved and offending the esteemed person. Xu Yan was still in the capital city of Qi Country and hadn¡¯t returned yet. However, Li Xuan had met the Heavenly Mother, a young girl who possessed the power to make wicked people cease their wickedness. Beholding the exquisitely beautiful girl in a white dress, carrying a spade, and the robust woman beside her, a silence enveloped him. The image of the girl didn¡¯t quite match his expectations. Shouldn¡¯t she exhibit a solemn and majestic demeanor that mirrors the merciful and noble aura of the Heavenly Mother? Why was she carrying a spade? What¡¯s more, the large woman beside her was not simple at all, she was a martial artist! There were no martial artists in the borderlands. The only explanation would be that these two came from the Inner Domain! ¡°Is this a 4th rank Martial Artist? In the borderlands, she would be undoubtedly unbeatable. And the young girl, she is also a martial artist? ¡°Although she seems to only be at the 7th rank, that already surpasses the pinnacle masters of the borderlands.¡± Li Xuan examined the two while being deep in thought. Shi¡¯er, who was nearby, was carefully observing the situation. The Heavenly Mother seemed to be ill-intentioned? Su Lingxiu gazed at Li Xuan, astonished. Is he a highly esteemed man? The young man before her felt inscrutably profound and unattainable, causing her hesitation and preventing her from making any rash actions. Meanwhile, Aunt Zhou beside her was even more tense, her muscles taut and beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. Is he a great Grandmaster? No! Absolutely not, even a Great Grandmaster cannot be this inscrutable!¡± She was in utter shock. The renowned man of Yunshan county, is he a martial artist? Moreover, she had a dreadful speculation: ¡°Could it be, those people have chased us into the borderlands? No, no, it¡¯s impossible. How could they come to the borderlands?¡± Li Xuan held the Jade Ruyi in his hand, chuckling as he said, ¡°Little girl, are you the current Heavenly Mother of the Heavenly Mother¡¯s Teaching?¡± Su Lingxiu nodded, ¡°Yes, 1 am. And you are¡­¡± Li Xuan asked with interest, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that those who have been admonished by you never do evil deeds again. Is this true? How did you advise them?¡± This was the reason he was taking the young girl seriously. Now that he had met her, he couldn¡¯t help but feel curious. Su Lingxiu smiled saucily, flourishing her spade, ¡°It¡¯s really easy. I bury them, then they will never be able to do evil again!¡± Li Xuan was stupefied, that simple? Of course, dead people wouldn¡¯t commit evil deeds anymore. Shi¡¯er, who was standing nearby, was taken aback. So it was so simple? Li Xuan glanced at Shi¡¯er, fully aware that this guy didn¡¯t know the truth either. ¡°Just that simple?¡± Su Lingxiu looked at him oddly, ¡°Just that simple. Dig a hole, bury them in it, then they won¡¯t be able to do evil deeds anymore. Can a dead person still do evil deeds?¡± Li Xuan was left speechless. Damn, this is what they called word of mouth. It was simply outrageous. A very simple thing was exaggerated! And he was even intrigued by it! The rumors about the young girl¡¯s exceptional medical skills weren¡¯t exaggerated, were they? ¡°What about your medical skills? Is that also word of mouth?¡± This girl appeared to be lively and full of spirit, unlike someone who could sit down and meticulously study medical techniques. He must start scouting for his third apprentice¡­ ¡°The medical skills are real. I started studying medical techniques when I was four years old. Now 1 am seventeen, and I have achieved the pinnacle in my medical skills. There is undoubtedly no one in the Qi or Wu Country who could surpass me.¡± Unexpectedly, the medical skills were not exaggerated? Li Xuan instantly perked up, saying, ¡°Little girl, what is your name?¡± ii Su Lingxiu!¡± Su Lingxiu answered honestly. Aunt Zhou¡¯s behavior seemed to be odd. Something like this had never happened before. This person in front of them must be an extraordinarily powerful being.. Chapter 127 Translator: 549690339 With a wave of Li Xuan¡¯s hand, several books flew out of the room, landing in his hand. These were all medical books from the borderlands. ¡°Shall 1 test your knowledge?¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. Li Xuan found it hard to believe ¡ª this lively and dynamic girl could be so skilled in medicine? If it was really the case, her talent was impressive. Perhaps he should consider taking her on as an apprentice. He opened one of the medical books and started asking Su Lingxiu questions about different case studies. He discovered that Su Lingxiu answered smoothly, capable of providing solutions for all sorts of diseases. Her outstanding medical skills were not a result of erroneous knowledge. Enlivened, Li Xuan was not concerned about Su Lingxiu¡¯s Inner Realm Martial Arts skills. They were merely at the seventh level, and changing her training to his Martial Arts would be easy. Moreover, because she already had a foundation in martial arts, her training wouldn¡¯t be slow. Li Xuan waved for Shi¡¯er to leave. He stood up from the chair, playing with the Jade Ruyi in his hand, and circled around Su Lingxiu with a grin. Su Lingxiu became a bit flustered: ¡°Oh no, oh no, I¡¯ve kicked a hornet¡¯s nest. There¡¯s no way to hide now!¡± Aunt Zhou¡¯s breathing became heavy, her fists clenched, as if she wanted to overcome the mountain in her heart and protect her mistress. Her eyes turned red. Li Xuan retracted his aura and said with a light laugh: ¡°Martial arts of the fourth rank? From the Inner Domain?¡± Aunt Zhou took a few deep breaths, and with a deep voice, replied, ¡°Yes, from the Inner Domain. I¡¯m Zhou Ying, assigned to protect Miss.¡± Li Xuan raised an eyebrow. This girl seemed to have a complicated background? But he didn¡¯t care about whether his apprentices¡¯ backgrounds were intricate or not. As long as they were suitable to become apprentices, the more outstanding their backgrounds, the more willing he was to take them on. ¡°Martial artists of the Inner Domain usually do not come to the borderlands. Are you escaping trouble?¡± A suspicion arose in Li Xuan¡¯s mind. Zhou Ying became silent. But she felt some relief. This man was not one of those chasing her Mistress. Su Lingxiu snorted twice and said, ¡°We¡¯re not escaping trouble, we just moved to a new place to live!¡± Li Xuan paused. After pondering for a while, he realized Su Lingxiu had been in the borderlands for quite some years now. After all, she had been the Heavenly Mother of the Heavenly Mother Sect for several years. For such a long time, nobody had come to the borderlands to chase them. Perhaps no one would predict that the two of them would flee to the borderlands. In his mind, Li Xuan evaluated whether it would be worth it to involve himself with the forces behind Su Lingxiu if he were to accept her as an apprentice. ¡°Given my strength, I can handle a Great Grandmaster with ease. And if Xu Yan comprehends the Cultivation Technique above the Innate Realm, 1 will break through yet another realm. ¡°Therefore, the trouble behind Su Lingxiu is only minor.¡± Naturally, this all depended on whether Su Lingxiu could comprehend his newly compiled Martial Arts system. As long as she could grasp it, the troubles behind her would be trivial. ¡°This girl looks quite clever, and having learnt medicine since she was four years old means she has extraordinary talent. It¡¯s unlikely I¡¯d find a more suitable person in the borderlands.¡± Li Xuan began forming a plan in his mind. He opened his mouth and asked: ¡°Little girl, do you know about elixirs?¡± Su Lingxiu shook her head. ¡°What¡¯s an elixir? Is it a pill?¡± As she spoke, she reached into her bag and pulled out a pill bottle. She tipped out a few pills. ¡°Elixirs are not something these pills of yours can compare to.¡± Li Xuan took a glance at the round little pills in her small and delicate hand. This girl did have talent; perhaps she could grasp the new martial arts system he had compiled. Hence, he said, ¡°1 see you have decent aptitude and are quite clever. I have a Dan Medical Martial Arts Method here, would you like to become my apprentice?¡± Li Xuan sat down on the chair. ¡°Master, I pay my respects to you!¡± Su Lingxiu immediately knelt down and kowtowed, as if she was afraid that Li Xuan would change his mind. ¡°Miss, you!¡± Zhou Ying was dazed. Why did the Miss suddenly agree to become a disciple? Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. Su Lingxiu was indeed shrewd ¡ª she had agreed to become his disciple without any hesitation. Having a master meant having support. He was very powerful. From Su Lingxiu¡¯s perspective, security greatly increased after having him as a master. ¡°Let me be frank. You only have one year. If you don¡¯t make any progress in that time, our master-disciple relationship will be terminated. I don¡¯t keep useless disciples.¡± Li Xuan said solemnly, a stern look on his face. If Su Lingxiu failed to understand the Dan Medical Martial Arts, he naturally wouldn¡¯t be her support any longer. There was no need to get involved in such troubles. If she did comprehend the Dan Medical Martial Arts, well, that would be different. She would be a treasured disciple! With regard to his Martial Arts career, anyone who dared to cause trouble, would be crushed! ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu said respectfully. One year was plenty. With her own talent, she believed that she would easily get the basics within the year. Zhou Ying was agitated and said, ¡°Miss, this is the borderland. The Heavenly Earth Lingji is gone, and training is impossible!¡± Su Lingxiu was taken aback; she had forgotten about that! ¡°Master, what do you think?¡± ¡°My Martial Arts can hardly be compared to those of the Inner Domain. As for the Heavenly Earth Lingji being gone and training being impossible ¡ª all that is nonsense.¡± Li Xuan scoffed. ¡°You just need to remember the Cultivation Technique 1 pass to you. Comprehend it well. If you can¡¯t grasp the basics within a year, we will terminate the master-disciple relationship!¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she asked, ¡°Master, are you really sure it won¡¯t affect my training?¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Then Master, rest assured, I will definitely understand it within a year!¡± Su Lingxiu promised.. Chapter 128 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± Li Xuan said, chuckling. Alchemy and martial arts, indeed, were a system he had pondered over¡ªa different martial arts system beyond physical cultivation. ¡°Master, 1 started learning medicine when 1 was four, and 1 was already treating people by the time 1 was six¡­¡± Su Lingxiu said earnestly. Li Xuan:¡­ Looking at Su Lingxiu, he fell into deep thought. What was he doing when he was six years old? Playing in the mud! Shit! That¡¯s quite a gap. Six years old, not so young. I vaguely remember, when i was three, I had already killed a ferocious beast with my bare hands.¡± As a superior figure, a mysterious and formidable master, how could he lose to his disciple? He lied without blinking an eye or missing a heartbeat. Su Lingxiu¡¯s mouth gaped open slightly as she fell silent, staring at her master. She suspected her master of bragging, but she had no evidence. ¡°Master, you¡¯re amazing!¡± She swiftly put on an admiring smile and flattered him. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded, quite pleased. ¡°You can stay. Tomorrow, 1 will teach you martial arts.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. She picked up a spade and cheerfully went off to tidy up her quarters. Shi¡¯er returned. Great heavens, she¡¯s actually become the master¡¯s disciple? Considering Su Lingxiu¡¯s extraordinary potential, he thought it made sense. ¡°Miss, why did you choose him as your master? How can one cultivate in this borderland?¡± In the room, Zhou Ying was tidying up while expressing her worry. ¡°Aunt Zhou, what if it¡¯s true? The borderland, do you think we should remain here for a lifetime? Master is a superior person. If I succeed in cultivation, 1 won¡¯t be afraid of those people.¡± Su Lingxiu said earnestly. Zhou Ying sighed. ¡°Aunt Zhou, you¡¯re a fourth-rank practitioner. If it wasn¡¯t for protecting me in this borderland, with no chance to cultivate, you would have already broken through to the third rank.¡± An excited Su Lingxiu said, ¡°If 1 truly can cultivate, then Aunt Zhou, you also have a chance. Sooner or later, I will bury all those people!¡± With that, she waved her spade. Zhou Ying nodded. The next day. Outside Yunshan Town. On a hill, Meng Chong was cultivating, conditioning his sword, and contemplating the Golden Body of the Great Sun. Two figures appeared. ¡°Master!¡± Meng Chong quickly stood up and bowed. ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Meng Chong curiously glanced at the beautiful young girl next to his master. ¡°This is your junior sister apprentice, Su Lingxiu!¡± Li Xuan introduced. ¡°Junior sister apprentice?¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Temporarily.¡± After a pause, Li Xuan added. Meng Chong was instantly confused, looking at his master, unsure of what he meant. ¡°I see her intelligence. Perhaps she has potential to be cultivated. I intend to pass on the Alchemy martial arts to her. If within a year she fails to cultivate the basics, 1 will kick her out of the school. Then she will no longer be your sister apprentice.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t take incompetents as disciples.¡± Li Xuan stressed the last sentence. Upon hearing this, Meng Chong finally understood. It turned out to be this way. He had heard from his senior brother that their master had initially given him a one year deadline. Although the master didn¡¯t explicitly mention it to him, it was clear there was a one-year deadline for him too. The master, being a superior figure, couldn¡¯t be careless about accepting disciples. Anyone less than the proud sons of heaven would not be suitable to be master¡¯s disciples. ¡°This is your senior brother Meng Chong.¡± Li Xuan continued. ¡°Nice to meet you, senior brother!¡± Su Lingxiu bowed and greeted. ¡°Junior sister, please, no need for formalities!¡± Meng Chong replied with a bow. Su Lingxiu looked at Meng Chong, his tall, muscular body and bald head manifested incredible strength. His powerful energy was stern and seemed to harbor terrifying power. Second brother, his power is very strong! Much stronger than Aunt Zhou! She was startled in awe, realizing that their master hadn¡¯t lied about cultivation being possible in the borderlands. After introducing the siblings, Li Xuan took Su Lingxiu aside to teach her the Alchemical Medical Martial Arts. ¡°Your talent lies in the area of medicine and alchemy, so I¡¯ll teach you the Alchemical Medical Martial Arts¡­ Be it standard martial arts or bodily martial arts, the foundation lies in skin-refining, bone-refining, and organ-refining, though the methods vary slightly.¡± Li Xuan explained slowly. ¡°Skin-refining, bone-refining, organ-refining?¡± Su Lingxiu was curious; it was significantly different from the martial arts she was practicing. ¡°You are now at the seventh stage, giving you a solid foundation in martial arts, making your training relatively easy. Next, I will transfer to you the cultivation techniques, but remember, the martial arts I teach rely on comprehension and understanding. Only by fully understanding the true meaning of the cultivation techniques can you master the basics. ¡°Don¡¯t be confined by the literal methods but seek understanding¡­¡± This wasn¡¯t the first or second time he was teaching a disciple. Li Xuan smoothly repeated the words he had taught Xu Yan and Meng Chong, emphasizing comprehension and understanding, asserting that only through understanding the true intent of the cultivation technique could one successfully cultivate. ¡°Bone-refining involves processes such as iron bone, copper bone, and golden bone¡­ The initial stage of standard martial arts involves jade bone refining while physical martial arts involve diamond-glazed bone, and Alchemical Medical Martial Arts involve evergreen bones!¡± Li Xuan explained solemnly. Evergreen Bone! This was a term he made up for the basic stage of Alchemical Medical Martial Arts. ¡°The Evergreen Bone exudes endless vitality, it¡¯s immortal, indestructible¡­ buried in the ground, it will absorb spiritual energy and gradually transmute into a spiritual object teeming with vitality, making it eternally vibrant. ¡°Those who refine their bones into Evergreen Bone will live longer than other martial artists, but they may be slightly less resilient than those with jade bones and diamond-glazed bones. ¡°Alchemical Medical Warriors can save lives or take lives, resurrect the dead, or kill invisibly.¡± Li Xuan introduced the basic system of Alchemical Medical Martial Arts. Su Lingxiu was stunned. Her mouth agape in astonishment. She could hardly believe that such martial arts exist in the world? Could it really be attained? Evergreen Bone, teeming with life, if one dies, the bones buried in the ground may absorb spiritual energy and transform into a spiritual object bursting with life? This was far too fantastic! As Su Lingxiu¡¯s heart pounded, she felt that she¡¯d stumbled upon a great opportunity. If such a powerful and mysterious martial art could be cultivated successfully, how mighty it would be! ¡°Master, quickly teach me, quickly teach me, and once 1 succeed, 1 will bury them all!¡± Su Lingxiu excitedly said while waving her shovel. A twitch tugged at Li Xuan¡¯s mouth, this girl, was she addicted to burying people? With a grave expression, he said: ¡°What I¡¯m passing on is a way, not just a technique, you must strive to comprehend, to understand its true meaning. Only then can you begin, can you cultivate. ¡°Regarding medicinal treasures, I won¡¯t introduce them since you¡¯ve been studying medicine since childhood and naturally recognize them and understand their effects and differences. ¡°Now I¡¯ll transfer to you the way of alchemy!¡± Li Xuan naturally didn¡¯t know how many types of medicinal treasures there were, and their effects, so he directly skipped them, nor did he pass on any alchemical recipes. It was up to Su Lingxiu to comprehend these aspects on her own. What he wanted to teach was the way of alchemy. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu respectfully replied. ¡°A pill is the essence of refining, removing the impurities, melding it into a round shape, its effects vary¡­¡± Li Xuan spoke calmly, transferring the art of alchemy he had created, word by word, to Su Lingxiu. How to concoct pills? Simply, it¡¯s about extracting the essence, bringing out its spirit, and drawing out its original forces; a pill recipe is a combination of various medicines and spiritual medicines. During the alchemical process, essences merge, causing a qualitative change, equipping the pill with magical effectiveness. Su Lingxiu¡¯s bright eyes widened, her immaculate face flushed with excitement, the more she heard her master explain, the more excited she became. Apparently, medicinal treasures and spiritual medicines can be utilized this way? Have them refined into pills! Even if regular medical decoctions, or even if prepared into pills, they still retain their medicinal nature, and to some extent, they contain some toxicity! If one constantly takes it over the long term without a break, giving the body no time to expel the toxins, over time, it will harm the body. But it¡¯s different with alchemical pills! Alchemy, it seems, is about extracting all the essences, eliminating all impurities and rendering the body clean, leaving no residual impurities. What a miraculous technique this is! ¡°1 must study alchemy!¡± Su Lingxiu determinedly thought. ¡°I will definitely succeed in cultivation, I will definitely become an Alchemical Medical Warrior!¡± She knew very clearly that once she had understood the art of alchemy and could concoct alchemical pills, she would hold a terrifying position in the world of martial arts. Of course, she needed the backing of powerful support. Otherwise, she could be captured by a powerful force to be used as a laborer, forced to disclose her alchemical techniques and so on. However, with her master being so powerful, this situation would surely not arise. Su Lingxiu listened attentively, and as her master expanded on his explanations, an image of a pill recipe began to form in her mind. ¡°Combining Ginseng Mountain, Nine-Leaf Primordial Plant in Tiger¡¯s Blood ¡­ such a recipe greatly replenishes qi and blood; if turned into a pill, it would be highly beneficial for cultivation.¡± Having been studying medicine from a young age, she naturally recognized various kinds of medicinal and spiritual medicines.. Chapter 129 Innumerable Changesi Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan finished explaining the basic theory of Alchemy he had written, and then looked at Su Lingxiu. He asked, ¡°Have you remembered it all?¡± If she didn¡¯t remember it, her talent would be somewhat lacking. Both Xu Yan and Meng Chong remembered after only hearing it once. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve memorized it all, and I¡¯ve even thought of a pill formula. Can you see if it can work?¡± Su Lingxiu said excitedly. Li Xuan was surprised. She had come up with a pill formula so quickly? Her talent was not bad! He had not chosen the wrong person or accepted the wrong disciple. With a calm expression on his face, he nodded and said, ¡°Oh, what is the pill formula?¡± ¡°Master, you mentioned that practice begins with the sensing of Qi and blood, refining the skin, bones, and organs. Therefore, I thought of combining ginseng, nine-leaf ginseng, tiger blood¡­ When used together and refined into a pill, they can greatly replenish the body and can be quickly digested for the purpose of cultivation.¡± Su Lingxiu explained the pill formula she had come up with. ¡°Your ability to think of such a pill formula shows that you are familiar with various herbs¡­¡± Li Xuan calmly said. Su Lingxiu was slightly jubilant, had her master approved of her pill recipe? However, Li Xuan continued, ¡°You certainly have talent, or 1 would not have accepted you as a disciple, but how did you conceive your pill formula? ¡°Do you understand the principle of using the monarch, minister, assistant, and courier in medication?¡± Su Lingxiu, squeezing the corner of her clothes, said, ¡°I don¡¯t, could you please clarify, Master?¡± ¡°Being the main herb for a particular disease is the monarch, supporting the monarch is the minister, assisting the minister is the courier¡­ One monarch and two ministers are the minor recipes, two monarchs, three ministers, and five couriers are the medium recipes¡­¡± Li Xuan explained the principles of using monarch, minister, assistant, and courier in medicine, and then said, ¡°You should grasp which herbs should be the monarch, which should be the minister¡­ The doctrine of the elixir is changeless.¡± ¡°Remember, diseases have various forms, medical treatments do not have constant methods, medicines do not have constant characteristics, and the timing of the situation dictates; divine craftsmanship lies with the person, while the roles of monarch, minister, assistant, and courier depend on their use¡­¡± Su Lingxiu was greatly shocked as she listened. It seemed as if a skylight had suddenly been opened in her world, and she had caught a glimpse of a whole new terrain. She had a faint sense of understanding. Various precious and spiritual medicines flashed through her mind: what characteristics each medicine had, which were their main functions¡­ and all things reappeared in her mind one by one. ¡°Monarch, minister, assistant, and courier? The changeless doctrine of the elixir¡­¡± Su Lingxiu vaguely felt that she seemed to have understood something. As long as she spent time sorting it out, she was sure she could create a valid pill formula. Li Xuan watched her. This girl was not lacking in comprehension. The theory of elixir he¡¯d told her, along with the principle of using monarch, minister, assistant, and courier in medicine, seemed to have given her great inspiration. She may have had some insights. So he stopped explaining further, allowing Su Lingxiu time to process it all. ¡°Master, 1 think I understand a bit. 1 will ponder this carefully.¡± Su Lingxiu respectfully replied. ¡°Hmm, next, I will teach you how to refine the elixir.¡± Li Xuan nodded, and then said, ¡°When refining a pill, use Qi and blood as the furnace, Qi and blood as the pill fire, use the mind to sense, understand the changes of the pill, comprehend the success or failure of the pill¡­ Use True Qi as the pill fire, refine and remove impurities, and take its essence¡­¡± How to refine a pill? Li Xuan directly created the refining of pills with Qi and blood, and refines pills with True Qi¡­ Anyway, when in the Qi and blood realm, Qi and blood are used as the pill fire, and pills are refined. During the Innate realm, True Qi is used as the pill fire, and pills are refined¡­ and so on. As for the Pill Furnace, he wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d be able to make one, so Li Xuan didn¡¯t mention it specifically. ¡°Since you have not entered the Qi and blood realm, you naturally cannot use Qi and blood as the pill fire to refine pills. You can attempt it with a Pill Furnace. Of course, if you have a good Pill Furnace, refining pills can naturally be made easier. ¡°This all depends on you and how to comprehend the way of refining medicine.¡± ¡°If you want to use the Pill Furnace to assist in refining pills, you need to figure out a way to make the Pill Furnace on your own. The Pill Furnace is particular, and the usual steel furnace is not conducive to Alchemy.¡± Li Xuan reminded Su Lingxiu that besides refining pills with bare hands, a Pill Furnace can also be used for assistance. As for how to get a Pill Furnace, that would depend entirely on Su Lingxiu¡¯s own capabilities. After all, he didn¡¯t have a Pill Furnace and didn¡¯t know how to refine a pill. The whole thing was made up. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded, indicating that she understood. The next part was the core of the Alchemy Martial Arts¡ªthe cultivation method. ¡°The cultivation of Alchemy Martial Arts, although it also involves refining the skin, bones, and organs, the cultivation is actually closer to living qi of all things. Using the Spiritual Energy of all things to nurture oneself and stimulate the Qi and blood. ¡°The Qi and blood of Alchemist Martial Artist is full of life, representing the way of medicine, curing diseases and saving people; regardless, it can also be as strong as fire, representing the way of elixir, extracting the essence and used for refining elixir. ¡°Medicine is like wood, the elixir is like fire. Wood can produce fire, fire can forge metal, metal can produce water, and water can produce wood¡­¡± Subsequently, Li Xuan imparted the cultivation method of Alchemist Martial Artist to Su Lingxiu, and along the way, he also taught her about Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, the Eight Extraordinary Channels, the Human body¡¯s acupoints, etc. The Qi and blood and True Qi cultivated by Alchemist Martial Arts, naturally has its own characteristics. If not, there wouldn¡¯t be much difference compared to the orthodox Martial Arts. Lastly, he explained some additional themes such as acupuncture. For example, using the Golden Needle to reach the acupoint, expel toxins with the Golden Needle, restore life with the Golden Needle, and so on. These methods were mysterious beyond measure. Li Xuan went on to explain all the compiled Alchemist Martial Arts, whether Su Lingxiu could comprehend anything from such a huge, complicated, and even somewhat self-conflicting theory. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t guarantee it. It all depended on Su Lingxiu¡¯s own talent. If she succeeded, he would have opened up a new system of Martial Arts. And he would have another treasured disciple. This girl was pretty, lively, and kind, liked to bury evil people, if she could successfully comprehend it all, Li Xuan felt the troubles behind her would be nothing at all.. Chapter 130 Translator: 549690339 If comprehension does not come, then it signifies that the master-disciple relationship is not meant to be. ¡°Remember, what 1 am teaching you is the Dao, not ordinary cultivation techniques. The Dao is something that needs to be comprehended, to be truly understood¡­¡± Li Xuan emphasized again that he was teaching the Dao, which must be comprehended, not merely practiced as a martial arts technique. If you do not comprehend it, if you do not perfect it, you will not be able to cultivate it. ¡°Master, I understand!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded her petite head. Her heart was greatly shaken by the profound strength of the martial arts in this world. How powerful would she become if she truly comprehended it? The miraculous and mystical power of medicinal pills ¨C if she could concoct them, would she still worry about slow progress in cultivation? Just one pill could save ten or eight grueling days, or even a month or a year of harsh cultivation. ¡°I need to figure out this prescription first!¡± Su Lingxiu thought to herself with excitement. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded. He believed in Su Lingxiu¡¯s talent. After teaching her these theories, figuring out the formulas and concocting the medicinal pills would not be difficult for her. However, the art of medicinal martial arts is not simply about prescriptions, usage of medicinal herbs, and medical skills. It¡¯s about martial arts cultivation. The hardest part for Su Lingxiu would be to understand the cultivation method of medicinal martial arts, how to cultivate a unique inner energy specific to this art. The initial step is the hardest. Once she successfully starts and gains comprehension of the cultivation method, the later stages, even reaching the Innate Realm or higher, will relatively be easier because she would have established a foundation. After all, she would already have a foundation and theoretical knowledge. Li Xuan thought of his cherished disciple Xu Yan, who was cultivating pure martial arts. Because of its purity, his understanding and comprehension of martial arts was incredibly deep. Moreover, Xu Yan was the pioneer of martial arts. The foundation and basis of this great martial arts enterprise was built on Xu Yan. ¡°Although the cultivation method of medicinal martial arts is different from pure martial arts, it is closer to pure martial arts. So, could Xu Yan assist Su Lingxiu in understanding the cultivation technique?¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. In terms of comprehension and brainstorming ability, no one could probably surpass Xu Yan. Thinking of this, Li Xuan said again, ¡°As for how to cultivate the martial arts; how to refine the skin, bones, and internal organs; and how to cultivate the internal energy of medicinal martial arts, you can seek advice from your eldest senior brother when he returns.¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes lit up and she asked, ¡°How strong is my eldest senior brother?¡± Li Xuan calmly answered, ¡°He¡¯s in the Innate Realm, able to kill ordinary grandmasters in the Inner Domain with ease!¡± Su Lingxiu was extremely excited. Her master was mysterious and powerful, and her eldest senior brother was equally mighty. As long as she successfully understood the cultivation technique and took the first step, with such a strong backing, what would she have to fear? No need at all! ¡°Master, master, when will my eldest senior brother come back?¡± Su Lingxiu asked impatiently. She wanted to understand the cultivation technique and start cultivation as soon as possible. The technique taught by her master was so profound that she couldn¡¯t find a way to comprehend it in a short time. As for medicinal pills, she already had some insights. She just needed to organize her thoughts, then she could devise some pill prescriptions. She could then find an alchemy furnace and try to figure out how to concoct the pills. But she had to become proficient in martial arts and cultivate inner energy before she could truly concoct pills. Therefore, even if she understood the medicinal pills and could devise pill prescriptions, without comprehending the cultivation technique, she would just be a common female medicinal practitioner. She wouldn¡¯t be a true medicinal martial artist! ¡°Your eldest senior brother will return in a few days. You should focus on understanding it.¡± Finished speaking, Li Xuan started to leave. Su Lingxiu, holding the iron shovel, excitedly followed him, ¡°Master, I already have some insights about the pill prescriptions. When I return and organize them, I should be able to devise some prescriptions. ¡°But I don¡¯t have an alchemy furnace, how can I concoct pills?¡± With his hands behind his back, and walking leisurely, Li Xuan said, ¡°I can lead you to the door, the cultivation is on you.¡± ¡°Alright, I will find a way myself.¡± Su Lingxiu seemed a little despondent. When they passed by the place where Meng Chong was cultivating, Su Lingxiu asked curiously, ¡°Master, what is my second senior brother doing?¡± ¡°Cultivating, maintaining the blade, understanding the cultivation technique,¡± Li Xuan answered indifferently. ¡°Maintaining the blade?¡± Su Lingxiu blinked. ¡°Nourishing the blade with the heart, with the will¡­you wouldn¡¯t understand, this is not where your talent lies.¡± Li Xuan looked at the girl. His gaze fell on the iron shovel in her hand. What a nice girl, yet she likes playing with an iron shovel. ¡°What are you doing with that shovel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m burying people!¡± ¡°¡­how many people have you buried?¡± ¡°Not a hundred, but definitely a few dozens.¡± Su Lingxiu thought for a moment and spoke. She continued, ¡°Master, I used to have a small hoe for digging up medicinal herbs, but unfortunately I lost it. Now I only have this iron shovel.¡± After returning to the small courtyard. Li Xuan sat down on a chair, while Su Lingxiu went straight into her boudoir. ¡°Aunt Zhou, go buy some paper and pens for me, I need a lot!¡± ¡°Alright, miss.¡± Aunt Zhou nodded, came out of Su Lingxiu¡¯s boudoir, found Shi¡¯er, and asked him to buy paper and pens. Shi¡¯er was reluctant to agree, as he was a servant to his master. Why should he listen to you? However, considering that Su Lingxiu is now the master¡¯s disciple, and she needs paper and pens, he had no choice but to agree. ¡°Miss, how is it?¡± Zhou Ying returned to the room, asking anxiously. ¡°Aunt Zhou, Master is so amazing, Alchemy and Martial Arts, too powerful, too magical, I want to practice alchemy!¡± Su Lingxiu said excitedly. Zhou Ying was bewildered, Alchemy? What is that? ¡°Aunt Zhou, go find me an Alchemy Furnace. Let me think about what an Alchemy Furnace should look like¡­¡± Su Lingxiu pondered. ¡°Master said, the Alchemy Furnace cannot be a common iron furnace, so it must be made of the material for forging treasure¡­¡± In the Inner Domain, those who can truly use the treasure are almost all grandmasters. Not many first-class Martial Artists possess treasures. ¡°But where can I find a treasure in this wilderness?¡± Su Lingxiu was a bit troubled. ¡°Miss, what is an Alchemy Furnace? I can go to the Imperial Palaces of Wu Country or Qi Country to see if I can find one for you.¡± Zhou Ying pondered. Shi¡¯er returned with the paper and pens. After handing them to Zhou Ying, he continued to ponder how to break through his bottleneck and enter the realm of Qi and Blood. Su Lingxiu picked up the pen and started drawing on the paper, sketching the vague outline of the alchemy furnace that appeared in her mind, and drew the alchemy furnace on the paper. The Alchemy Furnace isn¡¯t large, it has air holes to expel impurities, and it has sealable lids¡­ ¡°Aunt Zhou, the Alchemy Furnace should look like this, but it needs to be made of treasure material¡­¡± She handed the alchemy furnace blueprint to Zhou Ying and said with frustration. Zhou Ying took the blueprint. Although she didn¡¯t understand what an Alchemy Furnace was, she knew it was important to the young lady! She solemnly said, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. Although people in the borderland can¡¯t cultivate, there are still some materials available. We should be able to find them.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Su Lingxiu nodded, ¡°Aunt Zhou, try your best to find it. Let Tianmu Sect know and tell Kou Ruozhi to find it for me.¡± ¡°I understand. But, miss, if I leave¡­¡± Zhou Ying hesitated. ¡°Aunt Zhou, it¡¯s okay. Master is so strong, and there are also my senior brothers¡­¡± Su Lingxiu was not worried. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. After Aunt Zhou left, Su Lingxiu began to write down her understandings of the alchemical medicine. At the same time, she listed various precious and spiritual medicines, annotating each medicine¡¯s characteristics and effects. Arranging these took up most of the day. Usually Aunt Zhou would take care of her, calling her for meals on time. After Zhou Ying left, Su Lingxiu kept arranging things until she felt hungry. She looked up at the window. It was already evening. She came out of the room and saw that her master was sitting in a chair reading a book, looking leisure and like a reclusive expert. ¡°Master, I¡¯m hungry!¡± Su Lingxiu grabbed Li Xuan¡¯s arm, blinking at him. Li Xuan put down the ancient book and said, ¡°Shi¡¯er, from today on, you are responsible for cooking for Lingxiu.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Shi¡¯er respectfully replied. ¡°Thankyou, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu was ecstatic. After dinner, Su Lingxiu continued to arrange various precious medicines in her room, preparing the basics for the creation of the Alchemy Formula. Li Xuan quietly appeared outside the window, looking at her, he couldn¡¯t help but nod. Su Lingxiu¡¯s talent in Alchemy was quite extraordinary. She had achieved some enlightenment and was sorting out her thoughts. He believed that the Alchemy Formula would appear before long. ¡°I hope she can successfully comprehend the method of cultivation.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself.. Chapter 131 Treasure Book of Dan Medical 1 Translator: 549690339 Su Lingxiu was fully committed to her understanding of medicinal pills. Most of her time was spent in her room, organizing her comprehension of these pills and attempting to combine valuable medicines into pill formulas based on the theory of sovereigns, ministers, assistants, and envoys. Li Xuan occasionally paid attention and praised in his heart. This lass was indeed a monster, starting to learn medicine at four years old and treating people at six. Within such a short time, she had already written out the characteristics and effects of various valuable medicines. She even started combining these medicines, creating her own pill formulas. ¡°The theory of pills is not a difficult issue for her, however, the challenge lies with her understanding of the cultivation system and beginning the practice of martial arts.¡± ¡°Otherwise, despite her deep understanding of medicinal pills, without the foundation of martial arts to back it up, she could only go so far and won¡¯t be able to make any real pills.¡± ¡°She can only further her medical skills and her understanding of alchemy, nothing more.¡± The core of Alchemedicine, contrary to what one might think, lies not in alchemy or medicine, but in martial arts. It is through martial arts that the arts of Alchemedicine are driven. Only this is the core, the essence. Apart from organizing her understanding of medicinal pills, Su Lingxiu also instructed Shi¡¯er to find someone to carve a life-sized mannequin. She meticulously labeled each acupoint on the mannequin for reference. The more Li Xuan saw, the more satisfied he was. As long as Su Lingxiu succeeded in beginning her cultivation journey, as she continued to research, she would surely be able to mark all 720 acupoints throughout the body. ¡°When Xu Yan returns, I¡¯ll have him teach his junior sister. With Xu Yan¡¯s comprehension and creativity, he can definitely assist Su Lingxiu in deciphering the cultivation method,¡± Li Xuan made up his mind. Su Lingxiu, this disciple, had an uncanny talent for the way of medicinal pills. It would be such a shame if she couldn¡¯t enter the world of martial arts. While Su Lingxiu was organising her insights and the theory of making pills and making formulas by combining rare medicines, she also tried to understand cultivation methods. However, compared to her comprehension of medicinal pills, her understanding of cultivation techniques did not enlighten her much. She was not in a hurry, and once she had organized her thoughts on medicinal pills, she would fully dedicate herself to understanding the practice of martial arts. She didn¡¯t believe her innate talent would keep her from understanding it. Shi¡¯er was a bit frustrated as he found himself stuck at the peak of internal organ cultivation, unable to break through to the realm of blood and qi cultivation. He could only continue to train hard, exploring how he could make the breakthrough. Li Xuan left him to his devices, as Shi¡¯er had decent talent. Breaking through to the qi and blood realm was only a matter of time. A golden light appeared. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has broken through to the early stages of the Innate Realm. You have reached the peak of the Innate Realm.¡± Xu Yan had broken through to the early stages of the Innate Realm. His cultivation speed was extremely fast, worthy of being the initiator of his martial arts undertaking. Li Xuan was extremely pleased in his heart. His power had increased once more. The next day. Xu Yan finally returned. The return of his oldest disciple made Li Xuan very happy. As for teaching Xu Yan the cultivation techniques beyond the Innate Realm, he decided to hold off for now. The more pressing matter was to have him assist Su Lingxiu in understanding the cultivation method of Alchemedicine. If he taught Xu Yan advanced techniques right now, Xu¡¯s focus would solely be on those techniques, leaving little mental capacity to assist Su Lingxiu in her cultivation. Given Xu Yan¡¯s monstrous talent, coupled with the fact that he is an Innate Realm martial artist, it shouldn¡¯t take too long for him to assist Su Lingxiu in understanding cultivation techniques. ¡°Although Su Lingxiu isn¡¯t fully comprehending it by herself and Xu Yan is assisting her, the ultimate comprehension of cultivation techniques is something she herself must achieve. Shouldn¡¯t she be able to receive feedback from the Golden Finger then? ¡°Xu Yan is the initiator of Martial Arts, he is the oldest disciple. The Golden Finger should recognize him.¡± Li Xuan contemplated within his heart. With Xu Yan¡¯s help in comprehending the cultivation method, even if it was not solely Su Lingxiu¡¯s own comprehension, the final enlightenment was still dependent on her. She was the one practicing it after all. She should be able to gain the approval of the Golden Finger and receive feedback. ¡°Meng Chong¡¯s Thunderbolt Horizontal Sky movement technique also received inspiration from Xu Yan, and it was still able to receive feedback. Su Lingxiu should be no exception,¡± thought Li Xuan. As long as they were eligible for feedback from the Golden Finger, he could have Xu Yan help his future disciples understand the cultivation techniques he devised. In this way, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about his newly minted martial arts techniques being impossible for new disciples to comprehend. He had complete confidence in Xu Yan. ¡°This is your junior sister, Su Lingxiu!¡± Li Xuan introduced. ¡°And this, is your elder brother, Xu Yan!¡± As Xu Yan looked at his junior sister, he was left in awe. His junior sister was truly beautiful. ¡°Nice to meet you, junior sister!¡± Looking at Xu Yan, Su Lingxiu widened her beautiful eyes in astonishment. Her eldest brother was so young, hardly older than her. But he was already an Innate Realm martial artist. His talent was truly terrifying. ¡°Nice to meet you, elder brother!¡± Su Lingxiu brightly grinned. The stronger her senior brother was, the stronger her support would be in the future. ¡°Elder brother, 1 have some doubts about cultivation. Can 1 ask you for guidance?¡± Su Lingxiu asked, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, looking hopeful. She remembered clearly what her master said, that she could always ask her senior brother if she didn¡¯t understand something. ¡°Of course!¡± Xu Yan nodded affirmatively. Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Xu Yan had the demeanor of a senior brother. He then spoke, ¡°Lingxiu cultivates in Alchemedicine. The method of cultivating, even if it¡¯s slightly different from traditional martial arts, has commonalities.¡± ¡°Her martial arts cultivation is secondary. What she is skilled at is producing pills and treating ailments.¡± Xu Yan asked with curiosity, ¡°Master, what is Alchemy?¡± ¡°Alchemy is the process of refining the essence of valuable and spiritual medicines by removing their impurities and thus, transforming them to have extraordinary effects. ¡°In simpler terms, the same few strands of valuable medicine, prepared into a decoction or pills using traditional methods, would only have an effect strength of one or two. However, if refined into a pill, the same ingredients would have an effect strength of ten..¡± Chapter 132 Treasure Book of Dan Medical 2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Moreover, the elixir has no impurities, making it easy to absorb and refine.¡± Li Xuan explained briefly. Xu Yan, surprised and excited, said, ¡°If we have this elixir, won¡¯t cultivating martial arts be like traveling a thousand miles in a day?¡± Li Xuan nodded and said, ¡°It can speed up the cultivation of martial arts and makes it easier to break through bottlenecks. However, even the best elixirs should not be overly relied upon, or else your foundation may be unstable, your realm will be illusory, and your strength will be greatly reduced.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Xu Yan understood. Although he could not use this elixir, his parents and others could. With this in mind, he looked at his junior sister apprentice with different eyes. ¡°Junior sister, if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, your senior brother is here to help you!¡± The sooner Su Lingxiu comprehends this, the sooner they will have the elixir, then their parents will be stronger, and he can venture to the Inner Domain earlier. ¡°Thank you, senior brother.¡± Su Lingxiu was delighted. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll go to the city outskirts and meet up with our second junior brother.¡± Xu Yan nodded. The senior and junior siblings left the small courtyard to the city outskirts. At the outskirts, the three of them naturally mingled and got close. Then, Su Lingxiu began to tell them the method of cultivating both alchemy and martial arts. Meng Chong listened, frowning, his eyes bewildered. He felt that he did not have a clue, this method of cultivating both alchemy and martial arts was not within his realm of talent. Touching his head, he gave an awkward smile and said, ¡°Junior sister, 1 might not be able to help.¡± ¡°Second junior brother, everyone has their own talents.¡± Su Lingxiu was not surprised by this. Her second senior brother, who practiced body cultivation, had robust muscles and everyone could tell that his talent was physical, not mental. Xu Yan, however, was deep in thought. Next, Su Lingxiu and Xu Yan began to discuss cultivation techniques. ¡°Master said that combining alchemy and martial arts is closer to understanding the spiritual energy of all things, triggering vitality with this energy¡­ ¡®Medicine is wood, and alchemy is fire¡­¡¯¡± ¡°Junior sister, you haven¡¯t opened up your heavenly bridge and can¡¯t sense spiritual energy, but this spiritual energy of all things is clearly not just about sensing nature¡¯s spiritual energy, but¡­¡± Xu Yan looked at a tree beside him and said, ¡°Junior sister, try to sense the life energy of this tree, the path of cultivation might lie in this.¡± Su Lingxiu hesitated. Sense the life energy of a tree? How to sense that? ¡°Just lay your hand on the tree, with your heart, your intention, try to feel, to comprehend¡­¡± Xu Yan said thoughtfully. Su Lingxiu did as he instructed, placing her palm on the tree and trying to sense it silently, but she received nothing. Xu Yan also pondered deeply. ¡°Junior sister, alchemy and medicine are inseparable elements in the path of Alchemy Martial Arts. You should try to comprehend the spiritual energy of all things from the perspective of an alchemist, and try to understand yourself from that same point of view.¡± The method of cultivating Alchemy Martial Arts can¡¯t be comprehended overnight. Li Xuan wasn¡¯t surprised by this. Even with Xu Yan¡¯s help, it would still be the case because this method wasn¡¯t something Xu Yan himself cultivated, he could only play a supportive role. In the next few days, every morning, Su Lingxiu would go to the city outskirts with Xu Yan to comprehend the method of Alchemy Martial Arts cultivation, then she would continue to organize the theories of alchemy and ponder the formulae at night. At the same time, she recorded all her ideas about alchemy. She hadn¡¯t comprehended the method of cultivation yet, and had no idea about it, but she had almost completed the arrangement of the art of alchemy. That evening, after returning from the outskirts of the city and having dinner, Su Lingxiu was checking the thick stack of drafts, page by page, to see if anything was missed, while adding new knowledge to them. ¡°Alchemy Martial Arts is naturally inseparable from alchemy and medicine. 1 was too obsessed with the method of cultivation, but 1 never thought that integrating the method of cultivation with medicine is the true essence of Alchemy Martial Arts. ¡°¡®Medicine represents wood and alchemy represents fire¡¯. With wood generating fire, how should I sense the energy of Alchemy Martial Arts?¡± Imagining the understanding and conjectures of senior brother on the method, Su Lingxiu felt a hint of enlightenment at this moment. She didn¡¯t rest for the whole night and told her senior brother about her insights when she arrived at the outskirts of the city the next morning, hoping he could help her evaluate her ideas. ¡°Junior sister, see this tree? It is wood, and you are fire. Use the spiritual energy of this tree to stimulate your vitality. Feel it delicately with the identity of an alchemist. ¡°Touch its aura just as you understand the effects of medicinal herbs, understand it.¡± Xu Yan said thoughtfully. Su Lingxiu was taken aback, some understanding dawned in her mind. She had a thorough knowledge of the properties of various herbs. She was familiar with the characteristics of each precious herb and its primary therapeutic focus. She had also collected herbs on the mountains and identified their distinctive properties. The effectiveness of these valuable herbs was summarized bit by bit by her predecessors. The predecessors also pursued understanding and experimented to clarify the characteristics of the precious herbs. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I got it!¡± Su Lingxiu slightly closed her eyes, placing her hands on a tree, carefully perceiving as if capturing the spiritual energy of the tree. ¡°The human body has acupoints which respond to Qi and blood, it can start from these acupoints. The heart represents fire, and the nearest to it is the acupoint in the middle of the chest¡­¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s breath started to change subtly, through her fine perception, she felt a surge of warm flow arising from the acupoint in her chest, warm and continuous. ¡°Is this Qi and blood?¡± Su Lingxiu was overjoyed. Having sensed the Qi and blood, the most critical step of cultivating the method was accomplished. After sensing Qi and blood, it is about how to perfect and fully comprehend the cultivation technique. Then follows refining the skin, bones, and organs. For Su Lingxiu, refining skin was relatively easy, since she inherently has martial arts foundation, and refining iron bones and copper bones would not be difficult. ¡°Junior Martial Sister, in the basic realm of medical martial arts, since it¡¯s everlasting bone, you must refine it. Meng Junior Martial Brother and 1 are jade bone and diamond bone.¡± Su Lingxiu seriously said after achieving comprehension in cultivation practices with the sensation of Qi and blood. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, rest assured. I will certainly refine the everlasting bone. I know alchemy; there will definitely be no problem!¡± At this time, Su Lingxiu thought of Zhou Ying. ¡°I wonder if Aunt Zhou can find a pill furnace. 1 have not entered the Qi and blood realm, and cannot refine pills with Qi and blood. 1 must rely on a pill furnace.¡± Su Lingxiu was clear that only by refining elixirs could she cultivate faster and refine the everlasting bone. For other martial artists, the use of too many elixirs would make their realm seem illusory. However, she cultivated the medical martial arts, naturally could control the dosage well, and could also digest the elixirs more effectively, making it less likely to create an illusory realm. Back in her room, Su Wenxiu buried her head in the draft of the elixirs. ¡°I need to write the elixir formula, one for refining skin, one for refining bones, one for refining organs, and one for breaking through bottlenecks. The elixir for Qi and blood realm should be called Qi and Blood Elixir¡­¡± Su Wenxue was flipping through the medicinal herbs recorded and began to pick, combine, and match. ¡°This elixir formula should not have problems. It has the effect of refining skin, it can speed up refining of the skin, should it be called Skin-refining Elixir? Is the name too straightforward? ¡°This elixir formula should also not have problems, it¡¯s called Bone-refining Elixir. ¡°This one is Organ-refining Elixir¡­ In martial arts cultivation, the first step is to sense the Qi and blood, so¡­ ¡°This elixir formula of mine can help sense Qi and blood, let¡¯s call it Little Qi and Blood Elixir.¡± After figuring out an elixir formula, Su Lingxiu felt a sudden burst of inspiration. The theory of elixir and the principles of medicine were clear to her at once. One after another, she combined elixir formulas. In her mind, it seemed as if a complete set of medical martial arts secrets had emerged. In the courtyard. Li Xuan squinted his eyes, looking at the light leaking from the window of Su Lingxiu¡¯s room. She was probably sorting and composing the theories of medical martial arts again. It was going to be another sleepless night. The comforting thing was Su Lingxiu had almost achieved comprehension of the practice method of medical martial arts. She has initially sensed the Qi and blood. This indicated that the third disciple was already stable and the system of medical martial arts was about to be established. Suddenly! Golden light emerged. Li Xuan was taken aback, had Meng Chong made a breakthrough? Or, was there a new insight from Xu Yan ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, from the medical martial arts theory you wrote, has achieved comprehensive understanding of medical martial arts and compiled the outline of medical martial arts secrets. You get the medical martial arts secrets.¡± Unexpectedly, the feedback from the Golden Finger was actually as a result of Su Lingxiu. Li Xuan abruptly stood up from the chair. His heart was filled with joy. This girl, my third disciple, I was not wrong to care for her. She indeed has an extraordinary talent in the way of the elixir. She didn¡¯t even have a footing in martial arts, yet, she opened up access to elixir formulas and came up with an outline of medical martial arts secret series using her innate talent. At this moment, Li Xuan had completely mastered the medical martial arts secrets. This was not just an outline; this was the complete series, with all aspects of refining elixirs, treating diseases, elixir formulas, etc., being perfected. The entire medicinal system within the medical martial arts was no longer a vague theory, but substantive results! Chapter 133 Translator: 549690339 Su Lingxiu has grasped the outline of the Elixir Physician Classics and well comprehended her cultivation methods, only lacking the basics of cultivation training. Li Xuan was delighted in his heart, as he felt steady about alchemy martial arts. ¡°Indeed, 1 didn¡¯t misjudge her, this little girl has a good talent.¡± Happy in heart, he was preparing to give some guidance to Shi¡¯er. But he discovered Shi¡¯er was not in the courtyard. He glanced at the small courtyard; it was the Xu Family¡¯s estate in Yun Mountain County, not a very big area. ¡°My disciples are all cultivating outside the city. Any big events are likely to disturb our neighbors. Su Lingxiu, this girl, when she starts alchemy, could there be a risk of the furnace exploding? ¡°Or cause other major disturbances? ¡°Therefore, we should move and live outside the city.¡± Li Xuan pondered in his heart. Living in the county town, it was easy to buy and sell items, however, he only used it to occasionally satisfy his needs. His needs were not many. Xu Yan and Meng Chong mostly cultivated outside the city. Even if something was needed to be bought, Shi¡¯er was responsible, though it did make Shi¡¯er a bit more weary. ¡°Shi¡¯er is almost a martial artist. He wouldn¡¯t take long to travel back and forth, so let¡¯s just move and live outside the city.¡± Li Xuan decided in his heart. As it happened, Shi¡¯er returned, so he instructed him to find Xu Yan. ¡°Master, what is your command for me?¡± Xu Yan respectfully said. ¡°This estate is too small, all of you are cultivating and it isn¡¯t suitable to be in the county. In the future, your junior sister is going to perform alchemy, which is likely to cause some disturbances. Go find a place outside the city and build a manor.¡± Li Xuan opened his mouth and spoke. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan thought that it seemed reasonable. Meng Chong, his junior brother, for the sake of cultivation, to feed his blade, has been gone for several days. ¡°Shi¡¯er, go find some people to assist in building the manor.¡± Xu Yan turned his head and called Shi¡¯er. ¡°Yes, Young Master Xu!¡± Shi¡¯er nodded. ¡°The manor only needs to be simple.¡± Li Xuan again spoke. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Xu Yan responded. The selection and construction of a new home would take time, but since it was a simple construction, it wouldn¡¯t take very long. In the following days, Su Lingxiu continued to perfect the Elixir Physician Classics while she began to cultivate. The first step was skin refining! She is already a seventh-grade martial artist. The process of skin refining was very smooth and the progress of refining skin was quite fast. Li Xuan observed the changes in his third disciple, this girl¡¯s skin became more delicate as the skin refining progressed, as if jade-like, giving an unbreakable impression. ¡°How strange, why is this girl refining her skin so quickly?¡± Li Xuan was puzzled in his heart. ¡°Could it be because she is a seventh-grade martial artist?¡± Inner Realm Martial Arts, compared to his own martial arts, has differences. For someone like Su Lingxiu with a low-level, shifting to martial arts cultivation is comparatively easy, as long as she can sense her qi and blood. For someone like Zhou Ying, who already has fourth-grade abilities, the martial arts foundation is basically set. Trying to shift would be highly difficult, even sensing qi and blood is a problem. Su Lingxiu¡¯s speed of skin refining was quite fast, somewhat beyond Li Xuan¡¯s expectations. Of course, the faster his disciple cultivated, the happier he was. Three days later, the manor outside the city was built. Li Xuan moved directly to the manor outside the city. As for books and other things, naturally, Shi¡¯er moved them to the new residence. After Su Lingxiu came to the new manor, she was overjoyed. Looking at the simple and empty courtyard, she began to plant flowers. After a few days, more flowers appeared in the courtyard. Su Lingxiu was cultivating in the courtyard. It¡¯s not far from the completion of her skin refining. Meng Chong also returned, sitting on the roof, keeping up with feeding his blade. ¡°What¡¯s going on with this girl, my third disciple? Her cultivation is so fast, she has already started refining bones.¡± Li Xuan was extremely surprised. Su Lingxiu has actually begun refining her bones, and the speed of bone refining was also very fast. ¡°Could it be that the alchemy martial arts cultivation method is perfect for her talent, so her cultivation is so fast?¡± Li Xuan mused. ¡°Shi¡¯er, tell Kou Ruozhi to command the Heavenly Mother Sect to find and get me these medicinal herbs.¡± One day, Su Lingxiu handed a list of medicinal herbs to Shi¡¯er. ¡°Alright.¡± When Shi¡¯er took the list and glanced at it, he noticed that it was procuring treasured drugs, as well as tonics such as tiger bone and deer antler. The foundation of the Heavenly Mother Sect was still very substantial, and with their reach across Qi Country and Wu Country, Su Lingxiu got the first batch of treasured drugs she needed very quickly. However, when the herbs arrived, Su Lingxiu was upset. She had not yet entered martial arts. She could not use her qi and blood to perform alchemy, and she didn¡¯t have an alchemy furnace yet. ¡°Where did Aunt Zhou go? It¡¯s been so long, even if she hasn¡¯t found an alchemy furnace, she should return.¡± Su Lingxiu furrowed her brows. She was not worried about Zhou Ying¡¯s safety. After all, she did have the power of a fourth-grade martial artist. Except for her own master, senior brother, and second brother, no one in this wilderness was Zhou Ying¡¯s opponent. ¡°Without using qi and blood as the pill fire, 1 will have to rely on external things.¡± Su Lingxiu pondered, things such as charcoal would probably not work. ¡°I remember the Heavenly Mother Sect has a kind of Divine Fire Stone. When ignited, the flames are intense and almost without smoke, making it easy to control the temperature of the flame. ¡°It should be suitable for alchemy.¡± So, Su Lingxiu instructed Shi¡¯er to bring a bag of Divine Fire Stones. Shi¡¯er was a bit conflicted and said, ¡°Heavenly Mother, there is not much of the Divine Fire Stone. It¡¯s not easily mined and all of it is stored in the Heavenly Mother Sect¡¯s ancestral altar. It¡¯s difficult to take.¡± Su Lingxiu raised an eyebrow, picked up an iron shovel next to her, and said angrily, ¡°1 am the Heavenly Mother. The Divine Fire Stone is used to worship the Heavenly Mother. If 1 want to use it, it should be delivered to me. ¡°Anyone who dares to refuse, 1 will bury them!¡± Chapter 134 Translator: 549690339 Shi¡¯er helplessly said, ¡°Celestial Mother, acquiring this requires both the protector and the think tank. 1 don¡¯t have the authority, and moreover, few know the location of the ancestral altar.¡± ¡°Then send a message to Kou Ruozhi, demanding the Mystic Fire Stone. Otherwise, I¡¯ll bury him!¡± Su Lingxiu said furiously. ¡°I will relay the message to the think tank, but he¡­¡± Shi¡¯er nodded. He hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Su Lingxiu laughed coldly and interrupted him, ¡°Kou Ruozhi and his men. If they don¡¯t want to be buried by the Celestial Mother, they better deliver the Mystic Fire Stone. ¡°What nonsense was that! When 1 agreed to be the Celestial Mother, it was agreed that everything would be mine. Dare to renege and see!¡± Upon thinking it over, Shi¡¯er realized that Kou Ruozhi and the others, unless they had a death wish, wouldn¡¯t dare offend the celestial mother for the sake of the Mystic Fire Stone. Despite the Celestial Mother¡¯s youth, she is pitiless when burying someone. The Mystic Fire Stone was delivered a few days later. Li Xuan was curious about what this Mystic Fire Stone was. The name sounded quite impressive. He picked up a stone to inspect it. It was pitch-black and resembled coal. However, it was different from coal. It seemed to be made up of some kind of sedimentary material. Li Xuan ignited a Mystic Fire Stone. A soft red flame burnt without smoke or smell, and it burned for a long time. ¡°Master, do you think this is suitable for alchemy?¡± Su Lingxiu looked excitedly at him. ¡°Not bad!¡± Li Xuan nodded. This Mystic Fire Stone, when used in alchemy, was indeed a good fuel. Now, all they were missing was an alchemy furnace. Shi¡¯er, tell Kou Ruozhi to mine more Mystic Fire Stone. The Celestial Mother has great use for it. If he does well, there will be a reward.¡± Su Lingxiu ordered. ¡°I¡¯ve already informed the think tank. He said he would try to mine more.¡± Shi¡¯er replied. The Mystic Fire Stone was controlled by the Church of the Celestial Mother. It could only be mined in a specific place. Neither Qi Country nor Wu Country had it. ¡°Why has Aunt Zhou not returned.¡± Su Lingxiu was on pins and needles, eager to try alchemy. However, without a pill furnace, she could only wait. ¡°Something¡¯s strange. This girl¡¯s cultivation speed, how can it be this fast? Her Iron Bone has already been refined, and now she¡¯s starting to refine Copper Bone?¡± Looking at Su Lingxiu in cultivation, Li Xuan was secretly puzzled. Her cultivation speed was a bit too quick. ii Does this girl have such monstrous talent?¡± ¡°Oh yes, she escaped to the frontier at the age of eleven or twelve, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°She was a seventh-grade Martial Artist at that time, her talent is indeed extraordinary, and the path of the Alchemical Martial Artist fits her even better, so it¡¯s reasonable that her cultivation speed is fast.¡± That¡¯s how Li Xuan thought about it. ¡°With this cultivation speed, in less than half a year, she could enter the martial door, and the Evergreen Bone should also be successfully tempered. ¡°What kind of spiritual bones will my Jade Bone + Diamond Lucid Bone + Evergreen Bone transform into?¡± He is currently in the Innate Spiritual Bone stage, coupled with the Mountain-River Spiritual Body, what kind of spiritual bones would he possess once he acquires an Evergreen Bone? Li Xuan was full of anticipation. Zhou Ying finally returned. She brought back a pill furnace for Su Lingxiu, which was made from the materials used in forging treasure weapons. Su Lingxiu was overjoyed. ¡°Aunt Zhou, where did you find someone to forge this pill furnace?¡± Zhou Ying looked at Su Lingxiu fondly and said, ¡°Miss, 1 went to the Inner Domain and had a guy from the demon sect forge it. After it was forged, 1 made sure he was taken care of, he won¡¯t be discovered.¡± Su Lingxiu started up at Zhou Ying, her eyes turning red. ¡°Aunt Zhou, you didn¡¯t have to take the risk. If you were discovered¡­¡± Zhou Ying shook her head, ¡°Miss, 1 know how important this pill furnace is to you. 1 disguised myself and went to the Inner Domain, specifically seeking out someone from the demon sect. 1 watched over him throughout the forging and ensured it was cleaned up properly. It won¡¯t be discovered.¡± She wasn¡¯t heartless enough to kill the other martial artists who could forge treasure weapons. After they had finished forging the pill furnace. She couldn¡¯t expose her whereabouts, so her only option was to find someone from the demon sect. That demon-sect martial artist, even if killed, was more than guilty enough. It could be cleaned up without revealing any trace. Su Lingxiu sighed in relief at these words. She said excitedly to Zhou Ying, ¡°Aunt Zhou, when 1 refine the elixir, you can also start cultivation. We will return together then and bury all of those people!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll prepare the pits in advance!¡± Zhou Ying ruffled Su Lingxiu¡¯s hair. At this point, Li Xuan sighed, sensing trouble had arrived. He looked up at the sky. A figure arrived above the manor in an instant, looking down at Su Lingxiu and Zhou Ying with cold eyes. The newcomer, clad in a black robe, revealed only a pair of eyes. ¡°A Great Grandmaster!¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. My third disciple, that girl, the trouble behind her, not simple at all, the Great Grandmaster personally came for her. Although Zhou Ying had changed her appearance, her robust figure was still recognizable to those who really tried. However, Su Lingxiu is now his disciple, who has comprehended the alchemical martial arts, and he has even obtained the alchemy scripture. Whoever dares to harm his third disciple is hindering his martial arts career. Anyone who hinders my martial arts road is my enemy! Must kill them! How about the Great Grandmaster? With her alchemy furnace in hand, Su Lingxiu was excitedly preparing to start alchemy. Suddenly, the roof of Xu Yan¡¯s house exploded with a loud bang. ¡°Who is that?¡± Xu Yan leapt into the air, staring at the man in black. His face was extremely tense, sensing a strong crisis coming from the man in black. Meng Chong also stood up on the roof. Su Lingxiu looked up and her pretty face turned pale instantly. ¡°How could this be?¡± Zhou Ying was astonished and paler. ¡°A Grandmaster Martial Artist?¡± The man in black looking at Xu Yan, his voice was hoarse, with a hint of confusion. ¡°Are you protecting this girl? If not, step aside. I am here only for her.¡± Boom! The Great Grandmaster¡¯s momentum instantly erupted. The powerful oppression, like the might of heaven and earth, covered the whole mansion. Shi¡¯er almost knelt down. This is terrifying! Zhou Ying stood in front of Su Lingxiu, her body tottering threatening to fall, teeth clenched, she regretted and said, ¡°Miss, 1 was too careless, 1 shouldn¡¯t have ventured to the Inner Domain!¡± ¡°Aunt Zhou, it¡¯s not your fault!¡± Su Lingxiu gritted her teeth and glanced at her master sitting leisurely in the chair. She felt slightly secure in her heart. ¡°Master won¡¯t ignore this, right?¡± She was a bit uncertain because she hadn¡¯t been officially accepted as a disciple yet. ¡°Great Grandmaster?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were filled with fighting spirit, he was not afraid at all, he coldly smiled and said, ¡°1 don¡¯t care who you are, today, you won¡¯t take anyone away!¡± Boom! The Golden Giant Dragon coiled around him, the dragon¡¯s might spread. With a ¡®clang¡¯, the sword was drawn out. The Sword Intent of mountains and rivers, like a gentle breeze, pervaded the mansion¡¯s sky. The man in black¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he coldly said, ¡°What cultivation technique is this? Why is it so unique?¡± He felt a special power that he had never heard of, very powerful, very strange. Furthermore, this young man in front of him was already a Grandmaster Martial Artist, a monstrous talent. ¡°If this youth happens to be the Great Grandmaster, 1 am afraid 1 am no match for him!¡± That was what the man in black thought. ¡°This boy must not be spared!¡± He must be killed! If not, even if he captures Su Lingxiu, the young man¡¯s monstrous talent will certainly grow in time to become a Great Grandmaster. How could he compete with him then? Boom! At this moment, the might of the Great Grandmaster erupted. ¡°This place is an outland, unable to sense nature¡¯s spiritual energy, it¡¯s a bit of a struggle to fully exert my strength, but to deal with a mere Grandmaster, it¡¯s as easy as breathing!¡± The man in black raised his hand, a wind-like power emerged from his palm. ¡°Boy, even if you are monstrously talented, you are just a mere Grandmaster. Early-stage Great Grandmaster is ten times stronger than the Grandmaster, you are seeking death, I will grant your wish!¡± Boom! With a palm strike, a terrifying palm print fell from the sky, covering Xu Yan. Li Xuan raised his brows, the strength of a Great Grandmaster is ten times that of a Grandmaster Martial Artist? Looking at it this way, there is almost no chance for a Grandmaster Martial Artist to battle a Great Grandmaster. However, although 1 am at the complete Innate Realm, 1 am a hundred times stronger than those on the same level. Beating a Great Grandmaster is not a problem at all. Thinking this way, he sat with an indifferent demeanor in the chair. Xu Yan¡¯s strength is not something an average Grandmaster can compare with. This man in black, even though his palm strike can crush an average Grandmaster Martial Artist, trying to kill Xu Yan is nothing more than wishful thinking! He didn¡¯t make a move now, it¡¯s a good occasion to let Xu Yan know that the Martial Arts of Inner Realm are not useless, his strength is still too weak, he shouldn¡¯t be arrogant and conceited. So that he won¡¯t be careless and suffer losses once he arrives at the Inner Domain.. Chapter 135 Translator: 549690339 Lingxiu watched as the robed figure struck with a terrifying power, as if intending to obliterate Xu Yan. Her face turned pale, her eyes filled with panic, as she looked toward her master. ¡°Master!¡± However, her master remained seated with an unperturbed expression, showing no intention of stepping in. Xu Yan¡¯s expression was grim. He thrust his sword forward, its Sword Qi roared like thousands of rivers surging fiercely, clashing against the incoming palm strike. However, even with the aid of the majestic Sword Intent, his attack seemed insignificant compared to that horrifying palm strike. The gap in their levels was too great. The power of the man in the black robe was clearly beyond that of an ordinary Great Grandmaster. Boom! Xu Yan then unleashed a palm strike of his own. A golden giant dragon with open eyes and immense aura charged forward. Descending Dragon Palm! Boom! The Golden Giant Dragon exploded forth with unrivaled force, charging straight at the descending palm imprint. Rumble! The man in the black robe¡¯s gaze hardened. His palm strike failed to eliminate the young man as he had intended. Midair, the terrifying palm imprint shattered. The Golden Giant Dragon also vanished, and the surging Sword Qi collapsed and disappeared. The residual force from that palm strike hit Xu Yan from midair and sent him crashing down. Into the courtyard! ¡°Senior Brother!¡± Startled, Lingxiu quickly rushed over to help him. Xu Yan quickly got up, slightly embarrassed but uninjured. Looking at the robed figure in mid-air, he said solemnly, ¡°I am not his match. If I had fully mastered the Innate Realm, maybe I could¡¯ve had a chance at defeating him!¡± At this moment, he discarded his contempt for the Inner Realm Martial Arts. The Inner Realm Martial Arts are not entirely useless. The power of a Great Grandmaster is so formidable that even his Descending Dragon Palm¡¯s third level and his comprehension of dragon aura and Sword Dao were not enough to defeat the opponent. ¡°A prodigy like you coming from nowhere is beyond my expectation. It¡¯s hard to find a second Grandmaster in the Inner Domain who could withstand my palm strike and survive. ¡°Moreover, a young Grandmaster like you¡­I fear such a one may not be found again.¡± The man in the black robe spoke with an icy tone, his killing intent palpable and his aura surging with an even more formidable oppression, as if a divine wrath was pouring down from the sky. ¡°No matter how prodigious you are, you will die today. You leave me no choice, for you should not have gotten involved with certain individuals.¡± Rumble! Midair, a dreadful force burgeoned. A gigantic palm seal, far more frightening than before, was revealed. Xu Yan showed no fear. He was not the man¡¯s match, but his master was there with him. ¡°A reclusive coward like you, what are you strutting around for?¡± Xu Yan responded contemptuously. Li Xuan rose from his chair and said, ¡°My apprentice, I¡¯ve always taught you to humble yourself and be patient. Do you understand now? ¡°Just because the Inner Realm Martial Arts are weak, you cannot despise everything else. You should know that you are merely a beginner on the path of Martial Arts and there are countless warriors far stronger than you. ¡°As a Martial Artist, the biggest taboo is pride and complacency, the biggest error is underestimating one¡¯s opponent. No matter what kind of enemy you face, always proceed with caution. ¡°When killing an enemy, even beheading them may not guarantee their death. ¡°Remember this, when killing an enemy, obliterate their bones, scatter their ashes, erase their spirit, leave no chance for survival, and never give the enemy even a sliver of a chance to escape.¡± Ignoring the black robed man¡¯s intimidating presence and formidable momentum, Li Xuan started to instruct his disciple earnestly. Xu Yan, Meng Chong, or even Lingxiu, all were young and hot-blooded. Their strength increased and they felt that the Inner Realm Martial Arts were too weak, leading them to look down upon others, becoming careless and complacent. Many powerful individuals met their end due to underestimating their enemies and being careless. Thus, he needed to make his disciples understand the importance of being cautious. To kill your enemy, you must turn them to ashes. Only thus can you truly ensure that your enemy is dead. Never give the enemy, not even a shred of an opportunity to survive! Even if the enemy appears weak and is less powerful than yourself, one must still be cautious and never underestimate them, to prevent oneself from capsizing in a ditch! Xu Yan and Meng Chong listened respectfully. Lingxiu let out a sigh of relief. Was their master finally going to step in? Should she finally feel safe now? ¡°From ancient times, the strong have fallen to the weak due to underestimation and carelessness. The strong, overconfident, were often assassinated by the weak. ¡°My apprentices, remember this, never hesitate to completely annihilate any enemy, no matter how weak they may be. Never give them even the slightest chance of survival. ¡°The pride of a martial artist isn¡¯t in looking down on the weak, but in taking every enemy seriously. Only a martial artist who knows how to turn his enemies to ashes is a true martial artist.¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong listened attentively, their expressions respectful and serious. Besides, their master is imparting his experience in Martial Arts. This is a rare opportunity. Building upon such invaluable experiences, only then can they establish themselves in the realm of Martial Arts and make a name for themselves. ¡°Yes, Master. I will bear this in mind!¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. ¡°I will bear this in mind!¡± Meng Chong followed suit. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll remember.¡± Lingxiu said timidly. The enemy above, was targeting her. She felt uneasy because she had troubled her master and senior brother. The man in the black robe mid-air, his eyes glimmered with a chilling light. Was that young man standing down there the master of the fellow who was fighting just now? How could that be possible! He seemed only a few years older than them! Moreover, he didn¡¯t resemble a Great Grandmaster at all. Since Li Xuan wasn¡¯t using any mysterious aura, but rather restraining his power, the black-robed man couldn¡¯t sense any signs of a powerful individual from him. ¡°Ignoring a Great Grandmaster, what punishment does that deserve? Today, I will scatter your bones and ashes!¡± The man in the black robe spoke indifferently.. Chapter 136 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan looked up at the figure in the black robe and spoke again: ¡°Apprentice, watch closely. I will demonstrate how to defeat enemies of a higher realm.¡± ¡°I will use my strength at the Innate Realm, to show you how to retaliate against higher realms.¡± Finally, it was his turn to act. He availed this chance to show his apprentices how powerful he was. How he managed to defeat a higher realm with a lower realm. Perhaps, it could enlighten his apprentices, enhance their abilities, and make them understand the power of retaliating against the higher realm. It would also make him stronger! Xu Yan and Meng Chong suddenly perked up, their entire beings filled with excitement. How did their master retaliate against the higher realm? ¡°Our master is truly remarkable. He is already an existence above all realms in martial arts, yet he chooses not to dominate others with his realm. Instead, he intentionally drops his realm to defeat enemies of a higher realm.¡± ¡°Is this the pride of a peerless master?¡± ¡°When will 1 attain the realm of master?¡± Xu Yan thought with admiration. Su Lingxiu widened her eyes in surprise, her master was lowering his realm to demonstrate to her apprentice brothers how to retaliate against the higher realm? How powerful was her master, who had such confidence! That was a Great Grandmaster. A Great Grandmaster was ten times stronger than a Grandmaster Martial Artist. Su Lingxiu had never heard of any Grandmaster Martial Artist who could retaliate against a Great Grandmaster. Even though her master¡¯s martial arts were superior to those of the Inner Realm Martial Arts, it was impossible for him to cross this chasm, right? Li Xuan looked at the man in the black robe floating in mid-air, his eyes indifferent. One arm rested behind his back, emblematic of his contempt. ¡°I¡¯m going full out, my power which is a hundred times that of the Innate Realm. Obliterating that guy above should be a piece of cake, right?¡± To exhibit his unfathomable power to his apprentices. How he retaliate against the higher realm. Li Xuan wouldn¡¯t hold back. Just like the saying goes ¡®a lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit¡¯, he was ready to hit with full strength, and with an unmatched intensity, he would obliterate the Great Grandmaster above him. ¡°The strength of the Inner Realm Grandmaster is ten times that of a Grand Master, my power, even if it¡¯s discounted, must be five or six times that of the Great Grand Master, right? ¡°With five or six times the strength, my Descending Dragon Palm, coupled with my understanding of the power of the dragon, should easily crush him.¡± As a superior being, he must display a superior demeanor. Thus, Li Xuan said, ¡°Young man, are you ready? Can you withstand my palm strike?¡± Anger burned in the eyes of the man in the black robe. A young man? Was he posing as an old monster? Ha! He was a Great Grandmaster, viewed as an old monster by ordinary martial artists. ¡°You arrogant fool, lets see how you defeat me!¡± The man in the black robe raised his palms. Palms moving, a terrible force emerged around him. Like a protective shield, it enveloped him. ¡°Come on!¡± He fiercely roared, and with a sweep of his palms! Defence and attack were pushed to the extreme. Although he was angry, he still went all in with his attack! At this moment, his real strength as a Great Grandmaster was revealed. Xu Yan and Meng Chong, both wore serious expressions. They had underestimated Inner Realm Martial Arts. The strength of a Great Grandmaster should not be underestimated! They could not be careless once they entered the Inner Realm! ¡°Watch carefully, see how your master retaliate against a higher realm!¡± Li Xuan swung one hand in the air while his other hand stayed behind his back. Roar! A golden giant dragon rose into the sky. Its might spread ail around, as if it was about to tear the sky. The moment the golden giant dragon appeared, the suppression from the Great Grandmaster disappeared. Only the dreadful might of the golden dragon ripped through the space. At this moment, even the heavens and earth seemed to pale! Gulp! Xu Yan gulped down his saliva. The impact of the master¡¯s Descending Dragon Palm, performed at the same Innate Realm, was far more superior than his own. ¡°He¡¯s truly our master!¡± Meng Chong was filled with passion, such was the strength of the master¡¯s Innate Realm? It was incredibly strong! Su Lingxiu was amazed, this was her master¡¯s strength at the Innate Realm? Was this the might of retaliating against the higher realm? Why did it feel like, it was even more powerful than the Great Grandmaster! Zhou Ying was dumbfounded, her young lady¡¯s master was indeed formidable! The man in the black robe could only feel numbness, the crisis of death had arrived, the dreadful pressure made it hard for him to breathe! ¡°I have to escape! 1 must escape!¡± The only thought in his head was to escape! The Golden Giant Dragon demolished his palm strength effortlessly, like a real dragon had arrived. The dreadful suppression had already enveloped him. At this moment, it was too late for him to escape! ¡°All!¡± The man in the black robe roared, his aura exploded, at this moment, all his strength poured out. He tried to counter the Golden Giant Dragon! All attempts were in vain. All his attacks and defences were like paper in front of the dragon. Boom! A thunderous sound resonated in the air, a terrifying shock wave swept out, and the man in the black robe exploded under the impact of the Golden Giant Dragon. Boom! The Golden Giant Dragon roared, ignoring any remains, crushed everything into ashes instantly. Just a few traces of ash fluttered in the wind! A Great Grandmaster, after uttering his last words in life, turned into scattered ashes. Li Xuan withdrew the hand he used to strike, placing it behind his back, as if he had just killed a mosquito. ¡°The reputation of a Great Grandmaster is indeed well-deserved, my attack just managed to turn him into ashes. If 1 had used a bit less strength, 1 might not have been able to reduce him to ashes.¡± He sighed internally, the power of a Great Grandmaster was indeed strong. Only by using almost all his strength, was he able to completely dissolve the enemy into dust. Xu Yan had disbelief written all over his face. Was this what his master referred to when he spoke about retaliating against the higher realm? Chapter 137 Translator: 549690339 Ended with a single palm strike? Is it really that simple? He would not doubt that his master could suppress others with a higher realm. After all, the master had just revealed the aura of the Innate Realm. He had thought that his master, going against a higher realm, would at least have exchanged a few blows with the black-robed man before killing him. But instead, it ended with one strike? Moreover, the black-robed man turned into ashes with a single palm strike! ¡°Is my master¡¯s strength at the Innate Realm actually this powerful? I¡¯m far behind.¡± Xu Yan was filled with shame. Meng Chong was so shocked that he touched his head in disbelief. Is this what the master meant by going against a higher realm? Just one palm strike turned the enemy into ashes. If he didn¡¯t know better, he¡¯d think it was a mosquito that got swatted. Su Lingxiu was completely flabbergasted. Is an Innate Realm martial artist so powerful? This is only the second stage of martial arts, yet a single strike turned the Great Grandmaster into ashes? How strong is our master really? Li Xuan was quite satisfied with his disciples¡¯ expressions but remained calm, stating, ¡°When 1 first reached the Innate Realm, my strength was probably at this level. ¡°My students, I don¡¯t expect you to reach the same level of strength as I did at the same stage, if you can achieve 50 or 60 percent of it, 1 will be content.¡± Boasting without thinking, just releasing the talk. Xu Yan was moved: ¡°So, the reason why my master didn¡¯t want to take me as his student is that he thought no matter how hard I practiced, I would never reach his level of strength. ¡°Master must have felt that if he couldn¡¯t train a student to match or exceed him, it would be better not to have one at all. ¡°In the end, he accepted me as his student because he was moved by my sincerity and felt it was a predestined relationship between master and student. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because he took me in that he came out into the world and decided to take on more students to pass on his martial arts.¡± The more Xu Yan thought, the more ashamed he felt. ¡°I am too weak, 1 haven¡¯t even reached 50 or 60 percent of the master¡¯s strength at our stage. 1 must work hard to improve and strive to reach 50 or 60 percent of the master¡¯s strength at the same stage!¡± Xu Yan thought firmly. ¡°Master, 1 will definitely work hard to increase my strength!¡± Xu Yan declared firmly. Li Xuan didn¡¯t know that his disciple had come up with this whole story of his bringing him on as a student. He casually sat down in his chair and said, ¡°Mm, do your best, don¡¯t be blindly persistent.¡± His own strength was a hundred times that of his peers, no matter how hard his disciple tried, he would never be able to reach 50 or 60 percent of his strength. Regardless, as his disciple¡¯s strength increased, his own strength would also improve, always maintaining a strength a hundred times greater than that of his peers! Xu Yan was stimulated. He also wants to go against a higher realm and beat Great Grandmasters to pulp! Even if he can¡¯t blow them away with one palm, he would accept being able to do so with a dozen or so strikes. Meng Chong felt the same way, his blood rushing, he was eager to break through the Qi and Blood Realm and train in the Great Sun Golden Body. Shocked, Su Lingxiu behaved somewhat coyly as she massaged Li Xuan¡¯s shoulders, saying in an adorable voice, ¡°Master, I¡¯m sorry for putting you through trouble.¡± ¡°As long as you practice well, there¡¯s no such thing as trouble for me.¡± Li Xuan fiddled with the Jade Ruyi in his hand and said indifferently. ¡°Master, I want to say¡­¡± ¡°No need for explanations, just focus on your practice.¡± Li Xuan interrupted. He didn¡¯t want to know what kind of trouble Su Lingxiu had gotten herself into. If she asked him for help, should he go, or should he not? What if there was a large group of people, dozens of Great Grandmasters ganging up on him, and he couldn¡¯t beat them? Wouldn¡¯t that hurt his reputation as a mysterious expert? Even if he could, he¡¯d have to put up a fight. Would it ruin his image as a high-ranking person? So, he decided to play it safe.. Chapter 138 Translator: 549690339 Su Lingxiu was deeply moved, the security that came from having such a powerful master as a backing filled her heart. There would no longer be any need to worry about being snatched away one day. ¡°Yes, Master, I will definitely work hard in my cultivation, and I will not let you down!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Li Xuan nodded his head. ¡°Junior sister, come, tell me who has been bothering you. When I get to the Inner Domain, I will kill them!¡± Xu Yan said with a face full of anger. ¡°Yes, yes, when we go to the Inner Domain, I will help you deal with them!¡± Meng Chong also nodded in agreement. ¡°Thank you, elder brother, but when I become proficient in my cultivation, 1 will be able to deal with them myself. I will bury them all!¡± As Su Lingxiu spoke, she clenched her fist and said indignantly. ¡°Good, if you need help, just say it. We can¡¯t let anyone bully you!¡± Xu Yan nodded in agreement. ¡°Thank you, elder brother!¡± Warmth enveloped Su Lingxiu¡¯s heart. Since she fled from her troubles, other than Aunt Zhou, no one else cared about her. Now, she finally felt the warmth of a family. Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes turned red, her mistress was finally safe. With a caring master and elder brother, one day, she could return to the Inner Domain and kill those people! ¡°Zhou Ying is grateful for the Master¡¯s kindness. I¡¯ve caused troubles for the Master by bringing my young mistress here!¡± Zhou Ying knelt before Li Xuan. Li Xuan casually said, ¡°Lingxiu is my disciple, you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± Su Lingxiu had monstrous talent, she was able to quickly understand the Medical Dan Manual, and her cultivation speed was extraordinarily fast. Forget outskirts, even in the Inner Domain, it would be difficult to find a disciple who was so well suited to practising Alchemy and Martial Arts. As long as she could contribute to his great Martial Path, regardless of the trouble that followed her, Li Xuan did not care about it. After all, suitable disciples were hard to find. Whoever troubled his disciple was troubling him, and whoever obstructed his great Martial Path was his enemy. Li Xuan would never be lenient towards his enemies. As he always said to his disciple, ¡°Grind them into dust and erase their soul!¡± Zhou Ying still knocked her head three times on the ground before getting up. Su Lingxiu held the pill furnace in her hand and said, ¡°Master, I¡¯m going to refine pills now!¡± Li Xuan nodded, ¡°Go ahead, gain your own understanding, seize the opportunity!¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu was filled with excitement. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were also curious, just how does one refine pills? ¡°Junior sister, do you need help?¡± Meng Chong asked. ¡°Not for now¡­ I think.¡± Su Lingxiu was unsure. After all, she had never made pills, she had only practiced it in her mind. How she might do it in practice was still an unknown. Shi¡¯er also approached them. After cleaning the pill furnace and placing it on the prepared stove, Su Lingxiu contemplated which pill she should refine first? A Skin Nourishing Pill? She didn¡¯t need that. The Bone Tampering Pill was necessary, but it might not be possible to make it successfully the first time. The materials for pill refining were valuable medicines, and it would be a pity to waste them. After glancing at Shi¡¯er, Su Lingxiu had an idea. Shi¡¯er seemed to be in the phase of refining his internal organs but was unable to generate thunderous resonances in his muscles and bones to break through to the Blood Qi realm. She could refine a Blood Qi Pill, which could help break through to the Blood Qi realm. It could also strengthen Blood Qi, aid in cultivation, and restore spent Blood Qi. ¡°For the first pill refining, better to be cautious and not waste the medicine materials, 1¡¯11 use about a third.¡± As Su Lingxiu thought this, she prepared the necessary materials for the Blood Qi Pill. She ignited the divine fire stone and threw it into the pill stove to preheat the pill furnace. Soon, Su Lingxiu looked at the medicine materials in her hand, and hesitated to put in the materials. ¡°Should water be added during pill refining?¡± She glanced back at her master, wanting to ask, but she was scared of appearing dull and leaving a bad impression on him. ¡°Pill refinement is about extracting the essence and removing the impurities. Will adding water increase impurities? ¡°That¡¯s not right. If water isn¡¯t added, and I can¡¯t use Blood Qi since 1 haven¡¯t begun my Martial Path, won¡¯t the materials just dry out?¡± Su Lingxiu was in deep thought, and she felt that the pill refining method she had simulated before seemed to have some issues. Xu Yan and Meng Chong had been staring at the pill furnace. They glanced at their junior sister, who hadn¡¯t added any materials even though the furnace was heated. Was pill refinement so complicated? The two of them knew nothing about pill refining and could only wait for their junior sister¡¯s next move. ¡°Since it is about extracting the essence of the materials and removing impurities, naturally the materials should be melted. Moreover, the pill furnace is not a common furnace made of steel, it is a treasure with unique properties. ¡°Furthermore, 1 custom made this pill furnace specifically for pill refining.¡± Su Lingxiu suddenly understood, she was refining pills, not boiling medicine balls. How could she have overlooked the fact that the pill furnace was a treasure, not a steel furnace? Getting her bearings, she saw that the pill furnace was heated, and the furnace had a hot air current flowing around it, she guessed it was almost ready. ¡°The first step for the Blood Qi Pill, add a leaf of Nine Leaves Yuan Zhi and melt it¡­¡± Following the pill refining method she had comprehended, Su Lingxiu threw a leaf of Nine Leaves Yuan Zhi into the pill furnace and covered it. She lifted her tender white hand to strike the pill furnace to vibrate it and refine the medicine. ¡°Second elder brother, use your Blood Qi to vibrate the pill furnace, slowly but carefully, not forcefully¡­¡± Seeing Meng Chong squatted beside, she asked him to assist. The eldest brother was in the Innate Realm, his Innate True Qi was too strong and she didn¡¯t have control over it, hence she asked for Meng Chong¡¯s help. ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong was excited, he lifted his hand that was covered in shining golden light and surrounded by Blood Qi, and gently tapped it on the pill furnace. Bang! The pill furnace vibrated slightly after a dull sound.. Chapter 139 Translator: 549690339 Su Lingxiu could feel the vibrations of the Pill Furnace and meticulously perceived the changes in it, ¡°Second Senior Brother, of the True Qi is slightly increasing.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Bang! Meng Chong slapped it once again. Su Lingxiu narrowed her eyes slightly, extending her tender white hand to massage the Pill Furnace, feeling its vibrations, as if she could sense the changes in the herbs within the Furnace. ¡°the True Qi is slightly lighter.¡± Su Lingxiu continued. Once again, Meng Chong slapped the Pill Furnace with his palm. Following this, Su Lingxiu would occasionally touch the Pill Furnace and adjust the force based on her feelings, making the slaps on the Pill Furnace gradually regular. ¡°It¡¯s ready!¡± After tapping nine times, Su Lingxiu sensed that the Nine-leaf Ginseng within the Pill Furnace seemed to have melted. ¡°Senior Brother, when I open the lid later, make sure to seal the mouth of the Pill Furnace. Don¡¯t let the medicinal strength evaporate within.¡± No problem!¡± Xu Yan nodded enthusiastically. Su Lingxiu lifted the lid of the Pill Furnace, a strand of True Qi sealed the mouth of the Pill Furnace, she then threw the second herb into the Pill Furnace, it was a red herb congealed from tiger blood. ¡°It¡¯s too much trouble to open the lid each time. Let¡¯s put the remaining herbs in at once, this being the first time at alchemy, it can be taken as gathering experience.¡± As such, Su Lingxiu thought. She added all the remaining herbs from the prescription into the Pill Furnace and covered it. She added three God Fire Stones into the Furnace to enhance the flames. This time, Su Lingxiu did not ask Meng Chong to strike the Pill Furnace. She closed her eyes slightly, carefully sensing the Furnace. Her pair of tender white hands were constantly tapping it and causing vibrations in the furnace. Her force constantly changing. Despite being a magical artifact, the outer surface of the furnace had been scorched by the flames and was hot to touch. Su Lingxiu kept striking at it and her tender white hands were starting to turn slightly red. Fortunately, she had already completed the skin refining step and could withstand it. Zhou Ying watched with a worried expression, yet she also knew that this was something the young miss had to go through. Only by mastering the skill of alchemy could she truly become a disciple of her senior. ¡°Junior Sister, let me do it, alright?¡± Meng Chong couldn¡¯t help but speak up. Su Lingxiu shook her head, ¡°Alchemy cannot be assisted by another. If senior brother is not around, then wouldn¡¯t I not be able to perform alchemy? This bit of heat, can¡¯t hurt me.¡± Meng Chong nodded, Su Lingxiu¡¯s words were reasonable. In the courtyard, except for Li Xuan, everyone else had gathered to watch Su Lingxiu¡¯s alchemy. Li Xuan was also itching on the inside, he wanted to join in on the excitement too. But, he was the master, how could he also go and join in the excitement? Where would his dignity as a strict and highly-respected teacher go then? ¡°How¡¯s the pili refinement coming along?¡± As Li Xuan sensed Su Lingxiu¡¯s movements in her alchemy, he felt like a cat clawing at his heart. ¡°This third disciple of mine, this girl, should be able to refine the pill, right? If not successful this time, then refine a few more times, summarize some experience, and it should be about right.¡± Starting something is the hardest part. Once the refinement is successful, once the art of alchemy is understood, it would be like pushing open a door, and the door to alchemy would truly be opened. The core of a medical martial artist ¨C the art of alchemy, would also come forth. Su Lingxiu lightly tapped the Pill Furnace, suddenly said: ¡°Lower the flame a little!¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Meng Chong took two of the burning God Fire Stones from the furnace and extinguished them in the mud. The flames in the furnace were suddenly reduced. ¡°Reduce the flame more!¡± Su Lingxiu spoke again. He took out another God Fire Stone again. This is the advantage of using God Fire Stones for refining pills. To increase the flames, add more God Fire Stones; to reduce the flames, just take out the God Fire Stones directly. ¡°Put out the fire!¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s face was flushed. The alchemy was reaching its final stage! The fire in the furnace was extinguished, all the people were holding their breath, staring at the Pill Furnace. Su Lingxiu continued to tap the Pill Furnace, at this moment the vibrations of the Pill Furnace became stronger and stronger. Amidst the shaking, faint sounds of something rolling could be heard from inside the Pill Furnace. The pill! Did she succeed in refining? Sweat was oozing from Su Lingxiu¡¯s forehead, at this moment the alchemy was reaching its critical stage. Condensing the pill! Because she is not yet a Martial Artist capable of using True Qi, she couldn¡¯t use the True Qi refining method, so the condensation of the pill completely relied on the Pill Furnace vibration and her own perception. Plop! Suddenly, the air hole of the Pill Furnace, under a strike from Su Lingxiu, opened up, and a hot air rushed out. The impurities of the pill were expelled! Su Lingxiu was overjoyed, thinking that the Pill Furnace she had constructed herself was perfect. She quickly tapped on the Pill Furnace multiple times. Thud! The pill furnace returned to the alchemy stove. ¡°Alchemy is complete!¡± Su Lingxiu announced, clapping her somewhat reddened hands. ¡°Quick, quick, open it, let¡¯s see!¡± Xu Yan rubbed his hands together, full of anticipation. If the alchemy was successful, it would mean an auxiliary aid for a martial artist¡¯s cultivation, making practice even easier. With the help of the medicinal pills, the strength of his parents and loved ones would also rapidly increase. ¡°Alright!¡± Su Lingxiu gave the lid of the pill furnace a slap, it popped off with a clang. She tipped the furnace over, and three medicinal pills fell out. Meng Chong caught them reactively. All eyes were on Meng Chong¡¯s hand. The three rather dark, uneven pills, rough and not fully round, like tiny lumps, lay silently in the palm of his hand. It failed!¡± Su Lingxiu said with frustration. ¡°Junior sister, it¡¯s already quite good to have formed pills on the first try. Practice a few more times, learn from these experiences, and I believe you¡¯ll succeed quickly.¡± Xu Yan comforted her. ¡°That¡¯s right, failure is normal for the first attempt at alchemy.¡± Meng Chong also nodded in agreement. Su Lingxiu picked up one of the pills. Even though it was a failure, it wasn¡¯t a complete failure, the pill was still effective. The materials for creating medicinal pills were not cheap, they shouldn¡¯t be wasted. She handed the three irregular pills to Shi¡¯er and said, ¡°Shi¡¯er, you¡¯ve hit a cultivation bottleneck. These three pills are for you to consume. They may help you break through!¡± This is precisely why they had to cultivate Qi-blood pills. Even if the cultivation failed, as long as they didn¡¯t spoil completely, they could still be given to Shi¡¯er to consume, thus avoiding total waste. Shi¡¯er was dumbfounded, looking at the pills in his hand, black and uneven. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should eat them¡­ ¡°These failed pills¡­ we can still consume them, right?¡± ¡°Yes, they are still pills, they will not be toxic. They are just less potent. Don¡¯t waste them, consume them quickly and let me see the effects.¡± Su Lingxiu urged. ¡°This¡­ this¡­¡± Shi¡¯er made a mournful face. Will this really not be poisonous? ¡°Stop dithering! These are pills, even if they failed, they won¡¯t be toxic. They¡¯re far better than some random tablets. Don¡¯t you trust your sister¡¯s words?¡± Meng Chong grabbed Shi¡¯er¡¯s hand and shoved the pill into his mouth. Shi¡¯er was helpless. So it doesn¡¯t matter because you¡¯re not the one who has to swallow these pills, huh? Su Lingxiu stared at him with wide eyes. Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Zhou Ying were all watching without blinking an eye. ¡°How do you feel? Any changes?¡± Su Lingxiu asked. ¡°It feels¡­ kind of warm.¡± All Shi¡¯er could feel was that a sense of warmth spreading as soon as the pill entered his stomach. ¡°Quickly, start practicing. You might be able to break through the bottleneck.¡± Su Lingxiu urged. Shi¡¯er spirits lifted at her words, he said, ¡°Alright!¡± and started practicing without delay. As he started cultivating, he felt as if a surge of Qi-blood emerged, his body feeling warm and the initially impenetrable bottleneck felt porous suddenly. Shi¡¯er was jubilant, although the pill was a failure, it was still effective. Was he about to break through the Qi-blood realm? Li Xuan, who had been paying attention all this while, thought, ¡°Shi¡¯er is about to break through, this pill, though unsuccessful, still has some efficacy to help Shi¡¯er break through his bottleneck.¡± As expected, thunderous sounds began to emanate from Shi¡¯er¡¯s muscles and bones, layers of Qi-blood manifesting from his body. The sounds grew louder, and qi-blood denser, govern by each passing moment. Su Lingxiu and the others moved away slightly. Zhou Ying looked on with shock, ¡°So this is the Qi-blood realm?¡± It¡¯s so strong! Shi¡¯er was already much stronger than her just by stepping into the realm. That¡¯s Qi-blood huh? ¡°He¡¯s at the third level of martial arts, no, he¡¯s even stronger than a common third-level martial artist.¡± At this moment, Zhou Ying was shocked. She wanted to switch to practicing martial arts. In the borderlands, she couldn¡¯t advance her cultivation any further. And clearly, their seniors¡¯ martial arts teachings were more superior than those in the Inner Domain. However, she was already at the fourth level in martial arts and her foundation had almost set. Switching practices wouldn¡¯t be easy. Boom! Shi¡¯er¡¯s body sounded thunderous, his Qi-blood were like the heavenly abyss. A wave of Qi-blood burst forth surrounding him. At this moment, he couldn¡¯t contain his excitement, he had finally made his breakthrough in martial arts! Medicinal pills really were magical! Even if it was an unsuccessful medicinal pill, it still had such powerful effects! Chapter 140 Translator: 549690339 Upon Shi¡¯er¡¯s entry into the world of Martial Arts and his breakthrough into the Qi-Blood Realm, Xu Yan¡¯s face was painted with shock. Why so weak? The thunderous rumble of his muscles and bones was much less impressive than when Xu Yan was at that stage. His Qi and blood resembled the weak force of a Milky Way. Meng Chong held the same opinion. However, Su Lingxiu was awe-stricken. This was true power, the resonating roar of muscles and bones, the Qi and blood like a Milky Way ¨C truly extraordinary. It looked as if it packed a punch. Compared to the Inner Realm Martial Arts, it felt much more powerful. After Shi¡¯er¡¯s breakthrough, Li Xuan saw a golden light emerge. ¡°Your servant, Shi¡¯er, has started practicing the Martial Arts you invented, and your True Qi has had a slight enhancement.¡± The information provided by Golden Finger referred to the Martial Arts as ones that he had created. As expected, the feedback gained from someone practicing an established cultivation technique was very minimal. And yet, Shier was his servant. If it were a stranger, unrelated to him, not a single feedback would have come from them. ¡°True Qi really only increased by a little.¡± Li Xuan felt helpless; as his golden finger feedback truly only inflated his True Qi slightly, not even nearly by ten percent. ¡°So, only when my disciples practice the cultivation technique I created, would I get substantial feedback.¡± ¡°Though the feedback received from others practicing established techniques is minimal, if the quantity is large enough, I should reap some gains.¡± However, Li Xuan knew his core focus should still be on his disciples. Only through their continuous cultivation and advancement, could his true power source be established. ¡°Shi¡¯er has reached the beginning stages of Copper Bone. This strength, seems about right.¡± Li Xuan took a quick glance, Shi¡¯er¡¯s initial strength was not much different from his initial assessment. After Shi¡¯er settled his Qi-blood, he was thrilled to the core, and falling onto his knees, he knocked his head on the ground towards Li Xuan, thanking him, ¡°Thank you, master, for teaching me Martial Arts!¡± Then, turning towards Su Lingxiu, he thanked her, ¡°Thank you, Heavenly Mother, for granting me the pill!¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. ¡°Junior Sister, are you the Heavenly Mother?¡± Xu Yan looked surprised. The peerless beauty, whom Kou Ruozhi had described as a heavenly fairy, was his junior sister? However, Kou Ruozhi certainly didn¡¯t lie. Junior sister truly boasted incomparable beauty amongst mortals. ¡°Yes, why?¡± Su Lingxiu shot her confused gaze at her senior brother. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes held a peculiar look. ¡°When Kou Ruozhi first told me¡­¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t hide anything, revealing all that Kou Ruozhi had initially said. On hearing this, Su Lingxiu was furious. To think Kou Ruozhi wanted to use her to curry favour with Xu Yan, apparently without the slightest regard for her status as Heavenly Mother! How outrageous! ¡°Kou Ruozhi has grown too audacious; I want to bury him!¡± Xu Yan nodded, saying, ¡°I always suspected him of being a sly person!¡± Su Lingxiu turned towards Shi¡¯er and said, ¡°Shi¡¯er, you go and capture Kou Ruozhi!¡± ¡°Yes, Heavenly Mother!¡± Shi¡¯er immediately nodded in agreement. ¡°Stop calling me Heavenly Mother!¡± Su Lingxiu glared at him. ¡°Yes.¡± Shi¡¯er nodded. Having just broken through the Qi-blood Realm and becoming a real Martial Artist stirred great excitement in him. He quickly set off immediately to Dong River County in pursuit of Kou Ruozhi. After instructing Shi¡¯er, Su Lingxiu recommenced her Alchemy. The second pot of medicine still hadn¡¯t succeeded, but there was progress. After two Alchemy attempts, Su Lingxiu was directly tired and needed to rest to digest her Alchemy experience and perfect her Alchemy method. Returning to her boudoir, she flopped onto the bed. ¡°Miss.¡± Zhou Ying carried a basin of water in, ready to wash Su Lingxiu¡¯s face. ¡°Aunt Zhou, once I successfully refine the pill, and you have entered into Martial Arts, you could change your cultivation to Martial Arts. With my pill, you will surely be successful.¡± Su Lingxiu said. ¡°Okay, I will listen to you.¡± Zhou Ying nodded. Then she looked upset, saying, ¡°Miss, this rash return to the Inner Domain has attracted a Great Grandmaster. Our whereabouts may have been exposed.¡± Su Lingxiu shook her head, saying, ¡°It may not be necessarily exposed. Great Grandmasters are prideful and they could capture you and me easily. He probably discovered your whereabouts and followed you here, but others might not know. He has been crushed to death by my Master, and even his ashes weren¡¯t left behind. Nobody should know that we are in the Border Wastelands.¡± Zhou Ying was still a little worried and said, ¡°1 hope you¡¯re right.¡± Su Lingxiu said with a smile, ¡°What are you afraid of? We have Master.¡± Zhou Ying thought about it again. Of course, that senior had an unfathomable aura. Outside of their manor, on a small hill. Meng Chong sat cross-legged, holding onto his knife, continuing to nurse it, and intermittently practicing The Great Sun Golden Body. Li Xuan leisurely walked along the small hill path, with Xu Yan respectfully tailing behind. Because of Su Lingxiu, a Great Grandmaster had attacked, and even though he had been instantly crushed to death, Li Xuan wasn¡¯t negligent. It¡¯s true that the Great Grandmasters are prideful and would not hesitate to strike as soon as they discovered their prey. As soon as he found Zhou Ying, he came straight for her, likely not communicating with other people, and thus the likelihood of Su Lingxiu¡¯s whereabouts being compromised is low. But he still needed to be prepared for any eventuality. He wasn¡¯t afraid of Great Grandmasters, his real fear was if someone stronger than a Great Grandmaster showed up. Of course, based on the current information, the Inner Domain doesn¡¯t have any Martial Artists stronger than a Great Grandmaster, if there are, they must be old veterans hiding themselves. Xu Yan had already reached the minor achievement stage of the Innate Realm, it¡¯s time to teach him the martial art techniques beyond the Innate Realm. Li Xuan stopped. ¡°Disciple.¡± ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan declared sincerely. He was a little excited inside, his Master was about to lecture him on the martial art techniques beyond the Innate Realm. ¡°Yesterday, when you fought against the Great Grandmaster, what did you learn?¡± Li Xuan asked. Upon pondering, Xu Yan replied, ¡°Great Grandmaster Virtuoso was really strong. His Inner Qi was much more robust than a Grandmaster, it felt like comparing a stream to a river.¡± And what¡¯s more, I felt like the Great Grandmaster issued a kind of omnipotent aura, like the majesty from heaven..¡± Chapter 141 Translator: 549690339 Only after battling the Great Grandmaster did 1 realize that Inner Realm Martial Arts holds some merit. ¡°Today, I will teach you a martial arts cultivation technique that transcends the Innate Realm. Absorb and understand it well; once you comprehend the technique and transcend the Innate Realm, there will be no more bottlenecks for you,¡± Li Xuan turned to face Xu Yan and said. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. ¡°Theoretically, the Innate Realm corresponds to the Inner Realm¡¯s Grandmaster Realm, and above the Innate Realm is equivalent to the Great Grandmaster Realm. But remember, never underestimate the Inner Realm¡¯s Martial Arts. ¡°The path of martial arts requires assimilating the strengths of others to remedy your weaknesses, understanding oneself, deciphering the mysteries of heaven and earth, and fathoming the infinite Dao. Only then can you be invincible on the path of martial arts,¡± Li Xuan said solemnly. Xu Yan bowed and acknowledged, ¡°Disciple will follow Master¡¯s teachings!¡± ¡°Hmm. Li Xuan nodded. He held the Jade Ruyi in one hand, and his other hand was held behind his back. He stood on the hillside, looking out at the horizon, and slowly said, ¡°The Innate Realm is true detachment from the mundane world and the true entry into the path of Martial Arts. ¡°And transcending the Innate Realm brings us closer to deciphering the mysteries between heaven and earth.¡± Xu Yan was shocked in his heart. Did transcending the Innate Realm already involve unraveling the mysteries between heaven and earth? Considering the might of the Great Grandmaster, that formidable aura akin to divine might, is it related to this? He pressed his ears closely to listen. Li Xuan continued, ¡°The realm above the Innate Realm is called the Tongxuan Realm!¡± Tongxuan Realm! Li Xuan had developed this as the third stage, which he determined after repeated deliberations and taking Inner Realm cultivation techniques into account. ¡°What is Tongxuan? It means understanding the mysteries, and also understanding the mysteries of heaven and earth. How to possess the power of Tongxuan? n First and foremost is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. H The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is the foundation of martial arts and the basis for the changes in the mysteries of heaven and earth. The spiritual energy that a human body can absorb is limited, while the spiritual energy between heaven and earth is infinite. ¡°To comprehend Tongxuan, we must merge with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, utilizing the spiritual energy around us. All the changes in Tongxuan encapsulate this.¡± Li Xuan elucidated the theory behind Tongxuan Realm, word by word. Xu Yan was filled with excitement, his mind already picturing the impressive scene of being in the Tongxuan Realm. With every move he made, it was like a force of divine power, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth could be transformed into his power in an instant. ¡°If I can break through to the Tongxuan Realm, how many Great Grandmasters in the world would be my match? Demolishing a Great Grandmaster with one palm is not a just dream!¡± As Xu Yan thought about this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel invigorated. Li Xuan continued, ¡°The Innate Realm is about refining Innate True Qi, whereas the Tongxuan Realm involves the refinement of True Yuan! ¡°The evolution and sublimation of True Qi will produce True Yuan. True Yuan gushes like a spring and flows like a river¡­¡± Xu Yan listened silently to his master explain about Tongxuan True Yuan. He was already contemplating how to refine True Qi into True Yuan. ¡°Tongxuan True Yuan is evolved from Innate True Qi. To turn True Qi into True Yuan requires the refinement and sublimation of True Qi. ¡°Just like the fog that condenses and settles to form droplets of water, the process to refine True Qi into True Yuan is similar.¡± Li Xuan explained how to metamorphose True Qi into True Yuan. When True Qi is condensed into liquid form, it becomes True Yuan. However, refining True Qi into True Yuan and breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm is not a simple task. ¡°True Yuan gushes like a spring, flows like a river, continuously without end; this is the foundation of the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°Tongxuan True Yuan can merge with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The range at which you can control the spiritual energy depends on the strength of your True Yuan. ¡°If powerful enough, it is not impossible to control the spiritual energy within a radius of one mile.¡± Li Xuan glanced at Xu Yan, whose mind seemed to have grasped some understanding of the direction for cultivation. ¡°Master, how can True Yuan merge with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?¡± Xu Yan raised his head and asked. Li Xuan smiled slightly and said, ¡°Assuming that spiritual energy is like fog, and True Yuan is akin to water, how do you think water can merge with fog?¡± Xu Yan was startled, a spark of insight flashed in his mind, and he seemed to have vaguely understood something. ¡°Disciple, remember this: Tongxuan, or understanding the mysteries, means understanding the enigma of heaven and earth. Spiritual energy is the basis for this enigma. Only by merging with the spiritual energy and applying it can you understand the origin of the mysteries of heaven and earth. ¡°True Yuan merging with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth can lead to the power of Tongxuan, laying the groundwork for gaining some control over the Great Power of Heaven and Earth.¡± Li Xuan further explained the Tongxuan Realm. After fully explaining the Tongxuan Realm martial arts theory he had compiled to Xu Yan, Li Xuan strolled back to his estate. Xu Yan was left alone, immersed in understanding. Now, he had absolute confidence in Xu Yan. The martial arts cultivation techniques of the Tongxuan Realm were even more comprehensive than the Qi-Blood and Innate Realms, with a more internally consistent theory. Even the Qi-Blood and Innate Realms, which only had a vague theory, could be comprehended, let alone the Tongxuan Realm, which at least held some substantial content. After all, it was based on martial arts cultivation techniques from the Inner Domain. With Xu Yan¡¯s freakish talent, fully comprehending the Tongxuan Realm techniques was no issue at all. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve passed the Tongxuan Realm on to Xu Yan, it¡¯s time to prepare for the realm above Tongxuan. How should one practice after Tongxuan? ¡°How should 1 design it to best link up, with reasonable progression in theory?¡± Back at the estate, Li Xuan sat in a chair and started pondering. He picked up the Inner Domain martial arts cultivation techniques written by Xie Lingfeng and his partner again, reading once more in search of inspiration for the next realm. However, the techniques written by these two only went up to the Grandmaster Realm, and nothing more. ¡°Qi-Blood Realm cultivates Qi-Blood, Innate Realm cultivates True Qi, Tongxuan Realm cultivates True Yuan, so what should the next realm cultivate?¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought. On the hillside, after Xu Yan had memorized the cultivation method of the Tongxuan Realm, he sat cross-legged, sucking in and expelling nature¡¯s spiritual energy for cultivation. At the same time, he began to attempt intuiting the mysteries of nature¡¯s spiritual energy. He hoped to achieve a keen understanding of the cultivation methods of the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°No!¡± Suddenly, Xu Yan had a realization. I, Tongxuan Realm, where True Yuan merges with the universe, but how does one merge? Just like the master¡¯s metaphor, how does water merge with fog? ¡°Although I have cultivated Innate True Qi, do I truly understand True Qi? ¡°Do I truly understand the mysteries contained within True Qi? True Yuan is the transformation of True Qi, so if 1 don¡¯t even understand True Qi, how can I transform it into True Yuan?¡± Upon this thought, Xu Yan withdrew his consciousness and began wholeheartedly feeling his True Qi. ¡°In the Qi-Blood Realm, 1 used the method of roasting meat to enhance my control over Qi-Blood, so how should 1 enhance my control over True Qi?¡± Suddenly, Xu Yan realized that he should indeed improve his control over True Qi. Only then can he understand the mysteries of True Qi better. ¡°I used the method of roasting meat to master Qi-Blood, enhancing my control over it and understanding its essence. ¡°Is it feasible to roast meat with True Qi? ¡°No, True Qi is too powerful. Roasting meat is too easy, and it certainly won¡¯t help improve my control over True Qi, much less understand its mysteries.¡± Xu Yan fell into deep thought. At this moment, he seemed to have returned to the small village in the mountains, reminiscent of his initial attempts to comprehend cultivation techniques. He lifted his hand, and the True Qi transformed into a golden dragon about a meter long in the palm of his hand. Looking at the golden dragon in his hand, Xu Yan intended to split the dragon into two. However, he suddenly found that he couldn¡¯t even split a small amount of True Qi. Before the golden dragon had split into two, the True Qi lost its shape. The golden dragon disintegrated. At that moment, his eyes lit up as if he had found a way to improve his control over True Qi. Boom! Powerful True Qi burst out, and a gigantic golden dragon soared into the air. With one thought, the dragon split into two, then three, then four¡­ until there were eighteen dragons. ¡°I can easily split my vast True Qi, but 1 couldn¡¯t control a small amount of True Qi, nor could 1 split it at will.¡± Xu Yan became excited. ¡°I need to split my True Qi into smaller and smaller parts, splitting them until 1 can divide a strand of True Qi into eight or ten.¡± Having grasped the method, Xu Yan became even more enthusiastic. From each of the ten fingers on both his hands, a stream of True Qi emanated. He began researching how to split, and after splitting, how to split again. Eeven learning how to interweave the True Qi together while keeping them separate without fusing into one. ¡°When I fully comprehend the mystery of True Qi, that will be when 1 understand the method of Tongxuan. When 1 reach the perfect Innate stage and break through to the Tongxuan realm, it will naturally come to fruition!¡± Xu Yan was extremely excited, throwing his body and soul into splitting the True Qi. Through this process, he sought to grasp and understand the essence of True Qi. When Su Lingxiu finished her rest, she was ready to start Alchemy again. At this time, Shi¡¯er came carrying Kou Ruozhi with him.. Chapter 142 Translator: 549690339 Outside the manor, within the forest, Su Lingxiu was digging a hole to bury Kou Ruozhi. ¡°Kou Ruozhi, you¡¯ve really crossed the line. When 1 agreed to be the Heavenly Mother, we made a deal. You would provide the resources I needed and I would use my medical skills to treat the poor. You promised me. ¡°You spread this information to win over the people. You even dared to use me for such manipulation. How audacious of you.¡± At this point, Kou Ruozhi was completely panicked. Seeing the hole getting deeper, he hurriedly defended himself. ¡°Heavenly Mother, it was a necessity. In order to assist our cause, I had to lie. I did not really mean to use you.¡± ¡°And moreover, Heavenly Mother, you are so powerful, how could I possibly exploit you?¡± Su Lingxiu laughed coldly, ¡°Do you think I would believe that? Ever since I first met you, 1 knew you were a crafty one. If it weren¡¯t for the desire to get more treasures and to stay well-informed regarding the Heavenly Mother Sect, why should 1 agree to be the Heavenly Mother?¡± When she initially agreed to be the Heavenly Mother, apart from securing her footing, it was also related to the sect¡¯s extensive network that allowed her to get a grasp on the information about Qi Country and Wu Country. The Heavenly Mother Sect provided her with all kinds of medicinal herbs which fulfilled her needs, and she used her medical skills to treat the poor, allowing the sect to propagate their doctrines and win over the people. As for the rebellion, Su Lingxiu wasn¡¯t really bothered. She just wanted to seek refuge in this wasteland. Considering the capacity of the Heavenly Mother Sect, neither Qi nor Wu countries were facing any significant turbulences, making it impossible to achieve anything or stir up any troubles. ¡°Heavenly Mother, Xu Yan is truly a genius. In this world apart from him, no one else deserves you. I did this for your own good!¡± Kou Ruozhi was becoming increasingly panicked. Su Lingxiu let out a cold laugh, ¡°Who gave you the right to meddle in my affairs?¡± The hole had been dug. ¡°Shi¡¯er, throw him in!¡± Without a word, Shi¡¯er picked up Kou Ruozhi and tossed him into the hole. Kou Ruozhi glared at Shi¡¯er. That damned bastard not only didn¡¯t plead for him, but also acted ruthlessly. Su Lingxiu began to bury him at a fast pace. Kou Ruozhi was pale with fright. She was actually going to bury him alive! ¡°Heavenly Mother, spare my life! I won¡¯t dare do it again! I was only deceiving Xu Yan not you, you have to believe me¡­¡± Su Lingxiu filled up the hole quickly, her skillful movements made Shi¡¯er shudder. How many people had she buried to display such proficiency? He recalled the rumors about Su Lingxiu admonishing evil people to cease their evildoing, at least several dozens of them were buried by her. ¡°Shi¡¯er, plead for me!¡± Kou Ruozhi implored in a panic. Seeing Su Lingxiu¡¯s determined eyes, Shi¡¯er closed his mouth tightly and didn¡¯t even dare to utter a word. If he pleaded for Kou Ruozhi and upset Su Lingxiu, he might not get any more pills in the future. The soil was now up to Kou Ruozhi¡¯s neck, he started to panic and racked his brain for a way to survive. ¡°The Divine Fire Stone! Who will mine it if 1 die? The existing Divine Fire Stone mine is nearly exhausted, and only 1 know about the new one.¡± He cried out in a hurry. Su Lingxiu paused, looking at him, ¡°You know a new Divine Fire Stone mine?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, 1 discovered it by chance, it has a much larger deposit!¡± Kou Ruozhi hurriedly nodded. Su Lingxiu hit his head with the shovel and said, ¡°From now on, your life is mine. You¡¯re responsible for the Divine Fire Stone, understand?¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Kou Ruozhi nodded hastily. Su Lingxiu took out a dark red pill and gave it to Shi¡¯er, ¡°Feed him.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Shi¡¯er nodded. Under Kou Ruozhi¡¯s furious glare, he forced his mouth open, stuffed the pill in, and made Kou Ruozhi swallow it. ¡°This is a Heart-Melting Pill. It acts once every half a year. Without the antidote, it will gradually dissolve your heart until you die after a fortnight. The agony, well, I need not say more.¡± Su Lingxiu smirked. Kou Ruozhi¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°I am a martial artist and a medical one at that. I have my ways. So, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t lie to me and make sure to carry out the tasks I¡¯ve given you or else¡­ Humph!¡± Su Lingxiu picked up her shovel and walked back towards the manor. ¡°Heavenly Mother, please let me out!¡± Kou Ruozhi cried out desperately. ¡°Shi¡¯er, remember to dig Kou Ruozhi out after 24 hours,¡± Su Lingxiu instructed. After returning to the manor, an excited Su Lingxiu resumed her alchemy practice. The supply of Divine Fire Stones was finally settled. Deciphering the problem of fuel for alchemy was the main issue, apart from the herbal ingredients. ¡°It¡¯s a pity there¡¯s no Spiritual Medicine in this wilderness,¡± Su Lingxiu sighed. Pills concocted out of Spiritual Medicine had impressive effects and were potent even in the Innate Realm. Before starting alchemy, Su Lingxiu picked up a draft book to review the conclusion of previous alchemical practices and some new ideas. Then, she started the fire and began the alchemy. Zhou Ying was waiting by her side, Shi¡¯er was also excitedly waiting for the pill to be developed. A few days later. After Su Lingxiu finished her cultivation, she immersed herself in alchemy. Though she had not yet succeeded in creating the Qi-Blood Pill, her knowledge of alchemy was greatly refined. The failed pills were all given to Shi¡¯er to ingest. No waste was allowed.. Chapter 143 Translator: 549690339 Shi¡¯er was brimming with excitement, feeling his vitality increasing at a much quicker pace. Occasionally, Xu Yan and Meng Chong would return from the hillside to watch Su Lingxiu practicing alchemy. Several days passed without another attack from a Great Grandmaster. Zhou Ying finally sighed in relief, his whereabouts had not been exposed. One day, Li Xuan watched Su Lingxiu who was cultivating and fell deep into thought again. ¡°Something seems off, she¡¯s almost tempering her bones into gold.¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s pace of cultivation was beyond expectation. Now, the courtyard in the mansion no longer felt barren; rather, it was planted with various flowers and trees, and blossoms were blooming, releasing gentle floral fragrances. All of these were planted by Su Lingxiu. ¡°Could this girl possess some sort of unique physique?¡± Li Xuan had a sudden thought as he saw Su Lingxiu practicing among the flowers. ¡°Moreover, this unique physique might perfectly match the cultivation of Alchemy and Martial Arts, which is why her cultivation speed is so fast.¡± Li Xuan felt this possibility was rather high. ¡°Studying medicine at four, healing people at six¡­¡± Thinking about Su Lingxiu¡¯s freakish talent in medicine made him marvel. After finishing her cultivation, Su Lingxiu continued her alchemy. ¡°The success of alchemy should be imminent, the Alchemy should be realized soon.¡± Li Xuan was hopeful. Three days later. Su Lingxiu started a new round of alchemy confidently, still aiming to refine Qi and Blood pills. Xu Yan and Meng Chong had both returned to watch their junior sister¡¯s alchemy. According to her, she would definitely succeed this time. The fire made from divine stones was ignited, the furnace heated. After repeated summaries and practice, Su Lingxiu¡¯s alchemical process had become incredibly proficient. She put the medicinal materials into the pill furnace, sensing its temperature, and rhythmically clapped her hands. The energy shook the furnace, her motions following a consistent rhythm and pattern. It was an alchemic technique that she had formulated through repeated iterations. Finally, the alchemy process reached its last stage ¨C the pill condensation phase. ¡°This time, it¡¯ll definitely be a success!¡± Su Lingxiu clenched her petite fists in anticipation. Pop! The cover of the pill furnace was opened, and three pills poured out upon tilting the furnace. Xu Yan and Meng Chong excitedly gathered to see the fruits of Su Lingxiu¡¯s labor. Laying on Su Lingxiu¡¯s delicate hand was a lumpy black pill, while the other two were smooth, chestnut-colored pills, emitting a faint fragrance! She did it! ¡°Congratulations, junior sister, on the successful refining of runes!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong excitedly exclaimed. ¡°Hehe, finally, I did it! ii Su Lingxiu jumped up, her face filled with excitement, her cheeks rosy. After carelessly tossing the failed pill to Shi¡¯er, she carried the two successful pills and ran cheerfully to her master. The moment Su Lingxiu successfully refined the pill, Li Xuan, who was sitting in the chair, saw a golden light appearing. He immediately got excited. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, realized Alchemy you created and mastered the pill refining process, culminating in the base level of the enhancement process.¡± In his mind, the concept of Alchemy surfaced. However, this was simply the basic Alchemy! ¡°The basic Alchemy represents that there is still room for improvement.¡± A thought suddenly occurred to Li Xuan: ¡°The third disciple of mine, her understanding of Alchemy contained only the basics, and was in its primary phase. What I acquired, however, is a complete set. If 1 pass on the full Alchemy tome and my basic understanding of Alchemy to her, ¡°Would she be able to utilize it to comprehend a higher level of Alchemy and medicine? ¡°If that¡¯s possible, wouldn¡¯t 1 be able to repeatedly benefit from this knowledge using Golden Finger?¡± Upon conceiving this idea, Li Xuan grew increasingly convinced that it was worth a try. The Alchemical Tome and Alchemy, after all, were different from the laws of Martial Arts. Once the disciples grasped their respective techniques after realising them, there was no need for further teaching. However, the Alchemical Tome and Alchemy were different. Su Lingxiu had only a rudimentary understanding of these, while he possessed a complete and flawless comprehension of Alchemy. If imparted to the disciple, it could save her time in solidifying her grasp over Alchemy, enabling her to quickly study and achieve superior Alchemical and medical-integration abilities. ¡°Perhaps this could work!¡± Li Xuan felt a wave of excitement. If this could work, he would be able to continually reap benefits from Golden Finger by increasing his grasp over the Alchemical laws, aside from the standard cultivation methods. Su Lingxiu, brimming with excitement, came over to him. Her eyes sparkled, making it impossible to hide her joy and excitement. She opened her delicate little hand and said, ¡°Master, I successfully refined the Qi-Blood Pill.¡± Looking at the two brownish-red pills in the delicate white palm, Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction, ¡°Good job. The fact that you managed to understand the basic alchemy in such a short period of time makes me proud.¡± ¡°From today onwards, you are officially my disciple.¡± On gaining master¡¯s approval and truly stepping into the door of the master, becoming the disciple of the master without fear of being expelled, Su Lingxiu finally put her worried heart at ease. ¡°Thank you, master!¡± ¡°Now that you have grasped the basics of Alchemy, let the master show you a trick today!¡± Li Xuan revealed his smile. It¡¯s time to showcase his immense strength again. Upon hearing this, Su Lingxiu was instantly excited, the master was going to perform alchemy! Xu Yan and Meng Chong were also full of anticipation. The master was actually going to perform alchemy personally? Li Xuan raised his hand and an Alchemy Furnace flew over. ¡°Today, the master will demonstrate to you how the basics of alchemy work.¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± Su Lingxiu stared at the Pill Furnace with her bright eyes wide open. ¡°Let¡¯s refine Qi and Blood pills.¡± As Li Xuan spoke, he reached out and grabbed the exact quantity of ingredients needed to make a Qi and Blood pill. With his left hand holding the Pill Furnace, his True Qi emerged, much like a flame. In no time, the furnace was red hot. With the ingredients tossed into the furnace, Li Xuan sat on his chair without standing up. The Pill Furnace hovered mid-air, surrounded by True Qi, spinning as the alchemy process began. Shock was clearly visible on Su Lingxiu¡¯s face. Was this the basic alchemy? At that moment, she felt embarrassed. She hadn¡¯t even comprehended the basics of alchemy. Watching the master perform alchemy, it was like watching the flow of clouds and water, casual yet elegant, as if it was done effortlessly. Moreover, the master sat leisurely on his chair. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were equally shocked. Was basic alchemy this magical? Then how would a more advanced alchemy be like? They couldn¡¯t even dare to imagine! Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying had their eyes wide open and they couldn¡¯t close them. The shock in their hearts was indescribable. Seeing the expressions of his disciples, Li Xuan inwardly felt smug. This was his master¡¯s strength. Bang! The lid of the Pill Furnace opened, and twelve pills flew out. Li Xuan beckoned, and the pills flew into his hand. His round and bright pills were filled with the rich fragrance of medicine, which far surpassed those refined by Su Lingxiu. He waved his hand and the Pill Furnace returned to the Pill Stove. ¡°Did you understand?¡± He looked at Su Lingxiu and asked. ¡°I remember the technique. However, since 1 am not yet proficient in Martial Arts, 1 cannot replicate your actions.¡± Su Lingxiu said, blushing. ¡°Don¡¯t just memorize the technique. What I demonstrated was not solely the method, but the mystery and philosophy within the Alchemy. You must comprehend that.¡± ¡°Grasp the meaning, not only the form!¡± Li Xuan solemnly instructed. Imitating blindly can¡¯t help one to improve their alchemy technique, can it? ¡°Yes, master, I understand!¡± Su Lingxiu said respectfully. Li Xuan casually handed the Qi and Blood pill to Xu Yan. He needed these pills and could give them to his parents and relatives as a cultivation aid. As for Meng Chong. His Qi and blood were almost perfected, and he didn¡¯t need help from the pills. ¡°Now that I have demonstrated the technique to you, I will pass on the basics of Alchemy and the Treasure Manual of Dan Medicine for you to remember.¡± Having shown his skills, Li Xuan began to instruct Su Lingxiu on the basics of alchemy and the Treasure Manual of Dan Medicine. There are only a few Godfire Stones left for alchemy. Shi¡¯er went to urge Kou Ruozhi to replenish them. Zhou Ying was busy cleaning up the courtyard of the estate and watering the flowers planted by Su Lingxiu. Xu Yan had taken the pill back home while Meng Chong headed to the slope to continue his knife cultivation process. Li Xuan sat on his chair and began to pass on to Su Lingxiu the Treasure Manual of Dan Medicine and the basics of Alchemy. The Treasure Manual of Dan Medicine had many formulas for Dan Medicine. It also had clearly labelled theories on how to combine formulas. This could provide inspiration for Su Lingxiu to comprehend the way of Dan Medicine.. Chapter 144 Translator: 549690339 After passing on the Medical Dao scripture and the basic alchemy technique to Su Lingxiu, she began concocting other pills, each with a slightly different process. After all, alchemy is based on experience, and not every attempt is successful. This inevitably leads to substantial consumption of medicinal herbs. ¡°Ordinary people really can¡¯t afford to cultivate the Medical Dao martial arts.¡± Li Xuan sighed deeply. The cultivation of Medical Dao martial arts is destined to be difficult for the poor. Even the consumption of herbs in concocting pills is unaffordable. Su Lingxiu started making Bone Refining Pills, which is a pill she could use. She also started to store Qi and Blood Pills for Zhou Ying who wanted to switch to martial arts cultivation. First, one must induce Qi and Blood, which can only be done with the help of Qi and Blood Pills, to enhance Qi and Blood and induce skin and bone refinement¡­ Shi¡¯er sulked at the fact that nearly all the successfully concocted Qi and Blood Pills didn¡¯t belong to him. Only the half-wasted Qi and Blood Pills were available to him. The cultivation speed at the Qi-Blood Stage began to slow down. To obtain Qi and Blood Pills, he had to find the herbs required for concocting Qi and Blood Pills. Su Lingxiu clearly told him that she would give him a discount, three portions of herbs were needed to refine a batch of Qi and Blood Pills. Li Xuan exclaimed, ¡°Alchemists really do get rich easily. If Su Lingxiu were in the Inner Domain, she would not have to worry about herbs. People would come to the door and ask her to concoct pills.¡± It¡¯s difficult to get started in the Medical Dao martial arts without substantial wealth. However, once you have mastered alchemy, it becomes easier. It is enough to obtain the herbs you need through alchemy. ¡°Let¡¯s see how effective the Bone Refining Pill is.¡± Su Lingxiu held a recently concocted Bone Refining Pill in her hand and swallowed it. As the pill dissolved in her mouth and a warm current flowed into her body, covering her bones, a slightly numb sensation came. She operated the Bone Refining Technique and began to refine her bones. ¡°The Bone Refining Pill¡¯s effect is good, the speed of bone refining has increased by about 50%. If we use spiritual herbs, the effect might be even more astonishing.¡± Su Lingxiu was excited. ¡°Golden bones. After one pill, she broke through the bottleneck and entered the Golden Bone Refining Stage. She¡¯s progressing so fast.¡± Li Xuan sighed in wonder, increasingly suspecting that Su Lingxiu might have a special constitution. On the hillside. Meng Chong¡¯s eyes were partially closed, one hand around his sword hilt, his Qi and Blood circulating, continually enhancing the Dari Golden Bell Shield. He was not far from reaching perfection in the Qi-Blood Stage. Thump, thump¡­ His mind was focused, sensing his inner self as well as the divine sword. At one point, he seemed to notice the sword vibrating slightly. ¡°An illusion?¡± Meng Chong continued to nourish his sword, and suddenly, he once again felt the vibration of the sword. However, the hand gripping the hilt did not sense any vibration from the sword. Thump, thump¡­ Sensing his heartbeat, he once again sensed the vibration of the divine sword, as if it originated from his heartbeat. ¡°The heart nurtures the sword, the sword resonates with the heart¡­¡± Meng Chong was overjoyed. Could it be that he was about to succeed in nurturing his sword? ¡°Can¡¯t be distracted, can¡¯t be arrogant, can¡¯t be lax, calm and composed¡­¡± His mind gradually calmed down, concentrating his thoughts, understanding himself, feeling his own pulse beating, feeling his heart thumping, and the circulation of Qi and Blood. Gradually, the sensation of the sword vibrating continued to emerge in his mind, becoming clearer and slowly aligning with his heartbeat, as if it wanted to resonate with it. ¡°I feel like it¡¯s almost there.¡± Meng Chong quietly muttered to himself. Wu Country, Endless Mountains. After Meng Chong¡¯s display of power, a wave of people in Wu Country started to seek the help of experts. The number of martial artists entering the Endless Mountains started to increase. Including members of the Wu royal family and various ministers¡¯ descendants. The first ones to enter the Endless Mountains were undoubtedly the famous seniors of Wu Country¡¯s martial arts world, Senior Wu and his two disciples. In a secluded valley in the Endless Mountains, where the dense woods let in no sunlight, the strangest thing was that not a single bird or insect could be heard. Inside this eerily quiet valley, on the dangerous mountainside, there was a crack as though it had been slashed by a sword, going deep into the mountain and out of sight. Deep, dark, cold¡­ It seemed as if there was a cold wind blowing out from the crevasse. Senior Wu and his disciples were making their way through the crevasse. One disciple in front, one disciple behind, and he walked in the middle, his eyes filled with excitement and regret. It was a matter of over eighty years ago. He was being hunted down by his enemies and took refuge in the Endless Mountains. Accidentally, he came to this valley and hid in this crevasse and sneak-attacked the enemies who came after him. He was also gravely injured. After he climbed into the crevasse, he found a strange vine. The blood that flowed from his body dripped onto the vine. The vine absorbed the blood, and the fruit hanging from the vine gradually turned rosy and emitted a tempting fragrance. He was losing too much blood and was dizzy. He snatched the fruit and ate it in desperation. After eating, he fell into a coma. When he woke up, he found the vine had withered but he was full of strength. His mind was clear even without sleep for ten days and ten nights. He knew he encountered a great opportunity and ventured further into the crevasse. However, after going about 100 meters, a cold wind blew from the bottom of the deep, bottomless crevasse. It seemed like a demon was opening its mouth, waiting for him to step in willingly. In such an environment, he was scared and recoiled.. Chapter 145 Translator: 549690339 More than eighty years had passed, and he was well over a hundred years old, his vitality was still strong. Having become a respected veteran in Wu Country¡¯s martial arts circles, he owed it all to that one fruit found so long ago. He had returned here again, but he never found another fruit. Each time, he dared not venture too deep into the mountain crevice. The emergence of Meng Chong made him realize that he might have missed a great opportunity in the past, and so he brought two of his disciples along with him this time. A hundred feet into the crevice, a cold wind blew from within, causing one to shiver involuntarily. The darkness, depth, and complete silence within the mountain crevice was terrifying enough that one would shudder with fear if they were to traverse it alone. ¡°Master, should we keep moving forward?¡± The disciple in the front took out a Luminous Pearl, lighting up the dark crevice. In the soft glow of light ahead, the mountain crevice seemed to be ready to swallow people up. ¡°When I was young, I missed this great opportunity out of fear. Do you also want to miss your chance? ¡°Think about the power of Meng Chong, don¡¯t you want to be like him?¡± Senior Wu spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Master is right!¡± The disciple gritted his teeth and continued forwards. The crevice began to slope downwards, growing deeper and more frigid than before. The cold wind became more intense. The temperature kept dropping. Just when all three of them, poised on the edge of surrender and overwhelmed by fear, were about to retreat¡­ Suddenly, a faint light appeared ahead. ¡°Quick, we¡¯re almost there, our chance is coming!¡± Senior Wu exclaimed joyfully. The three of them hurried forward and came to the source of the light, discovering it was a cave. In the center of the cave, there was a pool. The pool emitted a faint silver glow, illuminating the cave. ¡°What is this?¡± Around the pool grew some silver-colored grass, an enchanting sight. The stone walls of the cave bore faint inscriptions as if something was carved onto them. ¡°Are those martial arts cultivation techniques? Could the water in this pool be some kind of treasure?¡± Senior Wu excitedly walked into the cave. The two disciples were equally thrilled about the discovery. They arrived at the edge of the pool and observed several sprigs of silver grass. They were clearly extraordinary herbs. The water in the pool, radiating a silver light, was beautiful and hazy ¨C a real treasure. ¡°Master, when I was young, I read in a novel about a certain spiritual water that can cleanse the body and rejuvenate someone. Could this be it?¡± As the disciple spoke, he stripped off his clothes and walked naked into the pool. Seeing this, the other disciples quickly followed, immersing themselves in the water. ¡°Master, come and join us, we feel so energized in this water! It¡¯s amazing!¡± One of the disciples called out. Senior Wu scolded them, ¡°You fools, the best way to use this spiritual water is to drink it. Isn¡¯t soaking in it just polluting the water?¡± Both disciples stiffened instantly, their minds seemingly blank. ¡°Young people¡­¡± Senior Wu sighed and shook his head. He was about to undress himself to take a soak, the idea of the waters¡¯ rejuvenating properties enticing him¡­ Suddenly! His expression hardened. Something was not right! The disciples were freeze in place, their eyes bewildered as if they were dazed. As an experienced veteran who had narrowly escaped death many times in the past, he did not hesitate at all and turned to the cave exit, sprinting towards it. He moved with agility and vigor, not betraying his age at all. However, with a thump, a large stone fell and blocked the exit of the cave. Fear gripped Senior Wu¡¯s heart. He turned back and was horrified at what he saw. In the pool, numerous white, almost transparent worms were burrowing into his disciples¡¯ bodies. The sound of them hissing was audible as they visibly drained the life out of the disciples, leaving their bodies withered. In the end, only their clothes remained ¨C their hair had vanished as well. Gulp! His face turned deathly pale. The horrifying sight made his skin felt numb. The small transparent worms crawled out from the pool and began to fuse together into one larger organism. What formed was a strange, blood-red worm visible through transparent skin. The worm, with neither visible eyes nor mouth, began to inch towards Senior Wu. Senior Wu¡¯s expression turned stern. He drew his sword and slashed at the worm, but in the blink of an eye, the worm vanished. He only felt a sharp pain in his brow, as if something had burrowed into his head, causing his consciousness to become chaotic, as though his being was being swallowed whole. He tried to utter a sound, but only gasps were coming out of his open mouth. ¡°It was you who ate my bait left outside, but refused to come in, causing me to be trapped here, unable to leave¡­¡± Senior Wu¡¯s pupils contracted, as a cold voice surfaced in his mind. The last trace of his consciousness, trembling with fear, asked: ¡°Who are you? Spare me, senior¡­¡± ¡°You deserve to die for eating my bait but refusing to come in, causing me to be trapped here.¡± The cold voice, full of fury, interrupted him: ¡°You¡¯re so old now, yet you still came¡­ You are quite pathetic indeed, your body almost reduced to a carcass!¡± The surviving consciousness of Senior Wu: ¡°My disciple is young, senior¡­¡± He felt a bit aggrieved¡­ If they were particular about age, why target him? His disciple was young, wasn¡¯t he? ¡°Blood food has not eaten my bait and is not suitable¡­ Hehe.¡± The chilling voice started to laugh. Senior Wu¡¯s last bit of consciousness disappeared completely. The collapsed Senior Wu twitched once before standing upright, his eyes now becoming cold and full of fury. How can such an old and feeble body be of use? How can I recover my strength¡­¡± He moved his feeble body. On Senior Wu¡¯s face appeared an expression of helplessness. He looked at the pool of water and jumped in. It seemed as though he was mobilizing his cultivation technique. After a long while, he opened his eyes, full of unwillingness. ¡°Damn it, this place is a wilderness, devoid of Heavenly Earth Lingji, unable to sense the spiritual energy of nature to cultivate.¡± The silver glow of the pool water gradually dimmed and eventually disappeared. Rising from the pool, he contemplated for a moment, picked up a silver grass and swallowed it directly, then started operating his cultivation technique. ¡°Finally recovered a bit of strength.¡± Looking at the remaining silver grass, he plucked another one and swallowed it down. ¡°Two plants, nearly reaching the limit.¡± Senior Wu, helpless, took out the remaining few silver grass plants, only then did he close his eyes. ¡°Consciousness is in chaos, not much left, Wu Country¡­ a well-known figure in the martial arts world? Eh, what¡¯s this?¡± Suddenly Senior Wu¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Hahaha, heavens haven¡¯t forsaken me, Blood Spirit Child, in this barren land, there¡¯s actually such a physically powerful person?¡± Blood Spirit Child burst out laughing. ¡°That young man has such a robust body. If I devour his flesh and blood, this old body of mine will turn young again, increasing hereditary aptitude.¡± ¡°As long as I return to the Inner Domain, lay low for some time, I should be able to restore my old cultivation.¡± Blood Spirit Child was extremely excited. In the corner of the cave, he dug out an old, brown knife with saw teeth on its back. ¡°My precious knife has turned lackluster, how many years has it been?¡± Blood Spirit Child sighed. Swinging his knife to open the entrance stone of the cave, he walked into the crevice between the mountains, his excited voice echoing inside: ¡°Young man, you¡¯re the cornerstone of my Blood Spirit Child¡¯s comeback, as long as I devour you¡­ damn it, his consciousness is cluttered in his old age, I wasn¡¯t able to fully access his memory¡­¡± ¡°What was the young man¡¯s name, where does he live?¡± ¡°Once I¡¯m out, I¡¯ll go to Wu Country, I¡¯m a respected figure in the martial arts world, I can get the information by asking around.¡± ¡°Hahahaha, wait for me everyone! I, Blood Spirit Child, will surely make you live in fear once again!¡± Blood Spirit Child walked out of the deathly silence of the wilderness, making his way towards the endless mountains, where he encountered people from Wu Country who were on their way to seek a skilled individual in the mountains. ¡°Senior Wu!¡± On seeing him, the people of the martial world quickly paid their respects. ¡°Hehe¡­ the bastard is quite famous.¡± Blood Spirit Child sneered contemptuously. The martial artists who were paying their respects paused for a moment, feeling something off about Senior Wu. ¡°Become my blood food.¡± With a swift swung of his saw-toothed knife, Blood Spirit Child instantly killed the martial artists, swallowing their blood and essence with a cold, chilling power. ¡°Bleh¡­ bleh¡­ too disgusting, not eating anymore. I¡¯ll eat the robust young man.¡± Blood Spirit Child spat a few times. Continued walking outwards, ¡°After devouring the young man, I¡¯ll have to find a way to split off from the Blood Worm, otherwise I¡¯m merely occupying this body in the state of a Gu creature.¡± Bumping into a few more martial artists, he caught them single-handedly, coldly asking: ¡°Do you know where the robust young man is? What¡¯s his name?¡± The faces of the martial artists turned pale, filled with fear. It seemed Senior Wu had¡­ changed? ¡°He, he¡¯s named Meng Chong, we don¡¯t know where he is.¡± ¡°Meng Chong?¡± Blood Spirit Child remembered the name, then raised his knife again, ¡°You don¡¯t know where he is? Then you can die!¡± Chapter 146 Translator: 549690339 In the capital city of Wu Country, once again, excitement erupted in the wake of Meng Chong. The ministers were terrified, and the Emperor of Wu¡¯s face was deathly pale. Senior Wu, a martial artist with a powerful reputation, unexpectedly broke into the imperial palace alone, cutting a long trench within the palace with a single stroke of his sword. Intimidating both the ministers and the Emperor of Wu. The imperial guards within were all trembling in fear, none daring to step forward. Even the disciple of Senior Wu was hiding in the distance at the moment, as he noticed something seemed off about his master! In the court, the Blood Spirit Child crushed a hapless minister to death with a casual squeeze of his hand, then sat on the emperor¡¯s throne. His jagged-edged blade was leaned against the foot of the throne while the Emperor of Wu stood, white-faced, in front of a group of ministers. This Senior Wu seemed far more dangerous than Meng Chong, capable of killing at any moment. ¡°You are the emperor of Wu Country?¡± The Blood Spirit Child asked, looking down at the Emperor of Wu. ¡°Yes, yes, what can I do for you, Senior Wu?¡± The Emperor of Wu responded nervously. He felt pacified inside his heart, as a supreme ruler of a nation was waiting like a servant for his master¡¯s order! ¡°Find someone for me, his name is Meng Chong, I want you to bring him to me!¡± His mouth spread into a smirk, the Blood Spirit Child said. The Emperor of Wu sighed in relief and quickly said, ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll find him immediately. I¡¯ve long been dissatisfied with Meng Chong¡¯s lack of respect.¡± ¡°Senior Wu, please wait for a few days, he will soon come to the capital city of Wu Country.¡± Standing up, the Blood Spirit Child said, ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll wait for your news. If you fail to bring him, you will¡­ all become blood food! ¡°Although it tastes a bit off, it¡¯s better than nothing!¡± With those words, the Blood Spirit Child strolled past the Emperor of Wu, casually crushing another unlucky minister to death as he made his departure. The Emperor of Wu sat on the floor, completely drained, and all the other ministers did the same. Once almighty, ever since the matter with Meng Chong, everything seemed to have changed. Today was even worse, the life of the Emperor was at great risk. All the ministers felt unutterably oppressed. In the face of absolute power, so-called authority seemed to be faintly vulnerable! ¡°Retire!¡± The chief eunuch hastily dismissed the ministers. Helping the Emperor of Wu up, ¡°Your Majesty, what should we do?¡± ¡°Find Meng Chong, inform Meng Chong, tell him I have a favor to ask, ask him to visit the capital city!¡± The Emperor of Wu said through clenched teeth. If Meng Chong didn¡¯t come, the consequences would be unimaginable. And he knew, given Meng Chong¡¯s character, if he heard that he needed help, he would definitely come. ¡°Tell Meng Chong, there¡¯s a martial arts master in the capital city of Wu.¡± The Emperor of Wu then said in a low voice after a pause. ¡°But¡­ we don¡¯t know where Meng Chong is.¡± The chief eunuch said with a worried expression. ¡°Let the Heavenly Mother¡¯s Church send the message; the martial arts world has its own way of transmitting information.¡± The Emperor of Wu thought for a moment and then spoke. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± The chief eunuch complied and passed on the order. The imperial palace of Wu Country, a secluded palace. The Emperor of Wu came again, entering the ancient stone house. ¡°You said it was impossible to cultivate here, but why are martial artists appearing one after another?¡± After a while, a mysterious voice echoed within the stone house. ¡°Haha, you want to deceive me again. Impossible, absolutely impossible, I won¡¯t be fooled.¡± The Emperor of Wu took a deep breath and spoke solemnly, ¡°I did not lie to you. A well-known martial artist from my Wu Country came to the palace today to find another martial artist. ¡°His power is terrifying, and he even sucks blood!¡± The stone house fell into silence. After a long while, the mysterious voice once again echoed, ¡°Really? You¡¯re not lying?¡± ¡°I can swear!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason¡­ In the remote area of Taicang, the Heavenly Earth Lingji is dead. How could there be martial artists? If the Heavenly Earth Lingji was restored, I would have already come out.¡± The mysterious voice muttered to itself. ¡°Pass on the cultivation technique to me, and I¡¯ll give it a try. Even if it¡¯s really impossible to cultivate, you won¡¯t lose anything.¡± The Emperor of Wu took the opportunity to say. ¡°Haha, I knew it, you want to deceive me, they¡¯re all liars, *sob*¡­ they¡¯re all liars, a bunch of liars. How can there be so many liars in the world¡­¡± The mysterious voice was again somewhat frantic. The Emperor of Wu frowned, leaving empty-handed once more. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you. I swear that a martial artist has appeared.¡± ¡°Liar¡­ *sob*, liar, 1 won¡¯t be fooled, I definitely won¡¯t be fooled, I¡¯m so smart, I won¡¯t be fooled¡­¡± ¡°You can think about it. In fact, passing a bit of a lower-level technique, or even just a basic cultivation technique would also be fine. I really didn¡¯t deceive you, there really is a martial artist¡­¡± The Emperor of Wu sounded a bit like he was begging. However, the mystery voice ignored him and continued saying, ¡°¡®Liar, they¡¯re all liars¡­¡± Emperor Wu left the stone house reluctantly and helplessly. Meng Chong felt the tremor of his precious blade, almost in sync with his heartbeat. Whenever he held the hilt, it was as if he were connected by flesh and blood. It seemed as though the blade was a part of his body. And it seemed this blade had been forged by his own efforts, infusing it with consciousness, giving it a soul. ¡°It¡¯s almost time!¡± Meng Chong had an intuition that the day of pulling out the sword was not far away. The day the sword reveals itself will be the day of the awakening of the sword spirit. ¡°I can feel that under my nurturing, this blade is imbued with an enormously powerful force. Once this blade is drawn out, I am afraid it could kill a grandmaster!¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. The prolonged nurturing of the precious blade, the continuous influx of his vital energy and blood, had endowed it with a great and mighty power. When the blade will be drawn, it will undoubtedly make a big stir. ¡°I have made some progress with the Great Sun Golden Body cultivation technique too; I¡¯m pretty close to understanding it.¡± Meng Chong thought to himself.. Chapter 147 Translator: 549690339 At a certain moment during cultivation, a golden lustrous light flicked around his body, as if the sound of a bell was ringing inside him. The Great Sun Golden Bell Shield has been perfected! ¡°I¡¯ve perfected the Qi-Blood Realm. If I can understand and comprehend the Great Sun Gold Body and successfully cultivate my blade, I can start breaking through to the Innate Realm!¡± Meng Chong thought excitedly in his heart. The Innate Realm was now within his reach. In the courtyard, Li Xuan was studying the ancient book in his hands, while keeping a watch on Su Lingxiu¡¯s cultivation progress. ¡°This girl¡¯s bone-refinement speed has finally slowed down.¡± Su Lingxiu was currently refining her golden bones. The speed of refinement had slowed down, and getting a perfect refinement of golden bones would take some time. However, with the pills Su Lingxiu had concocted for herself assisting in her bone refinement, the progress of cultivation didn¡¯t seem too slow. ¡°At this rate, after achieving perfection in her golden bones, she will encounter a bottleneck. How to break through the bottleneck and cultivate everlasting bones poses a problem.¡± Li Xuan fell into deep contemplation. Whether or not Su Lingxiu could refine everlasting bones was directly related to his own benefits, so he was racking his brain as to how Su Lingxiu could produce everlasting bones. ¡°The characteristics of the everlasting bone are their vitality and immortality. The conventional methods can¡¯t refine it, and as for the pills¡­¡± After a while of contemplation, Li Xuan had no clues. He could only put it aside for now and let Su Lingxiu try to comprehend it herself. He had already passed on the treasured manual of Pill Medicine to her. Given her talent, she might be able to find a way. ¡°The perfection of the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, your disciple Meng Chong has reached, has enhanced your physical body and promoted your True Qi.¡± A golden glow appeared. The Golden Finger fed back that Meng Chong had perfected his Qi-Blood Realm. ¡°My second disciple is also not far from reaching the Innate Realm. I suppose he¡¯s close to comprehending the Great Sun Gold Body, right?¡± Li Xuan thought excitedly in his heart. He knew that Meng Chong planned to successfully cultivate his blade and awaken his blade spirit before breaking through to the Innate Realm. ¡°If he isn¡¯t successful in cultivating his blade for a long time, he can¡¯t always stay in the Qi-Blood Realm. It would be better to break through to the Innate Realm as soon as possible. Maybe he¡¯ll succeed in cultivating his blade and awakening his blade spirit easier after reaching the Innate Realm?¡± Thoughts churned in Li Xuan¡¯s mind. Meng Chong had not yet comprehended the Great Sun Gold Body, so breaking through to the Innate Realm was still a while away, unless he fully understood the Great Sun Gold Body. If he can¡¯t successfully cultivate his blade and awaken his blade spirit after a long time, Li Xuan would push him to break through to the Innate Realm first. Meng Chong felt an immense excitement in his heart after his breakthrough. He had a hunch that he was on the brink of successfully cultivating his blade. Once his blade spirit awakened and he comprehended the Great Sun Gold Body, he would be ready for the breakthrough. Shi¡¯er came over. ¡°Shi¡¯er, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Meng Chong asked. Shi¡¯er had specifically come looking for him, so he must have something to discuss. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal. A message has come from the Heavenly Mother sect. The Emperor of Wu Country wants to see you. Apparently, he needs your help. It seems he¡¯s met with a formidable opponent.¡± Shi¡¯er relayed the Heavenly Mother Sect¡¯s message to Meng Chong. Ordinarily, this would be a trivial matter. The Heavenly Mother sect had just passed on the message to Yunshan County, without the intention of helping the Emperor of Wu locate Meng Chong. As a result, the message about the martial arts expert from the Emperor of Wu was overlooked and twisted into the Emperor of Wu meeting a formidable opponent. After learning this message, Shi¡¯er pondered for a while and decided to inform Meng Chong, as after all, the Emperor of Wu had helped him take revenge in the past. ¡°Oh, the Emperor of Wu has met a formidable opponent?¡± Meng Chong raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll pay a visit. The Emperor of Wu has helped me take revenge in the past. If I help him deal with this formidable opponent, we¡¯ll be even.¡± ¡°Then you should hurry up. If you¡¯re late, the Emperor of Wu might get killed.¡± Shi¡¯er reminded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I get there and find out that he¡¯s already dead, I¡¯ll avenge him. Go tell my Master that 1 am going to the capital city of Wu Country.¡± Meng Chong said nonchalantly. ¡°Alright.¡± Shi¡¯er turned around and left. The so-called formidable opponent that the Emperor of Wu had encountered could easily be killed with a flick of Meng Chong¡¯s hand. Hence, Shi¡¯er didn¡¯t worry too much about the situation. After all, in the border wilderness, even he could walk around without fear, let alone Meng Chong. That was how Meng Chong saw it too. He immediately made his way to the capital city of Wu Country, deploying the Thunderous Sky crossing technique without using a horse. Capital city of Wu Country! Officials and noblemen were in a state of panic, with some even hiding in cellars, fearing that they would be unlucky enough to be targeted by the cruel Senior Wu. In the past few days, several dozen people had already been killed. All of them had become ¡°blood food¡±, their blood and flesh essence drained by Senior Wu. Among them, several pampered sons of rich families had turned into ¡°blood food¡±, dying miserable deaths. However, the citizens of the capital city of Wu Country were clapping and cheering. These insignificant people, mere animals, finally got what they deserved. At least they were not being consumed as food. In the entire capital city of Wu Country, you could hardly see any officials or aristocrats, or any arrogant and domineering youngsters. They had all gone into hiding, which was a good thing for the common people of the capital. They could now enjoy their days, their faces beaming with smiles. They could set up stalls and engage in business without fear of being robbed or targeted. The Blood Spirit Child was only feeding on officials and aristocrats, not because he was punishing the wicked or speaking up for the common people. The simple reason was that those wealthy and well-fed officials were plump, well-rested, and their flesh was nutritious and clean. As for the common people, they were poor and filthy, they simply did not whet his appetite! ¡°The Emperor of Wu, my patience is limited. If I don¡¯t see Meng Chong in a few days, you know, I¡¯ve been on the lookout for tasteful food,¡± the Blood Spirit Child maliciously patted the Emperor¡¯s shoulder and said with a smirk. The Emperor of Wu was pale and his body was shaking, ¡°Senior Wu, rest assured, Meng Chong will come.¡± If Meng Chong does not come, he would have to hide in the stone house, hoping to save his life. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he did not want to expose the existence of the stone house. ¡°Heh heh, I hope so!¡± The Blood Spirit Child chuckled and swaggered away. At Wu Country¡¯s capital city, on the city walls. The Blood Spirit Child was standing on the city walls, looking at the crowd coming and going at the city gate, selecting his tasteful food. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he looked towards the far distance outside the city. His eyes brightened, revealing a look of excitement. ¡°He¡¯s here, the boy carrying the horse, you are the foundation of my Blood Spirit Child¡¯s comeback, I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time!¡± With the serrated knife in his hand, he swooped down from the city wall. The Emperor of Wu and his officials received the news quickly, and they hurried to the city tower to watch. ¡°Evacuate the nearby people, close the city gate!¡± The Emperor of Wu issued a somber command. Tian Xuan guards took action, driving the people away and closing the city gates. Meng Chong was on his way to the capital city of Wu Country. As soon as he caught sight of the city, his face changed suddenly, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks! A sense of danger! He was already a Martial Artist who had reached the perfect stage of Qi and Blood Realm, and ordinary Inner Domain Grandmaster Martial Artists could not pose a threat to him. However, at this moment, his sharp Martial Artist intuition sensed danger! ¡°Did the Emperor of Wu find a strong man to kill me?¡± Meng Chong frowned. Where did the Emperor of Wu find this Martial Artist? He couldn¡¯t possibly have reached the Inner Domain. A silhouette flew from the city wall, landed silently, and a strong sense of danger emerged. Meng Chong¡¯s gaze hardened as he looked at the figure. ¡°Senior Wu?¡± He was shocked, it was actually Senior Wu, a respected veteran in the martial arts world of Wu Country. No, how can Senior Wu have such strength? If he had this strength, he would have caught me when I participated in the martial arts conference last time!¡± Looking at the Blood Spirit Child approaching step by step, Meng Chong¡¯s face was solemn, and the golden light emerged, the Great Sun Golden Bell was running at its peak. This was an extremely strong opponent! However, he was not afraid, he did not retreat, but his fighting spirit was high. ¡°He is not Senior Wu, something seems off!¡± However, the person in front of him was clearly Senior Wu, a well-known veteran in the martial arts world. Meng Chong couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. ¡°The boy carrying the horse? Truly impressive, this vitality, and flesh, tsk tsk¡­¡± The Blood Spirit Child¡¯s eyes were filled with uncontrollable excitement. At the same time, he was amazed. This boy carrying the horse, he had thought he was just a strong body, but surprisingly, he was a Martial Artist? And, he was quite different from ordinary Martial Artists. ¡°From the Inner Domain?¡± The Blood Spirit Child was thinking. ¡°Who are you? Did the Emperor of Wu send you to kill me?¡± Meng Chong asked in a low voice. ¡°The Emperor of Wu? What a joke, does he dare to command me? You will be the cornerstone of my rise, just give in, I will make it quick for you!¡± The Blood Spirit Child laughed coldly, the serrated knife in his hand emanating a chilling light.. Chapter 148 Translator: 549690339 Meng Chong clenched his fists. The Great Sun Golden Bell Shield was unleashed to its extreme, and a golden glaze-like great bell faintly appeared around his body, enveloping him within. ¡°No matter what your purpose is, if you think you can kill me, you¡¯re delusional!¡± Even though he sensed an extremely dangerous aura emanating from Blood Spirit Child, he was not afraid nor did he plan to flee. ¡°Hopelessly stubborn!¡± Blood Spirit Child¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°Then I shall personally take your life!¡± With a raise of his hand, a palm strike was thrust out, and a blast of chilly air roared forth, transforming into a gloomy beam of light that arrived in an instant. The light exploded with a bang, spreading out like a spiderweb of silk threads, attempting to envelop Meng Chong within. Meng Chong¡¯s expression grew tense, his eyes revealing shock. He immediately bellowed and punched out. The glaze-like golden light seemed to transform into thunder, booming forth, as fierce as a howling tempest. In a mere moment, it utterly shattered the shadowy, web-like force that was enveloping him! Blood Spirit Child¡¯s face changed. ¡°Fierce as fire, supremely yang and rigid? You cannot be allowed to live!¡± His figure flickered like an apparition, his hands chillingly pale as if they were ghostly claws, and he instantly lunged towards Meng Chong¡¯s chest. Bang! The golden bell cracked, Meng Chong staggered, his fists striking like thunder and lightning, roaring forth. The tempest of thunder and lightning swirled, the punches heavy and numerous, covered with the gold glaze light. ¡°What Cultivation Technique is this?¡± Blood Spirit Child failed to breach the golden bell¡¯s defense with his strike, his expression shifted, and like a spectral figure, he floated away, increasing the distance between him and Meng Chong. His expression also became more solemn. The strength of the young horseman was astonishingly powerful, surpassing even the top Martial Artists. Even Grandmasters might find it difficult to handle him. Meng Chong glared furiously, the momentum of thunder and lightning surrounding him. The golden bell became more substantial, and a faint sound of bell ringing could be heard. ¡°A demon cult?¡± As soon as Blood Spirit Child made his move, Meng Chong felt a familiar sensation. Xue Wuxin! The other¡¯s shadowy force was purer than Xue Wuxin¡¯s, more ruthless, and stronger. ¡°Heh, you recognize our demon cult?¡± Blood Spirit Child chuckled darkly, his figure growing elusive, turning into multiple ghostly shadows in the air, as the cold aura engulfed the surroundings. It was as if the battlefield was turning into a place of ghastly haunts! Meng Chong¡¯s heart sank. Why would someone from the demon cult come to the Border Wilderness? The other seemed intent on targeting his blood essence! Thump! Thump! Thump! His heart thudded violently, waves of qi and blood surged forth, coursing through his body. The Great Sun Golden Bell Shield was utilized to its ultimate extent, his flesh emanating glaze-like golden light. The image of the golden bell enveloped him. This was the first time Meng Chong used all his strength. The ghastly aura kept surging relentlessly, but it could not affect him. However, the figures in front of him were ghostly and elusive, difficult to capture. ¡°Is Senior Wu a demon cult powerhouse? Has he always hidden his true strength?¡± ¡°Impossible! Could it be that he just looks exactly like Senior Wu?¡± Meng Chong pondered gravely. The person in front of him looked exactly like Senior Wu. Yet, he could not fathom why suddenly, he became a demon cult powerhouse, and an exceptionally strong one at that. Xie Lingfeng had introduced the demon cult to him. In the Inner Domain, it was an extremely powerful force with many powerhouses. Xue Wuxin was not considered formidable among the demon cult¡¯s strong ones. ¡°Which Grandmaster of the demon cult are you?¡± Meng Chong asked in a deep voice. ¡°Heh heh, mere prey has no right to know my name!¡± Blood Spirit Child laughed sinistrally and suddenly his figure blurred, closing in on Meng Chong, a claw striking towards Meng Chong¡¯s chest. Boom! Meng Chong threw out a punch, the furious force of the thunder and lightning punch pouring out, but Blood Spirit Child¡¯s figure vanished in an instant, already appearing behind him. Pfft! A claw ripped a crack in his golden bell, the five fingers like hooks, grasping onto his back. Hiss! Meng Chong¡¯s qi and blood trembled, the golden bell vibrated outwards. As he turned around to throw a punch, Blood Spirit Child¡¯s expression slightly shifted, his figure once more retreating elusively. ¡°Kid, what Cultivation Technique is this, and why is your body so strong?¡± His heart was filled with amazement. Such a golden bell-like defense was incredibly strong, the likes of which he had never seen before. And that body, so formidable that it was shocking¡ªas if even steel couldn¡¯t compare to the toughness of his flesh. His claw, which could pierce steel, when it grasped the other¡¯s body, only left behind five white marks without even breaking the skin! ¡°You have no need to know!¡± Meng Chong stepped forward, chasing Blood Spirit Child, his fists constantly thundering out. The force of the thunderous gale swept across, intimidatingly powerful. Blood Spirit Child¡¯s figure weaved like a phantom, elusive and constantly dodging the thunderous punches. Suddenly, seizing an opportunity, he aggressively closed in, circling and tearing open Meng Chong¡¯s golden bell defense at his back. As Meng Chong roared and turned to attack, Blood Spirit Child swiftly ducked close to Meng Chong¡¯s chest, viciously swiping his claw. The golden bell shattered, his claw grasping onto Meng Chong¡¯s chest. At this moment, Meng Chong felt a sharp pain in his chest. His qi and blood roared wildly, with the golden bell vibrating fiercely, turning into a powerful force, pressing down on Blood Spirit Child. Blood Spirit Child¡¯s claw failed to kill Meng Chong, and his figure once more retreated in a blur. His expression now solemn, yet he was more excited. The stronger Meng Chong¡¯s physique, the greater the benefits he would reap once he devoured him. Not only could he become younger, have a solid foundation, but his physical strength could also surpass most Martial Artists. The thought alone thrilled him. ¡°The heavens favor me, Blood Spirit Child, to have bestowed such blood prey upon me!¡± Meng Chong looked down at the five blood marks on his chest. This was the first time his defense had been breached since he had practiced the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, the first time someone had injured his flesh.. Chapter 149 Translator: 549690339 ¡°He¡¯s formidable, his movement technique is ghost-like, with battle-hardened experience, a clear superior to me.¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. However, he also noticed some problems, the opponent seemed physically, a little off-kilter. ¡°Seize the opportunity and deliver a fatal blow.¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. The Sun Golden Bell Shield hardened once again, the wound on his chest no longer bled, extinguishing the residual cold air. ¡°Kid, hehe, forfeit your life.¡± This time Blood Spirit Child¡¯s figure flickered even faster, a phantom-like silhouette constantly shifting position, ghostly silk threads coiling up, ominous and foreboding. He seemed to be trying to encase Meng Chong within. No matter how much force Meng Chong summoned in his fists, he was unable to break through the opponent¡¯s encirclement. The eerie silk threads didn¡¯t diminish, but void-like, they multiplied. They formed a giant web. And the blood-thirsty strands spiraled around each other, coalescing into the thickness of a finger. These finger-thick vampiric threads were sturdier, harder to break, their coldness piercing to the bone. Meng Chong charged repeatedly, striving to escape, only to be driven back again and again by Blood Spirit Child. His shield was torn apart time after time, leaving trail upon trail of bloody marks on his body. On the tower of Wu Country¡¯s capital, the Emperor of Wu and his ministers watched the battle unfolding outside the city. At that moment, his heart sank. Even from such a distance, one could see that Meng Chong was losing ground, seemingly trapped, and unable to launch a strike against the enemy. He was in a very passive position. ¡°Your Majesty, what should we do? Even Meng Chong is not his match!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, let¡¯s flee to the Qi Country. It is said that there are high-level experts there.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, why not use the Heavenly Guard to go and surround and kill him, aiding Meng Chong?¡± ¡°No way, once we make a move, and we are not able to kill the opponent, can we bear the consequences?¡± The Emperor of Wu and his ministers shared an unprecedented unison of goal, all hoping for Meng Chong¡¯s victory. Compared to that bloodthirsty ¡°Senior Wu¡± who fed on human blood, Meng Chong was practically a saint! ¡°We¡¯re not martial artists, what can we do!¡± The Emperor of Wu grumbled through gritted teeth. One start-eyed minister quietly slipped away, preparing to flee. On the battlefield, Meng Chong appeared battered and trudging, seemingly near exhaustion, his body covered in bloody scratches caused by Blood Spirit Child. ¡°Now¡¯s the time!¡± The cold light flashed in Blood Spirit Child¡¯s eyes, his form wavering once in front of Meng Chong, then reappearing behind him, and, before another flicker, back to Meng Chong¡¯s front again. At that moment, Meng Chong seemed to panic, launching a backhand attack to fend off Blood Spirit Child¡¯s assault, leaving a wide-open target on his chest. Blood Spirit Child¡¯s ashen, ghastly claw slashed out, aimed directly at Meng Chong¡¯s heart. This attack, for which he had saved his energy for so long, was certain to tear through flesh and bone and rip out Meng Chong¡¯s heart. ¡°An opportunity has arrived!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes flashed a fierce light, his figure abruptly shifting, thereby dodging Blood Spirit Child¡¯s strike. ¡°Die!¡± Boom! At that moment, wind and thunder whirled, golden light shone. Thunder and wild winds burst forth from his fists. This force was nothing like the power he wielded before. ¡°Not good!¡± The moment Blood Spirit Child missed his strike, he knew he was in for a disaster! ¡°Sneaky brat!¡± At this moment, he was filled with shock and anger. At the crucial juncture, Blood Spirit Child twisted his phantom-like form, narrowly evading Meng Chong¡¯s attack. But in the blink of an eye, Meng Chong had closed the gap, and his fists once again ensnared him with a horrifying momentum, seemingly leaving no room for escape. Moreover, Blood Spirit Child felt an explosive thunderous force emanating from this terrifying onslaught. He dodged one more time with his ghost-like movements. Having survived numerous life-and-death battles, he was more than experienced in handling such crises. Nevertheless, unexpectedly, Meng Chong was beside him again in an instant, his onslaught ever so suffocating. There was nowhere left to evade. ¡°What kind of movement technique is this?¡± With the crisis looming, an angry and shocked Blood Spirit Child had no choice but to tap into his origin power. Vroom! In that instant, Meng Chong felt an overwhelming aura, like a massive mountain that could crush him beneath it. With a roar of fury, his Fist of Wind Thunder Vajra exploded to its maximum, blasting down, shattering the vast oppressiveness, breaking open the unknown defense that was like a quagmire. The punch fiercely hit the Blood Spirit Child. Splat! The Blood Spirit Child spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and was hurled backward. He was shocked and furious. For this old and frail body, he had applied some methods in the cave to rejuvenate and strengthen it. Yet with this punch, his body nearly burst apart. ¡°You will die for that!¡± He must kill Meng Chong and use his flesh and blood essence to restore this body. As the Blood Spirit Child was thrown back, a looming pressure emerged from the center of his forehead, like a mountain descending onto the battlefield, with a chainsaw blade clenched in his hand. The blade sliced through. Boom! The Fist of Wind Thunder Vajra was obliterated. At this moment, the Blood Spirit Child¡¯s eyes turned blood red, and a chilling aura made the surrounding temperature drop. A glimmer of light fluctuated from his forehead, and the terrifying pressure grew stronger, like a mountain, overwhelming Meng Chong. Meng Chong¡¯s heart pounded rapidly. He felt as if he were stuck in a quagmire, suppressed everywhere, as if an invisible pressure was enveloping him. Even as he constantly stimulated his qi and blood, he couldn¡¯t increase his speed. Even his Fist of Wind Thunder Vajra seemed to be suppressed. The consecutive attacks he had just made were because he suddenly felt like he was stuck in a quagmire, his body stagnated, and his speed slowed down, preventing him from seizing the chance to follow up his success. Looking at the Blood Spirit Child, Meng Chong¡¯s heart sank. The feeling of danger was becoming stronger and stronger. From the moment he saw the Blood Spirit Child, he felt an intense sense of danger. So he pretended to be weak to seize the opportunity to crush his opponent in one fell swoop. Although he injured the other party, he failed to kill him, instead provoking him to use some special power. ¡°Great Grandmaster? It¡¯s not quite right, it¡¯s a bit like ¡­¡± Meng Chong was shocked. This pressure was a bit like the pressure of a Great Grandmaster, but it seemed even stronger, and there was a momentum similar to the Sword Intent of his elder martial brother. But it was different from Sword Intent. Although he didn¡¯t know what it was, he understood that he was in great danger at this moment! Looking at the glimmer of light in the forehead of the Blood Spirit Child, this pressure originated from there. In that glimmer of light, seemed to be an insect? ¡°You should die, forcing me to use the little origin 1 have left!¡± The Blood Spirit Child was extraordinarily furious. He was already very weak, but now he had no choice but to use this little remaining origin. Even if he devoured Meng Chong¡¯s essence of flesh and blood, it seemed that he could not replenish it. ¡°Die!¡± The Blood Spirit Child thrust his blade aiming straight for Meng Chong¡¯s heart. Bang! Meng Chong punched out, but he could not resist at all. The tip of the blade pierced into his chest. At the critical moment, he grabbed the back of the serrated blade with both hands. With a roar of rage, golden light burst forth, and the mighty power of his physical body flung the Blood Spirit Child away! Phew! Phew! Despite having blood flowing from his chest, Meng Chong did not care at all. The Blood Spirit Child, who was flung away, was even more furious. The light from his forehead glowed more strongly. Under the oppression, Meng Chong felt as though he was bearing a giant mountain on his back. His body seemed to have sunk into a quagmire, with neither his speed nor strength able to display. His golden bell armour seemed to be shattering. ¡°1 am going to devour you alive!¡± The Blood Spirit Child was furious that Meng Chong could still explode with such great physical power under such conditions and fling him away. As the light in his forehead flickered, a terrifying oppressing aura that was as grim as a prison descended. The breath of death approached, and Meng Chong, panting, felt his heart pounding violently. At this moment, he seemed to feel the tremble of the treasured sword. The treasured sword was pulsating, it was raging, merged with his heartbeat, merged with his will. Draw the sword! Draw the sword! Draw the sword! An unprecedentedly strong feeling surged in his heart. The anger was transmitted to the treasured sword. The treasured sword at his waist was also filled with rage, eager to unsheathe, to cut off all enemies. ¡°Die for me!¡± The Blood Spirit Child thrust his blade out. At that very moment, he saw Meng Chong gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, and then, a flash of sword light burst forth. An overbearing sword intent roared out, and it seemed as though the heavens and earth changed color. The pressure that was oppressing Meng Chong was, at this moment, instantly crushed. Meng Chong drew his sword. His eyes slightly closed, his heart and sword merged as one, sword and intent combined. At this moment, it was as though only this mighty sword existed between heaven and earth! The Sword Soul Awakens! Chapter 150 Translator: 549690339 Every day, Meng Chong used his blood and spirit to nurture his precious blade, the heart and sword resonating in unison. Finally, at the brink of life and death, the time to unsheathe his blade had come. As the blade was drawn, its soul awakened, its will shaking the surroundings. The sword light seemed to tear through heaven and earth, utterly domineering, unstoppable in its forward motion! On the city tower of Wu Country¡¯s capital, the Emperor of Wu and others who were watching the battle from afar could only see that sword light. Despite the distance, it still exuded an overwhelming aura. Their hearts felt as if they were being clenched by a hand, their breaths were held, eyes wide open and faces filled with shock. The unsurpassed sword light, dominating sword intent, shattered the oppressive aura of the Blood Spirit Child, stabbing his consciousness. ¡°How is this possible, what kind of sword technique is this?¡± The Blood Spirit Child was horrified and lost his color. He tried to parry Meng Chong¡¯s blow. He wanted to escape, to dodge. However, he already seemed powerless! With a single slash, it seemed as though the world lost its color, the unmatched sword intent instantly cutting into the Blood Spirit Child. Plop! The jagged blade was sent flying. The body that belonged to Senior Wu was split in two. The Blood Spirit Child was also divided into two halves under the slash, the two halves were in the two halves of the body. ¡°Impossible, this is not possible. What kind of power is this? How can it kill me, he is not even a Grandmaster! I am a Refining God Heavenly Man¡­¡± The Blood Spirit Child was horror-stricken. His consciousness was filled with unwillingness and disbelief. He thought that this martial arts youth was the cornerstone of his comeback, that fate will not eliminate him, the Blood Spirit Child. As a result, he was about to die here! He was unwilling, extremely unwilling! Initially, when he was surrounded and attacked by many powerful beings, he managed to survive and waited for the chance to stage a comeback. In the end, he actually died in this desolate land? Thump! Thump! Thump! Meng Chong¡¯s heart was pounding fiercely, a wound on his chest, the bleeding had slowly stopped, but it would take a few days of rest for it to fully heal. He almost died in this battle! In the last moment, the success of nurturing his blade and drawing it for a slash come to pass! The power of the single slash nurtured for such a long time was astonishing, capable of killing even a Grandmaster in one blow! What made him even happier was that in this critical moment, not only did he unsheathe his blade, awakening the blade spirit, he also comprehended the blade intent! A domineering and unparalleled blade intent! Whew! Whew! Whew! Meng Chong gasped for breath, looking at the precious blade in his hand, he felt different about the blade now, as if he could resonate with it. It seemed that he had given life to this blade. Additionally, he sensed the jagged blade of the Blood Spirit Child, which seemed to resonate with him under his spirit¡¯s draw! Blade spirit! ¡°Is this the awakening of the blade spirit?¡± Meng Chong felt that with the awakening of the blade spirit, there was no blade in the world that would not resonate with him. Moreover, he had realized the sword intent at one go. ¡°I¡¯ve comprehended the sword intent before breaking through to the Innate Realm.¡± Meng Chong was thrilled. Although the battle was dangerously close to costing him his life, the gain was also immense. ¡°Eldest senior brother was right. As a martial artist, we must understand combat. Only in combat can we comprehend the true meaning of martial arts more easily,¡± Meng Chong stepped forward, walking towards the body that was split into two halves. His master taught him that one could never be too careful with enemies. Even beheading them was not surefire. He must smash their bones, scatter their ashes, obliterate their souls, and eliminate any trace of their existence! ¡°My blade, dominating across the world, I have entered the doorway of my sword path. My sword intent shall be called Sword Intent Domination. This suits me well,¡± Meng Chong was thinking to himself. He clutched his blade, step by step approached the corpse, a golden light illuminating his surroundings, enveloping him within a golden bell, his sword intent revolving around his body, not daring to be negligent in the least bit. There seemed to be something off about Senior Wu. Before he could reach the body, he had already slashed it into two segments. ¡°What is this?¡± Suddenly, Meng Chong saw a few stalks of silver grass near the corpse, seemingly filled with a magical aura. ¡°Could this be¡­ a spiritual medicine?¡± Meng Chong was delighted, as he had often heard his fellow apprentice talk about the spiritual medicine. If he had a spiritual medicine, the effects of the refined elixir would be astonishing. With a wave of his hand, he moved the silver grass to the side, cautiously avoiding touching the grass. Then he turned to look at the body. His eyes showed a ruthless look, he was so close to dying! Boom! He threw out a punch, blazing vitality covered the body. The blade intent also enveloped it. Plop! The body was crushed, burned to ashes by the blazing aura. Under the cover of the sword intent, Meng Chong suddenly discovered that a faint oppressive force was assaulting his own sword intent. He saw the worm that was cut into two! It was this strange thing that was emitting an oppressive aura! However, the pressure was weak, and his own sword intent had completely suppressed it. ¡°Die!¡± Meng Chong was not careless and swiftly slashed down with his blade. This bug must be completely destroyed! ¡°Kid, I¡­¡± The Blood Spirit Child was shocked and angry, although he was seriously injured and his consciousness was nearly gone, he was not completely dead yet. He could perhaps still have the chance to survive. For instance, the people who would come to collect the bodies from inside the Wu Country¡¯s capital, or to inspect the battlefield, could help him continue to live if he selected one and again usurped their bodies. Though they haven¡¯t been baited and can¡¯t resonate with his consciousness as long as he¡¯s not completely dead, he still has a sliver of the possibility of staging a comeback. Even if he couldn¡¯t stage a comeback, he could continue to live for some time and find a successor for his cultivation technique. In this desolate land, he very likely couldn¡¯t cultivate to be very strong, but as long as he devoured the essence of flesh and blood to enhance his strength to the fifth or sixth-grade, there¡¯s a certain possibility.. Chapter 151 Translator: 549690339 Then, to cross the mountainous region and move towards the Inner Domain. As a descendant of the Blood Spirit Child, he also has the potential to seek vengeance for him. However, this kid is terribly hateful. After killing a person, he actually went as far as grinding the bones and scattering the ashes! He¡¯s even more vicious than before! Even after cleaving a person in half and ensuring they were thoroughly dead, he was still unsatisfied! Meng Chong, however, left no opportunity for him. His eyes shimmered with chilling light as his heart quaked tirelessly, once again realizing the preciousness of the martial arts experience passed on by his master. If it had been anyone else, they might have assumed their opponent was thoroughly dead and turned to leave. ¡°Die!¡± Fearing the opponent would use some strange tactic, Meng Chong¡¯s blade flashed and his dominating blade intent suppressed everything. With a ¡®puff¡¯ sound, the bug was completely crushed. ¡°No¡­¡± A weak and unwilling wail rang out, only to abruptly disappear. Meng Chong still dared not be careless. His blade glowed furiously, vigorously stirring emotions covered the entire battlefield, directly crushing everything in the field of battle. Not even a blade of grass was spared. The remains had completely turned to ash, so much so that none could be found. Naturally, the weird bug met the same fate. In the end, all that was left were a few stalks of silvery-white grass! Meng Chong, panting heavily, cautiously approached, picked it up with the tip of his blade for careful examination. Only after confirming that there were no issues did he tear off his tattered clothes and wrap the silvery-white grass with them. Despite that, he did not carry it with him, instead choosing to prop it with his blade. After the Blood Spirit Child ordeal, Meng Chong had become even more cautious. He glanced at the capital of Wu Country, choosing not to venture forth. What if there were still powerful enemies lurking within? He glanced at the jagged blade left behind by the Blood Spirit Child, reaching out and grasping it in his hand. Now that he had the soul of the blade within him, no state of any blade could escape his perception. This blade did not have any problems. He had confidence in this. ¡°What a great blade!¡± The jagged blade seemed extraordinary. Perhaps due to its long years without being nourished, it appeared somewhat dim. Otherwise, this blade would have been even stronger than the treasured blade in his hand. ¡°Should go back, and consult Master!¡± Meng Chong didn¡¯t linger and quickly returned, not even having time to tend to his injuries. ¡°Victory!¡± ¡°Meng Chong has killed the devil!¡± ¡°Hahaha, you took us for prey, now are you dead?¡± Atop the city gate of the Wu Country capital, the Emperor of Wu and his ministers were ecstatic. Meng Chong had won. On the other hand, the Emperor of Wu instantly grew anxious. Meng Chong clearly suffered serious injuries in this fight and had left immediately. He might be suspicious that this affair had something to do with him. If, after healing, Meng Chong were to come back once more for revenge, then what was to be done? ¡°My beloved officials, what do you think is the best way to explain this to Meng Chong?¡± The Emperor of Wu fretfully asked. The court fell quiet. The ministers glanced at each other, silently distancing themselves from the Emperor of Wu and pondering how to wriggle out of the matter. ¡°Your Majesty, you can rest assured. Meng Chong isn¡¯t the type to kill indiscriminately.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, if need be just give him a good explanation.¡± The ministers awkwardly reassured. If the Emperor of Wu were to be killed by Meng Chong in a fit of rage, then Wu Country could simply find a new Emperor. The order to find Meng Chong was issued by the Emperor of Wu after ail. They did not want to be implicated in it. The Emperor of Wu, maintaining a stern face, stormed off. Li Xuan learned from Shi¡¯er that Meng Chong went to the Wu Country capital to deal with the emperor¡¯s strong enemy, but he wasn¡¯t concerned. With Meng Chong¡¯s strength, even if he were to meet a general Grandmaster Martial Artist, he didn¡¯t have to worry. Sitting in his chair, Li Xuan continued studying the ancient scrolls. After a long period of studying the first page, he seemed to have a vague understanding. But he was still unable to fully comprehend the mystery within. ¡°Because of a low level!¡± Li Xuan confirmed that the reason he couldn¡¯t comprehend the ancient scroll was owing to his low level. He had not yet reached the realm of martial arts needed to grasp the scroll¡¯s knowledge. Su Lingxiu was practicing alchemy again. This time, she was refining materials Shi¡¯er had sent for a Qi and Blood Pill. With her proficient skills in refining Qi and Blood Pills, Su Lingxiu¡¯s alchemical skills had seen great advancement. Her comprehension of the Dan Doctor¡¯s Treasure Book was getting deeper, allowing for new insights. Su Lingxiu felt that she might grasp the higher realms of alchemy mentioned in the Dan Doctor¡¯s Treasure Book soon. ¡°Once this girl Lingxiu enters the world of martial arts, she can use her Qi and blood as alchemical fire, refining pills with her bare hands and further enhancing her alchemical skills.¡± Li Xuan was filled with anticipation. According to his theory, refining alchemy with bare hands is real alchemy, which goes beyond basic alchemy skills. Although he is highly-skilled and has mastered basic alchemy, he does not know how to perform alchemy with bare hands. Basic alchemy requires the use of an Alchemy Furnace. Li Xuan plays with the Jade Ruyi in one hand and studies an ancient book in the other when suddenly a golden light emerges. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, drew his sword amidst a life and death crisis and woke up his weapon spirit. You have mastered your weapon spirit.¡± ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, awakened the spirit of his sword amidst a life and death crisis and comprehended absolute dominance. You have reached completeness in your dominance!¡± Li Xuan suddenly stood up. Was Meng Chong in a life or death situation? Where would a life and death crisis come from in Wu Country? A normal martial artist of the Inner Domain is unable to pose a life and death threat to Meng Chong. How could a mere Wu Country pose a threat to him? He could not sit still. If anything happened to his second disciple, who would practice his bodily martial arts? Where would he find a disciple who was on par with Meng Chong and had an exceptional talent for physical martial arts? Besides, isn¡¯t there a bond formed between the master and the disciple after spending so much time together? Fear and anger surged in Li Xuan¡¯s heart, as he worried about Meng Chong¡¯s safety. He disappeared in an instant, using his Divine Lightning Transcendence technique to its limit, heading straight to Wu Country¡¯s capital. The capital of Wu Country is far from Yunshan County. Even with his power, using Divine Lightning Transcendence at full speed, it would still take him a significant amount of time to get there. ¡°I hope that after awakening his sword spirit, Meng Chong will be able to hold on!¡± A cold glint flashed in Li Xuan¡¯s eyes. He could see a dot in the distance, it was Wu Country¡¯s Capital! Suddenly, Li Xuan froze in his tracks. He saw Meng Chong, who was covered in scars and wounds; one of them on his chest was particularly deep. Though the bleeding was stopped by his remarkable regenerative capacity, one could still see the fresh red flesh of the wound. It was evident that Meng Chong had gone through a fierce battle. Li Xuan was shocked. Meng Chong had practiced the Great Sun Golden Bell Shield, and he had a strong defense and robust physique. Yet, he had suffered such severe injuries. What relieved him was that although Meng Chong looked battered and full of scars, it did not seem to be a severe injury. He looked over to find that there were no enemies chasing after Meng Chong. ¡°Did he kill them all?¡± Li Xuan hesitated, but instead of going down to meet Meng Chong, he continued on. Soon, he arrived at the scene of the battle, outside the capital of Wu Country. There was absolutely nothing left at the scene of the battle, but one could faintly detect the traces of intense energy and pressure left by the sword. A twitch came to the corner of Li Xuan¡¯s mouth. The enemy had been utterly destroyed by Meng Chong! ¡°Where did such a powerful martial artist come from?¡± Meng Chong was heading back now, apparently on his way back to Yunshan County It seems he returned directly after killing the enemy and finishing the battle, without entering the capital city of Wu Country. Li Xuan moved, hanging in midair, and began to investigate all around. He entered Wu Country¡¯s capital; he entered the Wu Country¡¯s royal palace and thoroughly investigated everything. His eyebrows creased slightly; there was no trace of any martial artist. Could it just have been one martial artist? Who was already killed by Meng Chong! He extended the search range, examining Wu Country¡¯s capital, the palace, everything, still finding no trace of any martial artist. It appeared there had only been one powerful enemy. Li Xuan did not stay in Wu Country¡¯s capital city. He went back to Yunshan County the same way he came. On his way back, he saw Meng Chong unharmed and running back. He let out a sigh of relief. Once back in his courtyard, he took a seat on a chair. He fell deep in thought, wondering where the enemy Meng Chong had faced could have come from. Could it have come from the Inner Domain? He would only know the answers once Meng Chong returned. ii It seems the outskirts are not safe either. Why did such a powerful martial artist suddenly appear? Their power has already surpassed the regular grandmaster martial artist. Otherwise, Meng Chong would not have been forced to this extent.¡± Li Xuan pondered with a furrowed brow. Su Lingxiu looked curiously at her master, who had disappeared suddenly without a trace. He just came back. She did not ask any questions though. Her master¡¯s matters were not things that a disciple could inquire about. ¡°What kind of abilities does the master have? He vanished all of a sudden, too fast for even a Great Grandmaster, right?¡± Su Lingxiu sighed. She handed over a pill furnace filled with Qi-blood pills she had prepared to Shi¡¯er, then gleefully began to refine a new set of Qi-blood pills, this time for Zhou Ying.. Chapter 152 Translator: 549690339 Shi¡¯er swallowed a Qi and Blood Pill and began his cultivation, feeling the enhancement of his qi and blood, he became excited. Pills are truly treasures that aid in cultivation. One pill is equivalent to half a month of arduous cultivation for him. ¡°Although pills are easy to refine and leave no impurities behind, one must not consume them excessively, as they can easily lead to an inflated but unstable realm.¡± After pondering for a while, Shi¡¯er put away the remaining pills. ¡°I have already mastered the basics, it¡¯s time to learn some sword techniques. The master only imparts knowledge, which 1 cannot learn or comprehend. It¡¯s better to wait for Meng Chong to return and teach me. ¡°Or perhaps, I could learn some techniques from the Inner Domain.¡± As Shi¡¯er thought about this, he looked at the time; it was time to cook. Several days had passed, and it was time to stew chicken soup¡ª the master enjoys it. As he stepped out, he saw Meng Chong returning, bare-chested with a wound on his chest, his body covered in bloodstains, which took Shi¡¯er by surprise. ¡°Meng Chong, what happened to you?¡± This was clearly the aftermath of a brutal battle, especially the wound on the chest; had it been any deeper, his life would have been in danger. He knew very well how strong Meng Chong¡¯s physical body was. Even he, a martial artist, could not break through Meng Chong¡¯s defenses, let alone an ordinary person. ¡°It¡¯s just a minor injury, not a big problem.¡± Meng Chong walked into the courtyard, gasping for breath. ¡°Second senior brother, how did you get injured?¡± Su Lingxiu was shocked and hurried over. ¡°Second senior brother, don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll treat your wounds.¡± Zhou Ying brought over a chair for Meng Chong to sit on. ¡°Master!¡± Li Xuan approached calmly, and Meng Chong respectfully called out. ¡°We¡¯ll talk after treating the wound.¡± Li Xuan nodded and sat back down. Watching Su Lingxiu apply medicine to Meng Chong, he spoke, ¡°Stitch up the wound, it¡¯ll heal faster!¡± Su Lingxiu was startled and looked at her master, ¡°Like sewing clothes?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± Li Xuan nodded. Su Lingxiu looked at the wound on Meng Chong¡¯s chest thoughtfully, wondering what to use for stitching. Needle and thread? ¡°Junior sister, do you think this is Spiritual Medicine?¡± At that moment, Meng Chong lifted up a silver grass wrapped in cloth with his treasured saber. ¡°This is¡­ Water Spirit Grass, it is Spiritual Medicine!¡± Su Lingxiu was overjoyed. She thought of the material to stitch the wound, took a piece of Water Spirit Grass, and after rubbing it with her fingers a few times, she pulled out several fine threads from it. ¡°Senior brother, I will help you stitch up the wound.¡± Su Lingxiu took out a needle, threaded it with the Water Spirit Grass threads, and tried to stitch Meng Chong¡¯s wound, but the needle could not penetrate at all. The needle bent upon trying. ¡°Senior brother, this¡­¡± Meng Chong¡¯s muscles twitched a few times and he said, ¡°Junior sister, this is good enough.¡± Su Lingxiu tried again, and although it was difficult, like sewing through leather, she managed to stitch it together at last. After carefully stitching up the wound, Meng Chong also controlled his muscles to prevent the wound from splitting open. Then, Su Lingxiu applied more medicine to Meng Chong, using a liquid made from Water Spirit Grass. After applying it to the wound, Meng Chong¡¯s bloodstains began to fade. In a day or two, not even a trace would be left. ¡°So, the reason master suddenly left was because he discovered second senior brother was in danger?¡± Su Lingxiu thought to herself. This also explained why the master suddenly left. ¡°Second senior brother, where did you get this Water Spirit Grass from? There are no Spiritual Medicines in the Border Wilderness; did you go to the Inner Domain?¡± Su Lingxiu asked curiously. Only the Inner Domain harbored Spiritual Medicines. Were Meng Chong¡¯s wounds the result of a fierce battle in the Inner Domain? ¡°It was in the Capital City of Wu Country. 1 encountered a person who was respected in Wu Country¡¯s martial world for his virtue and high standing, but for some reason, he suddenly became incredibly powerful. I felt he was no longer the same person¡­¡± Meng Chong¡¯s expression was grave. Senior Wu¡¯s condition was very strange. He recalled the worm that had appeared on Senior Wu¡¯s forehead, perhaps related to this mysterious creature. Li Xuan looked over, ¡°Tell me, what exactly happened?¡± Meng Chong recounted the entire incident and the combat process in great detail, without leaving anything out. The biggest question was why Senior Wu had become so powerful. Moreover, it seemed that the opponent was a practitioner of demonic cultivation, whose techniques closely resembled those of Xue Wuxin but were more refined and sharper. Li Xuan looked calm but was secretly alarmed. All signs pointed to Senior Wu being possessed, but why would someone possess a centenarian old man? Where had Senior Wu been taken over? From the current situation in Wu Country¡¯s martial world, it was very likely that he was possessed while seeking guidance from a sage in the Endless Mountains. And that worm was probably the host of the possession! ¡°Great Grandmasters don¡¯t possess the ability to take over bodies; the opponent¡¯s strength exceeds that of a Great Grandmaster. And if I¡¯m not mistaken, it should be a Remnant Soul that resides within that worm? ¡°That worm must be extraordinary, the foundation upon which the possession is based. ¡°There are stronger forces beyond the realm of Great Grandmaster after all. Why then, in the Inner Domain, is the Great Grandmaster considered the pinnacle? Could there be some limitation for martial artists beyond Great Grandmaster? ¡°The opponent¡¯s Remnant Soul is weak, with very little of its origin left, which is why Meng Chong¡¯s Blade Intent could suppress it, allowing it to be killed.¡± Li Xuan pondered internally. Meng Chong continued recounting the perilous battle, especially towards the end when he could have pursued his advantage and killed the opponent in one fell swoop, but suddenly, an overwhelming pressure emerged. Chapter 153 Translator: 549690339 As if enmeshed in a mud swamp, my actions were sluggish, barely allowing the opponent to escape with their life. ¡°Master, that pressure felt somewhat like a Great Grandmaster, yet different. It was somewhat similar to Sword Intent, but again not quite the same. ¡°It was incredibly peculiar and powerful. I feel the opponent was in a weakened state, otherwise, I would not have been able to kill him.¡± Meng Chong said, by a lucky fluke. Su Lingxiu was shocked deep within, exchanging glances with Zhou Ying, their minds extremely unsettled. Is there a stronger martial artist above the level of a Great Grandmaster? What realm might that be? Including Shi¡¯er, all four of them looked at Li Xuan, awaiting his explanation. Li Xuan did not know what kind of martial artist was above a Great Grandmaster, but he had a sudden insight, grasping an idea about the realm above the Tongxuan Realm. His expression was still calm as he said, ¡°It was just a possession, merely a residual soul. Once it¡¯s extinguished, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Possession?¡± Meng Chong and the others whispered to themselves. Their Master spoke lightly, without any concern. It was clear that he did not regard the strength of this mysterious powerful person highly. ¡°Master, what was that worm?¡± Curiously, Meng Chong asked. ¡°It was just a vessel for the residual soul.¡± Li Xuan naturally wouldn¡¯t elaborate, but he had guessed the worm¡¯s purpose and was not mistaken. He got up, walked over to Meng Chong, and said, ¡°This battle was perilous, but you also awakened the Blade Soul and comprehended the Blade Intent, which could be considered a good thing.¡± He looked up to the sky, and spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Above the Great Grandmaster, there¡¯s obviously something stronger. As 1 always told you, the Martial Path is endless. What you have seen and heard about the end of the Martial Path is just ignorance of the weak. ¡°You must guard against arrogance and pride, cultivate diligently. The journey of Martial Arts is long, and you are just at the starting point.¡± Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu respectfully saluted, saying, ¡°Yes, Master, we¡¯ll surely cultivate diligently and guard against arrogance and pride!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Li Xuan nodded, saying, ¡°Take your time to heal. Now that you¡¯ve grasped the basics of the Blade Technique, all Blade Techniques will come to you naturally. When you have time, teach Shi¡¯er.¡± ¡°Reflect more upon the Mahayana Golden Body and breakthrough as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong replied respectfully. With a serious expression Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement. Above the Great Grandmaster, there were still stronger people. It was highly possible that her hidden enemies had people stronger than a Great Grandmaster. ¡°I haven¡¯t even reached the threshold yet. Even if 1 break through to the Innate Realm, I won¡¯t be able to deal with those people. 1 can¡¯t even get rid of them. I need to cultivate hard. 1 need to comprehend the path of an alchemist.¡± ¡°1 want to understand more magic pill recipes, and refine more magic pills.¡± ¡°As long as I have magic pills, there will naturally be countless martial artists who will serve me!¡± Su Lingxiu fully understood the value brought by the path of an alchemist. ¡°Second Senior Brother, I want to use these Water Spirit Grass to refine magic pills. You¡¯re about to break through too. I¡¯ll think about refining a pill suitable for your cultivation breakthrough,¡± Su Lingxiu said, looking at the Water Spirit Grass. ¡°If you need it, Sister, take it. I don¡¯t need the magic pill, I don¡¯t need a pill in order to breakthrough,¡± Meng Chong replied nonchalantly. ¡°Second Senior Brother, this is Spiritual Medicine. The magic pills that are refined from it are very effective,¡± Su Lingxiu said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Even if it is external assistance, occasional help is okay. Ultimately, one must rely on oneself. An inflated realm hinders one¡¯s strength. After my breakthrough, I can try magic pills then. If Sister needs it, feel free to use it.¡± Meng Chong was not against magic pills. However, he knew that if you rely solely on magic pills to improve, the realm will be inflated and one¡¯s strength will not match the supposed realm. Looking at Shi¡¯er made it clear. In Meng Chong¡¯s opinion, Shi¡¯er¡¯s realm was inflated. ¡°Thank you, then, Second Senior Brother.¡± With joy, Su Lingxiu took the Water Spirit Grass and left. Once back in her room, she recalled the alchemical treasure trove while starting to arrange the pill formula. ¡°Just using this type of Spiritual Medicine, the Water Spirit Grass, which is a monarch medicine, the remaining are minister medicines such as Jiuye Yuanzhi, and Mountain Ginseng¡­ This is a new bone-refining pill, it should not be called the Evergreen Pill, it is what I used to temper the Evergreen Bone.¡± Su Lingxiu quickly figured out a pili recipe. Evergreen Pill, used to assist her breakthrough to the Evergreen Bone, to temper out the Evergreen Bone. ¡°If there was a Spirit Crystal to assist it, the effect would be even better.¡± Su Lingxiu thought. ¡°This pill formula, let me call it the Body Nourishing Pill, for my Second Senior Brother¡¯s cultivation; this pill formula is called the Qi Accumulating Pill, used for my Eldest Senior Brother¡¯s Innate Realm cultivation, it can replenish the lost True Qi.¡± New pill formulae emerged in Su Lingxiu¡¯s mind. ¡°We also need to prepare the medicinal elixirs for healing wounds. If injured, one can take these elixirs¡­¡± Su Lingxiu contemplated, continued to extract formulas from the Alchemy Manual, and then used the theories of alchemy to arrange her own new formulas. ¡°These elixir formulas should do for now. 1 need to spend time, based on the Alchemy Manual, to comprehend new formulas and compile even more advanced ones.¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she had already found her direction for understanding the Alchemy Manual. ¡°But there¡¯s no rush. The current Alchemy Manual is sufficient for use. I will delve into it once I get started on Martial Arts, integrate my gains, and I am sure to attain something.¡± Su Lingxiu, brimming with excitement, held the Water Spirit grass in her hand and began preparing for alchemy. ¡°Shi¡¯er, ask Kou Ruozhi to purchase more medicinal ingredients.¡± ¡°Alright, I will instruct him right away.¡± Shi¡¯er nodded. Su Lingxiu started alchemical preparation, while Meng Chong had already left the courtyard for the hillside. Sitting cross-legged, his treasured sword laid horizontally across his knees as he intently contemplated his own strengths and comprehended the power of the Sun. From his fight with Blood Spirit Child, he had gained much. When the Sword Soul awakened, that dominative sword slash left a deep imprint in his mind. The sword slash had a dominating presence. ¡°I nurtured my sword for a long time so that at the time of its draw, it can unleash such domineering power. But now when I wield it, it no longer has such terrifying power. Therefore, the power of that sword slash is related to the nurturing of my sword,¡± thought Meng Chong. ¡°To nurture a sword, one must consume vitality and concentration, which cannot be achieved overnight. But once achieved, its might is formidable.¡± Meng Chong wondered whether the process of nurturing his sword might somewhat hinder his own cultivation progress. ii Is it worth consuming so much time just for the sheer might of a single sword slash?¡± Meng Chong pondered. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on understanding the power of the Sun for now. After making a breakthrough in it, it won¡¯t be too late to consider this question or ask my master.¡± Meng Chong gathered his thoughts and continued silently pondering over the power of the Sun. Whether or not it was necessary to nurture his sword now that his Sword Soul had awakened, he didn¡¯t know. If he nurtures his sword again, whether the first blow would bring forth a power surpassing his realm¡¯s limit, remained an unknown variable. After all, the nurturing of his sword was initially for the awakening of his Sword Soul. And when the blow was delivered, it was indeed the time of his Sword Soul¡¯s awakening, so its enormous power was related to the awakening of the Sword Soul. Li Xuan sat in a chair, introspecting. The danger Meng Chong faced this time made him realize that although he doesn¡¯t fear a Great Grandmaster, the powerhouses above Great Grandmaster could pose a threat to him. Were there such powerhouses in the Inner Domain? How strong was the evil cultist who took Senior Wu¡¯s body and how did he appear in the wilderness? ¡°Being chased and only escaping with a fragment of his soul? But with the Heavenly Earth Lingji of the wilderness having already perished, how did his soul fragment survive? Could he have been relying on that worm?¡± Li Xuan felt he should do some investigation in the wilderness. If another half-dead character were to emerge and threaten his disciple, what then? Even worse, what if it threatened his own life? He glanced at Su Lingxiu, who was engrossed in alchemy, the probable troubles looming over her seemed no small matter. If a powerhouse beyond a Great Grandmaster appears, it would be very troublesome. ¡°When can Xu Yan comprehend the cultivation technique of the Tongxuan Realm? As long as he comprehends it, I can break through to the Tongxuan Realm. Even if I face martial artists above the Great Grandmaster, I won¡¯t be afraid!¡± With a hundred times the power of the same realm, and with his successful sword and saber intents, with the assistance of Heavenly Dragon Spirit Body, Innate Spirit Bone¡­ overcoming opponents beyond his level shouldn¡¯t be difficult, right? ¡°It¡¯s about time for Xu Yan to have a taste of the Inner Domain.¡± Li Xuan let out a sigh. By going to the Inner Domain, Xu Yan would broaden his horizons, which would help him understand Martial Arts! ¡°I should go take a look around the Boundless Mountains.¡± Li Xuan disappeared from his place as soon as he thought of this. When Su Lingxiu turned around, her master was already gone. ¡°Master, did you go to take revenge for my second senior brother?¡± She speculated. On the Boundless Mountains, Li Xuan was walking in the air, peering into all directions, exploring any place that might hide martial artists. In Xu Family¡¯s Manor in Donghe Prefecture. A round of thunderous crackling of bones echoed, followed by the joyous voice of Pharmacist Pan. ¡°Haha, 1 succeeded, this is the Blood Vitality Realm. Indeed, it is formidable!¡± Standing next to him, Xu Yan showed some disdain, thinking Pharmacist Pan was too weak. However, he was inwardly astonished. These elixirs truly are treasured substances for a martial artist¡¯s cultivation. Their effects are astounding. Assisted by the elixirs, Pharmacist Pan managed to quickly complete his Organ Refinement and even broke through to the Blood Vitality Realm.. Chapter 154 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan watched as Pharmacist Pan broke through the Blood Qi realm and became a martial artist. Although he only had Copper Bone, making him weak in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes, in the Border Wilderness, he was incredibly powerful. The top experts in the Jianghu can be eliminated with a snap of the fingers. Xu Junhe was also on the verge of breaking through. With the help of elixirs, he had already completed organ refining, and it would only be another day or two before he would make his entry into martial arts. ¡°This Blood Qi pill was only refined from ordinary precious herbs and yet it has such extraordinary effects. How much stronger would the effects be if it were refined from spiritual medicine?¡± ¡°Grandpa is getting older, so his martial arts training is slower, and uncle and the others aren¡¯t exactly gifted either.¡± ¡°Plus my mom, even with the help of elixirs, it will take quite a while for her to break through and she¡¯s already finished all the elixir.¡± Xu Yan marveled at the effects of the elixir and decided to take all the precious herbs from his house and give them to his junior female disciple for alchemy. He knew that alchemy required a lot of elixirs. Especially new elixirs, they are not guarantees to be successful at the first attempt. And failing once is equivalent to a complete waste of a furnace of herbs. ¡°Spiritual medicine, I lack spiritual medicine. Once 1 make it into the inner domain, my first goal is to buy spiritual medicine. Spiritual medicine is the real alchemy material.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. His determination to go to the inner domain intensified once again. Today, Pharmacist Pan has already entered the martial arts, and his own father is about to break through. In addition, two of the family¡¯s household guardians who have good innate talent are also about to break through. After returning home, let his junior female disciple help refine a batch of elixirs. They can quickly assist them in breaking through. The safety of the house is now accounted for. ¡°Once dad has broken through, 1¡¯11 go home and ask my junior female disciple if she has any elixirs that could rejuvenating, 1 could make some for mom to eat. It should have balanced effects and easier to breakthrough¡­¡± Xu Yan thought of his mother. He did not expect his mother to fight others. A certain level of power is enough. The important thing is that practicing martial arts can extend one¡¯s life. Li Xuan surveyed the Endless Mountains and saw many people entering the mountains to seek masters, but he did not find any martial artists. Moving deeper into the Endless Mountains, near the Inner Domain area, he discovered ferocious beasts including the Red-Eyed Tiger and the Flame-maned Wolf. ¡°Were the Red-Eyed Tiger and Flame-maned Wolf in the Evil Forest originally from the Endless Mountains? That Red-Eyed Tiger is rather weak, isn¡¯t it a purebred?¡± Li Xuan contemplated. ¡°Since I¡¯m already here, how could 1 return empty-handed.¡± With that thought, Li Xuan landed. Next to a mountain stream, there was a gigantic tiger laying down. Its huge body was not much smaller than a bull¡¯s. ¡°Could this be the Red-Eyed Tiger King from around here?¡± Li Xuan mumbled to himself, this tiger was truly gigantic. The Endless Mountains near the Inner Domain contain remnants of the Heavenly Earth Lingji, which is why there are ferocious beasts there, and their strength is not weak. ¡°Roar!¡± The Red-Eyed Tiger felt a sudden weight on its back and realized that someone was sitting on it! It roared in anger and tried to turn over, but its neck tightened and the whole tiger was picked up and even flew into the air. Just like picking up a big cat! The Red-Eyed Tiger was scared. It curled its tail and hind legs, whimpered, and didn¡¯t dare to struggle or move, fearing that it would fall. ¡°Hey, you are pretty smart for a big cat, did 1 randomly pick one that happens to be quite intelligent?¡± Li Xuan expressed his surprise with a smile. He took the Red-Eyed Tiger back to Yunshan County. Having a big cat is quite good. He was not sure if it could be tamed. If it could be tamed, he would keep it as a pet. If it could not be tamed, he would stew it and eat it. Blood, flesh, bones, and even the tiger¡¯s penis could all be used for alchemy. Upon returning to the manor, Li Xuan put the Red-Eyed Tiger down. He had expected the tiger to roar in anger. Instead, it rolled over with its belly facing up, surrendering. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re pretty sensible for a big cat.¡± Li Xuan laughed. ¡°Master, are you going to use its blood, flesh and bones for alchemy?¡± As soon as she saw it, Su Lingxiu excitedly ran over and asked. ¡°Let¡¯s keep it for now. If it¡¯s not getting tamed, then we can kill it and use it for alchemy.¡± Li Xuan patted the tiger¡¯s head and said. ¡°Alright then.¡± Su Lingxiu looked somewhat disappointed. ¡°Shi¡¯er, you will be responsible for feeding it. If it doesn¡¯t behave, kill it.¡± Li Xuan commanded. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Shi¡¯er looked somewhat excited and said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve learned some beast taming skills. I don¡¯t know if I can train it, but 1 can try.¡± ¡°You can go ahead and try.¡± Li Xuan was surprised for a moment, Shi¡¯er can actually tame beasts? But he also knew that Shi¡¯er¡¯s beast taming skill was just some means of the Jianghu and wasn¡¯t considered any big deal. ¡°From now on, when refining elixirs, if there are any that haven¡¯t been refined, just give them to it to eat. It¡¯s better than wasting them. Whether or not it can manifest potency, it¡¯s up to itself.¡± Li Xuan thought for a moment and said. ¡°Alright, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. Upon hearing this, Shi¡¯er was anxious. ¡°Master, I can eat them too.¡± Li Xuan said angrily, ¡°Not all failed elixirs are harmless to humans. If you eat the failed elixirs and something happens, don¡¯t complain.¡± Upon hearing this, Shi¡¯er immediately shrank his neck and said with embarrassment, ¡°Then forget it, just give it to it.¡± Li Xuan sat down on the chair and watched the Red-Eyed Tiger laying belly-up, showing off its cuteness. He pondered for a moment and said, ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be called Red Cat.¡± ¡°Roar!¡± Red Cat let out a deep roar. Li Xuan laughed, the IQof this tiger was quite high. Shi¡¯er brought a large coarse chain, put it around Red Cat¡¯s neck, and found a whip to use for taming. Su Lingxiu used the Water Spirit Grass to refine a batch of elixirs, but there were two failed elixirs which she gave to Red Cat to eat.. Chapter 155 Translator: 549690339 After eating the discarded pill, Red Cat¡¯s eyes sparkled brightly as they fixated on Su Lingxiu, rolling over to reveal its belly continuously, its face full of appeasement. Clearly, after consuming the pill, the tiger discovered that the medicine was beneficial to it! Having concocted pills, Su Lingxiu began to assist Zhou Ying in transitioning her cultivation to Martial Arts. Zhou Ying¡¯s foundation in Martial Arts was nearly fixed, and transitioning required time. Without the aid of pills, it would be even more difficult to make the switch. Fortunately, her realm was not too high. After consuming the pills and accumulating Qi-Blood, she finally succeeded in sensing Qi-Blood and entered the Skin Refinement stage. With her original Martial Arts strength and the aid of pills, Zhou Ying swiftly completed the Skin Refinement process and successfully made her transition to Martial Arts. Su Lingxiu also breathed a sigh of relief and began to focus on cultivating and delving into the path of Pill Medicine Martial Path. That day, Xu Yan returned. Li Xuan learned that Xu Yan¡¯s father had broken through the Qi-Blood Realm and had officially entered the threshold of Martial Arts. ¡°Is it because there are too few cultivators, and their realms are too low, while my realm is too high, that 1 didn¡¯t receive any feedback?¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. After paying respects to his master, Xu Yan handed over the medicinal herbs he brought back to Su Lingxiu, as well as matters concerning pills. ¡°Junior sister, do you have any Youth Retaining Pills? 1 want to give them to my mother.¡± Xu Yan asked. ¡°Youth Retaining Pills?¡± Su Lingxiu pondered, various Spiritual Medicines surfacing in her mind. She picked out certain characteristics of some herbs and gradually pieced together an immature pill formula. ¡°There should be such pills, but the ingredients for Youth Retaining Pills must be Spiritual Medicines. Unfortunately, I only have one sort, the Aquatic Spiritgrass, which isn¡¯t suitable for concocting Youth Retaining Pills,¡± Su Lingxiu said, shaking her head. Xu Yan was overjoyed, ¡°Junior sister, just give me the list of Spiritual Medicines. Once I go to the Inner Domain, 1¡¯11 make sure to gather all these herbs.¡± ¡°Junior sister, you have Spiritual Medicines?¡± Immediately after, Xu Yan asked in surprise. ¡°Second senior brother brought them back.¡± With a grave expression, Su Lingxiu recounted everything about Meng Chong to Xu Yan. ¡°The demonic sect again, this is outrageous!¡± Xu Yan was furious upon hearing the news. Last time, it was Xue Wuxin from the demonic sect, and Meng Chong was nearly killed. Now it was the demonic sect again, and he made a secret resolve. Once he went to the Inner Domain, he would settle scores with the demonic sect! ¡°Junior brother has comprehended Saber Intent? That¡¯s great, I¡¯ll go find him!¡± Xu Yan said excitedly. Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes lit up. Their eldest senior brother had comprehended Sword Intent, and the second had comprehended Saber Intent; it seemed a spar was in order. She hurriedly followed Xu Yan up the slope. Seeing this, Shi¡¯er, leading Red Cat, also went to watch the excitement. Li Xuan raised an eyebrow but did not go to watch, knowing the likely outcome in his heart. Meng Chong¡¯s Saber Intent was domineering and unrivaled, possessing the aura of slicing through heaven and earth. Xu Yan¡¯s Mountains and Rivers Sword Intent appeared continuous like mountains and rivers, seemingly not sharp, yet concealed a murderous and ruthless edge, even more fierce and unforgiving. When mountains and rivers collapse, all living beings perish! ¡°Junior brother, you¡¯ve comprehended Saber Intent? Come, let¡¯s spar.¡± Xu Yan said, unable to contain his excitement. ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong also wore an excited look. Sparing to verify each other¡¯s understanding was beneficial for further insights. Su Lingxiu and Shi¡¯er stood at a distance, observing the two on the slope. Red Cat lay on the ground, its eyes spinning, seemingly looking for an opportunity to escape. Whumm! Suddenly, a supremely domineering aura rose, with Saber Intent surging, rendering the atmosphere solemn, as if it sought to annihilate everything. Red Cat immediately shivered in fear, eyes wide with terror. Too terrifying. ¡°What a terrifying Saber Intent, is this what Saber Intent is?¡± Shi¡¯er was astonished. He envied this power, a pity that his innate gifts limited him from comprehending the Saber Intent. Su Lingxiu clenched her fists and stared at the two senior brothers on the slope. This was the Saber Intent of the second senior brother, but what about the Sword Intent of the eldest senior brother? Whumm! A gentle yet infinitely grand Sword Intent unfolded, as if encompassing mountains, rivers, and all living creatures. Even the domineering Saber Intent seemed enveloped by it. Boom! A thunderous sound erupted as the Saber Intent and Sword Intent clashed with each other. Meng Chong¡¯s expression turned solemn. His supreme Saber Intent surged repeatedly, as if to sever mountains and rivers. However, the vast expanse of mountains and rivers was unending, seemingly infinite and boundless. The unparalleled Blade Intent of Ren Bajue ran rampant, yet the mountains and rivers remained unshaken. Xu Yan was surprised inside, ¡°Junior brother¡¯s Blade Intent, how domineering!¡± ¡°Senior brother, 1 am about to strike with my blade!¡± Meng Chong said in a deep voice. ¡°Good!¡± Xu Yan nodded. Hum! A blade light blossomed, matchlessly tyrannical, as if it sought to tear apart heaven and earth. At this moment, a vast Sword Intent rose mightily, as if mountains and rivers were flowing. In the blink of an eye, the mountains and rivers overturned, all living beings fell into silence, fierce and merciless! The Blade Intent dissipated, leaving only the Sword Intent lingering endlessly. ¡°Big senior brother¡¯s Mountains and Rivers Sword Intent, I am inferior indeed!¡± Meng Chong said with a sigh. His Blade Intent was already matchless under the heavens, yet he had not expected that his senior brother¡¯s Mountains and Rivers Sword Intent would conceal such fierce and merciless intent to kill. ¡°Junior brother, your Blade Intent, sharp and revealed, is unparalleled under the heavens. Even my Mountains and Rivers Sword Intent found it challenging to withstand. ¡°Today¡¯s sparring has given me some new insights, and I have gained some fresh understanding of Sword Intent.¡± Xu Yan said with a sigh. Meng Chong was thoughtful; he, too, had gained some insights from the sparring just now. However, compared to his big senior brother, he was ultimately a step weaker. ¡°No wonder, our master ventured into the world because he took in big senior brother as a disciple, and only then did he continue to take disciples. Big senior brother¡¯s Martial Arts presence, surpassing the prodigies of ancient times.¡± Meng Chong sighed endlessly. From a sparring session, the clash between Sword Intent and Blade Intent, Xu Yan and Meng Chong each gained something, both of them digesting their gains. Su Lingxiu returned to the manor and began to comprehend the Pill Medicine Martial Path once again; she, too, had made some gains. Only Shi¡¯er looked puzzled, feeling only that it was very impressive and rather frightening. He was somewhat ashamed, no wonder he could only serve as a servant; his talent was far too inferior, as he had not gained even the slightest insight. Glancing at Zhou Ying, who was diligently cultivating, he sighed in relief, feeling much better knowing there was someone else in a similar position. Xu Yan sat on the slope, immersed in his insights, with strands of Sword Intent swirling around him, constantly transforming. At one moment, the Sword Intent seemed ready to advance further, but then it abruptly came to a halt. ¡°My realm is not high enough, 1 cannot wield the second layer of Sword Intent.¡± Xu Yan opened his eyes and exhaled a breath. He had comprehended the second layer of Sword Intent. Meng Chong also had his gains; the tyrannical Blade Intent appeared more restrained, capable of exploding in an instant within a heartbeat. Li Xuan¡¯s figure appeared on the slope. With one hand, he was playing with the Jade Ruyi, advancing with a leisurely and carefree pace. When Xu Yan comprehended the second layer of Sword Intent, he had already received feedback from the Golden Finger. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has comprehended the second layer of Sword Intent, and your second layer of Sword Intent is complete.¡± The second layer of Sword Intent! Li Xuan was inwardly filled with sighs, having a disciple like Xu Yan, my Martial Arts undertaking must flourish! Moving with unhurried steps, he arrived at the slope. It was also time to pass on to Meng Chong the second realm of the Blade Path. To let him comprehend and ponder it in advance. ¡°Master!¡± Meng Chong greeted respectfully. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the distant horizon, all the while exhibiting the demeanor of a great master detached from worldly affairs. ¡°You have awakened the Blade Spirit and entered the threshold of the Blade Path, do you have any questions?¡± Meng Chong¡¯s spirits lifted as he said, ¡°Master, should I cultivate the blade? Just like initially, when nurturing the blade awakened the Blade Spirit?¡± Li Xuan pondered in his heart, nurture the blade technique? It could indeed be a trump card, but nurturing the blade requires consumption, and can be somewhat detrimental to cultivation. Besides, Meng Chong¡¯s initial blade nurturing, the slash when he drew his blade, its immense power was due to the Blade Spirit awakening, suddenly releasing the nurtured Blade Intent. He suddenly thought of the Blade Path levels he had devised; even if one were to nurture the blade, it should not be any ordinary blade; that was too common and nowhere near worthy of the profound Blade Path he had created. With this thought, Li Xuan spoke up, ¡°How to nurture the blade? You have already awakened the Blade Spirit, you should not be fixated on the blade in your hand, what you need to nurture is the blade in your heart. ¡°It¡¯s your Blade Spirit you should be nurturing, the nurturing must happen within, not on the outside. ¡°If the treasured blade you¡¯re nurturing were to be lost or stolen, wouldn¡¯t that be futile? ¡°Don¡¯t say things like ¡®the blade won¡¯t be separated from the body, it won¡¯t be lost¡¯. Therefore, what you need to nurture is the blade in your heart, the blade within your Blade Spirit. ¡°Only such a nurtured blade will never be lost.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s heart trembled, and a burst of enlightenment appeared in his mind, as if a skylight had opened, instantly gaining insight. ¡°Nurture the blade in my heart? The blade within the Blade Spirit?¡± He murmured to himself, seemingly finding the direction to nurture his blade.. Chapter 156 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan looked at his second disciple, Meng Chong, with great anticipation, hoping that he would comprehend a powerful sword nurturing technique. A technique to nurture the sword with heart, to nourish the sword with its spirit. To cultivate a trump card, a powerful backing. Xu Yan, who was at his side, also fell into contemplation. Although Master spoke of nurturing a sword, nurturing it with heart and soul, he himself practiced Sword Dao. However, from one thing, you can know another; he also developed some ideas. ¡°Creating a trump card for oneself, a hidden strength, one that will only be used in a dire situation. This trump card, this hidden strength, once used, can go beyond one¡¯s ability.¡± Li Xuan slowly said. ¡°Can a martial artist afford to have no trump card? Only those which surpass one¡¯s own strength can be called a trump card, capable of turning danger into safety in times of crisis. ¡°You have nurtured the idea of nurturing a sword, wanting to leave yourself a deadly move, the thought is very good.¡± Li Xuan said with approval. Xu Yan and Meng Chong both felt a boost in their spirits. The master was imparting precious martial arts experiences and they must remember them well. ¡°A martial artist must have a trump card!¡± Meng Chong thought back to his battle with Blood Spirit Child. If he hadn¡¯t been successful in nurturing his sword, how could he have turned the tables and killed his opponent? And that sword could be considered his trump card! ¡°Having entered the Dao of Swords, today 1 will pass on to you the second realm of the Dao of Swords.¡± Li Xuan solemnly said: ¡°The second realm of Sword Dao is the Heart Sword Realm, using all things as swords; while the second realm of Dao of Swords is the Concealed Sword Realm!¡± Concealed Sword Realm! Meng Chong listened respectfully, but the look on his face showed his confusion. The second realm of Sword Dao is the Heart Sword Realm, where the heart has a sword and all things can be used as swords. Why is the second realm of Dao of Swords the Concealed Sword Realm? Li Xuan said in a deep voice: ¡°In the Concealed Sword Realm, the sword is hidden in heaven and earth; everywhere in heaven and earth there is a sword; heaven and earth are hidden in the sword, only my sword dominates the world!¡± Meng Chong was shaken in his heart, muttering to himself: ¡°The sword is hidden in heaven and earth, where in heaven and earth is there no sword? Heaven and earth are hidden in the sword, only my sword dominates the world?¡± He felt a sense of domineering dominance from it. Where in the world is there no sword?! Li Xuan said gravely, ¡°You must understand its Dao. Concealment is not just concealment, it is also a form of concealment. It¡¯s about withholding one¡¯s edge, about concealing one¡¯s sword in one¡¯s heart, in heaven and earth, and concealing heaven and earth in one¡¯s sword. ¡°Once you understand, where in the vast universe can you not go? Where is there no sword to use?¡± Meng Chong¡¯s heart trembled, feeling it was too profound. When would he be able to understand the second realm of Dao of Swords? From his current realm, it seems too far away. ¡°Master, your disciple will keep it in mind!¡± Meng Chong said respectfully. Xu Yan also fell into deep thought. Hidden sword in heaven and earth? Is it somehow equally profound to the concept of Sword Dao, where everything can be used as a sword? ¡°Can I also hide my sword in heaven and earth?¡± Xu Yan muttered to himself. Li Xuan glanced at his first disciple, ¡°Dao of the sword is a path, so is the Dao of the blade. The more you ponder, the more you will understand.¡± His words were actually meant for Xu Yan. With Xu Yan¡¯s monstrous talent and strong imaginative ability, he might be able to comprehend something new? ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong both respectfully saluted. Li Xuan reached out and grabbed the sawtooth sword in his hand. ¡°The second realm of Dao of Swords is too far away for you. Today 1 will impart to you a sword technique. Your Sword Intent is domineering, I will impart to you the Domineering Sword of Heaven and Earth!¡± Meng Chong was immediately excited. The Domineering Sword of Heaven and Earth! ¡°Watch carefully!¡± Li Xuan held the sawtooth sword, the True Qi circulated, the fully realized domineering Sword Intent gathered, he raised his hand and slashed, the sword light crossing the sky, as if tearing apart heaven and earth. One sword, dominated heaven and earth. To give his disciples a chance to comprehend, Li Xuan slashed with all his strength, combining fully realized domineering Sword Intent with a bit of overwhelming and ruthless Sword Intent. With his strength far surpassing Meng Chong and Xu Yan, the power of this sword was naturally unmatched, shocking both of them. After the demonstration, Li Xuan stuck his sword into the ground. ¡°This sword, which I demonstrated using power similar to yours, is the Domineering Sword of Heaven and Earth. It¡¯s one sword that dominates the heaven and earth!¡± Li Xuan emphasized again, that sword just now was performed with reference to Meng Chong¡¯s power. Meng Chong was tremendously shocked inside. Such a terrifying attack, was it really performed with power similar to his own? The Domineering Sword of Heaven and Earth, was truly extraordinarily powerful. The domineering air that could dominate the world had been deeply imprinted in his mind. Under this sword, Meng Chong felt utterly insignificant. ¡°Yes, Master, your disciple will ponder carefully!¡± With his hands behind his back, Li Xuan walked away in an easy and contented manner, ¡°Hmm, ponder well.¡± Watching Master depart leisurely, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but sigh: ¡°Master¡¯s realm is so high, every move he makes contains the profound understanding of the Dao of Nature. ¡°Looking at the way Master walks, so leisurely and carefree, has a great sense of freedom, when will 1 be able to reach this realm.¡± After imparting the second realm of Dao of Swords to Meng Chong, Li Xuan began to ponder the realm above Tongxuan Realm, how to create it, how to understand the cultivation theory. Moreover, it needs to connect with the Tongxuan Realm. Meng Chong is practicing the Domineering Sword of Heaven and Earth, but for the time being, he didn¡¯t seem to comprehend much. Xu Yan, on the other hand, took the Blood and Qi pills refined by Su Lingxiu and returned to Eastern River County and the capital of Qi Country. Li Xuan knew that with the security of his family¡¯s martial arts entrance, Xu Yan could hardly wait to venture into the Inner Domain. While Su Lingxiu continued to practice and refine pills, she was refining her golden bones and was not too far from perfecting her golden bones. In addition to pill refining and cultivation, she continued to ponder the Dao of Dan Medicine. She also started to understand the Golden Needle Technique, extending it based on the foundation of Dan Medicine Canon.. Chapter 157 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Finally, I succeeded in refining it.¡± On this day, Su Lingxiu was filled with excitement. The Evergreen Elixir she had created was finally made. With this elixir, she felt her chances of refining her own Evergreen Bone greatly increased. Li Xuan was also in a good mood. If Su Lingxiu could refine the Evergreen Bone, his gains would be even greater. What transformation would occur with the combination of Jade Bone, Diamond Glazed Bone, and Evergreen Bone? It would definitely be stronger than the current Innate Spiritual Bone! On the hillside, Meng Chong held his treasured saber, slashing out again and again. In his mind, he saw the moment his master demonstrated the Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber, exuding dominant prowess. Between heaven and earth, there was only that one, domineering figure who looked down upon the world and that one slash, as if tearing apart the firmament! ¡°The Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber lies in the domineering attitude of me being the sole ruler of the world, looking down upon all. Still, 1 lack something. My Saber Intent may be unrivaled, but compared to Master¡¯s slash, it¡¯s too far off.¡± Meng Chong mused, ¡°Eldest martial brother said, everything Master does resonates with the Great Dao and contains its profound principles. I should observe and comprehend more.¡± The image of his master appeared in his mind. His strides were leisurely, his posture free and unfettered. Yet, on that day, the moment the Master took action, he was unmatched and dominant. It seemed like the entire world contained only that one slash. From being leisurely and carefree to becoming dominant in an instant, as if he ruled the world, with absolute control, completely at his will. No wonder the eldest martial brother said that master was an existence almost akin to the Great Dao. Meng Chong closed his eyes. At this moment, his Saber Soul became clear, and the image of that one slash in his mind gradually became clearer. The scene of ruling the world and slashing the heavens began to emerge on him gradually. Golden light flickered, the figure of a golden bell emerged, the treasured saber quivered, and a powerful Saber Intent surrounded him. The fallen leaves rustled and crumbled into dust before they could even touch the ground. Ding! Meng Chong opened his eyes, drew his saber and slashed. A matchless saber light ripped across the sky as if tearing apart the heavens! Slash after slash, Meng Chong immersed himself in comprehension. At this moment, his saber light swept across all directions, the unrivaled Saber Intent gradually incorporating into the saber light. At one point, with a slash from Meng Chong, it seemed as if the world lost its color. The power of this slash was no weaker than that of the slash he made when his Saber Soul awakened. It was unrivaled and overbearing! The Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber! ¡°I¡¯ve mastered the Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber!¡± Meng Chong was thrilled. At this moment, his understanding of the saber had reached an extremely high level. ¡°Next, what I need to do is to control my moves freely, to be relaxed and carefree, every move 1 make should be an overbearing slash. That is the status a martial artist should have. ¡°The foundation of the second realm of Saber Dao should also lie in this. Only when I can control my moves freely, keeping the saber hidden, can 1 further comprehend the Sheathed Saber Realm.¡± After comprehending the Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber, Meng Chong¡¯s strength had significantly increased. He continued to practice the Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber on the hillside. Li Xuan, who was pondering how to craft techniques above the Tongxuan Realm, suddenly noticed a golden light. ¡°Your apprentice Meng Chong has successfully practiced the Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber you created. Your Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber is fully accomplished!¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed, Meng Chong had comprehended it so quickly. ¡°This Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber, it¡¯s truly magnificent.¡± He demonstrated that unrivaled slash with strength far beyond Meng Chong¡¯s, without any Overlord Saber Intent. What Meng Chong comprehended was the true Heavenly Earth Overlord Saber. If he were to execute this slash now, its power would be nearly ten times greater than the slash he demonstrated. At the Xu family mansion in Donghe County. Xu Yan and his parents were having a meal. Although after breaking through to the Innate Realm, he only needed to inhale and exhale nature¡¯s spiritual energy to maintain his peak state, and no longer needed food. However, this meal was different, it represented the warmth of home. Since entering the path of martial arts, he seldom had meals with his parents. And soon, he was going to the Inner Domain. ¡°Yan¡¯er, you don¡¯t have to worry, with the elixirs you gave me, I will soon start practicing.¡± Mother Xu, seeing his distracted look and thinking that her son was worried about her practice, comforted him. ¡°Mom, I might be leaving for a while.¡± Xu Yan looked up and said to his mother. From childhood to adulthood, despite frequently going out to visit experts, he had never been away from home for too long, except for the time he spent practicing in the small mountain village. This trip to the Inner Domain might take more than half a year for me to return, right? ¡°Yan¡¯er, you¡¯re grown up now, already a strong martial artist. Just take care of yourself when you¡¯re out there, don¡¯t worry about things at home. Your father and I are also martial artists, and with Elder Pan and our house guards, nothing will go wrong.¡± A father knows his child best; Xu Junhe immediately realized that his son had grown up and was yearning to venture out into the world. Mother Xu¡¯s eyes reddened; she got up and went back to her room to retrieve a parcel. ¡°These are the clothes 1 sewed for you. Be careful when you are out there and don¡¯t let your strength make you lose your vigilance¡­¡± Mother Xu rambled on and on. Xu Yan was holding the parcel, listening to his mother¡¯s ramblings, and after she had finished rambling, he said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. My power is much stronger than that of an average grandmaster. There will be no danger. ¡°Moreover, Xie Lingfeng has a considerable reputation in the Inner Domain. If 1 run into any trouble, I¡¯ll just mention his name.¡± Xie Lingfeng was the one who said that in the Inner Domain, no matter what happens, just mention his name! Xu Yan kept this in mind. ¡°Mother, this time when 1 go to the inner domain, 1 will definitely buy spiritual medicine and let Sister Su Lingxiu refine the Youth Preservation Pill and various other auxiliary cultivation pills. Mother, you can also break through the innate realm and maintain your youthful appearance.¡± Mother Xu showed a doting look, ¡°Mother believes in you and awaits your return!¡± ¡°Mother, rest assured.¡± Xu Yan patted his chest and assured her. After dinner, Xu Yan and Xu Junhe strolled in the garden of the Xu family mansion, neither of them speaking for a while. ¡°Ever since you were a child, you were obsessed with martial arts stories, and sought out masters everywhere. Everyone said that I, Xu Junhe, have a silly son. 1 originally planned to save some wealth for you, find you a good wife, so you could live a luxurious life. ¡°But who would have thought, there are indeed masters in this world and my son has also become a great martial artist, and I, your father, have also stepped onto the path of martial arts.¡± Xu Junhe sighed sentimentally, breaking the silence. ¡°I realize that you¡¯re passionate about martial arts, and with you away, there¡¯s no need to worry about home. We will be safe here in the borderlands, with no fear of turmoil in Qi Country. The guards at home are all loyal and devoted, they are almost all martial artists now. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Xu Junhe paused, looked seriously at Xu Yan, and continued: ¡°Your grandfather is in the capital, and since he is a great martial artist, your cousins will naturally get carried away. You taught them the ways of martial arts, and in my view, it¡¯s only a matter of time before they leak it. Are you prepared for that? Will your master blame you?¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. The possibility of the martial arts techniques getting leaked was not small. His cousin Guo Yunkai controls the Divine Army and would inevitably cultivate his own confidants.n If the method of martial arts is taught to his trusted people. The more people practice, the more natural it is for the techniques to be leaked out. ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just the Qi and Blood Realm technique. Even if it leaks out, it¡¯s no big deal.¡± Xu Yan said dismissively. When his master agreed to teach him the cultivation technique to share with his family, he probably knew that the day it would leak was inevitable.n ¡°Maybe my master also intended to spread the martial arts to the borderlands?¡± Xu Yan was thinking about this in his heart. ¡°Father, let me teach you the swordsmanship tomorrow. Although you can¡¯t grasp the Sword Dao, practicing martial arts swordsmanship will greatly enhance your strength.¡± Xu Yan opened his mouth to say. Before he leaves, he wants to elevate the strength of his family. ¡°Good!¡± Xu Junhe nodded, turned away and said, ¡°Yan¡¯er, go to bed early.¡± When Xu Yan returned to his residence, he sat cross-legged on his bed. A stream of True Qi appeared on his fingertip. Then another stream of True Qi emerged. He began to separate the True Qi, comprehending the mysterium of True Qi. ¡°One finger True Qi, I can now divide it into three paths. If 1 continue to divide it until each path of True Qi is as small as a needle, my comprehension and control of True Qi will be greatly enhanced. Moreover, my True Qi has become more condensed, purer and stronger with the division.¡± Xu Yan was dividing his True Qi. ¡°One Finger True Qi¡± was the True Qi that emanated from his fingers, as thick as his fingers. With the division of True Qi, it originally becomes diffused. But now, after the split, the True Qi remains as solid as before, even stronger. He knows his thought process is correct. When the division of True Qi is completed and the mysterium is fully comprehended, the True Qi in the Tongxuan realm is transformed into True Yuan, which he can also comprehend.. Chapter 158 Translator: 549690339 In the Eastern River Prefecture, Xu Yan was teaching his father and Pharmacist Pan swordsmanship, which included the basic Descending Dragon Palm Techniques, and incidentally also imparting them to the sworn guards of his home. However, the swordsmanship practiced by the guards was a different set. Nor did they learn the Descending Dragon Palm Technique, but another palm technique. For Xu Yan, who had reached the Innate Realm and gained insight into the Sword Dao and the essence of Descending Dragon Palm, having also studied the Inner Realm Cultivation Techniques, general martial skills were easily grasped by him. Furthermore, all the guards had martial arts training, and they were well-versed in martial arts; it was only a matter of how to apply their martial vitality to these martial skills. So that these martial skills could transcend the mundane realm. For Xu Yan, this presented little difficulty. After spending half a month teaching these skills, particularly the light movement technique to his parents, Xu Yan finally returned to Yunshan County. Everything was ready, it was time to set off for a new adventure in the Inner Domain. Xu Yan was filled with excitement. The bustling martial world of the Inner Domain was the place for martial artists to be. Upon returning to Yunshan County, he found his Master still sitting leisurely in the courtyard. ¡°Master, the cultivation techniques I taught might be leaked.¡± Xu Yan informed his Master about the possible leak of their cultivation techniques. Li Xuan was not concerned. When Xu Yan first taught his family members the cultivation techniques, he had already anticipated the possibility of them being leaked. Moreover, he also intended to spread those techniques in the frontier. With an increasing number of people cultivating, he would inevitably get feedback from the Golden Finger. He had not spread the martial arts techniques simply to protect the safety of Xu Yan¡¯s family. Now that Xu Yan¡¯s family members had all entered the world of martial arts and had the support of alchemy, one step at a time led to consecutive steps. For subsequent martial arts practitioners to catch up, it would not be an easy task. Especially with Xu Yan, a big obstacle in their way, they naturally wouldn¡¯t dare to harm Xu Yan¡¯s family. If there were practitioners who could catch up with Xu Yan¡¯s family, their martial arts talent must be excellent, and that might bring him some feedback. ¡°Let it be if it gets leaked. The way of martial arts is not a big deal. There are countless martial artists in the world, many of whom have not progressed beyond the initial stage. ¡°Those who truly understand martial arts and continue to advance on the path are rare throughout the ages.¡± Li Xuan said indifferently. ¡°1 understand. So, should the Master actively disclose the cultivation techniques?¡± Xu Yan thought and asked. ¡°Just let it be.¡± If disclosed actively, those who cherish the techniques would shrink in numbers. Xu Yan sighed in his heart, ¡°Great people all believe in fate, and everything comes from fate. But I can¡¯t just do nothing. Martial arts were taught to me by Master. The frontier had no martial arts, until Master spread it there. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the martial artists in the frontier know who brought them martial arts? Isn¡¯t it appropriate to call our Master the ancestor of martial arts?¡± He had some ideas in mind. Su Lingxiu walked over and said, ¡°Master, Kou Ruozhi is quite capable. May I take him to learn the way of martial arts? ¡°With him, I will have someone to use once I return to the Inner Domain.¡± She couldn¡¯t stay in the frontier forever and would one day return to the Inner Domain. Facing those people, she needed someone to get things done for her. Kou Ruozhi had managed to gather the fragments of the Sky Mother Sect once again and had secretly taken control of Yunshan County and planned to infiltrate the Eastern River Prefecture. It was clear that he was a savvy organizer. Su Lingxiu believed that when she returned to the Inner Domain, she would need someone like Kou Ruozhi. The more cunning and insidious he is, the better he could handle those people. As long as he was at her disposal. Although Kou Ruozhi was cunning and insidious, he was not a person without principles and he had his own ambitions. ¡°You can!¡± Li Xuan didn¡¯t mind. Since they were already teaching others, who to teach didn¡¯t make a difference. ¡°As the Goddess of Sky Mother Sect, you can decide for yourself.¡± Li Xuan thought for a while and said. ¡°Yes, Master, 1 know what to do.¡± Su Lingxiu happily responded. When she returned to the Inner Domain in the future, she would take a group of people with her. The more people, the greater the power, and the more spiritual medicine and alchemical resources they could gather for her. ¡°Junior Sister, our Master is the one who spread martial arts to the frontier. Martial arts emerged because of him. Practitioners should know about the existence of such a martial arts sage.¡± Xu Yan contemplated and spoke out. Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes lit up, and she said with narrowed eyes, ¡°No problem, 1 will let Kou Ruozhi handle it. As the founder of frontier Martial Arts, the sage of Martial Arts¡­¡± Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched. His disciples did have big imaginations. He became the founder of frontier Martial Arts, the sage of Martial Arts? This title¡­it sounded not bad. He was too lazy to manage it anyway. Maybe there would be unexpected gains when the title of the sage of Martial Arts, the founder of frontier Martial Arts resounded? This martial art was his creation. It was different from the Inner Domain Martial Arts. ¡°Master, I want to go to the Inner Domain.¡± Xu Yan spoke expectantly. Li Xuan was not surprised and nodded, ¡°Go on then, it¡¯s time to venture into the Martial Arts world.¡± Meng Chong returned. His Senior Brother was about to go to the Inner Domain. He, too, was excited. As soon as he broke through to the Innate Realm, he would follow his Senior Brother¡¯s footsteps and head for the Inner Domain. All three disciples were there. Su Lingxiu was originally from the Inner Domain, and naturally knew more about it than anyone else. It was time for his disciples to venture into the martial arts world. As their Master, he naturally had to impart some experience to them. Even though Li Xuan had never ventured into the world of martial arts. That didn¡¯t prevent him from imparting experience to his disciples. ¡°The Martial Arts world is complex, and people are treacherous. When you go to the Inner Domain, remember to always be on guard. Many strong people throughout history have fallen due to contempt, negligence, and arrogance. ¡°Never show off your full strength in public. Never underestimate any martial artist, even if he is far weaker than you. If he is an enemy, kill him without mercy..¡± Chapter 159 Nine Grades, Tianbao Pavilion in the Inner Domain_2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°If the enemy has strong backing or powerful supporters behind them, stay low-key. Look for an opportunity to silently eliminate them, leaving no trace or evidence. Or you can wait until you become stronger, then strike like thunder and annihilate them along with their backers.¡± ¡°Newcomers to the martial arts world are like fledgling birds entering the forest; you must maintain a low profile, be cautious. If necessary, conceal your real identity¡­¡± Li Xuan had a serious and instructive look on his face as he lectured his disciples. He shared all the experiences of heroes wandering the world from novels he had read in his previous life with his disciples. Su Lingxiu, a refugee from the Inner Domain, listened intently, intoxicated by her master¡¯s rich experiences in the martial arts world. Zhou Ying kept sighing in amazement, Li Xuan was indeed a wise man who had been through countless hardships and dangers. These were all precious experiences. Before this, she considered her own survival experiences in the martial arts world to be quite rich. But when compared to this wise man, she seemed lacking. After passing on his experiences, Li Xuan added, ¡°Experiences are static, but people are dynamic. Things in the world are always changing. You must learn to adapt and be flexible. This is the real experience of the martial arts world.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rigidly follow the teachings I¡¯ve given you. They are only for reference. You must learn to adapt. Do you understand?¡± Li Xuan was worried his disciples wouldn¡¯t understand flexibility and would follow his teachings without deviation. What if they clash with Inner Realm Martial Arts, wouldn¡¯t they stick out like a sore thumb? Wouldn¡¯t that lead to unnecessary trouble? So he had to remind his disciples that his teachings were just a reference. The real experience of navigating the martial arts world revolves around adapting and being flexible! ¡°Yes, your disciples understand!¡± Xu Yan replied respectfully. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded, he was relatively confident in Xu Yan. Already possessing the strength of a Grandmaster, even if he encountered a Great Grandmaster, even if he could not fight, he could still escape. ¡°The Inner Domain Martial Arts are varied. Don¡¯t be arrogant or look down on Inner Domain Martial Arts just because you have mastered the martial arts I taught. You should observe and learn more, draw inferences from one instance, extract their essence, and comprehend their true meanings.¡± ¡°I hope you will incorporate all paths into your own, and forge your own martial path.¡± ¡°Rather than following in my footsteps, walking the path 1 have walked.¡± Li Xuan spoke again with a heavy voice. Xu Yan respectfully bowed. In his heart, he thought that this was the mark of a true teacher! He doesn¡¯t want his disciples to rigidly follow the path he has taken, but rather, to think independently, to forge their own path. ¡°As your teacher, 1 hope that one day, you can form your own path and surpass me. 1 will be truly proud when you exceed me.¡± Li Xuan was brimming with expectation for his disciples. ¡°My disciples, broaden your horizons, create more martial arts techniques for me. As for surpassing me, don¡¯t hold your breath. I¡¯m only trying to spur you on.¡± That¡¯s what Li Xuan was thinking. ¡°Yes, Master, we will not let you down!¡± There was a gleam in Xu Yan¡¯s and the other two¡¯s eyes. Their master was great ¨C his lifelong wish was to have his students surpass him and create a new path. From this, they could infer how high their master¡¯s realm was. It was beyond imagination. Had he already reached the end of martial arts? No! That¡¯s impossible. Their master had said it before ¨C the Martial Path is endless. After finishing his instructive session, Li Xuan stopped speaking. He let the three disciples of Xu Yan gather together. Su Lingxiu had some information about the Inner Domain to share with her senior brother. ¡°Junior sister, introduce me to the spiritual medicines. When 1 go to the Inner Domain, I will bring some back for you!¡± Xu Yan said excitedly. One of his goals for going to the Inner Domain was to obtain spiritual medicine. To refine an elixir to preserve their youth, as well as various pills for their parents to practice. Before going to the Inner Domain, he needed to be prepared. Meng Chong was also excited, as he would soon be going to the Inner Domain. One of his goals was naturally to find spiritual medicines for his junior sister. Moreover, the elixir refined from spiritual medicine was the real elixir! Shi¡¯er was squatting off to the side, with Red Cat lying next to him. Both listened carefully. Su Lingxiu was also very pleased. If Li Xuan could bring back spiritual medicine, she could refine more elixirs, and her alchemy techniques could improve even further. ¡°Senior brother, let me introduce you to spiritual medicines. According to ancient lore, spiritual medicines are divided into nine grades. For example, this Water Ling Herb is a ninth grade spiritual medicine, which is the lowest level. However, its survival environment requirements are not high, so it is quite common and also inexpensive¡­¡± Spiritual medicines are divided into nine grades, with the highest being grade one. However, there are no grade one spiritual medicines in the Inner Domain. ¡°So far, the highest grade of spiritual medicine in the Inner Domain is grade six. There has been no record of spiritual medicines above grade six, whether they exist or not, I do not know.¡± Xu Yan asked in confusion, ¡°Since there are no grade one spiritual medicines in the Inner Domain, how do you know they exist?¡± Meng Chong nodded in agreement. ¡°This classification has been in use since ancient times, it is most likely true and may not necessarily be non-existent. They are just exceedingly rare. If someone found one, they wouldn¡¯t advertise it for fear of bringing disaster, let alone sell it.¡± Su Lingxiu postulated after some thought. ¡°I see.¡± Xu Yan had an epiphany. ¡°Currently in the Inner Domain, grade six spiritual medicine is nearly the highest grade available, it¡¯s almost impossible to find¡­¡± Su Lingxiu continued her introduction. ¡°Senior brother, when you get to the Inner Domain, the most convenient way to get spiritual medicine, besides trading with people or searching for it yourself, is to buy from the Tianbao Pavilion.¡± ¡°Tianbao Pavilion is a major power in the Inner Domain, there is a Tianbao Pavilion branch in every city¡­¡± Su Lingxiu was introducing Tianbao Pavilion. Tianbao Pavilion is a merchant alliance in the Inner Domain, no one knows its exact depth or strength. There are rumours that the Tianbao Pavilion has a Lingshan in some mysterious place and masters the technique of planting spiritual medicines. Besides, Tianbao Pavilion has the ability to explore Spirit Crystal mines. It controls a vast amount of Spirit Crystal mines and is the first merchant force in the Inner Domain. Every city branch is presided over by a Grandmaster Martial Artist. ¡°Tianbao Pavilion has an excellent reputation; there have never been reports of shady dealings. Also, the Tianbao Pavilion purchases numerous treasures such as spiritual medicines, martial arts cultivation techniques, Spirit Crystals, etc., and all of these can be obtained from the Tianbao Pavilion.¡± ¡°If you have a lot of Spirit Crystals and are afraid of storing them at home, you can deposit them at Tianbao Pavilion. Despite the security fee charged by Tianbao Pavilion, it is considered safe.¡± ¡°Spirit notes, or Spirit Crystal vouchers, are also circulated in the Inner Domain. They were introduced by the Tianbao Pavilion. Martial artists only need to carry these vouchers, avoiding the need to carry a large number of Spirit Crystals.¡± ¡°Spirit notes can be redeemed for an equivalent amount of Spirit Crystals at any Tianbao Pavilion branch in any city in the Inner Domain¡­¡± Su Lingxiu gave a detailed introduction of Tianbao Pavilion. Any Inner Domain martial artist inevitably has dealings with the Tianbao Pavilion. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were fascinated. The Inner Domain is so prosperous, and there even exists a merchant force like the Tianbao Pavilion. The Borderlands were indeed desolate in comparison, and it was not without reason. Li Xuan also listened quietly, marvelling in his heart at how powerful the Tianbao Pavilion was, even minting their versions of banknotes ¨C the Spirit notes, and offering services similar to a bank¡¯s, storing Spirit Crystals for people. Of course, unlike banks that give account holders interest, the Tianbao Pavilion charges a storage fee. ¡°Senior brother, if you wish to conveniently obtain spiritual medicines and various treasures, you can go to the Tianbao Pavilion. They have everything a martial artist needs, but you must be able to pay their prices.¡± ¡°Of course, there are also some other shops in the Inner Domain, but they are nowhere near comparable to the Tianbao Pavilion. These shops might indulge in underhand dealings, and although some treasures might be cheaper than those in the Tianbao Pavilion, you must be extra careful.¡± Su Lingxiu continued her introduction. ¡°Senior brother, when you first go to the Inner Domain, it¡¯s best to avoid small shops. It is wise to choose the Tianbao Pavilion first because it has a good reputation, they don¡¯t cheat customers.¡± Su Lingxiu felt that Li Xuan was penniless upon reaching the Inner Domain. Maybe he should take some elixirs to sell to the Tianbao Pavilion in exchange for Spirit Crystals, or directly exchange them for spiritual medicines. At this moment, Li Xuan interjected, ¡°Every organization has its shady side. Regardless of how good their reputation is, it could simply be that there hasn¡¯t been a treasure worth their while.¡± ¡°Even if they had taken part in shady dealings, as long as they clean up thoroughly and leave no traces, it would naturally not affect their reputation.¡± Su Lingxiu was startled, ¡°Master is right. If senior brother brings the Elixirs to sell in the Inner Domain, the value is immeasurable. What if they tempt Tianbao Pavilion?¡± With this thought, she dropped the idea of giving Li Xuan elixirs to exchange for spiritual medicine.. Chapter 160 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Master is right. Tianbao Pavilion has a stellar reputation, so it¡¯s possible that the item is ordinary and not worth them resorting to shady tactics. Even if they did try something underhanded, it has not been leaked out,¡± said Su Lingxiu, nodding. Xu Yan seemed to be deep in thought and said, ¡°This is rather similar to the uncivilized, remote regions; we have to be careful.¡± ¡°Junior Sister, is there more to the story?¡± Meng Chong asked eagerly. The Inner Domain is so much more interesting than the remote regions. ¡°There are three major kingdoms in the Inner Domain: The Great Yue Kingdom, Yan Kingdom, and Zi Yun Kingdom. Among them, the Great Yue Kingdom is the most powerful. If you enter the Inner Domain from the remote regions, you will be within the boundaries of the Great Yue Kingdom ¡­¡± Su Lingxiu pondered a bit before beginning her introduction of the geographical landscape of the Inner Domain. In particular, she put emphasis on explaining the Great Yue Kingdom. Power struggles clutter the Inner Domain, even among the three major kingdoms themselves, as all of them are a complex mesh of significant and minor influences. ¡°What differentiates the Great Yue Kingdom from the other two kingdoms is that it has five vassal kings. Each of these vassal kings are regional overlords with a Great Grandmaster governing them. They are not to be underestimated¡­¡± Su Lingxiu then gave a brief introduction of the five vassal kings of the Great Yue Kingdom. ¡°In the Inner Domain, there are numerous Sects, influences, and aristocratic families. Only several of the strongest forces have long-standing and unshakeable reputations. ¡°The Seven-Star Study Palace claims to be the premier academic institution in the world, independent of the royal governance. They admit talented individuals regardless of their background, producing numerous outstanding individuals, some of whom even founded their own Sects. The Seven-Star Study Palace¡¯s influence is second only to Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°Sword Zun Cliff, the foremost Sword Dao Sect in the Inner Domain, has strong influence¡­¡± Su Lingxiu started listing the prominent Sects and powers in the Inner Domain. When she mentioned Sword Zun Cliff, Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Shi¡¯er were astonished. ¡°So, Sword Zun Cliff is really that powerful?¡± Xu Yan was intrigued. ¡°Yes. The Sword Zun Cliff is incredibly powerful and its reputation is well-known across the Inner Domain!¡± Su Lingxiu confirmed with a nod. Xu Yan exchanged a look with Meng Chong. The two fellow disciples realized why Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan had said that they could drop their names in the Inner Domain regardless of the encountered situation. It turns out Sword Zun Cliff had such a prestigious reputation in the Inner Domain. Su Lingxiu then moved on to speak about Demon Sect. ¡°The Demon Sect is a bit special; it consists of countless factions. The majority of them practice life-taking cultivation techniques and are despised by Martial Artists. But there are also some who join the Demon Sect because of their peculiar personalities or because they¡¯ve been expelled by the Martial Artists, ¡°Ever since the Demon Lord vanished, demons lack the cohesion they once had. Now, there are nine prominent Demon Lord factions. Apart from three whose identities are known, the identities of the remaining Demon Lords remain a mystery¡­¡± The Demon Sect was once such a formidable power that it even threatened the Seven-Star Study Palace, Tianbao Pavilion, and Sword Zun Cliff. However, since the Demon Lord vanished, the Demon Sect has disintegrated. Lacking in cohesion like before, factions have multiplied, with the nine Demon Lords now the dominant factions controlling the Demon Sect. But the nine Demon Lords are each at odds with each other, which prevents the Demon Sect from becoming unified. All nine Demon Lords are undoubtedly top-tier Great Grandmasters, but only three of them are currently known. The identities of the remaining six Demon Lords remain unknown. Su Lingxiu then gave a general introduction of the powers in the Inner Domain, and finally admitted: ¡°I, your Junior Sister, don¡¯t know much either. These powers are famous in the Inner Domain; that¡¯s how 1 came by this information. ¡°There are many Sects and influences in the Inner Domain, and your Junior Sister¡¯s knowledge is limited. Once Master Brother enters the Inner Domain, you will naturally come to know about them. With Master Brother¡¯s skills, average Grandmasters are no match, and not every force can afford to offend Master Brother.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s blood was boiling, and he was so eager that he could fly to the Inner Domain immediately. He pounded his chest and said, ¡°Junior Sister, rest assured. I promise to bring back a large bag of Spiritual Medicine for you, so you can focus on studying Alchemy.¡± Meng Chong nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. Once I go to the Inner Domain, I¡¯ll also bring back a load of Spiritual Medicine.¡± Xu Yan took out a big bag and said, ¡°Junior Sister, I¡¯ve already prepared a bag for the Spiritual Medicine!¡± Overwhelmed, Su Lingxiu said, ¡°Master Brother, trying is enough. Safety comes first!¡± ¡°I understand, Master Brother knows his limits!¡± Xu Yan nodded. Then sighing, he said, ¡°Carrying a bag of spiritual medicine like this might not be very convenient. It worries me that if 1 store it hastily, I might lose it.¡± As for storing it in the Tianbao Pavilion, the securities might be too expensive. Besides, if he were to leave the Tianbao Pavilion and return to the Inner Domain, he¡¯d still need to carry around a big bag. Zhou Ying twitched his lips and looked at Xu Yan with a strange look. This guy is really confident. He hasn¡¯t even been to the Inner Domain, yet he¡¯s sure he can obtain such a large bag of Spiritual Medicine? ¡°Actually, there is an artifact in the Inner Domain called the Storage Bag. Although it¡¯s the size of a fist, it can contain a lot inside¡­¡± Su Lingxiu explained by using her hands to demonstrate its approximate size. Li Xuan, who had been listening quietly till now, livened up. Was there really such a magical artifact in the Inner Domain? According to Su Lingxiu¡¯s estimate, the bag could contain over a cubic meter¡¯s worth of items. ¡°The Inner Domain has such items. I wonder how they¡¯re crafted. Perhaps I should study it and form a set of techniques for refining such artifacts?¡± Li Xuan pondered. Of course, to develop a set of martial arts techniques in artifact refinement, he will first need to understand the advancement level of artifact refining in the inner domain. If the art of artifact refining has already reached a very high level, it will be much harder for him to establish an independent and unique form of martial arts in artifact refining. Plus, it wouldn¡¯t seem as necessary. Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and even Shi¡¯er were immediately stunned.. Could there really be such magical artifacts in the world? Chapter 161 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Junior Sister, how does one obtain this storage bag?¡± Xu Yan asked excitedly. ¡°Senior Brother, as of now, only the Tianbao Pavilion is capable of creating storage bags, and they are extremely expensive, so much so that even common Great Grandmasters can¡¯t afford them.¡± Su Lingxiu looked at her two excited senior brothers with a touch of helplessness. ¡°Storage bags are difficult to create and very rare. They are made from a rare Inner Domain spiritual frog, the Mountain-swallowing Toad, and supplemented by Yunhuan silk.¡± ¡°The Mountain-swallowing Toad is only the size of a fist, but it has a unique ability to swallow an entire small mountain. The storage bag is made from the Mountain-swallowing Toad, and hunting them down is not an easy task, let alone finding one¡­¡± According to Su Lingxiu, the storage bag was made from the spiritual frog, the Mountain-swallowing Toad. Although the size of the toad is only fist-sized, it can swallow an entire small mountain. Although it sounds a bit exaggerated, there is no problem swallowing a rockery several feet high. The Mountain-swallowing Toads are rare and prefer to inhabit swamps, making them difficult to hunt. Even a Great Grandmaster, if careless, could be swallowed and suffer certain death. In addition to the Mountain-swallowing Toad, Yunhuan silk is also extremely expensive. Items woven from this silk can expand and shrink hundreds of times at will. ¡°It is rumored that Tianbao Pavilion has methods to detect and capture Mountain-swallowing Toads. So far, only the Tianbao Pavilion sells them, but the price is prohibitively high.¡± Su Lingxiu also had a longing expression on her face. She too wanted a storage bag. With this bag, it would be much more convenient to carry Spiritual Medicine and Pill Furnaces.¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that the Seven-star Study Palace can also create storage bags, but they lack the method to track down Mountain-swallowing Toads. Catching one is not an easy task, they are almost impossible to find.¡± Because they are so rare, very, very few people can actually afford to use a storage bag. Li Xuan nodded quietly, the storage bag, with the ability to hold items far more massive than the size of the bag itself, is special due to the properties of the Mountain-swallowing Toad, not due to the subtleties of artifact refining. It¡¯s not about mastering the method of creating spatial artifacts. Even Xie Lingfeng, a genius of the Sword Sect, doesn¡¯t have a storage bag, which indicates how precious these bags are. ¡°In the Inner Domain, if you come across someone with a storage bag, don¡¯t doubt it, their background is astonishing. If it¡¯s possible to avoid offending them, try your best not to!¡± Su Lingxiu seriously advised. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Junior Sister, I understand.¡± Xu Yan nodded, but he was thinking about how he could get a storage bag. Meng Chong had the same thoughts. ¡°Junior Sister, list the spiritual medicines you need, and 1 will try my best to collect them for you.¡± Xu Yan solemnly replied. ¡°Please wait, Senior Brother. I will make a list of the required spiritual medicines.¡± Su Lingxiu nodded joyfully. Returning to her room, she picked up a pen and began to write. In her Dan Medical Treasure Scripture, she had created several new alchemy formulas in recent days, all of which required testing with spiritual medicine. The types of spiritual medicine are varied and have different properties. Some even contain toxicity. ¡°Senior Brother, this is the list of spiritual medicines.¡± Su Lingxiu handed the completed list to Xu Yan. Xu Yan took a look and committed all the medicines listed to memory, then handed it to Meng Chong, saying, ¡°I will leave for the Inner Domain now. Junior sister, wait for me to return with the spiritual medicines.¡± He couldn¡¯t wait any longer. ¡°Senior Brother, please wait a moment, let me prepare some healing pills for you to take.¡± Su Lingxiu hurriedly spoke. ¡°Pili medicine?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up, the pill medicine should be worth a lot, right? ¡°Senior Brother, there are no pill medicines in the Inner Domain. Just as Master said, if the value is high enough, even Tianbao Pavilion will resort to underhanded methods.¡± Su Lingxiu said seriously. ¡°I understand; the pill medicines cannot be sold.¡± Xu Yan nodded solemnly. Tianbao Pavilion is incredibly powerful, and he didn¡¯t want to be hunted down by them due to pill medicine just after arriving in the Inner Domain. ¡°When I break through to the Tongxuan Realm, 1 won¡¯t have to worry so much. With one palm, I could explode a Great Grandmaster; then let¡¯s see who dares to covet!¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. ¡°Senior Brother, the pill medicine I¡¯m going to prepare for you will be used for healing and detoxification. However, the only medicinal ingredient used for refining the pill is Water Spirit Grass, so the effects will be slightly impaired. ¡°But it¡¯s also stronger than most of the healing medicines in the Inner Domain. As long as you don¡¯t tell anyone, outsiders will think it¡¯s nothing more than those pills from the Inner Domain. No need to worry about exposing the pills.¡± Su Lingxiu said as she was refining the pills. ¡°Little sister, don¡¯t worry. I got it.¡± Xu Yan nodded. After refining two bottles of pills, Xu Yan kept one and gave the other to Meng Chong, saying, ¡°Little brother, you are also heading to the Inner Domain. There¡¯s not much Water Spirit Grass left, and little sister needs to cultivate. It¡¯s pointless to refine more healing pills. One bottle of mine will suffice.¡± Meng Chong took the pills and said, ¡°Big brother is right, we should save the Water Spirit Grass for little sister¡¯s refining of Evergreen Bones!¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes were red. Ever since they had fled from danger, she had not felt this much warmth and protectiveness from anyone. ¡°Thankyou, brother!¡± Xu Yan knelt in front of their master and said, ¡°Master, I am going to the Inner Domain. Do you have any instructions?¡± Watching his eldest disciple, Li Xuan was filled with emotion, recalling the scenes of when Xu Yan from the small mountain village became his disciple and diligently started his cultivation. Among the three disciples, he cared for Xu Yan the most and had the highest hopes for him. The exploration of martial arts was entirely dependent on this eldest disciple. Now, Xu Yan was going to venture into the Inner Domain. ¡°My disciple, always remember, arrogance and contempt are the traits of a fool. A real Martial Artist is diligent and eager to learn. When you go to the Inner Domain, learn as much as you can, observe, and gain insights. Do not dismiss it as a false martial arts pathway, thinking it has nothing to offer. ¡°This kind of mindset is unacceptable. Be eager to learn, take the essence, integrate it into your own way, and innovate. Lastly, safety first. If you encounter an enemy, kill if you can, flee if you cannot. There¡¯s no shame in it. Only a fool will insist on fighting a losing battle. ¡°If surrounded by strong enemies, understand how to make strategic concessions¡­¡± Li Xuan said all this in a stream of consciousness. ¡°Meng Chong, keep all that in mind.¡± He then looked at Meng Chong and said. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong replied respectfully. ¡°Master, I will remember your teachings!¡± Xu Yan respectfully knocked his head three times on the ground. Standing up, he patted Meng Chong¡¯s chest, saying, ¡°Little brother, I¡¯ll wait for you in the Inner Domain!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong strongly nodded in agreement. Xu Yan looked around, then turned his gaze to the Red Cat lying next to Shi¡¯er. He sighed internally, this Red-Eyed Tiger was far more formidable than the one he had killed. ¡°The Red-eyed Tigers and Fire-maned Wolves in the Demon Forest were arranged by the Master.¡± Xu Yan was moved. After he became a disciple, the Master had been paving the way for his cultivation journey. Leaping into the air, he disappeared into the horizon, heading straight for the Inner Domain. Meng Chong, Su Lingxiu and the others looked up, but Xu Yan¡¯s figure was already gone. ¡°Master, I am going to practice!¡± Meng Chong said, his gaze firm. He headed up the hill, continued to understand the Great Solar Gold Body, striving to breakthrough as soon as possible. Su Lingxiu started cultivating in earnest, she was somewhat impatient to return to the Inner Domain, where she could truly practice her martial arts! ¡°I must succeed in refining Evergreen Bones!¡± Her gaze was resolute. Li Xuan took a deep breath, looking towards the endless mountains. His eldest disciple had gone to venture into the Inner Domain, when would it be his turn? ¡°After Su Lingxiu breaks through to Innate? It¡¯s also about time for the Border Area to pass down the Martial Arts.¡± Li Xuan silently thought to himself. He walked over to the Red Cat and stroked its head, mumbling, ¡°You¡¯ve gotten fat, this big body of yours takes up quite a bit of space. Should I stew you?¡± The Red Cat¡¯s eyes were filled with fear. It lowered its head and kept rubbing against his leg, making a low, pleading sound. Li Xuan forced a smile, ¡°You do seem to have some intelligence. Alright then, I¡¯ll teach you the Grand Sorcery. Whether you understand it or not is completely up to you!¡± ¡°Having eaten the waste pill, you should have learned to accumulate medicinal power and strengthen your body. Moreover, your body has its owntreasuress; if you can comprehend this, shrinking, growing as you wish should be within your capabilities¡­¡± As Li Xuan spoke, he pointed out various places on the Red Cat¡¯s body, recalling the videos and pictures of beast acupuncture points he had seen in his previous life, pointing out all he remembered on the Red Cat¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯ll just point these out to you. The rest you have to find and explore on your own. If you can open these acupoints and cultivate Divine Skills and transformations, that would be your own fortune.¡± As for whether the Red Cat could understand or not, Li Xuan didn¡¯t care, it was all up to its own fortune. He was just testing it out because he felt that the Red Cat seemed to have some intelligence.. Chapter 162 Translator: 549690339 Red Cat¡¯s eyes widened, seemingly in confusion as it could not comprehend the words spoken by Li Xuan. ¡°After all, it¡¯s a ferocious beast. Despite looking somewhat intelligent, how could it possibly comprehend such profound knowledge?¡± Li Xuan shook his head and laughed at his foolish expectations, thinking that Red Cat could grasp the essence of a monstrous method. He lazily walked away, playing with his Jade Ruyi. Outside the manor, on the hillside. Sitting cross-legged, Meng Chong was completely engrossed in understanding the Great Sun Golden Body; he was inching closer to realizing the cultivation method. His Senior Brother headed to the Inner Domain, a place his heart longed for as well. The reason he hadn¡¯t immediately gone to the Inner Domain was not just his own admission of insufficient strength, but also that he, being in the Stagnant Blood Stage, was incapable of flying. Without reaching the Innate Realm, he couldn¡¯t fully execute the method of Thunderstorm Travel. ¡°The Great Sun Golden Body, after connecting Heaven and Earth Bridge, starts the process of Qi Sea cultivation. Creating an energy foundation in the Qi Sea, opening up the holes of the Golden Body in the Innate Realm opens up eighteen holes in all, forming a small cycle. ¡°Each hole can nurture the mysteries of the physical body. With the opening of the eighteen holes, a part of the transmutation of the Great Sun Golden Body can be exhibited. Although 1 can¡¯t achieve a three zhang golden body yet, a one zhang golden body should be achievable. ¡°I have a bit of an understanding of the mysteries of the golden body holes.¡± A flash of enlightenment lit up Meng Chong¡¯s mind as he began to grasp the method of the Great Sun Golden Body. The locations of the Golden Body holes were set. While realizing his own body, he discovered some other holes as well. ¡°The Great Sun Golden Body is within sight.¡± Meng Chong was ecstatic. He didn¡¯t know how many days he had been meditating on the hillside, but at that moment, he finally comprehended the Great Sun Golden Body! While sitting in a chair, Li Xuan read an ancient book and wielded a cane. He pointed out Red Cat¡¯s body holes, saying, ¡°Red Cat, these are body holes. You should aim the power of the medicinal pill you consume at one of these holes. You might reap some benefit!¡± Red Cat sat on the floor, its tail wagging back and forth, its expression displaying a mixture of understanding and confusion. Suddenly, a golden light appeared. Li Xuan¡¯s heart leaped with joy ¨C Meng Chong had realized the Great Sun Golden Body. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has comprehended the Great Sun Golden Body technique you created. Hence, you have entered the Great Sun Golden Body.¡± Bang! In that instant, Li Xuan felt some holes in his body open up, nurturing a profound energy. His physical body was improving rapidly, increasing its capabilities by more than tenfold in a flash. ¡°So this is what the Great Sun Golden Body is like!¡± Li Xuan had reinstated the complete cultivation method of the Great Sun Golden Body. Both, the Physical Martial Arts and Innate Realm, were fully developed and expanded. In the Innate Realm, eighteen holes of the Great Sun Golden Body had to be opened. For him, who had just entered this realm, only three holes were opened. These three holes constantly nurtured a mystical energy, which in turn kept strengthening his physical body. ¡°With my current physical strength, even a Grandmaster would not be able to harm me if I just stood still.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. His Great Sun Golden Body was quite powerful. His strength had advanced further. He was not far from overpowering a Grandmaster with a single hand. Now that Meng Chong had grasped the concept of the Great Sun Golden Body, his breakthrough to the Innate Realm was imminent. ¡°When Xu Yan broke through, he transformed into the Dragon-Teng Mountain and River Spirit Bones. Will Meng Chong undergo a similar transformation?¡± Li Xuan pondered. Considering Xu Yan¡¯s extraordinary talent and the fact that he was a pioneer of Martial Arts, Li Xuan suspected that he possessed great luck and was possibly a child of destiny. Hence, the transformation had occurred when he broke through to the Innate Realm. Meng Chong, on the other hand, was not quite at Xu Yan¡¯s level, so he might not go through such a transformation. ¡°By the time Meng Chong breaks through and I achieve the Great Sun Golden Body in the Innate Realm, I will have grown stronger. 1 would be able to face several Grandmasters and easily handle their combined assault.¡± Li Xuan was exhilarated at the thought. Having obtained the complete technique of the Great Sun Golden Body, he now had some ideas for the Red Cat. With the bamboo cane, he pointed at Red Cat¡¯s body, saying, ¡°I will teach you the monstrous method. You need to understand it. Even if you¡¯re a pet, you can¡¯t be too useless. Besides, your massive body isn¡¯t cute in the least. ¡°If you can¡¯t comprehend it, then 1 might have to consider¡­ stewing you!¡± All the while, he was grinning at the shivering Red Cat. ¡°Remember what I¡¯ve told you¡­¡± Li Xuan repeated the new monstrous method to Red Cat, word by word. He didn¡¯t expect Red Cat to remember it all in one go. If he repeated it daily and if Red Cat was intelligent enough, it should, over time, remember it, right? If Red Cat really manages to cultivate the monstrous method, would he be credited with pioneering Monstrous Martial Arts? Would he receive any form of feedback for that? Li Xuan was full of anticipation. In the capital city of Qi Country. Guo Rongshan was examining a letter and then opened a box to find a statue. The statue depicted a figure with one hand resting on his back and the other holding a Jade Ruyi. His head was slightly raised, seemingly looking into the horizon, like a lofty hermit. The statue¡¯s face was simply outlined, but it still conveyed a sense of handsome elegance, appearing quite youthful. If Li Xuan saw this statue, he would realize that although the facial features were simply outlined, they somewhat resembled his own. ¡°Daoist Ancestor, Preeminent Sage? Saint of Martial Arts?¡± Guo Rongshan¡¯s expression was solemn as he respectfully lifted the statue and placed it on the table. ¡°Father, what did you want to see me for?¡± Guo Yunkai walked in. ¡°Have you seen this statue? Use the best jade to carve one for our home.. This is the Saint of Martial Arts!¡± Chapter 163 Translator: 549690339 Guo Rongshan pointed to the sculpture on the table. ¡°Yes, Dad!¡± Guo Yunkai replied with a serious nod. ¡°Also, transcribe a copy of this cultivation technique, I want to present it to the Emperor.¡± Guo Rongshan continued. ¡°Dad, we can¡¯t do that!¡± Guo Yunkai exclaimed in surprise. If the martial arts techniques get divulged and everyone can practice, where would the advantage of the Guo Family lie? ¡°Do you think the cultivation technique has not been divulged?¡± Guo Rongshan gave him a glance, ¡°In the barbaric frontier lacking martial arts, now that we are ahead, it¡¯s time to start promoting martial arts. The meaning of active and passive teaching is different, do you understand?¡± Guo Yunkai was stunned. ¡°What does Dad mean?¡± Guo Rongshan pointed to the letter on the table. Guo Yunkai picked it up and had a look. It was a letter sent by Xu Junhe. After reading the content, he sighed in relief, ¡°Dad, I understand now!¡± In the recent days, Emperor Qi was feeling somewhat more relaxed, but he was still frustrated. What had allowed him to let out a sigh of relief was the fact that Guo Rongshan, who was controlling the government, had no rebellious intentions and treated him, the Emperor of Qi, with full respect. He had never gone against him. ¡°Brother Guo, what important matter do you have? Just make your own decisions. I won¡¯t object!¡± One day, Guo Rongshan visited the palace, holding a box in his hands. ¡°Your Majesty, this is the martial arts technique, a gift from a grandmaster who took pity on our barren borders devoid of martial arts and entrusted it to us¡­¡± Guo Rongshan then handed over the cultivation technique and opened the box, revealing a statue inside. Emperor Qi was dumbfounded. Was Guo Rongshan really instilling martial arts techniques? No, the grandmaster wanted to propagate martial arts in the frontier! ¡°Brother Guo, you indeed are a great benefactor to our Qi Country and our frontier!¡± With trembling hands, Emperor Qi held onto the box containing the martial arts technique, tears sparkling in his eyes. ¡°Your Majesty, our frontier may be small, but the inner domain is vast. Our frontier should also have martial arts. We need to stand united¡­¡± Guo Rongshan said solemnly. Emperor Qi was taken aback. After a while, he took a deep breath and said, ¡°I understand.¡± Following that, Guo Rongshan and Emperor Qi discussed about the propagation of martial arts. Everyone is self-interested, so they decided to wait until they had made significant progress in their practice before spreading martial arts further. Having control over most of the precious medicinal herbs and being a step ahead naturally implied a continuous lead. For those who wanted to catch up, it would not be easy. The frontier and the Qi Country began to show signs of martial arts practice. And the Xu Family of Donghe County would gradually become the sacred home of martial arts in the frontier¡­ Kou Ruozhi was overjoyed. Finally, he could practice the martial arts technique. He fell on his knees and respectfully said, ¡°I am willing to lay down my life for Mother Earth!¡± Su Lingxiu solemnly said, ¡°Kou Ruozhi, I have taken note of your cunning and treacherous ways. I hope you won¡¯t let me down. Once you reach the inner domain, make sure to utilize your cunning and treacherous ability to get rid of all potential enemies!¡± ¡°Yes, Mother Earth!¡± Kou Ruozhi¡¯s facial muscles twitched. How was he cunning and treacherous? He was clearly wise and resourceful! A figure was soaring through the endless high mountains, heading straight to the inner domain. Xu Yan¡¯s heart was pounding with excitement. Looking down at the mountains and ridges below, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder why so many explorers from the frontier have never returned from the endless mountains, or why they quickly abandoned their expeditions. The huge beast lurking near the mountains close to the inner domain presented a significant risk. For people of the frontier, safely crossing this region was incredibly challenging. Once faced with a fierce beast, there would no chance of survival. This proves why nothing is known about the deep parts of the endless mountains. Anyone who encountered a fierce beast would never be able to return. Those who managed to cross the endless mountains and reach the inner domain by chance would not return to the frontier. The prosperity and martial arts of the inner domain were irresistible to anyone. Once they got a glimpse of it, nobody would wish for the frontier again. Xu Yan controlled his Qi to fly, passed through multiple mountains, and after covering more than three thousand miles, finally emerged from the endless mountains. He stepped into the inner domain. Looking down at the villages amongst the forests and those practicing martial arts, Xu Yan was overcome by emotion seeing how widespread martial arts in the inner domain had become. Even in such remote areas, there were people practicing martial arts. Although the cultivation techniques they practiced were very common, they were far beyond what was available in the frontier. ¡°Inner Domain, Xu Yan has arrived!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart was filled with excitement. After briefly determining the direction, he went straight to the nearest city from the Endless Mountain. ¡°According to what my junior sister said, if I exit the Endless Mountain, I will be in the territory of the Lanping County in the Greater Yue Country. There is a county town, called Iron Mountain County, thirty miles away.¡± Iron Mountain County is a small county on the border of Lanping County. Despite this, there is a branch of Tianbao Pavilion in the city. ¡°The Endless Mountain in the inner domain, is also called the Iron Barrier Mountain, hence the name Iron Mountain County. My junior sister said that this is a poor little county town. Let me go and take a look, and to check Tianbao Pavilion to buy some spiritual medicines.¡± Xu Yan moved quickly, flying all the way to a city that began to appear in the distance. Is this the poor county town?¡± Xu Yan widened his eyes. The so-called poor county, although not on the same scale as the capital of Qi Country, had already surpassed the prefecture city of Donghe County. And this was just a poor county in Greater Yue Country, Lanping County. ¡°The Inner Domain, what a prosperous place indeed!¡± Xu Yan was shocked. He felt like a country bumpkin who had come to the big city for the first time and was stunned by its prosperity. He descended from mid-air and walked towards the county town. The guard of Iron Mountain County saw a young man with a curious look on his face, a typical country bumpkin entering the city, he straightened his back, ready to step forward to extort some money. However, the moment he took a step, he hastily retracted it, his face serious, standing still without moving a muscle. ¡°That was close, where did this strong person come from? Why does he look so inexperienced? I almost stepped on a landmine!¡± The guard inwardly sighed with relief. In that instant, he suddenly sensed a powerful aura from Xu Yan, even though it was only for a moment, he was certain about it. This was a strong individual, definitely not someone he could provoke. ¡°At least a Fifth Grade strength!¡± The guard thought to himself. Xu Yan curiously glanced at the guard and marvelled, ¡°Even in a poor county like this, the guards are of such high quality. Their posture is upright, their backs straight, not at all like the lowly official I expected.¡± The guard, on the other hand, was having a panic attack after being observed by Xu Yan, ¡°He didn¡¯t realise that I was trying to extort him, did he? What do I do? If he retaliates, I could get beaten up or worse, killed!¡± ¡°He has at least a Fifth Grade strength, even stronger, even my superior would not risk offending a Martial Arts expert over my death.¡± The guard grew more and more anxious. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, stepped forward and said respectfully, ¡°Sir, it seems like this is your first time in Iron Mountain County. Is there anything I can assist you with?¡± Xu Yan was surprised, a minor official from Iron Mountain County was actually willingly offering assistance to a stranger? In Qi Country, not being bullied would already count as a blessing. ¡°Where is the Tianbao Pavilion?¡± Xu Yan asked after thinking for a moment. Sir, Tianbao Pavilion is located in the city. Once you enter the city, you will see a tall building in the city center, that¡¯s Tianbao Pavilion!¡± The guard replied respectfully, a sigh of relief in his heart, ¡°He probably didn¡¯t realise I was trying to extort him earlier?¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Xu Yan thanked him. As he lifted his hand, a few strands of True Qi danced on his fingertips. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, sir! The guard was scared pale, trembling inside, ¡°A Grandmaster? Is he a Grandmaster Martial Artist?¡± That seemed to be the Inner Qi of Martial Arts! Only then did Xu Yan realize that throughout his journey, he had not stopped manipulating his True Qi, which is why several strands of True Qi on his fingertips were still in the process of splitting and merging. ¡°I was too engrossed in it and almost forgot to unshow my True Qi.¡± Xu Yan quickly retrieved his True Qi. As he grew more capable of manipulating his True Qi, he could hide it better. After he retrieved his True Qi, his aura of the innate realm was completely concealed. Upon entering the city, Xu Yan was like a country bumpkin entering a city, staring in awe at the wide streets, the bustling crowds, and the numerous shops and taverns. ¡°This is just a poor county? How much more prosperous can the prefecture city be?¡± He was greatly shocked. ¡°This is a Ninth Grade Martial Artist? This is Eighth Grade? This is¡­ Sixth Grade?¡± Walking on the street, Xu Yan was curious about everything, looking like he had never seen the world before. ¡°The Inner Domain is more prosperous than I imagined. Iron Mountain County might be smaller than Jin¡¯an but it¡¯s more bustling. Martial Artists are everywhere.¡± Xu Yan was constantly in awe as he walked to the centre of the county city. There he saw that tall building, much larger than the tallest building in Jin¡¯an, the capital of Qi Country. The people going in and out were all Martial Artists.. Chapter 164 Translator: 549690339 Tianbao Pavilion stood ten Zhang high and consisted of five floors, its golden splendor was dazzling. In contrast, the prefecture city hall located not far from it looked incredibly simple, almost like a slum. The grand entrance was flanked by two pretty maids on each side, their faces adorned with welcoming smiles for every customer. What shocked Xu Yan most was the fact that all four maids were Seventh Grade Martial Artists. ¡°If a small prefecture city like this has a Tianbao Pavilion of such grandeur, I wonder how magnificent the one in the capital city must be?¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but sigh in amazement. He stepped towards the Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°Welcome, Sir!¡± The maids smiled and gestured him inside. Once inside, Xu Yan looked around. A maid approached him with a smile, ¡°Sir, may 1 assist you with something? Let me guide you.¡± Being an experienced attendant of Tianbao Pavilion, she instantly recognized Xu Yan as a greenhorn who was visiting Tianbao Pavilion for the first time. So, she promptly approached him to offer assistance. ¡°What do you have here?¡± Xu Yan asked straightforwardly. He did not bother hiding his inexperienced appearance. ¡°Please come this way, sir. This is the product list of our Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s first floor.¡± Guided by the maid, he came to a counter. The maid handed him a product list book. Xu Yan began flipping through it. Various medicines, spiritual medicines, weapons, cultivation techniques and so on, all sorts of items required by Martial Artists were listed. Upon reaching the last page, he did not find any Storage Bags. Xu Yan closed the book and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have storage bags?¡± The maid instantly froze, staring at him in disbelief as if he were some strange creature. She took quite a while to recover from her shock. Martial Artists who were selecting items around them all suddenly looked up, their faces a picture of stupefaction. Storage Bags? Did this young man actually want to buy a Storage Bag? Many powerful forces and even the Great Grandmasters could not afford them! This young man truly did not know his place! Xu Yan completely ignored these gazes, not blushing in the slightest. He firmly believed in one principle, you might not have money when traveling outside, but you must have thick skin! Had he not been thick-skinned, how could he have succeeded in finding a master? ¡°S-sir, we don¡¯t have Storage Bags here!¡± The maid finally managed to respond, her face filled with embarrassment. The person who asked wasn¡¯t embarrassed, but the one replying ended up feeling embarrassed. ¡°You don¡¯t have them?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s face fell in disappointment. Although he couldn¡¯t afford it, it would have been nice to at least have a look at it. But they didn¡¯t even have it! Such disappointment! The maid forced a smile, ¡°Anything else you need, sir?¡± Xu Yan took out five Spirit Crystals, his entire fortune gifted by Xie Lingfeng. ¡°I¡¯ll buy some Spiritual Medicine.¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, Xu Yan mentioned the name of a Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine, which was listed in the catalogue of required ingredients by Su Lingxiu. The maid¡¯s face darkened a bit, ¡°Sir, we don¡¯t have Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine here!¡± Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine, what was he thinking, this is just a local branch in the Iron Mountain County, how could we possibly have it! No one in the entire Iron Mountain County could afford it. Moreover, how could he with just five Spirit Crystals think of buying a Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine? ¡°What about Seventh Grade Spiritual Medicine then?¡± Xu Yan stepped back a little in disappointment and asked. ¡°No!¡± The maid¡¯s face grew even darker. The surrounding Martial Artists looked on with strange expressions. Not only did this young man not know his place, but he also was incredibly thick-skinned! ¡°You must surely have Ninth Grade Spiritual Medicine, right?¡± Xu Yan displayed a look of helplessness. It seemed Iron Mountain County was indeed a poor county. The local branch of Tianbao Pavilion did not even carry Seventh Grade Spiritual Medicine. ¡°Yes, we do have Ninth Grade Spiritual Medicine.¡± The maid looked a bit relieved, ¡°May I know which kind of Spiritual Medicine you want, sir?¡± Xu Yan pondered a bit. Among the Ninth-Grade Spiritual Medicines, one of the more expensive ones was a main ingredient used to concoct an Elixir of Youth, so he asked for it, ¡°Green Yuan Fruit.¡± Looking at the five Spirit Crystals on the counter, the maid smiled, ¡°Sir, Green Yuan Fruit costs one hundred Spirit Crystals.¡± ¡°That expensive?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Are you fooling me?¡± Su Lingxiu had told him many things, but she hadn¡¯t mentioned the rough value of various Spiritual Medicines. The maid frowned a bit, ¡°Our Tianbao Pavilion has an unparalleled reputation for honesty. We never deceive anyone, sir. Please don¡¯t make false accusations!¡± Xu Yan scratched his head, realizing for the first time that he was quite poor! He felt himself rich in the frontier, but after coming to the Inner Domain, he realized he was so poor he couldn¡¯t even afford a single Green Yuan Fruit! ¡°Then, can you check what kind of Spiritual Medicine I can buy with these five Spirit Crystals?¡± Xu Yan asked, feeling downcast. The maid flipped open the product list book, stopped at a page and said, ¡°With these five Spirit Crystals, sir, you can buy a Water Spirit Herb, or a Bone Strengthening Flower. A Water Spirit Herb costs three Spirit Crystals each, while a Bone Strengthening Flower costs five Spirit Crystals each.¡± Xu Yan was dumbfounded. Could the five Spirit Crystals only buy these two low-grade Spiritual Medicines? ¡°That¡¯s all? Only these two?¡± He asked, feeling somewhat unwilling. ¡°While there are naturally more than just these two types of Ninth-Grade low-grade Spiritual Medicines, our Iron Mountain County branch only has these two available. Would you like to purchase any sir?¡± The maid asked, smiling at him. ¡°I won¡¯t buy them!¡± Xu Yan pulled back the Spirit Crystals on the counter, feeling utterly dejected, ¡°I am too poor! I must figure out a way to earn more Spirit Crystals. Otherwise, how else am I going to buy Spiritual Medicines to take back with me? ¡°Without Spiritual Medicines, how will my junior apprentice sister concoct pills? How will my parents cultivate and improve their strengths?¡± As for going out to find Spiritual Medicines, it would require going to some desolate places. He did not come to Inner Domain for this sort of adventure. After thinking over it, his only solution was to figure out how to earn Spirit Crystals, as buying directly was the most convenient and fastest option. ¡°Hahaha, look at this greenhorn. Doesn¡¯t know a thing about the world, strutting around with his five Spirit Crystals, thinking he¡¯s rich..¡± Chapter 165 Translator: 549690339 Just then, beside the counter, a burly man sneered sarcastically. Xu Yan glanced at him ¨C a fifth grade martial artist. He raised his chin, ¡°So old yet only in the five-grade, such a waste!¡± He will not be mocked without retaliation. ¡°What did you say?¡± The burly man was furious, his aura surging wildly, with a cold gleam in his eyes that looked as if he was going to bite someone. ¡°Guests, this is Tianbao Pavilion!¡± A serving maid beside reminded lightly. The burly man¡¯s body shook, hurriedly concealing his aura, glared fiercely at Xu Yan, ¡°Kid, you better not leave Tianbao Pavilion, or else, hmph!¡± Saying this, he turned and walked away. Obviously, he wouldn¡¯t let this rest. ¡°Young Master, you seem to have offended someone.¡± The serving maid in front of Xu Yan reminded with a smile. ¡°Oh, what would happen if 1 offended someone?¡± Xu Yan thought about it, did he just discover a quick way to earn Spirit Crystals? ¡°People can be killed, although fights between martial artists are theoretically forbidden in the prefecture city, but¡­¡± The maid explained with a smile. ¡°Can people be killed?¡± Xu Yan asked lifting his head. The maid hesitated and looked at the young man in front of her in surprise. Did he intend to kill that burly man? That man was a fifth-grade martial artist, a strong figure in the Tie Shan Prefecture area. He was also a well-known ruthless martial artist in the Tie Shan Prefecture, who has killed in the city on several occasions, especially the outsiders without any backing, were his victims for money. As a servant of the Tianbao Pavilion, although not high in position, she knew more about these matters than most martial artists. Before she could answer, Xu Yan muttered, ¡°Even if I turn him to ashes, no one will know it was me who killed him and there will be no traces left!¡± The maid:¡­ Did she hear something she shouldn¡¯t have heard? ¡°Wait a moment, I might be able to buy Qingyuan Fruit with Spirit Crystals, just wait.¡± Xu Yan excitedly walked out. Was someone bringing Spirit Crystals to him? At this time, a group of people came down from the upper floor of the Tianbao Pavilion. The leading woman wore a veil, her face not clear. A maid who held a sword was closely following her. Behind the woman, there were two expressionless men with sharp eyes. They scanned all the martial artists in the place, making them all shiver. Strong ones! ¡°Miss Du, we deeply apologize that we do not have the spiritual medicine you need in Tianbao Pavilion in Tie Shan county!¡± The Pavilion Master apologized sincerely. The woman did not respond, and left the Tianbao Pavilion directly. As she stepped out the door, she happened to see Xu Yan, who was gleeful as he ducked into a nearby alley. The fifth-grade martial artist followed tightly after Xu Yan with menace on his face. In the alley, Xu Yan eagerly looked at the man who followed him in and asked, ¡°Do you have a hundred Spirit Crystals?¡± The burly man sneered, ¡°Kid, you¡¯re pretty arrogant, delivering yourself to death. I¡¯ll fulfill your wish!¡± With a sudden rush, he punched out. Xu Yan raised his hand to block it. The man¡¯s eyes widened in fear, his mind roared, ¡°Are you a Grandmaster, bullying a fifth-grade martial artist, have you no shame?!¡± Smack! The man died with his eyes wide open! Xu Yan searched his body, pulled out a small bag, looked inside and found that there were only thirty Spirit Crystals, and there was a flash of disappointment on his face. ¡°Such a poor guy, can¡¯t even afford a Qingyuan Fruit!¡± Xu Yan snapped his fingers, and a wave of True Qi rushed out, instantly crushing the body into ashes. ¡°Martial artists in the Inner Domain are indeed ruthless, they simply kill when there¡¯s a disagreement. No wonder Brother Xie told me that we must act decisively against the hostile and despicable people we meet in the Inner Domain, and never be soft-hearted!¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. Packed up the Spirit Crystals with a pensive and worried face, ¡°There aren¡¯t a hundred Spirit Crystals, I can¡¯t buy Qingyuan Fruit, and the amount of spiritual medicine I need is not small. ¡°If these guys who harbor ill will against me and want to kill me came to me every day, wouldn¡¯t 1 be able to accumulate Spirit Crystals quickly?¡± Coming out of the alley, Xu Yan pondered where to go next, how to earn Spirit Crystals. As a martial artist, it seemed impossible to survive in the Inner Domain without Spirit Crystals. ¡°All, what a worry!¡± Xu Yian sighed, he had never been troubled over money since he was able to remember things. It wasn¡¯t even his first full day in the Inner Domain, and he was already worrying about money! ¡°No wonder my master said I¡¯m poor. He must have seen it all. Wealth is not made of gold and silver. 1 can¡¯t even afford a few Spirit Crystals.¡± After glancing at the Tianbao Pavilion, Xu Yan decided to leave Tieshan County and head towards the prefecture city of Lanping, where there would be more opportunities to earn Spirit Crystals. The big city is the martial arts world, the real bustling place. ¡°Miss, there are surprisingly no bodies in the alley.¡± A group of people coming out of the Tianbao Pavilion passed by the alley¡¯s entrance. The maid glanced inside and exclaimed in surprise. Upon looking, Du Yuying raised her head and stopped in surprise, as if realizing something. She stared at the receding figure of Xu Yan, appearing lost in thought. Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and made a decision. ¡°Cui¡¯er, catch up to that gentleman and tell him I want to do a trade with him.¡± Taken aback, Cui¡¯er nodded without asking for reasons. ¡°Yes, miss.¡± She quickened her pace to catch up with Xu Yan. Once more, Du Yuying looked into the alley, took a deep breath, as if seeing hope. ¡°I hope things turn out the way 1 envision.¡± She briskly continued on her way. Behind her, two men watched her vigilantly, escorting her into a residence next to the county government. A while later, two carriages drove out from inside. The front carriage was escorted by guards on horseback on either side. In contrast, the back carriage was just driven by a single coachman. The carriages headed out of Tieshan County. Walking down the street, Xu Yan was looking all around at the hurrying martial artists, ¡°This one looks broke, he¡¯s as poor as me. So most inner domain martial artists are poor!¡± ¡°Excuse me, sir, please hold on!¡± Suddenly, a clear voice sounded from behind. Xu Yan turned his head and saw a woman holding a sword hurriedly catching up. ¡°You¡¯re calling me?¡± Xu Yan stopped in confusion. ¡°Yes, sir, my mistress wants to do a trade with you.¡± Cui¡¯er stopped and said. She also scrutinized Xu Yan, who was good-looking and whose martial arts skills were unclear. He was, presumably, stronger than her. ¡°Oh, who is your mistress and what trade does she want to make with me?¡± Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, his heart becoming wary. A newcomer himself, he couldn¡¯t be so careless that someone would stab him in the back. ¡°Sir, 1 don¡¯t know, if you accompany me to meet my mistress you will naturally find out.¡± Cui¡¯er shook her head. ¡°Okay!¡± Xu Yan nodded but thought to himself, ¡°If her mistress has ill intentions, I will make some spirit crystals. If it is a legitimate trade, I can also earn some spirit crystals. ¡°This maid is a fifth-tier martial artist, her mistress must not be simple. Hopefully, she has ill intentions; thus, I can make a large sum of Spirit Crystals!¡± With that thought, Xu Yan became energetic, as if a pile of Spirit Crystals was waiting for him. Cui¡¯er led Xu Yan back. On the way, they met the carriage, so she came forward and said, ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve brought the man.¡± Xu Yan glanced at the formation. The two martial artists at the front were of second-tier strength. The four martial artists on either side of the carriage were of third-tier strength, and the coachman was a first-tier martial artist. But this was just the surface strength of the team. The real power was the person in the carriage ¨C a Grandmaster! It appeared the person had been injured, and severely at that. Even so, they were more than enough to deal with a first-tier warrior. But if they encountered a Grandmaster, they might not be able to cope with their injuries. The lady in the carriage was not weak either, she was a third-tier martial artist. At her age, in the inner domain, that standing was top-tier. ¡°The other party¡¯s identity is not simple. A Grandmaster protects her, what trade does she want to make with me? Does she know I have Healing Pills? ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I¡¯ve never shown the pills and even if I did she wouldn¡¯t know they are Healing Pills. ¡°So if they¡¯re not after my Healing Pills, why do they seek me?¡± Xu Yan pondered in his heart. ¡°May 1 know your name, sir?¡± A clear and pleasing voice echoed from inside the carriage. ¡°The name is not important. What trade do you want to make? Speak frankly.¡± Xu Yan replied calmly.. Chapter 166 Translator: 549690339 Upon first arriving in the Inner Domain, Xu Yan adhered to a low-profile principle, despite having a general understanding of the Inner Domain from Xie Lingfeng and his junior sister Su Lingxiu. However, this was only a general understanding, which only covered the overarching structure of the Inner Domain. Just like the difference between reading about scenery from a book and experiencing it firsthand, there was a difference. Since arriving in the Inner Domain, Xu Yan realized how poor he was, and now all he was thinking about was how to earn enough Spirit Crystals to buy Spiritual Medicine. No matter what the intentions of the people on the coach were, whether sinister or not, Xu Yan was not worried. Although he had not made himself invincible in the Inner Domain, he could still easily deal with most of the Grandmaster martial artists. Amongst this group of people, the most powerful was a seriously injured Grandmaster martial artist who posed no threat. As long as he had enough Spirit Crystals, Xu Yan even hoped that they would try something, as this would result in a significant inflow of Spirit Crystals to him. ¡°Following my late mother¡¯s wish, I¡¯m taking her ashes back to our hometown. However, the journey has been fraught with danger. Given your apparent strength, I would like to hire you to accompany and protect me. Would that be acceptable?¡± Du Yuying stated her intentions. Ad Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, so this was the matter. Even with a Grandmaster guarding her, she still felt unsafe, which meant the enemies she faced must be very strong. ¡°I just arrived in the Inner Domain and I don¡¯t know anyone here. I don¡¯t have any money and I¡¯m just a penniless person. I have a limited understanding of the martial arts circles here. The forces that my junior sister mentioned are all highly influential entities. ¡°There are countless factions and sects in the Inner Domain. Just within the borders of the Great Yue Kingdom, there are many forces in play, not to mention outside the kingdom. ¡°Escorting her back might not be a bad idea. As for her enemies, I will fight if 1 can, and run away if I can¡¯t. There is no need to worry about being involved in this. If things really come to that, 1 can just mention Brother Xie¡¯s name.¡± Xu Yan contemplated and made a decision. ¡°I do not mind escorting you, however, about the price¡­¡± The woman held a significant status and should be able to offer a good amount of Spirit Crystals. Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Xu Yan¡¯s face. ¡°One hundred Spirit Crystals, how does that sound?¡± Du Yuying spoke. Xu Yan instantly suppressed his smile, looking at her disdainfully, ¡°Are you begging?¡± He turned around, preparing to leave. ¡°Sir, please wait. What I meant was a hundred Spirit Crystals a day.¡± Du Yuying spoke again. A hundred Spirit Crystals a day? Xu Yan¡¯s eyes shone slightly, it seemed like the price was pretty good? ¡°How many days will you need to travel to get back?¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t agree straight away. If the journey were short and they¡¯d reach their destination in a day or two, wouldn¡¯t that devalue his own worth? Ad ¡°The journey is dangerous. It¡¯s hard to determine how many days it will take.¡± Du Yuying replied. ¡°A thousand Spirit Crystals as a starting price, with an additional hundred daily. I will accept that.¡± Xu Yan thought and gave his counteroffer. ¡°Agreed!¡± Du Yuying quickly accepted the terms. Seeing how quickly she agreed, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but scratch his head. Did he quote too low? ¡°Get a horse for Sir!¡± Du Yuying instructed. ¡°Yes, Mistress!¡± A guard brought a horse. After Xu Yan climbed onto the horse, he leaned against the carriage, ¡°Where are the Spirit Crystals? 1 need the first thousand upfront.¡± ¡°Here you go!¡± Cui¡¯er opened the carriage curtain and handed over a thin, paper-like, silver card that was about three inches long. Xu Yan took a look at it. The card was embossed with the words Tianbao Pavilion, the bottom left corner showed a thousand, and the back of the card had a small diamond-shaped brand. ¡°That¡¯s a Spirit Note with a balance of one thousand. You can use it to purchase things in any Tianbao Pavilion or exchange it for Spirit Crystals.¡± Knowing that Xu Yan was new to all this and probably didn¡¯t know about Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s Spirit Note, Cui¡¯er explained. ¡°So, this is a Spirit Note!¡± Xu Yan marveled as he observed it closely. The Spirit Note was harder than normal paper but it could still be folded without leaving creases. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look hard to make a Spirit Note. Isn¡¯t Tianbao Pavilion afraid of counterfeits?¡± Xu Yan asked doubtfully. ¡°Pfft!¡± Cui¡¯er laughed, ¡°The material for the Spirit Note is unique to Tianbao Pavilion and they¡¯ve encoded anti-fraud measures on it. Who can forge it? Besides, forging Spirit Notes is equivalent to shaking the foundation of Tianbao Pavilion, tantamount to declaring war on them. Who would dare to do that?¡± Xu Yan nodded, pocketing the Spirit Note, and rode the horse following the caravan out of the city. ¡°The horses in the Inner Domain are much stronger and faster than those in the Border Wastelands and their endurance is also much better. Is it because they live in the Heavenly Earth Lingji and can benefit from the nourishment of Spiritual Energy?¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. Once they left the Iron Mountain County, their pace quickened and they set off to the east. Xu Yan didn¡¯t ask about their destination, as long as he got the money, he was only escorting them after all. Inside the carriage, Du Yuying sat silently. Her maid, Cui¡¯er, held a sword and sat next to her, looking like she wanted to say something but kept her mouth shut. ¡°Mistress, why did you hire a stranger to be an escort? He¡¯s so young, at most, he has the strength of a third-grade martial artist. What use will he be if we encounter a powerful foe?¡± Unable to curb her curiosity, Cui¡¯er finally asked. Du Yuying was silent for a moment before she said, ¡°A novice who seems to know nothing about everything, yet is full of confidence. A fifth-grade martial artist disappeared in his hands. He¡¯s not weak..¡± Chapter 167 Translator: 549690339 It¡¯s just a gamble; it only costs some Spirit Crystals,¡± Cui¡¯er fell silent. Had their return journey already become so dangerous? Xu Yan rode on horseback, feeling bored and wanting to chat with the bodyguards. He noticed that all of them had stern faces, not given to frivolity, and they remained vigilant at all times, aware of their surroundings. There was no desire in them to converse. ¡°What kind of status must she have, for these bodyguards to be like martyrs?¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. A hundred miles away from Iron Mountain County, traveling on a narrow road flanked by dense woods, the bodyguards rode their horses, protecting the carriage within a tight cordon. Their weapons were clutched tightly in their hands, ready for any potential attack. Unexpectedly, they traversed the dense woods without encountering any attack. But Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows rose as he said, ¡°Miss, exactly who are you that even Grandmaster Martial Artists are coming after you?¡± Du Yuying¡¯s face inside the carriage changed. ¡°What do you mean, young master?¡± Were more Grandmaster Martial Artists coming to attack? ¡°There is a Grandmaster waiting ahead.¡± Xu Yan lifted his chin, pointing ahead. The entourage came to an abrupt stop. Outside the dense woods, a figure was levitating three feet off the ground. Blood-red hair waved in the wind. In his hand was a blood-red long knife, flickering with a fierce light. Even at a distance, a faint scent of blood could be detected wafting over. It was as if the person had killed countless others, staining himself with an endless amount of blood. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± From the carriage behind, a coughing sound emerged, and a middle-aged man stepped out. He was pale, with unhealed injuries. ¡°A Grandmaster from the Demon Cult?!¡± Yan Kuan¡¯s expression was extremely grave as he spoke, ¡°Miss, 1 will try to hold him off. You must leave quickly!¡± Du Yuying stepped out from the carriage, her bright eyes focusing on Xu Yan, ¡°Young Master, can you deal with the enemy?¡± Xu Yan looked at her veiled face, unable to see it clearly, yet her eyes shone brightly, and she had a remarkable figure. She exuded a heroic air, superior in temperament even to those concubines in Emperor Qi¡¯s harem. ¡°I could, but as you know, he¡¯s a Grandmaster, very formidable. It won¡¯t be easy for me to handle him!¡± Xu Yan glanced over at the Grandmaster of the Demon Cult ahead, clearly a nefarious character; that aura of blood indicated he must have killed many Martial Artists. It was likely he cultivated a murderous Cultivation Technique. The Demon Cult bore enmity against him! One Xue Wuxin and another unknown cultist almost killed his junior brother. So, whenever encountering Grandmasters from the Demon Cult, he should try to kill them if possible. However, Xu Yan did not forget his mission to earn Spirit Crystals. When Du Yuying heard his words, her eyes lit up, and she said with a trembling voice, ¡°If you kill him, one thousand Spirit Crystals!¡± ¡°Only one thousand Spirit Crystals for a Grandmaster?¡± Xu Yan was somewhat disappointed. Du Yuying¡¯s lips twitched slightly, hearing his tone as if he didn¡¯t take Grandmasters seriously at all. ¡°Young Master, one thousand Spirit Crystals is not a small sum, and after all, you agreed to escort me. Moreover, since he is a Grandmaster, he should have some Spirit Crystals on him,¡± Du Yuying reminded him. After killing the Grandmaster, won¡¯t everything on him be yours? Xu Yan¡¯s eyes sparkled, ¡°That makes sense. Then I¡¯ll go take care of him.¡± He spurred his horse forward, approaching the situation quite casually. Du Yuying and her entourage watched intently, filled with nervousness, and Yan Kuan looked especially solemn. ¡°Miss, you should still prepare to flee. 1¡¯11 try my best to hold him off later,¡± Yan Kuan spoke in a grave voice. In his eyes, Xu Yan was just a green youngster, ignorant about the vast world and the power of a Grandmaster Martial Artist. ¡°It¡¯s the impetuosity of youth; such exceptional talent often leads one to disdain everything, thinking even Grandmasters are nothing special!¡± Yan Kuan sighed. If he had not been injured, he would never have let the young man walk to his death. But he was seriously wounded, and the young lady¡¯s safety came first, so the young man¡¯s fate was regrettable! Xu Yan advanced on horseback, confronting the Demon Cult Grandmaster who stood suspended in the air, with his aura increasingly turbulent, and asked, ¡°1 have a question for you. Do you know Xue Wuxin?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The Demon Cult Grandmaster looked up, his eyes blood-red as he said coldly, ¡°Do you know where Xue Wuxin is? Speak up, boy!¡± ¡°You want to see Xue Wuxin, huh? Then 1¡¯11 send you to meet him.¡± Xu Yan cracked a smile, ¡°You¡¯re a Grandmaster of the Demon Cult, accustomed to killing for treasure. You must have quite a few Spirit Crystals on you, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re seeking death!¡± The Demon Cult Grandmaster flew into a rage. This youngster dared to mock him like this, treating him as prey. Did he not realize the dignity of a Grandmaster must not be insulted? Boom! The blood-red knife light erupted, demonstrating the Grandmaster¡¯s might unmistakably in that moment. Du Yuying and the others¡¯ expressions changed drastically. Yan Kuan¡¯s face was especially grim, ¡°He is an intermediate-stage Grandmaster!¡± Even at his peak, it would not have been easy for him to receive such a blow. After all, he was merely an early-stage Grandmaster. No one knows what that young man said, but he actually enraged a Grandmaster! Xu Yan raised his hand and struck out with a palm, from which a Golden Giant Dragon surged forth, its might terrifying, as it effortlessly obliterated the blade light. With a dive and a spiral, the dragon swung its tail with a smack, striking the Grandmaster of the demonic sect on the head, instantly causing the head to explode! Thump! The Grandmaster of the demonic sect perished! Yan Kuan¡¯s eyes bulged, his hands trembling slightly. Dead? The Grandmaster of the demonic sect is actually dead? And what kind of Cultivation Technique is that Golden Giant Dragon? It¡¯s so wildly overbearing and its power so shocking! Gulp! Is that young man a Grandmaster Martial Artist? Such a young Grandmaster, and he¡¯s just starting out¡­ He found it a bit unimaginable! Du Yuying¡¯s little mouth fell open in shock. Although she had some guesses, they were just that¡ªguesses. She never imagined that he was indeed a youthful Grandmaster. What¡¯s more terrifying is that the opponent¡¯s strength is exceedingly formidable; that Golden Giant Dragon killed a mid-level Grandmaster in one strike! Could it be that he is a Grandmaster of great accomplishment? The guards who had been expressionless all this time were now all pale with shock. ¡°Miss, this¡­ this¡­¡± Cui¡¯er was overjoyed, feeling like she had stumbled upon a treasure. Xu Yan dismounted and searched the body of the Grandmaster from the demonic sect, pulling out a pouch. On opening it, he found several Spirit Crystals and a few Spiritual Notes. He was delighted and looked at the Spiritual Notes. Suddenly cursing, he said, ¡°You call yourself a Grandmaster of the demonic sect? Aren¡¯t you ashamed? Only these few hundred Spirit Crystals? You are a disgrace to the demonic sect, you deserve to die!¡± He had thought that as a Grandmaster Martial Artist and a Grandmaster of the demonic sect, the man must have often engaged in killing and looting for treasure, so his wealth should have been extremely substantial. Unexpectedly, there were only five Spiritual Notes worth a hundred Spirit Crystals each! With a wave of his hand, he stirred up True Qi, grinding the corpse to ash and scattering it, ensuring the man was completely dead. He remembered his master¡¯s teachings well. He picked up the Grandmaster¡¯s knife, which should fetch some money, right? He returned to his horse. ¡°I¡¯ve helped you to kill the man, where are the Spirit Crystals?¡± He reached out his hand to Du Yuying. ¡°Thank you, young master.¡± Du Yuying was thrilled, sure that with such a Grandmaster strongman as an escort, she could surely return safely. Cui¡¯er took out a Spiritual Note and placed it in his hand. Xu Yan cheerfully pocketed it, finding that earning Spirit Crystals wasn¡¯t difficult. Yan Kuan solemnly bowed with his fist and said, ¡°I am Yan Kuan, may I ask¡­¡± Xu Yan waved his hand and said, ¡°An insignificant person, just an insignificant person!¡± Yan Kuan¡¯s mouth twitched as he could only return to the carriage. Yuying turned and went back to the carriage. Xu Yan suddenly remembered something, lifted the knife of the Grandmaster of the demonic sect, and said, ¡°This knife ¨C do you want it? Name your price.¡± ¡°A thousand Spirit Crystals.¡± Yuying nodded. Cui¡¯er handed over another Spiritual Note to Xu Yan. Xu Yan was over the moon, no longer poor and now had some money to buy Spiritual Medicine. The group continued onward. In the night, they rested in the mountainous woods. Midnight came. With a whoosh, the might of a Grandmaster surged forth. Another Grandmaster of the demonic sect. ¡°Young Master, a thousand Spirit Crystals!¡± Yuying spoke decisively. No problem!¡± Xu Yan was thrilled, another thousand Spirit Crystals in hand, yet he also felt puzzled. Wasn¡¯t it said that in the Inner Domain, Grandmaster Martial Artists were also top existences? Why then did one after another keep showing up? ¡°Get down here!¡± Roar! The Golden Dragon roared, soaring into the sky, its might even more terrifying! ¡°Not good!¡± The Grandmaster of the demonic sect, whose approach was fearsome, suddenly turned a shade of terror and hastily made a move. Boom! With one palm strike, he killed a Grandmaster. Xu Yan chuckled as he looted the body and, for good measure, shattered the bones to ash, leaving no chance of survival for the man. ¡°Why are these Grandmasters of the demonic sect so poor?¡± Xu Yan expressed his confusion. Members of the demonic sect, who frequently engaged in killing and looting, should be wealthy¡ªso why was each one so impoverished? Chapter 168 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan couldn¡¯t understand how all these folks from the Demonic Sect were so poor? As a result, he couldn¡¯t even make a fortune. ¡°I have killed another Grandmaster for you, don¡¯t you think the price should increase? A thousand spirit crystals for a Grandmaster¡¯s life, that¡¯s rather disrespectful to the Grandmaster, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xu Yan looked seriously at Du Yuying. In the carriage, Yan Kuan was having doubts about life. Since when were Grandmasters so easy to kill? With a single slap, killing them as if swatting mosquitoes, where did this monster come from? He was also a Grandmaster, having cultivated for hundreds of years with countless hardships, finally achieving the respect of a Grandmaster, but found out now that a Grandmaster was so cheap, with a thousand spirit crystals, you could kill one? He was shocked! Even the injuries on his body didn¡¯t hurt so much anymore. Du Yuying looked at Xu Yan with a serious expression, then nodded, ¡°How about three thousand spirit crystals?¡± Xu Yan said, taking the spirit ticket from Cui¡¯er, ¡°I think Grandmasters are not cabbages; they do have some strength. It¡¯s not easy for me to kill them, it¡¯s hard work.¡± Du Yuying and the others looked at him puzzled. Killing a Grandmaster with a single slap, this is not easy? ¡°It¡¯s really insulting to the Grandmaster to measure them with spirit crystals, 1 can¡¯t bear to see it!¡± Xu Yan sighed. Yan Kuan secretly agreed, it was indeed insulting to measure a Grandmaster¡¯s worth with spirit crystals! Before he met this guy, no Grandmaster had ever been slapped to death for a thousand spirit crystals! ¡°What¡¯s your suggestion?¡± Du Yuying asked in deep thought. ¡°Do you have a treasure bag? Give me one, and I promise I¡¯ll kill as many Grandmasters as come!¡± Xu Yan looked expectantly at Du Yuying. With her unique status and the repeated attacks by the Grandmasters from the Demonic Sect, he wondered if she might have a treasure bag. Ever since he found out that such treasures as treasure bags existed in the world, he had been coveting them incessantly. Du Yuying and the others were stunned, a treasure bag? That was a treasure that not even a Great Grandmaster necessarily possessed! How dare he ask for it directly! ¡°Is it difficult?¡± Xu Yan looked at their faces, a little embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s more than difficult. Treasure bags are so rare that many Great Grandmasters don¡¯t even have one. This may sound harsh, but the truth is a Grandmaster¡¯s life isn¡¯t worth as much as a treasure bag!¡± Du Yuying sighed. Xu Yan was tongue-tied. Were treasure bags really that precious? They were worth more than a Grandmaster¡¯s life? ¡°It looks like you¡¯re in a lot of trouble. Two Grandmasters have already come. Did you poke a hornet¡¯s nest in the Demonic Sect? A few thousand spirit crystals for killing a Grandmaster isn¡¯t enough!¡± Having been in the Inner Domain for only a short time and already killed two Grandmasters of the Demonic Sect, Xu Yan began to wonder if Grandmasters were common in the Inner Domain, and not so high-level martial artists after all. Du Yuying went silent. Having Xu Yan escort her home was an unexpected blessing. She hadn¡¯t expected him to be so strong, killing Grandmasters as easily as swatting mosquitoes. Each slap was lethal! Moreover, those who attacked her were actually Grandmasters from the Demonic Sect. There was something unusual behind this. If it hadn¡¯t been for Xu Yan¡¯s escort, she feared that she would have fallen into the hands of the Demonic Sect. ¡°What does Master mean?¡± Du Yuying asked. ¡°Spiritual medicine! I need spiritual medicine!¡± Xu Yan had it figured out. He had already made a lot of spirit crystals, and the purpose of making spirit crystals was to buy spiritual medicine. So why not just ask for spiritual medicine as a reward directly? ¡°Master, please do tell!¡± Du Yuying let out a sigh of relief. After all, spiritual medicine could be bought with spirit crystals. ¡°A sixth-ranked spiritual medicine for killing a Grandmaster!¡± Xu Yan raised a finger and said. ¡°Sixth-ranked spiritual medicine is rare, and even a regular county¡¯s Tianbao Pavilion might not have it. It¡¯s an elusive kind of spiritual medicine. To be honest, I can¡¯t bring out a sixth-ranked spiritual medicine.¡± Du Yuying showed a helpless face. Sixth-ranked spiritual medicine was so rare and precious? This went beyond Xu Yan¡¯s expectation. After thinking over, he said, ¡°Even seventh-ranked spiritual medicine, one for killing a Grandmaster, can¡¯t be less. You should know that¡¯s a Grandmaster¡¯s life we¡¯re talking about!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Du Yuying nodded and agreed. After the terms were agreed upon, Xu Yan was overjoyed. He didn¡¯t ask Du Yuying how she had provoked the Grandmasters of the Demonic Sect or what her identity was. After completing the escort and receiving the reward, whether or not they would meet again in the future remained uncertain. Xu Yan didn¡¯t have that much curiosity. After a night, the group continued the journey. Half a day later, several men dressed in black attacked, but they were all merely second or third rank in strength. Xu Yan didn¡¯t bother to make a move against these men¡ªwho seemed to be on suicide missions¡ªsince they likely wouldn¡¯t possess any spirit crystals. Du Yuying¡¯s guards attacked them, including the first-ranked coachman, and killed all the attackers. On the third day after leaving Tieshan County, they entered a county town to restock. As usual, Du Yuying went to the Tianbao Pavilion to find healing spiritual medicine for Yan Kuan. However, the county city¡¯s Tianbao Pavilion didn¡¯t have the spiritual medicine she needed. After leaving the county city, they continued on their journey. In the evening, a figure stood in the center of the road. The aura of the Grandmaster was unmistakable. His piercing eyes emanated a daunting coldness, and his body was filled with an eerie, ominous energy. It was another Grandmaster from the Demonic Sect! Du Yuying¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in contemplation. Yan Kuan also became serious. The appearance of one or two Grandmasters from the Demonic Sect was tolerable, but why were they continuously being attacked by Grandmasters from the Demonic Sect? The anticipated powerful enemy didn¡¯t appear. Before Xu Yan could make a move, Yan Kuan came out of the carriage and said in a deep voice, ¡°My Du family has had no quarrels with the Demonic Sect.. Why are you here, sir? Which Demon Lord do you serve?¡± Chapter 169 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Yan Kuan?¡± The voice of the Demon Sect Grandmaster is rather sharp, sounding quite grating to the ear. ¡°Indeed!¡± Yan Kuan replied with a fist salute. ¡°A third-rate grandmaster, you have no right to speak in my presence!¡± ¡°You! Yan Kuan¡¯s face turned ashen with anger. ¡°Young man, beat him up for me. I¡¯ll personally offer a seventh-grade spiritual medicine!¡± Yan Kuan spat out the words resentfully. The moment Xu Yan heard this, his spirits brightened instantly, hurriedly declared, ¡°Alright, a seventh-grade spiritual medicine it is!¡± ¡°Such arrogance!¡± The Demon Sect Grandmaster in front was seething with anger. In a swift movement, a bleak aura swept out, transmuting into terrifying ghostly claws, hurtling towards him! Against the Demon Sect Grandmaster, Xu Yan was not going to show any mercy. All of the Demon Sect¡¯s deadly cultivation techniques were restrained by his overbearing Descending Dragon Palm even though this particular Grandmaster was stronger than the previous two. Yet he still could not withstand the fierceness of Xu Yan¡¯s palm strike. Boom! The Golden Giant Dragon roared forth, plowing through everything, utterly shattering the ghostly claws. In the opponent¡¯s horrified gaze, the unparalleled force of the palm instantly overwhelmed him! Boom! The Demon Sect Grandmaster was slain on the spot. If not for fear of accidentally destroying the Spirit Kills that he was carrying and thus incur loss, that palm would have torn him to shreds! ¡°Killed him for you, remember you owe me a seventh-grade spiritual medicine!¡± Xu Yan happily went forth to search the corpse. ¡°Tch! These Demon Sect Grandmasters, why are they all so poor!¡± Xu Yan grumbled, letting his True Qi surge. The body was instantly turned to ashes, irrevocably dead. Yan Kuan watched, his scalp tingling. This young man, truly terrifying. A grandmaster with each palm, could he be a Great Grandmaster? What kind of horrifying cultivation technique is the strength of that Golden Giant Dragon? It¡¯s exceptionally powerful! And after killing an opponent, he would even scatter the ashes! The ease with which he did this suggested he often commits such acts. ¡°Dead right? Serves you right for looking down on me!¡± Nevertheless, Yan Kuan felt relieved in his heart. Looked down on him for being a third-rate grandmaster huh? How strong could you be, you were still killed with a single slap! Xu Yan was very pleased as he secured two seventh-grade spiritual medicines. ¡°The Inner Domain is really exciting, it¡¯s not hard to earn money either. If a few more grandmasters come along, I¡¯ll have enough to buy all the spiritual medicines.¡± Xu Yan thought happily. During the subsequent journey, ambushes became increasingly frequent, almost all by Martial Artists of third-grade or above. Even an attack by six first-grade martial artists happened once. Du Yuying¡¯s bodyguards naturally couldn¡¯t fend them off, so Xu Yan had to step in and sweep them all aside with one palm. Another Grandmaster attacked. This time, it wasn¡¯t a Grandmaster from the Demon Sect, but a prestigious Grandmaster from Lanping district. After Yan Kuan shouted his name. The man no longer hid his identity and directly mocked Yan Kuan for being a third-rate grandmaster¡­ Consequently, Yan Kuan ended up owing Xu Yan another seventh-grade spiritual medicine. Along the way, the number of attackers continued to increase, including the use of poison, traps, and the like, which slowed down the group¡¯s progress. Xu Yan remained vigilant, always on guard. One day, the sound of galloping horses echoed. It sounded like a massive army charging forth, a sea of black assailants rushing towards them. ¡°The Lanping District Guard!¡± Yan Kuan gritted his teeth. Though those charging towards them were all attired in black, observant people could tell that this was the Lanping District Guard! Boom! A figure descended from above the army and headed straight for Yan Kuan. Clearly, his target was Yan Kuan, the Grandmaster. ¡°Young Master, 5000 spirit crystals, help us break through this!¡± Du Yuying said with a grim face. ¡°No problem!¡± With his experience against a massive army, even if the army of the Inner Domain was stronger, Xu Yan¡¯s own powers had increased as well. True Qi began to circulate, and amid a roaring sound, eighteen Golden Giant Dragons burst forth. They launched an aggressive attack at the charging army, causing panic and disarray. Du Yuying and her companions closely followed Xu Yan. A Grandmaster launching an attack was sent flying in mid-air, knocked back by a mere palm of Xu Yan. The entire army collapsed, leaving Yan Kuan and others feeling inexplicable shock. The spectacle of the eighteen dragons sowing utter chaos was deeply etched in their minds. ¡°What kind of cultivation technique is this? In the Inner Domain, I have never heard of such a powerful martial art cultivation technique!¡± Yan Kuan was astounded. He, a profound Grandmaster Martial Artist, had never heard of such a powerful technique emanating from the Inner Domain. Bypassing the encirclement, the group continued to advance. All the soldiers of Lanping county lay sprawled on the ground, unable to get up for a good while. It was only after Xu Yan and his companions had disappeared that they managed to stagger to their feet. They were all deathly pale. It was terrifying! The horrifying spectacle of eighteen dragons causing havoc deeply shocked every county guard. Perhaps even the might of the mythical Great Grandmasters could not compare to this. After leaving the territory of Lanping county and encountering no attacks for several days, Du Yuying finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that they could proceed unimpeded. However,¡­ An isolated teahouse appeared in their path. Suddenly, a melodious sound of flute floated towards them. The flute was enticing, making everyone¡¯s feet itch to dance to the rhythm. All along the journey, Du Yuying¡¯s bodyguards had remained expressionless, reserved, and vigilant! But now, they were bobbing their heads and moving their bodies, completely entranced by the music, unable to extricate themselves! Cui¡¯er opened the window of the carriage, her eyes brimming with a confused look! ¡°Not good!¡± Yan Kuan suddenly let out an angry yell. His Martial Arts Inner Qi surged, and his Grandmaster aura exploded, instantly waking up the guards and Cui¡¯er. ¡°It is the Bewitching Flute of Thousand Illusions! Quickly block your senses and plug your ears!¡± Cui¡¯er turned pale. The bodyguards immediately ripped off strips of cloth, rolled them into small balls, and stuffed them into their ears. Even Yan Kuan, a Grandmaster, looked extremely serious. He too ripped off a piece of cloth to plug his ears. ¡°Young man, quickly plug your ears! This is the Bewitching Sound of Thousand Illusions by the peak Grandmaster of the Demonic Sect!¡± Seeing that Xu Yan, who was sitting on his horse, was unmoved, Yan Kuan reminded him anxiously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I find the piece quite enjoyable to listen to!¡± However, Xu Yan seemed puzzled. Although the flute sound was sweet, it contained a force that gently drifted towards him like a quiet wind, penetrating his ears, and seemingly intended to bewitch him. ¡°A cultivation technique of the Inner Realm Martial Arts that can kill with sound¡­ ¡°Master was right in saying not to underestimate the Inner Realm for practicing false martial arts. This bewitching sound technique does have its merits. ¡°Even though it does not affect me because I practice the true Martial Arts, how would it be if I also mastered a technique that can kill with sound?¡± An expression of interest appeared on Xu Yan¡¯s face. Yan Kuan¡¯s face kept changing, ¡°Young man, quickly plug our ears!¡± He misinterpreted Xu Yan¡¯s situation, thinking that he had been enchanted by the bewitching sound. Therefore, he quickly circulated Martial Arts Inner Qi and reminded him. Xu Yan turned his head to look at him, ¡°You are a Grandmaster, yet your mental powers are so weak. You are this afraid of a simple piece.¡± Yan Kuan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I hope you can break through this bewitching sound!¡± Yan Kuan took a deep breath. He felt that he could barely resist the Bewitching Sound of Thousand Illusions. Illusions start to appear hazily before him. No, I have not had enough of it. Besides, there¡¯s no danger!¡± Xu Yan decisively refused. Yan Kuan, seeing this, sighed resignedly. He could only return to the carriage to guard his mind and resist the Bewitching Sound of Thousand Illusions. Du Yuying¡¯s bodyguards, their faces red and swaying, continued to move forward, heading towards the teahouse. Inside the carriage, Cui¡¯er¡¯s face was flushed. She was in a trance, not knowing what hallucinations she was experiencing. She murmured, ¡°Young Master¡­woo¡­good Young Master¡­¡± Du Yuying clenched her hands together, her breathing became heavy, her bosom heaved. She was struggling hard. In the end, she removed her veil, revealing an extremely beautiful face which was flushed. The carriage stopped, and everyone halted in front of the tea shed. Xu Yan, intrigued, looked at the person in the teahouse. He couldn¡¯t discern whether the person with a delicate face and rouge-stained lips blowing the flute was a man or woman. His or her energy was flowing harmoniously, filling the flute and then spreading out, resonating in all directions. The closer they were, the stronger the power of the bewitching sound. Xu Yan silently observed, earnestly sensing and experiencing while deep in thought. Du Yuying had already come out of the carriage. She bit her lip and walked to the front of Xu Yan¡¯s horse, ¡°Young master, in exchange for three seven-grade spiritual medicines, help me out of this predicament!¡± Du Yuying felt she now understood ¨C as long as she gave enough spiritual medicines, there was no trouble that couldn¡¯t be solved! Chapter 170 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan was listening closely to the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody, trying to comprehend the power within it. The clear tones from the flute seemed to break directly into one¡¯s mind and body. His heartbeat synchronized with the flute sound, giving the feeling that if the melody stopped, his heart would stop beating. Those who heard the flute sound became mentally disoriented, illusions appearing before their eyes. It seemed that the melody could magnify the hidden thoughts in people¡¯s hearts, turning them into illusions. ¡°This type of sound-killing technique is somewhat unique, and difficult to resist. The weak will fall into it upon hearing it and can¡¯t extricate themselves.¡± Xu Yan felt like he had gained some understanding. ¡°The Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody, so this is what it is. It¡¯s quite profound, but too weak. I wonder if it¡¯s because the cultivation technique itself is weak, or because the other party is not strong enough?¡± Xu Yan was bewildered. He had enlightened himself about the sound-killing technique, which should have been incredibly strong, a powerful killing technique meant to directly slay the enemy. However, the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody was not as strong as he had imagined. He didn¡¯t even have to consciously defend himself; when the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody entered his ears, it simply sounded like an ordinary tune and could not interfere with him at all. The voice of Du Yuying next to him came in, and Xu Yan was instantly delighted ¨C another three seventh-ranked Spiritual Medicines were in hand. He glanced at Du Yuying. Her delicate face was flushed, and her eyes were becoming vacant, as if she were about to plunge into the illusion. But she was still hanging on. ¡°She¡¯s not bad, maintaining herself to this point with only a third-level strength.¡± Xu Yan was a little surprised. The guards were all tottering, even dancing around, as if they were about to start fighting each other. The maid, Cui¡¯er, in the carriage, was making soft noises, seemingly lost in a certain illusion. The coachman driving for Yan Kuan, a first-ranked martial artist, exhibited an unstable aura and turned red-eyed. Breathing heavily and growling from the throat, he was already ensnared by the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody. As for Yan Kuan in the carriage, he was exerting his cultivation technique to resist the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody. But it was no picnic. His state was only slightly better than Du Yuying¡¯s. This proves that Du Yuying was indeed somewhat exceptional. ¡°Alright, deal!¡± Xu Yan eagerly agreed. With a slight move of his palm, a vast concept emerged, enveloping Du Yuying. The Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody was completely neutralized and failed to break through this immense power. The grandeur of the true meaning in the Descending Dragon Palm! When Du Yuying regained her senses, she quietly let out a breath, put back on her veil, and was deeply shocked. She wondered how strong the young man next to her actually was. She felt an overpowering force enveloping her, making the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody sound like an ordinary tune in her ears. Seeing the guards, and Yan Kuan in the carriage, not in good condition, she spoke somewhat helplessly: ¡°Sir, 1¡¯11 give one seventh-ranked Spiritual Medicine to break the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody!¡± But Xu Yan simply shook his head: ¡°No, 1 haven¡¯t had enough yet!¡± Du Yuying was stupefied, could he actually be listening to the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody as if it were a tune? She took a deep breath and added: ¡°Then could you please, sir, help them out of their predicament?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Xu Yan readily agreed. Hum! The force of the Descending Dragon Palm expanded to cover everyone. Instantly, all the guards regained consciousness, but they were all panting heavily, looking completely fatigued. It seemed as if they had just fought a great battle. The chill ran down Yan Kuan¡¯s spine, even he, a Grandmaster, had to exert all his strength to resist the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody. In the eyes of Xu Yan, it could be easily resisted? ¡°Could he be a Great Grandmaster?¡± This thought cropped up in Yan Kuan¡¯s mind. He then shook his head to deny: ¡°No, absolutely not, he should be a mature Grandmaster or even a peak Grandmaster!¡± Even this fact already made him shockingly speechless. How old was Xu Yan? And he was already a Grandmaster, maybe even a peak Grandmaster. When comparing himself, he felt like a waste! Why is there such a huge gap between people? After rescuing the others, Xu Yan devoted himself to listening to the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody. He felt that if he could understand the sound-killing technique, his strength might be increased slightly. ¡°Master was right, I need to learn the essence and make it my own. This Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody has something that can be learned!¡± Xu Yan was quietly listening to the melody while riding his horse. Suddenly, the sound of the flute picked up speed, like clashing blades and galloping horsemen. A murderous aura emerged from the melody; invisible blades seemed to surge and kill. The sound waves were intense and frightening. Xu Yan raised an eyebrow. At that moment, the Thousand Illusion Demonic Melody was all charging towards him. Bang! The sound waves, like weapons clashing and rolling waves, constantly swept towards him. Xu Yan slightly raised his palm; the force of the Descending Dragon Palm collided with the sound waves. He continued to comprehend the sound-killing technique within. As he listened, the sound-killing technique became clearer and clearer. He seemed to have some sort of realization in his mind. ¡°My Descending Dragon Palm, although it has comprehended the dragon¡¯s might, it lacks the dragon¡¯s chant. How can I showcase the magnitude of the dragon¡¯s might and the wrath of the dragon? ¡°The dragon¡¯s chant shocks the heaven and earth, that¡¯s the true meaning of its wrath.¡± At that moment, Xu Yan gained an insight. On his palm, a Golden Giant Dragon emerged, its eyes sparkling, its dragon¡¯s might rippling. For an instant, the golden dragon opened up its mouth and roared. Bang! With the Roar of the dragon, an immense force was unleashed between the universe, making all creatures prostrate themselves! ¡°No, it¡¯s not right, it¡¯s not close yet. This doesn¡¯t carry the might of the dragon¡¯s chant and the power to kill the enemy. It is just the volume that is heavy..¡± Chapter 171 Frustrated Thousand Illusion Demon Master 2 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan realized shortly that, this battle cry of the dragon had nothing but a loud sound. It didn¡¯t possess any strength to kill enemies! However, as his golden dragon emerged and hovered mid-air, looking downwards, the haunting lute sound halted abruptly. The gender-ambiguous Illusion Mage, with eyes full of dread, exuded a series of faint waves from his body, his energy surging as he gripped the lute in his hand. A chilling light burst forth from the lute. ¡°Who are you? Why are you meddling in this matter? Did you also kill our Grandmaster of the Demon Cult?¡± The voice of the Illusion Mage was so melodious and warm that it could be a man or woman speaking. But Xu Yan paid no attention to the gender of his opponent. All he wanted was to continue comprehending the art of sonic killing, to master the essence of the dragon¡¯s war cry. He even planned on incorporating the art of sonic killing into his Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers. A silent mountain range and river had no life, lacked some artistic conception. Listening to the illusory demonic music, Xu Yan had an epiphany. If his Sword Intent was vibrant rather than silent, he¡¯d be one step closer to mastering the second realm of Sword Dao ¨C the Heart Sword Realm. So, when the Illusion Mage stopped playing his lute, he was discontent. ¡°Why did you stop playing the lute? It sounded pretty good, don¡¯t stop, continue. I¡¯m in a good mood; 1 won¡¯t kill you.¡± Xu Yan frowned and said. The muscles on the Illusion Mage¡¯s face twisted in anger. Arrogant brat, treating him like a music player? Why should he continue? Xu Yan thought he relied solely on his demonic music? No one had managed to survive his demonic music, thus, no one had forced him to resort to his true strength! ¡°Boy, you¡¯re the first to insult me so, you must die!¡± His figure turned elusive, projecting layers of illusionary shadows. Dazzling icy lights soared from the lute, raining down like a meteor shower. Du Yuying gasped in fright, realizing that the Illusion Mage¡¯s true strength lay beyond his music? What kind of kill technique was this! The icy lights rained down, inescapable and undefendable. All attacks aimed at Xu Yan. Yan Kuan, standing at the back, was taken aback. Even at his peak condition, he wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance against that attack! But remembering how Xu Yan easily killed a Grandmaster planted hope in his heart. Boom!!! The Golden Giant Dragon roared from Xu Yan, leaving tattered scars as it twirled amidst the curtain of icy flashes. Seeing that made Yan Kuan¡¯s heart tighten! Du Yuying¡¯s face changed slightly, revealing a look of worry. The invincible Golden Giant Dragon was now wounded and wounded repeatedly and seemed unable to hold on much longer. ¡°Your strength is not weak, in fact, you are the strongest Grandmaster I have ever encountered.¡± Xu Yan acknowledged the strength of the Illusion Mage. He sighed inwardly, reflecting on the powerful peak Grandmasters of the Inner Domain. Although Xie Lingfeng was also a Grandmaster, he was too young and had only recently entered the Grandmaster realm. There was still some distance from a peak Grandmaster! ¡°Hmph!¡± The Illusion Mage snorted, his voice echoing from all directions. His figure doubled, creating a barrage of icy flashes. At the same time, a cold light burst forth from the lute, growing longer and longer, morphing into a gleaming sword. Traces of sharp intent began to multiply. Surrounded by the quaint tea pavilion, it hovered around Xu Yan. Any moment now, it would strike, completely annihilating the enemy. ¡°This guy is a bit strong. He is a Grandmaster of the Demon Cult, but what he¡¯s cultivated isn¡¯t a killing technique. This must be one of those idiosyncratic Martial Artists within the Demon Sect. ¡°If I were to smack him with all my strength, he would die instantly. However, he won¡¯t be able to play his demonic music, even if I injure him. The demonic music he plays when injured will inevitably become worse-¡± Xu Yan stated, feeling conflicted. Attack too aggressively, and he risked killing the Illusion Mage. Attack too weakly, and his opponent would think him incapable and fail to compel the music out of him. Xu Yan appeared to be in a dilemma, while the Golden Giant Dragon defended against the Illusion Mage¡¯s attack and evaluated his strength, pondering himself as to how much strength he should exert just to subdue the Illusion Mage without injuring him severely, forcing him to continue playing the music. The resulting damage to the Golden Giant Dragon increased, threatening its existence with each passing moment. The Illusion Mage eyed him coldly, ¡°Boy, I will tear you limb from limb!¡± He was feeling shocked within; this Golden Giant Dragon was truly remarkable, what cultivation technique is this? Its majestic aura was akin to a True Dragon¡¯s coming into being. However, it was still far from being a True Dragon. Yan Kuan looked grave, ¡°The Illusion Mage is too strong. It seems he can¡¯t hold on for long, what shall we do?¡± Du Yuying was also worried and her heart was filled with nervousness. Yan Kuan gritted his teeth, his aura flaring with determination as he stepped forward, saying, ¡°Young brother, I will risk my life to hold off the Illusion Mage. You make a run for it with Miss Du, right?¡± Xu Yan looked at him strangely and said, ¡°You¡¯re seriously injured, are you sure you¡¯ll be able to fend it off? You won¡¯t, erm¡­just get killed instantly?¡± Yan Kuan felt as if he had a lump of old blood stuck in his throat, suddenly his injury seemed to aggravate. Though the words were harsh, it seemed quite plausible that in his current state he might just drop dead with a thud! His face flushed with shame. ¡°Am I really still a Grandmaster? Why is the gap so huge?¡± Yan Kuan felt tired deep down, a feeling of utter disillusionment creeping over him. A hundred years of diligent practice in Martial Arts and this is what it has come to? Bang! The Golden Giant Dragon was shattered. ¡°Kid, it¡¯s time for you to face your doom!¡± The Illusory Demon Master smiled coldly. His flute released a chilling glare as he attacked. ¡°I would risk my own life to block this attack!¡± Yan Kuan had a determined look in his eyes, ready to sacrifice his life to withstand the attack of the Illusory Demon Master. But then! What did he see? A bigger Golden Giant Dragon appeared out of nowhere, blocking all the attacks! Thud! Yan Kuan coughed up blood! Just a moment ago, he was ready to give up his life, completely disregarding the worsening of his injury. But before he could make a move, Xu Yan summoned a bigger Golden Dragon, blocking ail the attacks! You still have hidden strength? Why do you have a troubled look on your face, as if you¡¯re considering if you should leave A/Iiss behind and escape? Yan Kuan¡¯s eyes moistened. His injuries had recovered a bit over time, but now they¡¯ve worsened again! Xu Yan gave him a strange look. Why was such a Grandmaster so frail? ¡°Yan Kuan, are you okay? There shouldn¡¯t have been any offensive energy that affected you, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just got a little excited and my injury acted up,¡± Yan Kuan wiped the corner of his mouth. With a despairing look in his eyes, he re-entered the carriage to recuperate his injuries. The expression on Illusory Demon Master¡¯s face changed several times. How could another Golden Giant Dragon suddenly appear? And it seems¡­ stronger? He gritted his teeth, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. ¡°Break!¡± In that moment, he erupted, spraying a glaring cold light from his flute, viciously bombarding the Golden Giant Dragon. Thud! The Golden Giant Dragon shattered. ¡°Kid, you give me¡­¡± The Illusory Demon Master came at him with a murderous grin, only to find another Golden Giant Dragon appearing, stronger than the previous one. He was dumbfounded. Suddenly, a second Golden Giant Dragon emerged. It coiled around him, its terrifying aura surging incessantly. Sealing his escape route. The Illusory Demon Master¡¯s face changed colors again. The moment he moved to fly away and escape, another Golden Giant Dragon appeared above his head! He¡¯s not his match! Now there was completely no way to escape! ¡°Illusory Demon Master, how about a deal?¡± Xu Yan revealed a smile, he had finally blocked the Illusory Demon Master¡¯s escape route. ¡°What kind of deal?¡± Illusory Demon Master¡¯s face was dark, it seemed he had fallen into a trap! ¡°You continue to play the Illusory Demon Music for me, if I¡¯m satisfied I¡¯ll let you go!¡± Xu Yan said with a smile. ¡°You dare to insult me? I, the Illusory Demon Master, am not a busker!¡± The Illusory Demon Master was livid! ¡°Then do you want to live?¡± Xu Yan asked with a stern gaze. The Illusory Demon Master was seething with anger. Where the hell did this freak come from! ¡°If you want to live, play for me, if not, I¡¯ll turn you to ashes!¡± Xu Yan said coldly. ¡°I want to live! The Illusory Demon Master gritted his teeth and responded.. Chapter 172 Translator: 549690339 ¡°That¡¯s more like it, life is the most important thing, so play already.¡± A satisfied smile appeared on Xu Yan¡¯s face. The illusion mage was practical after all. The turn of events had been so fast, Du Yuying hadn¡¯t even had time to react. The illusion mage was defeated? And why did they need to hear the illusion mage play the flute so badly? Looking at the handsome young man next to her, Du Yuying¡¯s heart pounded rapidly and a faint blush appeared on her face. ¡°Should I learn how to play the flute too?¡± This thought suddenly popped into her head. The illusion mage looked at the three giant dragons. They circled about him, thoroughly blocking his escape. To flee, he had to break through the golden dragon. However, the might of the golden dragons was unmatched. Even if he gave his all, he would need some time to break through even one of them. The mysterious young man clearly wouldn¡¯t just sit back and watch. So now, he could only obediently play the flute, looking for an opportunity to escape. So, he picked up his flute and once again began to play. Xu Yan listened for a moment, then frowned, ¡°You¡¯re playing it incorrectly, where¡¯s the illusionary devil music? Use all your strength, attack me with the Art of Sonic Kill!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it.¡± The illusion mage gave a cold smile, took a deep breath, and as his aura fluctuated, he began to play the flute again, his breath flowing into the flute like water. An intense and violent flute sound suddenly rang out, like invisible waves rippling out, assaulting the golden dragon. Xu Yan nodded, this was the true Art of Sonic Kill. He squinted slightly, carefully listening. The Descending Dragon Palm collided constantly with the Sonic Kill, sensing the intricacies within and the method of the Sonic Kill. ¡°The illusionary devil music comes from his flute, which is also a treasure that enhances the power of the Sonic Kill. The way he conducts his Sonic Kill is rather unique¡­ ¡°What I want to understand is the dragon chant, it is not comparable to a general Sonic Kill. This is the true essence of the dragon chant and cannot be compared to the art of Sonic Kill. ¡°The Sonic Kill is just a method, what I want to comprehend, the sense of dragon chant, is closer to the level of Dao.¡± As Xu Yan was carefully perceiving, the golden dragon circled, occasionally opening its mouth to let out a soft roar. Each roar caused the illusionary devil music to stagnate as if it was suppressed. The illusion mage¡¯s heart was heavy. He continued to play the flute while looking for an opportunity to break free. Du Yuying returned to the carriage, and her maid, Cui¡¯er, was blushing and looking too embarrassed to meet anyone, especially Xu Yan. She had imagined such an illusion under the illusionary devil music! ¡°Miss.¡± Du Yuying sat down, her expression became calm again, ¡°We owe him four more seventh rank spiritual medicines, make a note.¡± ¡°Okay, Miss.¡± Cui¡¯er took out a handkerchief and added the number on it. ¡°Miss, can we really afford to give so many seventh rank spiritual medicines to the young master as a reward?¡± Cui¡¯er voiced her concerns. Seventh rank spiritual medicine is very precious. Many major powers cannot produce so many all at once. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Du Yuying didn¡¯t care. ¡°If we can¡¯t give them, I don¡¯t think the young master will let it go.¡± Cui¡¯er frowned. Being able to kill a grandmaster with one palm, he didn¡¯t even blink when he killed. He would certainly not be someone who was easily lenient. Especially not because Miss was beautiful, he wouldn¡¯t be reluctant to act. ¡°You underestimate our family¡¯s stock of spiritual medicines. These medicines are trivial.¡± Du Yuying said dismissively. Through the window of the carriage, Xu Yan was still intently listening to the music. ¡°Miss, is the young master really going to let the illusion mage go?¡± Cui¡¯er asked curiously. ¡°He is quite arrogant and certainly keeps his word.¡± Du Yuying said solemnly. As Xu Yan carefully listened to the illusionary devil music, suddenly he seemed to understand something. ¡°I get it!¡± Excited, the three golden dragons suddenly fused into one, forming an even larger golden dragon. The authority of the dragon was vast, its eyes shining brightly, it suddenly lowered its head and let out a dragon chant! Roar! The dragon chant resounded, the wind and clouds changed. For a moment, the dragon¡¯s authority was greatly increased, the earth shook, the teahouse had already turned into powder, and a layer of the ground collapsed directly. Splat! The illusion mage spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight to the ground. He¡¯s dead! The direction the dragon was looking at was right at him, the dragon chant resounded, the terrifying dragon authority aimed straight at his heart and soul. The power of the dragon chant was poured directly onto him. The illusion mage was playing the flute, which was exhausting in itself. Seeing the dragons fuse, he was overjoyed and was about to flee. However, there was a bang in his head, a horrifying pressure fell, and his already exhausted consciousness was crushed. He fell straight forward, completely dead. He didn¡¯t even have time to let out a final scream! ¡°Miss¡­¡± Cui¡¯er looked at her lady, not knowing what to say. Keeps his word? Du Yuying was also stunned, how did he suddenly kill the guy? Xu Yan scratched his head, a look of apology on his face. He hadn¡¯t meant to kill the illusion mage, he had just understood the true meaning of the dragon chant and had inadvertently roared excitedly. Unexpectedly, it directly killed the illusion mage! ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to kill you.¡± Xu Yan sighed, walked forward and started to search the body. His movements were quite practiced now. ¡°You were a grandmaster, how could you be so weak? Just one dragon chant shook you to death!¡± Chapter 173 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan wore an expression of helplessness. ¡°Cui¡¯er, did you see? He just lost his hand!¡± Du Yuying let out a relieved sigh. Cui¡¯er remained silent, suspecting that this was not an accident. Only after examining the body did Xu Yan confirm that the Illusory Demon Master was a man. The flute was a good treasure, Xu Yan put it away. He found several spirit tickets, which were more valuable than those of the previous demon cult Grandmaster, amounting to a few thousand Spirit Crystals. There was also a book of sheet music. He flipped it open and took a look. One of the songs seemed to be the Illusory Demon Music? ¡°I¡¯ll bring it back and give it to Master when he has time!¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed. On this trip to the Inner Domain, his gains were enormous. He had comprehended the true meaning of the Dragon Chant. ¡°Master was right, understanding by analogy, taking the essence and incorporating it into oneself, that is a real martial artist!¡± Looking at the body of the Illusion Demon Master, Xu Yan sighed and said, ¡°1 didn¡¯t want to kill you. Since I accidentally killed you, I should bury you!¡± With a wave of his hand, a huge pit was blasted into the ground. The golden dragon swept up the body of the Illusion Demon Master and buried it in the pit. At the moment of burying the body, the golden dragon crushed it. The body of the Illusion Demon Master instantly shattered and mixed with the buried soil. In his mind, Xu Yan muttered, ¡°You, a Demon Cult Grandmaster, had considerable strength and seemed strange. I feel more at ease after crushing you so that you don¡¯t play dead after you die!¡± In the carriage, Du Yuying¡¯s lips twitched slightly. She turned her head away, pretending to see nothing. After killing the Illusory Demon Master, the group continued on their journey. Perhaps because of the failure of the Illusion Demon Master, the journey went smoothly without any assassinations. Xu Yan felt a little regretful. Why didn¡¯t they come to assassinate again? Even the poorest Grandmaster has at least a few hundred Spirit Crystals, right? If he kills a few here and a few there, won¡¯t he accumulate a lot of Spirit Crystals quickly? Du Yuying let out a relieved sigh. In three days, they could return home. Yan Kuan stayed in the carriage and didn¡¯t come out again. He couldn¡¯t bear the shock! Bang! The marching team came to a sudden halt this day. Four figures came from four directions and surrounded the team. Du Yuying stepped out of the carriage, her face extremely grave. After glancing at the four Grandmasters, she felt a sinking feeling. Four accomplished Grandmasters! Moreover, they were good at combining their forces. Working together, they were much stronger than the Illusory Demon Master! ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the four of you are the Four Absolute Grandmasters from Luoyun Villa, right? Why are you involved in the Du Family¡¯s affairs?¡± Du Yuying said in a deep voice. Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. Luoyun Villa? I haven¡¯t heard of it, and Su Lingxiu didn¡¯t mention it. However, being able to have four Grandmaster powerhouses and not ordinary Grandmasters, their strength is obviously not weak. The Four Absolute Grandmasters advanced step by step, their pace and aura in unison, their momentum connected, and even their inner Qi connected. They remained silent. Du Yuying took a deep breath, ¡°Sir, be careful, these are the Four Absolutes Grandmasters from Luoyun Villa. Their practice, the ¡®Four Absolutes Unity Technique¡¯, is about combining their spirit, merging their energies and uniting them as one, exploding with the peak power of four people¡­¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows raised. The Four Absolutes Unity Technique? ¡°The martial arts circle of the Inner Domain is really exciting. Although it¡¯s pseudo-martial arts, it has so many variations. No wonder Master warned me not to underestimate or be careless, but to learn from its essence¡­ ¡°It turns out that Master had already seen through everything. There are countless martial arts techniques in the world. Therefore, he did not teach me tactics, but taught me the way. All tactics are integrated into me; all ways return to one¡­¡± The more he thought about it, the more exalted his master seemed, truly a wise and high person! Bang! One of them made a move. The manifestation of his fist was immense, rumbling in. As the energies of the other three fluctuated, they continuously augmented the attack power of the one who made the move. ¡°Show off!¡± Xu Yan snorted coldly and slammed a palm out. Roar! The Dragon chant rang out, and a Golden Giant Dragon roared out. The dragon¡¯s might was sweeping and overwhelming, it directly crushed the fist manifestation and rushed directly toward the one who attacked. ¡°Not good!¡± The faces of the other three people changed drastically, and they wanted to help. However, the roaring sound of the dragon went straight into their minds, forcing them to bow down and shake their hearts, causing their energy to stagnate momentarily. They wanted to help, but it was too late! Boom! The powerful Descending Dragon Palm blasted out, instantly smashing the person who attacked! ¡°Big brother!¡± The remaining three people were filled with anger and astonishment. Once Xu Yan made a move, he no longer showed any mercy. Deploying Descending Dragon Palm movements, he was formidable and unmatched. The dragon¡¯s eyes were blazing with light and its roar was heard. The dragon¡¯s might swept across and shook the heart! Boom! Boom! Boom! The once-famous Four Absolute Grandmasters, were instantly killed. Xu Yan went forward to search the bodies, with a disappointed look on his face. They were poor even in death. They didn¡¯t carry many Spirit Tickets on them! Du Yuying opened her mouth, but didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. The Four Absolute Grandmasters from Luoyun Villa! They were also famous in Greater Yue Kingdom. No matter how many enemies they faced, the four of them always fought side by side. Ordinary Grandmasters wouldn¡¯t dare to offend these four people. She realized one problem. If the Four Absolute Grandmasters came from Luoyun Villa, did Luoyun Villa also get involved and make a decision? If so, with the Four Absolute Grandmasters dead, would the owner of Luoyun Villa take action? That¡¯s a Great Grandmaster! ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. We must get back as soon as possible!¡± Du Yuying said with a grave face. The speed of the team suddenly accelerated and they galloped away. After killing the Four Absolute Grandmasters, Du Yuying feared that the Great Grandmaster would come to kill them, so they galloped all the way. The bumpy journey made Yan Kuan, who was already seriously injured, very uncomfortable.. Chapter 174 Translator: 549690339 After several days of bumpy travel, Du Yuying removed her face veil, her face now flush and showing faint signs of breathlessness as if unable to withstand the rapidity of the journey. Xu Yan slightly furrowed his brows, puzzled as to why Du Yuying, a tier-three Martial Artist, could not withstand a little rattling? He started to understand why, despite knowing they may get ambushed, they still chose to travel by horse carriage at such a slow pace. It must be that Du Yuying had some health issues, hence the need for such precaution! ¡°If you can¡¯t handle it, we can slow down,¡± Xu Yan said. If they took an extra day to reach their destination, he would receive one hundred more Spirit Crystals. Missed this opportunity, it would not be easy to earn more Spirit Crystals so easily next time. ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± Du Yuying replied after taking a few deep breaths. ¡°The master of the Luoyun Manor is a Great Grandmaster. Could you handle him if he came to kill you?¡± she asked. A chill ran down Xu Yan¡¯s spine, a Great Grandmaster? He couldn¡¯t help but think of that black-robed man, who was indeed a Great Grandmaster. At that time, his strength was certainly not like now. However, under the might of a Great Grandmaster, he could not resist! ¡°With my current strength, although I¡¯ve understood the second layer of the Sword Intent of Shahe, my realm is still too low to fully utilize it. ¡°I¡¯ve grasped the Dragon Might Palm Intent and Dragon Chant Intent of Descending Dragon Palm, which greatly enhance its power. ¡°Even so, my full-force Shahe Sword Intent and Descending Dragon Palm are not enough to contend with a Great Grandmaster!¡± Xu Yan evaluated his own strength. Sadly, he found that he was not a match for a Great Grandmaster! Even if it were a very average Great Grandmaster, he could not defeat him, even though the martial art he cultivated was True Martial Arts, after all, there was a huge difference in realm. ¡°Master shattered a Great Grandmaster with one palm, I¡¯m too far behind!¡± Every time he thought of Master demonstrating how to defeat enemies from higher realms, he couldn¡¯t help but feel awed. So powerful! With just one palm strike, he could decay the ancient into watery dust and instantly annihilate a Great Grandmaster. ¡°Even if I break through the Innate Realm to the max, I still can¡¯t destroy a Great Grandmaster with one palm strike!¡± Xu Yan sighed in his heart. If he could break through the Innate Realm to the max, he wouldn¡¯t be afraid of common Great Grandmasters. ¡°Once 1 can divide one finger¡¯s True Qi into ten parts, comprehend the mystery of True Qi, and fully control True Qi to a hundred percent, if 1 then breakthrough the Innate Realm to the max and strike out with all my might, 1 might be able to kill a Martial Artist who has just entered the Great Grandmaster realm,¡± Xu Yan summarized silently in his heart. Realizing that Xu Yan was silent, Du Yuying understood that he was not a Great Grandmaster but an artist at the Grandmaster Realm. However, his strength was terrifyingly formidable! ¡°Where did this monstrous talent come from?¡± Du Yuying wondered, deeply shocked. The team moved quickly, incessantly advancing. Thanks to the endurance of horses in the Inner Domain, they were able to endure the long journey without dying. Finally, after passing through a barrier checkpoint and entering a broad main road, Du Yuying let out a sigh of relief. The team slowed down. Yan Kuan also breathed a sigh of relief, finally they were back! ¡°Young Master, in the city about 200 miles from here, the Tianbao Pavilion should have enough tier-seven Spiritual Medicine. I will purchase it for you. Thank you for your protection on this journey,¡± said Du Yuying after inhaling and exhaling deeply several times to calm her breathing. Xu Yan raised his eyebrows, their destination was just ahead? ¡°Okay!¡± He nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Who would have thought, girl Du would even be able to find a protector. However, 1 suggest you accompany me on a detour,¡± a sudden voice rang out. A man dressed in a purple robe descended from the sky, his face elegant and refined, clutching a folding fan. A majestic aura surrounded him, as if the might of heaven had descended with him! Chapter 175 Translator: 549690339 A refined man descended from the sky, his aura as deep as an abyss, seemingly wrapped in the power of the heavens. Hovering three feet off the ground, his feet never touching the earth, a folding fan gently waved in his hand. He appeared elegant and friendly, causing Du Yuying and the others to turn pale with shock. A Great Grandmaster? Even Xu Yan¡¯s face changed, his expression became serious. ¡°Great Grandmaster? Wait, no, he seems a bit off. Is it because he¡¯s too weak? A trash Great Grandmaster?¡± The man in the purple clothes possessed an aura much like that of a Great Grandmaster, but Xu Yan, who had crossed swords with other Great Grandmasters, quickly noticed something was amiss. ¡°This celestial aura from a notable Great Grandmaster is much weaker, though still powerful, it¡¯s not invincible. However, defeating him will not be easy.¡± ¡°Could this be a trash Grandmaster? Is there such a weak Great Grandmaster?¡± While Xu Yan seemed serious, he was also confused. Could there be such a weak individual among Great Grandmasters? ¡°Even the weakest Great Grandmaster has ten times the strength of a Grandmaster. This one, however, only has about five or six times the strength of a Grandmaster Martial Artist, much less than the tenfold standard.¡± ¡°Even if we were to take the weakest Grandmaster, Yan Kuan for example, he still does not possess ten times the power.¡± Xu Yan let out a sigh of relief in his heart. The opponent was not invincible. However, he was puzzled. Why was this Great Grandmaster so trashy? Du Yuying stepped out of the carriage, looked at the man in the purple robe, frowned slightly and finally said, ¡°Master Yin Hong of Canglan Island?¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± Yin Hong smiled faintly, ¡°Since girl Du knows me, she should obediently come with me.¡± Yan Kuan emerged from the carriage, his face pale. His injury was not healing well, and in his current condition, he could hardly handle a Martial Artist of a top-class rank. If Yin Hong were to strike, he could easily be killed with a single strike. ¡°Master Yin Hong, are you intending to interfere in the Du Family¡¯s affairs? Aren¡¯t you afraid that once this situation resolves, the Great Grandmaster of the Du Family will surely come demanding an explanation!¡± Yan Kuan spoke gravely. ¡°Since I, Yin, have decided to take action, naturally, I do not fear the Great Grandmaster of the Du Family. Moreover, I am taking girl Du away on behalf of someone else, and naturally, I can handle the matter properly.¡± ¡°Otherwise, would I, Yin Hong, dare to step into this place and take away Miss Du of the Du Family?¡± Yin Hong spoke with a faint smile. ¡°Master Yin, you should think carefully. You¡¯re only a Half-Step Great Grandmaster. Even if you finally break through to Great Grandmaster, you should consider whether you can bear the wrath of the master of the Du family!¡± Yan Kuan glared furiously. The other party had stepped into the Du family¡¯s territory and taken ATiss Du hostage. Given the master¡¯s temperament, even if someone intervened, he would not let the matter rest. Yin Hong¡¯s face darkened, he coldly said, ¡°You, a third-rate Grandmaster, what qualifications do you have to criticize me in my presence? Do you wish to die?¡± ¡°You!¡± Yan Kuan¡¯s face turned pale with rage. If it were an ordinary Grandmaster who insulted him like this, he would surely offer a seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine to get Xu Yan to fight and vent his anger. But, this was a Half Step-Great Grandmaster. Only a step away from Great Grandmaster. After all, Xu Yan was just a Grandmaster Martial Artist. No matter how strong he was, he might not be able to handle it. Yin Hong¡¯s aura grew even more formidable, his cold voice said, ¡°Girl Du, I do not wish to kill, obediently leave with me, or else¡­ including your hired protector, they will all die here!¡± Du Yuying¡¯s heart sank. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Alright, I can go with you!¡± ¡°Miss!¡± Tears streamed down Cui¡¯er¡¯s face. ¡°Cui¡¯er, remember to give the owed Spiritual Medicine to this young man.¡± Du Yuying instructed. ¡°Yes, Miss!¡± Cui¡¯er had tears in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s best to recognize the situation and keep the peace.¡± Yin Hong laughed softly. Just as he was about to take Du Yuying away, a voice rang out in his ears, and he felt humiliated! ¡°You startled me. I thought you were a Great Grandmaster, but it turns out you are just a Half-Step Great Grandmaster, simply half-baked!¡± Xu Yan had an enlightened look on his face. He had been wondering why this Great Grandmaster was so weak. Compared to the Great Grandmasters he knew, the difference was too huge. So he was just half-baked, even though he had part of the power of a Great Grandmaster, he was not a true Great Grandmaster. In that case, he had nothing to fear! Ever since he arrived in the Inner Domain, he had lulled one Grandmaster after another, all of them killed by a single palm strike, none had forced him to use his true power. This Yin Hong was a worthy opponent. ¡°I have comprehended the true meaning of the Dragon¡¯s Roar, but the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers is not fully developed. Just as mountains and rivers can never be silent, I already have a direction for improvement.¡± ¡°What is lacking is a worthy opponent who can resist my Sword Intent. If 1 can have a real battle, I will surely be able to complete it, and furthermore, comprehend a Sword Dao based on Sword Intent!¡± Xu Yan was excited at the moment. Yin Hong had a cool expression on his face. What did he mean by ¡®one who couldn¡¯t break through the Great Grandmaster level in one breath was just half-baked¡¯? Was it implying that he was a waste? Being stuck at the Half-Step Great Grandmaster realm had always been a source of regret in his heart. Now that he was being ridiculed face to face, how could he not be angry? The air turned frigid with his killing intent for a moment. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re seeking death!¡± Yin Hong unfolded the fan in his hand, a tremendous aura descended, a layer of shocking power surged from him as the center. The thundering sound even carried the echoing of roaring waves. Du Yuying¡¯s face changed drastically. Xu Yan was all eager to give it a go, but he didn¡¯t forget, this was Du Yuying¡¯s enemy, he couldn¡¯t make his move for free. ¡°Miss Du, once I help you out, this half-baked practitioner has quite formidable strength, much stronger than an ordinary Grandmaster, a seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine is not enough!¡± Xu Yan said with a serious look. Du Yuying was overjoyed, since Xu Yan was willing to make his move, it meant that he could confront a Half-Step Great Grandmaster.. Chapter 176 Translator: 549690339 It does make sense that someone who could kill a Grandmaster with one slap must not be far off from a Semi Great Grandmaster in strength, even if they¡¯re not quite a Great Grandmaster themselves. ¡°Five seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines!¡± Du Yuying joyfully extended a delicate white hand, stating her demands. ¡°Alright, consider them yours!¡± Xu Yan grinned ear to ear. Another five seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines, they turn out to be not as hard to obtain as he thought. ¡°Alright, after girl Du, all of you are next in line to die!¡± Yin Hong was furious. Negotiating in front of him over five seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines to counter him? Was defeating Yin Hong that cheap? The audacity! If it were not for the influential person behind him demanding Du Yuying be returned in perfect condition, he wouldn¡¯t even spare Du Yuying! ¡°Who are you trying to scare?¡± Xu Yan brushed it off casually. As long as his opponent wasn¡¯t a Great Grandmaster, he had no fear! Even if a Great Grandmaster did show up, he could always run if he couldn¡¯t win. Du Yuying and others quickly backed away, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire. Boom! Yin Hong made his move, with a wave of his folding fan, a terrifying power like rushing torrents swept over, its ferocity shocking everyone. Xu Yan unsheathed his sword, the atmosphere rippled with his Sword Intent. Amidst the thunderous noise, he split open the incoming wave. Mountains collapsed, lives vanished! Yin Hong¡¯s complexion changed drastically! What kind of swordsmanship was this? Why did it inspire such a dreadful sense of impending doom, leaving him feeling hair-raisingly terrified? ¡°I must not underestimate this!¡± In that split second, he purged his contemptuous attitude, his face becoming solemn. With a swing of his folding fan, a force like a huge wave descended from the sky. The ground was immediately blasted into a deep trench, and the fan¡¯s whirlwind threw up masses of dirt and debris. The terrible power, like countless surging waves, all exerted by Yin Hong who is a Semi Great Grandmaster, was continually pouring down on Xu Yan. ¡°He¡¯s so strong!¡± Xu Yan felt the pressure. His sword intent surged, his Sword Qi flowed like countless raging rivers, incessantly spilling forth. Simultaneously, his left palm shot out, deflecting the incoming wave with the force of a roaring golden dragon. ¡°Who will be victorious in this battle?¡± On the distant side, Du Yuying watched with worry etched on her face. The intensity of the battle suggested Yin Hong had the upper hand. His wave-like power tumbled wildly, debris shot up into the air, and the ground gorged with trenches. ¡°What do you think, Elder Yan?¡± With anxiety, Du Yuying posed a question. ¡°Hard to say!¡± Yan Kuan looked serious. Helplessly he thought, ¡°I can¡¯t really make it out either, the battle¡¯s too intense to see clearly enough for a definite conclusion!¡± Du Yuying took a deep breath and ordered one of her guards, ¡°You should immediately rush back for help!¡± ¡°Yes, Miss!¡± One of the guards immediately took off at full speed, choosing to run on foot rather than horseback. Given his strength, he was faster than any horse. ¡°I hope they can hold on until help arrives!¡± Du Yuying¡¯s face revealed her worry. ¡°Miss, the Great Grandmaster of our family may not be able to break free.¡± Yan Kuan sighed. Du Yuying fell silent. But she knew deep down, even if just a Grandmaster could come to their aid, it would change the tide of the situation. Xu Yan went berserk, attacking with the power of Descending Dragon Palm in one hand, and tirelessly executing Sword Intent with the other. However, he was still unable to shatter the wave-like force. ¡°Ever since I broke through to the Innate Realm, 1 haven¡¯t had such a rejuvenating fight. As a martial artist, it¡¯s necessary to understand the essence of Martial Arts through fights.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s mental state was clear, and his eyes were resolute. Even though he was at a slight disadvantage, it didn¡¯t bother him in the slightest. ¡°The Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers. It sufficiently represents desolation, but lacks vitality. Since it represents mountains and rivers, how could it lack vitality? A mountain and river devoid of vitality are ultimately just a barren land.¡± Xu Yan quietly contemplated. As the fight grew fiercer, Yin Hong seemed to want to finish it as quickly as possible, to avoid unexpected complications. After all, this was Du Family territory. If the Du Family could free up a Great Grandmaster, his death would be certain! ¡°Die!¡± Yin Hong roared, his folding fan completely open, transforming into a beam of icy light that burst forth from the roaring waves. The speed was incredibly fast ¨C in the blink of an eye, it had already reached Xu Yan¡¯s throat. However, Xu Yan¡¯s figure abruptly vanished only to appear elsewhere in the next instant, a sword light shooting straight towards Yin Hong. The speed was beyond Yin Hong¡¯s anticipation! Shh! The clothes on his shoulder were slashed open. Yin Hong¡¯s expression slightly changed, shock filled his heart; ¡°What kind of movement technique is this? So cunning and strange!¡± Shoosh! Xu Yan disappeared again, his figure appearing in a different direction. Yin Hong¡¯s expression was dark, his folding fan returned to his hand, he ascended on the spot and slapped downwards, causing a terrifying wave to pour out in mid-air, followed by an explosive eruption of dirt all around him. The rolling dirt turned into a surge, attacking from all directions. Xu Yan slapped outwards, eighteen golden giant dragons roared out, the Sword Intent of rivers and mountains struck, clashing with the overwhelming power of Yin Hong¡¯s shockwave. Rumble! Such terrifying power, like a huge mountain pressing down, the surrounding wave of dirt made even the golden giant dragon seem as if it was stuck in muck. Xu Yan¡¯s figure flashed, and he retreated. ¡°Where are you going!¡± At this moment, the intention to kill emanated from Yin Hong, and amidst the whirling of his palms, endless waves of shock power continued to pour out. The ground¡¯s dirt rolled non-stop, transforming into waves of dirt, appearing like marshy magma, trapping the eighteen fearsome giant dragons within. ¡°Young master!¡± From far away, Du Yuying was terribly worried. At this moment, it was clear to see that Xu Yan was at a disadvantage, in danger at any moment. Xu Yan was not flustered in the slightest, one sword after another piercing out, the Sword Intent of rivers and mountains consistently emerged, filling the surroundings with an aura of slaughter. Even as the eighteen giant dragons crumbled, his expression remained unchanged. All of a sudden, a sense of death pervaded the air, the battlefield seemed to fall into an aura of deathly stillness. The weeds on the ground seemed to lose all vitality at this moment. Yin Hong¡¯s eyebrows twitched, his heart filled with fear, ¡°What kind of swordsmanship is this? Why is it so strange?¡± ¡°Die!¡± Yin Hong¡¯s aura exploded, the dirt shockwave instantly swept through, planning to completely bury Xu Yan in it. ¡°Now is the time!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes flashed, life sprouted in the overturned rivers and mountains. A dragon¡¯s chant resounded among these rivers and mountains. Roar! This dragon¡¯s chant, as if containing the might of heaven and earth, in an instant, the sky shifted, rivers and mountains appeared, and a golden dragon hovered. Xu Yan stabbed out with his sword, like the rivers and mountains were overshadowing the heavens and earth, the golden dragon roared, like the crack of thunder, Sword Intent shattering everything, and the dragon¡¯s chant shook one¡¯s soul. In an instant, the shockwave crumbled, countless flying dirt seemed to become a part of the rivers and mountains, the golden dragon soared, with a chant of the dragon, it agitated the wind and clouds, as if the power of the world was pouring out. Rumble! One sword broke through layers of shockwaves, one sword swept over the rivers and mountains. Yin Hong only felt as if a dragon¡¯s chant echoed within his mind, shaking his spirit, and even his breath froze for a moment. What was even more terrifying was that he seemed to gaze upon the endless rivers and mountains, hearing the golden dragon¡¯s roar. One chant of the dragon¡¯s voice seemed to plunge him into the rivers and mountains, feeling the vitality of the mountains and rivers and witnessing their grandeur, and seeing the golden dragon soaring in the sky. The rivers and mountains are beautiful, which can fascinate one! However, this is also a horrifying killing technique! ¡°Not good!¡± Ultimately, he was a half-step Great Grandmaster, having experienced countless battles, and survived deadly battles before. At this moment, Yin Hong roared out in rage, bit his tongue forcefully, causing blood to surge out, his aura erupted, a terrifying wave of shock power enveloped his whole body. The folding fan unfolded, the wide surface blocking his upper body. At the same time, he explosively retreated. The power of the shockwave swept over, as if it could break apart the rivers and mountains, and seemed to separate him from the magnificent rivers and mountains. Bang! A force of impact came from his chest, shaking his internal organs, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Shh! Even though some kind of treasure fold was protecting his throat, he still felt a slight stinging sensation, as if an invisible force pierced through the fan, stabbing into his throat. He was nearly impaled by a sword! Yin Hong explosively retreated, his heart filled with an endless fear, looking at Xu Yan, his heart was trembling. He had nearly met his end at his opponent¡¯s hand! That sword was too terrifying, especially that roar, which shook his spirit, and seemed to drag him into the rivers and mountains. If he had not been quick to react, he would be a corpse by now! ¡°What kind of swordsmanship is that? It could plunge one into an illusion?¡± Yin Hong¡¯s face was full of uncertainty! At this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s heart was filled with excitement, ¡°Finally, 1 have made sense of the Sword Dao, this is the Dao of the sword, not just swordsmanship, but a killing technique based on Sword Intent. So, it is now that i have truly understood the Dao of the sword. ¡°This sword, let¡¯s call it ¡®Rivers and Mountains Roar with the Dragon¡¯.¡± ¡®Rivers and Mountains Roar with the Dragon¡¯, has transcended the category of merely swordsmanship and embodies an authentic Sword Dao technique! An art of killing, based on Sword Intent, that¡¯s unleashed.. Chapter 177 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan stood proudly with his sword, looking at the slightly disheveled Yin Hong in the distance. He couldn¡¯t help but marvel, truly worthy of being a half-step Great Grandmaster who was able to dodge the blow, preventing himself from being cut down by a single stroke. ¡°A half-step Great Grandmaster, and that¡¯s all!¡± Xu Yan said calmly and casually. In the distance, Du Yuying and the rest breathed a sigh of relief. Although they hadn¡¯t been victorious, they had managed to hold off Yin Hong. Yin Hong¡¯s face was darker than ever, one of his hands trembling slightly behind him. For a moment there, he had nearly been killed! That sword strike, was incredibly powerful! ¡°Boy, who are you? You should think carefully. Are you sure you can bear the consequences of getting involved in this?¡± Yin Hong spoke grimly. He knew that continuing the fight would not lead to victory. In fact, one misstep could potentially lead to a dangerous situation. Xu Yan raised an eyebrow. ¡°What, are you trying to threaten me?¡± Yin Hong sneered, looking at Du Yuying and the others approaching. He said coldly, ¡°The issue with the Du Family runs deep. Even a Great Grandmaster does not dare to get involved rashly. ¡°You¡¯ve blocked me from taking girl Du away, thereby offending the powerful person backing me. You better think carefully about the consequences. There will naturally be people who will come to settle the score with you.¡± Du Yuying frowned slightly and spoke softly, ¡°Sir, you need not worry. My Du Family will take care of this for you.¡± Yin Hong sneered, ¡°Boy, do you want to tie yourself to the Du Family¡¯s boat? It¡¯s not easy to play the hero to save the beauty. The person backing me, the Du Family can¡¯t handle!¡± Du Yuying frowned, as the person backing Yin Hong, a half-step Great Grandmaster and constantly mentioning powerful persons, it¡¯s evident that the person behind the scenes must be extraordinary. She couldn¡¯t help but feel suspicious. The conspirators behind Yin Hong and those who attacked her earlier were obviously not the same people. Xu Yan frowned, thinking to himself, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to earn some Spirit Crystals and Spirit Medicine. Is it easy? The person behind this guy is clearly not simple. If they want to cause trouble for me, then I¡¯ll need to be cautious wherever I go. ¡°Even a Great Grandmaster might show up.¡± He needed to earn Spirit Crystals and he also wanted Spirit Medicine. He had already escorted Du Yuying all the way here, and after a fierce battle, how could he retreat at this moment? Moreover, even if he decided to retreat, the other party would not let it go so easily. ¡°Sir, don¡¯t worry. You can stay at my Du Family for a few days. Once this storm passes, I guarantee that no one will involve you because of this matter.¡± Du Yuying said seriously. However, Xu Yan didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. Would he stay at the Du Family¡¯s place? He came here to make his way in the Inner Domain, not to seek refuge with a certain power. Yin Hong threatened further, ¡°Boy, this matter is far-reaching. You are indeed strong, but I advise you to withdraw. If you leave now, all that¡¯s left is the grudge between the two of us. ¡°If you interfere, you¡¯ll be making an enemy of the person supporting me. You better think carefully about the consequences.¡± Xu Yan snorted coldly, ¡°Threaten me? Are you worthy? The person supporting you, are they worthy?¡± The half-step Great Grandmaster who was a pseudo-martial artist, who was unable to make a direct breakthrough to Great Grandmaster, was definitely a waste. Who dare to threaten him, and who gave him the courage? And who was this so-called noble person? Without another word, Xu Yan thrust his sword out. The image of mountains and rivers emerged, and the sound of a dragon¡¯s roar echoed. It was the Sword Dao he had recently comprehended, the Mountain River Dragon Roar! With such a good opponent to practice his swordsmanship on, how could Xu Yan let him go? The color drained from Yin Hong¡¯s face. He was deeply aware of how terrifying this sword strike was. His folding fan was spinning in his hand, with layers of shocking wave-like power emerging one after another. At the same time, he was inwardly guarded against the terrifying influence of the dragon¡¯s roar. Still, the moment the dragon¡¯s roar sounded, he still felt as if he were being drawn into a world of mountains and rivers. As if in the next moment, he would be buried within the mountains and rivers. ¡°Ah!¡± Yin Hong roared in anger, continuously exerting his full power. The shocking waves rolled, and he managed to extricate himself from the realm of the mountains and rivers and quickly retreated! Shh! A slash was cut into his chest clothes, and he was furious. ¡°Dare to threaten me? Half-baked thing, who gave you the courage?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s sword struck out again and again. The dragon¡¯s roar kept ringing out, and the image of mountains and rivers kept emerging, forcing Yin Hong to continuously dodge, looking extremely pathetic. His purple robe was nearly reduced to rags. A small bloody cut also appeared on his shoulder. Yet, he was still a half-step Great Grandmaster. Despite being in a pathetic state, he had not received any fatal injuries. ¡°I can¡¯t continue like this. This lad¡¯s swordsmanship is peculiar; it seems to become more powerful the more he fights. A single carelessness could lead me to fall into his hands!¡± Yin Hong felt a chill in his heart and thought of retreating. Du Yuying and the others were shaken. What kind of swordsplay was this? It was incredibly strong, as if it contained some profound mystery of the universe. Yin Hong was forced into a disgusting state. This was a half-step Great Grandmaster, whose terrifying power far surpassed that of a Grandmaster Martial Artist. And Yin Hong was even more outstanding among the half-step Great Grandmasters, an existence rumored to be invincible except by a Great Grandmaster. At this moment, he no longer retained his refined demeanor. His hair was disheveled, and his purple robe had turned into strips of cloth hanging from his body, with intersecting bloody cuts faintly visible. Although the wounds were not deep, only superficial bloody cuts, it was enough to show how dangerous Yin Hong¡¯s situation was. If he was a little slow in responding, he could fall on the spot. Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, looking at Yin Hong with surprise. ¡°This guy is strong. I can¡¯t kill him!¡± After the battle, Xu Yan also understood his own strength and at what level he was in the Inner Domain. He was stronger than a half-step Great Grandmaster but weaker than a Great Grandmaster. However, killing a powerful half-step Great Grandmaster like Yin Hong was not easy! Chapter 178 Translator: 549690339 Boom! Yin Hong suddenly unleashed a fierce attack and swiftly retreated, prepared to escape at any moment. ¡°Boy, since you insist on getting involved in this matter, from now on, not only this great Yue State, but even the whole Inner Domain Martial Arts World, would be a place you can¡¯t consider safe. You¡¯ll always be under constant attacks.¡± ¡°Anyone who obstructs the important figures behind me is doomed to die, and you are no exception even if you are a Great Grandmaster!¡± Yin Hong¡¯s face betrayed his discomfort as he tried to scare off Xu Yan with the heavyweight support he claimed to have. Xu Yan raised an eyebrow. Whoever was backing Yin Hong must hold significant power, or else he wouldn¡¯t have said such words. ¡°Ha, empty barrels make the most noise. You¡¯re a real waste, threatening me with your so-called dignitary. Do you think I care about them?¡± Xu Yan sneered, showing no fear. ¡°Good, good, good!¡± Yin Hong laughed bitterly: ¡°Since you¡¯re so arrogant, ignoring the important figure behind me, dare to tell me your name!¡± Xu Yan looked at him with an arrogant expression and said, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t 1 dare?¡± But he was also muttering to himself: ¡°Brother Xie did tell me that when I come to the Inner Domain, whatever happens, just mention his name, and everything will be solved!¡± ¡°Sword Dao Cliff is one of the top forces in the Inner Domain. Could this guy¡¯s supporter be even more powerful?¡± ¡°Just how useful is Brother Xie¡¯s name will be tested this time. 1 hope Brother Xie hasn¡¯t been bragging.¡± Xu Yan wasn¡¯t scared of Yin Hong or his supporter¡¯s power. It¡¯s just that being chased by a major power immediately after arriving in the Inner Domain may hamper his plan to accumulate Spirit Crystals and collect Spiritual Medicines.¡± His primary aim coming to the Inner Domain was to collect Spiritual Medicines to help his junior sister with her alchemy, thereby laying a foundation for his family¡¯s martial arts training.¡± Once he achieves the Innate Perfection and even breaks through to the Tongxuan Realm, he wouldn¡¯t worry about provoking these major powers any longer. In fact, they would be good for honing his own strength. But now wasn¡¯t the time! Xu Yan sheathed his sword, crossed his arms over his chest, and said arrogantly, ¡°Listen well. My name is Xie Lingfeng!¡± Silence! Yin Hong¡¯s eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief! Du Yuying¡¯s mouth dropped slightly open in surprise, with a hint of delight in her eyes. Cui¡¯er covered her mouth, her eyes wide in disbelief. Yan Kuan was totally stunned. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s with their reactions?¡± Xu Yan wondered. Why did their reactions change so drastically upon hearing the name Xie Lingfeng? After a while, Yin Hong took a deep breath to calm himself, and solemnly said, ¡°So you are Xie Lingfeng from Sword Dao Cliff! Since Brother Xie is involved in this matter, the important people behind me will step away. I take my leave now!¡± He had no doubt about Xu Yan¡¯s words. The impressive display of swordsmanship during their previous exchanges had already impressed him. Xie Lingfeng of the Sword Dao Cliff was hailed as one of the three youngest Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, and even the top swordsman among the younger generation! He carries the reputation of being the most gifted fighter that Sword Dao Cliff has seen in a thousand years. Such formidable strength matched his reputation! Since Xie Lingfeng was involved, the matter of the Du Family would certainly be dropped. That¡¯s what Yin Hong thought. He was fully aware that the individual backing him would definitely not offend Xie Lingfeng over Du Yuying. Glancing at Du Yuying, he silently praised, ¡°This woman¡¯s beauty is unparalleled, and as the rumors go, she has a special physique that attracted Xie Lingfeng to stand up for her. She is indeed something!¡± Without further delay, Yin Hong swiftly departed. Xu Yan was startled. Is the name ¡®Xie Lingfeng¡¯ really that influential? He was secretly delighted, ¡°Brother Xie didn¡¯t lie to me. No matter what happens, just mention his name and everything will be solved. Even this guy didn¡¯t dare to throw harsh words after hearing Brother Xie¡¯s name.¡± ¡°He even directly stated that the dignitary behind him would no longer be involved in this matter.¡± Watching Yin Hong¡¯s receding figure, Xu Yan muttered to himself, ¡°Once I achieve Innate perfection, I will mop the floor with you!¡± ¡°Young Master Xie, it¡¯s you!¡± Du Yuying¡¯s expression was a mix of surprise and delight. At this moment, she was reminded of many things. When they had met in Tieshan County, ¡°Young Master Xie was there for me. He just wanted to get my attention. He wanted Spirit Crystals and Spiritual Medicines, but those were just excuses. His true intention was to escort me back.¡± ¡°Could it be that Young Master Xie¡­¡± With certain possibility popping into her mind, Du Yuying felt her heartbeat quicken. Cui¡¯er and Yan Kuan also couldn¡¯t help but think along those lines ¨C the pride of Sword Dao Cliff, Xie Lingfeng, fancied Miss Du and intentionally got close to her¡­ Xu Yan coughed lightly, ¡°Miss Du, don¡¯t forget about the Spiritual Medicines. And by declaring my name, it seems like I have helped solve some problems for the Du Family, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Young Master Xie, Yuying understands. I won¡¯t skimp on the Spirit Crystals and Spiritual Medicines.¡± Du Yuying gently replied. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good, we should quickly move on,¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Something seems off about this woman¡¯s attitude. Get the Spiritual Medicines and get going!¡± That¡¯s what Xu Yan thought. He had helped solve a problem for the Du Family just by stating the name ¡®Xie Lingfeng¡¯. His help shouldn¡¯t go unrewarded. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t take Brother Xie¡¯s name in vain either.¡± So Xu Yan reminded her, ¡°Miss Yuying, it seems that by mentioning my name, I might have solved a problem for the Du Family in the process. The reward for this¡­¡± Du Yuying gave him a gentle look and gently replied, ¡°Yuying will make sure to prepare a generous gift to express my gratitude to Young Master Xie.¡± Hearing this, Xu Yan nodded, ¡°Sure, sure, you can send this generous gift to Sword Dao Cliff!¡± Chapter 179 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Yuying understands!¡± Du Yuying glared at him. Xu Yan was stunned, mumbling to himself in his heart, ¡°Did this woman misunderstand something? Never mind, 1 don¡¯t need to concern myself with her. As long as I can deliver the gift to Brother Xie, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Xu Yan was a man of manners. Since Brother Xie was so generous, promising him that in the Inner Domain, he could use Xie¡¯s name for any matter and that he had helped others by using his name. This generous gift of gratitude, naturally, he could not accept. ¡°Upon receiving this gift, Brother Xie should know that I have arrived in the Inner Domain,¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. As Du Yuying continued her journey, she poked her head out of the carriage and asked, ¡°Young Master Xie, won¡¯t you come inside and join us?¡± Seeing her with her beautifully crafted features, a soft, gentle look in her eyes, Xu Yan suddenly perked up, but then hurriedly shook his head, ¡°No, the carriage is too small, it won¡¯t be convenient!¡± At that moment, he tensed, ¡°That¡¯s not good, I¡¯m feeling a bit distracted and was almost bothered by external factors. This must be because my progress in Sword Dao has been too fast, and my mentality couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°I must find a place to further hone my mentality!¡± Seeing this, Du Yuying had no choice but to give up. The team arrived at a big city. The Grandmaster of the city, who had just left to provide assistance, sighed in relief when he saw Du Yuying return. ¡°This city is far superior to Tieshan county!¡± After entering the city, Xu Yan was full of emotions, and then he became excited. Along the way, he earned a good amount of Spirit Crystals, and a substantial amount of seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine. The team arrived at the Tianbao Pavilion in the city. As Du Yuying alighted from the carriage, a manager of the Tianbao Pavilion came out to greet her, ¡°Miss Du, welcome!¡± ¡°Cui¡¯er.¡± Du Yuying began to speak. ¡°Yes, miss!¡± Cui¡¯er stepped forward, handing over a list to the manager of Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°These spiritual medicines, you guys have them, right? Also, make a Spirit Crystal check for ten thousand crystals,¡± Cui¡¯er said. The manager of Tianbao Pavilion took a glance at the list, looked at Du Yuying with surprise, hesitated for a moment then asked, ¡°Miss Du, these seventh-grade spiritual medicines are quite expensive, are you sure you can afford them?¡± ¡°Manager, you need not worry, if Du Yuying dares to order them, 1 naturally can afford them,¡± Du Yuying resolutely replied, in good spirits. ¡°Very well, please wait a moment.¡± Just as the manager was about to leave, Xu Yan interjected, ¡°Manager, do you have a storage bag here?¡± The object he coveted the most was the storage bag. The manager looked at Xu Yan in surprise. Who was this young man who would bring up a storage bag just like that? Even for the Du Family, regardless of whether they could afford it, if they were to buy, it would definitely be a huge strain on their resources! ¡°Our Tianbao Pavilion branch does not have any storage bags. If the young master wishes to purchase one, the head office can arrange to bring one over!¡± the manager explained. Xu Yan looked disappointed, he could not afford one, but seeing one would have been nice. However, it seemed like even getting a chance to look at it was too difficult. He wouldn¡¯t stay here much longer. Once he received his reward, he would leave. He could only shake his head and say, ¡°Never mind if you don¡¯t have it.¡± Du Yuying quietly glanced at him, contemplating something in her heart, ¡°Young Master Xie seems to be very fond of storage bags. Well, who doesn¡¯t cherish such treasures? ¡°Especially for Young Master Xie, an unrivaled prodigy in this world! ¡°Even if Jianzun Cliff has a storage bag, it is in the hands of the Great Grandmaster, and has already been claimed. Moreover, according to Jianzun Cliff¡¯s rules, if you want a storage bag, you have to obtain it yourself. ¡°If I could obtain a storage bag for Young Master Xie¡­¡± As Du Yuying thought about it, she sighed deeply.. Acquiring a storage bag, is just too difficult! Chapter 180 Translator: 549690339 The manager of the Tianbao Pavilion brought a spirit ticket with a quota of ten thousand and a bag of spiritual medicine. The bag contained twenty-five fully sealed seventh-grade spiritual medicines. Xu Yan happily accepted the spirit ticket and held the bag of spiritual medicine in his hand, but he was a bit troubled. ¡°Should i return to the border wilderness now? I didn¡¯t leave that long ago, but it¡¯s a bit inconvenient to carry spiritual medicine with me!¡± The manager of the Tianbao Pavilion noticed his dilemma. He then said, ¡°If the Young Master needs temporary storage for the spiritual medicine, I can issue a free storage policy valid for three months. If it exceeds three months, a storage fee of one hundred spirit crystals will be charged per month.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was tempted and asked, ¡°Can 1 store it at any Tianbao Pavilion?¡± ¡°Yes, our Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s policy is universal and can be used everywhere. However, free storage only applies for three months. Beyond that, a storage fee is required.¡± The manager replied with a smile. ¡°No problem, give me a policy.¡± Xu Yan nodded. The storage fee for a month is one hundred spirit crystals, which is equivalent to one Qingyuan fruit. This Tianbao Pavilion is really merciless. Those who can afford to use the storage service of Tianbao Pavilion are not ordinary martial artists. Xu Yan secretly marveled. ¡°Manager, issue a one-year storage policy. I will pay the cost.¡± Du Yuying said. ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed. This lady was generous and forthright. It was worth escorting her. Du Yuying gave a charming smile and said, ¡°As long as you are happy.¡± The manager glanced at Xu Yan with a bit of surprise. It seemed that the young lady of the Du Family had taken a liking to this youngster. He issued a one-year free storage policy and handed it to Xu Yan. Xu Yan happily accepted it and was ready to leave. He did not plan to store the spiritual medicine here. After all, this was Du Yuying¡¯s territory and it was too far from the border wilderness. ¡°By the way, manager, the spiritual medicine won¡¯t be lost, will it?¡± The manager of Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s face darkened. Who was this boy questioning the reputation of Tianbao Pavilion? The Inner Domain knew all about it. ¡°Young Master, rest assured. If the spiritual medicine is lost, Tianbao Pavilion will compensate triple the amount. If it¡¯s damaged, we will compensate the original amount.¡± ¡°Then 1 can rest assured.¡± Xu Yan exclaimed, relieved. ¡°It would be great if the stored spiritual medicine was lost. 1 could get three times the compensation.¡± He muttered to himself and left. Du Yuying watched him leave, a hint of a smile seemed to flash in her eyes. ¡°Tell the master that I am back and at the Tianbao Pavilion. Ask him to send someone to pick me up and also tell him to prepare a generous gift, I¡¯ll need it.¡± Du Yuying stood up and said. ¡°Miss, 1 know how to explain it to the master.¡± Yan Kuan assured her seriously. The eldest apprentice had gone to the Inner Domain, and the second apprentice had comprehended the Cultivation Technique of the Great Sun Golden Body. The third apprentice was about to perfect the Golden Bone, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before he could embark on the path of martial arts. Li Xuan felt somewhat relieved. He began to invest part of his energy into the Cultivation Techniques above the Tongxuan Realm, pondering how to practice in the realm above Tongxuan. Meng Chong was breaking through the Innate Realm, and Li Xuan was secretly keeping an eye on it, expecting that Meng Chong¡¯s breakthrough could also bring about some transformations. Meng Chong was fully immersed in his breakthrough on the slope. The Great Sun Golden Body focused on opening the Gold Body¡¯s Apertures, but before opening these apertures, he needed to connect the Heaven and Earth Bridge and open up the Dantian Sea of Qi as foundation. Bang! ¡°My senior brother told me that during his breakthrough, he integrated his Sword Intent into himself and experienced a transformation, and his power became even stronger. In that case, 1 can merge my Knife Intent into myself. Chapter 181 Translator: 549690339 The man in the black robe, although also a Great Grandmaster, was obviously not one who had reached completion; he was not even a peak Great Grandmaster. His combat experience had increased once more, and Li Xuan was elated, ¡°I don¡¯t even have to fight, and my combat experience increases just by lying down. This feels great!¡± Therefore, he could skip the strenuous cultivation and leave the struggle to his disciple. As a master, he could become invincible by merely lying down. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, killed a Grandmaster-level Martial Artist with a slap. Your combat experience has increased.¡± Li Xuan was stunned, ¡°Another Grandmaster Martial Artist?¡± Grandmaster Martial Artists are the top fighters in the Inner Domain, right? How come Xu Yan killed two right after entering the Inner Domain in such a short time? ¡°Did my disciple Xu Yan provoke these Grandmasters, or did the Grandmasters provoke my disciple?¡± Li Xuan fell into a deep contemplation. ¡°I¡¯m certain that my disciple Xu Yan, with his simple and kind nature, was provoked by these Grandmaster Martial Artists. So, their deaths served them right!¡± After all, only two Grandmaster Martial Artists had been killed so far. The Inner Domain is vast and full of sects, and the number of Grandmaster Martial Artists is actually much higher than that. However, what was beyond Li Xuan¡¯s expectation was, ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, killed a Grandmaster martial artist with a slap. Your combat experience has increased¡­¡± Li Xuan gasped, ¡°Are Grandmasters everywhere in the Inner Domain? Or has Xu Yan stirred up a Grandmasters¡¯ nest? How many has he killed already?¡± He was shocked, what if a Great Grandmaster was provoked? ¡°Is the Inner Domain really that dangerous? Is a Grandmaster as commonplace as cabbages?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help doubting, in the Inner Domain, are Grandmaster Martial Artists that common and not among the top fighters? ii It¡¯s been a few days, and Xu Yan hasn¡¯t killed any Grandmasters. It seems they are not that numerous.¡± A few days had passed without any news of Grandmasters being killed. Li Xuan sighed in relief. However, his relief didn¡¯t last long. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, enlightened the true essence of the Dragon Roar during a battle with a peak Grandmaster. You have now fully comprehended the Dragon Roar!¡± There it was again. And this time, it was a peak Grandmaster. However, Xu Yan had achieved some enlightenment this time. Dragon Roar Essence! ¡°Indeed, fighting is the best way to stimulate one¡¯s talent. Xu Yan¡¯s enlightenment of Dragon Roar Essence will make the power of his Descending Dragon Palm even stronger.¡± Li Xuan nodded in agreement. It was indeed the right choice for Xu Yan to go to the Inner Domain for training. How long had it been, and he had already reaped the benefits? ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, killed a peak Grandmaster. Your combat experience has increased.¡± The feedback from Golden Finger came once again. He had killed the peak Grandmaster. ¡°Good, my disciple Xu Yan can now sweep through the Grandmaster realm.¡± Li Xuan was silently pleased. Even if the peak Grandmaster who was killed was on the weaker side, it implied that Xu Yan was now invincible within the Grandmaster realm. ¡°When Xu Yan reaches completion in the Innate Realm, he will be able to contend with Great Grandmasters.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. Once Xu Yan reaches completion in the Innate Realm, the current man in the black robe would not be a match for him. Moreover, he had a hunch that Xu Yan¡¯s strength would grow even stronger as he gains more combat experience. By the time he reaches perfection in the Innate Realm, he would probably not fear even peak Great Grandmasters. Even if he couldn¡¯t win, he wouldn¡¯t be in any danger either. A fighting strength that could cross a major realm! On this day, on the hillside outside the manor, an imposing aura shot up to the sky. Meng Chong had broken through. An impressive figure with a golden aura stood proudly on the hillside. His imposing aura swept across all quarters. His body was enveloped in golden light, much like the shining sun, augmented with an undying aura. Giant Sun Golden Body! Experiencing these changes within himself, Meng Chong had reached the entrance level of the Giant Sun Golden Body after opening three golden body points, which saw a drastic increase in his strength comparable to a treasured blade. Standing still, even a Martial Artist, who had perfected the Blood Qi realm and wields a treasure sword, couldn¡¯t harm him in the slightest! This was the might of the Giant Sun Golden Body! Apart from that, there was an aura of tyranny surrounding Meng Chong. ¡°After my breakthrough, my body feels sharpened by my blade intent. It seems that my Vajra Liuli Bone has transformed!¡± Meng Chong was overjoyed. He swung his arm, throwing a punch. Winds and thunder roared, the punch was incredibly dominating. Thunderbolts rolled up a storm, and the storm engulfed the thunderbolts, wreaking havoc and causing destruction wherever it hit! Boom! The entire hillside started to shake. ii So powerful!¡± Shi¡¯er was utterly shocked. Meng Chong¡¯s power surge post breakthrough was overwhelming, he didn¡¯t even need to get close to suffocate people with his power! The Red Cat that lay next to him was fixedly gazing at Meng Chong. The glistening golden figure exuded a fierce aura, far more savage than the beast itself. Its claws were fervently scratching the ground, its eyes seemingly lost in thought. Shock spread across Zhou Ying¡¯s face. If the Innate Realm was this formidable, how powerful would the Tongxuan Realm be? It felt to her that Meng Chong could annihilate a Grandmaster Martial Artist with a single punch. Even the weakest Grandmaster Martial Artist held a tremendous presence in the Inner Domain. In some small cities, they were dominant forces, looked up to as lords overseeing the ever-changing world. Yet these powerful martial artists, in her view, couldn¡¯t possibly survive even a single punch from Meng Chong! Meng Chong then began to retract his aura, the golden glow disappeared and his fierce aura gradually became more reserved; however, he still appeared as a fierce bold-headed young man. He no longer had the previous aura of wildness and ferocity. ¡°My aura is still too conspicuous, I need to keep it hidden. Otherwise, when I go to the Inner Domain, everyone will consider me a lout!¡± Meng Chong mumbled to himself. Gold light appeared again indicating his breakthrough, this was the feedback from the Golden Finger. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, using your self-taught cultivation technique, successfully broke through, forging the Great Sun Golden Body in the Innate Realm, which is hundred times superior than the others at the same realm!¡± Boom! Li Xuan only felt a sudden transformation of his body. His advancement started from the apertures of the golden body, he had now achieved the Great Sun Golden Body in the Innate Realm. ¡°Merely relying on my physical strength, even without using any martial arts, I can easily take down each Great Grandmaster with one punch. Even if tens of Great Grandmasters join forces to attack me, they can¡¯t break my defense. ¡°A single punch for each, nothing more than a few dozen punches, likely won¡¯t consume too much energy.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s heart swells with excitement. The boost in his power boosted his confidence to the bursting point. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has transformed into a Vajra Tyrant Bone, and you have earned the Dragon Ascending Dyad Dominant Spiritual Body.¡± Boom! His spiritual body underwent another transformation and added another layer of dominant fierceness to it. It pushed his physical strength up another notch. ¡°Meng Chong has also transformed into a Vajra Tyrant Bone¡­ another type of Spiritual Bone.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. He wondered if Su Lingxiu would also transform when she broke through? If she did transform, then what powerful Spiritual Body would he get from subsequent stacking? Li Xuan was full of anticipation. At the same time, other thoughts popped up, ¡°1 have the orthodox Martial Arts, the Physical Martial Arts, and the alchemy ATartial Arts. What other types of Martial Arts can I create?¡± If he could create a new system of Martial Arts and recruit new disciples, once their training is successful, he could receive more substantial feedback. This kind of transformation would intensify through continuous stacking. However, Li Xuan was temporarily clueless about the new Martial Arts system. ¡°Artifact Refining Martial Arts? Somehow it doesn¡¯t feel strong enough, I can¡¯t create a theory just yet, just refining artifacts seems insufficient.¡± Li Xuan was lost in thought. ¡°Forget it, 1 should first create a cultivation theory for the realms above Tongxuan.¡± Crafting a new Martial Art system had to be put on hold for now; he will take it up when inspiration strikes. Besides, finding an abnormal disciple isn¡¯t an easy task! After Meng Chong¡¯s breakthrough, he was consolidating his realm and delving into self-improvement. The Red Cat came over and stared at him pitifully, sweeping its tail back and forth on the ground, seemingly lost in thought. Li Xuan chuckled. He raised his staff and tapped it on the cat¡¯s body, pointing out its acupoints once again, and gave it another round of the Great Beast Technique. He was ingraining the technique deeply into Red Cat¡¯s memory; who knows, maybe it could truly comprehend the technique one day? All of Su Lingxiu¡¯s failed elixirs were given to it. After eating the elixirs, the cat didn¡¯t need any other food, it wasn¡¯t hungry, indicating the failed elixirs still contained plenty of medicinal power. ¡°My second disciple is also heading to the Inner Domain soon. 1 hope they don¡¯t encounter another Grandmaster Martial Artist.¡± Li Xuan chuckled wryly. Xu Yan had entered the Inner Domain and successively slapped a couple of Grandmasters to death. This was likely an accident. Surely it was not Meng Chong¡¯s fate to also upset a group of Grandmasters in the Inner Domain? One would think Grandmasters are everywhere.¡± Then the golden light began to glow again. Li Xuan paused. Was this feedback from Meng Chong or Xu Yan? He didn¡¯t just slap another Grandmaster to death, did he? ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has just killed a Grandmaster Martial Artist with a single slap. After killing four Grandmasters in quick succession, your combat experience has greatly increased.¡± Li Xuan:¡­ ¡°Was he ambushed? Why does the Inner Domain Grandmaster feel so weak, like a mosquito that can be slapped to death with a single slap?¡± Li Xuan fell deep into thought.. How did Xu Yan manage to draw so many Grandmaster Martial Artists to him? Chapter 182 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan still couldn¡¯t figure out how his eldest disciple Xu Yan had offended so many Grandmaster martial artists, to the point of being surrounded and attacked by them. The golden light emerged again. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, killed a Grandmaster in the Inner Domain with one palm strike. By means of killing a Grandmaster, you have obtained the martial arts divine technique, One-Hit Kill!¡± Martial Arts Divine Technique! Li Xuan was thrilled; his disciple was truly supportive. The death of a Grandmaster by a single palm strike even resulted in feedback from the Golden Finger. And what was this, a Martial Arts Divine Technique?! ¡°Finally, I have another one that isn¡¯t just a copy of my disciple¡¯s martial arts.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. One-Hit Kill, the Martial Arts Divine Technique, he had mastered it. This was a very powerful cultivation technique. No matter how deceitful the enemy¡¯s movement technique was, how fast they were, or how elusive, as long as he made a move, the opponent could not dodge. The only option was to withstand the attack; there was no other way. Moreover, when using One-Hit Kill, the power instantly increased threefold. Unless the opponent¡¯s strength was three times his, they would absolutely be unable to resist. ¡°No wonder it¡¯s the Martial Arts Divine Technique. A threefold increase in power with one strike, and the enemy can¡¯t dodge, can only withstand. If they don¡¯t have three times the strength, they can¡¯t resist, they are certain to die. ¡°This is indeed a Martial Arts Divine Technique that can fight against enemies stronger than oneself, as long as they are not more than three times stronger, it will be a One-Hit Kill!¡± Li Xuan was exhilarated. It was indeed a Martial Arts Divine Technique. ¡°With my current strength, even if a martial artist superior to a Great Grandmaster appears, by using One-Hit Kill, I should be able to kill them in one strike, right?¡± Thinking this, Li Xuan was even more excited. His sense of security greatly increased! ¡°Xu Yan, as a pioneer of my martial arts endeavor, really delivers. The road to my invincibility relies entirely on him.¡± Among his three disciples, Li Xuan values Xu Yan the most. The eldest disciple was at the core of the martial arts endeavor. ¡°I need to establish the realm above the Tongxuan Realm as soon as possible, to lay out the theoretical framework for it. As soon as Xu Yan comes back from the Inner Domain, 1 can teach him the cultivation technique above the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°Given Xu Yan¡¯s monstrous talent, after gaining experience in the Inner Domain, he should have no problem understanding the Tongxuan Realm¡¯s cultivation techniques.¡± Li Xuan was quite excited. He glanced at Su Lingxiu, who was currently cultivating. She would most likely get stuck in perfecting her golden bones. How to break through and refine eternal bones would depend on her alone. Although Su Lingxiu developed the recipe for the Evergreen Pill to refine eternal bones, she lacked the spiritual medicine for refinement. She only had Water Spirit Grass, and he didn¡¯t know what the effect would be. ¡°This girl seems to have a special constitution, which is why her cultivation progressed so quickly. The refinement of the eternal bones shouldn¡¯t pose a major problem; it should just take some time.¡± Li Xuan mused. Upon learning that Meng Chong would breakthrough soon, Shi¡¯er knew that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he left for the Inner Domain. Therefore, he seized this opportunity to learn swordsmanship from Meng Chong. He had given up on the Dao of the Sword and just wanted to learn a few excellent sword techniques. When facing martial artists from the Inner Domain, he could maintain an advantage and not lose face. In the following days, there was no further feedback from the Golden Finger. Li Xuan felt a little relieved but also a tad disappointed; did Xu Yan stop provoking the Grandmaster martial artists? Or perhaps, the Grandmaster martial artists stopped provoking Xu Yan? What was disappointing was that without a Grandmaster being killed by Xu Yan, there would be no feedback. Then one day, the golden light emerged once again. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, after a fierce battle with a half-step Great Grandmaster, successfully comprehended the Sword Dao Technique, Mountains and Rivers Dragon Chant. Your Mountains and Rivers Dragon Chant has reached completion.¡± Sword Dao Technique! Li Xuan was shocked. Xu Yan had actually fought with a half-step Great Grandmaster. What on earth did Xu Yan do? Would the next step be a fight with a Great Grandmaster? Thinking this, he couldn¡¯t help but worry. Although Xu Yan¡¯s strength was monstrous, an Innate Realm junior was ultimately no match for the power of a Great Grandmaster. ¡°With Xu Yan¡¯s speed, even if he is defeated, escaping shouldn¡¯t be an issue, and he will soon be able to break through to the peak of the Innate Realm. By then, even a Great Grandmaster will not pose a threat.¡± Li Xuan exhaled and visualized the Sword Dao Technique, Mountains and Rivers Dragon Chant in his mind. This was a real Dao Technique, it had already transcended the field of ordinary swordsmanship. It was created by Xu Yan on the basis of his Sword Intent. ¡°In a sense, it can be said that now Xu Yan has truly stepped into the realm of Sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed. The Mountain and Rivers Dragon Chant was very powerful and would keep growing stronger with each level of cultivation. This was a Sword Dao Technique that would not become outdated just because of an increase in strength. ¡°My strength has increased again.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s heart was brimming with excitement. Three days later, Meng Chong came back. He had thoroughly consolidated his realm. The robust aura he was previously emitting was now completely concealed. Even though he still looked burly and robust, at least the fierce aura wasn¡¯t emanating. ¡°Master, I¡¯m going to the Inner Domain.¡± Meng Chong knelt down and kowtowed. ¡°Hmm, what I had to say, I already said when your eldest senior brother left. I won¡¯t repeat myself.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Master¡¯s instructions, I will remember in my heart!¡± Meng Chong respectfully kowtowed. ¡°Second senior brother.¡± Su Lingxiu felt a sense of melancholy. Both her senior brothers were leaving the border wasteland to venture into the Inner Domain. When could she return to the Inner Domain? Was reaching the Innate Realm enough? ¡°Junior sister, don¡¯t worry. Your second senior brother will definitely help you gather spiritual medicine. You just focus on your cultivation.¡± Meng Chong patted his chest. ¡°Second senior brother, it¡¯s enough that you try your best. Don¡¯t get mixed up in danger for the sake of spiritual medicine.¡± Su Lingxiu said, moved. ¡°Rest assured, I know my limits!¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Shi¡¯er, the sword technique I taught you, learn it well. If you can master fifty to sixty percent of it, you¡¯ll be stronger than other martial artists at the same level..¡± Chapter 183 Translator: 549690339 Looking at Shi¡¯er, he gives some advice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, 1 will definitely practice hard and won¡¯t let you down.¡± Shi¡¯er nods solemnly. Lifting his hand, he passes a small package to Meng Chong. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in half a year, or a year.¡± Meng Chong tucks the package into his chest, rises into the sky, and vanishes over the horizon. He doesn¡¯t immediately head to the Inner Domain, instead he heads to the imperial city of Wu Country. After the fight, he was nearly killed. He decides to confront the Emperor of Wu and figure out how Senior Wu appeared in the first place. If the Emperor of Wu was behind it all, then Meng Chong would not hold back, even if it meant ignoring the favor of the Emperor of Wu avenging him. After the incident with Senior Wu, the imperial city of Wu Country gradually returned to normal. The courtiers did their duties, took care of state affairs, the younger generations carried on with their search for masters, or travelled to Qi Country for an exchange with liked-minded fellows. To see if they could obtain a method of training in Martial Arts. Only the Emperor of Wu, he always had a lingering worry. Since the fight, Meng Chong had not come to settle the account and seemed to have disappeared. This made him very uneasy, as it indicated that Meng Chong was severely injured and was recuperating from his injuries. Once he recovered, he was bound to clear things up. What the Emperor of Wu feared the most was that Meng Chong would not let him explain, and would beat him up on the spot. ¡°Emperor of Wu!¡± The Emperor of Wu, who was in his study reviewing papers, suddenly trembled with fear, dropping his pen. Meng Chong was here! After not seeing him for a while, the Emperor of Wu found Meng Chong seemed to have grown more robust, his shiny bald head seemed brighter and his overall demeanor more aggressive. ¡°Meng Chong, listen to my explanation, he was not sent by me!¡± The Emperor of Wu hurriedly pleaded with a desperate look on his face. ¡°Tell me, what happened?¡± Meng Chong didn¡¯t show any courtesy and sat right on the Emperor of Wu¡¯s chair. But the Emperor of Wu stood terrified beside him. ¡°This is what happened¡­¡± The Emperor of Wu didn¡¯t dare hide anything and honestly told Meng Chong the complete story of how Senior Wu came into the scene. ¡°I had someone send you a message saying there was a Martial Arts expert, didn¡¯t you receive it?¡± The Emperor of Wu put on a wronged face. ¡°Alright, since this has nothing to do with you, I won¡¯t hold you accountable!¡± Meng Chong rises from his seat. ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± The Emperor of Wu lets out a sigh of relief. As Meng Chong was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, ¡°By the way, my master is about to spread his martial arts at the border lands. If you want the martial arts methods, you can send someone to visit the Xu Family in Donghe prefecture!¡± Since it has been decided to spread martial arts in the borderlands, Wu Country would naturally not be excluded. Just that now, people like Emperor Qi are secretly cultivating to build up enough strength before slowly spreading it out. Since this was the case, then Wu Country should also have martial arts techniques. Emperor Wu was instantly delighted, ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± Meng Chong turns and leaves. Emperor Wu was extremely excited, and began to secretly plan a trip out of the palace to visit Donghe prefecture in Qi Country to personally seek the Martial Arts methods. The mysterious voice in the stone house seemed to have lost its senses and was unable to acquire the methods. Now that Emperor Wu has a new way to acquire the methods, he wouldn¡¯t just wait around anymore. After leaving the imperial city of Wu Country, Meng Chong headed straight into the endless mountains, tracing the places where Senior Wu had appeared, and exploring along the way. But in the end, he found nothing. Inside a small courtyard in Yunshan County. Li Xuan sat in a chair, sighing with emotion. His second disciple had also set off on his journey, leaving only the third disciple by his side. ¡°Red Cat, have you memorized the acupoints?¡± He used a bamboo cane to point at the acupoints on Red Cat¡¯s body and asked with a grin. Bored, he teased the big cat. Roar! Red Cat let out a deep cry, seemingly telling Li Xuan that it had memorized the acupoints. ¡°If you want to awaken your acupoints, I think, you should start with this one. If you awaken this acupoint, your intelligence might improve, and you might become smarter.¡± Li Xuan laughed jovially and used the bamboo cane to gently prod at Red Cat¡¯s head. ¡°Roar!¡± Red Cat let out a cry, looking as if it was deep in thought. ¡°My Lord, it¡¯s a beast. It surely can¡¯t grasp the concepts, can it?¡± Shi¡¯er couldn¡¯t resist speaking. If the Red Cat managed to understand the beast magic, he would begin to doubt his existence. Was his talent inferior to a beast? ¡°Well, that¡¯s not necessarily true. After all, it¡¯s a fierce beast. Its intellect is far superior to that of ordinary livestock. Moreover, the fact that Red Cat was caught by me may be the result of chance.¡± Li Xuan said with a chuckle. Shi¡¯er appeared to be in deep thought. ¡°Red Cat, could you really have understood the beast magic? If so, wouldn¡¯t it become very powerful, and surpass me?¡± When he thought this far, Shi¡¯er began to panic. When Red Cat was first brought back, he had whipped the beast in order to tame it. If Red Cat became powerful, would it retaliate? ¡°I have to teach Red Cat, while it¡¯s still unaware, that when I whipped it earlier, it was for its own good. It is because of this that it was able to understand beast magic.¡± ¡°Red Cat has to understand gratitude. If it weren¡¯t for my whip, this day of understanding beast magic wouldn¡¯t have come.¡± As Shi¡¯er thought this through, he was determined. From this day forward, Shi¡¯er reminded Red Cat three times a day about the past, telling it that the whipping was for its own good, hoping it would feel grateful. Seeing Shi¡¯er¡¯s actions, Li Xuan felt strange. This fellow¡¯s mind has become quite clever. To make Red Cat believe him, Shi¡¯er even prepared a large gold chain to put around Red Cat¡¯s neck, claiming that the chain cost a lot of money. Red Cat seemed quite excited, appearing to like the gold chain. Li Xuan looked towards the direction of the Inner Domain, Meng Chong must have entered by now. ¡°When Xu Yan entered the Inner Domain, he killed a grandmaster. It shouldn¡¯t be the same with Meng Chong, would it? Given his hulking figure, regular martial artists wouldn¡¯t provoke him.¡± ¡°Moreover, one doesn¡¯t encounter a grandmaster martial artist just anytime.¡± Li Xuan wished for a while, regretting that if Meng Chong could blow up a grandmaster martial artist with a single punch, killing several grandmasters, wouldn¡¯t this feedback to his own martial arts technique? ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be too greedy. Regardless of what I heard from both Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, or Su Lingxiu, grandmasters in the Inner Domain are rare nobody can meet them just because they want to.¡± Li Xuan was beset with doubts as he took out the ancient book and started studying its contents. Meanwhile, he continued to ponder about the cultivation technique beyond ¡°Tongxuan¡±. Nothing had changed in Tieshan County. The majority of the comings and goings at the Tianbao Pavilion were martial artists of Tieshan County. Most walked in reluctantly and came out wincing. Apart from the martial artists, there were also some commoners who occasionally came in to buy cultivation techniques. The hostess at the entrance of the Tianbao Pavilion noticed a robust and bald young man. He had a curious look on his face, glancing everywhere with visible excitement and curiosity. The hostess instantly knew that this was a young man who had just started exploring the world. Not too far away from Tieshan County was the Tiandang Mountain, and perhaps he was a young man who had left his mountain village for the first time to see the city. ¡°Young master, please come inside!¡± The hostess gestured him to enter with a smile. ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Meng Chong was overjoyed. This was the Tianbao Pavilion! There were many spiritual medicines inside, and they even sold treasures like storage pouches. The first thing Meng Chong wanted to do after arriving in the Inner Domain was to visit the Tianbao Pavilion for the experience. ¡°Senior Brother should have already left Tieshan County, right? Has he gone to Lanping Prefecture City?¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. He had decided that his next destination would be Lanping Prefecture City. The same girl who had received Xu Yan approached with a smile, ¡°Young master, this way please.¡± Although Meng Chong was tall and muscular with a shiny bald head, which attracted attention, he was not ugly, and looked like a young boy of 16 or 17 years old. ¡°Young master, please take a look. This is our first floor item catalogue of the Tianbao Pavilion.¡± The girl skillfully handed the catalogue to Meng Chong. ¡°Thank you!¡± Meng Chong eagerly flipped through it page by page, and felt awed in his heart. The Tianbao Pavilion did not disappoint, the first floor alone had so many spiritual medicines for sale. There were also treasures, martial arts techniques, prepared potions, and pills, etc. ¡°Young master, is there anything that catches your eye?¡± The girl asked with a smile. Meng Chong smiled, touched his head, and asked, ¡°Do you have storage pouches? 1 want to take a look!¡± He held the same thoughts as Xu Yan. Even if he couldn¡¯t buy, he could at least take a look, right? The girl¡¯s smile froze. For some reason, she thought back to the young man who had asked about storage pouches some time ago. She looked at Meng Chong with suspicion, wondering if these two boys came from the same village.. Chapter 184 Spiritual Medicine_i Translator: 549690339 The maid took a deep breath, still smiling politely, ¡°Young Master, I¡¯m sorry but our Tianbao Pavilion branch in Tieshan County does not sell storage bags.¡± Meng Chong looked disappointed at the news. He then asked, ¡°I want to buy spiritual medicine. Do you have Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine here?¡± The smile on the maid¡¯s face froze, she looked at Meng Chong dubiously. Why did he ask for Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine right away? ¡°I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine, Young Master,¡± she replied. Continuing to express his disappointment, Meng Chong asked, ¡°What about Seventh Grade?¡± The maid¡¯s fake smile began to stiffen even more as she recalled the young gentleman who had pulled out five Spirit Crystals to purchase spiritual medicine not too long ago. Could this one be about to pull out five Spirit Crystals as well? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Young Master, we don¡¯t have Seventh Grade either!¡± she said. In Tieshan County, not many people would buy Ninth Grade or higher spiritual medicine in a year. Even if it were Ninth Grade Spiritual Medicine, there were not many buyers. Mostly, only a few fixed powers in Tieshan County would purchase them. Ordinary martial artists found it difficult to afford it, and those who could afford it would only buy the lowest grade. Rather than buying a low-grade spiritual plant, it was more cost-effective to buy medicinal concoctions or pills. Yet, she met two people who were inquiring about Sixth and Seventh Grade Spiritual Medicine. ¡°They don¡¯t even have Seventh Grade?¡± Meng Chong frowned. The Tianbao Pavilion in Tieshan County was indeed an inconsequential branch, but this was chiefly due to Tieshan County¡¯s small size. He pulled out five Spirit Crystals and placed them on the counter. ¡°Tell me, how much spiritual medicine can I buy with these?¡± he inquired. A muscle in the maid¡¯s cheek twitched. The five all-too-familiar Spirit Crystals confirmed her belief that they were from the same village. ¡°Young Master, with five Spirit Crystals here, you can buy one ¡®Water Spirit Grass¡¯ and one ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯. Three Spirit Crystals for a ¡®Water Spirit Grass¡¯ and five for a ¡¯Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯,¡± she informed him. Meng Chong looked despondent. These Spirit Crystals were disappearing too rapidly. ¡°Can I pay with gold? How much could I buy with a hundred thousand taels?¡± Meng Chong considered. If he could use gold to purchase items, he wouldn¡¯t be short of funds. After all, the Emperor of Wu owed him at least a hundred thousand taels. The maid smiled awkwardly before admitting, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, our Tianbao Pavilion does not accept gold.¡± She paused for a moment, as if realizing something, ¡°You can only use gold to buy ordinary martial arts cultivation techniques. One hundred taels of gold for one volume.¡± Tieshan County was in a remote location, and martial arts were not so prosperous. Tianbao Pavilion sold cultivation techniques, which were very common techniques. To regular people, however, they were invaluable. Ordinary people rarely obtained Spirit Crystals, so the Gold-for-Cultivation-Techniques policy had been put in place. This was the only thing that one could buy with gold at Tianbao Pavilion. Meng Chong was shocked. These Spirit Crystals were disappearing far too fast, he was way too poor. He needed to figure out a way to earn more Spirit Crystals. ¡°Let me have a ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯.¡± Meng Chong made his request. ¡°Alright, Young Master, please wait a moment.¡± The maid turned her back to him and went behind the counter where a shelf was situated. She opened a compartment and fetched out a well-sealed spiritual plant ¨C the ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯! ¡°Please take care of this, Young Master.¡± Meng Chong took the ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯. He felt as if his heart was bleeding. His entire fortune, his five Spirit Crystals, had just bought this single medicinal plant. After leaving the Tianbao Pavilion, he started plotting on how to earn Spirit Crystals. This ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯ would be a gift for his junior sister, Su Lingxiu. She was just at the ¡®Golden Bone¡¯ stage and trying to cultivate ¡®Evergreen Bones¡¯ was not going to be easy. ¡°With this ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯, she can refine the medicine to ease her bone cultivation.¡± he thought. Thinking about this, Meng Chong left Tieshan County and prepared to return to Yunshan County to give the ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯ to Su Lingxiu. However, just as he exited Tieshan County, he realized someone was following him. His brow rose as he looked at the ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯ in his hand. ¡°I was too careless and failed to hide it. Have I attracted attention? I wonder if this guy has any Spirit Crystals?¡± When he thought about it this way, Meng Chong¡¯s eyes brightened; he might have just found a way to obtain Spirit Crystals. Pretending not to notice the stalker, he walked on nonchalantly. ¡°Young man, I have a favor to ask of you!¡± Having left Tieshan County, he found himself on a small desolate road surrounded by emptiness. Suddenly, a man jumped out. Meng Chong looked at the newcomer. He was a refined scholar, pale-faced and evidently injured. Plus, he turned out to be a Grandmaster martial artist! A ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯ is not that rare, why would a Grandmaster target me? And why is there a Grandmaster lurking in Tieshan County which isn¡¯t a wasteland? Meng Chong was puzzled. ¡°What do you need? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve got your eye on my ¡®Bone-Strengthening Flower¡¯?¡± Meng Chong asked, grinning widely. Seeing the grin widen on Meng Chong¡¯s face, and his gaze becoming increasingly fierce, the already mighty man now appeared like a ferocious beast about to strike. Meng Shushu suddenly felt regret. He shouldn¡¯t have chosen this man. But now, there was no way back. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t know of any other suitable candidates. Taking a deep breath, he revealed his Grandmaster¡¯s aura. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. I do need a favor.¡± Meng Chong raised an eyebrow. So he wasn¡¯t here to rob him? ¡°What do you need?¡± Seeing Meng Chong¡¯s indifference even after revealing his Grandmaster rank, Meng Shushu regretted even more, feeling as though he had chosen the wrong person. ¡°Here¡¯s the situation: I have an item stored in the Tianbao Pavilion at Qinglin City and I¡¯d like to hire you to retrieve it for me. You will be handsomely rewarded!¡± he finally managed to say. Qinglin City? Meng Chong frowned. Where was that? ¡°How substantial would this reward be?¡± Meng Shushu held up a finger, ¡°One Eighth Grade Spiritual Medicine!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes lit up; an Eighth Grade Spiritual Medicine was truly valuable.. Chapter 185 Translator: 549690339 ¡°No word of a lie!¡± Meng Shushu said solemnly. ¡°Alright, I agree!¡± Meng Chong agreed immediately without considering the risk possibly involved in fetching things on behalf of someone else. What danger could a Grandmaster like Meng Shushu face? One strike and he could kill, it¡¯s as easy as pie! Schemes and tricks crumble in the face of absolute power, paper tigers all of them. However, caution is still necessary. ¡°Should we head to Qinglin City now?¡± Meng Shushu asked. ¡°Wait a moment, 1 have some things to sort out. We¡¯ll meet here at this time tomorrow.¡± Meng Chong said after thinking for a moment. He wanted to deliver the robust bone flower to Su Lingxiu. ¡°Alright, no problem!¡± Meng Shushu quickly agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way!¡± Meng Shushu saluted, and with a blur of his body, he took off at a high speed. Meng Chong squinted his eyes. The other man moved swiftly. He pondered for a moment. Meng Shushu¡¯s request to retrieve something likely meant that item was being watched. ¡°A Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine is the price¡­ That item must be incredibly valuable.¡± Meng Chong muttered to himself. If the other party harbored ill intentions, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to counteract them. With one step, his figure disappeared instantly from the spot, heading straight for the border wasteland. Given his strength, an average Great Grandmaster wouldn¡¯t be able to follow him silently. Hence, Meng Chong wasn¡¯t worried about being discovered as he made his way to the border wasteland. Li Xuan was a little surprised. Meng Chong had just gone to the Inner Domain and now he was back. ¡°Junior Sister, this is the robust bone flower. With this medicine, it¡¯s going to be much easier for you to refine the Evergreen Bone.¡± Overjoyed, Su Lingxiu thanked, ¡°Thank you, Second Senior Brother!¡± With this robust bone flower and the water spirit grass, she would be able to refine a more potent Evergreen Pill. ¡°Junior Sister, do you know where Qinglin City is?¡± Meng Chong asked. ¡°Qinglin City?¡± Su Lingxiu shook her head and turned to Zhou Ying, ¡°Aunt Zhou, do you know?¡± Zhou Ying pondered for a moment and replied, ¡°Qinglin City is where Lanping County borders Yunjiang County, several thousand miles away from Tieshan County.¡± ¡°Second Senior Brother, you are going to Qinglin City?¡± Su Lingxiu asked curiously. ¡°I heard there are some interesting things to see there. 1 plan to go for a visit.¡± Meng Chong didn¡¯t mention the matter of fetching the item for someone else. ¡°Master, your disciple is going to the Inner Domain¡± After delivering the robust bone flower, Meng Chong set out again for the Inner Domain. The next day. At the meeting place, Meng Shushu had arrived, riding in a horse-drawn carriage. ¡°Hero, from today onwards, you¡¯ll be my coachman, escorting me to Qinglin City¡­¡± Meng Shushu said as he disguised himself. ¡°Being a coachman isn¡¯t a problem. My only question is, is there money involved?¡± Meng Chong asked gravely. ¡°The reward of a Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine.¡± Meng Shushu was taken aback. They had already agreed, hadn¡¯t they? Fetch the deposited item from Qinglin City and receive a Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine as the reward. ¡°Okay, a Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine it is. Let¡¯s draw up a contract. You owe me two Grade Eight Spiritual Medicines.¡± Meng Chong took out a pen and paper. ii No, when did it become two Grade Eight Spiritual Medicines? It¡¯s one! I hired you to fetch the item, and the reward is a Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine!¡± Meng Shushu hurriedly explained. ¡°Yes, exactly. To help you fetch the item, you agreed to give me one Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine. And for the job of being your coachman, yet another Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine. So isn¡¯t it two in total?¡± Meng Chong pointed at his own head, explaining his reasoning to Meng Shushu. ¡°No, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Acting as a coachman and fetching the item are parts of one task, and the reward is a Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine!¡± Meng Shushu was zapped. With a grimace, Meng Chong bellowed, ¡°A Grade Eight Spiritual Medicine, and you expect me to both serve as your coachman and fetch the item for you! Do you think I am that cheap? Are you insulting me?!¡± Bam! An ominous aura flickered as Meng Shushu gulped, regretting that he seemed to have picked the wrong person. With caution he replied, ¡°If we can¡¯t agree on the price, shall we call the deal off?¡± Meng Chong nodded, ¡°That works too, but you have to compensate me. After all, I¡¯ve wasted a lot of time on this transaction. Let¡¯s say, a thousand Spirit Crystals.¡± Meng Shushu was hopping mad, his Grandmaster aura exploding in all its glory. ¡°A thousand Spirit Crystals, you¡¯re robbing me!¡± Meng Chong raised an eyebrow, sneering, ¡°What, are you trying to intimidate me just because you¡¯re a Grandmaster? You took the initiative to contact me. Now you change your mind, and I¡¯m not supposed to be compensated?¡± Meng Shushu took a few deep breaths, gathered his aura, and continued disguising himself, ¡°Alright, two Grade Eight Spiritual Medicines it is.¡± ¡°That sounds fair.¡± Meng Chong passed over the draft contract. ¡°Here, sign it.¡± Meng Shushu picked up the pen and signed his name on it. ¡°Valiant man, what should I call you?¡± Having finished his disguise, Meng Shushu crawled into the carriage as he asked. ¡°So you are a relative, my name is Meng Chong!¡± After a glance at the document, Meng Chong put it away. Meng Shushu, he wondered if that was his real name. ¡°So it¡¯s Brother Meng, 1 am grateful for your assistance during this journey.¡± Meng Shushu expressed with a bow. ¡°No problem!¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Where is the city of Qinglin?¡± ¡°From here¡­¡± Meng Chong was driving the carriage straight to Qinglin City. Meng Shushu, after suppressing his aura, was healing his wounds in the carriage. ¡°Dear relative, do you have some enemies? It seems there¡¯s someone up ahead trying to stop us!¡± Not even a day after leaving the county of Tieshan, Meng Chong began to speak. Meng Shushu¡¯s face turned pale. He lifted a corner of the curtain and glanced ahead. An old man, with feet not touching the ground, was inspecting the passing pedestrians and vehicles. A Grandmaster martial artist! His face kept changing colors. How did the old man track him down to such a remote place as Tieshan county? ¡°Brother Meng, can you prevent him from inspecting the carriage?¡± Meng Shushu asked in a somber voice. He was not confident that his disguise could fool a Grandmaster martial artist. If his identity was exposed, it would inevitably be guessed that he was going to Qinglin City. ¡°That is a Grandmaster, very dangerous¡­¡± Just as Meng Shushu was considering how to fool that old man, Meng Chong said seriously, ¡°If you pay more, 1 can go all out. 1¡¯11 be sure to fool him and keep your identity hidden¡­¡± ¡°Trying to make a profit even at the risk of life!¡± Meng Shushu cursed in his heart, blaming himself for hiring such a man. However, he had no choice. In the whole Tieshan County, only the robust and wild Meng Chong was suitable for retrieving that object. ¡°Ten Spirit Crystals!¡± Meng Shushu said through gritted teeth. ¡°Are you trying to get rid of a beggar?¡± Meng Chong expressed his dissatisfaction. As the carriage was getting closer and closer to the Grandmaster, and his gaze was focusing on them. Meng Shushu bit the bullet and said, ¡°One hundred Spirit Crystals, not a single one more!¡± ¡°Alright, no problem!¡± Meng Chong agreed instantly. ¡°The person in the carriage, come out!¡± The Grandmaster blocking the road called out in a deep voice. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Meng Chong screamed angrily, his fierce aura immediately spreading out. ¡°A Grandmaster who stops and robs others on the road, isn¡¯t it shameful? Is the person in the carriage someone you can meet?¡± Meng Shushu sitting in the carriage turned pale with fear. ¡°Can I really rely on this guy?!¡± With such a bad attitude, and even towards a Grandmaster martial artist, wouldn¡¯t this lead to a fight? ¡°You¡¯re asking for death!¡± As expected, the Grandmaster was enraged. But before he could make his move, Meng Chong¡¯s eyes widened, and his formidable aura burst out, ¡°Are you asking for death?¡± He placed his hand on his sword hilt. Gulp! Meng Shushu swallowed hard. It was very terrifying. Just how strong is this man? At this moment, he felt that the one driving the carriage outside was not a man, but a terrifying beast! The Grandmaster who was blocking the road also looked terrified. He moved back a few steps, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°My apologies for the disturbance, I was in a hurry to find an enemy!¡± Meng Chong, holding the whip, said, ¡°An apology is enough? Compensation!¡± The Grandmaster was taken aback, compensation? ¡°Sir, you¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± With one look from Meng Chong, the Grandmaster immediately relented. He pulled out a Spirit Note, flung it to Meng Chong, and said, ¡°A hundred Spirit Crystals, my deepest apologies!¡± ¡°Hmm, you know the drill.¡± Meng Chong nodded in satisfaction, put the Spirit Note away, retracted his domineering aura, and drove the carriage away. The old man looked at the departing carriage with a silent face. What was this all about? A grandmaster who has stooped to robbery on the street, how poor can you be? ¡°Who is in the carriage? Is the driver a Grandmaster? Could it be a Great Grandmaster?¡± The old man was shocked. The driver was too strong! The moment his aura burst out, it gave him a suffocating feeling.. Chapter 186 Translator: 549690339 The elder dared not probe any further. Someone who can persuade such a powerful grandmaster to serve as a coachman must undoubtedly have an extraordinary status, which he couldn¡¯t afford to offend. As for Meng Shushu, he was nowhere to be found in the carriage. ¡°According to the clues, Meng Shushu has fled to the Iron Mountain County. Now that we have cordoned off Iron Mountain County, let¡¯s see how he can escape. But is the information accurate?¡± The elder harbored some doubts. Iron Mountain County was an impoverished and remote place. Meng Shushu fleeing there was tantamount to courting death, wasn¡¯t it? Meng Chong drove the carriage towards Green Forest City. Inside the carriage, Meng Shushu had some worries. The fellow he had hired was a Grandmaster. And a very powerful one at that. ¡°Brother Meng, are you a peak Grandmaster?¡± Meng Shushu asked tentatively. He now had some doubts that Meng Chong might be colluding with those men, coveting his treasures. ¡°Honorable client, you can rest assured. My reputation as Meng Chong is impeccable. As long as you keep your promise, I will not double-cross you.¡± Meng Chong patted his chest and replied. ¡°Haha, Brother Meng, you misunderstood. How can I, Meng Shushu suspect? I am merely curious about your strength.¡± Meng Shushu laughed off leadingly. The journey to Green Forest City was long and dangerous. In order to avoid exposure, Meng Shushu had huddled in the carriage all this while, not daring to venture out. Thankfully, Meng Chong was strong. The mere exposure of a hint of his aura ensured no one dare interfere, let alone probe him. How could anyone who could command a grandmaster martial artist to drive a carriage be an ordinary individual? While Meng Chong was on his way to Green Forest City, Xu Yan, after parting from Du Yuying, retraced his steps with the spiritual medicine and returned to the city of Lanping. The Spiritual Medicine was stored in Tianbao Pavilion within the city. ¡°The Seven-star Study Palace is hailed as the Holy Land of Inner Realm Martial Arts, pooling all the great martial artists. There are countless strong individuals, and it enrolls talents regardless of their backgrounds.¡± ¡°There, Martial Arts are as vast as the ocean, just as my master said. Inner Realm Martial Arts have their merits. I should go and take a look at the Seven-Star Study Palace.¡± Xu Yan found his next target. Aside from continuing to earn spirit crystals and buy more spiritual medicine, his next step was to go to the Seven-Star Study Palace to check out Inner Realm Martial Arts, absorb the essence, and integrate it into himself. In this short journey to the Inner Realm, he had reaped enormous benefits. He had comprehended the true meaning of Dragon Chant and derived a Sword Dao technique, ¡°Mountain River Dragon Chant.¡± If he went to the Seven-Star Study Palace, he would surely gain access to more Inner Realm Martial Arts. ¡°However, before that, I need to cultivate my state of heart!¡± Xu Yan found that his Sword Dao had improved, but his state of heart was somehow inflated, causing him to be distracted by external things. Therefore, he had to cultivate his state of heart and elevate it to a higher level. ¡°When I was in the borderland, I honed my heart state with Emperor Qi¡¯s harem. But Emperor Qi¡¯s consorts are merely ordinary people. No matter how beautiful they are, they lack a certain charm.¡± ¡°Du Yuying is a martial artist with decent strength and remarkable bearing. She is much more enchanting. Thus, if 1 want to hone my heart state, 1 should go to a place with many beautiful women.¡± ¡°Moreover, these beautiful women should all be martial artists, each possessing different charms and stunning beauty. This would better hone my state of heart.¡± With this thought in mind, Xu Yan asked around to find such a place. The answer he got pointed to a single place. The Wushuang Pavilion in Thousand Lakes Prefecture of Great Yue, which was considered unparalleled under heaven. Numerous martial artists fell head over heels in it and couldn¡¯t extricate themselves. The dancers and courtesans in the Wushuang Pavilion were extremely beautiful and skilful with impressive strength. From first-grade to ninth-grade martial artists, all were said to be here. Even rumors about the presence of grandmaster-level beauties existed. Whatever type of beauty one wanted, it could be found in Wushuang Pavilion, whether they were heroic and valiant, coquettish and charming, gentle and cute, or literate and refined¡­ ¡°There is actually such a place in the Inner Realm, which is much better than a brothel. It¡¯s absolutely a treasure trove for cultivating the heart state. If I go there, I will certainly elevate my heart state.¡± ¡°Once my mind is free from worldly distractions, my Sword Dao will naturally become clear, allowing me to achieve greater heights!¡± Xu Yan was over the moon and promptly set off for Thousand Lakes. The Wushuang Pavilion in Thousand Lakes was known as the top pleasure land in Great Yue. It was not only famous in Great Yue, but it also had a wide reputation across the entire Inner Realm. Countless martial artists squandered their gifts, indulging in pleasures, and wasted their Martial Dao here. The beauties of the Wushuang Pavilion came from all over the Inner Realm. Some were cultivated from a young age; some were bought from the Great Yue Education Department; some were captured by enemies and sold to Wushuang Pavilion. The background of the Wushuang Pavilion was impenetrable. It was rumored that even the princes of Great Yue had to pay a hefty fee to enjoy their services. Thousand Lakes was not a single lake but a series of large and small interconnected lakes, akin to thousands of stars, hence the name Thousand Lakes. Artificial waterways connected the lakes, and there were bridges between the lakes to facilitate smooth water and land transportation. The Wushuang Pavilion was located within Thousand Lakes. From the peripheral small lakes to the central large lakes, there was a hierarchical system. The deeper one delved into Thousand Lakes, the more enchanting the scenery, and the stronger the dancing girls and singers. It was rumored that in the heart of Thousand Lakes were several magnificent pleasure boats and a towering building in the water, housing grandmaster-level dancers. Of course, those who could enter were all grandmaster martial artists or even higher, and they all had wealthy backgrounds. Ordinary grandmasters did not have the financial means to enter. Standing by Thousand Lakes, as far as the eye could see, there were pleasure boats docked in the sparkling blue water, and there were also painted boats shuttling back and forth, floating on the waves or rowing towards another lake¡¯s flower cluster. Whenever there was a soft sound of piano playing from a boat, a sweet sound of singing accompanied it, attracting a crowd of poor martial artists who watched the painted boat disappear into the flower clusters with envy, jealousy, and resentment.. Chapter 187 Translator: 549690339 Being able to rent Wushuang Pavilion¡¯s houseboat and enjoy the romance of the Thousand Stars Lake with a beautiful woman were privileges enjoyed only by martial artists blessed with deep pockets. Most martial artists would go to the moored pleasure houseboat, listen to songs, watch performances, and once in high spirits, they would invite one or two beauties and hire a room for fun. It must be mentioned, though, that there was no charge for entering the pleasure houseboat. However, the cost of tea and set meals onboard were far from cheap. The martial artists from the Inner Domain had their pride. So even though there was no fee to board the houseboat, they would not mooch off their hospitality. Once they entered, they would all order a portion of tea and snacks. So far, there was not a single martial artist who had entered without ordering even a cup of tea. Xu Yan arrived before Wushuang Pavilion in apprehension, his little Spirit Crystal would probably be spent here, this was his hard-earned savings. However, for the sake of honing his mental state, he could only bear the pain of spending. ¡°I¡¯m so poor!¡± The more Xu Yan got to understand the Thousand Stars Lake, the more he bemoaned his poverty. What surprised him was that entering the pleasure houseboat didn¡¯t cost any money! What a delightful surprise indeed! He was in Wushuang Pavilion to sharpen his mental state, to achieve tranquility in the face of charms, undisturbed by external factors, all for the purpose of improving the profound state of mind: ¡°No woman in mind, Sword Dao like God¡±. He wasn¡¯t here for pleasure, so if he could avoid spending money, he won¡¯t spend a single Spirit Crystal. Inside the houseboat, it was bustle, filled with beautiful women. Which martial artist who came wouldn¡¯t be moved by this scenery? Who would not be distracted by it? But Xu Yan came here for the purpose of tempering his mindset, overcoming all these external interferences, and achieving a clear state of mind, being moved by nothing. ¡°Please!¡± said the servant. The boy smiled, this young man seemed to be here for the first time. Wait until he serves a pot of good tea, a plate of good snacks, and praises him a few times, then wouldn¡¯t he readily bring out Spirit Crystal? He had seen this scenario too many times. Xu Yan boarded the boat and went straight to the upper deck, then he chose an empty seat and sat down. He watched the groups of graceful women in pink clothes who jumped out from below, swaying their beautiful bodies in dance. Their dance was graceful, quite liberating, their faces charming, eyes full of passion, seemingly capable of stealing one¡¯s soul. It was obvious that they were trained rigorously. What shocked Xu Yan more, these dancing women, were all of the seventh stage. Although their actual combat capability was somewhat inferior compared to regular seventh-stage martial artists, they were still seventh-stage martial artists, which showcased the deep foundation and powerful backing of Wushuang Pavilion. Every martial artist watched with fascination, even if they couldn¡¯t afford to invite one of the ladies from Wushuang Pavilion for a joyful time. Ordering a pot of tea and a plate of snacks, watching the beautiful dances, listening to the songs that touched the soul, causing the blood in one¡¯s body to surge, shifting a little, time passed joyfully! The servant carrying a teapot and a plate of snacks walked towards Xu Yan, ¡°Sir, here are your tea and snacks.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Xu Yan stopped him, asking with a serious face: ¡°Do these tea and snacks cost money?¡± The servant was confused: ??? What was he talking about, did he think they were running a charity?! ¡°Sir, you must be joking, of course, these tea and snacks cost money.¡± On hearing this, Xu Yan shook his head: ¡°Go away, I didn¡¯t order this. Don¡¯t disturb me.¡± The servant was stunned, ¡°Sir, everyone who comes here orders tea¡­¡± ¡°Is there a rule that says you must order tea when you come in here?¡± Xu Yan asked seriously. ¡°There isn¡¯t¡­¡± The servant shook his head. ¡°Then it¡¯s fine, ordering tea is their business. I¡¯m not ordering. Go away, don¡¯t disturb me!¡± Xu Yan waved his hand. This was ridiculous, he had to work hard to earn these Spirit Crystals, he still needed to use them to buy Spiritual Medicine. This concerned the martial arts cultivation of his parents and family members. How could he just waste it? The servant was flabbergasted, ¡°But sir¡­.¡± ¡°Go away, 1 didn¡¯t order tea. If you don¡¯t go, I still won¡¯t pay.¡± Xu Yan spoke decisively and subsequently sat cross-legged, his gaze fixated on the dancing girl below, not even blinking an eyelid. The servant was shocked. Amazed at Xu Yan¡¯s thick-skinned behavior, he quickly left with the tea to find his manager. The first free rider since the establishment of Wushuang Pavilion has appeared. Xu Yan didn¡¯t care about the servant¡¯s thoughts. At this moment, he was carefully watching the wonderful figure of the dancing girl downstairs, his heart gradually calming down. Gradually, all the dancing, the singing, all of it seemed to fade away in his ear. Everything seemed to be isolated from him, his heart was clear. ¡°Indeed, martial artists truly shine with their dance moves and physical prowess. They greatly surpass the consorts of Emperor Qi in beauty. However, they no longer stir my heart.¡± Xu Yan sighed inwardly. The entertainment house of Wushuang truly is a valuable place to temper one¡¯s state of mind. And it doesn¡¯t cost a cent! A servant escorted over a manager. ¡°Sir, what is it that makes you feel that splurging isn¡¯t worth it?¡± The manager glanced at Xu Yan, finding it hard to believe that he was the most blatant character to ever step into the entertainment house. He began speaking with a smile. Xu Yan contemplated for a moment before responding: ¡°Your dancer is average at best; she cannot stir my heart.¡± What? The manager looked at Xu Yan bewilderediy, could he possibly be an old patron of the entertainment world, no longer emotionally moved by ordinary dancers? ¡°This is a public place. If our dancers do not appeal to you, it¡¯s understandable. Our pleasure boat here houses twelve private rooms, each one hosting a unique beauty. ¡°Their dance moves, singing, and skills are all absolutely exceptional. Certainly capable of satisfying you sir, although their charges aren¡¯t small.¡± The manager¡¯s meaning was clear, it all depended on whether Xu Yan could afford it! Xu Yan pondered for a moment, then pulled out a hefty stack of spirit notes from his pocket, money hard-earned from defeating many a grandmaster. ¡°I have the money, but how do I know that the beauties in your private rooms will satisfy me?¡± Xu Yan asked with a frown. Upon seeing this, the manager realized that the young man was indeed wealthy. Just that pile of spirit notes alone was worth at least tens of thousands of spirit crystals. ¡°Rest assured sir, all who enter our private rooms come out satisfied, we will surely meet your expectations.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Xu Yan asked earnestly. ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°What if after looking around, I¡¯m not satisfied, not interested?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have to pay a single cent!¡± The manager replied solemnly. ¡°Very well, take me to the private rooms!¡± Xu Yan agreed with a nod. ¡°But sir¡­¡± ¡°Once I¡¯m satisfied, 1¡¯11 naturally pay. You expect me to pay before I¡¯ve seen what¡¯s on offer. What if it¡¯s not up to my standard, how would 1 get a refund? If I am pleased and satisfied, why should Wushuang¡¯s entertainment house worry about payment?¡± Xu Yan spoke with a frown. Upon reflection, the manager thought it sounded reasonable. Who would dare to cause trouble at Wushuang¡¯s entertainment house? Besides, this young man was at the prime of his youth, full of vitality. Even if he was a seasoned patron of the entertainment world, how could he resist the allure? Especially since the twelve private rooms were all occupied by captivating beauties skilled in the art of seduction. Such young guys always found it hardest to resist. And once he takes action, is he truly going to refuse to pay? Did he think Wushuang¡¯s entertainment house was a charity? ¡°This way please, sir!¡± The manager, wearing a big smile on his face, led Xu Yan upstairs to the top tier of the pleasure boat. They stopped in front of a private room, ¡°Please, sir,¡± he motioned. Xu Yan nodded and stepped inside. The room was gorgeous, and a beautiful woman greeted him with an enchanting allure. Her eyes shone with passion, as if gazing at a loved one. Each move she made was highly seductive. She was adorned in a thin, pink veil. Through the window light, one could faintly glimpse the magnificence beneath. Sir, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± As soon as she spoke, her voice was soft and seductive, as if it were gently scratching at his soul. Xu Yan took a deep breath inwardly, ¡°She¡¯s a lot better than the dancers, actually making my heart flutter a bit, not bad. I can continue to strengthen my state of mind here.¡± He sat down on a chair and asked, ¡°What can you do? Show me.¡± ¡°Then you better watch closely. How about I play a tune for you?¡± The woman posed charmingly, her tender white hands plucking the strings of a lute. With each grimace and grin, her movements enriched in time with the melody of the lute. Her body moved with the music, flashing glimmers of endless enticing charm.. Chapter 188 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan sat in the elegant room, watching a woman playing a musical instrument, and observing her as she twisted her body, her sheer dress diminishing with each movement. Eyes conveying emotions, filled with boundless tenderness. Between every frown and smile, there was seemingly a charming force that stirred a person¡¯s blood and incited their desire. ¡°This woman is so formidable. Emperor Qi¡¯s concubines pale in comparison to her!¡± Xu Yan thought, his heart growing serious. His mind, surprisingly, was being stirred into agitation. Promptly reining in his spirit, he watched the woman attentively. Gradually, his mind became clear again. As long as he didn¡¯t dwell on it, it couldn¡¯t stir his emotions. Nor could it disrupt his tranquility. ¡°I am not seeking anything, therefore, my desires remain motionless. Do not imagine that you could disturb my heart!¡± Xu Yan felt an enhancement in his state of mind, more impervious to external disturbances. His heart of the Sword Dao, steadily becoming firm. ¡°I am now not far from mastering the Sword Dao¡¯s Insight. 1 hope I can use the Wushuang Pavilion of Qianxing Lake to hone my heart, making my state of mind clearer, laying the groundwork for breaking through to the Sword Dao¡¯s Insight.¡± Xu Yan felt exhilarated. Truly, the Wushuang Pavilion of Qianxing Lake is an excellent place. One could enjoy the beauty and at the same time, hone their state of mind. Most importantly, it¡¯s all for free! ¡°Young Master, I am feeling a bit warm!¡± The woman was also puzzled. This young man didn¡¯t seem to be moved at all. Her red lips slightly parted, her voice tender and appealing, alluringly cooed. She was covered with only a thin piece of sheer clothing. Her enchanting figure was vaguely visible, making her even more attractive, and causing a rush of impulses to tear off the sheer clothing and appreciate her fascinating beauty¡­ ¡°This woman has a certain allure in her demeanor, each movement of her body seemed to contain the power of temptation. Could it be that all the women in the Wushuang Pavilion have cultivated a certain skill that stirs the human spirit? ¡°Also her voice, it certainly has an ability to stir the human spirit. For martial artists with less strength or weak will, they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to keep control.¡± Xu Yan seemed to be deep in thought. He suddenly realized that whether it was the dancers outside or the woman in the room, they all possessed a special allure. ¡°Wushuang Pavilion, what a good place. This is just a small pleasure boat on Qianxing Lake. Even the women here have such allure. Wouldn¡¯t the women on the higher-class pleasure boats, who are more powerful, be even more alluring? ¡°To use the allure to hone my mind, it¡¯s truly an excellent method!¡± Xu Yan was excited. ¡°If I can explore all of the Wushuang Pavilion, and even the allure of the legendary Oiran can¡¯t disturb my mind, then what in this world can disturb my mind? ¡°My Sword Dao¡¯s Insight will naturally be realized.¡± With this thought, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t sit still. He must go deeper into Qianxing Lake, to the more luxurious and grand pleasure boats, and experience the charm of the women there, who are more beautiful, more powerful, and crucially have stronger allure. It would be even more effective for honing his mind. ¡°Young Master?¡± The music had stopped, and the woman was a bit confused, doubting if her allure had declined. Why couldn¡¯t she allure even a young man? ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Xu Yan stood up and left. The woman:¡­ Did you come just to listen to a song and then leave? Opening the door of the room, Xu Yan walked out. The manager was a little surprised. That was so fast? ¡°Young Master, are you satisfied?¡± He opened his mouth and asked with a smile. Xu Yan shook his head and replied, ¡°Not really. It¡¯s boring. I¡¯m leaving!¡± The manager:¡­ Why did these words feel like, after the event, putting on trousers and then saying: it wasn¡¯t fun ¡­ ¡°Young Master, the entrance fee for the room is five thousand Spirit Crystals, you see¡­¡± Xu Yan glanced at him sidelong, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that if 1 wasn¡¯t satisfied or didn¡¯t have fun, I wouldn¡¯t have to pay? Are you reneging?¡± ¡°Not at all, Master, you went in¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make up stories. I didn¡¯t go in at all. 1 just came to listen to a song and then 1 left. It¡¯s really ordinary, I didn¡¯t feel moved at all.¡± ¡°Young Master, are you saying that our Wushuang Pavilion¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me. What 1 fear the least is threats. We had agreed that if 1 didn¡¯t have fun, I wouldn¡¯t have to pay. If you go back on your word, do you think my sword is not sharp enough?¡± The manager felt a bit taken aback. Since becoming a manager of the Wushuang Pavilion pleasure boat, this was the first time he met a patron who enjoyed the services without paying. At this moment, the woman in the room came out. She looked bewildered. Had her charm decreased? Had her allure diminished? ¡°What did he do inside?¡± The manager asked in a serious tone. He really thought this was a cheap brothel, enjoy without paying and then just leave? ¡°He did nothing. He just listened to a song. Have my enchanting skills regressed?¡± The woman said with worry. The manager:¡­ Did he really just come in to listen to a song? Nothing else? ¡°I¡¯m leaving. If you renege on the deal, feel free to come and find me. Let¡¯s see if your Wushuang Pavilion values its reputation.¡± Xu Yan turned around and left. Opening and then closing his mouth, the manager finally swallowed his words. Who told him to make that promise? Besides, the Wushuang Pavilion respects rules. If there¡¯s a promise and it¡¯s broken, he will be severely punished. Although the patron would suffer, he wouldn¡¯t fare any better. Since it was so, he had no choice but to accept it. After Xu Yan left, he excitedly headed towards the deeper parts of Qianxing Lake, to more luxurious and grander pleasure boats. Once he entered, again not a single Spirit Crystal was spent. The servants of the Wushuang Pavilion were all stunned.. What was even more outrageous was that he questioned if he could test the allure of the ladies in the room, and only pay if he was satisfied! Prev Chapter 189 Translator: 549690339 What kind of talk is that! However, the manager of the pleasure boat is quite confident in his girls, and doesn¡¯t fear that people might enjoy themselves and then leave without paying, so he readily agrees to this arrangement. But after that guy went in, not long after, he came out and said, ¡°Very average, not interesting!¡± This incident started to spread gradually. Many martial artists started to reconsider, was it a mistake to pay first then enjoy later? So, some martial artists followed suit. After entering the pleasure boat, they didn¡¯t order tea or snacks, instead they demanded to ¡°test¡± the girls in the elegant room, and would only pay if they were satisfied! On the clear lake, purple plants grew in the water, blooming pink flowers. Among the sea of flowers, there was a towering building. Xu Yan had arrived. This was half a month after he arrived at Qianxing Lake. He had traveled from the periphery of Qianxing Lake to here and his state of mind had become increasingly serene. He seemed to be on the verge of touching the realm of the clear and enlightened heart of the Sword Dao. ¡°This is the Purple Flower Tower, one of the top ten pleasure pavilions in Wushuang Pavilion. Even if there are no Grandmaster Oirans inside, there are still First-Class Martial Artist Oirans whose charming techniques are definitely stronger!¡± Xu Yan walked through the water and headed for the Purple Flower Tower. The martial artists who could come here either had extraordinary backgrounds or their strength was not weaker than a First-Class. Arriving at the Purple Flower Tower, as Xu Yan was about to enter, a smiling boy at the door said, ¡°Young Master, the entry fee is one hundred spirit crystals!¡± Xu Yan frowned and said, ¡°I have never heard that Wushuang Pavilion charges an entry fee. What is the meaning of this?¡± The boy still had a full smile on his face, but he was muttering to himself inwardly, this is all because of a certain someone messing up the norms and making some martial artists shameless. Come in to watch the dance, listen to the song, appreciate the beauties, and then leave without even spending a spirit crystal. And those martial artists who used to be too embarrassed to come to Wushuang Pavilion because they were broke were now rushing to enjoy free of charge. It¡¯s too much! The managers of Wushuang Pavilion could only change the rules with a frown. ¡°Young Master is not aware, the entry fee was just implemented yesterday.¡± The boy said with a grin. Xu Yan took out a spirit crystal, feeling a pang of pain in his heart. This was one hundred spirit crystals! He had only earned a little after a hard battle. One hundred spirit crystal could buy a Green Yuan Fruit. After thinking for a while, he put the spirit crystal back. The boy who was ready to take the crystal was taken aback and looked at Xu Yan suspiciously. Could this be the same person who messed up the norms? Xu Yan said seriously, ¡°My name is Xie Lingfeng. I came to Wushuang Pavilion to sharpen my state of mind, could you please let me pass?¡± Xie Lingfeng? The boy was momentarily stunned, then his shock was beyond words. The youngest Jian Zun Cliff talent in a millennium? The one of the three youngest Grandmasters in the Inner Domain? Who had recently repelled Half-Step Great Grandmaster Yin Hong, his strength was so strong that he was hailed as the number one person below the Great Grandmaster! His treatment as a genius, couldn¡¯t really be compared to that of ordinary martial artists, especially the geniuses of major forces, so when the boy heard it, he immediately smiled and respectfully said, ¡°So it¡¯s Young Master Xie, please come in!¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed, ¡°Brother Xie¡¯s name is really helpful. It¡¯s no wonder Brother Xie let me come to the Inner Domain. If I run into any trouble, 1 can just drop his name.¡± ¡°Brother Xie is an honest man. The next time I see him, I¡¯ll give him some pointers on his Sword Dao.¡± Saving one hundred spirit crystals and being able to sharpen his state of mind for free, Xu Yan was in high spirits as he walked into the Purple Flower Tower. Soon, news spread around Qianxing Lake. Xie Lingfeng, the genius of Jian Zun Cliff, ordered the best girl from the Purple Flower Tower. If the top girl of the Purple Flower Tower cannot captivate him, Wushuang Pavilion won¡¯t charge a dime! All the martial artists were shocked. ¡°It turns out it¡¯s Xie Lingfeng, no wonder he could get this kind of treatment. He is the first genius of Jian Zun Cliff in a millennium, and he is also known as the number one person below the Great Grandmaster.¡± ¡°No wonder the Miss Ming from Purple Flower Tower is willing to let him in.¡± ¡°Miss Ming, I once saw her from afar, I had blood rushing to my head at just one glance, and I felt weak for several days after that. It would be strange if Xie Lingfeng wasn¡¯t moved.¡± For a while, Xie Lingfeng¡¯s visit to Wushuang Pavilion became the hot topic of discussion. However, not long after, news spread again. Xie Lingfeng left Miss Ming¡¯s room in less than half an hour, no matter how Miss Ming tried to allure him, she just couldn¡¯t shake Xie Lingfeng¡¯s heart. Wushuang Pavilion didn¡¯t charge any money. In the center of the Qianxing Lake, a towering building stood, it was magnificent and surrounded by beautiful women. Other than the customers who were males, including the boys, managers and so on, all were beautiful women. This building is Wushuang Pavilion! Xu Yan was here, coming under the name of Xie Lingfeng. After leaving the Purple Flower Tower, he came up with a plan, declaring that he was here to hone his mind. If anyone could shake his state of mind, Xie Lingfeng promised to make a move on their behalf! The Wushuang Pavilion took this very seriously. Xie Lingfeng making a move meant getting a move from the Sword Master Cliff. When Xie Lingfeng assumes the position of Sword Master of the Sword Master Cliff in the future, this move will become even more valuable. Enough to deter countless strong warriors! The Sword Master Cliff is known as the top Sword Dao sect in the Inner Domain. So, for Xu Yan¡¯s subsequent journey, the Wushuang Pavilion sent oirans to entertain him at the remaining famous towers, sometimes even multiple oirans at once. Every oiran had a minimum cultivation of the first ranking. During the last time, oirans from the top ten famous towers all came out at once. Xu Yan was restless for a while before his state of mind improved once again. Now, he had arrived at this tall building, the true Wushuang Pavilion! Rumour has it that there was a grandmaster oiran inside. ¡°How will the seduction technique of the Grandmaster Oiran work? Can it disturb my state of mind?¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. ¡°The profound state of ¡®no woman in my heart¡¯ I¡¯ve reached seems to deepen. If enemies try to confuse me with the illusion of beauty, they¡¯ll just be wasting their time. ¡°Even the most primal desires can¡¯t disturb my heart, what else can shake me? ¡°The completion of a pure sword-heart is already at hand!¡± Xu Yan was exhilarated, advancing towards the Wushuang Pavilion. ¡°Xie Lingfeng has arrived!¡± Across the tall building, martial artists who had already heard the news, flocked over. Among them were great grandmaster-level martial artists. ¡°Young Master Xie, please come up. We will personally serve you!¡± A gentle voice drifted down from the high building. The lower-level martial artists, upon hearing this voice, seemed dazed for a moment, as if an extraordinarily beautiful woman was waiting for them. ¡°Hiss!¡± The martial artists came back to their senses, all horrified. Was this the rumored grandmaster oiran of the Wushuang Pavilion? Just a single voice almost made them fall into illusion. The Grandmaster martial artists present all felt a chill. What cultivation technique did this oiran practice? Her charm is terrifying! Xu Yan¡¯s eyes shone, he was excited. ¡°What kind of seduction technique is this? A voice alone has similar abilities to the Thousand Illusions Demon Sound, and her voice stimulates the most primitive impulses in a person.¡± With that thought, Xu Yan leapt into the air, heading straight for the top of the high-rise building. He was on high alert. The woman speaking was extraordinary. He needed to be careful not to capsize in the gutter! The top floor of the Wushuang Pavilion was like a courtyard, with flowers and grass, a small bridge flowing with water. Xu Yan vaulted in, stepping into the courtyard. The scent of flowers reached his nose, refreshing his spirit. ¡°This fragrance stimulates emotions.¡± Xu Yan was composed. ¡°I¡¯ve always heard of Young Master Xie¡¯s excellence, and seeing you today, even my frozen heart is moved.¡± In the courtyard, a veiled woman was sitting by the pool. Her jade feet gently kicked the water, her eyes were bright and clear, a soft gaze looking over. Clad in a plain dress as white as snow, hair flowing like waterfall, every move she made was enticing. A faint delicate fragrance surrounded her, upon seeing her, one could hardly resist. Xu Yan¡¯s heartbeat quickened slightly. Taking a deep breath, he faced up to the woman directly, inhaling the fragrant scent of the flowers. His blood seemed to flow faster. ¡°Young Master Xie, why not come and sit with me?¡± The woman patted a stone next to her with her soft white hand. ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Yan nodded, stepped forward, and sat down beside her. At close quarters, the gentle fragrance of the woman¡¯s body continuously entered his nose and mind, along with an inexplicable charming atmosphere, tempting his soul at every moment.. Chapter 190 Translator: 549690339 Sitting beside the woman dressed in white, even without her making any provocative moves, Xu Yan found his heartbeat slowly quickening. His blood was boiling, a restlessness growing within him. In this moment, his heart filled with sternness. ¡°I must not underestimate the people of this world. This woman¡¯s seductive art is heavenly and her strength is far from weak. I, being of a youthful age, am the most prone to impulsiveness due to desire. ¡°She has somewhat disrupted my heart, my state of mind is still not strong enough after all. ¡°No wonder my master said, ¡®A heart devoid of women, cultivates as if divine.¡¯ I am still far from this profound realm.¡± Xu Yan took a deep breath, silently bringing himself to calm. Nonetheless, the subtle fragrance emanating from the woman dressed in white, that natural, intangible allure that constantly enticed the soul, seemed to have already enveloped him. Thus, causing his heart to become increasingly restless. ¡°Such formidable enchantment, it is already stirring my heart. Should this woman actually strike, could I maintain self-control?¡± Xu Yan was shocked within. He cast a glance at the woman dressed in white, her bright eyes sparkling like stars. As she sat beside him, her delicate feet gently kicking the water, without any unnecessary body movement. He couldn¡¯t even make out her full features, yet he felt the restlessness in his heart growing. ¡°How would my master handle this woman if he were my age?¡± Xu Yan fell deep in thought. ¡°Did my master also temper his state of mind in such a manner back then? Otherwise, why else would he have imparted the ¡®a heart devoid of women¡¯ profound teaching, to me?¡± In his mind, every word and deed of his master appeared, a seemingly normal figure, despite possessing a disturbingly high cultivation realm. ¡°Return to nature and follow the Dao. My heart is restless because I am not self-aware. Only by understanding myself can I rid of all external interference and avoid becoming disturbed by seduction. ¡°If my heart does not move, then nothing can move my heart.¡± In this moment, Xu Yan had an epiphany. The Sword Intent of mountains and rivers emerged in his state of mind. The Oiran of Wushuang Hall whom he saw among the mountains and rivers, the dance she performed, and all her enchantments, all appeared one after another. Embellishing the scenery of the mountains and rivers. Slowly, an image of the woman dressed in white appeared amidst the mountains and rivers, as if sitting by a stream within the mountains, kicking water, her bright eyes sparkling. In this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s heart quietened down, no longer restless, with a clear understanding of self, his Sword Intent of mountains and rivers became more complete. ¡°If my fellow disciple breaks through and opens up his Sunflower Treasure meridians, he should be cultivating his blade within those meridians, while 1 should be nurturing all life and the sword in my heart within these mountains and rivers. ¡°Today, 1, Xu Yan, have achieved a major accomplishment of an enlightened Sword Heart!¡± In this instant, Xu Yan¡¯s enlightened Sword Heart had achieved a major accomplishment. With the Sword Intent of mountains and rivers nurturing all life and the sword in his heart, he laid down the foundation for the second realm of the Sword Dao, the Heart Sword Realm. Xu Yan revealed a smile, looked at the woman dressed in white beside him, no longer restless, her enchantment all seemed to have been incorporated into the Sword Intent of mountains and rivers. The woman dressed in white felt a shiver in her heart, she looked at Xu Yan in astonishment. At that moment, she had faintly sensed an elusive aura emanating from Xu Yan. She noticed, Xu Yan was no longer restless, seemingly indifferent to her enchantment. ¡°As expected of Sword Grandeur Cliff, the first among geniuses in a thousand years!¡± Sighing inwardly, trying to get the opportunity for him to act once, was indeed filled with difficulties. The woman dressed in white raised her hand, removing the gauze covering her face. Revealing a peerless face, in this moment, the world seemed to have lost its colors, as though this face was the only beauty under the heavens. ¡°Mister, is your heart not made of iron?¡± The woman dressed in white spoke softly. Stretching out her slender, jade-like fingers, she gently poked Xu Yan¡¯s chest. In her pleasure and anger, she induced an infinite impulse, enough to set a person¡¯s blood boiling. However, Xu Yan remained undisturbed. Inside the Sword Intent of mountains and rivers, that woman dressed in white also opened her eyes and reached out her slender, jade-like hand¡­ all the enchantment was but a part of the Sword Intent of mountains and rivers. And Xu Yan, was the master of the Sword Intent of mountains and rivers, controlling everything. ¡°You are the most enchanting, the most capable of touching one¡¯s heart, woman that I¡¯ve met. But you still can¡¯t disrupt my heart, instead, you have made my Sword Dao heart firmer.¡± Xu Yan said sincerely. The woman dressed in white withdrew her smile, her beautiful eyebrows slightly raised. Despite that, she still incited an irresistible impulse. Her eyes fixated on Xu Yan, her heart unsettled. ¡°The master said, I have a unique constitution. After cultivating using this technique, there are few in the world who can resist my enchantment, allowing me to control men for my own use. ¡°Even an average Grandmaster can be made to lose his composure by me, willingly braving dangers for my sake. As for Martial Artists below the first rank, none can resist.¡± However, the youth in front of her, she could not stir even the slightest restlessness. ¡°Mister, you truly are an unparalleled man in this world, I admire you greatly!¡± The woman dressed in white exclaimed. Xu Yan thought for a moment and said: ¡°I have a friend who also practices Sword Dao. One day, he may also want to temper his state of mind. Would it be possible for him to seek you to refine his frame of mind?¡± He thought of Xie Lingfeng, the one who used his name to come to this place. ¡°Brother Xie may also want to temper his mind, right? Otherwise, how can he enter the Sword Dao? Coming here to temper his mind would be the best way, it¡¯d be good to find an opportunity for him.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. ¡°Fine, I am curious to see if your friend can remain unmoved as you.¡± The woman dressed in white gave a slight smile. ¡°Thank you!¡± Xu Yan replied with a bow of his hands.. Chapter 191 Translator: 549690339 His mindset had been finely honed, and he had broken through and achieved pure clarity in sword intent. Having comprehended the essence of nurturing life through earth and heavens and nurturing the sword in his heart, it was time to depart. His next destination, the Seven-star Study Palace! Xu Yan looked at the Sword Intent of the Earth and Heavens. It contained all the sights he had seen while honing his mindset. He mulled it over in his heart. ¡°Let¡¯s name it ¡®Earth and Heavens Phenomena¡¯. This is just one part of it. Once ¡®Earth and Heavens Phenomena¡¯ is completed, how strong will my sword intent become?¡± His heart was filled with anticipation, having understood the direction of the improvement of the Earth and Heavens Sword Intent. ¡°I¡¯ve finished here and must take my leave.¡± Xu Yan stood up and said with a bow. The woman in plain clothes responded with a sweet smile, ¡°Sir, do you not have any other intentions by coming here?¡± ¡°Intentions?¡± Xu Yan was taken aback, falling into contemplation. Upon seeing this, the woman in plain clothes stood up. The soft tenderness in her eyes and voice was unmistakable, ¡°Sir, the beauty of my Wushuang Pavilion is unparalleled anywhere. Wouldn¡¯t it be a regret to depart empty-handed?¡± Ad Upon hearing these words, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Do you have a parting gift for me?¡± The woman in plain clothes:¡­ ¡°What kind of gift do you want, sir?¡± Xie Lingfeng wants a gift? Why not give him one? Such a talented young man, few can rival in the Inner Domain. ¡°Do you have a sixth rank spiritual medicine?¡± Xu Yan eagerly asked, ¡°If there is no sixth rank spiritual medicine, eighty thousand to a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals are also acceptable.¡± The smile on the woman in plain clothes froze, and her mind went blank. Are you kidding? You are the sensation of the Martial Grand Cliff, wouldn¡¯t you lack Spirit Crystals? Why are you so money-minded? ¡°Sir, of course we have Spirit Crystals, but there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world¡­¡± Eighty thousand to a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals are not beyond Wushuang Pavilion¡¯s means. If it can build good relationships with Xie Lingfeng, he will consider this friendship when he eventually takes control of Xie Lingfeng. Any formidable entity that wanted to mess with the Wushuang Pavilion would have to reconsider. However, before she could finish speaking, Xu Yan shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want something that¡¯s not freely given!¡± The face of the woman in plain clothes turned dark, ¡°You¡¯re used to not paying for anything, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Farewell!¡± Xu Yan bowed and turned to leave. ¡°Please, feel free to visit me anytime.¡± The woman in plain clothes said. ¡°If I have time.¡± Xu Yan replied perfunctorily. Ad When he came down from the top floor of Wushuang Pavilion, many martial artists had gathered below, looking at a portrait. A steward of the Wushuang Pavilion started, ¡°Whoever finds clues about this woman will receive a bounty of ten thousand Spirit Crystals. If you can bring her here to the Wushuang Pavilion, safe and sound, you will also receive one stalk of seventh rank Spiritual Medicine, a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, and seven days of free entertainment in the Pavilion.¡± Such a generous reward, it stirred the hearts of the martial artists in the Wushuang Pavilion. Even the Grandmasters could not resist. ¡°Who is this woman? Why is the Wushuang Pavilion offering such a bounty for her? Did she escape from the Wushuang Pavilion?¡± ¡°Impossible to escape from the Wushuang Pavilion. Once you enter the Wushuang Pavilion, escaping is not an option.¡± ¡°I have to try to gather information about this woman for a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals!¡± Xu Yan, who had just come down, suddenly lit up at their words. One hundred thousand Spirit Crystals and a stalk of seventh rank Spiritual Medicine? This was a genuinely generous bounty. His interest was immediately piqued. This seemed like a good opportunity to strike it rich. In escorting Du Yuying, he had killed countless Grandmasters but had never managed to earn a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals in return. So he approached as he asked, ¡°Is she Wushuang Pavilion¡¯s enemy? Thus, the high bounty.¡± ¡°No need for any misunderstanding. We in the Wushuang Pavilion are merely commissioning the bounty on behalf of someone else. Capturing this woman is someone else¡¯s business.¡± The steward of Wushuang Pavilion explained. Xu Yan moved up for a closer look at the person in the picture, and his gaze suddenly turned cold. Su Lingxiu! The person with a bounty on her head turned out to be Su Lingxiu! ¡°The hidden hand behind the pursuit of my junior fellow apprentice sister, hiring the Wushuang Pavilion to offer a bounty, must be well connected. However, having come across this, how could I let them have their way?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart was filled with a chilling killing intent, but his face showed no hint of it. He stepped forward and took down the portrait. ¡°Sir, what are you¡­?¡± The Wushuang Pavilion steward queried. Xu Yan had gone straight to the top floor of Wushuang Pavilion upon entering, and not many people had seen him. Therefore, they could not instantly recognize him as ¡°Xie Lingfeng.¡± ¡°I find this woman familiar. I think I¡¯ve seen her somewhere. I¡¯ll take this bounty.¡± Xu Yan said with joy. ¡°Really?¡± The steward asked, delighted. ¡°Of course, quickly show me where to get the bounty.¡± Xu Yan urged. ¡°Young Master, please come with me!¡± The supervisor urgently escorted Xu Yan away from the main hall of Wushuang Pavilion, leaving the rest of the martial artists with expressions of disappointment. Just as the reward was announced, it was claimed. There were also a few people, their eyes gleaming mysteriously, who quietly departed from Wushuang Pavilion. ¡°Young master, leave the clue with us. Once it¡¯s confirmed, you can receive your reward,¡± the manager of the Pavilion said with a smile, leading him to an elegant room. Xu Yan shook his head, ¡°No! The reward for a clue is too small. Whoever wants to find the person, I¡¯ll take them myself. They will have to pay me with a Seventh Rank Spiritual Medicine and one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The manager was caught in a predicament. ¡°If they want to know where the person is, they shouldn¡¯t be stingy. It can¡¯t be less than one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals,¡± Xu Yan firmly stated. After a moment of consideration, the manager replied, ¡°How about this? Leave the clue here, once it is confirmed, we will reward you with one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals as per the highest bounty. How does that sound?¡± Xu Yan sneered, ¡°Truth be told, I don¡¯t trust you. What if you capture the person and then deny the correctness of the clue, refusing to give me the Spirit Crystals. Wouldn¡¯t I be working for nothing? ¡°Give me the Spirit Crystals, and I¡¯ll personally lead you all. If we don¡¯t find the person, I will return the entire sum!¡± The manager, looking helpless, smiled, ¡°Young Master must be joking, our Wushuang Pavilion is trustworthy¡­¡± ¡°Have you pocketed the reward for yourself? And so you dithered, afraid to let anyone see me, in case they saw through your scam? ¡°Could it be that the actual reward is a million Spirit Crystals, not one hundred thousand? If that is the case, then I cannot give you the clue!¡± Xu Yan said, suddenly staring at the manager as if he had understood something. H j ii The manager with a darkened face finally nodded, ¡°Then wait a moment, young master. I will notify the client. But 1 must remind you, once you lead them, you must be careful.¡± Xu Yan laughed coldly, ¡°What should I be careful about? Is your Wushuang Pavilion planning to kill to silence me?¡± The manager flinched, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, the client has no connection to us at Wushuang Pavilion, I was just reminding you to be cautiously on your guard.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, 1 know what I¡¯m doing!¡± Xu Yan responded nonchalantly. ¡°Then please wait a moment, young master.¡± The manager left. Xu Yan looked at the portrait of Su Lingxiu in his hand, his eyes icy. Since she was an enemy of his junior sister, she must be his enemy as well. Towards enemies, no mercy should be shown! ¡°Junior sister was worried about my safety in the Inner Domain and didn¡¯t want to talk about the trouble she was running from, but now it seems that the other party possesses considerable power, even able to offer a reward through Wushuang Pavilion. ¡°This indicates that they don¡¯t know junior sister fled to the borderlands. That Grandmaster from before must not have reported back.¡± ¡°Since I¡¯ve come across this, not only will I take the Spirit Crystals, I will also take their lives!¡± Xu Yan thought sinisterly. The fact that Wushuang Pavilion¡¯s manager warned him to be wary of being silenced by murder shows the client is not a kind character. The manager came back. ¡°Young Master, please follow me.¡± Xu Yan followed the manager out of Wushuang Pavilion, boarded a small boat, and embarked towards the outer edge of the Thousand Star Lake. ¡°Young master, won¡¯t you reconsider? With us at Wushuang Pavilion acting as intermediaries, we can ensure your safety. The others would not dare to deceive us,¡± the manager tried to persuade him. This woman must be very important to them. 1 feel that one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals might be too little. I plan to negotiate with them face to face and raise the price!¡± Xu Yan spoke earnestly. The manager:¡­ The small boat reached the outskirts of Thousand Star Lake, where two figures stood shrouded amongst the foliage. Both were cloaked in black robes, making it impossible to discern their faces. Upon seeing them, Xu Yan felt a chill. One was a full-fledged Grandmaster martial artist, and the other a pinnacle Grandmaster. Their attire was identical to that of the Grandmaster he had encountered earlier. This power surely possessed great strength! ¡°Gentlemen, this is the young master who possesses the clue.¡± The manager began to speak. The pinnacle Grandmaster turned to Xu Yan and demanded in a deep voice, ¡°You truly have seen the person in the painting?¡± ¡°Indeed, I once saw her healing someone in a certain place.¡± Xu Yan nodded in response. Upon hearing this, the two cloaked figures showed no further doubt, their eyes glittering with anticipation. ¡°Where is she? Tell us quickly!¡± The urgency in their tone belied their desperate eagerness to find Su Lingxiu. However, Xu Yan remained totally calm as the boat continued to sail towards the outer edge of Thousand Star Lake, seemingly unperturbed. ¡°I will take you there, just make sure the Spirit Crystals are ready.¡± Once the boat landed on the shore, Xu Yan disembarked, looking back at the black-robed figures following him. The manager of Wushuang Pavilion immediately left. In her view, Xu Yan was walking the path of eventual death, and was bound to be murdered to cover their traces.. Chapter 192 Deposited Items in Qinglin City i Translator: 549690339 ¡°Where is the person, speak up.¡± As soon as the caretaker of Wushuang Pavilion left, a black-cloaked man¡¯s aura was surging, and he said in a gloomy voice. Xu Yan was not flustered at all, ¡°Where is the Spirit Crystal? Show me the Spirit Crystal, what if I take you there and you don¡¯t give me the Spirit Crystal?¡± The black-cloaked man¡¯s eyes turned cold. The aura of a Grandmaster surged instantly, attempting to intimidate him. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re great just because you¡¯re a Grandmaster. If there¡¯s no Spirit Crystal, all talks are off.¡± Xu Yan remained unmoved. ¡°You¡¯re asking for death!¡± A chilling murderous intent was in the eyes of the black-cloaked man. ¡°We can give you the Spirit Crystal!¡± Another black-cloaked man waved his hand to stop his companion from making a move, then took out ten Spirit Tickets. He waved his hand, and the tickets flew in front of Xu Yan. Xu Yan revealed a smile, reaching out to receive the Spirit Tickets. Each ticket was worth ten thousand, exactly one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals. ¡°Earning Spirit Crystals isn¡¯t that difficult, huh.¡± He happily put the Spirit Crystal away, then added, ¡°What about the Spiritual Medicine?¡± ¡°Once we see the person, we will naturally give you the Spiritual Medicine!¡± The black-cloaked man responded in a deep voice. ¡°Okay, give it to me then.¡± Xu Yan nodded slightly, it was only a seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine anyway. If the black-cloaked man did carry it with him, he could naturally obtain it. ¡°The enemy of my Junior Sister, 1 wonder what forces they belong to. Lurking around like this, certainly doesn¡¯t look like a good person. They probably plan to kill and silence me, likely not even planning on paying the Spirit Crystal or Spiritual Medicine.¡± With a cold sneer in his heart, he took flight, heading in a certain direction. The black-cloaked men glanced at each other, quickly following after him. One was a consummate Grandmaster and the other was a peak Grandmaster. They certainly weren¡¯t afraid of Xu Yan, who was only a Grandmaster. As long as they got their hands on the person, they would naturally be able to get the one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals back. Xu Yan¡¯s speed was not very fast, merely that of an average Grandmaster Martial Artist. ¡°How should 1 address the two of you?¡± Xu Yan asked with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just a transaction, there¡¯s no need to know too much.¡± The black-cloaked man responded indifferently. ¡°It can¡¯t be, what if there¡¯s a chance for transactions in the future? People as generous as you two are not common anymore.¡± ¡°By the way, what do you want with that girl? Is she a very important person?¡± Xu Yan continued to chatter. ¡°You¡¯re being a bit too talkative, don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t ask.¡± The black-cloaked man said solemnly. He looked at Xu Yan, as if he was looking at a dead man. ¡°I can already tell, that little lady is really important to you guys. For someone so important, aren¡¯t one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals too little?¡± Xu Yan squinted at them. ¡°You best not have any tricks up your sleeve, or else you won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences.¡± The black-cloaked man warned in a cold voice. ¡°I don¡¯t have any tricks in mind, I just want to earn more Spirit Crystal. You two seem quite wealthy, how many Spirit Crystals are you carrying?¡± Xu Yan realized they had already arrived in a desolate area, void of any human activity. No need to keep up the pretense. The eyes of the two black-cloaked men turned sharp. One of them sneered, ¡°Could it be that you, sir, are coveting our wealth? Hmph, you should weigh your own abilities.¡± Boom! The atmosphere erupted, and the strength of the peak Grandmaster was undeniable. Another revealed the strength of a consummate Grandmaster, they prepared to make a move directly, capturing him and forcefully questioning him about Su Lingxiu¡¯s whereabouts. If he was deceiving them, then death would be his only destiny! Xu Yan let out a cold laugh, ¡°1 can¡¯t be bothered to talk nonsense with you lurkers.¡± He paused, then sent a palm strike. Roar! A Golden Giant Dragon roared forth, heading straight for the peak Grandmaster. This is bad! The peak Grandmaster¡¯s expression changed drastically, his aura exploded at its peak, trying to block this strike. However, against the Golden Giant Dragon, he was nothing more than insignificant. Bang! The dragon struck, instantly bursting him apart. Xu Yan moved, gathering all the items carried by the black-cloaked man, and the Golden Giant Dragon immediately spiraled and ground, releasing a burning aura. The black-cloaked man who had been burst apart had his corpse crushed into ashes, which scattered in the wind. This sudden turn of events left the consummate Grandmaster in black with no time to help. His companion had already turned to ashes. He was terrified! A Great Grandmaster? Aside from a Great Grandmaster, how could anyone else take out a peak Grandmaster in one hit? ¡°Escape!¡± At this moment, this was the only thought in his mind. The moment he attempted to move, a Golden Giant Dragon coiled around him, already binding him within. Xu Yan gathered the Spirit Tickets he had taken, and was pleased. This black-cloaked man was indeed rich, more than several ten thousand Spirit Crystals transferred to his account. This journey was worthwhile. ¡°Hand over everything.¡± Xu Yan coldly commanded. The black-cloaked man¡¯s eyes were filled with fear and rage, ¡°Are you a demon follower?¡± This damn guy deceived them into thinking he had information regarding Su Lingxiu, but his actual plan was robbery and murder. The first thought that came to his mind was the demon cult. Although many martial artists likely engage in such activities, those from the Demon Cult were more frequent perpetrators and more ruthless in their actions. ¡°What¡¯s this demon cult thing? Stop talking nonsense, hand over your stash and you will be spared.¡± Xu Yan coldly replied. ¡°Alright!¡± The black-cloaked man promptly handed over all his possessions. Another over ten thousand Spirit Crystals were transferred to Xu Yan¡¯s account. Upon seeing this, Xu Yan angrily said, ¡°Where is the seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine? Good, you guys really didn¡¯t intend to pay me the reward of the seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine!¡± The black-cloaked man¡¯s eyelids twitched, ¡°The seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine is at the Wushuang Pavilion. After capturing the person, you can go to the Wushuang Pavilion to collect it!¡± Xu Yan stepped forward, hands behind his back, saying, ¡°Take off your mask. Someone who hides behind a mask does not deserve to be called a Grandmaster!¡± The black-cloaked man¡¯s eyes were cold, but he was weaker. He could only obey and remove the mask.. Chapter 194 Translator: 549690339 Meng Chong watched as Meng Shushu hurried away in his cart, furrowing his brows for a long moment, uncertain whether or not to follow him. ¡°Forget it, we¡¯ve settled things between us, no need to worry about him. I should think about how to earn Spirit Crystals to buy Spiritual Medicine, and wonder where the Grandmaster might have gone off to.¡± Thinking this, Meng Chong was about to leave. However, he found Meng Shushu had rushed back again. ¡°Brother Meng, could you help me deliver this hammer to a place?¡± Meng Chong was immediately delighted, and said, ¡°No problem, how much will you pay for the delivery?¡± Meng Shushu took out a Spiritual Bill with an obvious pained look on his face, and said, ¡°How about one hundred Spirit Crystals? I don¡¯t have many left.¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Meng Chong agreed and took the Spiritual Bill. ¡°Brother Meng, let¡¯s meet here again in three days, and I¡¯ll repay you.¡± Meng Shushu told Meng Chong the exact meeting place before hurriedly leaving, looking highly anxious. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s hidden inside this hammer.¡± Meng Chong came to the front of the carriage and leisurely drove towards the place Meng Shushu had mentioned. He took out three stalks of eighth-grade Spiritual Medicine and examined them closely. He couldn¡¯t recognize exactly what type of Spiritual Medicine they were; although Su Lingxiu had introduced him to Spiritual Medicine before, her knowledge was ultimately limited. Verbal descriptions and the real object always differ; unless the recognition of Spiritual Medicine is high. ¡°I wonder what kind of effect I would get if I consumed eighth-grade Spiritual Medicine to practice my Great Sun Golden Body?¡± Meditating on this, in the end, Meng Chong did not take out the Spiritual Medicine to consume. ¡°Better take it back to martial sister for her to refine into elixirs, consuming directly is too wasteful.¡± After three days, Meng Chong had arrived at a small town. Looking at a corner of a wall, it turned out exactly as Meng Shushu had marked. Following the direction indicated by the hint, it pointed towards a small hill outside of the town. ¡°Quite mysterious. 1 wonder what he¡¯s hiding from.¡± Meng Chong drove the carriage towards the hill, park it at the foot of the mountain, and picked up the two large hammers and went up the mountain. The mountain road was rugged, the trees were tall and the woods were dense, but to Meng Chong, this was nothing. He walked swiftly and reached the peak in no time. At the top of the mountain, there was a lone tree large enough to be circled by three people which covered half the peak with its lush foliage. Just as Meng Chong was climbing the mountain holding his large hammers, he saw Meng Shushu hiding in the tree. He was about to call out, when suddenly a figure dashed from behind. With a powerful aura and full of killing intent, it attacked fiercely. ¡°Hand it over!¡± A Grandmaster Martial Artist. ¡°Watch out!¡± A gasp from Meng Shushu could be heard from the top of the tree, as he quickly flew in from the tree, seemingly to block the sudden attack from the Grandmaster Martial Artist. Meng Chong didn¡¯t even move, as the powerful strike from the attacker behind him landed on his back. Then another hand reached out, intending to snatch the hammers. Boom! Meng Shushu¡¯s face changed, but the next scene shocked him even more. The sneak attacking Grandmaster Martial Artist landed a blow on Meng Chong¡¯s back and snatched one hammer, then reached out to snatch the other. Meng Chong, as if realizing something was amiss, shot back a punch with the hand that had lost the hammer. Thunder rumbling echoed, and golden light shone brightly around him! Boom! In Meng Shushu¡¯s shocked gaze, the sneak-attacking Grandmaster was torn to shreds in an instant. Then, Meng Chong, like a beast in human form, swung his arm and a sound of thunder echoed, a violent and fierce power burst, and the shattered corpse was instantly crushed into ashes. Gulp! Meng Shushu swallowed, his face turned pale. That was a Grandmaster Martial Artist, who was blown up with one punch? And in the end, he was even reduced to ashes. Just how brutal could this guy that he had found be?. He felt a sense of unease in his heart. ¡°Where did this enemy come from, daring to ambush me? Did he get tired of living?¡± Meng Chong grumbled, picked up the fallen hammer, and turned to Meng Shushu. ¡°Did that guy try to kill me for some reason? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve offended anyone. Any unknown enemies have to be eradicated clean. I even blew his ashes away.¡± Meng Shushu said in amazement, ¡°Brother Meng, are you okay?¡± That was a strike from a Grandmaster Martial Artist, landed solidly, but Meng Chong seemed unharmed? What kind of terrifying flesh was this? ¡°What could be wrong with me? It¡¯s just like a tickle. Who the hell is this enemy, so ruthless, I made him into ashes. Is it right that 1 did this?¡± Meng Chong grumbled as he approached Meng Shushu. Meng Shushu looked pale, his breath slightly disturbed, and seemed to be injured again. ¡°Brother Meng, actually¡ªhis enemy isn¡¯t you, it should be me!¡± Meng Shushu nervously blurted out. Meng Chong smacked his forehead, finally understanding. ¡°I knew it. How could there be an enemy out of nowhere? It was because you brought one.¡± He stretched out his hand and put it on Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s your enemy, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Meng Shushu nodded. ¡°He came to kill you, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Meng Chong grinned, ¡°That¡¯s right. He wanted to kill you, and 1 killed him for you. It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve saved your life, so you owe me, right?¡± Meng Shushu was stunned, how did he come to owe a life debt? ¡°Brother Meng, listen to me, although you killed him, is it possible that even if you hadn¡¯t intervened, I could have handled it myself?¡± He had started to sweat, how could this burly man be so calculating? Chapter 195 Translator: 549690339 If I really owe him a life, would I have to buy it myself? It takes money to be dead! Meng Chong stared and said, ¡°My cousin, do you have the ability to fight him? You should know that even with my strength, 1 endured a blow from him and was almost seriously injured. Could you seriously injure me with your abilities? ¡°If you don¡¯t have the ability to seriously injure me, how will you deal with him? ¡°Furthermore, if I didn¡¯t see wrong, you¡¯re injured, aren¡¯t you? How much strength can you still muster?¡± Meng Shushu looked at Meng Chong with wide eyes. That overwhelming aura made his heart jump. He felt like a single punch from Meng Chong would be enough to blow him away. The scene where Meng Chong obliterated the Grandmaster with a punch still shocked him. ¡°Come, cousin, let¡¯s spar. If you can last three hundred rounds with me, I¡¯ll believe you can handle that enemy, and I won¡¯t consider it as me saving your life. What do you think?¡± Meng Chong said while getting ready for a spar. Meng Shushu¡¯s face turned black, anxiously saying, ¡°No need, Meng Chong, just say how many Spirit Crystals it costs to kill a Grandmaster!¡± He was seriously suspecting that Meng Chong intentionally didn¡¯t dodge the blow, just to show off the attacker¡¯s strength, implying that he couldn¡¯t handle him at all! Meng Chong put his arm around his shoulder and said, ¡°Cousin, what¡¯s with that attitude? Do you think I only care about Spirit Crystals? Well, in consideration of our familial relationship, I¡¯ll give you a discount ¨C you¡¯ll owe me half a life.¡± Meng Shushu weakly said, ¡°Can I not owe you anything?¡± ¡°I saved your life, and only asked you for half a life owing to our familial relationship. Are you saying you want to deny it?¡± Meng Chong said, displeased. Alright, 1 admit it! Meng Shushu pulled out a Spirit Crystal note, ¡°Brother Meng, here are five hundred Spirit Crystals.¡± Meng Chong solemnly put the spirit note into Meng Shushu¡¯s pocket, saying, ¡°Since cousin, your life is worth only five-hundred Spirit Crystals, I¡¯ll take these Crystals and your half-life. Now we¡¯re even.¡± ¡°Wait! Hold on!¡± Meng Shushu was terrified. Take half his life? ¡°One seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine, no, two. How¡¯s that? 1 can¡¯t give anymore, I¡¯m almost out.¡± Meng Chong chuckled and said, ¡°My cousin, you¡¯re too polite. This is better. Which one is more valuable, Spiritual Medicine or a life? Let¡¯s settle on two seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to kill a Grandmaster. Can¡¯t just lend my hand for free!¡± ¡°As it should be.¡± Meng Shushu nodded, and took out a Tianbao Pavilion storage note to give to Meng Chong. ¡°Also in Qinglin City, two seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines are all I got left.¡± ¡°Alright, then we¡¯re even.¡± Meng Chong nodded, threw the sledgehammer on the ground, and took the storage note, saying, ¡°I brought the sledgehammer for you. If nothing else, I¡¯ll be off.¡± ¡°Safe travels, Brother Meng!¡± Meng Shushu breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Take care!¡± Meng Chong turned and left. ¡°My cousin sure has troubles. Even Grandmaster martial artists have attacked him. Killing one Grandmaster martial artist in exchange for two seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines is a fair deal.¡± Meng Chong mumbled to himself as he hurried down the mountain. I had to help him out; I couldn¡¯t just do it for free. The enemy was Meng Shushu¡¯s, and I helped kill him. It¡¯s fair to ask for compensation. He glanced at the carriage at the foot of the mountain, unhooked the cart, mounted the horse, and rode off. ¡°Go to Qinglin City and retrieve the medicines.¡± Returning leisurely to Qinglin City on horseback, after covering several miles, he suddenly looked up. ¡°A Grandmaster martial artist?¡± A figure flew across the sky. Any martial artist below the first rank would probably not even notice. It was a Grandmaster martial artist, and not a beginner. At least a mid-level Grandmaster. ¡°Going after Meng Shushu.¡± Meng Chong hesitated for a moment but didn¡¯t turn around, instead continuing towards Qinglin City. Suddenly, he looked towards the sky not far to the left. Another Grandmaster martial artist. ¡°There¡¯s another one over there. Three Grandmaster martial artists, all heading for Meng Shushu. Is this the work of his enemies?¡± Meng Chong pondered for a moment, abandoned his horse, and quickly rushed back to the mountain. ¡°Cousin is quite wealthy. It seems not excessive to ask a storage bag of treasures as rewards for saving his life, right?¡± Meng Chong thought gleefully. At the same time, he was curious about what could be inside those two sledgehammers. Could it be treasure? These Grandmaster martial artists must have been after that. Boom! The battle on the mountain peak has already broken out. A figure maneuvers and dodges swiftly amongst the woods. His movement techniques are brilliant, successfully evading enemies¡¯ onslaught. Meng Chong did not take action immediately. He quietly hid himself behind a large tree, using its leaves to conceal his form. ¡°Tian Jin, you betrayed me?¡± Meng Shushu glared furiously at one of the three Grandmasters. ¡°Brother Meng, 1 didn¡¯t want to do this either. But the people you¡¯ve angered are too powerful, their influence too great. They found me, and if 1 didn¡¯t cooperate with them, I was as good as dead. ¡°And, a grade six Spiritual Medicine, 1 too was tempted.¡± Tian Jin said helplessly while he continued to pursue. ¡°Brother Meng, why not just surrender? What¡¯s the point of running and hiding? You are a scout for Spiritual Medicines, and your ability to discover them is ranked in the top five throughout the Inner Domain. They won¡¯t kill you. In fact, if you side with them, you might even get the protection of a major power.¡± Tian Jin suggested. ¡°How will I, Meng Shushu, become someone¡¯s lapdog? Moreover, those people are cruel and merciless. The moment things don¡¯t go their way, they¡¯ll torment others. Why would I degrade myself to put up with their punishment?¡± Meng Shushu was enraged. One of the two other Grandmaster Martial Artists who surrounded Meng Shushu spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Meng Shushu, reveal the whereabouts of the grade six Spiritual Medicine, and perhaps 1 can turn a blind eye and let you escape.¡± ¡°Indeed, reveal the grade six Spiritual Medicine¡¯s location, and we¡¯ll let you escape.¡± Another one also spoke. ¡°Hah, do you take me, Meng Shushu, for a three-year-old child?¡± Meng Shushu sneered. His movement techniques were agile, and his speed was extremely fast. He moved amongst the dense woods, hoping to escape, but he was wounded, and the three grandmasters were not weaker than him, even one was stronger. Just as he built a little distance, he was quickly caught up with, incapable of shaking off the enemies. Meng Shushu was somewhat anxious. The longer the time dragged on, the worse it was for him. If the strong ones among those people arrived, he would not be able to escape. Meng Chong had heard the entire dialogue clearly. Upon hearing about the grade six Spiritual Medicine, his eyes instantly lit up. This was the highest grade medicine in the Inner Domain, extremely rare, which spoke volumes about its high value. ¡°Could it be that the grade six Spiritual Medicine is inside the two large hammers?¡± Meng Chong silently followed, without any immediate plans to take action. ¡°Meng Shushu is a scout for Spiritual Medicines, and he is even ranked among the top five in the Inner Domain. This means he must have rich experience in finding Spiritual Medicines, knows where they can be found?¡± ¡°Junior Sister needs to refine pills, and she definitely cannot lack Spiritual Medicines. If we have a scout, we can easily find Spiritual Medicines for her, and there will be no shortage of them, right?¡± The more Meng Chong thought about it, the more excited he became. He was determined to save Meng Shushu! No matter who came, it would be of no use! ¡°No wonder he has so many Spiritual Medicines. He turns out to be a scout. This time, 1¡¯11 let this relative in name owe me a life. After owing me a life, how many Spiritual Medicines will he need to pay back?¡± The more Meng Chong thought about it, the happier he grew. As for offending a Grandmaster, he didn¡¯t care. For these Grandmasters, he could kill one with each punch, they weren¡¯t threatening at all. As for the force against Meng Shushu, Meng Chong didn¡¯t care either. Compared to value of Meng Shushu as a scout, offending that force mattered little. Even if there is a Great Grandmaster among them, he didn¡¯t need to fear them. Worst case scenario, he¡¯ll run. Moreover, once his power level rises, he can surely defeat the Great Grandmasters in the future. ¡°Within the Inner Domain, Jianzun Cliff is a top force. Brother Xie¡¯s reputation should have some deterrent power, right?¡± That¡¯s what Meng Chong thought. He continued to lazily trail behind, waiting for the right time to make a move. Meng Shushu was not in imminent danger yet, it was not apt to act right now. ¡°The three Grandmasters are too weak. Although Meng Shushu couldn¡¯t escape for a while, he should not be in danger.¡± Ment Chong frowned. With his agile and flexible movements, as well as his great speed, Meng Shushu could potentially escape if he pulled enough distance in this mountain forest. Moreover, he was continuously running towards the dense parts of the forest. ¡°This relative of mine will not escape, will he?¡± Meng Chong frowned. If Meng Shushu managed to escape, how would he find the opportunity to make Meng Shushu owe him a life? Suddenly, his brows picked up as he looked to the sky. A figure was descending rapidly. ¡°One of the stronger Grandmasters!¡± A chill ran down Meng Chong¡¯s spine. This person¡¯s ability was not weak and with his own abilities, most likely he could not take him down with one punch. Perhaps it would take two! Meng Shushu¡¯s complexion transformed drastically.. The peak Grandmaster had arrived! Chapter 196 Translator: 549690339 A grandmaster descended, and Meng Chong showed a smile. There was no escape for the main family now, and he had the opportunity to step in and rescue. Saving a life is no small feat, he will owe him his life, and what will he pay back with? ¡°Meng Shushu, surrender, we won¡¯t kill you.¡± The grandmaster, dressed in a black robe, was slightly pale and had a cold gaze, speaking in a deep voice. Meng Shushu¡¯s expression greatly changed, and suddenly, he raised his hands, and a beam of icy light spilled out. In a leap of his body, he suddenly attacked Tian Jin. ¡°Tian Jin, even if 1 die, I¡¯ll bring you down with me. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been betrayed by someone I¡¯ve been friends with for so many years!¡± Meng Shushu¡¯s expression was cold beyond words at this moment. Boom! He blasted out a palm in a desperate attack. Tian Jin¡¯s expression greatly changed, and he had to block out of emergency, constantly retreating. ¡°The stubbornness of death!¡± The black-robed man snorted coldly, moved his body, and reached out to grab Meng Shushu. However, at this very moment, Meng Shushu waved his hand, and a two-foot-long weapon like a pen gripped in his hand. Buzz! The tip of the pen exploded with cold light, and sharp radiance erupted. Boom! The black-robed man struck out, but the cold light didn¡¯t dissipate, instead it turned into specks of light, enveloping him from all sides! ¡°I underestimated you!¡± The black-robed man gave a cold smile, a flood of white light surged out from his body, sweeping away the incoming cold radiance. At this moment, Meng Shushu took the opportunity, spat out a mouthful of spitting blood, his momentum skyrocketed, his pen bursting forth with an icy glow a feet long, and brutally attacked Tian Jin. ¡°Meng Shushu, do you want to die?¡± Tian Jin was appalled and angry, with a long blade in his hand for blocking out of emergency. However, Meng Shushu seemed to be reckless, as if he wanted to die with him. Meng Shushu, who originally looked like a scholar, now had blood-red eyes and was extremely fierce. Tian Jin somewhat panicked inwardly. Once this knife was blocked, both he and Meng Shushu would die! Originally, his aim with this knife was to force Meng Shushu away, little did he know that Meng Shushu wanted to die together with him, showing his outrage at being betrayed! In a rush, Tian Jin¡¯s body burst back, frantically trying to retrieve his knife for defense. Meng Shushu took this opportunity, his body suddenly twisted and hard moved to one side, and the pen in his hand shot out. Pft! The pen pierced through Tian Jin¡¯s chest. ¡°You!¡± Tian Jin was terrified, roared in anger, and swung his knife towards Meng Shushu. If he was going to die, they¡¯d die together! However, Meng Shushu, now without weapons in his hands, pulled out two small hammers the size of fists. It seemed there was a mechanism on the handle of the hammer. With a click, the hammerhead opened and divided into eight pieces, like a blooming flower. Meng Shushu lifted the open hammer in his hand to block Tian Jin¡¯s dying blow! ¡°Insolence!¡± The black-robed man roared, lifted his hand, and a ray of light burst out. A curved blade flew out with a boom, blocking Tian Jin¡¯s blow. The curved blade didn¡¯t stop, with a pff, Tian Jin¡¯s head was severed! The sudden turn of events shocked the other two master martial artists, instantly their expressions changed, and they froze, filled with horror! The opponent had killed Tian Jin! Everything seemed to be within Meng Shushu¡¯s expectations. When the black-robed man blocked Tian Jin¡¯s dying blow for him, he was already leaping out. He snatched the long pen back from Tian Jin¡¯s corpse and, taking advantage of the two master martial artists not daring to move, leaped into the depths of the forest and tried to escape. The black-robed man¡¯s expression was icy, looked at the other two masters, and said angrily, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to chase him? Don¡¯t destroy those two items, they are the keys to the treasure land!¡± After finishing, he leaped into the air and chased Meng Shushu. The two masters then suddenly realized. The little hammer in Meng Shushu¡¯s hand that could transform was the key to the treasure land. No wonder he had been so angry and defended against Tian Jin¡¯s attack. If the key gets destroyed, how could they enter the treasure land? They moved their bodies, and madly chased after him. Meng Chong sighed, the main family did have some skills, but he was seriously injured, this time it was probably impossible to escape. What caught his attention even more was the key to the treasure land in Meng Shushu¡¯s hands! ¡°That must be what¡¯s inside the large hammer.¡± The center of the two large hammers was empty, and they must have been hiding the keys to the treasure land! If it was called a treasure land, and Meng Shushu was a spiritual medicine scout, wouldn¡¯t those sixth-grade spiritual medicines be in that treasure land? Moreover, there was a high probability that it was not just one or two plants! Meng Chong was excited inside. He had to save his family, not for anything else, but for the spiritual medicine in the treasure land! He came down from the tree, went to Tian Jin¡¯s corpse, bent down, and began looting. He pulled out few spirit tickets, which were more than a thousand spirit crystals in total. ¡°No wonder you betrayed your friend, so you¡¯re a poor grandmaster!¡± Meng Chong despised Tian Jin. He pocketed the spirit tickets, and moved towards the direction Meng Shushu had escaped. He watched Meng Shushu from afar, who was now barely able to escape. And three of the grandmasters had already enclosed him in a surround. Meng Chong scratched his head. With three people surrounding him, Meng Shushu could only escape in one direction, and not very far either. So, he went to the path Meng Shushu must escape from, sat on a large tree, and waited for Meng Shushu to come. Not long after, a disheveled Meng Shushu arrived, gasping for breath, looking pale, his injuries becoming more severe. ¡°No good, 1 can¡¯t escape this time!¡± Meng Shushu felt his entire body weakened, his breath disordered, nearly unable to hold up any longer. Boom! The black-robed man strode forward, and the other two grandmasters were also closing in.. Chapter 197 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Meng Shushu, hand over the key and submit! Otherwise, die!¡± The man in the black robe coldly declared. ¡°Never!¡± Meng Shushu gritted his teeth, resentfully retorting, ¡°You lowly villains! We had an agreement that I would explore the Spiritual Medicine treasure land for you. Not only did you not give me the promised reward, but you also want to control and exploit me. I, Meng Shushu, will never be your lapdog!¡± He thrust his long brush into the ground, grasping the treasure land key tightly in his hand. He coldly stated, ¡°Even in death, you¡¯ll never get the Spiritual Medicine from the treasure land!¡± He was ready to destroy the key. But the man in the black robe just chuckled coldly, saying, ¡°Meng Shushu, how much power do you think you have left? With your current strength, do you honestly think you can destroy the key?¡± He took a step forward, his expression suddenly growing murderous as he looked at a large tree nearby. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Meng Shushu was startled, but he didn¡¯t budge, nor did he turn to see whom the man in the black robe was shouting at. He kept his eyes firmly on the man, a cold laugh in his heart ¨C he wasn¡¯t going to fall for such a simple trick. And then, a familiar voice sounded, ¡°Eh, cousin, you seem to be in a bit of trouble, looking a bit miserable!¡± Meng Chong! Meng Shushu nearly cried tears of joy. He turned and saw Meng Chong indeed, perched on a tree, a curious expression on his face. ¡°Help me, Brother Meng!¡± Meng Chong looked unsure, ¡°Cousin, your enemy is quite powerful, this¡­¡± ¡°A sixth-grade Spiritual Medicine ¨C no, make it two!¡± Meng Shushu hurriedly interjected. Nothing was more important than his life now, and though sixth-grade Spiritual Medicines were rare, they weren¡¯t impossible to find! ¡°Why are you talking about Spiritual Medicine? Your life is far more precious! Don¡¯t demean yourself. I won¡¯t stand by when my own cousin is in trouble!¡± Meng Chong solemnly said. Settling a debt for two sixth-grade Spiritual Medicines, really, what was he thinking? He moved in front of Meng Shushu. ¡°Gentlemen, in my honor, can we agree to let this matter slide?¡± He asked, bowing slightly. ¡°Some business is better left alone, or you may find yourself beyond redemption!¡± The man in the black robe said coldly. His curved dagger gleamed ominously as he drew it, revealing the unmistakable aura of a pinnacle Grandmaster. The two other Grandmaster martial artists also began to surge with power. A loud rumble followed, causing the surrounding trees to instantly collapse. ¡°Cousin, your enemies seem quite formidable. Killing them will not be easy, and I could get dragged in further, so remember, you owe me one!¡± Meng Chong warned gravely. ¡°Brother Meng, if you can escape, do so immediately. You don¡¯t necessarily have to fight to the death.¡± Meng Shushu advised. A peak Grandmaster and two intermediate Grandmasters would be too powerful for Meng Chong to defeat alone. However, there was still a chance of escaping. Seeing Meng Chong willing to risk danger to help him, he felt deeply moved. He turned to the man in the black robe and sternly asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you really want to give me face on this matter?¡± The man in the black robe looked back with cold, murderous eyes. ¡°After you¡¯re dead, I¡¯ll give you face!¡± Meng Chong chuckled, ¡°If that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be, then I¡¯m afraid I have to offend you. Take this attack!¡± Clang! His sword unsheathed, a momentum capable of dominating heaven and earth suddenly emerged. A single strike slashed through the air as if tearing the sky apart. Danger! The man in the black robe felt a chilling sense of dread. This was the first time he had felt such a terrifying threat since becoming a Grandmaster! There was no escape! This strike seemed to have already sealed off all his routes of retreat! Boom! He expended all his might for an all-out attack. His black robe shred apart to reveal his torso, showing a rough skin lined with finger-wide scars. His dagger sparkled as he swung to parry the attack with all his might. Splash! However, it was all in vain! Under the Sky-dominating Sword Strike, the man in the black robe was sliced in half immediately, his body turning to ashes. Meng Chong¡¯s sword then swept away. The other two Grandmasters were also beheaded by a single strike and turned into ashes! The motion of unsheathing and sheathing his sword happened in the blink of an eye! Meng Shushu was simply stunned by the terrifying power of the single strike. The peak Grandmaster was reduced to dust in an instant. Gulp! Looking at the muscular Meng Chong, he swallowed his saliva. He knew Meng Chong was strong, but he never imagined he was THIS strong! ¡°Being a Grandmaster martial artist is indeed hard work.¡± Meng Chong sighed. Meng Shushu:¡­ Is he even speaking human language? Killing them all in a single stroke, and he calls that difficult? ¡°Brother Meng, thank you for saving me!¡± Meng Shushu sank to the ground, panting heavily. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re family. Now, sign this debt note for me.¡± Meng Chong nodded, passing pen and paper to Meng Shushu. ¡°This time, you owe me a life, right?¡± Meng Chong asked cheerfully. Taking a deep breath, Meng Shushu asked, ¡°Cousin, can I repay you with an equivalent in Spiritual Medicine instead?¡± Owing someone a life isn¡¯t a good thing. If he could buy back his life with Spiritual Medicine, it would undoubtedly be the best outcome. ¡°What are you talking about? Your life is invaluable. How can Spiritual Medicine compare to that?¡± Meng Chong argued discontentedly. All Meng Shushu could do was to wonder whether he should be touched or bewildered. After a long moment, he finally managed to say, ¡°Brother Meng, I can¡¯t repay such a big favor just by saying thank you. Just tell me what you want.¡± ¡°Alright then, how about a storage bag?¡± Meng Chong suggested after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°Just kill me! You might as well kill me!¡± Upon hearing this, Meng Shushu, disregarding his injuries, jumped up abruptly and raged.. Chapter 198 Translator: 549690339 His face turned red, ¡°A Storage Bag? Even if you sold me, you couldn¡¯t afford it!¡± Meng Chong was shocked. Was a Storage Bag really so precious? He placed his hands on Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulders, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t get worked up. Just because you can¡¯t afford it now doesn¡¯t mean you won¡¯t be able to in the future. ¡°My dear cousin, you seem to lack fighting spirit, lack a goal to strive for. ¡°This is unacceptable. I¡¯m giving you a goal now, and that is to remember, you owe me a Storage Bag. ¡°With this goal, you won¡¯t lose your way. It¡¯ll urge you to keep striving for that Storage Bag. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good, not because I really want you to give me a Storage Bag.¡± Meng Shushu listened, stunned. Did he really lack a goal? Meng Chong continued, ¡°Cousin, as long as you have a goal and keep moving forward, you will definitely surpass your current self. ¡°The Storage Bag is indeed precious, but with perseverance, resilience and willpower, you¡¯ll be able to afford it one day. ¡°I don¡¯t need your Storage Bag right now, just keep in mind that you owe me one, let that be your goal.¡± ¡°Like that?¡± Meng Shushu calmed down, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been too lazy, if not, 1 wouldn¡¯t be chased with no strength to fight back.¡± Meng Chong nodded with satisfaction, ¡°That¡¯s right. You can¡¯t keep being lazy. You have a formidable enemy now, you need an arduous goal, and it begins with the Storage Bag you owe me. ¡°Here, sign the IOU, keep it in mind and let it motivate you. ¡°This IOU is a whip, whipping you to keep striving.¡± Meng Shushu was moved and quickly signed his name. ¡°Hold on!¡± He suddenly paused, had he been fooled? ¡°Brother Meng, how come I owe you a life and a Storage Bag now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the details. The Storage Bag is your goal, just remember you owe me one, I won¡¯t really collect it.¡± Meng Chong said as he pocketed the IOU. Meng Shushu looked at the robust brute, suspecting he¡¯d been tricked! ¡°Come on, Brother Meng, tell me about your enemy. I¡¯m involved now, from now on your enemy is mine, anyone who wants to kill you is as good as wanting to kill me. ¡°Since we are one and the same, let¡¯s plan long-term on how to deal with the enemy. ¡°Also, what¡¯s this about the Spiritual Medicine paradise? Your Spiritual Medicine is my Spiritual Medicine, anyone coveting your Spiritual Medicine is coveting mine. ¡°Anyone who dares to covet my Spiritual Medicine should die!¡± Meng Shushu felt dizzy, it seemed he¡¯d been drawn into this. And he couldn¡¯t get out. ¡°Brother Meng, the Spiritual Medicine paradise should belong to me, right?¡± Meng Shushu asked cautiously. ¡°Of course!¡± Meng Chong nodded and before Meng Shushu could heave a sigh of relief, he continued, ¡°You¡¯re my cousin, we share the same enemy, what¡¯s yours is naturally also mine, why distinguish between us? ¡°What, 1 treat you like brother and you treat me like a fool? Is this measly Spiritual Medicine paradise more important than our brotherhood?¡± Meng Shushu was stunned.. Who was treating who as a fool here? Chapter 199 Translator: 549690339 Seeing Li Xuan¡¯s pale face and chaotic breath, recognizing his serious injury, Meng Chong gritted his teeth, and pulled out a small bottle. How can one reap great rewards without making some sacrifices? He poured out a healing pill and said, ¡°Here, take this pill. It will help you recover from your injuries quickly.¡± But Meng Shushu was alert, wondering if this pill was a means to control him. ¡°I don¡¯t need it, I have my own healing medicine¡­¡± ¡°What kind of lousy healing medicine is yours? It¡¯s nothing compared to mine!¡± Meng Chong put the pill away. Looking at the medicine in his palm, he wore a pained expression. Without saying another word, he stuffed the pill into Meng Shushu¡¯s mouth. ¡°This pill was made using eighteen Rank-6 spiritual herbs with a special method. 1 only have a few of these. Each one is extremely valuable. I really pulled out all the stops for your injuries!¡± Meng Chong said with a pained look on his face. Meng Shushu had no way to avoid it. A pill was directly shoved into his mouth, which shocked him. He was worried that he was now controlled by someone else. However, the pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth and a surge of medicinal power circulated throughout his body. His chaotic breath gradually calmed down, and his injuries improved a bit. He was surprised. What kind of healing medicine was this? ¡°Thank you, Brother Meng!¡± He felt a bit ashamed, blaming himself for suspecting another with his petty thoughts. How embarrassing it was! ¡°No need to be courteous. This is a special medicine made from eighteen Rank-6 spiritual herbs. It¡¯s very rare and I don¡¯t have many.¡± Meng Chong still wore a pained expression on his face. Meng Shushu:¡­ He took out a key to a spiritual medicine treasure land, and handed it to Meng Chong, saying: ¡°Brother Meng, this key leads to a place full of Rank-6 spiritual herbs, and not just one plant. ¡°Plus, I suspect there¡¯s a Rank-5 spiritual herb there, that¡¯s why they won¡¯t let go of me!¡± Meng Chong was surprised: a Rank-5 spiritual herb? ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go collect the herbal medicine.¡± Meng Chong urged impatiently. ¡°Brother Meng, the treasure land is likely guarded by Grandmaster level powerhouses, and more than one.¡± Meng Shushu said solemnly. ¡°Are there any Great Grandmasters?¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be. After all, Great Grandmasters are esteemed figures and wouldn¡¯t stoop to guarding. And besides, I¡¯m not worth a Great Grandmaster¡¯s attention.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head. ¡°No Great Grandmaster, then there¡¯s no problem.¡± Meng Chong sighed in relief. ¡°But, there will be quite a few Grandmaster-level warriors, and possibly several peak Grandmasters. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, each one will go down with a single move of mine. Even if they are powerful, they won¡¯t withstand two of my moves. There¡¯s no big problem; let¡¯s set off.¡± Meng Chong said unconcernedly. Meng Shushu remembered Meng Chong¡¯s move that reigned supreme, and how he effortlessly slew Grandmasters ¨C indeed, this was no empty boast. However, it was unclear how many of these moves Meng Chong could perform, but since Meng Chong was so confident, it should be enough to deal with a dozen or so Grandmasters. Thoughts like these once again highlighted Meng Chong¡¯s formidable strength. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s set off!¡± He had also made up his mind ¨C since these people were after his life, he would just eliminate them all. ¡°What kind of power is your family capable of? There are so many Grandmaster martial artists.¡± As the two of them set off for the spiritual medicine treasure land, Meng Chong asked curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head, ¡°This power is strong. It doesn¡¯t have any fame in the Inner Domain, so it should be part of the hidden forces.¡± The so-called hidden forces means powers that hide in the dark and keep a low profile, even resorting to activities that can¡¯t stand the light of day. After Meng Chong brought back a Bone-strengthening Flower, Su Lingxiu began to adjust the formula for Evergreen Pill. Since it was a new pill, she couldn¡¯t make it successful on her first try. Since there was only one Bone-strengthening Flower, she had to be very careful; therefore, she practiced with other herbs before making the Evergreen Pill. She practiced her refining technique thoroughly. Li Xuan shifted his attention to the new realm. He had mostly figured out the state above the Tongxuan Realm and how to revise the cultivation theory framework. ¡°The Tongxuan Realm involves cultivating the True Yuan to unite with nature¡¯s spiritual energy, which is pretty much the limit of True Qi cultivation. The next realm involves cultivating spiritual power.¡± ¡°Or rather, cultivating the Divine Soul. Senior Wu has been body-invaded. The martial artist capable of invading bodies must have a Divine Soul.¡± ¡°It¡¯s confirmed that they are more powerful than Great Grandmasters.¡± Li Xuan revised his cultivation theory while concluding his thoughts. ¡°How to cultivate spiritual power? How to refine the Divine Soul? There is an acupoint called the Niwan Palace, so beyond the Tongxuan Realm is to open the Niwan Palace¡­¡± Li Xuan gradually perfected the cultivation theory above the Tongxuan Realm, reflecting on it every day, trying to seamlessly connect it with the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°Beyond the Tongxuan lies a watershed, a great leap. The more detailed the theoretical framework, the easier and quicker it is to comprehend¡­¡± Every day, Li Xuan sat leisurely in his chair, but his mind was completely devoted to creating the new martial arts realm.Kou Ruozhi brought the Divine Fire Stone. Li Xuan glanced at it and was slightly surprised: Kou Ruozhi had already completed the Bone Refinement. His cultivation speed was much faster than Shi¡¯er¡¯s, showing that his talent surpassed Shi¡¯er¡¯s. ¡°Miss, we have selected 120 loyal followers, who are now training martial arts. Twelve have completed Skin Refinement, fifty have made great progress in Skin Refinement, while the rest are between Skin Refinement Initiation and completion. ¡°Over at Xu Mansion, twenty-six people have already become martial artists.¡± ¡°Old Emperor Qi has also started cultivation. He seems to have some talent and is already well-advanced in Skin Refinement..¡± Chapter 200 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Moreover, the cultivation technique for the Refined Skin Realm has started to spread, with more people starting to practice it. I¡¯m also working with Xu Junhe, reshaping the beliefs of Martial Artists. ¡°Not long from now, I believe there will be quite a number of Martial Artists in the Borderlands.¡± Kou Ruozhi reported the changes in the Borderlands to Su Lingxiu. Martial Arts had begun to spread in the Borderlands. ¡°Over at Wu Country, The Emperor of Wu personally made a visit and attained the Martial Arts techniques. We¡¯ve made an agreement. Our target is the same, that is, the Inner Domain. ¡°The Xu Family has become the sacred place of Martial Arts in the Borderlands, every Martial Artist respects the Martial Saint, anyone who practices Martial Arts worships the Martial Saint. ¡°When we enter the Inner Domain in the future, we, the Martial Artists of the Borderlands, will certainly make a place for ourselves.¡± Kou Ruozhi¡¯s face was full of excitement. Rebellion and all that, are child¡¯s play. Going into the Inner Domain to compete, and rival the Martial Artists of the Inner Domain, is what a man should do! ¡°Additionally, the Heavenly Mother Sect is planning to dissolve. I intend to rename the Heavenly Mother Sect to the Medicine King Sect. I wonder what you think?¡± Su Lingxiu paused, falling into deep thought. After all, she would have to go to the Inner Domain eventually. The Heavenly Mother Sect was her force, and with this reorganization, it should have a new look. ¡°My practice focuses on alchemy and Martial Arts, with Alchemy as the main focus. Once we enter the Inner Domain, conflicts are inevitable. To establish a foothold there, strong power is necessary. ¡°And this power is not just my own, but also requires a sufficient number of powerful individuals. Only with these can we acquire more resources.¡± With this in mind, Su Lingxiu weighed her options and said, ¡°Select some talented and capable individuals to set up Chang Qing Pavilion. Let¡¯s settle with this name for now.¡± Kou Ruozhi blinked, Chang Qing Pavilion? ¡°Yes, yes, as expected, Miss Su thought it through. Eternal prosperity, that¡¯s quite a good choice!¡± Kou Ruozhi flattered her. Su Lingxiu tossed him an elixir pill, saying, ¡°You¡¯re starting to cultivate the bones now. This pill is for you. Do a good job.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Kou Ruozhi was overjoyed. Having finished reporting, Kou Ruozhi took his leave. Li Xuan was pensive. More people in the Borderlands started practicing Martial Arts, and there were already dozens of people who had begun their journey in Martial Arts. Furthermore, each one of these practicing Martial Artists were worshiping him, the Martial Saint. They also called him the Martial Ancestor of the Borderlands. However, he had yet to receive any feedback from the Golden Finger. ¡°Is it because there are still too few people practicing?¡± Li Xuan pondered. ¡°Indeed, disciples are reliable. It¡¯s been some time, 1 wonder how Xu Yan is doing? How far away is he from fully breaking through to the Innate Realm?¡± For a while, he had not received any Golden Finger feedback from Xu Yan. ¡°Meng Chong went to the Inner Domain, and I didn¡¯t get any feedback from him either. So, it seems Grandmaster-level Martial Artists are not very common.¡± Not long after Xu Yan went to the Inner Domain, he killed a Grandmaster. As for Meng Chong, even after such a long time, he had not given him any feedback, clearly indicating that he hadn¡¯t killed a Grandmaster yet. Indeed, Grandmaster-level Martial Artists in the Inner Domain, belonging to the top rank, were rare and not so easy to encounter. Red Cat came over and lay down in front of him, looking at him intently. The thick gold chain around its neck had been lengthened by Shi¡¯er due to Red Cat¡¯s growth. ¡°You still don¡¯t understand?¡± Li Xuan sighed. Although Red Cat was more intelligent than ordinary beasts, it was still not human after all. However, it seemed to understand a bit, otherwise its body wouldn¡¯t have grown so much. He picked up the cane and pointed out the acupoints on Red Cat once more, explaining the technique of the Great Demon. Such as, how to open acupoints, how to nurture the physical body, and how to condense the body of the Great Demon. ¡°I told you, the first acupoint, open this one in your head. After it¡¯s opened, your intelligence should increase a little.¡± Li Xuan pointed to an acupoint on its head and said. Red Cat gave a look of semi-understanding. ¡°Alright, go and ponder it by yourself. If your body continues to grow, you¡¯ll become less cute, and I might be tempted to stew you.¡± Li Xuan threatened with a chuckle. Red Cat¡¯s body shuddered, suddenly feeling pressured. It hurriedly scampered away with its tail hanging down, finding a place to contemplate. ¡°Master, aren¡¯t you overestimating Red Cat? How could it possibly understand the methods of major demons? It might not even remember the acupoints you¡¯ve taught it.¡± Su Lingxiu didn¡¯t have much faith in Red Cat. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true, haven¡¯t you noticed it¡¯s already grown considerably larger?¡± Li Xuan said with a smile, ¡°Even if it can¡¯t cultivate into a major demon, it would still be useful as a sturdy beast of burden.¡± Su Lingxiu gave a nod, her hands fiddling with the corner of her clothes as she asked, ¡°Master, how can I forge the Everlasting Bone?¡± She had been stuck at the Golden Bone stage for quite some time. Li Xuan glanced at his third disciple. She was also incredibly gifted, and he had always suspected that Su Lingxiu might possess a special physique. However, the Everlasting Bone was far too extraordinary. It was not something that could be easily cultivated. in Everlasting, everlasting, immortal throughout the ages.¡¯ It depends on vitality and on being uninterrupted; your eldest senior brother¡¯s Jade Bone is the purest root bone in the world; your second senior brother¡¯s Diamond Lustrous Bone is the most solid one in the world; ¡°The Everlasting Bone of your Alchemy Martial Arts is about being uninterrupted and having rich vitality, just like this big tree, which grew from a small sapling. ¡°The Everlasting Bone is the foundation of your Alchemy Martial Arts. It depends on how you comprehend it, how you align with the Essence of Everlasting.¡± Li Xuan thought for a moment and then gave his guidance. Su Lingxiu contemplated over his words. In her mind, she visualized the Alchemy Manual, various alchemy formulas, and her most recent insights. ¡°Thank you, master!¡± Su Lingxiu said respectfully. Returning to her cultivation spot, she was still deep in thought. Her master¡¯s words had given her some new insights. Everlasting for eternity, is all about being uninterrupted and thriving vigorously. But how can it be uninterrupted and thrive vigorously? She looked at the flowers she had planted. Some of them had already withered, but the leaves on the branches of the flower trees were still verdant, and there were some wilted leaves on the ground too. However, some of the flowers were in full bloom. This was their blooming season. She seemed to have a vague understanding in the depth of her mind. She took out a refined Everlasting Elixir subconsciously, placed it in her mouth, sat amidst the flowers, and started cultivating. At one point, she felt a surge of vitality. The scent of flowers wafted into her nose, soothing her heart and mind. Withered leaves on the ground and fresh buds emerging were all in her thoughts. Isn¡¯t this the meaning of being uninterrupted? At one point, Su Lingxiu felt her bottleneck loosen, and her bones seemed to exude a peculiar sensation. Slowly, it felt like a warm current was flowing through her bones. Li Xuan¡¯s brows perked up. Su Lingxiu was about to break through to the Everlasting Bone. ¡°Once the Everlasting Bone is forged, she can start refining her organs. For Lingxiu, organ refining isn¡¯t difficult, she can quickly enter the Martial Arts path. ¡°After breaking through the Blood Qi level, she can refine elixirs with her Blood Qi. ¡°A deeper understanding of the Medical Manual isn¡¯t too far-off!¡± Li Xuan was excited. Once Su Lingxiu had set foot on the martial path, he would receive feedback from Alchemy Martial Arts, especially from the Everlasting Bone. What kind of transformation would occur when the Jade Bone, Diamond Lustrous Bone, and Everlasting Bone combined? All of a sudden, a long-lost golden light emerged. Li Xuan¡¯s heart leapt with joy. From which disciple did this feedback come? ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, while cultivating his state of mind at Wushuang Pavilion, has comprehended the Natural Order. Your Natural Order has been perfected!¡± BOOM! In an instant, the Mountain and River Sword Intent mastered by Li Xuan underwent a transformation. Within the Mountain and River imagery, it was no longer just a vague landscape, but it now contained living creatures such as birds circling, fish swimming in the river, and insects in the grass. He could even faintly see people hard at work. ¡°Holy!¡± Li Xuan was utterly shocked. Although this Natural Order was an illusion, it was still a significant advancement, a perfection of the Mountain and River Sword Intent. Now, within the Mountain and River imagery, there seemed to be thriving life. Of course, this was all very abstract. After all, this was just the foundation of the Natural Order. His perfected understanding was still quite basic. Even so, Li Xuan was able to sense the meaning contained in the Natural Order and the powerful force it represented. ¡°If one day, my Mountain and River are like the heavens and the earth, how powerful would that be?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. Indeed, all this needed the support of his Martial Arts realm. Without it, even the most profound understanding wouldn¡¯t develop the Mountain and River imagery fully.. Chapter 201 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan was just awestruck by the grandeur of mountains and rivers when the golden light emerged again. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has fully grasped the Clear Sword Heart, and you, having perfected the Clear Sword Heart, touch upon the Heart Sword Realm!¡± After achieving the full Clear Sword Heart, he took a step further, reaching the second realm of Sword Dao, the Heart Sword Realm. Even with a mere touch, Li Xuan can feel the power of the Heart Sword Realm. It seems that with a single thought, the whole manor could turn into a giant sword, the world and everything in it belonging to the sword! ¡°So powerful! Once Xu Yan returns, 1 will transmit my insights into the Heart Sword Realm to him, once Xu Yan understands how to cultivate in the Heart Sword Realm, 1 will be able to step into the Heart Sword Realm smoothly.¡± Li Xuan was immensely excited. The Inner Domain is indeed a great place. Xu Yan had been there only a little while, but his progress was considerable. ¡°What about Meng Chong? Shouldn¡¯t he give me some feedback too?¡± Li Xuan thought of his second disciple, Meng Chong. In his joyful mood, Li Xuan called Shi¡¯er over and gave him some guidance. Shi¡¯er was overjoyed to be guided by his master, as such opportunities were rare! Li Xuan glanced at Zhou Ying, who was concurrently cultivating Martial Arts and secretly caring for Su Lingxiu, and said, ¡°You are too slow in converting. Let me give you some pointers.¡± Zhou Ying was overjoyed at his words, ¡°Thank you, senior!¡± Getting guidance from a senior was indeed a great honor. Not long after Li Xuan began instructing Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying, the golden light emerged again. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has just slain a Grandmaster with one palm. Your battle experience has increased.¡± Li Xuan:¡­ Has he killed another Grandmaster? ¡°Is Xu Yan born to be at odds with Grandmasters? Why does he kill a Grandmaster every now and then? Moreover, are there really that many Grandmasters in the Inner Domain?¡± In such a short time, another Grandmaster was killed. After giving instructions to Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying, Li Xuan took out the ancient book to calm his mind. However, the golden light emerged again. ¡°Did they kill another Grandmaster?¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has just killed a Grandmaster with a single punch. Your battle experience has increased.¡± Li Xuan:¡­ Another Grandmaster was killed, this time not by Li Xuan but by Meng Chong. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but fall into deep thought. Could it be that his two disciples were the nemesis of Grandmasters? Not long ago, he lamented that Meng Chong hadn¡¯t killed any Grandmasters. It seemed that there weren¡¯t many Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, and it was unlikely for them to get into conflicts. However, that thought had barely left him when Meng Chong had killed a Grandmaster with a single punch. ¡°This Grandmaster was too weak!¡± Li Xuan sighed to himself. After waiting for a while without seeing the golden light come up, he felt relieved. ¡°Sure enough, Grandmasters are not cabbages. How could it be possible to kill one after another in such a short time.¡± Li Xuan found this thought amusing. He concentrated his whole mind on the first page of the ancient book and quieted his mind. As he continuously studied the ancient book, Li Xuan found that whenever he deep dove into the book, his mind would stay calm and he would enter a state of ¡°emptiness.¡± All his thoughts were focused on the fine lines in the ancient book. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a good way to calm the mind.¡± No sooner had he immersed himself in the ancient book for who knew how long than the golden light emerged again. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, killed three Grandmasters in a row with a single slash, causing your battle experience to surge.¡± Li Xuan:¡­ So are Grandmasters indeed as common as cabbages in the Inner Domain? Initially Xie Lingfeng and his companions mentioned Grandmasters as the pinnacle and rare Martial Artists in the Inner Domain. Is it to pat their own backs? Li Xuan closed the ancient book, waiting for the golden light to reappear. However, after that, for two consecutive days, there was no feedback from the golden light. ¡°Master, I¡¯m already tempering my Evergreen Bones.¡± Su Lingxiu came running over excitedly. At her back, he was massaging his shoulders. ¡°Hmm, strive to enter Martial Arts as soon as possible. After breaking through the Qi-Blood Realm, you can start trying to refine elixirs with Qi-Blood.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Master, when can my senior brothers come back?¡± Su Lingxiu was missing her two senior brothers a bit. ¡°Master, do you think my senior brothers will bring back a large pack of Spiritual Medicine?¡± She itched to get her hands on some Spiritual Medicine. She was even considering asking Kou Ruozhi to go to the Inner Domain ahead of them and try to get some Spirit Crystals in Tieshan County to buy Spiritual Medicine to send back. But Kou Ruozhi was too weak, and there was a risk that someone might track him down and discover him. Furthermore, it was uncertain whether he could pass through the area infested with fierce beasts. The Martial Artists of Tieshan County were indeed not powerful. After all, any somewhat capable Martial Artist would leave the poor lands of Tieshan County. Li Xuan said cheerfully, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since I promised you, I will surely bring back Spiritual Medicine.¡± Many Grandmasters have already been killed, so even by looting the corpses, they would have obtained quite a lot of Spirit Crystals. How could there be no Spiritual Medicine? In addition, when Xu Yan brings back Spiritual Medicine, it¡¯s also for his parents and family. ¡°I hope my senior brothers return soon.¡± Su Lingxiu looked forward with anticipation. ¡°Focus on entering Martial Arts as soon as possible. Don¡¯t let it happen that you have Spiritual Medicine but can¡¯t refine any elixir, or the failure rate is too high, resulting in wastage.¡± Li Xuan reminded her. On hearing this, Su Lingxiu instantly felt a tenseness in her heart, ¡°Master is right. Spiritual Medicine is not ordinary treasure medicine after all. Refining it is inherently difficult. With weak strength, trying to refine it merely with spirit fire stones will put constraints on controlling the heat, technique mastery, Spirit Medicine extraction, and so on.¡± ¡°Each stalk of Spiritual Medicine is valuable. The higher the grade of Spiritual Medicine, the greater the loss of a single failure.¡± With that thought, Su Lingxiu immediately felt the urgency. ¡°Master, I must enter Martial Arts within a month!¡± Su Lingxiu said solemnly.. Chapter 202 Introduction to Martial Arts 2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Don¡¯t be too impatient, solid cultivation is the foundation.¡± Li Xuan advised. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded respectfully. Afterwards, Su Lingxiu reduced her alchemy practices and devoted most of her time to cultivation. The medicine she made for herself was enough to meet her cultivation needs, and her eternal body was continuously improving. Li Xuan paid attention for a while and said, ¡°It won¡¯t take a month for her to grasp the basics of martial arts.¡± He had roughly estimated Su Lingxiu¡¯s progress. ¡°I don¡¯t know how Xu Yan and Meng Chong managed to provoke a Grandmaster, considering the trend, will it be long before they provoke a Great Grandmaster?¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has killed a Grandmaster with one palm, your combat experience has increased.¡± It hadn¡¯t been long and there was another emergence of golden light. A Grandmaster was killed again. Li Xuan was unperturbed, as he was used to this now. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has killed a Grandmaster with one palm, your combat experience has increased.¡± ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has killed a Grandmaster with one palm, your combat experience has increased.¡± Three Grandmasters had been killed. Li Xuan remained unaffected, as this was not the first time. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has slain a Great Grandmaster, your combat experience has sky-rocketed, as well your Sword Intent.¡± Li Xuan:¡­ So, killing a Grandmaster wasn¡¯t enough, now it was on to slaying a Great Grandmaster? Would it be long until a Great Grandmaster was killed? After killing one Great Grandmaster, golden light emerged once again after half an incense stick burned, ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has slain a Great Grandmaster, causing an upheaval in Thousand Star Lake, your combat experience has increased, Sword Intent improved, further enhancing the mysterious aura.¡± ¡°Hiss! Has Xu Yan wiped out a nest of Grandmasters?¡± Li Xuan was shocked. Xu Yan really was ruthless, killing Grandmasters one after another, slaughtering Great Grandmasters within such a short period of time. Was he really wiping out a nest of Grandmasters? Or had he annihilated an Inner Realm Martial Arts power? What did the disturbance at Thousand Star Lake signify? After waiting for quite a while, the golden light finally stopped emerging. Li Xuan exhaled. This signified that Xu Yan had completely wiped out the nest of Grandmasters. Suddenly, he thought of another problem. ¡°After Xu Yan kills, does he loot the corpses? As someone from a wealthy background, he might not have this awareness.¡± A sudden worry arose in Li Xuan. When initially imparting experience about traversing the martial arts world to his disciple, why didn¡¯t he emphasize looting corpses? However, on second thought, ¡°Xu Yan was very wealthy in the borderlands, money was not a concern for him. But now that he is in the Inner Domain, it¡¯s a different story. He doesn¡¯t have Spirit Crystals, but considering his comprehension and talent, he should pick up looting corpses very quickly.¡± Thinking of this, Li Xuan suddenly felt relieved. As for Meng Chong, he was not worried. After all, Meng Chong was originally poor and once wanted to join Shi¡¯er in fleecing the Emperor of Wu, so he naturally understood the importance of looting corpses. The next few days were as usual, no golden lights appeared, and no feedback was received. Su Lingxiu had fully tempered her eternal bone and was starting to work on her organs. Li Xuan felt a strong vitality from her, and the speed of tempering her organs was swift. With rich vitality to assist her, she did not have to worry about severe injuries to her internal organs due to excessive tempering from the beginning. Because of this, her speed in tempering her organs was very quick. ¡°She should be able to get started with martial arts in no more than half a month.¡± Li Xuan was excited, once Su Lingxiu started with martial arts, the system of Alchemy Doctor Martial Arts would be completely created. He would also receive feedback from Alchemy Doctor A¡¯Lartial Arts. These days without receiving feedback from Golden Finger, Li Xuan felt a little uncomfortable. While eagerly awaiting Su Lingxiu to start learning martial arts, the long-lost golden light finally appeared again. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, with one slash killed a Grandmaster, consecutively killed five Grandmasters, you have acquired the martial artistic divine technique, the God Slaying Slash.¡± Hiss! Li Xuan was shocked. Grandmasters had really become cabbages, casually chopped up like vegetables, one slash for each. Li Xuan wondered if Meng Chong had also stumbled upon a nest of Grandmasters. He had killed five Grandmasters all at once. ¡°Another divine martial arts technique!¡± Li Xuan was exhilarated. This Martial Arts divine technique, the God Extinguishing Blade, was a swordsmanship targeting the consciousness and divine souls of Martial Artists. ¡°The God Extinguishing Blade, a single accumulated strike could bring certain death. Two divine Martial Arts techniques combined, they¡¯re absolutely lethal.¡± Li Xuan was beside himself with joy. His strength had increased again. The power of the God Extinguishing Blade was incredibly formidable. It wouldn¡¯t harm the physical body, but targeted the consciousness and divine souls. ¡°Meng Chong practices the physical aspect of Martial Arts, and his Great Sun Golden Body has a strong defense. If he were to encounter a similar attack from the God Extinguishing Blade, he wouldn¡¯t completely be defenseless.¡± After pondering for a moment, Li Xuan recognised that the defense of the Great Sun Golden Body was immaculate and dodging the powerful physical body to strike at the consciousness and divine soul was quite difficult. The implication of the Great Sun Golden Body technique held a profound notion of the sun, offering protection for the consciousness and divine soul. Moreover, Meng Chong had awakened his sword spirit and had comprehended the sword intent. To bypass the physical body and strike at the consciousness and divine soul was virtually impossible. ¡°Regardless, in the next stage, it is necessary to enhance defenses like the divine soul in bodily Martial Arts.¡± Despite this, Li Xuan remained determined to reinforce the defenses of bodily Martial Arts, so that it would be impossible to harm the consciousness or divine soul without breaking the body¡¯s defenses. After Meng Chong killed the Grandmaster, the Golden Finger ceased giving feedback, seeming to signify the overall situation had stabilised. One day, as Su Lingxiu was cultivating, she had already perfected purification and was on the verge of Martial Arts initiation. The thundering sounds of muscle and bone started resonating within her body, with her vital energy becoming more powerful and almost forming a protective aura. Su Lingxiu¡¯s vital energy seemed rather gentle and long-lasting, giving an impression of a continuous flow of vitality, yet it contained an intense fiery energy that gave a relatively mild sensation. ¡°Su Lingxiu is about to break through.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. ¡°Her vital energy is different because it¡¯s for Alchemy. This is what makes Alchemist Martial Artists unique. ¡°It can be violent or gentle, just like controlling the heat during Alchemy. ii Her vital energy can transform into a pill fire for Alchemy, even without the use of a fire stone, though this would heavily deplete her vital energy. ¡°Su Lingxiu has a long-lasting constitution, so she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about this depletion. However, future Alchemist Martial Artists who don¡¯t have this foundation might suffer a great depletion after creating a pill.¡± Li Xuan thought this to himself. Therefore, Alchemist Martial Artists usually use aids like fire stones to assist in making potions, reducing their own consumption. BANG! The thundering sounds of Su Lingxiu¡¯s muscles and bones were becoming louder, and her vital energy was growing denser. Zhou Ying watched excitedly. The young lady was finally about to initiate into the Martial Arts. This also meant that they were one step closer to returning to the Inner Domain. Shi¡¯er¡¯s face was filled with embarrassment. Even though Su Lingxiu hadn¡¯t fully broken through, the thunderous sounds from her muscles and bones were already louder than when he broke through, and her momentum surpassed his. Su Lingxiu sat with her eyes slightly closed. She felt a glow radiating from her bones, and her vital energy seemed to be filled with vivacious vitality, flowing without end. Her vital energy, growing stronger and stronger, centered on her body and expanded outward. The vital energy touched the planted flowers and trees. Li Xuan¡¯s brows slightly moved. The leaves of the plants that her vital energy touched seemed to be greener and the buds seemed to have grown a bit. The buds that were about to bloom were now slightly opening. ¡°The Alchemist Martial Arts is even more extraordinary than I imagined. This continuous vitality is truly strong.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Alchemist Martial Artists were destined to have much longer lives than ordinary Martial Artists. Even though their combat capabilities might be a little weaker, their lifespan was much longer. ¡°After Su Lingxiu breaks through, I should teach her the Eight Diagrams. As for the Alchemist Martial Arts¡¯ offensive techniques, they are primarily conducted through acupoints, golden needles, etc. ¡°Alchemist Martial Artists can also practice the regular Martial Artists¡¯ slaughter techniques.¡± Li Xuan pondered. How Su Lingxiu felt and whether she could comprehend special methodologies of Alchemist Martial Artists would all depend on her. The core of Alchemist Martial Artists lay in Alchemy and healing, not in martial skills. But Li Xuan believe in Su Lingxiu¡¯s abilities and that she should be able to comprehend unique techniques for Alchemist Martial Artists. For instance, techniques like the golden needle¡¯s acupoint channeling, she hadn¡¯t comprehended them yet. Those too can be used to kill. They too could become powerful offensive techniques or even more cunning and secretive. BANG! The thundering of muscles and bones suddenly reverberated, and vital energy, as protective as an aura, condensed and surged out. Su Lingxiu had broken through the vital energy realm, becoming a true Alchemist Martial Artist, the very first of its kind. The Alchemist Martial Arts system made its debut into the world! Li Xuan was ecstatic. At this moment, golden light emerged. However, unexpectedly, the feedback from this golden light didn¡¯t come from Su Lingxiu¡¯s Martial Arts initiation.. Chapter 203 Translator: 549690339 A golden light emerged. Li Xuan initially thought it was feedback from Su Lingxiu¡¯s martial arts initiation. But, unexpectedly, it was actually feedback from Xu Yan. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, dueling in martial arts at the Seven-star Study Palace, defeated martial artist Grandmasters in succession. You have gained discursive experience.¡± Li Xuan was startled. Xu Yan went to the Seven-star Study Palace, and not only took part in martial debates, but also defeated the Grandmasters of the Seven-star Study Palace? The Seven-star Study Palace is a top force in the Inner Domain. It¡¯s an incredibly unique force, with an influence far beyond imagination. Even the founding master of some sects came from the Seven-star Study Palace, and also served as teachers there! ¡°Could this lead to the involvement of a Great Grandmaster?¡± Li Xuan was secretly surprised. ¡°This time Xu Yan went to the Seven-star Study Palace, could he be stirring up a conflict between True Martial Arts and Bogus Martial Arts?¡± The moment he thought of this possibility, Li Xuan felt a bit of a headache. Xu Yan isn¡¯t strong enough yet. If a conflict is triggered, the impending storm is going to be absolutely horrifying. The golden light emerged once more. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu successfully cultivated the martial arts technique you created. You have achieved mastery in the Martial Arts of Alchemy and the Art of Alchemy.¡± The feedback from Su Lingxiu¡¯s martial arts initiation came. In this instant, Li Xuan gained complete mastery of the Martial Art of Alchemy, covering from foundation to the Innate Realm. Moreover, the Art of Alchemy also had a significant improvement. Moving forward, once the Martial Art of Alchemy was mastered, cultivation within the Innate Realm wouldn¡¯t differ much from the traditional martial arts, only that it would be more focused on the Art of Alchemy. So, after Su Lingxiu¡¯s martial arts initiation, Li Xuan had acquired the entire cultivation method of Martial Art of Alchemy below the Innate Realm. A complete martial arts doctrine. The techniques of Alchemy had also been upgraded, no longer only at the fundamental level. ¡°With your Jade Bone + Vajra Lapis Lazuli Bone + Evergreen Bone, you obtained Innate Indestructible Spiritual Bone.¡± The golden light appeared again. Li Xuan was immediately overcome with excitement. In that moment, he underwent a metamorphosis. From Innate Spiritual Bone, he transformed into Innate Indestructible Spiritual Bone! His vitality was endless, and within his spiritual bones, there seemed to be an inexhaustible vitality. Of course, this does not mean that his lifespan will never run out. If he cannot break through his martial arts realm, despite living several times, or even ten times longer than martial artists of the same level, he will eventually face his day of passing. What¡¯s different, is that his innate spiritual bones possess the characteristic of being indestructible. Many years later, will his spiritual bones grow consciousness and turn into a monster skeleton? Of course, at that time, the consciousness of the skeleton would no longer be his. However, now that he already possesses the innate indestructible spiritual bones, how could his martial arts stagnate? This is an extremely terrifying talent. Especially, if he ever got injured, he could recover quickly. As long as he wasn¡¯t killed in one hit, no matter how severe the injury, he wouldn¡¯t perish. Under the strong nourishment of his indestructible spiritual bone, his injuries would quickly heal. ¡°My strength has gotten stronger again.¡± Li Xuan could hardly contain his excitement. ¡°With my innate indestructible spiritual bone + the domination of the dragon¡¯s spiritual body, even if I cultivate the martial arts of this world with this talent, I would still be a top-level demon existence.¡± Li Xuan sighed with excitement, even if he couldn¡¯t continue composing martial arts techniques, with this powerful demon talent, he could still dominate his levels by cultivating this world¡¯s martial arts techniques. ¡°With my current foundation, even a martial artist above Great Grandmaster, I could kill, right?¡± As long as his disciples worked hard at cultivating, they could lay down and still be undefeatable. ¡°I¡¯ve already created three martial arts systems, built three foundations, what else can I compose?¡± Li Xuan immediately fell into deep thought. What martial arts should he create for the fourth disciple? ¡°I have to find some time to wander in the Border Wasteland. If there are no suitable disciples, 1 can only go to the Inner Domain to see if I can find any fitting ones.¡± This is what Li Xuan thought. The fourth martial arts system, he hadn¡¯t finished composing it yet, he only had some basic ideas, and he wasn¡¯t sure if it was feasible. ¡°Master, I made a breakthrough!¡± Su Lingxiu retracted her qi and blood and ran over excitedly. She punched him on his shoulder, her face flushed. After breaking through the Qi-Blood Realm, can the Innate Realm be far off? All it takes is to steadily cultivate. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve started, think more about the Art of Alchemy and the Martial Art of Alchemy I¡¯ve passed on to you. Acupoints, the Art of the Golden Needle, etc. The book of Alchemy is foundational, try to understand more.¡± Li Xuan nodded and said. ¡°Yes, master, I know!¡± Su Lingxiu was very excited. Her delicate palm opened up, a force of vital blood emerged and gradually took the form of a flame. This was the vital blood turning into alchemy flames! Seeing this, Li Xuan thought to himself, ¡°Your control over vital blood is still quite weak. I¡¯ll teach you how to enhance the control over it.¡± At the time, Xu Yan improved his control over vital blood by grilling meat with it, and he gained 100% control over it. Now, he passed on how to enhance control over vital blood to Su Lingxiu, boosting her proficiency in transforming vital blood into alchemy fire and improving her alchemy technique. ¡°Master, I am going to cultivate.¡± After hearing about the method to boost vital blood control, Su Lingxiu couldn¡¯t help but feel excited and rushed to practice. She picked up the Pill Furnace, vital blood floated in mid-air, another hand transformed vital blood into alchemy fire, which was scorching the Pill Furnace as she started trying to use vital blood for alchemy. After mastering the alchemy with the aid of the Pill Furnace, the next step was the art of doing alchemy with bare hands. This is the core of the Martial Arts of Alchemy, the true core alchemy technique. ¡°I wonder how Xu Yan is doing in the Seven-star Study Palace?¡± Li Xuan thought deeply with his brows knit together. Xu Yan was dueling at the Seven-star Study Palace and defeating its Grandmasters.. Wouldn¡¯t the Seven-star Study Palace care about their prestige? Chapter 204 Great Grandmaster with One Palm 2 Translator: 549690339 Would they become angry and embarrassed and bring a Great Grandmaster into play? ¡°No, if the Seven Star Scholar Palace has any integrity, they wouldn¡¯t send in a Great Grandmaster. He would be using his superiority to bully the inferior, and even if he wins, he will lose face. The only question is whether they would secretly play foul.¡± Li Xuan looked towards the Inner Domain and even contemplated the idea of taking a stroll through the Seven Star Scholar Palace. To him, Great Grandmaster martial artists are like grasshoppers, he could squash them with a slap. After Su Lingxiu began her martial art practices, she devoted herself to the perception of Alchemy and Martial Arts, gradually understanding the medical scripture and also started to learn from it and expand her knowledge. Her Alchemy skills improved as well. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has shaken the minds of the grandmasters at the Seven Star Scholar Palace with his discussions on Martial Arts, causing doubts in their beliefs and as a result, your understanding of Martial Arts has massively increased, and your consciousness is now clear and profound,¡± He was told. Xu Yan had been discussing Martial Arts with the Seven Star Scholar Palace¡¯s Grandmasters, and his talks had shaken the Martial Artists¡¯ understanding? Causing them to question their own Martial Arts practices? Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of annoyance. Could it be that Xu Yan finished his discussion on Martial Arts with the statement: ¡°Everything you all have practiced are fake Martial Arts, only mine is the real one?¡± ¡°Xu Yan is not foolish. He wouldn¡¯t provoke others in the Seven Star Scholar Palace, especially considering that a Great Grandmaster is present there.¡± When Li Xuan thought about this, his worries were eased. The next day, he was studying ancient texts, working to refine his mental state. Golden light emerged again. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has successfully split his True Qi, and understood the profound essence of True Qi. You have also grasped the profound essence of True Qi, and your True Qi can now adapt, changing as your heart desires.¡± At this moment, Li Xuan grasped the profound essence of True Qi, realising its transformative capabilities could be controlled at will. He was astonished inside. ¡°Xu Yan has managed to divide his True Qi, understanding the profound essence of True Qi? He is truly a pioneer expanding the realm of my Martial Arts. I, as a teacher, am extremely pleased!¡± He was ecstatic. If Xu Yan has understood the profound essence of True Qi, then comprehending the methods of penetrating the profound won¡¯t be far off. Li Xuan brought forth a strand of True Qi with a raise of his finger. Under his control, the True Qi took the shape of a tree, then changed into the shape of a cat. ¡°I have comprehended the profound essence of True Qi, and can now alter it as I desire. My strength has increased once again.¡± Now that Xu Yan¡¯s True Qi and understanding of its profound essence has increased greatly, his strength has naturally gone up as well, as has mine. Three days later, the golden light appeared once again. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has made a breakthrough and reached the peak of the Innate Realm. Your strength has greatly increased, coming in touch with penetrating the profound.¡± Li Xuan felt his True Qi surge, becoming even stronger and purer than before, and he felt a hint of the concept to penetrate the profound. ¡°Xu Yan has broken through to peak of the Innate Realm and he has also understood the mysteries of True Qi. With his current strength, he could even kill a Great Grandmaster.¡± Even if he encounters the stronger Great Grandmasters, even if he can¡¯t defeat them, he could at least protect himself. Suddenly, golden light appeared again. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, while being pursued by a Great Grandmaster, has made progress in his movement technique. Your ability in using this technique has improved.¡± Damn! It wasn¡¯t Xu Yan who was being chased by a Great Grandmaster¡ª it was Meng Chong. What on earth has happened? ¡°These two disciples of mine, they only deal with high-powered affairs!¡± Li Xuan heaved a sigh within his heart. Upon their entering the Inner Realm, they were either killing Grandmasters or at least Half-Step Great Grandmasters. Now, a Great Grandmaster has emerged and is after them. ¡°Since Meng Chong has made a breakthrough while running away, his speed has increased and he shouldn¡¯t be caught by the pursuing Grandmaster.¡± Li Xuan was trying to figure it out in his mind. Three days later. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan killed a Great Grandmaster with one palm, shocking the whole Seven Star Scholar Palace. Your Martial Arts and divine technique experience in killing with one strike has increased!¡± Li Xuan:¡­ He had just broken through not long ago, and he¡¯d already killed a Great Grandmaster? He looked towards the Inner Domain, his heart pounding with anticipation. He wanted to go explore the Inner Domain. The next day, another feedback from the Golden Finger came. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, while being hunted by a Great Grandmaster, has entered the early growth phase of his great sun golden body technique. Your great sun golden body technique has also reached completion (Innate Realm).¡± Li Xuan was feeling uneasy. Was Meng Chong still being pursued? However, since his strength has made a breakthrough, it seems it wasn¡¯t particularly dangerous? ¡°What did these two disciples of mine do in the Inner Domain?¡± Li Xuan was numb all over. They were either killing grandmasters or being pursued by Great Grandmasters. And Xu Yan had already begun killing Great Grandmasters¡­ ¡°Wasn¡¯t it said that Grandmasters ranked at the top in the Inner Domain, and Great Grandmasters were considered the peak of Inner Realm Martial Arts? It hasn¡¯t been that long, a Great Grandmaster has appeared and one has already been killed.¡± Li Xuan even suspected that afterwards, Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t be killing Grandmasters, but Great Grandmasters instead? A single sword defeating a Great Grandmaster? This is far too outrageous! ¡°How did Meng Chong offend a Great Grandmaster? He¡¯s being pursued to death and 1 don¡¯t even know if he has managed to escape from being hunted. Li Xuan sighed inwardly. The Inner Domain was so vast that even if he wanted to aid him, he had no idea where to begin. ¡°Since Meng Chong managed to break through amidst being hunted, he shouldn¡¯t be in too much danger. If Xu Yan also gets the news, he will rush to help too.¡± Xu Yan had already killed a Great Grandmaster with one palm strike, the one who was pursuing Meng Chong hadn¡¯t caught up after such a long time, it seemed his abilities wouldn¡¯t be too strong. Inner Domain. After letting the man in the black robe go, Xu Yan quietly tailed him. The man in the black robe was extremely cautious as if he feared being followed, moving in a circuitous manner and continuously testing if anyone was tailing him. Only after confirming there was no tail did he return to his domicile. To Xu Yan¡¯s surprise, the black robe man was returning to Thousand Star Lake. ¡°Could it be, he¡¯s a Grandmaster from the Wushuang Pavilion? The enemy lurking behind my little sister, is it Wushuang Pavilion?¡± Xu Yan furrowed his brows. Thinking about the steward from Wushuang Pavilion, it seemed they handled a bounty on behalf of someone else, not the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes, and knowing that the black robed man was heartless and ruthless. Therefore, they had warned him to be cautious of being silenced. ¡°Even if he is not a Grandmaster from Wushuang Pavilion, he must have a connection with a strong figure from Wushuang Pavilion.¡± Xu Yan thought so. The black-robed man entered Thousand Star Lake and moved towards a certain direction. In the middle of the lake, an island appeared in his sight. A yard was revealed among the lush green trees. ¡°Is this their hideout?¡± Xu Yan was surprised for a moment, then immediately negated his assumption, ¡°This should only be one of their branches!¡± The black-robed man entered the island, and a voice came from the yard, ¡°Twenty-seven, have you captured the person?¡± ii He tricked me, twenty-five was killed by him!¡± The black-robed man angrily said. ¡°What? Who did it?¡± An angry voice came from the yard. Xu Yan slowly approached, his heart pounding with excitement, ¡°These people, they must be rich, right? They casually threw out a hundred thousand spirit crystals. This branch must be storing treasures, right?¡± Not only could he kill the enemy of his little sister, but he could also strike it rich, where else could he find such a profitable venture? As he moved closer, he was cautious. If there was a Great Grandmaster on the island, he could only retreat for now, wait until his strength improves before taking this place. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± A sudden roar came. Boom! A mighty aura emerged, five figures flew out from the yard. Along with the black-robed man who had just fled back, there were three Grandmasters in total, and two were surprisingly half-step Great Grandmasters. There was no Great Grandmaster. Xu Yan instantly broke into a smile, ¡°Gentlemen, do you want money or life? If it¡¯s life, hand over your spirit crystals and spiritual medicine!¡± The black-robed man who had just fled back was terrified and furious, the other party had actually tracked him here without his knowledge. ¡°It¡¯s him, he killed Twenty-five!¡± He roared, his aura exploding, ¡°Attack together, kill him!¡± Instantly charging forward. Roar! Xu Yan threw out a palm, a Golden Giant Dragon roared and shook Twenty-seven¡¯s mind, in an instant of bewilderment, there was a loud bang, he instantly exploded, and his remains scattered all around. The Golden Giant Dragon rolled up, the spirit tickets were swept up, the tail swept out, instantly crushing the remains into ashes! The other four people were stunned. They all thought that even if Twenty-seven couldn¡¯t handle it, they would have an opportunity to assist, but just on a single glance, Twenty-seven was already dead! ¡°You¡¯re seeking death!¡± The two half-step Great Grandmasters were burning with anger, instantly charging forward. The other two Grandmasters were also furious, Twenty-seven had just called them to help, they were just watching and didn¡¯t join in the fight immediately. As a result, Twenty-seven was killed by a single blow. With fear and anger, they realized they have two half-step Great Grandmasters, against him alone, what is there to fear? Therefore, the two Grandmasters also joined the killing. With a flash of the sword, the longsword was unsheathed, Xu Yan was facing two half-step Great Grandmasters, he dared not be a bit negligent. Sword Intent of the Mountain River was deployed. The sword lights were vast and overlapping, under the drive of Sword Intent, a killing aura swept in all directions.. Chapter 205 Translator: 549690339 Two Semi-Great Grandmasters and two accomplished Grandmasters were attacking from all sides. Xu Yan remained fearless, showcasing his radiant Swordsmanship while Sword Intent hung heavily in the air, a vitality of death shrouded the battlefield. Boom! Two Semi-Great Grandmasters displayed expressions of seriousness; this adversary was immensely powerful, not to be underestimated. A surge of overwhelming pressure radiated outwards, reminiscent of a divine punishment descending. This presumptive strength was indeed akin to the prowess of a Great Grandmaster, yet ultimately, the Semi-Great Grandmasters were considerably weaker. Even so, it was still an insurmountable challenge for any Grandmaster martial artist. Hums ensued! The flash of Xu Yan¡¯s sword seemed phenomenally unstable as if it could collapse at any moment. Staggering backwards, it appeared as though he might not hold out much longer, even revealing a significant vulnerability. Opportunity arises! The eyes of the two Grandmaster martial artists gleamed with cruelty, as they abruptly launched their attack. Their merciless grasp was exceedingly brutal, bursting with the aura of Grandmasters. Just at that moment. Roar! From the echoing dragon¡¯s cry, Xu Yan swung his left palm unleashing two Golden Giant Dragons, charging forth towards the two Grandmasters. ¡°Be careful!¡± The expressions of the two Semi-Great Grandmasters changed profoundly. Had their adversary feigned vulnerability, seducing them to reveal their hand while in the midst of their battle? ¡°Die!¡± One of the Semi-Great Grandmasters wielded a long knife radiating a chilling glimmer, furiously striking out to save the two Grandmasters. However, the terrifying dragon projection concealed fearsome power, sending shockwaves through the Grandmasters¡¯ psyche, causing their whole bodies to tremble. ¡°Not good!¡± A sinking feeling suffused their hearts. Realising their grave situation, they hastily activated their cultivation technique to escape from the dragon¡¯s influence but it was already too late! Boom! The Golden Dragon struck, instantly exploding, promptly reducing them to ashes. Thump! At the same time, the ferocious assault of the two Semi-Great Grandmasters dispersed Xu Yan¡¯s radiant sword flash, forcing him to react quickly and dodge. During the fierce battle, there wasn¡¯t even time to retrieve the Spirit Crystal, which had fallen into the lake from the corpses of the two warriors dressed in black robes. After vanquishing the two Grandmasters, Xu Yan exhaled deeply, his gaze gradually turning frosty. Now it was time to slay the Semi-Great Grandmasters. He had worried that the Semi-Great Grandmasters might escape while he was engaged in battle, hence the deceptive vulnerability, drawing the enemy in then delivering a fatal blow. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn!¡± In the radiance of Xu Yan¡¯s sword, the Sword Intent appeared, shrouding everything under the landscape of Sword Intent. ¡°Who are you sir? My peers and I have no quarrels with you!¡± A somber voice from one of the Semi-Great Grandmasters. ¡°If you want to know who I am, fine. But first, tell me your names and the faction that you serve!¡± Xu Yan replied. The two Semi-Great Grandmasters were outraged. They didn¡¯t even know which faction they belonged to, and yet they wanted to kill them? Taking things too far! ¡°You¡¯re looking for death!¡± The two men, one on the left and the other on the right, launched their attack simultaneously. Amidst the roaring sound, the lake water surged, splashing high into the sky, with droplets that hinted of a terrifying killing intent. ¡°My Spirit Crystal!¡± Xu Yan was furious, all the Spirit Crystals that had fallen into the water were completely gone now. Wasn¡¯t that a loss of thousands of Spirit Crystals? Such a heartache! ¡°You destroyed my Spirit Crystal, die!¡± Xu Yan fiercely stared at the Semi-Great Grandmaster. In an instant, the landscape descended and a dragon¡¯s roar echoed. All within the landscape, a Golden Dragon coiled, and the dragon¡¯s cry reverberated! Rivers and Mountains Dragon Cry! The Semi-Great Grandmaster felt his spirit shaken by the dragon¡¯s cry, as if he had been transported into a land of rivers and mountains. ¡°Not good!¡± His face turned ashen. What was that Swordsmanship? Roar! Unleashing a roar, the might of the Semi-Great Grandmaster was stimulated to the extreme. Amidst the roaring water column, he spun upwards, trying to escape this impending peril. While the situation turned dire, a sword light that obliterated everything loomed before his eyes. The murderous intent it conveyed was so strong as if it could destroy all life. And he was just a common mortal amongst all living beings! Splash! His body instantly ruptured, with all his belongings falling into the water. His flesh continued to disintegrate, transforming into ashes within moments. It was as if he had been buried in the landscape. ¡°That¡¯s for destroying my Spirit Crystal!¡± Xu Yan was uncontainably furious! Gulp! The remaining Semi-Great Grandmaster was covered in cold sweat, his eyes filled with terror. A single sword strike killed a Semi-Great Grandmaster? What sort of terrifying Swordsmanship was that? Run! The first thought that came to his mind was to escape! With a swift movement, he rapidly retreated. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!¡± Xu Yan swiftly pursued him. Even though the Semi-Great Grandmaster was overpowering and quick, Xu Yan was faster. Ahead was a tall building. It was none other than the Wushuang pavilion! ¡°Help me, Great Grandmaster Wushuang, there is a madman killing people in the Thousand Star Lake!¡± The remaining Semi-Great Grandmaster could feel the deadly oppressiveness from behind, sensing his impending demise. He screamed out desperately. At that moment, the Wushuang pavilion shook. Many Grandmaster Martial Artists soared into the air, turning their gaze towards the man fleeing in distress. ¡°Is that a Semi-Great Grandmaster?¡± ¡°Who is that person, daring to chase and kill a Semi-Great Grandmaster?¡± Many martial artists were startled in that moment. Hum! A surge of divine power suddenly emerged from the Wushuang pavilion. From the misty silhouette, a figure stepped forward. ¡°Save me, Great Grandmaster Wushuang, this ruthless man is causing a massacre at Thousand Star Lake!¡± The remaining Semi-Great Grandmaster cried with hope. ¡°Not even a Great Grandmaster can save you!¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t care about the appearance of the Great Grandmaster. He decided to kill the man first then deal with the consequences later! Roar! In a flash, Xu Yan was right above his foe. Could the speed of the opponent compare with the Heavenly Lightning Flash? Rivers and Mountains Dragon Cry! With one slash of the sword, the landscape manifested, the dragon cried echoed, the world was instantly overturned, epitomising the spirit of destruction and annihilation! Chapter 206 Translator: 549690339 ¡°You! The aspiring Great Grandmaster paled in terror and erupted with all his might, trying to block this sword. As long as he could block it, once the Great Grandmaster arrived, the opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him. He exhausts all his strength, willing to be heavily injured just to block this strike. However, this strike from Xu Yan is meant to kill him! Not giving anyone a chance to save him! These two aspiring Great Grandmasters were no match for Yin Hong in terms of strength, falling markedly short. Xu Yan, with his clear understanding of the Sword Intent and new comprehension of the myriad wonders of earth and sky, had significantly improved his strength since his fight with Yin Hong. The sword strikes. Mountains and rivers crumble, catastrophe befalls all living things, and that aspiring Great Grandmaster is obliterated. ¡°Great Grandmaster Wushuang, save¡­¡± The voice faded into nothingness. Under the Sword Intent, his body shatters into pieces, then is ground into dust. On the rippling surface of the water, floated rows of Spirit Tickets, belonging to that aspiring Great Grandmaster. Xu Yan waved his hand, collecting the Spirit Tickets from the water¡¯s surface. At this moment, all the martial artists of Wushuang Hall were utterly shocked. A Great Grandmaster aspirant, just died like that? And the opponent, even after Great Grandmaster Wushuang appeared, still decisively killed that man. The commotion from this fight was massive. Qianxing Lake was shaking, and all the martial artists turned their eyes towards the young man who was picking up Spirit Tickets, smiling gently as he stacked the tickets and pocketed them with satisfaction. Great Grandmaster Wushuang had already appeared, yet he still cared about picking up Spirit Tickets at such a moment? After picking up all the Spirit Tickets, Xu Yan was about to return to that small island. After all, he hadn¡¯t finished looting it yet. A fight with such a commotion would surely attract others, and it would be a waste if someone else got there first. ¡°Are you planning to leave just like that?¡± At this moment, the indifferent voice of Great Grandmaster Wushuang sounded. Xu Yan looked up at her, his heart chilled, ¡°So strong, much stronger than the Great Grandmaster my master killed. Is this the real power of Wushuang Hall?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯ve already killed, why should I stay? I still need to reclaim what¡¯s mine.¡± Xu Yan was not cowed in the least. It¡¯s no disgrace to run if he can¡¯t beat them. Once he was strong enough, he¡¯d come back and kill this Great Grandmaster! All the martial artists in Wushuang Hall swallowed hard. This young man is really arrogant, completely disregarding Great Grandmaster Wushuang. This was Great Grandmaster Wushuang. Because of her, many other powerhouses dared not act rashly. Even if a Great Grandmaster arrived, they had to obey the rules. ¡°The rules of Qianxing Lake prohibit killing. Didn¡¯t you know?¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang¡¯s tone remained indifferent. Her emotional state was stable, showing neither happiness nor anger. ¡°I didn¡¯t know!¡± Xu Yan shook his head and added, ¡°And even if I did, they took my stuff. 1 would have acted the same.¡± At this moment, all the martial artists were covered in cold sweat. This guy was really arrogant. Even if he knew, he would still act the same? Does he even care about Great Grandmaster Wushuang? With these words, even if Great Grandmaster Wushuang wanted to let him off the hook, she couldn¡¯t. ¡°What did they take from you?¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang¡¯s tone remained calm. Spirit Crystals and Spiritual Medicine and such. Basically, everything that was theirs is now mine.¡± Xu Yan solemnly replied. ¡°Regardless of the reason, you killed someone and polluted the waters of Qianxing Lake. You have to give an explanation.¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang¡¯s tone grew stern. ¡°I admit to killing someone,¡± Xu Yan answered defiantly, ¡°But I won¡¯t take the blame for polluting Qianxing Lake. I turned their bodies into ash that the wind has already carried away. Not a drop of blood got in the water. How can you accuse me of polluting Qianxing Lake?¡± Everyone:¡­. His logic was pretty sound. Since he¡¯d turned the bodies to ashes and not a drop of blood fell into the water, he hadn¡¯t polluted the lake! Even Great Grandmaster Wushuang was momentarily silent. ¡°Regardless, you killed someone at Qianxing Lake. You must answer for it!¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Are you annoying? If you¡¯re going to fight, then let¡¯s get on with it. You¡¯re acting like an old hag. I still have things to loot and¡­ recover. If someone else gets there first, will you compensate me? ¡°You, woman, sure know how to nag. I¡¯m leaving!¡± Xu Yan looked impatient. I still need to get back to the courtyard to do some scavenging. If someone else beats me to it, I¡¯ll lose big time! Gulp! All the martial artists present didn¡¯t dare to breathe. They could feel an oppressive aura. The Wushuang Great Grandmaster seemed to be angry! How terrifying would the wrath of a Great Grandmaster be? Especially a Grandmaster of Wushuang¡¯s caliber who is at the pinnacle of Great Grandmasters. However, to their astonishment, the person who had stirred the Grandmaster¡¯s rage simply ignored the fuming Wushuang Great Grandmaster. With a flicker, he disappeared into the horizon. Such speed was beyond imagination! Boom! As if the wrath of heaven had descended, it startled all the martial artists present. They almost fell to their knees. The Wushuang Great Grandmaster was ready to explode with anger. He actually turned and walked away, completely disregarding him, a Great Grandmaster. He was about to give chase, but in the end, he simply regrouped and returned to the Wushuang Hall. All the martial artists present wiped the cold sweat off their brows, quickly leaving the Wushuang Hall. They also wondered why the Wushuang Great Grandmaster did not give chase. Did he just let that young man off the hook? ¡°Who was that young man?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sure.¡± ii Do you think, could it be the Sword Daoist Xie Lingfeng from Sword Respect Cliff? He¡¯s so young and his Sword Dao is so strong¡­¡± Someone asked tentatively. ii It could be.¡± The rest of the martial artists had an epiphany. It made sense why the Wushuang Great Grandmaster pardoned the young man. ¡°This explains it. Xie Lingfeng is the pride of Sword Respect Cliff. If the Wushuang Great Grandmaster bullied the weak, would Sword Respect Cliff simply stand by?¡± ii Good point. Plus, 1 heard that Xie Lingfeng is the only son of Xie Tianheng, the sword master of this generation from Sword Respect Cliff. Even Wushuang Great Grandmaster couldn¡¯t handle Grandmaster Xie¡¯s prowess.¡± The martial artists burst into heated discussion. Meanwhile, Xu Yan, the instigator of all this, returned to the original battlefield and picked up all the remaining Spirit Tickets on the surface of the water. He turned his head, feeling a bit puzzled: ¡°That Wushuang Great Grandmaster didn¡¯t give chase? Is he that easygoing?¡± He was a little surprised. The magnanimity of the Wushuang Great Grandmaster was truly impressive. Despite him insulting her dignity, she didn¡¯t seem to mind? ¡°This Wushuang Great Grandmaster sure dodged a bullet. If she had pursued me, I would return to kill her after my breakthrough and raid the Wushuang Hall¡­¡± As Xu Yan thought, he became somewhat regretful. If the Wushuang Great Grandmaster did pursue him, there would have been personal grievances between them, and it would only be reasonable for him to return for revenge and raid the Wushuang Hall, wouldn¡¯t it? The Wushuang Hall is quite wealthy! ¡°What a pity!¡± Xu Yan shook his head, no longer dwelling on the Wushuang Hall, and looked excitedly at the courtyard on the small island. ¡°There must be treasures stored inside, right?¡± He excitedly arrived on the small island and began scouring the courtyard. ¡°My next target is the Seven-star Study Palace!¡± Xu Yan had already decided, after scavenging the courtyard, he would head straight to the Seven-star Study Palace. He would go there to spar, discuss martial arts, peruse the book halls of the Seven-star Study Palace, understand the Inner Realm Martial Arts, extract its essence for his benefit, and integrate all methods into his own Dao! At the top courtyard of Wushuang Hall¡­ ¡°I am going to kill that arrogant bastard!¡± The Wushuang Great Grandmaster said angrily. A woman in plain clothes calmed her down and sat her down, her hand gently stroking her heaving, tumultuous chest, saying, ¡°Master, if you really kill him, our Wushuang Hall will be no more. ¡°Even if you just injure him, the consequences will be severe.¡± The Wushuang Great Grandmaster sneered, saying, ¡°Why would 1 be afraid of Xie Tianheng?¡± ¡°Master, it¡¯s not that you are scared, but Young Master Xie hasn¡¯t offended our Wushuang Hall. He only killed a few people. As he said, not a drop of blood has fallen into the lake. He didn¡¯t muddy our Thousand Star Lake.¡± The woman in the plain clothes continued to comfort her. ¡°I still can¡¯t let it go. I¡¯m going to teach him a lesson!¡± The more the Wushuang Great Grandmaster thought about it, the angrier she got. What kind of attitude was that? What does he mean nagging? He even said she was chatty! What sheer audacity! The lady in plain clothes held her back, saying, ¡°Master, where can you catch him now? Young Master Xie¡¯s movement technique is unparalleled. His speed outdoes ordinary Great Grandmasters. ¡°Even if you had chased after him then, you might not have caught up to him. If you offend Young Master Xie and he holds a grudge, it won¡¯t be good!¡± The Wushuang Great Grandmaster was still fuming with anger and growled, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault for not letting me make a move. I could have taught him a lesson then!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s all my fault.¡± The lady in the plain clothes made her concession.. Chapter 207 Translator: 549690339 The Unparalleled Great Grandmaster also felt helpless in her heart, how could there be such an evil genius? Even if she had launched an attack then, the opponent was very likely to have escaped. The opponent¡¯s movement technique was so subtle, speed so fast that it would not be easy for her as a Great Grandmaster to catch up. And once an enmity was formed, if the opponent¡¯s strength broke through, it would be troublesome when he came to seek revenge. After all, standing behind the Sword Monarch Cliff, he had a powerful backing, and the strength of Xie Tianheng was among the top five ranks in the peak Great Grandmasters within the Inner Domain. She glanced at her disciple and smirked, ¡°Good disciple, are you eager for love?¡± The maiden in plain clothing rolled her eyes, ¡°Not at all, I¡¯m just considering for my master, for the sake of the Unparalleled Division.¡± ¡°You say one thing and mean another!¡± The Unparalleled Great Grandmaster chuckled. Sword Monarch Cliff, renowned as the number one school of Sword Dao in the Inner Domain, and its current leader Xie Tianheng, is immensely powerful, having once defeated three peak Great Grandmasters alone. A mountain cliff soaring into the clouds. A long staircase leading all the way to the top of the cliff. Houses were densely arranged below the cliff, but the higher up the cliff, the sparser the houses. This place was Sword Monarch Cliff. Outside a house near the top of the cliff, an ancient pine was planted, and a young man was sitting cross-legged under the tree. His Qi was surging, and a sword light was pouring from him. ¡°Huff!¡± Xie Lingfeng exhaled a breath, exhilaration on his face. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve condensed my True Qi, and my strength has increased by more than fifty percent.¡± After returning from the frontier, he had been constantly condensing his Martial Arts Inner Qi to turn it into True Qi. Today, he finally condensed his True Qi. Now that he has this method of condensation, he can count himself as a Martial Artist of the Innate Realm. ¡°But can I only be classified as a pseudo-Innate Realm martial artist?¡± Xie Lingfeng sighed softly in his heart. ¡°I can¡¯t really call it a pseudo Inate Realm, Brother Xu is indeed a monster after all, his True Qi is far beyond what ordinary martial artists can compare to, so my True Qi is actually equivalent to the Innate Realm.¡± With a changed thought, Xie Lingfeng instantly cheered up. ¡°I¡¯ve improved a lot in strength. With my initial stage Grandmaster realm, I can easily fight with advanced Grandmasters, and I can stand up to a general peak Grandmaster.¡± At this thought, Xie Lingfeng became excited. ¡°The cultivation of the Innate Realm is almost like this, I have just begun to practice the true Martial Arts, but how should I cultivate above the Innate Realm?¡± ¡°Should I follow the program and practice according to the cultivation technique above Innate?¡± Xie Lingfeng suddenly became dejected. He didn¡¯t have a cultivation technique! The cultivation techniques of Sword Monarch Cliff were ultimately not the true Martial Arts. ¡°I still haven¡¯t been able to completely penetrate the Sword Dao, it¡¯s too difficult.¡± Xie Lingfeng again thought of his cultivation of the Sword Dao. The basic requirement to enter the Sword Dao was to have a clear Sword Heart, but he hadn¡¯t touched this mystical realm. ¡°My swordsmanship has improved a lot, which means I am getting closer to having a clear Sword Heart, but I don¡¯t have a clue as to how to make a breakthrough.¡± Xie Lingfeng pondered in his heart. He looked up at the outside of Sword Monarch Cliff and wondered, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether Brother Xu has come to the Inner Domain or not, I can consult with him then.¡± Just then, Hu Shan came over with two large boxes. He looked slightly bewildered. ¡°Young Master, the Du Marquis¡¯ residence of Great Yue nation has sent generous gifts, thanking you for saving them from crisis.¡± Hu Shan put the boxes down. ¡°Saved from crisis?¡± Xie Lingfeng was taken aback, when had he helped the Du Marquis¡¯ residence? ¡°Yes!¡± Hu Shan nodded. He was puzzled too. When had the young master rendered service to the Du Marquis¡¯ residence? How come he didn¡¯t remember? ¡°Besides, the Du Marquis¡¯ residence says that you can send a marriage proposal at any time you choose, the Du Family is ready to receive you at any time, and Miss Du will certainly live up to your affection!¡± At last, Hu Shan could not help but ask, ¡°Young Master, when did you fall in love with the daughter of the Du Marquis¡¯ residence? This is a good thing, even though the Du Marquis¡¯ residence is not very powerful, I have heard that Miss Du is one of the top geniuses in Seven-star Study Palace.¡± Xie Lingfeng was puzzled and said blankly, ¡°I don¡¯t know her, could she have mistaken me for someone else?¡± ¡°What kind of talk is that from you, young master? Who would mistake their heartthrob for someone else?¡± Hu Shan handed a letter to Xie Lingfeng, ¡°Young Master, this is a letter from Miss Du, take a look.¡± He was full of curiosity. Xie Lingfeng took the letter in bewilderment, opened it and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the name of the daughter of the Du Marquis¡¯ residence?¡± ¡°No way, young master, have you forgotten the name of the girl? Did you just hit it off and then just forget her as soon as you put on your pants?¡± Hu Shan widened his eyes and said unbelievingly, ¡°Young Master, you are actually this kind of person!¡± ¡°Nonsense! I, Xie Lingfeng, do everything upright, how can I do such things¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng glared at Hu Shan and lowered his head to read the letter in his hand, then became more baffled. What is the protection and care along the way¡­ ¡°The Prince kills the Grandmaster with a single palm, retreating a half-step Great Grandmaster charm¡­ The Prince is unique in the world, among thousands of men in the world, to Yuying, none can compare with the Prince¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng stared at it and fell silent, touched his face, really, was he so handsome and dashing, so attractive? Unique in the world? And, when did he kill a Grandmaster with a single palm and repel a half-step Great Grandmaster? When did this happen? Did I do it in my dreams? Xie Lingfeng looked puzzled, I couldn¡¯t even dream of it! Something¡¯s wrong! There must be a problem somewhere! Hu Shan looked at the content of the letter with a gossip face, ¡°Young Master, I can see a young girl¡¯s love for you!¡± At the same time, he was also puzzled, ¡°Young Master, when did you kill the Grandmaster with a single palm? And it¡¯s a one-palm kill, do you have that kind of strength?¡± Chapter 208 Translator: 549690339 All of a sudden, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan had the same thought simultaneously. Hu Shan, do you think there¡¯s a chance that Brother Xu might have come to the Inner Domain?¡± Slain a Grandmaster with a single slap ¨C the thought of such formidable strength brought Xu Yan to his mind. But Brother Xu is Brother Xu, and you, young master, are you. Couldn¡¯t you have made a mistake?¡± Hu Shan asked, perplexed. Do you think there¡¯s a chance that Brother Xu might have used my name? Xie Lingfeng said thoughtfully. Young master, that¡¯s not right. Even though we agreed that, upon coming to the Inner Domain, one could use your name no matter what the circumstance, it¡¯s unlikely to say ¡®I am Xie Lingfeng¡¯, right? Surely, it would be T am associated with Sword Master Cliff¡¯s Xie Lingfeng¡­¡¯¡± Hu Shan abruptly stopped mid-sentence. He suddenly felt that it wasn¡¯t impossible for Xu Yan to announce himself as Xie Lingfeng. Regardless of whether it¡¯s Brother Xu or not, let¡¯s make a trip to Duke Du¡¯s Mansion. If it really is Brother Xu, that would be fantastic.¡± Xie Lingfeng murmured. Hu Shan nodded. A trip to Duke Du¡¯s Mansion would clear up everything. Young master, what about these generous gifts? He pointed to two large boxes and asked. Let¡¯s keep them for now. If it really is Brother Xu, we can hand them over to him.¡± Xie Lingfeng said. Young master, I¡¯ll go pack up and be ready to accompany you down the mountain.¡± Hu Shan said eagerly. Good! Xie Lingfeng nodded in approval. ¡°Hu Shan, how much True Qi have you cultivated? About sixty to seventy percent, I¡¯ve made a considerable improvement. Hu Shan replied excitedly. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan left the Sword Master Cliff, heading straight for Duke Du¡¯s Mansion. The upheaval at Duke Du¡¯s Mansion gradually settled down. Among the five vassal kings of the Great Yue Kingdom, the Duke Du was strongest, being a peak Great Grandmaster, held significant sway in the kingdom. However, the five vassal-dynasty mansions had mutual grudges. Even though the royal family masterminded the disputes to prevent a possible union among the vassals¡­ No matter how it played out, the squabbles among the five vassals also involved their respective interests; the royal family merely added fuel to the flames. Among the three countries in the Inner Domain, only the Great Yue Kingdom had vassal kings. This phenomenon was due to the fact, at the founding of the kingdom, the power of the five vassals was substantial¡­ The simultaneous alliance of the five vassals, unceremoniously against the kingdom¡¯s potential united front, achieved a tacit agreement between each other. It was nominally the ennoblement of vassals by the royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom, and the five vassals accepted the jurisdiction of the royal family. In reality, the territories of the five vassals always belonged to them. Originally, the five vassals were five powerful families, dominating a part of the region and deeply ingrained. This disturbance at Duke Du¡¯s Mansion originated from another Vassal, Prince Zheng. A newly promoted Great Grandmaster from Prince Zheng¡¯s Mansion wanted to expand his sphere of influence and extended his reach towards Duke Du¡¯s Mansion¡­ The tension between the Du family and the Zheng family had escalated to a point of irreconcilability. The sudden attack from Prince Zheng¡¯s Mansion happened to coincide with the death of Du Yuying¡¯s mother, who expressed her final wish to be buried in her hometown. Due to Du Yuying¡¯s peculiar constitution and being the prodigy of Duke Du¡¯s Mansion, she naturally became the targeted stimulant. Although Duke Du¡¯s Mansion tied the hands of the other party, this sensational event made its way to the Demon Sect. It was unclear what kind of benefits Prince Zheng¡¯s Mansion promised to the sect. In the end, even Yin Hong, a semi-Great Grandmaster, personally intervened and attempted to take Du Yuying away. Yin Hong¡¯s intervention targeted the Duke Du¡¯s Mansion, regardless of differences with the people from Prince Zheng¡¯s Mansion and the Demon Sect. It seemed that multiple forces intended to seize this opportunity to weaken the Duke Du¡¯s Mansion. However, who would have thought that Xie Lingfeng, the prodigy of the Sword Master Cliff, would escort Du Yuying back all the way? He not only killed martial artists of Grandmaster-level, but even beat back the semi-Great Grandmaster Yin Hong. Once the news spread, Prince Zheng¡¯s Mansion retracted their hands, and the Demon Sect fell silent as well. The person behind Yin Hong also withdrew without even exposing his identity. The Sword Master Cliff, a top power in the Inner Domain, has such a reputation that even the royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom would not dare to antagonize it rashly. With the crisis resolved, Duke Du¡¯s Mansion finally breathed a sigh of relief. This sudden attack from Prince Zheng¡¯s Mansion was a carefully planned assault. If Duke Du¡¯s Mansion showed any signs of vulnerability¡­ The other three vassals would certainly add insult to injury, seize the opportunity to incorporate Duke Du¡¯s domain, and strengthen themselves. The royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom would certainly fan the flames and make covert moves. The nobleman behind Yin Hong is likely to be a member of the royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom. In the garden of Duke Du¡¯s Mansion, Du Yuying walked at a leisurely pace. Missy, the generous gifts have been delivered to the Sword Master Cliff and given to Young Master Xie. When do you think Young Master Xie will come to propose?¡± Cui¡¯er exclaimed with a hopeful look on her face. I am Missy¡¯s personal servant. When Missy marries Young Master Xie, I will become the chambermaid. Then, Young Master Xie will surely have favor with me¡­ Cui¡¯er¡¯s face flushed red. In Du Yuying¡¯s eyes, a tender affection flickered. She replied softly, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too long, I suppose?¡± Missy, when will you be able to break through to become a Grandmaster? It would be absolutely enviable to stand as a Grandmaster alongside Young Master Xie.¡± Cui¡¯er asked with a playful smile. I¡¯m not sure, maybe a year, or maybe five or six years¡­ Du Yuying shook her head, she was now at the second rank. But she was still far away from the realm of a Grandmaster. Prince Zheng is really despicable, thankfully Young Master Xie protected us, or else we would¡¯ve been in danger, not to mention the disciples of the Demon Sect.¡± Cui¡¯er thought about their recent encounters and said indignantly. Cui¡¯er, do you know which Grandmaster under the Demon Lord made a move? Any news about that?¡± Du Yuying asked thoughtfully. No news yet, it could be those unknown Grandmasters under the Demon Lord.¡± Cui¡¯er shook her head. At that moment, a servant came to report. Miss, Young Master Xie Lingfeng from Sword Cliff has arrived, he¡¯s outside the residence.¡± Upon hearing this, Du Yuying¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. Cui¡¯er, go and invite Young Master Xie in. I¡¯ll receive him at the Sound Pavilion.¡± Du Yuying ordered softly. Her eyes couldn¡¯t hide her joy. But she had to maintain her dignity, so she let Cui¡¯er do the welcoming. Moreover, Cui¡¯er was already familiar with him. Yes, miss!¡± Cui¡¯er was extremely excited, her cheeks flushed. ¡°Is Young Master Xie here to propose? Am I going to become a maid who sleeps in the same room? Then I can also be with Young Master Xie¡­¡± As she thought about the illusions she had under the influence of the illusion witch, her face turned even redder. As she jogged towards the outer residence, she asked, ¡°Did Young Master Xie come alone?¡± No, Young Master Xie is not alone, he¡¯s with an older man. The servant replied. Oh my, Young Master Xie must be here to propose. Cui¡¯er¡¯s heart pounded heavily and her cheeks were flushed. It was as though her eyes were full of shyness. She hurriedly arrived outside the other residence. Outside the other residence of Prince Du¡¯s mansion, had arrived Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan who had traveled a long way. They rushed to see Du Yuying, wanting to know if the person was really Xu Yan. Master, if it really is Xu Yan, wouldn¡¯t the affairs of the Du Mansion implicate Sword Cliff?¡± Hu Shan scratched his head and asked. What¡¯s the big deal? Is my Sword Cliff afraid of the Great Yue Kingdom? Xie Lingfeng dismissed it casually. Master, why would Xu Yan use your name? Hu Shan was perplexed. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell him? When you¡¯re in the Inner Domain, use my name if needed.¡± He paused, recalling Xu Yan had also asked if it was for any situation. I have a feeling something¡¯s off about this. Shouldn¡¯t he have said, ¡®Xie Lingfeng and I are sworn brothers, give him some face?¡¯¡± Hu Shan was still confused. Xie Lingfeng let out a sigh, ¡°The thought process of a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy isn¡¯t the same as ordinary people.¡± Master, when I also said to use my name in the Inner Domain, could it be¡­?¡± Hu Shan was suddenly jittery. Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t use your name. Brother Xu is so young, and you¡¯re much older, plus your strength is weak, it¡¯s not suitable.¡± Xie Lingfeng shook his head. Hu Shan:¡­ He sighed inwardly. Being weak was such a sad thing! A beautiful maid ran out excitedly. Her gaze swept past Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, but she totally ignored them. Young Master Xie, where is he? Cui¡¯er looked around in confusion. This lady, Xie Lingfeng is right here. Xie Lingfeng greeted with a bow. Cui¡¯er turned around to look at him, ¡°You¡¯re Young Master Xie Lingfeng from Sword Cliff?¡± Indeed, it¡¯s me!¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded. Cui¡¯er flared up like a provoked cat, ¡°Where did this villain come from, daring to impersonate Young Master Xie? Someone, beat him up!¡± Chapter 209 Translator: 549690339 Cui¡¯er, her face flushed and eyes burning with fury. Upon hearing that Young Master Xie had arrived, she was ecstatic, even fantasizing about the night she would become his personal maid. But, to her utter vexation, someone was impersonating Young Master Xie! This was unforgivable! While the imposter posed as a young and handsome man, he fell short of the real Young Master Xie by more than just a notch, especially in terms of his aura, which was utterly unreachable. Who gave him the audacity to impersonate Young Master Xie here? Cui¡¯er, enraged, bounced to her feet, screaming, ¡°You shameless rogue! How dare you impersonate Young Master Xie! Guards! Kill him, Grandmaster elders, come quickly!¡± Xie Lingfeng, who was standing there dumbfounded, quickly explained, ¡°Please hear me out, I am indeed Xie Lingfeng from the sword supremacy cliff, I came here because¡­¡± ¡°Audacious villain, daring to impersonate Young Master Xie, you deserve to die!¡± A roar interrupted his words. A Grandmaster¡¯s aura stirred, and a hand reached down from mid-air punishingly. It was Yan Kuan! Hearing Cui¡¯er¡¯s scream, especially the impersonation of Young Master Xie, he immediately sprang into action. His anger soared the moment he saw the situation. If there were actually someone daring enough to impersonate Xie Lingfeng, this was a capital offense! Without uttering another word, he attacked! Bang! Xie Lingfeng fought back with a powerful palm strike, sending Yan Kuan flying. ¡°How dare you, a third-rate Grandmaster, be so impudent in front of our young master?¡± Hatefully retorted Hu Shan. Yan Kuan was so mad; he was being despised once again! ¡°Guards!¡± He bellowed in fury, calling for help. This was Prince Du¡¯s villa, and there were more than just him among the Grandmasters. There was even an accomplished Grandmaster and a peak grandmaster! ¡°With your strength, you dare to impersonate Young Master Xie. If it were Young Master Xie, he could kill me with a single palm strike!¡± Yan Kuan uttered coldly. ¡°I am indeed Xie Lingfeng from the sword supremacy cliff, I came here looking for a friend¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng tried to explain. But these people didn¡¯t give him any chance to justify himself. Bang! ¡°Die!¡± A blade flashed, and a Grandmaster-level Martial Artist attacked. ¡°Hmph!¡± Hu Shan snorted coldly, drew his sword, and performed his fierce wind swordsmanship. The battle began, and they quickly gained the upper hand. ¡°How audacious!¡± A formidable aura emanated from within Prince Du¡¯s mansion, indicating the presence of an accomplished Grandmaster! Xie Lingfeng¡¯s expression hardened as he drew his sword and attacked by the flying rainbow swordsmanship! In the blink of an eye, his sword qi swept across, forcing the opponent to retreat. Yet, soon after, another accomplished Grandmaster joined the attack, and both of them launched an assault. Xie Lingfeng snorted coldly. With his sword qi surging, he fought alone against the two accomplished Grandmasters, not losing any ground. At this time, Yan Kuan scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re nothing more than an ant. Accomplished Grandmasters are nothing more than flies in Young Master Xie¡¯s eyes. How dare you impersonate with such pitiful skills?¡± He drew his weapon and attacked Hu Shan, joining forces with the Grandmaster. Bang! The battle became fierce, and Hu Shan and Xie Lingfeng moved closer together. ¡°Young master, we should get out of here. Prince Du¡¯s mansion has a Great Grandmaster. If they don¡¯t bother to distinguish right from wrong, the consequences could be dire!¡± Hu Shan advised with a gloomy countenance. ¡°Right!¡± Xie Lingfeng, too, was already exasperated, as he couldn¡¯t clear up the misunderstanding. He had astonishingly turned into an impersonator and was being despised! Fuck! I¡¯m an entry-level Grandmaster for heaven¡¯s sake, fighting against two accomplished Grandmasters without falling into a disadvantage. Which entry-level Grandmaster in the Inner Domain can do this? Yet, he was still despised; this was truly outrageous! Bang! The mighty river swordsmanship suddenly intensified, with the sword qi flying all over. The flying rainbow swordsmanship! He made two accomplished Grandmasters retreat hastily by the mash of his sword strikes. Xie Lingfeng, then again, struck out. Repelling another Grandmaster and stabbed Yan Kuan in the shoulder. ¡°You, a third-rate Grandmaster, have no qualification to talk!¡± Having repelled the Grandmasters from Prince Du¡¯s mansion, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan rushed to leave as fast as they could. An infuriated Yan Kuan, Third-rate Grandmaster? This was an outrageous insult! If Young Master Xie were present, I would offer two seven-grade spiritual medicines for his head! In the Listening to the Sound Pavilion, Du Yuying was arranging a zither, preparing to play a tune for her guests later when Cui¡¯er ran in, livid. ¡°Miss, it¡¯s outrageous; someone was impersonating Young Master Xie!¡± ¡°What?¡± Du Yuying¡¯s face darkened immediately with anger. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°The Grandmasters are attempting to detain him right now. I¡¯m not sure about the current situation.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and see who this audacious thief is!¡± Du Yuying rushed outside in annoyance. The fight was already over. ¡°Where is he? Did they capture him?¡± Yan Kuan was bandaging his wound, ¡°He escaped, his strength was not weak!¡± ¡°Escaped? He absolutely cannot escape from Du Commandery!¡± Du Yuying hurried off, ¡°I am going to see Father and have him dispatch peak Grandmasters to hunt him down!¡± ¡°Prince Du¡¯s Mansion has gone too far, young master! We should return to sword supremacy cliff and ask my dad for a visit. He will teach Prince Du a lesson!¡± Hu Shan was unable to swallow this insult, he complained bitterly. ¡°Let¡¯s not add to Uncle Hai¡¯s troubles. Let¡¯s hurry and leave.¡± Xie Lingfeng sighed. They hurriedly left Du Commandery. The next step was to search for Xu Yan. The sword supremacy cliff was still a top power. Getting some information from the martial arts community would be easy. ¡°Unmatched Pavilion at the Thousand Star Lake?¡± Hu Shan exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Who would¡¯ve known Xu Yan truly knows how to enjoy life!¡± Xie Lingfeng confirmed that Xu Yan had indeed arrived in the Inner Domain and had checked in at the Unmatched Pavilion using his (Xie Lingfeng¡¯s) name. ¡°Brother Xu has gone to refine his state of mind.¡± Chapter 210 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Let¡¯s go to Unbeatable Pavilion!¡± Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan set off for Unbeatable Pavilion. In Prince Du¡¯s mansion, Cui¡¯er was packing, lamenting, ¡°Miss, that scoundrel escaped. It¡¯s outrageous. He could tarnish Young Master Xie¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°The martial arts community has been abuzz with rumors that Young Master Xie went to Unbeatable Pavilion and didn¡¯t spend a single coin. It must be that scoundrel impersonating him, tarnishing Young Master Xie¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°How could Young Master Xie possibly have gone to Unbeatable Pavilion?¡± ¡°As a young and carefree lad, why couldn¡¯t it be him? Moreover, isn¡¯t it said that he went there to temper his mind?¡± Du Yuying said with a smile. ¡°Hurry up and pack, we should return to Seven-Star Study Palace. Our teacher has probably found a solution to my problems.¡± ¡°Miss, does this mean you¡¯ll be able to breakthrough to become a Grandmaster soon?¡± Cui¡¯er was overjoyed. ¡°I hope so.¡± Du Yuying sighed in her heart, becoming a Grandmaster is not so easy. Seven-Star Study Palace is the Holy Land of martial arts in the Inner Domain, enrolling martial arts students from all over and producing countless Grandmaster Martial Artists and even Great Grandmaster Martial Artists. The founders of many forces and sects in the Inner Domain were once students of Seven-Star Study Palace. They gained their knowledge from studying in the palace, setting up sects. Tianbao Pavilion, the largest commercial force in the Inner Domain, is deeply rooted and considered the most transcendent force in the Inner Domain, its influence only matched by the Seven-Star Study Palace. Seven-Star Study Palace has long abstained from participating in the power struggles within the martial arts community. Its mission is to propagate and research martial arts, enrolling students without regards to their origin or background. Regarding the prosperity of martial arts, the Seven-Star Study Palace is the most, and also the widest in studying martial arts. The imperial families of the three major countries, including their founders, were once students of the Seven-Star Study Palace. The current emperors also studied there in their youth. There are also poor young men who came here and entered the Seven-Star Study Palace, worked hard, and hence soared high, stepping into the Grandmaster Realm, and even the Great Grandmaster Realm. Throughout the long years of the martial arts community in the Inner Domain, top forces have collapsed and been obliterated from history; some leading forces have fallen and their fame disappeared. Only the Seven-Star Study Palace, regardless of the changing situation, remains standing, its legacy unbroken, always at the peak. In history, there were martial arts cultivation techniques and secret techniques that have been lost in the outside world, but they could be found at the Seven- Star Study Palace. If they can¡¯t be found in the Seven-Star Study Palace, it means they have indeed been lost. Throughout history, the Seven-Star Study Palace has faced threats, but none were able to shake it at all. On the contrary, those who provoked the Seven-Star Study Palace faced suppression and destruction. Sometime in the past, a dynasty that unified the Inner Domain, whose foundation bought many powerful forces to their knees, persuaded many sects to surrender. They attempted to incorporate the Seven-Star Study Palace under their rule, making it a study palace under their jurisdiction. The end result was the collapse of the dynasty! It was that war which allowed the world to glimpse the terrifying depth of the Seven-Star Study Palace¡¯s strength. One Great Grandmaster after another stepped forward. Long-lost exceptional cultivation techniques, unheard-of secret techniques¡­ were all utilized by these Great Grandmasters. Using absolute superiority, they crushed the imperial forces. They forced the dynasty to bow down, acknowledging the Seven-Star Study Palace¡¯s superior status, not under the imperial jurisdiction. This war weakened the dynasty, leading to its eventual disintegration into the current three major countries. After this, people finally realized that the Seven-Star Study Palace has a group of scholars obsessed with martial arts. They research martial arts, pass down martial arts. Regarding the strength of their martial arts, the power of their techniques, and the depth of their understanding of martial arts, no other force in the world could compare. And these scholars of martial arts make up the real foundation of the Seven- Star Study Palace. Nobody knows the exact number of these martial arts scholars, and even a famous Great Grandmaster in the outside world could potentially be a member of the Seven-Star Study Palace scholars. The current Palace Master of the Seven-Star Study Palace is reputed as the world¡¯s top Great Grandmaster. His or her identity is almost a mystery, hardly known by anyone. Only the very top Great Grandmasters might know their identity. The three Deputy Palace Masters also bear distinguished reputations as Great Grandmaster Martial Artists. In the Seven-Star Study Palace, the highest level one can reach are the Monitors, Senior Practitioners, and Practitioners. As for the rumored martial arts scholars, one can only encounter them by chance. Moreover, there are usually Martial Art scholars present among both educators and academy supervisors. The strength of the educators can range from Grandmasters to not less than a third-rank Martial Artist. They are responsible for teaching the basic cultivation techniques to beginners in martial arts. Senior educators can range from Great Grandmasters to Grandmasters, and none of them are below the rank of a Grandmaster. Senior educators are in charge of teaching students above the third rank, or those with exceptionally outstanding talents. The academy supervisors are the backbone of the Seven-star Study Palace. They oversee the academy, maintain its rules, and punish educators who violate these rules. Every supervisor is definitely a powerful Great Grandmaster. Students who are privileged to have a supervisor as their teacher are all naturally gifted talents. The Seven-Star City, surrounded by seven cities, is the outer city of the Seven-star Study Palace. Many martial artists come here to seek opportunities, make friends in the martial arts world, or even to hide from their enemies. The Seven-star Study Palace is built on a mountain slope. Pavilions, towers, and buildings densely cover the area. A martial art practice stage is built every few distances for students to interact and exchange ideas. It¡¯s also the place where outsiders come to challenge and spar. The Seven-star Study Palace has always welcomed challengers from outside to exchange and discuss martial arts. Many forces in the world send their proud talents here to challenge, spar, and gain recognition. To browse the collection of the Seven-star Study Palace, challengers must pass a series of challenges and matches. Win a battle, get one floor¡¯s browsing qualifications, and so on. Since the founding of the Seven-star Study Palace, the strongest outsider challenger has passed seven challenges and entered the seventh floor of the collection. Xu Yan left the Thousand Star Lake and scoured the island courtyard. He suddenly became rich with more than three hundred thousand spirit crystals and over twenty spiritual medicines. With more money, he could afford to spend a bit. On his way to the Seven-star Study Palace, Xu Yan deposited his spiritual medicine and other items in the Tianbao Pavilion. After a long journey, he finally arrived at the Seven-star Study Palace. He came for the collections of the palace, to deeply understand the martial arts of the Inner Domain. Take their essence and integrate it into his own way. Blam! On the first floor of the Seven-star Study Palace sparring stage, a figure was thrown out and fell onto the ground. A student from the Seven-star Study Palace on the stage saluted, ¡°Thankyou for yielding!¡± The young man who fell on the ground got up, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, with a look of despair. He couldn¡¯t even pass the first level. ¡°Another one failed.¡± ¡°The sparring stage at Seven-star Study Palace isn¡¯t easy to get through, even the first level is like this.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too hard. Even though I¡¯m one of the top talents in my region, I can¡¯t even get through the first level!¡± The watching martial artists sighed and discussed. The challengers who come to the sparring stage are not old, and they are all talented and arrogant in their places. Before the challenge, they are all full of fighting spirit and confidence. However, most of them failed on the first floor. ¡°A challenger is here.¡± ¡°This person looks young, even a few years younger than me, I wonder if he can get through the first level.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s difficult. Given his age, he is at most at a third-rank level. His martial arts must be lacking. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t last ten moves in the first level!¡± The young martial artists began to discuss as they watched Xu Yan climb towards the stage. None of them thought highly of Xu Yan. On the first level of the sparring stage, a student from the Seven-star Study Palace stood proudly, awaiting Xu Yan¡¯s arrival. Xu Yan looked around and was surprised, ¡°Why are there no Grandmaster Martial Artists? The strongest is only a first-rank Martial Artist.¡± He had killed many Grandmasters and thought they were everywhere. But he found that there were no Grandmaster Martial Artists on the first level of the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s sparring stage. It seems that Grandmasters are not really everywhere.¡± Xu Yan sighed, having killed many, he thought Grandmasters were everywhere. As it turns out, Grandmasters are also rare. He didn¡¯t bother to challenge the first level. Third-rank martial artists are weak. To put it bluntly, they could be killed with a single breath. So he directly skipped the first level of the sparring stage and kept going up. Chapter 211 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan directly bypassed the first level of the martial arts platform, completely ignoring the students of the Seven-Star Study Palace standing on it. The martial artists present were taken aback. Is he really this arrogant? ¡°Perhaps he thinks his own strength exceeds the third-grade domain, so he wants to challenge across the levels. He¡¯s just like me back in the day. The end result, however, was that he couldn¡¯t even get past the first level.¡± A martial artist sighed. Being youthful and vigorous, it¡¯s understandable. Which prodigy isn¡¯t arrogant? ¡°Someone else is going to be struck down and not able to bounce back.¡± ¡°Haha, yes, it¡¯s been quite a while since I¡¯ve seen a prodigy being struck down to the point of losing his soul.¡± Some martial artists gloated over the misfortune. ¡°Stop!¡± The student on the martial arts platform of the Seven-Star Study Palace was somewhat bewildered. Why had another rule-breaking fellow come along? Among the students recruited by the Seven-Star Study Palace, which one isn¡¯t a prodigy, and which one doesn¡¯t have exceptional talent? And those who accept the challenge on the martial arts platform are indeed the top performers in their respective domains within the Seven-Star Study Palace. ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Yan asked with a glance. The student on the martial arts platform was almost mad. Where did this jerk come from? He doesn¡¯t even know the rules of the Seven-Star Study Palace and just comes over to challenge? And he even ignores him! ¡°Sir, you¡¯ve come here to enter the library of the Study Palace and read through the martial arts collection, right?¡± Qiao Zongye solemnly asked. ¡°Correct!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°In that case, you have to beat me first before you can continue upwards.¡± Qiao Zongye declared. ¡°You¡¯re too weak, I¡¯ll just go up and issue a challenge.¡± Xu Yan shook his head. Qiao Zongye¡¯s face turned red with anger, he snapped: ¡°I¡¯m too weak? Are you implying that you¡¯re a grandmaster martial artist? Even grandmasters need to challenge one level at a time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a grandmaster martial artist.¡± Xu Yan shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m a martial artist of the Innate Realm.¡± Qiao Zongye was stunned, as were all the martial artists present. Innate Realm martial artist? What kind of realm is that? Why haven¡¯t I heard of it before? ¡°What Innate Realm? I¡¯ve never heard of it. Don¡¯t try to deceive us with fancy titles. If you want to continue upwards, you have to defeat me first.¡± Qiao Zongye said angrily. He suspected that the other party was not simply here to pass the test and gain the opportunity to read through the collections, but to provoke the Seven-star Study Palace! ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you better be ready.¡± After pondering for a moment, Xu Yan concluded that defeating the other party wouldn¡¯t take much effort, it would be a breeze for him. ¡°Come!¡± With his long sword held horizontally in his hand, Qiao Zongye spoke coldly. ¡°Watch carefully.¡± Not even bothering to step onto the martial arts platform, Xu Yan simply flicked his finger and a gust of True Qi shot out. After making his move, he continued to ascend the steps. Qiao Zongye was about to yell in fury, but his complexion suddenly changed. He quickly placed his long sword in front of his chest. There was a bang, the long sword vibrated and flew out of his grip. He was sent flying backward and fell to the ground. There was total silence at the scene! Defeated Qiao Zongye with a flick of his finger? A grandmaster martial artist?! No wonder he is so arrogant, being a grandmaster martial artist at such a young age, indeed he has the credentials to be lofty. ¡°Who is this prodigy from somewhere else? Could he really be a grandmaster?¡± ¡°So arrogant, so fierce, I take back my previous words!¡± The onlooking martial artists were shocked. Xu Yan continued to ascend the steps, while Qiao Zongye, who had fallen on the ground, was red-faced with anger, shouting: ¡°Even if you are a grandmaster, it¡¯s useless, you have to step on the martial arts platform and defeat me to count!¡± Seeing that Xu Yan completely ignored him, he was furious: ¡°You are despising my Seven-Star Study Palace!¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t be bothered with him, a weakling¡¯s roar is of no use. Rules were always set up for the weak. The strong always exist to break the rules. ¡°Stop!¡± The student on the second-level martial arts platform was also stunned. This guy was really arrogant, disregarding him completely. Xu Yan flicked his finger, a gust of True Qi shot out, the student on the second level, hurriedly tried to resist, but was immediately sent flying backward. ¡°You¡¯ve lost.¡± Xu Yan glanced at him before continuing upward. On the third level, Xu Yan didn¡¯t even wait for the other party to speak. He defeated him with a flick of his finger. The same with the fourth level, he defeated them with a flick of his finger. He didn¡¯t even step on the martial arts platform. ¡°The fifth level is a grandmaster martial artist. Now, let¡¯s see how he defeats a grandmaster.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a good show. It¡¯s been many years since anyone has passed the fifth level. I wonder if he stands a chance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible, no matter if he¡¯s a grandmaster martial artist, he¡¯s too young. The grandmasters of the Seven-star Study Palace, aren¡¯t they all top-class?¡± The martial artists who had followed to watch, were voicing their opinions. Almost no one was optimistic about Xu Yan being able to get past the fifth level. As Xu Yan ascended the steps, a figure descended from the sky and landed on the steps of the fifth level. He was a man in his thirties, dressed like a scholar, and looked refined. ¡°Young friend, by not even stepping onto the martial arts platform, are you implying that you look down on the strength of the students of my Seven-Star Study Palace?¡± Cheng Yuanhong spoke with a smile. Xu Yan nodded: ¡°That¡¯s correct, their strength is too poor, I¡¯m not even interested in stepping on the platform.¡± The martial artists and students of the Seven-Star Study Palace were all stunned. Wasn¡¯t he being too blunt? He¡¯s completely looking down on the Seven-Star Study Palace. Who in the world doesn¡¯t know that the students of the Seven-Star Study Palace who guard the platforms are the best of their domains? Cheng Yuanhong also put away his smile, his expression becoming serious: ¡°According to the rules, even if a grandmaster comes, he must step onto the platform and compete to defeat the one who guards the platform with his ability at the same realm. ¡°Young friend, I can understand your youthful energy since you have come here. As long you defeat me, then the matter of not following the rules will be wiped clean!¡± Chapter 212 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan paused, glancing at him and said, ¡°Your strength is not bad among grandmasters, but it¡¯s not at all challenging for me to defeat you.¡± ¡°Rules have always been made for the weak. Real strong ones are here to break rules. I see myself as a strong one, hence I don¡¯t need to follow the rules.¡± Such arrogance! All the spectators couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in disbelief. Even the students of Seven-star Study Palace were no exception. Since their enrollment, it was the first time for them to witness such audacity. He actually claimed at the Seven-star Study Palace that rules are for the weak, and since he is strong, he doesn¡¯t need to comply! Cheng Yuanhong chuckled, he had never met someone so arrogant at the Seven-star Study Palace. Even a great grandmaster wouldn¡¯t dare to be so presumptuous at Seven-star Study Palace! ¡°What you said is not unreasonable, but you should know, to break the rules isn¡¯t something that any strong one can do, especially rules of my Seven-star Study Palace!¡± Cheng Yuanhong spoke sternly. Xu Yan pondered, then asked, ¡°What if I defeat you with one palm? Can I then ignore the rules? If I can¡¯t defeat you with one palm, I¡¯ll kneel for three days to admit my mistake!¡± Everyone was shocked, then. They thought he was arrogant before, but now found out, he could be even more so! Defeating a grandmaster with one palm? Even if a peak grandmaster came, they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat a grandmaster with one palm, let alone the grandmaster of Seven-Star Study Palace! Could it be that he¡¯s a great grandmaster? It¡¯s clear that the young man isn¡¯t a great grandmaster. ¡°Heh, he doesn¡¯t realize how great the world is. Does he really think Master Cheng is a third-rate grandmaster?¡± ¡°Young and frivolous, he¡¯s taking it too far!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a good show to watch, Master Cheng is angered.¡± The onlooking students of the Seven-Star Study Palace were excitedly whispering. The Seven-star Study Palace hasn¡¯t been this lively in a while. ¡°Great, I really want to see how you can defeat me with one palm. If you can accomplish that, you don¡¯t have to obey the rules!¡± Cheng Yuanhong laughed in anger. ¡°I¡¯m about to make my move, are you ready?¡± Xu Yan asked, raising a palm. Damn! Cheng Yuanhong was so angry that he almost jumped with fury. Did Xu Yan consider him soft? ¡°Make your move!¡± He channeled his energy, as his grandmaster-level aura started to ripple around him. ¡°I¡¯m making my move now, you better be careful!¡± Xu Yan said seriously. He was gauging Cheng Yuanhong¡¯s strength, how much effort he should put into this palm. Hitting too hard and killing him would be unfortunate, since they had no personal grudge. If the strength was too weak and he couldn¡¯t defeat his opponent, wouldn¡¯t he have to kneel for three days? So he had to make sure about the strength of this palm. ¡°Bring it on!¡± Cheng Yuanhong was about to explode in anger. Roar! Xu Yan thrust his palm and out roared a golden giant dragon, hurtling towards Cheng Yuanhong. The terrifying oppressive force spread in all directions. Weak martial artists felt a sudden strain in their hearts, as if being suffocated under the terrifying pressure. Cheng Yuanhong¡¯s eyes widened in fright, what kind of palm technique was this? A golden giant dragon was emanated from the palm! The Seven-star Study Palace has an extensive collection of countless martial arts cultivation techniques and various lost arts and secret techniques. However, such a powerful technique that releases a golden dragon was unheard of! The horrifying pressure arrived in an instant, and the fierce golden giant dragon made him feel suffocated. ¡°Not good!¡± Cheng Yuanhong was terrified. His energy exploded, pushing both palms forward to use his most potent martial arts palm technique. The stacked palm force as heavy as a mountain intended to block the golden giant dragon and suppress it. However! The huge force that he¡¯d just pushed out, was suddenly struck by the swooping golden giant dragon. Then the dragon¡¯s tail swung downward. Caught off guard, Cheng Yuanhong barely had time to defend himself. He was horrified, what kind of palm technique was this? Could the golden giant dragon actually come alive? Snap! With a whip of its tail, Cheng Yuanhong was catapulted out, landing at the edge of the stage. Silence! The entire audience was quiet. The crowd was wide-eyed, unable to believe what they just saw. The stupefied martial artists stared at the stage, then turned their gaze to Xu Yan, unable to speak for a long time. Emitting a golden giant dragon was shocking enough. But then, the golden giant dragon swooped down and the tail swung back. This unexpected move was completely unpredictable. Whose palm force after being ejected could make such a dramatic change? It made a turn? Who wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard in this unexpected situation? Besides, the Golden Giant Dragon is fast and powerful, ordinary grandmasters can¡¯t resist it at all! No wonder the boy is so arrogant, he indeed has the qualifications to be! Cheng Yuanhong fell to the ground, his whole body was in pain, and what hurt even more was his face. He really couldn¡¯t even take a hit, it was so humiliating! He was terrified and stared at Xu Yan, who is this prodigy? What kind of cultivation technique is it, it¡¯s so powerful! ¡°Nowyou can see that I am a strong one, right? Can I ignore the rules now?¡± Xu Yan spoke as if he had just swatted a mosquito. Cheng Yuanhong opened his mouth, but for a moment, he couldn¡¯t speak. The crowd of martial artists was all silence. The strong never obey the rules! Xu Yan continued to step up, and the news of Cheng Yuanhong being defeated with a single palm strike, like having wings, flew to the entire Seven-star Study Palace. In a moment, countless students of the Seven-star Study Palace were rushing here. Where the strong dragon came from, this is to break the rules of the Seven-star Study Palace. If the Seven-star Study Palace can¡¯t hold the martial arts stage, the rules will be broken. The sixth floor. A figure descended, a middle-level grandmaster, holding a pair of large hammers, robust in stature, and full of facial beard. ¡°It¡¯s instructor Hu Biao, he won¡¯t be defeated with one palm this time, right?¡± The sight of the man who guarded the sixth floor immediately lifted the spirits of the Seven-star Study Palace. Hu Biao, the instructor, has an innate divine strength and a strong physique. His strength is extremely strong, having fought alone against a great grandmaster without losing. Moreover, it¡¯s not just an ordinary great grandmaster. From this, it can be seen how strong the instructor Hu Biao¡¯s strength is. ¡°The rules of our Seven-star Study Palace are not to be broken by anyone, young man, don¡¯t be arrogant, don¡¯t be complacent.¡± Hu Biao spoke with a serious tone. ¡°I¡¯m never arrogant!¡± Xu Yan looked serious and said, ¡°My master once told me that martial artists must refrain from pride and impetuousness, and never be complacent, so I am never arrogant!¡± Everyone was taken aback, this is what you call not being arrogant? Never seen anyone more arrogant than you! Hu Biao was at a loss for words for a moment. ¡°Young man, if you want to continue moving up, you have to defeat me first!¡± He paused for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice. ¡°You¡¯re too weak, I don¡¯t even feel like making a move.¡± Xu Yan waved dismissively with an interest-fading look. Fuck! Is this what you call not being arrogant?! Everyone looked at Hu Biao on the martial arts stage with sympathetic eyes, the distinguished instructor of the Seven-star Study Palace, and he was looked down on. Thud! Hu Biao¡¯s dual hammers collided, causing a deafening roar, anger in his eyes, ¡°Arrogant kid, let¡¯s see how much strength you truly have, to dare to dismiss me!¡± His figure moved, the large hammer was like a mountain, fiercely smashing towards Xu Yan. ¡°I told you, you¡¯re too weak!¡± Xu Yan raised his hand and waved, the sound of the dragon¡¯s chant was heard, the Golden Giant Dragon roared out, invincibly, and crashed directly onto Hu Biao¡¯s incoming hammer. Bang! One of the large hammers flew out of his hand, Hu Biao was thrown off and tumbled embarrassingly to the ground. The aftermath of the collision swept all around. Less skilled martial artists were instantaneously knocked off and rolled down the steps. The other martial artists were once again horrified, he was defeated with one palm strike again! ¡°He truly isn¡¯t arrogant, because he lets his strength do the talking!¡± A martial artist murmured in awe. Hu Biao¡¯s hands trembled, with his extraordinarily strong physique and mid-grade grandmaster¡¯s strength, he couldn¡¯t even handle a single hit, where did this monster come from? ¡°Tianbao Pavilion?¡± This idea sprung up in his mind. It seemed that the other party came not only to consult the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s collection, but also to suppress the Seven-star Study Palace. Xu Yan continued to ascend. The person guarding the seventh floor¡¯s martial arts stage had the strength of a great grandmaster. ¡°Young friend, you have exceptional talent and are strong, you indeed have the qualifications to break the rules.¡± The defender of the seventh floor was an old man holding a longsword. Chapter 213 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan glanced at the old man and nodded, saying, ¡°You¡¯re wise enough to know my superior talents and strength, and understand that I am not bound by rules!¡± Having said that, he continued to ascend, showing no intention of sparring with the old man. The old man was taken aback, ¡°Young man, you haven¡¯t defeated me yet.¡± Xu Yan halted, conveying disappointment on his face, ¡°I thought you understood. You say I don¡¯t need to obey the rules but still expect me to defeat you by them. ¡°If you truly believe I don¡¯t need to conform to rules, you shouldn¡¯t expect me to fight. I could just bypass you and find a stronger opponent.¡± The old man winced, feeling frustrated. Was a simple compliment enough for you to look down on me? Taking a deep breath, the old man shook his longsword in his hand and said solemnly, ¡°It appears to me, young man, that you also practice the Sword Dao. I dare to learn about your Sword Dao Technique!¡± Xu Yan shook his head, ¡°Your Sword Dao is too bad. It would be bullying you if I drew my sword. Let¡¯s stick to the old rule, you catch my palm.¡± What the hell! The old man¡¯s face turned pale. Where did this arrogant young man come from? The crowd of martial artists and the disciples of the Seven-star Study Palace gasped in astonishment. This guy was truly audacious, openly criticizing the great instructor¡¯s Sword Dao as inferior? Although the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s Sword Dao might be slightly inferior to that of Sword Master Cliff, it still ranks second in the Inner Domain. The old man before them had spent his entire life practicing and studying the Sword Dao. He even managed to defeat a Grandmaster of Sword Dao from Sword Master Cliff. Does such strength deem unworthy in the eyes of this young man? ¡°Arrogant boy, take my sword!¡± The old man¡¯s face turned crimson, furious as thunder, he held his longsword horizontally, then with a loud bang, his Sword Qi bloomed. The icy gleam was intimidating, layers of sword radiance rolled out, sweeping across like a link between heaven and earth. ¡°Is this the Heaven and Earth Ice Light? It seems that the great instructor is really angry. He once defeated the Grandmaster of Sword Master Cliff with this Sword Dao Technique.¡± ¡°So powerful! I also practice the Sword Dao, but facing this sword, I have no idea how to react. There¡¯s completely no flaw to exploit!¡± The students of the Seven-star Study Palace expressed their amazement in unison. No wonder he¡¯s the great instructor, a cultivated Sword Dao Grandmaster. His strokes are extraordinary. The martial artists observing the fight, many of whom also practiced the Sword Dao, sighed in admiration. The great instructor of the Seven-star Study Palace deserved his reputation. His Heaven and Earth Ice Light move was incredibly sharp. It seemed relentless and unavoidable, without any flaw, yet concealed variety within it. Among the watching martial artists, a man in his early twenties watched the old man¡¯s sword intensely, not blinking an eye. ¡°Is this the Heaven and Earth Ice Light that defeated our Grandmaster of Sword Master Cliff? It¡¯s truly incredibly sharp. I wonder how Brother Xie would counter this move?¡± Cold Autumn thought to himself. As a disciple of Sword Master Cliff and considered second only to Xie Lingfeng, Cold Autumn¡¯s visit to the Seven-star Study Palace was to learn and challenge their Sword Dao. Aiming for his breakthrough to the Grandmaster realm. ¡°Flashy tricks!¡± Xu Yan shook his head, raising his palm to strike. A golden dragon roared, diving into the layers of sword radiance. In an instant, the sword radiance that enveloped heaven and earth crumbled. ¡°Spin!¡± The old man looked solemn. The shattered sword radiance suddenly started to spin, this was one of the killer moves of Heaven and Earth Ice Light. However, the forceful golden dragon smashed onto the old man¡¯s spinning sword radiance, before the sword momentum could even turn into a force, striking it fiercely. Bang! The sword radiance exploded and collapsed, while the tail of the golden dragon swept the old man off. Quiet! The venue fell silent once again. Could such a powerful move not withstand a single palm strike from the young man? What cultivation technique produced that golden dragon? It¡¯s incredibly powerful. The old man lay on the ground, stunned. For a moment, he was confused. Was his prestigious Sword Dao so fragile? Xu Yan was about to continue his ascent. He glanced at the old man, paused, and said, ¡°Sword Dao is not about grandeur or fancy moves, but the essence of a single sword, which is the real art of killing, everything else is just an embellishment. ¡°You haven¡¯t stepped into the gate of Sword Dao, unaware of Sword Intent. For you, speed, ruthlessness, and sharpness are the right paths. ¡°Rather than spreading meaningless sword momentum, weak and unsubstantial. Even if it has variations, it¡¯s too slow. ¡°I have a friend. He has cultivated his sword technique to the peak, far stronger than you. He is the closest person to stepping into Sword Dao.¡± Although the old man¡¯s Sword Dao appeared to be powerful and his sword momentum was grand, it was ultimately just a facade. Sufficient against ordinary martial artists. From Xu Yan¡¯s perspective, the old man¡¯s technique wasn¡¯t as good as Xie Lingfeng¡¯s Myriad River Sword Technique, let alone the Flying Rainbow Sword Technique. Should he face Xie Lingfeng, the Heaven and Earth Ice Light would be cut down by a mere stroke of the Flying Rainbow Sword Technique. So far, among all the Sword Dao martial artists Xu Yan had seen, only Xie Lingfeng had truly touched the threshold of Sword Dao, cultivating his sword techniques to the peak. He had even almost stepped beyond the confines of swordsmanship. However, he was still a little short of stepping into Sword Dao. ¡°I wonder if Brother Xie has attained the clarity of Sword Intent yet?¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. He probably hasn¡¯t. After all, attaining the clarity of Sword Intent wasn¡¯t that easy. The old man was dumbfounded, his mind buzzing. He had been practicing for most of his life, yet he hadn¡¯t even entered the gate of Sword Dao? He wanted to argue, but what right did a loser have to refute? In the end, he sighed, ¡°I stand corrected!¡± Cold Autumn stood still, startled by Xu Yan¡¯s words, gleaning a new insight from them. Chapter 214 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Who is he? His innate talent in Sword Dao, could it be on par with our senior brother?¡± Xu Yan nodded. The Grandmaster of the Seven-star Study Palace was not bad; he didn¡¯t fly into a fit, nor did he feel humiliated. Once defeated, he admitted it without hesitation. He proceeded to the higher level. The eighth floor. The one guarding the platform was a peak Grandmaster. Xu Yan had been defeating the Grandmasters defending the platforms of the Seven-star Study Palace, always defeating them with a single palm strike. Now, the Seven-star Study Palace couldn¡¯t sit still. The defender of the eighth floor, among the peak Grandmasters of the Seven-star Study Palace, was one of the top ones. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s the great teacher, Ding Yan!¡± The students of the Seven-star Study Palace exclaimed in shock. ¡°What, this Grandmaster is Ding Yan?¡± The observing martial artists were also taken aback. Even a youngster managed to cause the famed Grandmaster Ding Yan to step in for defense. This showed how stressed the Seven-star Study Palace was. Being a famous teacher, Ding Yan was highly prestigious and renowned. Out of the peak Grandmasters across the Inner Domain, he ranked among the top thirty. On the martial arts stage stood a man in a wide robe with large sleeves; a scholarly figure with three long beards. He held a three-foot long writing brush in his hand. It was a treasure. ¡°Young friend, do I have the privilege to invite you to spar with me on this stage?¡± Ding Yan asked with a smile. Xu Yan nodded, ¡°Yes, you are the first one strong enough to invite me for a match on this platform.¡± Ding Yan was very powerful, not much weaker than Yin Hong who was just half step away from Great Grandmaster. But he was just a peak Grandmaster. But in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes, so-called half-step Great Grandmaster was just someone who was not strong enough to become a Great Grandmaster all at once and hence only managed a half breakthrough. Such half-step Great Grandmasters were not very impressive to him. Ding Yan was different. He was a peak Grandmaster and was currently sharpening his skills for a breakthrough to Great Grandmaster. With his Martial Arts foundation and strength, once he completed the refinement of his Martial Arts, he would certainly be able to break into the Great Grandmaster realm in one go. Xu Yan stepped onto the martial arts platform. The audience got excited, a big fight was about to start. ¡°Young friend, should I let you draw your sword?¡± Ding Yan glanced at the precious sword hanging at Xu Yan¡¯s waist and asked with a smile. Xu Yan pondered for a moment, then answered earnestly: ¡°If I unsheath my sword, you might not be able to take even one strike. Are you still willing to see me draw my sword?¡± Hiss! Although the crowd was getting accustomed to the boy¡¯s arrogance, they still gasped in awe at his audacity. That was Grandmaster Ding Yan! Claiming that he couldn¡¯t stand a single strike? Looking at the Inner Domain, there may not be one person who could make such a claim among the Grandmasters. Only a Great Grandmaster would have the qualification to say so. Even Xie Tianheng, the sword lord of Sword Sage Cliff, did not dare to make such absurd statements when he was a peak Grandmaster! What a proud young man! Ding Yan was stunned for a moment, then he laughed, ¡°If young friend is this confident, I would love to see for myself what sort of Sword Dao it is that I can¡¯t even take one strike!¡± Xu Yan looked up at the ninth level of the martial arts platform, the highest level. Once he got past that, he could almost browse through all the martial arts collections of the Seven-star Study Palace. ¡°Is the defender on that level a Great Grandmaster?¡± Ding Yan nodded, ¡°Yes!¡± Great Grandmaster, huh? Xu Yan was a bit disappointed. With his current strength, he couldn¡¯t pass through. But that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean he wouldn¡¯t get a chance. As long as the defender wasn¡¯t a Great Grandmaster, wouldn¡¯t that solve the problem? These rules and restrictions were made to be broken by the strong. So Xu Yan said, ¡°1 can draw my sword, but if you can¡¯t take one strike from me, then the ninth floor defender should not be a Great Grandmaster. How about that?¡± ¡°Instead of a Great Grandmaster, let there be ten peak Grandmasters. I¡¯ll fight all ten of them and count it as a victory if 1 pass, alright?¡± Ding Yan was stunned. The boy was arrogant, yes, but he knew he couldn¡¯t defeat a Great Grandmaster. However, he also wasn¡¯t humble, as he was boasting about fighting ten peak Grandmasters! The onlookers had grown numb to this boy¡¯s arrogance, each time more outrageous than the last. ¡°The ninth floor is guarded by a Great Grandmaster, following the rules. Your suggestion, young friend¡­¡± Ding Yan did not know how to respond. He could not change this rule. It belonged to the Great Grandmasters! ¡°I may not be able to defeat a Great Grandmaster now, but in not too long, I will. This is just a matter of time.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t take a strike from me, and I want to break through the ninth floor, let there be ten peak Grandmasters to replace the Great Grandmaster. Wouldn¡¯t that be fair?¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t want to wait to come back and try again after his breakthrough. He wanted to pass this test in one go, to gain access to the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s martial arts collection. Ding Yan could only shake his head with a helpless smile as he was about to refuse. A figure appeared in a blink of an eye, also dressed in wide robes with large sleeves, holding an aged book, seemingly engrossed in its contents. ¡°As long as you defeated Ding Yan with one stroke of your sword, I will have a martial arts discussion and practice with you!¡± Upon seeing the figure, Ding Yan immediately bowed in deep respect, saying, ¡°Greetings to the Great Supervisory Teacher Fu!¡± The students from Seven-star Study Palace were utterly shocked. Was this the legendary Great Supervisory Teacher Fu Yun Tian? One of the five supervisory teachers of the Seven-star Study Palace. ¡°Greetings to the Great Supervisory Teacher Fu!¡± The students of Seven-star Study Palace, all bow in unison. Fu Yun Tian nodded, glanced at Xu Yan, and then continued reading his book. Xu Yan¡¯s heart pounded, a Great Grandmaster! This Great Grandmaster was extremely powerful, much more formidable than the one his master defeated with a single palm strike. A strong figure among the Great Grandmasters! ¡°With his strength, even if I reach great completion in the Innate Realm, I would not be able to explode him with one palm strike. Probably it would take a dozen or more palm strikes? Or several sword strikes?¡± Xu Yan mumbled to himself. Then he became elated and said, ¡°No problem, he can¡¯t withstand my one sword stroke. Can I read all the classics if 1 defeat the ten peak Grandmasters guarding the ninth floor?¡± Fu Yun Tian looked up and laughed, ¡°The classics of my Seven-star Study Palace, especially the classics of the ninth floor, cannot be read by anyone. ¡°Even if you pass the stages, you need some conditions to read them. ¡°For example, your identity, whether it is suitable to view the scriptures there, after all, the ninth floor involves a lot of things, only opened to those with a heart for martial arts. ¡°Young man, talk about reading the ninth-floor scriptures after you have passed.¡± Xu Yan nodded. He didn¡¯t feel wronged, the other party made perfect sense. There are too many things involved, not anyone can enter. ¡°Brother Xie¡¯s identity should work, right?¡± Xu Yan muttered in his heart. ¡°Good!¡± He looked at Ding Yan and said in a deep voice, ¡°Are you prepared? I¡¯m going to draw my sword!¡± Ding Yan also got serious, although the young man looked arrogant, his strength was really strong, he dared not take it lightly. Holding his treasure pen, he unveiled his peak Grandmaster¡¯s aura without restraint. ¡°My friend, please!¡± Zing! The sword was drawn. In an instant, the audience felt a trance, as if they saw mountains and rivers emerging on the stage, and a dragon spiraling. Roar! A dragon roar came, and in an instant, everyone seemed to see a mountain and a river At the moment Xu Yan¡¯s sword was drawn, Fu Yun Tian moved his gaze from the book, struck with astonishment as he watched the young man. What kind of swordsmanship is it? It seems to embody the mysteries of heaven and earth. Was that a mountain and river? How could swordsmanship have the concept of mountains and rivers? Once Xu Yan made his move, there were mountains and rivers, the dragon roared, in an instant, mountains and rivers appeared, and the dragon roared. Ding Yan felt as if he was in a trance. With the dragon roar taking off, it seemed like he was entering a mountain and river, but he saw that the mountain river was desolate and murderous. The vast mountain and river, suddenly turned upside down, as if they were going to destroy all life. ¡°Not good!¡± His heart was astonished. What kind of swordsmanship was this? Illusion? Mirage? Boom! The aura around Ding Yan¡¯s body exploded as he drastically pointed his cherished brush, while swiftly retreating. This retreat made it seem as if the mountains and rivers were receding. Before he could breathe, as the mountains and rivers disappeared and he returned to reality, he felt a chilling sensation at his throat. The sword tip was only an inch away from his throat His earlier retreat seemed very far, but it also seemed like his body had not moved at all, only that he had retreated from within the mountains and rivers. ¡°I lost!¡± In this moment, Ding Yan gave a bitter smile He really couldn¡¯t take even one sword strike! Silence! The surroundings fell into complete silence, everyone was aghast. What kind of sword was that?! Does such a sword Dao really exist in the world? Even the Sword Zun Precipice, famously known as the number one Sword Dao Sect in the Inner Domain, doesn¡¯t seem to have such an unfathomable sword Dao, right? Cold Autumn stared with wide eyes, her heart surging with shock, what kind of swordsmanship was this? Perhaps even her senior brother would not be able to take this sword strike, would he? Chapter 215 Seven-star Study Palace_i Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan sheathed his sword and turned to Fu Yuntian, saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to the ninth level. You better call over ten peak Grandmasters. After 1 defeat them all, then 1¡¯11 head to the archive.¡± Fu Yuntian twitched his mouth slightly, thinking: you¡¯re really straightforward. ?No need for that. You¡¯ve made it through, you can go directly to the archive.¡± He shook his head as he spoke. Ten peak Grandmasters acting together? Meaningless. Xu Yan scratched his head, saying, ¡°I still want to fight against ten peak Grandmasters, because I¡¯ve never tried it and 1 want to test myself.¡± Fu Yuntian:¡­ Everyone else:¡­ ¡°Fine then!¡± Fu Yuntian nodded and asked Ding Yan to find people. Xu Yan cheerfully walked upstairs to the combat stage on the ninth level. ¡°What was the name of that sword move you used just now?¡± Fu Yuntian asked solemnly. ¡°Dragon¡¯s Chant of Mountain and River.¡± Xu Yan replied. ¡°Dragon¡¯s Chant of Mountain and River?¡± Fu Yuntian mumbled to himself for a moment. At the ninth level. All ten peak Grandmasters had arrived, including Ding Yan. ¡°Young friend, 1 want to learn more from the sword move you used earlier.¡± Ding Yan said solemnly. The other nine peak Grandmasters also looked heavy-hearted. This young man had incredible power, he had defeated Ding Yan with a single sword stroke. Perhaps only a Great Grandmaster can oppose him! Where did this monster come from? ¡°You shall have the chance to learn again.¡± Xu Yan also became solemn. Drawing the sword from its sheath, a golden giant dragon whirled around him. These ten peak Grandmasters weren¡¯t weak. They were even stronger than Yin Hong, equivalent to two or three Yin Hongs. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t take it lightly. ¡°Please!¡± The ten peak Grandmasters also didn¡¯t hold back. They made their moves immediately and even formed groups of two, applying combined attack skills. Xu Yan thrust his sword forward, releasing raging Sword Qi and flying sword lights. The golden giant dragon was charging ferociously. He fought against ten peak Grandmasters single-handedly! All the surrounding martial artists were tremendously stunned. Many young martial artists among them, who were considered the pride of their regions, couldn¡¯t help but sign. The gap between individuals was simply too large! Leng Qiu furrowed his brows. Why did that gushing Sword Qi seem slightly similar to Wanhe Sword Qi? ¡°I saw my senior brother use it once. It¡¯s quite like this Sword Qi, but not as powerful.¡± Leng Qiu even suspected that Wanhe Swordsmanship, the sword skill of Sword Grandmaster Cliff, was a crude version of the sword skill the youngster was using. ¡°I thought my senior brother was already the premier swordsman of the younger generation. I didn¡¯t expect there to be someone even stronger!¡± He sighed in his heart. ¡°I¡¯m not even as good as my senior brother, let alone compare to him.¡± At this moment, Leng Qiu was full of sorrow and sighed, there were always people who were better! At the combat stage, a dragon¡¯s chant sounded out of the blue with the illusion of mountains and rivers appearing. The rotating golden giant dragon seemed to have entered the mountains and rivers. Puff! One Grandmaster was sent flying off. Puff! Puff! Another two Grandmasters were defeated. Awo! As the second sound of the dragon¡¯s chant rang out, mountains and rivers appeared, one after another, and the Grandmasters were sent flying off. Fu Yuntian silently watched, deeply shocked in his heart, ¡°What kind of Sword Dao is this? Unless it can be broken open with absolute power, there¡¯s no way towin!¡± Even facing this sword, unless he utilized the absolute power of a Great Grandmaster to forcibly break this sword, there would be no other way. ¡°If he were a Great Grandmaster, even if he only just entered the realm of Great Grandmaster, 1 wouldn¡¯t be his match!¡± Fu Yuntian was taken aback. After all, he was a highly accomplished Great Grandmaster, among the best in his realm. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor that Xie Lingfeng, the genius of Sword Grandmaster Cliff, has been the most talented in Sword Dao for a thousand years. Could he be Xie Lingfeng?¡± Fu Yuntian was filled with doubt. ¡°Considering his age, he doesn¡¯t seem to match Xie Lingfeng, right? No, the appearance of a martial artist of this level doesn¡¯t necessarily reflect their age. ¡°Xie Lingfeng is merely in his twenties. To look a few years younger is not impossible.¡± The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Xu Yan was Xie Lingfeng. Gazing over the Inner Domain, only one person might have such talent for Sword Dao: Xie Lingfeng from Sword Grandmaster Cliff. Only the foremost sect of Sword Dao in the Inner Domain could possibly train such a prodigious genius in Sword Dao, and only there could such a superior and unmatched Sword Dao exist. ¡°I lost again!¡± Ding Yan looked at the sword tip before his throat and was filled with bitterness. On the combat stage, nine Grandmasters had fallen, only he remained standing. A sword was stuck in front of his throat. He suspected that Xu Yan had deliberately left him till last. Xu Yan sheathed his sword and sighed, saying, ¡°As expected of the ten peak Grandmasters of Seven-star Study Palace. They¡¯re indeed strong. I felt quite a pressure to defeat them.¡± What in the world are you saying? Everyone was left speechless, for a moment they didn¡¯t know whether Xu Yan was complimenting the Seven-star Study Palace or belittling it. A bit of pressure from ten peak Grandmasters? Xu Yan also realized that his words easily could be misunderstood as belittling the Grandmasters of the Seven-star Study Palace. Thinking that he was still planning to go to the archive to look at martial arts books, He then sincerely added, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. The Grandmasters outside of Seven-star Study Palace are much weaker. 1 can essentially kill them with a single sword stroke.¡± Everyone else:¡­ Please stop talking! Are Grandmasters cabbages that you can kill one with a single sword stroke? Fu Yuntian twitched the corner of his mouth. This kid, if others didn¡¯t know, they¡¯d think he was a Great Grandmaster talking about killing Grandmasters with a single sword stroke. Even Great Grandmasters dare not boast like that. He is truly arrogant for his age. No, wait! This is beyond arrogance already! Xu Yan looked at Fu Yuntian. ¡°I¡¯ve just cleared the nine levels.. Can I go to the archive to look at the martial arts books now?¡± Chapter 216 Translator: 549690339 Fu Yuntian nodded and said, ¡°Of course, follow me.¡± He walked toward the inner court of the Seven-star Study Palace, with Xu Yan closely following behind him. The other Martial Artists, for the most part, did not follow; they did not have the qualification to go and could only leave for Seven-Star City to spread the news of what they witnessed today. This youth, he¡¯s too monstrously talented! He defeated ten peak Grandmasters of the Seven-star Study Palace alone. Throughout the Inner Domain, it¡¯s probably hard to find a second such monstrously talented youth. Cold Autumn followed behind, the youth prodigy of the Sword Dao almost becoming his idol of worship; he must seize the opportunity to befriend him. If he could receive some guidance from him, his own Sword Dao would surely make significant progress! The Seven-star Study Palace was in an uproar, a youth had breached through the ninth stage of the martial platform, defeated Grandmaster Ding Yan with a single sword strike, and conquered ten peak Grandmasters alone. The countless disciples were all astounded. From where had such a heaven-defying talent emerged, to be so monstrously talented! They flocked toward the Library Pavilion, wanting to catch a glimpse of the youth¡¯s grace. At the entrance of the Library Pavilion, students of the Seven-star Study Palace who were well-informed and nearby had already gathered, and they saw the handsome youth following the Great Supervisory Teacher Fu. Following him were Ding Yan and several great instructors. And behind them were a dozen outsider prodigies, all of whom had tried their hand at the martial platform. ¡°Young friend, although you¡¯ve broken through the ninth stage of the martial platform, the ninth floor of the Library Pavilion requires a certain status to ascend. Otherwise, you can only view the collections below the eighth floor.¡± ¡°May I know how to address you, young friend?¡± asked Fu Yuntian with a smile as he stopped in front of the Library Pavilion. Xu Yan looked up at the tall building. This was the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s Library Pavilion, housing many Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques, as well as numerous annotations by predecessors on Martial Arts. Of course, he believed this was not the true core collection of the Seven-star Study Palace. Even the ninth floor was not the core collection, but it nonetheless stored many rare Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques, even some that had been lost to the outside world. ¡°I¡¯ve come to take the essence and integrate it into myself. This place is already sufficient. However, I wonder what level of techniques the ninth floor includes. ¡°The Seven-star Study Palace has a longstanding heritage, hosting a group of Martial Arts scholars. 1 wonder if there are any genuine Martial Arts inheritances? ¡°I should find an opportunity to discuss Martial Arts with them. Perhaps I could gain some insights. ¡°After all, learning by analogy is key.¡± Thinking thus, Xu Yan asked, ¡°What Cultivation Techniques are recorded on the ninth floor?¡± Fu Yuntian did not conceal anything and said, ¡°Some secret techniques lost to the outer world, such as those that cause self-injury to drastically enhance one¡¯s strength, and also others that harm others for personal gain, such as life-taking techniques, methods of refining essence blood for one¡¯s own use, and so on. ¡°These techniques are not suitable for dissemination, for fear they might lead to killing, but they also contain some special insights, ultimately being some side paths of Martial Arts. ¡°That¡¯s why they have not been destroyed. ¡°Of course, apart from these, the ninth floor also holds many legitimate secret techniques and Cultivation Techniques, so not just anyone can enter the ninth floor.¡± Xu Yan understood; so that was it. His thoughts turned to demonic sect techniques, like those practiced by Xue Wuxin, which involved absorbing others¡¯ essence blood through evil methods. Consequently, Xu Yan bowed with his hands clasped and said, ¡°I see. My name is Xie Lingfeng, should I be able to ascend to the ninth floor?¡± Fu Yuntian smiled in a way that said he knew as much. His guess had not been off; in today¡¯s Inner Domain, such a prodigy of the Sword Dao could only be none other than Xie Lingfeng. The multitude of Seven-star Study Palace students were all deeply shaken. Was this the Sword Venerate Cliff¡¯s millennium sword prodigy? Truly, his power was unparalleled! The Sword Venerate Cliff, indeed the number one Sword Dao Sect in the Inner Domain. ¡°So it¡¯s Xie Lingfeng, no wonder!¡± ¡°Yes, I should have guessed it was him.¡± ¡°Hey, 1 just heard that Xie Lingfeng visited the Wushuang Pavilion without spending a single Spirit Crystal, and he even met the famed beauty of the Wushuang Pavilion.¡± ¡°Hiss! How envious! To visit the Wushuang Pavilion without spending money, is this the treatment of an exceptional prodigy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just about being an exceptional prodigy, look at his handsome features; which girl wouldn¡¯t be moved? I¡¯m so envious!¡± The motor of Seven-star Study Palace students engaged in fervent discussions, filled with envy, jealousy, admiration, and even love. The name Xie Lingfeng spread through the Seven-star Study Palace like a whirlwind. But Cold Autumn was dumbfounded. Brother Xie? Impossible! Could this person be impersonating Brother Xie? Where did he get the guts! At that moment, Cold Autumn wanted to step forward to expose him, but then he thought, ¡°If I expose him and he¡¯s not Brother Xie, wouldn¡¯t that mean there¡¯s someone in this world who outshines our Sword Venerate Cliff in the way of the sword? ¡°Moreover, this person didn¡¯t claim to be from the Sword Venerate Cliff. What if he says it¡¯s just a coincidence of the same name? ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right. Looking at him, he¡¯s not the least bit worried about the Sword Venerate Cliff finding out, not worried about the brothers finding out. Could it be that he¡¯s acquainted with Brother Xie? ¡°I mustn¡¯t act rashly or hastily. 1 need to inform Brother Xie!¡± Having thought this, Cold Autumn hastily left. He needed to send a message to Brother Xie, informing him that someone might be impersonating him here. ¡°So it is Xie young friend. Naturally, you can go to the ninth floor, please follow me!¡± Fu Yuntian nodded with a smile. Xu Yan was overjoyed and thought to himself, ¡°Brother Xie¡¯s reputation is indeed very useful. This time I¡¯ve helped spread his fame. Brother Xie should be quite pleased when he finds out, right?¡± Following Fu Yuntian, he entered the collection pavilion. ¡°Would the young friend go directly to the ninth floor, or take a look level by level?¡± Fu Yuntian asked. ¡°Can I come to browse anytime, regardless of when?¡± Xu Yan glanced at the densely packed bookshelves, unaware of how many books there were. ¡°Those who have passed through the martial demonstration platform have one year¡¯s time to browse here whenever they wish,¡± Fu Yuntian replied. ¡°Then to the ninth floor, to look from top to bottom,¡± Xu Yan pondered before speaking. The too common, too basic martial arts tomes were almost of no use to him. Of course, exceptions were not excluded. But the higher the level of the book, the more valuable it must be, the more he could gain from it. While walking towards the ninth floor, Xu Yan said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Seven-star Study Palace has a group of martial arts scholars, all experts in martial arts. 1 would like to discuss the martial arts with them, may I?¡± Fu Yuntian raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and nodded, ¡°Yes!¡± Considering Xu Yan¡¯s monstrous talent, perhaps he had extraordinary insights into martial arts. Upon reaching the ninth floor, there weren¡¯t many bookshelves, and the number of books was significantly less. ¡°Feel free to browse as you wish,¡± Fu Yuntian said as he sat down on a chair. Xu Yan nodded, casually walked to a bookshelf, pulled out a book and started flipping through it. The book was copied, not original, yet even the copied version had been around long enough to have turned yellow. This was a martial arts secret technique. It was considered lost in the outside world, a method that involved damaging one¡¯s own essence and foundation to burst forth with strength surpassing one¡¯s own for a brief moment. Xu Yan looked through it and shook his head slightly, it was too poor. He put it down and continued to browse. Fu Yuntian watched Xu Yan the whole time, noticing how quickly he went through a book, soon finishing one and putting it down to start another. Most of the tomes elicited a head shake from him. He deemed them not up to par! ¡°A true prodigy!¡± Fu Yuntian marveled inwardly. Sword Venerate Cliff had produced another prodigy. Time passed. Xu Yan had browsed through more than half of the ninth floor¡¯s books various secret techniques and cultivation methods. However, almost none caught his eye. ¡°They are all too weak, and quite ordinary. ¡°However, not entirely without merit. If I sort through them, perhaps I can derive some martial techniques.¡± Xu Yan put down a tome. ¡°I would like to discuss martial arts with those martial arts scholars, to verify with each other.¡± Xu Yan looked at Fu Yuntian. ¡°Good!¡± Fu Yuntian nodded and stood up, ¡°Give me a moment.¡± He then floated away. Xu Yan continued to browse through the books while he waited. He was quite eager to see if these scholars from the Seven-star Study Palace had unique understandings of martial arts and whether any of them had cultivated the true martial arts. The sound of footsteps on stairs grew louder as more than a dozen Grandmaster martial artists arrived. Xu Yan turned his head to look, and his brow couldn¡¯t help but furrow. Why were they all Grandmaster-level martial artists? Although they were peak Grandmasters, there wasn¡¯t a Great Grandmaster among them. Fu Yuntian spoke with a smile, ¡°Grandmasters already represent the pinnacle of martial arts. As for Great Grandmasters, they do not participate in discussions on martial arts.¡± Xu Yan nodded, understanding that Fu Yuntian hadn¡¯t said it explicitly, but he also understood that Great Grandmaster martial arts scholars wouldn¡¯t come to discuss martial arts with someone of his junior standing. If it hadn¡¯t been for his astonishing strength on his way here, and having entered using Xie Lingfeng¡¯s reputation, perhaps even these martial arts scholars of Grandmaster level wouldn¡¯t have come to see him. ¡°Please, Brother Xie,¡± The assembly of martial arts scholars sat cross-legged, their expressions solemn. It was clear to see their obsession with martial arts. Out of ten, nine had dark circles under their eyes! Chapter 217 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan sat down with a solemn look on his face, watching these Scholars of Martial Arts, all of whom were obsessed with the Martial Arts, and may have unique understandings of it. Or they may have practiced some impressive Cultivation Techniques. ¡°Strange, is there not a single one who cultivates the true Martial Arts?¡± Xu Yan scanned the scholars with a frown, wondering silently, ¡°Does the Seven-star Study Palace lack true Martial Arts as well? If that¡¯s the case, the martial artists of the Inner Realm are truly pitiful! ¡°These are all martial arts enthusiasts. If I tell them the truth, that they¡¯re practicing false martial arts, they probably won¡¯t be able to withstand the shock. ¡°So, I will just expound on the basic principles of the martial arts and avoid mentioning truth and falsehood, so they won¡¯t be overwhelmed. ¡°Although they are cultivating the false Martial Arts, with intensive study over time, they may have some unique insights.¡± As Xu Yan thought this, he brightened up and looked forward to what he might learn from this discussion of Martial Arts. ¡°Should the young friend explain his understanding of the Martial Arts first, or should we begin?¡± One of the Scholars of Martial Arts asked. ¡°You are older, you start.¡± Said Xu Yan. ¡°Then I shall start. I¡¯ve always believed that Martial Arts is about strengthening oneself, seeking self-transcendence through cultivation, starting from the Ninth Grade of body refining, building up body structure, strengthening Qi¡­¡± The Scholar of Martial Arts who spoke first began to explain his understanding of every stage of Martial Arts. Xu Yan listened quietly. Although he already had a general idea of Inner Realm Martial Arts, he didn¡¯t know the details of the differences between each stage. Hearing the explanation of the Scholar of Martial Arts made Xu Yan understand the Inner Realm Martial Arts in greater detail. ¡°The reason why my master doesn¡¯t talk about true and false Martial Arts is that the Inner Realm Martial Arts is actually a complete system, just not perfect. ¡°Or to say, it does not cultivate from the core. ¡°Ninth Grade, for example, is about refining the body, only strengthening the body, fortifying Qi, strengthening muscles and bones, but not refining the skin, bones, and internal organs. ¡°It seems to only practice on the surface, without penetrating into the depths.¡± Xu Yan sighed as he listened. The first Scholar of Martial Arts spoke from the Ninth Grade realm and continued through to the Grandmaster realm. I his was the first time Xu Yan had fully understood the cultivation of the Inner Realm martial artists. He sighed with emotion. ¡°Although the system is comprehensive, the practice always feels superficial, and as a result, it is not false to consider them false Martial Arts.¡± After the first Scholar of Martial Arts finished explaining, the second, third¡­ One after another, the Scholars of Martial Arts spoke, each explaining the cultivation of Martial Arts. Each method of cultivation had its differences, but none of them transcended the framework of the Inner Realm Martial Arts. ¡°Young friend, it¡¯s your turn!¡± After the last Scholar of Martial Arts finished his explanation, he smiled and looked at Xu Yan. Xu Yan nodded. He had also gained from this discussion. These Scholars of Martial Arts, obviously had a deeper and more detailed understanding of Inner Realm Martial Arts than ordinary martial artists, which gave him some inspiration. ¡°Martial Arts, the primary concern is the foundation. My master once said, ¡®The giant tree that can be embraced grows from a tiny sprout; a terrace nine stories high starts from the accumulation of earth.¡¯ Therefore, the beginning of Martial Arts lies in refining the skin, bones, and internal organs¡­¡± Xu Yan said solemnly. All the Scholars of Martial Arts were puzzled, Fu Yuntian, who was standing by, was also bewildered. Skin refining? Bone refining? Internal organ refining? How do you do that? ¡°Young friend, wait a moment, what is this about refining the skin, bones, and internal organs? Is Martial Arts cultivated in this way from the beginning?¡± A Scholar of Martial Arts asked in confusion. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Xu Yan confirmed seriously. ¡°The real Martial Arts, from inside to the outside, from the outside to the inside, involves the overall refinement of oneself, transcending the mortal coil, striving for immortality!¡± The Scholars of Martial Artists swallowed. This goal seemed a bit too lofty. From ancient times until now, who could attain immortality? ¡°Young friend, could you talk about the skin refining part?¡± A Scholar of Martial Arts asked curiously. I he cultivation method they had never heard of triggered their curiosity. ¡°Skin refining starts with sensing one¡¯s blood Qi, using it to refine the skin¡¯s membrane. Once the skin refining process is completed, common blades and swords find it difficult to penetrate¡­¡± Explained Xu Yan. ¡°Impossible!¡± A Scholar of Martial Arts refuted him emotionally, ¡°Even a Third Grade Martial Artist, relying on his own physical prowess alone, cannot be impervious to blades and swords. This is just skin refining, which, according to you, is the first step in Martial Arts. It¡¯s impossible for it to be resistant to blades and swords.¡± The others nodded in agreement. Xu Yan looked at them with pity. It was terrifying to be a frog in the well. If you tell him that the sky is vast, he would immediately deny it and insist that the sky is only this big! ¡°What kind of look is that?¡± The Scholar of Martial Arts, with dark circles under his eyes, said discontentedly. ¡°Being impervious to ordinary blades and swords after skin refining is not surprising. As for the Third Grade Martial Artists you mentioned, their method of cultivation is different. The toughness of their skin is only slightly more than that of ordinary people, so naturally, it resists injuries from blades and swords. ¡°Just because you have never seen, never heard, does not mean it doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Xu Yan put away his ¡®looking at frogs in a well¡¯ eyes and said. ¡°Impossible, I absolutely don¡¯t believe it. And what the hell is this blood Qi? How do you use it to refine the skin membrane? It doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± The Scholar of Martial Arts shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt, let the young friend continue.¡± Another Martial Arts Scholar said discontentedly. ¡°Alright, please go on.¡± Xu Yan continued, ¡°After refining the skin, you refine the bone. Again, bone refining is divided into Iron Bones, Copper Bones, Gold Bones, and Jade Bones. Iron Bones are just ordinary, Copper Bones are quite good, while Gold Bones, once formed, can remain intact for thousands of years in the ground, as for Jade Bones¡­ I think there is no need to mention..¡± Chapter 218 Translator: 549690339 The crowd of martial arts scholars was puzzled. Hearing about iron bones, copper bones, and golden bones was confusing. The more they listened, the more unrealistic it sounded. Their doubtful gaze fell on Xu Yan. Could it be that this young man was deluded by some concocted theories? Fu Yuntian¡¯s face became one of sheer bewilderment. ¡°You may continue!¡± A martial arts scholar forced his curiosity aside and said. ¡°Following the refinement of bones, one refines the organs¡­When muscles and bones thunder, and blood and qi flow vigorously, it signifies the Blood and Qi Realm¡­When the Heaven-Earth bridge is connected, swallowing and exhaling the spiritual energy of the heavens and the earth, refining it into Innate True Qi, it signifies the Innate Realm!¡± Xu Yan finished expounding on martial arts. All of the martial arts disciples had widened their eyes, speechless in surprise. ¡°Is this something conjured up by your imagination?¡± A martial arts scholar couldn¡¯t hold back and blurted out. This is absolutely strange. It talks about muscles and bones thundering, qi and blood flowing vigorously, the connection of Heaven-Earth Bridge, and the inhalation and exhalation of nature¡¯s spiritual energy. Blood and Qi Realm, Innate Realm? Where in martial arts do these realms exist? ¡°How could it be made up?¡± Xu Yan looked at everyone present with a knowing gaze and extended his arm, ¡°Look at my arm, swords and sabres can¡¯t harm it.¡± ¡°Impossible, what you¡¯re saying is entirely unrealistic.¡± A martial arts scholar shook his head. If what Xu Yan was describing was the true existence of martial arts, then what in the world did their own martial arts practice amount to? The comparison made their own practices seem so weak. Whether in terms of complexity or naming, they seemed streets behind. ¡°Come, let us discuss and test whether what I¡¯m saying is true or not.¡± Xu Yan chuckled. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s discuss!¡± The crowd of martial arts scholars engaged in a battle of competing martial arts theories and discussed the fundamentals and strengths of their skills. After the discussion on martial arts skill. All the martial arts scholars were dumbstruck, their faces filled with disbelief. Be it theory-wise, or strength-wise, Xu Yan¡¯s explanation and display of martial skills outdid them all. At that instant, they all experienced major turmoil in their hearts. ¡°Such martial arts exists in the world? Is there something wrong with the path I¡¯ve chosen for my practice?¡± A martial arts scholar fell into deep thought. Xu Yan stood up with a satisfied smile on his face. It seems like these fellows had realized just how insignificant they were now, didn¡¯t they? They understood how weak their own martial arts path was, right? ¡°You all better think hard when you go back. You might gain something.¡± Xu Yan turned to leave. He had some new thoughts and planned to find a place to finish the division of his True Qi. ¡°Young friend, don¡¯t leave in such a hurry. Let¡¯s discuss further.¡± A martial arts scholar called out. This discussion on martial arts had collapsed their longstanding faith in their practice, causing them to question whether the hard-earned martial arts they had practised for most of their lives was erroneous. ¡°1 don¡¯t have time now, I¡¯ll chat again when there¡¯s time.¡± Xu Yan headed downstairs. Fu Yuntian followed behind and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did you make up all that just to deceive them?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± A smile appeared on Xu Yan¡¯s face. The more obsessive a practitioner of martial arts was ¡ª those who were stuck in the pit of martial arts and couldn¡¯t get out ¡ª the more easily they were shaken by the true theories of martial arts, and the more likely they were to question whether there were issues with the martial arts they had been practising. Martial artists like Fu Yuntian didn¡¯t have such strong self-doubt. ¡°Those martial arts scholars are truly obsessed with martial arts. If we want to spread the true martial arts, starting with them wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. Fu Yuntian opened his mouth, but he didn¡¯t continue with his questions. In this martial arts discussion, the Seven-Star Study Palace had clearly lost. Regardless of whether the martial arts Xu Yan discussed were fabricated or not, the group of martial arts scholars had taken a hit, meaning they were the ones who had lost. As Xu Yan exited the pavilion, he saw a crowd of people waiting outside. They had come to watch him in anticipation. ¡°Young Master Xie!¡± A young female martial artist cried out. ¡°That¡¯s Xie Lingfeng? He¡¯s so young!¡± ¡°Unbelievable. If 1 were as talented as him, would I have to worry about not getting noticed by my fellow disciples?¡± ¡°No, I just need a small portion of Xie Lingfeng¡¯s good looks and I wouldn¡¯t be lacking admirers!¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t stay, he was only eager to find a place to settle down and complete the division of his True Qi. ¡°Brother Xie, your fame is growing bigger and bigger!¡± With a sigh in his heart, he was genuinely happy for Brother Xie! ¡°Goodbye!¡± With a salute to Fu Yuntian, Xu Yan moved slightly, threading his way through the crowd and striding towards the outside of the Seven-Star Study Palace. Fu Yuntian¡¯s pupils shrunk, his movement technique was incredibly fast! Xu Yan quickly left the Seven-Star Study Palace to head for the nearest Seven-Star City, planning to find a place to stay temporarily while he completes the splitting of his True Qi and breakthrough to full Innate Realm mastery. At the Seven-Star Study Palace¡¯s repository, he had read many classics and discussed martial arts with many scholars, which gave him some new insights. He could complete the splitting of the True Qi quickly! Once the True Qi was split, he could ascend to the completion of the Innate Realm smoothly if he fully comprehended the mystery of the True Qi. ¡°I need to cultivate, so a guesthouse won¡¯t do. I need a quiet little courtyard. But it¡¯s probably pretty expensive.¡± The thought of having to pay a considerable amount of Spirit Crystals had Xu Yan feeling a painful pinch in his heart. Though he had quite a few Spirit Crystals on him, if he used them to buy Spiritual Medicine, he wouldn¡¯t have many left. After some calculation, he realized that he was still quite poor. ¡°I wonder where the enemies of my junior sister disciple are. If I could get a few more sub-branches, I might get rich quickly.¡± Xu Yan thought. Suddenly, a figure ran over and blocked his path. ¡°I am Leng Qiu from Sword Sovereign Cliff, may 1 ask why you pretend to be my Brother Xie?¡± Leng Qiu asked with a serious look. Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, a disciple from Sword Sovereign Cliff? Immediately, he responded discontentedly, ¡°Stop talking nonsense, what do you mean ¡®pretend¡¯? I got Brother Xie¡¯s permission!¡± Leng Qiu was stunned, ¡°My brother allowed it?¡± ¡°Of course, Brother Xie even stated that in the Inner Domain, I can use his name for anything!¡± Xu Yan confirmed. ¡°Perhaps you misunderstood, my brother let you use his name, didn¡¯t tell you to¡­¡± Leng Qiu was somewhat confused. Is that how you use someone¡¯s name? Xu Yan looked at him as if he were an idiot, ¡°Are you stupid? If you don¡¯t use his name like that, do you say that 1 am Xie Lingfeng¡¯s friend? ¡°Do you think anyone would care about you? Others can say they too are friends with Xie Lingfeng, that holds no deterrent.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to use a name properly? ¡°Of course it¡¯s, ¡®1 am Xie Lingfeng¡¯, didn¡¯t you see me getting into the Seven-Star Study Palace¡¯s repository?¡± Leng Qiu was flabbergasted. He felt muddled and didn¡¯t know how to rebut. That reasoning sounded so plausible! A friend of Xie Lingfeng couldn¡¯t be as influential as Xie Lingfeng himself, right? ¡°So my brother really allowed it?¡± Leng Qiu found it hard to believe. What was his brother thinking, letting someone borrow his name? ¡°Of course!¡± Xu Yan confidently answered. Then his eyes brightened, he placed his hand on Leng Qiu¡¯s shoulder, his face full of enthusiasm, saying, ¡°Tell Brother Xie that Xu Yan has come to the Inner Domain, and I¡¯ve made his name famous, no need to thank me!¡± Leng Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched, he didn¡¯t know what his brother¡¯s expression would be when he learns that his name has been spread all over the Seven-Star Study Palace. ¡°I¡¯ve already informed my brother, he should be on his way to the Seven-Star Study Palace!¡± Leng Qiu always felt that this young man named Xu Yan was a little overly enthusiastic. ¡°Brother Leng, you are a disciple of Sword Sovereign Cliff, right? You have a place to stay in the Seven-Star City? Is it a single courtyard?¡± Xu Yan asked enthusiastically. ¡°Yes, Sword Sovereign Cliff has several villas in Seven-Star City, and I¡¯m living in one of them.¡± Leng Qiu nodded honestly. ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go to your courtyard; I¡¯ll wait for Brother Xie there over the next few days.¡± Xu Yan was thrilled. He just saved a bunch of Spirit Crystals. Since he had already used Brother Xie¡¯s name, it did not matter if he stayed in the Sword Sovereign Cliff¡¯s villa. ¡°Alright, okay!¡± Leng Qiu felt a bit dazed; he had an absurd feeling. Was this guy just here to freeload on his accommodation? ¡°Since he is my brother¡¯s friend, it¡¯s perfectly reasonable for him to stay in the villa for a while, right?¡± Leng Qiu thought to himself. Under the guidance of Leng Qiu, Xu Yan arrived at one of the Sword Sovereign Cliff¡¯s villas in the Seven-Star City. The place was rather secluded and was one of the many villas that the Sword Sovereign Cliff owned in Seven-Star City. Apart from Leng Qiu, there were not any other disciples from Sword Sovereign Cliff staying in the villa yet. Perhaps, they were staying in other villas. ¡°This place is nice and secluded. So, even if there is some disturbance, it won¡¯t bother others.¡± Xu Yan looked satisfied.. Chapter 219 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m off to practice now.¡± Xu Yan cheerfully found an empty room. After entering, he started to dissect his True Qi. Leng Qiu was dumbfounded, sure enough, he was here to freeload. ¡°The senior brother should be on his way to the Seven-Star Study Palace now, right? The whole of Seven-Star City is buzzing with talks about the senior brother¡¯s power and abnormal abilities. The Seven-Star Study Palace is boiling with excitement. ¡°I wonder if senior brother can handle this fame.¡± Leng Qiu sighed inwardly. The senior brother¡¯s friend was outrageously powerful. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, after leaving Prince Du¡¯s mansion, made a beeline for the Wushuang Pavilion. The rumor was still spreading that a young man had killed a nearly accomplished Great Grandmaster and confronted the Wushuang Great Grandmaster, all in front of a Great Grandmaster¡¯s face, and left safely. Sword Dao Cliff, Xie Lingfeng! He truly was the unparalleled prodigy of Sword Dao Cliff. Moreover, there was even a rumor that Xie Lingfeng had a confusing love affair with a mysterious beauty from Wushuang Pavilion. The legendary beauty was deeply captivated by Xie Lingfeng¡¯s peerless demeanor, deeply in love, and unable to extricate herself! And the stories became more and more outrageous! ¡°Young Master, I think you should not use your real name. I¡¯m afraid it might bring danger!¡± Hu Shan said worriedly. Xie Lingfeng:¡­ The notoriety Xu Yan had created was too great. Killing in front of a Great Grandmaster, and rumored to have a complicated entanglement with the one from Wushuang Pavilion. If misunderstood that he¡¯s an imposter, then it would be troublesome. ¡°You have a point!¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded seriously. The two rushed directly to Wushuang Pavilion, hoping to find Xu Yan¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°I am Xie Yan, here to inquire about my brother Xie Lingfeng¡¯s whereabouts!¡± Xie Lingfeng asked the person in charge at Wushuang Pavilion. Hu Shan:¡­ Suddenly, a voice came from the top floor of Wushuang Pavilion. ¡°Could you be the friend Young Master Xie speaks of? Please come up.¡± Xie Lingfeng perked up. Could this be the rumored alluring beauty who is infatuated with Xu Yan? ¡°Thank you!¡± Xie Lingfeng took off into the air, heading to the top of Wushuang Pavilion. Hu Shan followed closely, but he was pressed down by a force. ¡°No laypersons are allowed!¡± A cold woman¡¯s voice came from somewhere. Hu Shan:¡­ He could only wait down below, feeling stifled. As Xie Lingfeng stepped into the courtyard, he saw a woman in plain clothes. His expression suddenly changed, and he unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword. A powerful aura enveloped him, and his expression was incredibly serious. The woman in plain clothes turned her head to look at him, her bright eyes seemed to arouse primitive desires in people. Even though you couldn¡¯t see her face, she gave people a sense that she could overthrow a country or a city with her beauty. Dressed in snow-white clothes, her bright eyes shone like stars, as she stood in the pavilion. At this moment, Xie Lingfeng felt inexplicably agitated! His heart felt like it was ready to burst out of his chest, and his blood was churning. It seemed that his desire was about to take over his logic, and he felt an urge to kneel before her, becoming a subject under her garments. His desire was burning, and yet, this sudden desire was not directed at the woman in the plain suit, but was abruptly running rampant. This woman in plain clothes, who seemed unspeakably sacred, was not the object of his burning desire. He just wanted to go under the Wushuang Pavilion to vent on someone. ¡°Not good!¡± Xie Lingfeng was shocked. What land of cultivation technique is this? He was not as good as Xu Yan, but he was the first prodigy of Sword Dao Cliff in a thousand years. His natural talent was not low, and his comprehension of the sword was extremely strong. At this moment, Xie Lingfeng circulated his True Qi, trying to pacify his agitated heart. His sword was halfway drawn, with the sword light swirling around him. ¡°Brother Xu once said that there is no woman in his heart, and the Sword Dao is divine. I think I am starting to understand this mysterious state, but it¡¯s really difficult to break through. ¡°Perhaps if I break through this barrier and enter this mysterious state, my understanding of the sword will become clear!¡± Xie Lingfeng sighed inwardly. The plain-clothed woman withdrew her gaze and laughed: ¡°The friend of Young Master Xie is indeed extraordinary. There must be few of your peers in this Inner Domain who can match up to you.¡± ¡°I am flattered!¡± Xie Lingfeng sheathed his sword and bowed respectfully. ¡°1 have no idea where Young Master Xie has gone. Now you can go.¡± The woman in plain clothes waved her hand. ¡°Goodbye!¡± Xie Lingfeng turned around to leave. His heart was chilled. ¡°This woman, who is also a beginner Grandmaster, is no stronger than me in terms of actual power. But her strange seductive technique is extraordinary. ¡°If we really fought, and if I couldn¡¯t calm my mind, I might not be able to win!¡± The rumored Oiran of Wushuang Pavilion was really so powerful. ¡°This Wushuang Oiran is not a real Oiran. She is in Wushuang Pavilion to practice this mysterious cultivation technique.¡± Xie Lingfeng was thoughtful. ¡°How did Brother Xie handle her back then?¡± Xu Yan came to Wushuang Pavilion to refine his mind and must have met this woman. How did he deal with her bewitching techniques? Xie Lingfeng suspected that the woman in plain clothes did not exert her full force on him! ¡°Young Master, how did it go?¡± Hu Shan came up to him and asked curiously. ¡°No news. Let¡¯s go!¡± Xie Lingfeng didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer and hurriedly left. At the top of Wushuang Pavilion. 1 he figure of the Wushuang Great Grandmaster appeared and smiled at the woman in plain clothes: ¡°My dear, you¡¯ve actually fallen for him, haven¡¯t you? As soon as you heard he was his friend, he was invited up!¡± Master, don¡¯t spout nonsense! I¡¯m just curious to see how powerful the friend he mentioned is.¡± I he woman in plain clothes rolled her eyes at her master. ¡°Anyone who can become friends with Young Master Xie is truly remarkable!¡± Chapter 220 Translator: 549690339 She let out a sigh. ¡°Where shall we go next, young master?¡± she asked. After leaving the Thousand Stars Lake, Hu Shan asked. Xie Lingfeng pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s stick around Sword Master Cliff, keep an eye out for any news concerning me.¡± As a top powerhouse in the Inner Domain, Sword Master Cliff naturally has an information network for obtaining news from the martial world. Just then, a shadow appeared midair, and a grey bird the size of a fist landed. Tied to its leg was a message tube. ¡°News from a Flying Sparrow! What¡¯s happened?¡± Seeing this, Hu Shan froze, perplexed. Flying Sparrow News is the often-used communication method in the Inner Domain¡¯s major factions, raised and trained specifically for this, belongs to the sect¡¯s flying sparrows, a near-spiritual bird species that is fast, concealed strongly, and can fly high, sending messages day and night. Furthermore, they can recognize the sender, within a certain range, they can quickly find the person to whom the message must be passed. Major factions establish Flying Sparrow News sites in certain areas, forming a large communication network, and there are only a few factions in the entire inner Domain that can establish such a vast communication network. And the Sword Master Cliff is one of them. That being said, they wouldn¡¯t use Flying Sparrow News unless it¡¯s an emergency or a special circumstance. The consumption every time it¡¯s used is not small, requiring spiritual medicine to maintain the sparrow¡¯s ability to communicate. Xie Lingfeng untied the message tube from the sparrow¡¯s leg and took out the message inside. ¡°Brother Xu has gone to the Seven-star Study Palace and has challenged the nine stages of the Martial Arts stage ¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s scalp tingled slightly. ¡°Hiss!¡± Hu Shan was shocked, ¡± Can Xu Yan already defeat a Great Grandmaster?¡± The defender at the ninth level of the Seven-star Study Palace is a Great Grandmaster! ¡°No, Brother Xu has broken the rules, defeating ten peak Grandmasters at the ninth level and entering the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s library under my name.¡± Xie Lingfeng handed the message to Hu Shan. After reading it, Hu Shan joyfully said, ¡°Young master, this is good news, your reputation will shake not only the Seven-star Study Palace, but also the Inner Domain.¡± Xie Lingfeng wanted to cry but had no tears, ¡°What kind of strength does Brother Xu have and what kind do I have? Do you think I can bear this kind of reputation?¡± Hu Shan thought, and agreed. ¡°To the Seven-star Study Palace!¡± Xie Lingfeng said in a deep voice. He must clarify that he is the real Xie Lingfeng, or else one day he might have to change his name. He can¡¯t bear such a reputation. As Xie Lingfeng set off for the Seven-star Study Palace, a woman in plain clothes in Wushuang Pavilion took a message from a sparrow¡¯s leg, the more she read, the more shocked she got. ¡°Young Master Xie, You¡¯re truly unparalleled!¡± She let out a heartfelt sigh and said to her master, ¡°Master, 1 want to go to the Seven-star Study Palace.¡± The Wushuang Great Grandmaster chuckled, ¡°Just as I thought, you¡¯ve got a crush on him!¡± The woman in plain clothes rolled her eyes, ignoring her master, and said, ¡°Grandma Yao, will you come with me?¡± An old woman appeared in the courtyard and said, ¡°Okay! She is a Great Grandmaster. Seven-star Study Palace. Even though it¡¯s been three days since Xu Yan stirred things up, the waves he created still hadn¡¯t settled. It had become a hot topic of discussion at the Seven-star Study Palace. Everywhere you go, you can hear the students discussing Xu Yan¡¯s feat of challenging the ninth level martial arts stage. ¡°Miss, Young Master Xie has arrived at the Seven-star Study Palace!¡± In a certain standalone courtyard in the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s Inner Courtyard, Cui¡¯er came running over, her face filled with excitement. Upon hearing this, Du Yuying¡¯s eyes lit up and she asked, ¡°Cui¡¯er, where is Young Master Xie?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but everyone in the school is talking about Young Master Xie. He¡¯s defeated the tenth great instructor of the school at the ninth level Martial Artsplatform.¡± Admiration filled Cui¡¯er¡¯s eyes. ¡°Cui¡¯er, quickly find out where Young Master Xie is. I want to see him! Du Yuying¡¯s face reddened. She said eagerly. ¡°Yes, Miss, I will spend some more money and ask someone to help investigate.¡± Cui¡¯er was just as eager. ¡°Hurry!¡± Du Yuying reminded. Cui¡¯er hurried away. in the Jiansun Cliff retreat, the True Qi on Xu Yan¡¯s fingers split into ten, each strand of True Qi was greatly solidified, precisely instead of being in a dispersed state. ¡°Finally, it was successful.¡± Understanding the True Qi on his fingers, the True Qi erupting from his body began to split continuously, dividing into two¡­ With every split, the True Qi became thinner and more defined. In the end, there was a dense array of True Qi needles as thin as hair surrounding Xu Yan, transforming his entire body into a humanoid hedgehog. ¡°So, this is the mystique of True Qi. When I split the True Qi, I am also enhancing it, pushing it nearly to its limit. At this point, the purity of my True Qi has increased by about thirty percent. ¡°This is almost the limit of True Qi, and having comprehended the mystique of True Qi gives me some insight into the method of Tongxuan. Xu Yan was very excited. His power had improved once more. With one thought, needle-like True Qi converged into one, and it formed a small dragon of True Qi. This is not the dragon produced from the Descending Dragon Palm, but a dragon formed by splitting and combining True Qi. ¡°The power of my Descending Dragon Palm has also increased. With control over True Qi growing stronger, especially after its split and recombination, the power and the attack mode of Descending Dragon Palm also improved. ¡°It¡¯s time to break through to the Great Achievement Innate Realm.¡± Xu Yan gathered his spirits, his eyes gleamed with anticipation. After breaking through the Great Achievement Innate Realm, he will no longer fear Great Grandmasters. Even if it was a peak Great Grandmaster, he would not fear them. Even if he could not win, the opponent could do nothing to him. ¡°To leap over a major realm in power,¡± Xu Yan was buzzing with excitement. With the completion of the Innate Realm, he would no longer fear Great Grandmasters. Once the Innate Realm is perfected, an ordinary Great Grandmaster could be killed with just one sword. Once he broke through the Tongxuan Realm, sweeping over the Great Grandmasters would be no big deal! Even those top peak Great Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, he could easily defeat them. Xu Yan sat cross-legged, beginning to break through the Great Achievement Innate Realm. He drew the spiritual energy from the world around him, constantly refining it into the Innate True Qi. ¡°The spiritual energy in the Inner Domain is too gentle, less fierce and domineering, could this be due to the Heavenly Earth Spirit Mechanism?¡± ¡°With just a thought, it allows for the spiritual energy from heaven and earth to enter the body. I¡¯m almost able to control the spiritual energy now; I can sense a gentle rhythm between heaven and earth. ¡°Could this be the so-called Heavenly Earth Spirit Mechanism? Xu Yan silently perceived. The spiritual energy in the Inner Domain is too gentle; he doesn¡¯t need to run his Cultivation Technique virtually. With just one thought, the spiritual energy from heaven and earth would enter his body, pass through the Heavenly Bridge, and refine into True Qi, directed to his Dantian Qi Sea. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s the same for the martial artists in the Inner Domain?¡± Xu Yan pondered. The Heavenly Bridge connects the spiritual energy at the border, allowing for the absorption and cultivation of the spiritual energy. Upon arriving in the Inner Domain, the absorption speed of the spiritual energy has become nearly inconceivable. Even without the operation of the Cultivation Technique, with just one thought, the spiritual energy from heaven and earth will actively enter the body. Xu Yan guessed that this could be the function of the Heavenly Earth Spirit Mechanism and wondered whether martial artists in the Inner Domain also cultivate in this way? Rumble! The True Qi within his body was continuously strengthening, and Dantian Qi Sea was continuously expanding as if it had truly become as vast as the sea. Breaking through the Great Achievement Innate Realm, he encountered no obstacles. Xu Yan, in one swift effort, has fully broken into the Great Achievement Innate Realm. ¡°This is the Great Achievement Innate Realm. With my current strength, even Fu Yuntian, the Great Grandmaster, can¡¯t pose a threat to me.¡± Xu Yan was silently evaluating, ¡°Fu Yuntian is the top supervisor of the Seven-star Study Palace. He¡¯s a Great Grandmaster with great achievement, one major realm higher than me, moreover, he belongs to the strongest amongst the Great Grandmasters with great achievement. ¡°He has cultivated the strong martial arts of the Seven-star Study Palace. He must have mastered several martial arts secrets. ¡°Moreover, he must have cultivated a secret technique which allows him to self-inflict damage, and explosively increase his power in an instant. So, defeating him is not so simple.¡± Since the Seven-star Study Palace has a secret technique to self-inflicted damage for an explosive breakthrough in power, how could the martial artists of Seven-Star Study Palace not cultivate it? It might not be necessary to use it, but it¡¯s necessary to know it. Once life is threatened, it can be used. Heavily injured is always better than death. Dying with the enemy is better than dying alone. So, without a doubt, Fu Yuntian must have cultivated this secret technique. Remembering the powerful palm of his Master defeating a Great Grandmaster Xu Yan felt a fire stirring inside, ¡°Although I can¡¯t defeat Fu Yuntian with a single palm, there should be no issue in defeating him. ¡°If I allow all eighteen golden dragons to strike together and bombard him relentlessly with dozens of blows, could that be enough to defeat him?¡± Xu Yan evaluated in his heart and had a rough estimate. Chapter 221 Translator: 549690339 | After Xu Yan broke through to the peak of the Innate Realm, he came out of his room and saw Lengqiu practicing his sword. He watched for a while, then opened his mouth and said, ¡°Your sword movements are too scattered and not ruthless enough. There shouldn¡¯t be any hesitation in your mind. When you want to strike with your sword, you just strike. Don¡¯t think about the next move before you even strike out.¡± After living here for a few days, he had saved a lot of Spirit Crystals. So, why not give some instructions to Leng Qiu? Lengqiu was immediately energized. This was a true Sword Dao powerhouse. ¡°What should I do then to practice correctly?¡± Xu Yan raised his hand and caught a branch that fell into his hand, ¡°I won¡¯t teach you more, the Sword Dao is too profound. You might not understand it for a while. When you meet Brother Xie, you can ask him for advice. ¡°Today, I will teach you Swordsmanship, the Swordsmanship of your Sword Respect Cliff, which I have improved, the Wanhe Swordsmanship.¡± After saying that, Xu Yan waved the branch with Sword Qi crisscrossing. While performing, he explained the Wanhe Swordsmanship to Leng Qiu. Lengqiu watched solemnly, afraid that he might miss any point. After Xu Yan finished, he threw the branch, ¡°How much you can remember and learn, all depends on yourself.¡± Then, he walked out. ¡°Brother Xie is here, where can he find you?¡± Lengqiu asked hastily. ¡°At the collection pavilion of the Seven-star Study Palace.¡± Xu Yan answered. In the collection pavilion, there are countless books. He wanted to go and browse them to increase knowledge. A true Martial Artist is not a brute. Xu Yan always remembered his master¡¯s teachings. Not long after he left, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan came. ¡°Junior brother Lengqiu, where is Brother Xu?¡± Xie Lingfeng asked anxiously. ¡°Brother Xie, you finally arrived. He has gone to the collection pavilion of the Seven-star Study Palace.¡± Lengqiu was meditating on Xu Yan¡¯s transmitted Swordsmanship. When he saw his senior brother, he replied joyfully. Senior brother, is it true that he can mention your name, no matter what he meets in the Inner Domain?¡± Lengqiu curiously asked. Xie Lingfeng twitched his mouth and coughed, ¡°Don¡¯t ask about my affairs with Brother Xu.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, to the collection pavilion of the Seven-star Study Palace!¡± Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan left in a hurry. Seven-star Study Palace, collection pavilion, ninth floor. Xu Yan was reading the remaining books. After he finished them all, he went to the eighth floor to continue reading. The more he reads, the more he feels, ¡°No wonder Master said, don¡¯t be proud and arrogant. When you come to the Inner Domain, you should read more. The Martial Arts techniques and secret techniques in the Inner Domain are too numerous.¡± ¡°Swordsmanship, Spear Methods, Knife Methods, etc., there are countless types. Various biographies, cultivation insights, ways to deal with powerful enemies, everything is here.¡± ¡°Although these techniques and secret techniques are weaker, they can be understood by analogy, which gives me new insights.¡± ¡°Take their essence, integrate it into myself, and absorb all the methods into one body.¡± After reading the Martial Arts books of the Seven-star Study Palace, Xu Yan felt that his insight had increased. He understood the Martial Arts passed down by his master more easily. A figure walked into the Seven-star Study Palace. He held a folding fan in his hand and was chatting with one teaching assistant casually. ¡± Wlio would have thought, senior brother Yin Hong, actually broke through to the Great Grandmaster Realm first.¡± The teaching assistant sighed. ¡°I had the help of a benefactor, just a fluke. I just broke through.¡± Yin Hong said modestly. The Seven-star Study Palace was the same as before. Many geniuses from all over Inner Domain came here to study, hoping to get guidance from famous teachers. Back then, he was also a student in the Seven-star Study Palace. He left the palace after reaching the first-grade realm and ventured in the Inner Domain. He broke through to the Grandmaster Realm but failed to succeed in the Great Grandmaster Realm. He stayed at the Half-step to the Great Grandmaster Realm, living on Canglan Island, and became a well-known powerhouse in Dayue Kingdom. After getting support from the benefactor, he made his move last time, but it resulted in failure. However, since it was Xie Lingfeng of Sword Respect Cliff who took action, his benefactor did not blame him for his failure to retreat. Instead, he was given a 6th-grade Spiritual Medicine. After years of accumulation, he finally broke through the Great Grandmaster Realm. He came to the Seven-star Study Palace this time, to help the benefactor look for students with excellent talents, to win them over. Also, to maintain the relationship with Seven-star Study Palace. ¡°As soon as I arrived in the Seven-Star City, I heard that Xie Lingfeng of Sword Respect Cliff broke through the ninth level of the Arena Platform? Did my Seven-star Study Palace get overpowered by Sword Respect Cliff?¡± Yin Hong said in a somewhat unwilling tone. He was defeated by Xu Yan and fled in a pathetic manner, feeling frustrated. If it weren¡¯t for the fear of Sword Respect Cliff, he would have sought revenge the moment he broke into Great Grandmaster Realm. However, Xie Lingfeng is a genius of Sword Respect Cliff. He is merely a Great Grandmaster. If he dared to bully the small with the big, taking action against Xie Lingfeng, he would be annihilated in the next moment. Even the benefactor behind him could not save him! Xie Lingfeng was not only a genius of Sword Respect Cliff, but also the only child of the current Sword Palace Master, Xie Tianheng. Xie Tianheng as a Great Grandmaster was ranked in the top five in the Inner Domain. Xie Lingfeng is a freak. There¡¯s no one in this generation of the Seven-star Study Palace that can match him. What can we do?¡± The teaching assistant shook his head and said with a bitter smile. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Palace Master care?¡± Yin Hong said in a low voice. ¡°Why would the Palace Master care about the youngsters¡¯ affairs? Moreover, the Great Supervisory Teacher Fu has already stepped in. The matter ends here. Geniuses naturally have rules for geniuses. My Seven-star Study Palace has always focused on cultivating geniuses, not suppressing them.¡± The teaching assistant looked at Yin Hong a little strangely. This guy, why does it feel like he has some grudges against Xie Lingfeng? However, even though Yin Hong was once a student of the Seven-star Study Palace, he has been independent for a long time and has no right to interfere in the affairs of the Seven-star Study Palace. Naturally, the Seven-star Study Palace would not care about his affairs. Chapter 222 Translator: 549690339 | Seeing this, Yin Hong decided not to say anything further. It was clear that trying to instigate the Seven-star Study Palace against Xie Lingfeng was pointless. Still, he felt frustration simmering inside him. However, he could only suppress it. After all, he dared not to provoke the sword venerable precipice. ¡°Where is Xie Lingfeng?¡± Yin Hong inquired curiously. ¡°He is in the Collecting Cabinet. He has been there for two days.¡± The instructor replied with a smile. ¡°I had a brief encounter with him, it¡¯s been a while, and I would like to see his extraordinary demeanor.¡± Yin Hong said with a smile. He headed towards the Collecting Cabinet. On the other hand, Du Yuying and Cui¡¯er were also heading toward the Collecting Cabinet. ¡°Young master Xu Yan, when will he come out?¡± Outside the Collecting Cabinet, a group of students from the Seven-star Study Palace gathered, waiting for Xu Yan. Both Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were amongst this crowd, also waiting for Xu Yan. Ever since Xu Yan entered the Collecting Cabinet, in order to avoid the interference from the students, temporary restrictions were placed, limiting the students¡¯ entry who could only remain on the first floor. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, being outsiders who hadn¡¯t taken the martial arts test, naturally couldn¡¯t enter. Besides, even if they did enter the Collecting Cabinet, they couldn¡¯t see Xu Yan, who was on either the eighth or ninth floor. ¡°Hu Shan, look at these prodigies from the Seven-star Study Palace, all of them are here for Xie Lingfeng. If I dare to reveal my identity, what do you think will happen?¡± Xie Lingfeng said with a tragic expression. ¡°Young master, they are not qualified to despise you. Although your strength is not as good as Xu Yan¡¯s, none of them can defeat you.¡± Hu Shan consoled him. Xie Lingfeng nodded, this made sense! He also had his pride. ¡°Though I am not as good as Brother Xu, in the Inner Domain, I am the first in sword Dao among the young generation. There are few who could match my strength!¡± With this thought, Xie Lingfeng straightened his back. Suddenly, Xie Lingfeng spotted a familiar figure, his pupils slightly contracted. ¡°Why is she here?¡± Hu Shan curiously followed his gaze, it was a plain-clothed woman with her face covered by a veil, revealing a blurry appearance. Standing next to her was a great grandmaster! ¡°Young master, do you know her?¡± ¡°The one from Wushuang Pavilion!¡± Xie Lingfeng said in a deep voice. The plain-clothed woman at the moment seemed free from temptation, just an exquisite lady whose face was obscure, nothing more. However, Xie Lingfeng had a deep sense of awe for her. Among his peers in the Inner Domain, there existed only one person that could derive such reverence from him, and that was this woman! Just then, a shrill voice came: ¡°Miss, miss, it¡¯s him, the villain who impersonated Young Master Xie!¡± Xie Lingfeng:!!! Turning his head, he saw that maiden from the Prince Du¡¯s mansion, who was now glaring at him with rage. Next to her stood another woman with a veil on her face. Du Yuying¡¯s eyes were filled with cold, she stared harshly at Xie Lingfeng. This rascal, is he planning to tarnish Young Master Xie¡¯s reputation again by impersonating him? ¡°Sir, why are you impersonating Young Master Xie?¡± Du Yuying walked over, her voice crisp and cold. A middle-aged woman followed closely behind her, a peak grandmaster. Swish! Every pair of eyes at the scene turned towards them, all of them shocked beyond belief. This man impersonated Xie Lingfeng? How dare he? Not far away, the plain-clothed woman approached, her eyes brimming with curiosity. Did this man impersonate Young Master Xie? Xie Lingfeng¡¯s mouth twitched, I am the real Xie Lingfeng! Hu Shan broke out in a cold sweat, feeling the immense pressure. It seemed as though a fire was simmering within the crowd, about to explode towards the two of them. ¡°Young master, should we retreat?¡± Hu Shan asked via spiritual message. ¡°Retreat now, wouldn¡¯t that be too timid? We must wait for Brother Xu to come out!¡± Xie Lingfeng gritted his teeth. ¡± Hey, we asked you a question. Why did you impersonate Young Master Xie?¡± Cui¡¯er aggressively glared at him. ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng said helplessly. ¡°What misunderstanding? Aren¡¯t you Xie Yan?¡± The plain-clothed woman cast an inquiring glance. Xie Lingfeng suddenly felt an enormous pressure. Everyone was staring at him, seemingly ready to unleash a barrage of insults, threatening to drown him in spit. Of course, if fighting was allowed, they would probably swarm over him. ¡°Young master, thank god the Seven-star Study Palace prohibits fighting!¡± Hu Shan said with a relieved expression. Just when Xie Lingfeng was at his wits¡¯ end, a figure appeared in front of the Collecting Cabinet. ¡°Eh, Brother Xie, you are here?¡± Xu Yan immediately spotted Xie Lingfeng and walked over excitedly. He completely disregarded Du Yuying and the woman in the plain dress¡­ Xie Lingfeng felt instantly relieved, grabbing Xu Yan¡¯s hands, hot tears welled up in his eyes, ¡°Brother Xu, you finally came out!¡± If he didn¡¯t come out, Xie would have been unable to hold on! All the people present were a bit stunned, Brother Xu? Isn¡¯t that Xie Lingfeng? Du Yuying and the woman in the plain dress wore surprised expressions too. ¡°Brother Xie, using your name worked really well. If not for your name, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach the ninth level.¡± Xu Yan cheerfully said. ¡°As long as it works, as long as it works!¡± Xie Lingfeng showed a relieved smile. ¡°Young Master Xie, aren¡¯t you¡­¡± Cui¡¯er was stunned, ¡°she exclaimed in shock. ¡°Miss Du?¡± Xu Yan seemed to finally notice Du Yuying, greeting her, ¡°Long time no see, are you a student of the Seven-star Study Palace?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Du Yuying¡¯s emotions were complicated as she said softly: ¡°Yuying is grateful to the Young Master for his escort, may I ask how to address you?¡± It was already obvious that this person was not Xie Lingfeng from the Sword God Cliff. ¡°Well¡­¡± Xu Yan scratched his head, uncertain whether to reveal his name. All the people present were taken aback. The demonic boy who passed through the nine-level arena was not Xie Lingfeng from the Sword God Cliff? He used Xie Lingfeng¡¯s name to enter The Library. And the real Xie Lingfeng didn¡¯t seem to care that he had used his name. Xie Lingfeng was afraid that Xu Yan would continue to use his name. If he continued to make a name for himself, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it. So, he quickly whispered,¡± Brother Xu, with your strength, how can you not make a name for yourself in the Inner Domain? ¡°Why not seize this opportunity to spread your fame? Just like me, Xie Lingfeng, I have a small reputation. Some people call me ¡®Swordman Xie Lingfeng¡¯. I have killed many evil Martial Artists for this reputation.¡± When Xu Yan heard this, he thought it made sense. He himself had already reached the peak of the Innate realm, and even a Great Grandmaster couldn¡¯t do anything to him. Coming to the Inner Domain, he couldn¡¯t be without any reputation, right? ¡°My master said I possess the potential to become a Sword God. I will become one!¡± With this thought, Xu Yan suddenly felt vigorous and said, ¡°I am Sword God Xu Yan!¡± Xie Lingfeng:¡­ Everyone:¡­ As always, so arrogant! Sword God? What would Sword Master Cliff think? ¡°So, it¡¯s Young Master Xu.¡± Du Yuying said softly, her gaze complex. The woman in the plain dress had a strange expression. This boy was not from Sword Master Cliff, where did he come from? He¡¯s so arrogant to even call himself Sword God! The current sword master of Sword Master Cliff, Great Grandmaster Xie Tianheng, who is recognized as the strongest in Sword Dao in the Inner Domain, doesn¡¯t even dare call himself Sword God! Just as everyone was feeling uncertain, a voice suddenly rang out. ¡°What audacity to fake someone else¡¯s identity to enter the Library, are you mocking the Seven-star Study Palace?¡± When these words came out, everyone present was taken aback. Right, since he¡¯s not Xie Lingfeng, but used Xie Lingfeng¡¯s name to enter the ninth level, isn¡¯t he deceiving the Seven-star Study Palace? Xu Yan looked towards the source of the voice, raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, the half-bucket deadbeat. Oh, you¡¯ve actually made a breakthrough? That was unexpected!¡± Yin Hong was furious. He was already holding a belly-full of anger because he didn¡¯t dare to have any retaliation out of fear of Sword Master Cliff. To his surprise, the latter was not Xie Lingfeng. And he even used someone else¡¯s name, and used it to sneak into The Library. The strong people in the Seven-star Study Palace should come out to uphold the rules, right? As a result, as soon as he opened his mouth, he was looked down upon. Half-bucket deadbeat? ¡°Insult the Grandmaster, you¡¯re courting death!¡± At this moment, Yin Hong¡¯s momentum erupted, and the pressure like that of heaven¡¯s might swept out. ¡°This is the Seven-star Study Palace!¡± Suddenly, a voice came out, and the momentum on Yin Hong¡¯s body was immediately suppressed. Yin Hong¡¯s heart trembled, he quickly collected his aura, bowed and said, ¡°Greetings, Great Licensee!¡± Fu Yuntian looked at Xu Yan with a complex expression. He thought he had guessed that this was the genius of the Sword Master Cliff, but it turned out he was using someone else¡¯s name! How did he dare do that? ¡°Great Licensee, this person¡­ ¡± Yin Hong pointed at Xu Yan and began to speak in a deep voice. ¡°You half-bucket deadbeat, you¡¯re quite arrogant, pointing at me. If I don¡¯t slap you to death with one palm, I, Xu Yan, will change my surname to yours!¡± Xu Yan was enraged. What the hell, trying to intimidate me? Are you tired of living?! Chapter 223 Translator: 549690339 Upon hearing this, Yin Hong¡¯s face turned pale green, his gaze filled with murderous intent, he coldly said, ¡°Are you aware of the consequences of disrespecting a Great Grandmaster?¡± Xu Yan cast a disdainful glance at him, ¡°What will be the outcome of disrespecting a third-rate Great Grandmaster like you? What are you, a piece of trash that could be killed with one palm strike!¡± Utter silence fell over the entire scene! A Great Grandmaster, killed with one palm stroke? Isn¡¯t this outrageously arrogant? Fu Yuntian was dumbfounded, knowing that Xu Yan was extremely arrogant, but he didn¡¯t expect him to go this far. It¡¯s okay for Grandmasters, after all, he has the strength to be arrogant. But Yin Hong is a Great Grandmaster, although he just recently broke through to that level, a Great Grandmaster is still a Great Grandmaster, how could a Grandmaster match up to that? Could it be, in just a few days, his strength has grown so strong that he could completely ignore the presence of a Great Grandmaster? ¡°Young man, why are you impersonating someone and entering the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s library?¡± Fu Yuntian asked helplessly. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, isn¡¯t it ¡®borrowing¡¯, not impersonating¡¯?¡± Xu Yan said displeasedly. ¡°Right, I borrowed it for Brother Xu to use, is there a problem with that?¡± Although Xie Lingfeng was equally shocked by Xu Yan¡¯s audacity, he knew that since Xu Yan had said this, he must have been confident that he could kill that Great Grandmaster with one palm strike. How long has it been? Has Xu Yan¡¯s strength already become so terrifying? He turned to Fu Yuntian and said, ¡°There¡¯s no rule in the Seven-star Study Palace that says you can¡¯t borrow someone else¡¯s identity to browse the classics, right? I am Xie Lingfeng, my father is Xie Tianheng, if the Grand Supervising Tutor is not satisfied, I, Xie Lingfeng, am willing to take responsibility!¡± Fu Yuntian was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°From today onwards, anyone who borrows someone else¡¯s name to enter the library will be severely punished!¡± Thus, the rule was established. As for Xu Yan borrowing Xie Lingfeng¡¯s identity, we will let it pass. After all, heaven-sent prodigies do have some privileges. Especially prodigies like these. ¡°Grand Supervising Tutor, are you just going to let this go?¡± Yin Hong was somewhat dissatisfied. Xu Yan rubbed his hands and said, ¡°Grand Supervising Tutor, in your Seven-star Study Palace, we¡¯re not allowed to use martial force. How about we place a bet? If I can blow him up with one palm strike, then this rule doesn¡¯t apply to me, how about it?¡± Gulp! Everyone was astonished, all looking at Xu Yan in shock. That¡¯s a Great Grandmaster, isn¡¯t it scary enough to kill him with one palm strike? And he¡¯s even audaciously claiming he could blow him up with one palm strike? Even Fu Yuntian was almost unable to hold back his curse words. Yin Hong, no matter how weak, is still a Great Grandmaster. Even he couldn¡¯t blow him up with one palm strike. Not to mention blowing him up, it would be difficult to defeat Yin Hong with one move, no matter how weak he was, he was still a Great Grandmaster! ¡°Brother Xu, please be careful!¡± Xie Lingfeng hurriedly said. Although Xu Yan never spouts nonsense, blowing up a Great Grandmaster with one palm strike is terrifying. What if he failed to do so, there would be big trouble. ¡°Young Master Xu, please think it over!¡± Yuying also hurriedly advised. Yin Hong was so angry that his nose was twisted, with continued disrespect and humiliation. He was a dignified Great Grandmaster, how could he bear this? Blow him up with one palm? This outrageous youngster! He soared into the air, the momentum of a Great Grandmaster stirring the air, but he dared not suppress it downward, after all, there were a bunch of students from the Seven-star Study Palace below. If he did so, it would be equivalent to challenging the Seven-star Study Palace, which he could not afford. He glared angrily at Xu Yan, ¡°Arrogant boy, I would like to see how you¡¯ll blow me up, dare to fight me on the martial arts stage!¡± However, Xu Yan ignored him, but looked at Fu Yuntian with a smirk, and said jokingly, ¡°Grand Supervising Tutor, what¡¯s your decision?¡± Fu Yuntian was also taken aback by him, where did he get the confidence to blow up a Great Grandmaster with one palm strike? ¡°You can go to the martial arts stage to fight him, but you should think it over. The power of a Great Grandmaster, even the weakest Great Grandmaster, is not something that ten peak Grandmasters can match.¡± Fu Yuntian said solemnly. ¡°How boring it would be to go to the martial arts stage. I¡¯m Xu Yan, always focused on challenging the rules. Only here, if I could blow him up with one palm strike, it would be far more exciting.¡± Xu Yan said arrogantly. Everyone:¡­ So, you¡¯re really here to break the rules, aren¡¯t you? Fu Yuntian pondered for a long while, then said, ¡°In that case, if you can indeed blow him up with one palm strike, we¡¯ll let you off the hook. If you can¡¯t, you will stay here in the Seven-star Study Palace, how about that?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Xu Yan nodded. All the people present fell silent at this moment. No one expressed any dissatisfaction with Fu Yuntian¡¯s proposal. Real prodigies do have special privileges, especially freaks like Xu Yan. ¡°Please stand back.¡± Fu Yuntian looked at the students and said solemnly. People hurriedly backed away, after all, when a Great Grandmaster makes his move, even a slight wave could cause death or injury. ¡°Brother Xu, are you confident about this?¡± Xie Lingfeng asked solemnly. ¡°Rest assured, he¡¯s just a third-rate Great Grandmaster.¡± Xu Yan confidently replied. ¡°Young Master Xu, please be careful not to underestimate your opponent!¡± Yuying spoke with concern. However, the woman in white merely chuckled and said, ¡°I have never seen a Great Grandmaster get blown up in my life ¨C I¡¯m looking forward to it. Young Master Xu, please do not disappoint me.¡± Yin Hong, who was floating in mid-air, was seething with rage, unable to believe that anyone dared to belittle him so much. He glared angrily at the woman in white, but then his gaze fell on the old woman next to her. He felt a chill down his spine and quickly diverted his gaze! Great Grandmaster! Her power surpassed him! He took a deep breath, his aura surged, the power of a Great Grandmaster was evident without a doubt. He glared angrily at Xu Yan and said coldly, ¡°Arrogant youngster, today I¡¯ll let you know, the end of disrespecting a Great Grandmaster!¡± He had already decided to exert his full strength, and must kill Xu Yan with one strike. He must not give Fu Yuntian the chance to intervene and save him. A dead prodigy has no value at all.. Chapter 224 Great Grandmaster with One Palm 2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Hold on!¡± Just as Yin Hong was about to strike, Xu Yan spoke. ¡°Kid, it¡¯s too late for you to back out now!¡± Yin Hong laughed menacingly. ¡°Who says I¡¯m backing out?¡± Xu Yan cast a contemptuous glance at him, ¡°Tell me, do you carry Spirit Bills with you?¡± Everyone was shocked. They were about to duel to the death and he was asking about Spirit Bills? What¡¯s his angle? Yin Hong was somewhat taken aback and frowned, ¡°Of course, 1 have Spirit Bills!¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was delighted. ¡°Quick, hand them over. I fear that when the battle begins, if I hit you too hard, I might destroy your Spirit Bills. That would be a great loss!¡± Everyone:¡­ Yin Hong¡¯s face turned red with rage, ¡°Impudent fool, how dare you insult me!¡± He unfurled the folding fan in his hand, ready to strike. But Xu Yan said, ¡°You are a Great Grandmaster. You must have at least hundreds of thousands of Spirit Bills, right? It would be such a waste to destroy them. Consider them as the stake for our bet. Hand them over quickly. Don¡¯t waste time.¡± Seeing Yin Hong trembling with rage and making no move to retrieve his Spirit Bills, Xu Yan added, ¡°If you don¡¯t bring out your Spirit Bills, I¡¯ll call off the bet. Let¡¯s see if you dare to attack me then!¡± Yin Hong grit his teeth in anger. If Xu Yan were to cancel the bet, how could he justify killing this insolent youth on the spot? Given his relationship with Xie Lingfeng, he could hide in the Seven-star Study Palace for a few days. Once a Great Grandmaster from Sword Dao Cliff arrives, he would lose his chance for revenge. With this in mind, he pulled out a small bag. ¡°Take it! ii He threw the bag down. Xu Yan caught it and opened it to find a spiritual medicine and a stack of Spirit Bills. ¡°For a Great Grandmaster, you are really poor! What a waste! Even the Grandmasters I¡¯ve killed were richer than you!¡± Xu Yan was dissatisfied and began to curse. This was his first time attempting to kill a Great Grandmaster. He had hoped for a significant gain. But sadly, he ended up with a deadbeat! The onlookers fell silent. Just how poor are you? The corner of Xie Lingfeng¡¯s mouth twitched. Now it was clear why Xu Yan had escorted Du Yuying and why he had sought free benefits at the Wushuang Pavilion because he was broke! As someone from the borderlands, where would he get Spirit Crystals? Damn it! Yin Hong was ready to explode with rage. His aura started to fluctuate as he shouted at Xu Yan, ¡°If you manage to kill me, everything on Canglan Island is yours. The Dean of Discipline and everyone else here can bear witness!¡± Yin Hong was ready to risk it all to kill Xu Yan. If he did not kill Xu Yan today, he felt he might explode with frustration! Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up. He turned to Xie Lingfeng and asked, ¡°Brother Xie, is Canglan Island wealthy?¡± Xie Lingfeng furrowed his brows. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Canglan Island.¡± He turned to ask Hu Shan, ¡°Have you heard of it?¡± Hu Shan also shook his head. Yin Hong:¡­ At this moment, Du Yuying spoke up, ¡°The master of Canglan Island is quite wealthy. He probably has millions of Spirit Crystals.¡± As the pride of Sword Dao Cliff, Xie Lingfeng¡¯s social circle was simply too high. It¡¯s only normal for him not to know about Canglan Island, a mere power in Dayue Kingdom. Xu Yan¡¯s spirits lifted immediately, ¡°Great, after 1 defeat you, Canglan Island will be mine!¡± He took a few steps forward and turned back to Xie Lingfeng, speaking solemnly, ¡°Brother Xie, watch closely. Today, I will provide you with a demonstration of crossing boundaries to kill an enemy. ¡°Let everyone here witness how Xu Yan, the Sword God, crushes a Great Grandmaster with a single palm!¡± Yin Hong¡¯s eyes flashed menacingly. Despite seething with anger, he didn¡¯t underestimate his opponent in the slightest. Anyone who dared to assert that they could kill a Great Grandmaster with just a palm strike undoubtedly had confidence in their abilities. Yin Hong believed that Xu Yan¡¯s bold claims stemmed from his lack of understanding about the full strengths of a Great Grandmaster! For him, this was an opportunity! His face turned savage, and his aura coalesced around him. This strike would be his all-out attack, aiming to slay the detestable boy once and for all! ¡°Prepare to die!¡± Boom! In mid-air, a raging torrent formed, akin to an impending apocalypse. The terrifying pressure spread far and wide. The onlookers turned deathly white. Was this the might of a Great Grandmaster?! Du Yuying¡¯s eyes widened as she tightly clasped her hands together, her gaze anxiously locked onto the young man. The lady in white was also observing with an unblinking expression. Xie Lingfeng was solemn, his hand subconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword. Roar! The roar of a dragon echoed. A golden giant dragon surged upwards, clashing with the descending torrent. Its imposing aura was as if it could make all living things bow down. There also seemed to be an infinite rage surging amidst the dragon¡¯s might. The whole world seemed to lose its color! The golden dragon, like a real True Dragon descending upon the world, carried with it an terrifying aura and frightening rage. Boom! The torrent collapsed and retreated. ¡°Not good!¡± Yin Hong¡¯s pupils contracted, filled with terror. He wanted to evade, but it seemed like he was suppressed by a force, and just used up all his energy in his attack, leaving him completely powerless at the moment. He could only watch the Golden Giant Dragon charge towards him, the terrifying force approaching, and the scent of death invading his consciousness. Bang! In the eyes of the crowd, Yin Hong, who was mid-air, exploded. The Golden Giant Dragon¡¯s attack destroyed Yin Hong, a Great Grandmaster, right on the spot, in full view of everyone. The shards of his body scattered in all directions. Roar! Another golden dragon flew out, spinning and crushing in mid-air, its fiery aura spreading everywhere. The fragments of the exploded body were instantly crushed into ashes and disappeared with the wind. Silence! Outside the Seven-Star Study Palace¡¯s Repository, it was quiet and silent. All the students of the Seven-Star Study Palace, as well as the instructors, were wide-eyed, mouths agape, and unable to snap out of their shock. Fu Yuntian¡¯s hand was on his own beard, and he was so dumbfounded that he had actually plucked a strand of beard without even noticing. Xu Yan, he really exploded a Great Grandmaster with just one strike! ¡°I¡¯m stronger than Yin Hong, much stronger. He couldn¡¯t explode me with one attack¡­ at least it would take more than ten?¡± Such a thought popped into Fu Yuntian¡¯s mind. He was completely numb. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s hands were slightly trembling, he knew Xu Yan didn¡¯t boast, but when the scene of him exploding a Great Grandmaster with just one attack occurred, he was still indescribably shocked. Du Yuying was staring at the young man, never shifting her gaze for a moment. This was the boy who escorted her back to Prince Du¡¯s residence. Today, he exploded a Great Grandmaster with one attack at the Seven-Star Study Palace, something unprecedented! The maiden in white had an indescribable color in her eyes, seemingly filled with a hint of tenderness. Xu Yan sighed. He was indeed too weak, much weaker than his master. Back in the days, his master directly turned a Great Grandmaster into ashes with a single strike. Moreover, that Great Grandmaster was stronger than Yin Hong. However, a Great Grandmaster is a Great Grandmaster after all. His Descending Dragon Palm strike had almost reached its peak power! ¡°A Great Grandmaster is indeed worthy of his title, so difficult to kill. I almost used up all my strength in one strike just to explode him into several pieces!¡± Xu Yan expressed with regret. Crowd:¡­ Please stop speaking, my damn heart can¡¯t bear this stimulation anymore! ¡°Dean, there¡¯s no need for me to obey the rule anymore, right?¡± Xu Yan looked at the dazed Fu Yuntian and asked. ¡°Young friend, have you had a breakthrough in strength?¡± Fu Yun Tian wore a bitter smile on his face. A few days ago, Xu Yan didn¡¯t have this incredible strength. ¡°Exactly!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°No wonder!¡± Fu Yuntian took a deep breath and said solemnly, ¡°The theories you discussed with that Martial Arts Scholar that day, they weren¡¯t just random bluffs, were they?¡± Of course not.¡± Xu Yan gave him a disdainful look. This was true Martial Arts, how could it be made up? ¡°Brother Xie, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll find a place to hang out.¡± Xu Yan said cheerfully. After destroying Yin Hong, the Great Grandmaster, and shocking the Seven-Star Study Palace, plus getting a significant amount of Spirit Crystals into his account, he could afford to spend a bit lavishly to express gratitude to Xie Lingfeng. After all, his reputation was incredibly useful! ¡°Okay!¡± A smile appeared on Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face, as he could ask Xu Yan for guidance on Sword Dao and practice in the Innate Realm. ¡°Young Master Xu, I know a quiet and elegant place in Seven-Star City that would be perfect for catching up without any disturbances. Would that be alright?¡± Du Yuying, who had now taken off her veil revealing her stunning face, suggested. Xu Yan hesitated slightly. After all, he wasn¡¯t very familiar with Du Yuying, despite escorting her on a journey. If they weren¡¯t close, they just weren¡¯t! ¡°Yuying will be the one hosting, as a way to thank Young Master Xu for the escort that day.¡± Du Yuying added. ¡°Well, okay then.¡± Xu Yan nodded in agreement. Then he said, ¡°By the way, Miss Du, you know where Canglan Island is, right? Tell me its location, that place is mine now.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Du Yuying nodded. ¡°Cui¡¯er, you go and make arrangements, book that place.¡± He turned around and instructed Cui¡¯er. ¡°Yes, Miss!¡± Cui¡¯er ran off enthusiastically.. Chapter 225 News from Meng Chong_i Translator: 549690339 | Xu Yan turned to Fu Yuntian, saying with a bow, ¡°Great Grandmaster, I will take my leave now, 1 will visit the Seven-star Study Palace when 1 have some free time.¡± With this, his visit to the Seven-star Study Palace had essentially come to an end. As for the storage pavilion, he would visit it only when the need arose in the future. Next, he was going to Canglan Island to receive Yin Hong¡¯s legacy and buy spiritual medicine; then he was to return to the remote borderlands. ¡°Friend Xu is always welcome to visit.¡± Fu Yuntian took a deep breath and said. ¡°I am fortunate today to see Young Master Xu destroy a Great Grandmaster. It has been a while since we last met in Wushuang Pavilion; how about we catch up?¡± said a woman in plain clothes with a clear and crisp voice that energized all who heard it. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± Xu Yan patted Xie Lingfeng on the shoulder and said, ¡°This is the friend I was talking about. She also needs to temper her mind. Why don¡¯t you take some time to do it here?¡± Xie Lingfeng swallowed, dryly laughing as he said, ¡°Brother Xu, there¡¯s no need, 1 have already tempered my mind!¡± The woman in plain clothes gave him a cold look despite her smiling face. ¡°Young Master Xu, look, Xie Lingfeng doesn¡¯t need it,¡± said the woman in plain clothes with a smile. Xu Yan eyed her warily. This woman¡¯s attitude was somewhat problematic; she appeared softer than when he first met her at Wushuang Pavilion. Du Yuying was also very cautious. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s forget it!¡± Xu Yan bowed and turned to leave. At this moment, the students of the Seven-star Study Palace seemed to regain their senses. ¡°Young Master Xu, I have some questions about martial arts and would like to ask for your guidance!¡± ¡°Young Master Xu, I¡¯ve been feeling very confused lately. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of my martial arts training. Can you help me clarify it?¡± A swarm of female students crowded around him. Xie Lingfeng swallowed again, thinking these women have all gone mad? Hu Shan looked on with envy. Many male students had similar envious looks in their eyes. ¡°Brother Xie, see you at the villa!¡± On seeing the commotion, Xu Yan vanished in an instant. With his departure, the faces of the swarming students from the Seven-star Study Palace were filled with disappointment. Some even blamed Xie Lingfeng. -The so-called unparalleled prodigy of Sword Master Cliff for a thousand years is just a butt of a joke!¡± ¡°Exactly. He only got this exaggerated reputation because his father is the Great Grandmaster Xie.¡± On hearing these comments, Xie Lingfeng was furious. He could accept being inferior to Xu Yan, but what right did these people have to question him? His face ice-cold, he drew his sword and challenged, ¡°Today, Xie Lingfeng challenges all students under thirty in the Seven-star Study Palace!¡± He then rose into the air and headed straight for the dueling platform. ¡°Today, I, Xie, would like to see how well the students of the Seven-star Study Palace can perform. In my eyes, you are all useless! Hu Shan was immediately excited, exclaiming, ¡°My Young Master, Xie Lingfeng of the Sword Master Cliff, challenges all students under thirty in the Seven-star Study Palace. ¡°In my eyes, you are all useless!¡± Du Yuying:¡­ The woman in plain clothes:¡­ On the dueling platform, Xie Lingfeng stood with his sword. Originally, he didn¡¯t have such thoughts, but when disdained so by the students of the Seven-star Study Palace, how could he bear it? Despite everything, he was still a proud and reputable prodigy. ¡°Brother Xu alone, broke through the nine layers of the duelling platform, I admit that 1 can¡¯t do it. Today, I will suppress all students under thirty in the Seven-star Study Palace! ¡°What right do these things have to mock me!¡± Xie Lingfeng was furious. Seven-star Study Palace boiled over in anger. All the students were enraged. How arrogant! Xie Lingfeng was directly challenging all students under thirty in Seven-star Study Palace, intending to suppress his peers¡ªthe prodigies! The already departed Xu Yan returned. He leaned over to Hu Shan and asked, ¡°Hu Shan, what do you think about starting a bet here at the Seven-star Study Palace? ¡°Eh?¡± Hu Shan was stunned, ¡°What bet?¡± Xu Yan was excited, as if he saw an opportunity to make Spirit Crystals, ¡°It is to bet whether Brother Xie wins or the Seven-star Study Palace wins!¡± Hu Shan understood instantly, his mouth twitched, ¡°Isn¡¯t that inappropriate?¡± ¡°This is a great opportunity to make money!¡± Xu Yan had full confidence in Xie Lingfeng. ¡°Alright then.¡± After thinking for a while, Hu Shan nodded in agreement. Of course, it was up to him to take care of these things. If people knew that Xu Yan was confident in Xie Lingfeng, how could they make money? So, Hu Shan went up to a large rock, took out his sword, placed it on the rock, and announced loudly, ¡°Today, my Young Master challenges the students of Seven-star Study Palace. I am confident my Young Master can suppress his peers in Seven-star Study Palace alone. Who dares to bet!¡± The Seven-star Study Palace students who rushed over, holding their breaths, thought Xu Yan was arrogant, but he had the right to be. But what right did Xie Lingfeng have to be arrogant? His reputation as an outstanding prodigy was just a fluke. ¡°What¡¯s the bet?¡± A student immediately joined in. ¡°It¡¯s simple. If the Seven-star Study Palace wins, I¡¯ll give my sword to the Seven-star Study Palace, signifying the loss of Sword Master Cliff. If my Young Master wins, your Spirit Crystals will be mine! After looking at the students present, Hu Shan added, ¡°You just lose your Spirit Crystals, but what 1 lose is the face of Sword Master Cliff, so don¡¯t think that I am taking advantage of you. Do you want to bet or not? ¡°I, Hu Shan, am confident that my Young Master can win, so 1 dare to bet the face of the Sword Master Cliff. If you don¡¯t have the confidence and even fear to wager your Spirit Crystals, it would be better to just admit defeat.¡± Stung by these words, the Seven-star Study Palace students were suddenly roused into action.. Chapter 226 News from Meng Chong_2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Bet on it! Let¡¯s see what Xie Lingfeng, dare to challenge our Seven-Star Study Palace!¡± ¡°Haha, we, the Seven-Star Study Palace will now take the honor from Jianzun Cliff!¡± Therefore, students began to place their bets. All of them bet on the victory of the Seven-Star Study Palace! On the big stone, Hu Shan¡¯s side was already piled up with small bags, all filled with Spirit Vouchers. Looking at this, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. With this round, he was going to make a big profit again. Xie Lingfeng on the martial arts stage twitched the corner of his mouth, instantly feeling the pressure. If he lost, not only would it be a disgrace for Jianzun Cliff, but also a loss for Xu Yan¡¯s money bag! He took a deep breath and spoke coldly: ¡°Anyone below the Grandmaster level doesn¡¯t need to come up.¡± Boom! The powerful aura of a Grandmaster shone, stirring all around. All the students of the Seven-Star Study Palace were taken aback. Xie Lingfeng was a martial artist at the Grandmaster¡¯s realm! Considering his age, he was in his twenties, yet he was already at the Grandmaster level. How many people in the Inner Domain could match him? Rumors were not all empty claims. ¡°I¡¯m up!¡± A student from the Seven-Star Study Palace took to the airspace and landed on the martial arts platform. He was also a martial artist Grandmaster. ¡°Please proceed!¡± Xie Lingfeng said indifferently. ¡°Kill!¡± The Grandmaster student, with a wave of his hand, struck with his knife. But, with just a flash of sword light, his knife was sent flying, and a hole was pierced in his shoulder. ¡°Next!¡± Xie Lingfeng said coldly. The Seven-Star Study Palace students were silenced! He defeated a Grandmaster with just one sword! The expression on Fu Yuntian¡¯s face became serious. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s strength was, of course, not as good as Xu Yan¡¯s, but his ability was, no doubt, deserving of his title. This duel was also about the reputation of the younger generation of Seven-Star Study Palace. ¡°Let Ping Dong take a try, if he loses, no one under thirty in the Seven-Star Study Palace will be a match for Xie Lingfeng!¡± Fu Yuntian said after some consideration. ¡°Agreed!¡± Ding Yan nodded. The second Grandmaster student of the Seven-Star Study Palace took to the stage, though stronger, Xie Lingfeng defeated him with two swords! Third, then fourth¡­ None of them could take even three strikes from Xie Lingfeng! And the Seven-Star Study Palace students, who had taken turns, were nearing their thirties. Neither in terms of age nor strength were they a match for Xie Lingfeng. Thus, the students of the Seven-Star Study Palace fell into silence. Those who were impulsive and had placed bets with spirit crystals now regretted their decision, looking at the pile of bags on the stone, wanting to withdraw their bets. However, they were afraid of losing face for the Seven-Star Study Palace, they could only watch, not daring to retrieve their own bags. Xu Yan was the most excited. He made another fortune in spirit crystals. The trip to the Seven-Star Study Palace was greatly rewarding; he had defeated a Great Grandmaster, obtained Canglan Island, and now this bet. Even if each person wagered a thousand spirit crystals, there were still more than a hundred thousand spirit crystals. This was a big win! ¡°Is there anyone else willing to fight!¡± Xie Lingfeng held his sword, looking contemptuously at the students below the Seven-Star Study Palace. At that moment, a strong momentum emerged from the Seven-Star Study Palace. A long knife streaked through the air and landed on the martial arts platform. Immediately after, a man with a blank expression appeared, reaching out to grasp the long knife. ¡°Ping Dong is here to learn a thing or two.¡± The newcomer was about the same age as Xie Lingfeng, in his twenties, and of similar realm. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s look became more solemn, ¡°So it¡¯s Ping Dong.¡± Ping Dong, one of the contemporary top talents of the Seven-Star Study Palace, was at par with Xie Lingfeng. He was known as one of the three youngest Grandmasters in the Inner Domain! ¡°Xie, you have a little challenger.¡± Xu Yan said, looking at Ping Dong. ¡°Young Master Xu, who do you think will win?¡± Yuying Du asked softly. ¡°Of course, it will be Xie.¡± Xu Yan said without hesitation. Xie Lingfeng had already condensed True Qi, his strength had greatly improved, and his understanding of Sword Dao wasn¡¯t bad. Ping Dong, despite his substantial power, was still inferior to Xie Lingfeng. Of course, if Xie Lingfeng had not condensed True Qi, his power would match that of Ping Dong. Then it would be hard to determine who would emerge victorious. ¡°Please!¡± Xie Lingfeng voiced sternly. Ping Dong appeared to be a man of few words. He just nodded, pointed his long knife, and in an instant, the knife light flickered, the knife Qi whistled. A chilly killing intent swept out. Xie Lingfeng swung the treasured sword in his hand, displaying the Wanhe Swordsmanship. The Wanhe Swordsmanship he used now was not the original one. It had been improved. The Sword Qi surged out like a roaring wave, followed immediately by the display of his Flying Rainbow Sword! The sword light flashed like lightning, intertwining disorderly within the Sword Qi. For a moment, their fight became fierce. At a certain moment! The Sword Qi converged into a vortex, sweeping up. The sword light flashed just once, seeming to pierce through the sky. Crack! The knife light shattered, its Qi dispersed. In front of Ping Dong, there was a sword with a cold, gleaming blade. ¡°I have lost!¡± Ping Dong was silent for a long while before letting out a sigh. ¡°You were too kind!¡± Said Xie Lingfeng with a cupped fist salute. ¡°Xie Lingfeng, truly deserving of his fame!¡± Ping Dong turned and walked away. ¡°Is there anyone who wants to battle?¡± Xie Lingfeng stood with his sword, looking disdainfully at the Seven-star Study Palace students. At this moment, the Seven-star Study Palace students were silent as chickens. ¡°Young friend Xie, you¡¯ve won, there¡¯s no need to continue fighting.¡± Fu Yuntian shook his head and gave a bitter smile. Ping Dong had lost. Among the younger generation, no one was Xie Lingfeng¡¯s match. Hu Shan laughed heartily, wrapping up all the pouches on the rock and picked them up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Xu Yan was extremely excited. Xie Lingfeng descended the combat platform and walked alongside Xu Yan. Hu Shan, Du Yuying, the woman in plain clothes, and the old woman followed closely behind. After leaving the Seven-star Study Palace, Hu Shan stuffed the bundle into Xu Yan¡¯s hands, saying, ¡°Young Master Xu, your things!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t stand on ceremony then.¡± Xu Yan cheerfully accepted it. Upon arriving in Seven-Star City, Xu Yan went straight to Tianbao Pavilion to exchange his Spirit Tickets for larger denominations. ¡°Eight hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, making money is so hard!¡± Xu Yan walked out of Tianbao Pavilion, lamenting with an expression of surprise. Xie Lingfeng and the rest were all speechless. The group came to the elegant place suggested by Du Yuying. As expected, it was a quiet and secluded spot. ¡°Cui¡¯er, didn¡¯t I ask you to reserve the entire place?¡± Seeing several martial artists sitting not far away enjoying Spiritual Tea, Du Yuying frowned and asked. ¡°Miss, those people seem to have high status. The shopkeeper didn¡¯t let us reserve¡± Cui¡¯er whispered. ¡°Miss Du, there¡¯s no need to go to such lengths. If there are people, then let there be people.¡± Xu Yan said. The group sat down in an elegant courtyard. Suddenly, the voices of several martial artists came over. ¡°Have you guys heard? Apparently, the Proud Son of Heaven from Sword Sovereign Cliff, Xie Lingfeng, is actually bald!¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯ve never heard that Xie Lingfeng is bald.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Xie Lingfeng wears a wig!¡± ¡°Yuan Brother, how did you find out?¡± A companion asked curiously. ¡°News from Yan country, Xie Lingfeng killed several grandmasters. Moreover, he has provoked a strong enemy. It is said that he is currently being pursued by a great grandmaster!¡± ¡°Gosh! Where did this great grandmaster come from? Daring to chase and kill Xie Lingfeng? Isn¡¯t he afraid of Sword Sovereign Cliff, of Xie Tianheng?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Suddenly, someone else interjected: ¡°Yuan Brother, your news is a bit outdated, isn¡¯t it? You just returned to Seven-star City, you probably don¡¯t know, Xie Lingfeng is currently at Seven-star Study Palace, he passed the nine levels of the combat platform. ¡°And moreover, I heard that the one being pursued is Hu Shan from Sword Sovereign Cliff, the bald guy is Hu Shan!¡± ¡°Oh, really? Such a thing happened?¡± Yuan Brother was amazed. ¡°The one being chased by a great grandmaster is Hu Shan from Sword Sovereign Cliff?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the latest news 1 got!¡± ¡°Do you know which great grandmaster? Hu Shan¡¯s father, Great Grandmaster Hu Hai, was Xie Tianheng¡¯s book boy, dare to chase and kill Hu Shan, isn¡¯t he afraid of Great Grandmaster Hu Hai?¡± ¡°Who knows what¡¯s going on, it¡¯s probably for some treasure.¡± Xie Lingfeng and the rest looked at each other in surprise. What kind of rumor was this? Xie Lingfeng tugged at his own hair, the corner of his mouth twitching, ¡°When did I become bald?¡± Hu Shan was also dumbfounded, ¡°That¡¯s not right, I¡¯m here, when was I chased down by a great grandmaster? And with my strength, there¡¯s no need for a great grandmaster to chase me. I can be killed directly, where would I have the chance to escape?¡± Du Yuying and the woman in plain clothes were also surprised. The news from the people nearby was too outdated and too ridiculous. However, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes widened in anger, ¡°It¡¯s my junior brother Meng Chong! Which shitty great grandmaster dared to chase and kill my junior brother!¡± He stood up angrily.. Chapter 227 Translator: 549690339 Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were stunned. As soon as Xu Yan opened his mouth, the two instantly knew who the bald man was! Meng Chong! True to their shared lineage, even the way they introduce themselves was exactly the same! Xie Lingfeng was completely numb. Hu Shan swallowed and said, ¡°Young Master, I¡¯m scared!¡± Meng Chong, using Hu Shan¡¯s name, is being pursued by a Great Grandmaster, what on earth had he done! That¡¯s a Great Grandmaster we¡¯re talking about! Will he ever be able to boast, ¡°Below, Hu Shan from Sword Master Cliff?¡± Xu Yan had, at this point, reached the group of martial artists. ¡°Where is Xie Lingfeng¡­ no, where is Hu Shan being pursued by the Great Grandmaster?¡± What Grandmaster dared to pursue his fellow disciple, has he gone nuts! At this moment, he was also somewhat anxious, not knowing how long Meng Chong could hold on. He must rush to the rescue as soon as possible. ¡°Who are you?¡± The few martial artists furrowed their brows, the young man was so angry, his first question was about Hu Shan, was he from Sword Master Cliff? ¡°Beneath is Sword God Xu Yan!¡± Xu Yan greeted. His aura surged, and the martial artists¡¯ faces changed instantly, such a strong young man! Sword God Xu Yan? Never heard before, since he is called Sword God, then he must be a strong figure from Sword Master Cliff. ¡°The news 1 just received said that it was at the border between the Yan Nation and the Great Yue Nation, where Hu Shan was really being chased by the Great Grandmaster. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening now!¡± The martial artist, who had the latest information, swallowed and said. Xie Lingfeng stepped forward and handed Xu Yan a small badge, saying, ¡°Brother Xu, this is the Sword Master Cliff¡¯s Hawk Command, you carry it and I¡¯ll inform various places of Sword Master Cliff to get news, and the message will be transmitted to you quickly. ¡°Since Brother Meng is being chased under the name of Hu Shan, our Sword Master Cliff should also be paying attention and getting the news.¡± Xu Yan took the Hawk Command, and thanked, ¡°Brother Xie, sorry for the trouble.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, I hope Brother Meng can survive this!¡± Xie Lingfeng shook his head. At this time, a lady in plain clothes handed over a jade badge, giggling, ¡°Young Master Xu, this jade badge can be used to buy information from the Tianbao Pavilion. If the news from Sword Master Cliff is not timely, you can buy the news from the Tianbao Pavilion!¡± Tianbao Pavilion is spread all over the Inner Domain, and has the most updated news. ¡°Thank you!¡± Xu Yan accepted it, not being pretentious regarding matters involving Meng Chong¡¯s safety. At this moment, Du Yuying felt embarrassed. She found herself unable to provide any help. Duke Du¡¯s mansion is ultimately too weak, with limited influences. ¡°I need to break through to a Grandmaster level and strengthen my power as soon as possible!¡± Du Yuying vowed silently to herself. ¡°Where is the Yan Nation?¡± Xu Yan asked. Du Yuying pointed in a direction and said, ¡°Master Xu, if you go in this direction, you will reach the border area between Yan Nation and the Great Yue Nation. However, the border area is vast and finding a person is not easy!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Xu Yan thanked her. ¡°Brother Xie, once I have rescued my disciple, we will gather together!¡± He levitated into the sky and disappeared in an instant. As soon as Xu Yan left, the lady in plain clothes also excused herself and left. Just as Xie Lingfeng was about to leave, Du Yuying stopped him, held out a hand and said, ¡°The letter!¡± The face under her veil was a bit flushed. Xie Lingfeng took out the letter and handed it to her, ¡°Miss Du, those generous gifts, I will return them to Duke Du¡¯s mansion.¡± She held the letter in her hand, her face blushing slightly, she glared at him and said angrily, ¡°No need, just give it to Master Xu!¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded, turned around and left. Suddenly he paused, ¡°Miss Du, 1 think you might be thinking too much. Maybe Xu Yan was just escorting you for the sake of earning some Spirit Crystals and Spiritual Medicine!¡± Du Yuying stared at him angrily, ¡°Shut up!¡± Xie Lingfeng shook his head, and left with Hu Shan. ¡°Miss.¡± Cui¡¯er¡¯s eyes were a bit red, would she not get to be the maidservant? Du Yuying covered her chest, feeling slightly heartbroken. Master Xu was just, for the sake of earning Spirit Crystals and Spiritual Medicine? Does he not have other thoughts? ¡°If Master Xu likes Spirit Crystals and Spiritual Medicine, then I¡¯ll become a woman of immense wealth, there must be something that Master Xu will like!¡± Du Yuying thought to herself with determination. After Meng Chong killed the Grandmaster and saved Meng Shushu, the two set off for the Spiritual Medicine sanctuary. ¡°Where is the sanctuary of Spiritual Medicine?¡± Meng Chong asked. ¡°In Tian Hammer Mountain of Yan Nation, I suspect that there is a sect specializing in planting Spiritual Medicine. It must have declined or disappeared for some reason, and the Spiritual Medicine planted there was left behind. ¡°After growing for a long time, these Spiritual Medicine keep upgrading, thus the sixth rank Spiritual Medicine appeared, and there might even be fifth rank Spiritual Medicine.¡± Meng Shushu took a few breaths and said. ¡°Are there really fifth rank Spiritual Medicine?¡± Meng Chong was extremely excited. According to Su Lingxiu, the sixth rank Spiritual Medicine is already the highest ranked Spiritual Medicine in the Inner Domain. The fifth rank Spiritual Medicine might exist, but it is very rare, and even Tianbao Pavilion would probably not sell it. ¡°Not quite sure, there¡¯s a sixty to seventy percent chance.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head. After leaving the forest, they bought a carriage from a nearby city. Meng Chong drove the carriage, while Meng Shushu healed his injuries in the carriage. ¡°Brother Meng, what kind of healing medicine is this? It¡¯s so effective!¡± In just half a day, Meng Shushu felt that his injuries were healed by fifty to sixty percent. ¡°This was made from eighteen sixth rank Spiritual Medicine, how could the effect be bad? You should remember this, you owe me eighteen sixth rank plants of Spirit medicine!¡± Chapter 228 Land, Meng Chong Fights Half-step Great Grandmaster_2 Translator: 549690339 Meng Chong still said with some heartache. He didn¡¯t have many pills in total. Meng Shushu rolled his eyes, remarking on the eighteen sixth-grade spiritual medicines made from them as if it was a loss he could comment on. But since he owed his life to someone, a few more sixth-grade spiritual medicines didn¡¯t seem to be that significant. ¡°My friend, how did you provoke those people?¡± Meng Chong asked curiously. ¡°They found me and offered me a generous reward to find a spiritual medicine treasure trove. As a spiritual medicine scout, I¡¯ve accepted many of these kinds of tasks, so I agreed straight away. ¡°Eventually, we found the essential spiritual medicine over at Yan country¡¯s Tianchui Mountain. However, they wanted to control me, turning me into their puppet. ¡°Naturally, I didn¡¯t agree and seized an opportunity to escape.¡± Meng Shushu gritted his teeth and seethed with anger. ¡°As a spiritual medicine scout, don¡¯t you have any powerful backers?¡± Meng Chong asked curiously. Meng Shushu said dispiritedly: ¡°My ability to scout for spiritual medicine is hereditary. My father died while exploring for spiritual medicine, and my grandfather passed away a few years ago while trying to save an old friend. ¡°Only I was left. Although I¡¯m a Grandmaster Martial Artist, the people in my family¡¯s connections saw me in trouble and immediately thought of making me join them, scouting for spiritual medicine for them. ¡°I, Meng Shushu am used to being free. Why would I let others bind me? Even when the Tianbao Pavilion hired me, 1 turned them down, let alone them.¡± Whenever Meng Shushu mentioned this, he would grit his teeth and seethe with anger, hating those people intensely. Meng Chong understood then. He opened his mouth and said: ¡°My friend, although you owe me a life, a storage bag and eighteen sixth-grade spiritual medicines, rest assured, I won¡¯t control you.p> ¡°You just need to remember that you owe me a storage bag, use this as a goal to strive for. You are still free.¡± Meng Shushu opened his mouth wide, but ultimately didn¡¯t swear. Damn! Why does this burly man have so many tricks up his sleeve? Why did he take a liking to this guy back in Tie Mountain County? Meng Shushu felt like crying but couldn¡¯t shed a tear. However, upon thinking again, it was hard to say whether he could have turned the tables this time if he hadn¡¯t found Meng Chong. It was a long journey to Tianchui Mountain in Yan country. By carriage, it would take a month to reach. Therefore, after two days of carriage riding, once Meng Shushu¡¯s wounds started healing, the two got up from the carriage, directly took off to the sky, and flew towards Tianchui Mountain. The mountain was named Tianchui (Iron Hammer) because the mountain peak resembled a large iron hammer. Sheer cliffs, ancient trees sparsely grown in between the crevices. The protruding huge rocks looked like stone platforms. On Tianchui Mountain, there were dozens of such platforms. It seemed natural, but upon closer examination, traces of human effort could be seen. At the peak of Tianchui Mountain, there were fist-sized cracks that could not fathom their depth. On the mountainside, you could also see some small mossy holes. At the foot of the east side, there was a dense cluster of tall trees. After climbing several feet up the mountainside, a particularly sturdy ancient tree revealed a cave about one Zhang high and two Zhang deep behind it. Large broken stone slabs were scattered around outside the cave, which used to be the door. Black-robed men lurked above the trees around the cave. Five in total! All of them were Grandmaster Martial Artists. Even farther from the cave, more black-robed men were hidden. Two figures arrived outside Tianchui Mountain, none other than Meng Chong and Meng Shushu who had come all the long way. ¡°My friend, are you sure the spiritual medicine treasure trove is here?¡± Meng Chong looked at Tianchui Mountain with a puzzled look. Tianchui Mountain had little vegetation, and it was a large rocky mountain. Except for a dense forest extending up several feet from the foot of the mountain, there were only a few trees on the whole mountain, giving off an air of desolation. ¡°Moreover, if the spiritual medicine is here, wouldn¡¯t they have already picked it?¡± Meng Chong continued to ask. ¡°The treasure trove of spiritual medicine is inside the mountain. There is a barren land there that is not easy to discover. To enter, one needs a key. ¡°If someone tries to break in forcefully, it is possible. However, the spiritual medicine could easily be damaged, and each sixth-grade spiritual medicine is of exceptional value. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare forcefully break in.¡± Meng Shushu explained along the way. Pointing to the dense forest, he said: ¡°The entrance is there, but there is surely a Grandmaster Martial Artist guarding it.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re sure there¡¯s spiritual medicine, it¡¯s fine. Whatever Grandmaster Martial Artist is in my way, I¡¯ll kill them all.¡± Meng Chong grasped the hilt of his blade. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Meng Chong headed straight for the forest. Meng Shushu also concealed himself, leisurely following Meng Chong into the forest, his confidence boosted with Meng Chong by his side. ¡°Meng Shushu, you dare to walk right into our trap? Hand over the key!¡± As soon as the two entered the forest, five figures appeared, surrounding them. Meng Chong held onto his blade¡¯s hilt and said in a deep voice: ¡°Gentlemen, this place is now mine. Those who are sensible should leave, so as to avoid any unpleasantness!¡± A wave of fierce energy surged from his body, exuding a faint golden light as he glared at the five black-robed men. For some reason, he found these black-robed men somewhat familiar. ¡°Why would you risk staking your life in this muddy water? Since you dared to, then be prepared to lose your life!¡± One of the black-robed men said in a deep voice. ¡°Kill him!¡± With a wave of his hand, a man in a black robe stepped forward, attacking Meng Chong. ¡°Heh! Since you wish for death, I shall grant it to you!¡± Meng Chong smirked. With a flash of his blade, an oppressive presence immediately emerged, commanding the scene. Meng Chong shimmered in a golden light, his formidable Amaterasu Golden Body was revealed and he attacked immediately with his Earth-Shattering Slash! Pfft! With one blow, he took the life of a Grandmaster. His invincible aura swept across, disintegrating his opponent into ash! ¡°Charge!¡± The remaining men in black were horrified. They hastily united to attack. Nevertheless, Meng Chong did not guard himself, slashing continuously, killing four Grandmasters in an instant! Thump! Meng Shushu was once again stunned, astonished by brutal prowess of Meng Chong at this moment. ¡°Those are done. Let¡¯s go collect the Spiritual Medicine!¡± After slaying five Grandmasters without even blinking, Meng Chong turned to Meng Shushu and called him. ¡°Okay!¡± As Meng Shushu prepared to head for the caverns, his face suddenly changed as he looked up. Boom! The surrounding trees were crushed into dust in a second, creating a vacuum. An aura akin to divine might descended. Meng Chong¡¯s face changed, ¡°A Great Grandmaster?¡± He asked then wondered, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, feels a bit weaker?¡± ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Three figures clad in black robes appeared in the sky, led by a man with an intimidating aura, like divine might manifesting. Sensing the battle happening here, he hurried over, only to find all five Grandmasters who were supposed to watch over the place were dead! Angered, he wondered, from where did Meng Shushu bring such powerful reinforcements! With a wave of his hand, he struck down. ¡°Brother Meng, be careful! It¡¯s a quasi-great grandmaster!¡± Meng Shushu cried out in alarm. Meng Chong¡¯s eyebrows lifted, ¡°So it¡¯s only a quasi-great grandmaster, no wonder it felt weak.¡± ¡°The half-cupped water dares to act haughty before me!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s body inflated suddenly, his imposing aura growing even more terrifying. It seemed as if wind and thunder surged around him. His unbeatable aura with his blade stirred the surroundings, the light from the blade rushed upwards, charging directly at the quasi Great Grandmaster. Although not a true Great Grandmaster, he was still immensely strong. Meng Chong did not dare to underestimate him. As the two powerhouses fought, Meng Shushu quickly retreated to the side, fearful of being affected, while the other two robed men tried to cross over and capture him. But Meng Chong¡¯s unbeatable slash forced the quasi-great grandmaster back, and with a backhand, he slashed at one of the robed men! ¡°Oh no!¡± The robed man let out a cry of alarm. Pfft! With one strike, he was immediately killed on the spot. The other robed man turned ashen, hastily retreating in fear. ¡°Daring to be distracted while fighting me!¡± The quasi-great grandmaster was burning with rage. Taking advantage of Meng Chong¡¯s momentary distraction, he sent a punch rolling forth. His terrifying force, akin to a mountain collapsing, oppressed Meng Chong. Meng Chong punched back. Booom! In the end, he couldn¡¯t completely defend against the opponent¡¯s attack but weakened its force by sixty percent. The remaining forty percent slammed into him. The radiant Meng Chong merely trembled slightly, completely uninjured. Such a paltry amount of power was still not enough to harm him. The strength of Meng Chong¡¯s physical martial arts was displayed at this moment. ¡°Quasi-great grandmaster, so what? Just that!¡± With his eyes shining golden, Meng Chong raised his blade and slashed, launching consecutive earth-shattering slashes! The man in the black robe was horrified. Meng Chong¡¯s physical body was so terrifying. With a ferocious look in his eyes, he pulled out a curved blade. Like a terror-filled storm, his blade radiance poured down, intending to overwhelm Meng Chong.. Chapter 229 Earth Spirit Root, The Great Grandmaster Attacks 1 Translator: 549690339 I Meng Shushu looked up at the horror enveloping above, the terrifying blade light pouring down like a storm, while Meng Chong¡¯s figure remained sturdy, his unrivaled and dominating aura surged continuously. A streak of blade light ran across the sky, seeming to shatter the heavens, and thunderously slashed towards the storm-like blade light. Boom! The aftermath of the fierce battle raged on, the trees in the dense forest continuously turned into fragments, swept in all directions, the entirety of the sky became a murky grey. The fierce battle continued. The more Meng Chong fought, the stronger he became. Occasionally, when he was attacked and could not fully block it, the energy that poured on his body was absorbed by his formidable physique. His physical defense was utterly impenetrable. ¡°A Half-step Great Grandmaster is truly mighty. I am still in the beginner stage of the Great Sun Golden Body and cannot overcome him!¡± A shiver ran down Meng Chong¡¯s spine. He felt the pressure! But, it was also not possible for the opponent to defeat him. If the battle persisted, it would come down to who could outlast who. However, Meng Chong believed that with his Great Sun Golden Body, the enemy would not outlast him! At this moment, the black-robed man felt shocked in his heart. With his Half-step Great Grandmaster strength, he was unable to defeat the opponent. Although the opponent could not fully defend against his attacks, as long as he could block five or six tenths of his strength, the remaining attacks were incapable of injuring him. An unprecedented strength was within him! Boom! The fight continued and became even more intense. The black-robed man became ruthless, as terrifying blade lights poured down continually. His figure began to move closer, intending to find an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Meng Chong. However, Meng Chong wielded one sword after another, and just as he started to draw a bit nearer, he could not advance any further. Meng Chong looked serious, yet not afraid in the slightest. He fully utilized his Martial Arts, consistently executing the Dominant Heavenly Blade, which seemed to strengthen his dominant sword intent. Every time he blocked only five or six tenths of the black-robed man¡¯s power, he allowed the rest to strike his body, utilizing the opponent¡¯s attack to refine his Great Sun Golden Body. And every time he swung his sword, the black-robed man would have to tread carefully. If he couldn¡¯t defend against it and took a hit, it would be lethal. After all, his physical defense was far from being as formidable as Meng Chong¡¯s. Boom! After another intense clash, the black-robed man retreated and created a distance. Holding the scimitar, his expression darkened, and he did not continue to attack. ¡°Since you have intervened in this matter, do you dare to reveal your identity?¡± The black-robed man spoke coldly. Meng Chong stood with his sword, arrogantly looking at his adversary. His Great Sun Golden Body shone brightly, surrounded by an intense heatwave. At this moment, he appeared wild and ferocious, radiating an aura that seemed to dominate the world. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If you¡¯ve intervened in this matter, why do you refuse to reveal your name? If you¡¯re too scared to show your real name, I suggest you¡¯d better quit meddling.¡± The black-robed man said coldly. Meng Chong narrowed his eyes, revealing his identity was out of the question. ¡°Little sister mentioned that Sword Dao is a top-notch force in the Inner Domain. Naturally, Brother Xie possesses deterring power.¡± Meng Chong mumbled in his heart. He remembered that Xie Lingfeng had mentioned that in the Inner Domain, no matter what problem he encountered, he could use his name to get out of trouble. Upon this thought, Meng Chong arrogantly responded: ¡°I fear that I might frighten you.¡± ¡°Arrogant!¡± The black-robed man snorted, ¡°Well, I want to see how you are capable of scaring me!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, listen carefully!¡± Meng Chong thumped his chest and said, ¡°I am from Sword Dao, Xie Lingfeng!¡± The black-robed man:¡­ Meng Shushu:¡­ Sword Dao, Xie Lingfeng? The so-called most powerful Sword Dao prodigy in a thousand years? Meng Shushu was stunned, what did Meng Chong mean? Pretending to be Xie Lingfeng? That¡¯s Sword Dao¡¯s prodigy, the only son of the present Sword Master, Xie Tianheng. Impersonating him is more dangerous than provoking the organization behind the black-robed man, isn¡¯t it? Gulp! Meng Shushu swallowed a mouthful of saliva, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and pondered. After this incident, he should part ways with Meng Chong. Otherwise, one day, he might get pursued by Sword Dao. And if he stayed with him, he would inevitably get involved. It¡¯s Sword Dao, the number one swordsmen¡¯s sect in the Inner Domain. Their power was way beyond his imagination. In terms of influence, maybe it¡¯s not on par with Tianbao Pavilion and the Seven-star Study Palace, but their strength was no less than either of those. They were recognized in the Inner Domain among the top three most influential forces. The black-robed man also startled, but soon showed a suspicious look, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of Xie Lingfeng of Sword Dao. Still, I¡¯ve never heard of him being bald!¡± Upon hearing this, Meng Chong reached into his jacket and pulled out a wig and put it on his head. Meng Shushu:¡­ The black-robed man:¡­ The black-robed man became slightly unsettled. If Sword Dao intervened in this matter, they could only retreat. Although Meng Chong¡¯s burly and fierce image did not align with the reported image of Xie Lingfeng, major forces would naturall not advertise the unattractive side or shortcomings of their prodigies. Therefore, discrepancies in appearance could still make sense. ¡°Xie Lingfeng, the prodigy of Sword Dao, practices Sword Dao, but you wield a blade!¡± The black-robed man gritted his teeth and said. Meng Chong paused for a while, then said, ¡°Have you considered the possibility that I deliberately use a blade because I don¡¯t want others to know my real identity?¡± The black-robed man:¡­ After a long silence, regardless of whether the person in front of him was Xie Lingfeng or not, continuing the battle now would not lead to victory. Besides, after a protracted battle, he even suspected that the one who fell in defeat would be himself.. Chapter 230 Translator: 549690339 | Deeply inhaled, declared solemnly, ¡°In that case, 1 take my leave!¡± With a quick motion, he left directly. Meng Chong exhaled a breath, took off the wig and stuffed it into his bosom, grinning broadly. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s reputation really comes in handy! It¡¯s really powerful as a deterrent! At the same time, he was glad that he had followed Shi¡¯er¡¯s advice to prepare a wig, which could indeed be useful at critical moments. He descended from midair. ¡°Since I¡¯ve scared off the people around here, hurry up and collect the Spiritual Medicine.¡± Meng Shushu¡¯s face was in sorrow: ¡°Brother Meng, how could you pretend to be Xie Lingfeng? He is the prodigy of Sword Cliff, the only son of Great Grandmaster Xie!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? How did 1 impersonate him? Meng Chong grumbled unhappily. ¡°Brother Meng, you are much more robust and sturdy than Xie Lingfeng. So how would I know? Your appearance is quite different from Xie Lingfeng!¡± Meng Shushu sighed. ¡°Is that so?¡± Meng Chong frowned, touching his head. His appearance truly differed greatly. ¡°Hu Shan¡¯s physique is also robust. Although not as much as mine, my appearance is more similar to his, except for the head. Next time, 1¡¯11 use Hu Shan¡¯s name instead, hoping it works as well! Meng Chong thought to himself. He patted Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Why are you so edgy? I didn¡¯t impersonate anyone, 1 just borrowed a name, do you understand? Brother Xie Lingfeng himself agreed to this!¡± Meng Shushu was taken by surprise, ¡°You know Xie Lingfeng?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Do you know about Hu Shan from the Sword Cliff?¡± He continued to query. ¡°Yes, Hu Shan, the Grandmaster of Sword Cliff, is the Attendant Student of Great Grandmaster Xie, the son of Great Grandmaster Hu Hai, and quite famous.¡± Meng Shushu nodded in agreement. Meng Chong sighed in relief at this, ¡°So Hu Shan is also well-known. This makes things a lot easier. Next time, I¡¯ll just use his name. Meng Shushu:¡­ After the intense battle, over half of the dense forest was destroyed and half of the tree on the cliff had broken off. Meng Chong and Shushu made it to the front of the stone grotto. ¡°Do we get in from here?¡± Meng Chong looked at the stone cave with surprise. ¡°Correct, there is a portal inside the cave which can only be opened by a key. If anyone tries to forcefully destroy it, there might be some damage inside. God forbid if there is a rank six Spiritual Medicine inside, the loss would be massive.¡± Meng Shushu explained. This is also why the force where the man in black belonged didn¡¯t choose to forcefully break in. ¡°There is Spiritual Medicine here, I¡¯m glad they didn¡¯t find it. Excitedly, Meng Shushu arrived next to the large tree, took out his pen, gently scraped off the soil layer by layer, with utmost care. ¡°Is there spiritual medicine in this soil?¡± Meng Chong was surprised. At a glance, there wasn¡¯t even a single weed to be seen, let alone any vines. Meng Shushu picked up a wilted, grayish thin vine from the ground, barely thicker than a strand of hair, and said, ¡°See this? This is an Earth Spirit vine. Now it¡¯s withered. To those who are unfamiliar, this would be an ordinary vine. ¡°It only grows during winter, when snow covers it. Those who are not aware would simply miss it.¡± While continuing to dig around the Earth Spirit vine, Meng Shushu added, ¡°Below this is the rank eight Spiritual Medicine, Earth Spirit Root. Now is the best time to harvest Earth Spirit roots. ¡°If the Earth Spirit vine has grown leaves, then it¡¯s not the optimal time for harvest. The medicinal power of the Earth Spirit Root collected during that time would be much less.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes lit up. Earth Spirit Root? On Su Lingxiu¡¯s Spiritual Medicine list, there was an ingredient named Earth Spirit Root. ¡°There¡¯s some here too!¡± Meng Chong was thrilled. He took a knife and carefully dug down along a thin Earth Spirit Vine. After digging down more than three feet, an object that looked like a white yam emerged from the soil. That¡¯s the Earth Spirit Root! He carefully unearthed the Earth Spirit Root. It was about three inches long, about the size of a thumb, covered with an outer layer that looked like a thin white gown. It looked just like a tender white radish. ¡°Brother Meng, be careful, don¡¯t tear the gown of the Earth Spirit Root. Otherwise, without a container for storing the Spiritual Medicine, if the gown tears, the medicine in the Earth Spirit Root will dissipate. Meng Shushu reminded. ¡°Understood!¡± Meng Chong unearthed an Earth Spirit Root and carefully placed it into a bag. Thankfully, the gown of the Earth Spirit Root is thin but tear-resistant. The two of them started digging around the large tree outside the cave and unearthed eight Earth Spirit Roots. ¡°Brother Meng, let¡¯s store these away.¡± Meng Shushu handed all the Earth Spirit Roots to Meng Chong. ¡°No problem!¡± Meng Chong put the Earth Spirit Roots in a bag and put it in his bosom. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s enter the treasure land!¡± Outside the stone cave, they harvested the rank eight Spiritual Medicine, Earth Spirit Root. This indicates that the treasure land inside undoubtedly has even higher grade Spiritual Medicine. ¡°Good!¡± Meng Shushu nodded. just as he entered the stone cave, Meng Chong¡¯s expression suddenly changed. Two figures appeared out of nowhere, a terrifying pressure descending like the wrath of the heavens. The Great Grandmaster! A true Great Grandmaster! Both were dressed in black robes, one of them being the half-step Great Grandmaster who had retreated earlier. The other, also in a black robe, had a face mask, showing only a pair of eyes. He was a real Great Grandmaster. Seeing this Great Grandmaster, Meng Chong¡¯s face changed. He finally understood why he felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing the man in the black robe. This man¡¯s attire was almost identical to that of the black-robed Great Grandmaster who had gone to the border wastelands to capture Su Lingxiu! The Great Grandmaster who appeared before him now was dressed just like that Great Grandmaster, exactly the same, without any difference! ¡°It¡¯s my Junior Sister¡¯s enemy!¡± A chill ran down Meng Chong¡¯s spine. He hadn¡¯t expected that the force targeting Meng Shushu was his Junior Sister¡¯s enemy. Were they also searching for the Spiritual Medicine to use against her? ¡°So you are Xie Lingfeng? You can¡¯t fool me!¡± The black-robed Great Grandmaster said coldly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you the truth. I am actually Hu Shan from Sword Master Cliff!¡± Meng Chong said solemnly. ¡°Hmph, so what?¡± The black-robed Great Grandmaster lifted his hand and randomly sent a crushing strike. ¡°Run!¡± Meng Chong, having prepared ahead of time, grabbed Meng Shushu by the collar and whisked him away, dodging the strike. Boom! Leaping into the air, he distanced himself in an instant. The Furious Thundercross Movement Technique! Meng Chong moved like a bolt of lightning across the sky, unbelievably fast! The black-robed Great Grandmaster snorted angrily, ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!¡± He hurriedly gave chase. ¡°Damn it, your life is more valuable than a storage bag. You owe me two storage bags, you know?¡± Meng Chong cursed as they fled. Feeling the terrifying power pursuing him from behind, Meng Chong¡¯s face paled. He hurriedly slung Meng Shushu over his back. Back to back. Just like this, Meng Shushu ended up facing the Great Grandmaster who was giving chase! Now, Meng Shushu¡¯s face turned green. Had he just become a human shield? Boom! That Great Grandmaster was not slow, but catching up with Meng Chong was easier said than done. He immediately slashed with his knife, a terrifying blade glow instantly slashing through the air towards them. However, due to the distance separating them, the blade glow¡¯s power was nearly dissipated when it reached them. But, after all, it was a strike from a Great Grandmaster! ¡°Damn it, strike back!¡± Meng Chong did not even turn his head. With one hand holding onto Meng Shushu¡¯s collar and the other pulling him onto his back, he fled desperately! ¡°Attack!¡± Seeing the blade glow of the Great Grandmaster approaching, Meng Shushu went pale. He was the first one in its path -he really had become a human shield! With all his might, he thrust his hand out, attempting to block the nearly dissipated blade glow. Puff! The blade glow shattered under his strike, but the residual force still slammed into him. Puff! Meng Shushu spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as if all his internal organs were about to shatter. ¡°Damn so, good show!¡± Meng Chong praised him. Using the force from the impact, he increased his speed instantaneously, widening the distance between them and the Great Grandmaster! ¡°Brother Meng, put me in front of you!¡± Meng Shushu gasped for air. ¡°Nah, my speed is too high. You might not be able to withstand the strong winds if you were up front. It¡¯s safer if you stay on my back!¡± Meng Chong sincerely replied. Meng Shushu¡¯s face darkened. Damn, 1 really have become a human shield! As he watched the Great Grandmaster closing the distance, his face turned green again. ¡°Brother Meng, run faster!¡± If the Great Grandmaster made a move, he would be the first to face the Grandmaster¡¯s majesty! Chapter 231 Translator. 549690339 ¡°It¡¯s already very fast!¡± Meng Chong looked back and was instantly shocked. This Great Grandmaster was definitely not slow! He pulled out a rope and immediately tied Meng Shushu to his back, freeing the hand that had been gripping Meng Shushu¡¯s collar. From the acupuncture points of his Great Sun Golden Body, strands of sword intent flowed from his hand into his sword. ¡°Slash!¡± He suddenly turned around and slashed out with his sword. The horrific sword light cut across the sky, directly aiming for the black-robed Great Grandmaster. This slash was a combination of the sword intents that Meng Chong had nourished in his acupuncture points for a certain period of time. However, because the time for nourishing was too short, this slash did not have the power to threaten a Great Grandmaster. It was only meant to slightly obstruct him! Therefore, after unleashing his slash, Meng Chong promptly fled at high speeds, using his Thunder Roaming movement technique to its fullest extent, thereby increasing the distance between himself and the Great Grandmaster. -Hu Shan or Xie Lingfeng, drop Meng Shushu, and I, the person before you, will spare your life!¡± The voice of the black-robed Great Grandmaster echoed from behind. ¡°Laughable! I, Hu Shan of Sword Superior Cliff, would never abandon a friend.¡± Meng Chong sneered. ¡°In that case, I want to see how long you can run!¡± The black-robed Great Grandmaster frantically chased after him. The distance was slowly closing again. Bang! Another burst of sword radiance swept towards them. ¡°Mate, quick, block it!¡± Meng Chong continued to run wildly, while Meng Shushu, who was hanging on his back, was close to vomiting blood! Again? ¡°Kill!¡± He could only desperately counterattack, blocking the aftermath of the Great Grandmaster¡¯s attack. Puk! Another mouthful of blood spurted out. ¡°Brother Meng, I can¡¯t go on much longer!¡± Meng Shushu¡¯s face turned deathly pale. The blast from the Great Grandmaster was weak due to the far distance, but it was, after all, the Great Grandmaster¡¯s force. Even though he managed to resist it, his injury was still severe. ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Meng Chong pulled out a Healing Pill, ¡°Mate, open your mouth!¡± Meng Shushu could only reluctantly open his mouth and swallow the pill. It had to be said, this Healing Pill was truly potent. Meng Shushu instantly felt much better. -Mate, you owe me eighteen Grade Six Spiritual Medicines.¡± As Meng Chong was fleeing, he spoke. After half a day of chasing, the black-robed Great Grandmaster had attacked five times. Meng Shushu had managed to block the aftermath each time. But even with the Healing Pill, his injuries were not recovering. ¡°I can¡¯t do this anymore!¡± Meng Shushu¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°There¡¯s a city ahead!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes brightened as he dashed into the city, hoping to lose the Great Grandmaster amidst the crowd! However the black-robed Great Grandmaster coldly said, ¡°Attention all Grandmasters in the city, this person is here on a killing spree. If you don¡¯t help, don¡¯t blame me for involving the innocent!¡± A Great Grandmaster could ignore any city rules! Upon hearing this, all the Grandmaster Martial Artists in the city were horrified. They ascended into the sky and swarmed towards Meng Chong. Meng Chong was angered. Was being a Great Grandmaster really so great? ¡°Presumptuous! I am Xie Lingfeng from Sword Superior Cliff. Do you guys not fear Sword Superior Cliff?¡± In this critical moment, Meng Chong roared in anger. The approaching Grandmaster Martial Artists were frightened and abruptly halted their movements. Their hearts filled with fear. Xie Lingfeng from Sword Superior Cliff? Who dares to kill the genius of Sword Superior Cliff and moreover the only son of Xie Tianheng. Even if the other party was a Great Grandmaster, he would definitely die! Using their slight hesitation, Meng Chong dashed through several streets, increasing the distance between him and the Great Grandmaster. He soared up into the sky and fled the city. If he stayed in the city, innocent bystanders would be involved. That Great Grandmaster was clearly ruthless. As soon as Meng Chong fled, a building behind him crumbled down. ¡°You can¡¯t escape!¡± The black-robed Great Grandmaster, furious, continued his chase. Meng Chong continued fleeing, grumbling, ¡°I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t outlast you!¡± Meng Shushu, gasping for breath, exclaimed, ¡°I can¡¯t outlast him!¡± Being a human shield was too hard! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, come, eat another pill!¡± Meng Chong fed him another pill! ¡°Brother Meng, eat the Earth Spirit Root, otherwise, you might not be able to hold on against the Great Grandmaster! After eating the pill and recovering slightly, Meng Shushu reminded him. Meng Chong¡¯s eyes brightened. He carefully removed an Earth Spirit Root, broke off a piece, and stuffed it into his mouth. Immediately, an abundant spiritual energy flowed into his body. The medicinal effects of Earth Spirit Root were gentle and long-lasting. In the blink of an eye, Meng Chong felt that the acupuncture points of his golden body were revitalised. ¡°Mate, quick, eat!¡± He stuffed the remaining half of the Earth Spirit Root into Meng Shushu¡¯s mouth. Meng Shushu could not die. If he did, wouldn¡¯t saving him have been for nothing? Meng Chong had experienced the value of a Medicinal Herb Scout. With Meng Shushu, his chance of obtaining rare medicinal herbs would greatly increase. ¡°Meng Shushu, I really want to see how long you can hold on!¡± The Great Grandmaster suddenly erupted, closing the gap, and slashed out again. Meng Shushu had gotten very used to this. He roared, putting all his strength into blocking the aftermath of this slash. Cough,cough! After withstanding another impact, his slightly recovered injuries worsened again. Fortunately, Meng Chong managed to increase the distance between them. ¡°Mate, there¡¯s a big city ahead. Should we go and hide there? Meng Chong asked with a frown. ¡°A big city? If there¡¯s a Great Grandmaster there, we can try it!¡± Meng Shushu replied. ¡°Such a big city should have a Great Grandmaster, right? Meng Chong sped up and descended into the city. ¡°Who dares to be so reckless and ignore the rules¡­ Suddenly, an angry shout emanated from the city. A terrifying aura rose up.. Chapter 232 Translator: 549690339 A Great Grandmaster. ¡°I am Hu Shan from Jianzun Cliff, my apologies for not informing you before, it was a matter of urgency!¡± Meng Chong greeted. The imposing Great Grandmaster seemed to be taken aback, and his aura subsided a little. Hu Shan from Jianzun Cliff? Immediately after, he noticed the black-robed Great Grandmaster. His gaze sharpened. Which Great Grandmaster had the audacity to pursue Hu Shan of Jianzun Cliff! ¡°It¡¯s best for you to stay out of this!¡± The black-robed Great Grandmaster said coldly and stormed into the city, continuing his pursuit of Meng Chong. ¡°Command them to obstruct the bald-headed person in the eastern city!¡± The black-robed figure abruptly ordered. Colors drained from Meng Chong¡¯s face, realizing there were people from the opposing force inside the city. Indeed, two shadows came charging towards them, both Grandmaster Martial Artists. ¡°Not good!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s face changed. Besides the Grandmaster martial artists, there was also a demi-Great Grandmaster closing in for the kill. We can¡¯t stay here much longer! If he was blocked, he¡¯d be caught up by the Great Grandmaster and that would spell trouble. ¡°Move!¡± Meng Chong turned and fled in another direction, his blade cut down the obstructing Grandmaster. A golden light shone all around him; he took to the sky, leaving the city behind. At that moment, he executed the Thunder Wrath Aerial Technique to the extreme; his Golden Buddha Body energy surged, within his energy aperture, a vortex-like energy was swirling. At some point, Meng Chong¡¯s speed dramatically increased. His Thunder Wrath Aerial Technique had a small breakthrough! His speed increase created a gap between him and the Great Grandmaster. However, the Great Grandmaster relentlessly pursued, not giving him a moment to catch his breath. ¡°Relentless fool!¡± Grumbling, Meng Chong glanced back and saw the Great Grandmaster popping spiritual medicine to refill the depleted energy. ¡°Let¡¯s see who can outlast the other!¡± Meng Chong took out an Earth Spirit Root and swallowed it down. Rumble! The energy of his Golden Buddha Body circulated, refining the spiritual medicine and at the same time, impacting his energy aperture, creating the fourth aperture. Three days passed in this manner between the pursuer and the pursued. The black-robed figure was relentless, always nearby, showing no sign of giving up. There were also rumors spreading that a Great Grandmaster was pursuing Xie Lingfeng. Following that, an amendment was made to the rumor specifying it was Hu Shan from Jianzun Cliff being pursued by the Great Grandmaster! ¡°You want to chase, then chase!¡± Meng Chong grumbled again. He had consumed another Earth Spirit Root, he was not far from a full breakthrough in his Golden Buddha Body cultivation level. Meng Shushu breathed a sigh of relief. After Meng Chong¡¯s technique had a breakthrough, the Great Grandmaster was unable to close the gap, nor was there a need to guard against any residual energy. He was also gradually recovering from his injuries. However, he remained deeply worried. The relentless persecution from the black-robed man and the rumors of Meng Chong impersonating Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were probably spreading. If the powerful people of Jianzun Cliff were to hear about it, they might demand an explanation. If that happened, they would be hit before and after, leading to dire consequences! Meng Chong spoke. ¡°All for you, I have risked everything. I¡¯ve already eaten four Earth Spirit Roots, my losses are huge!¡± If he had taken them back to be refined into medicine by his junior sister, wouldn¡¯t the effects have been much better? The more Meng Chong thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. There were only eight Earth Spirit Roots in total, and he had consumed half of them already! The only saving grace was that he was about to have a breakthrough with his Golden Buddha Body technique. ¡°Brother Meng, I can¡¯t thank you enough!¡± Meng Shushu said, clenching his fist. He already owed Meng Chong his life, owing him a little more didn¡¯t matter anymore. ¡°From now on, you must strive hard. Search for more spiritual medicine, harvest more rare spiritual medicine, strive to buy me a storage bag sooner.¡± ¡°You cannot continue to slack off, or else you won¡¯t be able to repay my life-saving grace, right?¡± Meng Chong nagged. Meng Shushu was numbed. How could such a rugged man nag so much? He kept repeating that he needed to work harder, to harvest more rare spiritual medicine, to buy him a storage bag¡­ Listening to it made his head fill with voices urging him to work harder¡­ ¡°Brother Meng, rest assured, I will work hard and strive to be able to afford a storage bag as soon as possible!¡± Meng Shushu said solemnly. ¡°Great, that¡¯s the spirit. I believe in you!¡± Meng Chong joyfully responded. Rumble! At a certain moment, he broke through with his Golden Buddha Body technique. After breaking through to the minor success stage with his Golden Buddha Body technique, Meng Chong abruptly halted, turned back to face the pursuing Great Grandmaster. His body shone golden and expanded drastically. The terrifying aura caused Meng Shushu¡¯s heart to palpitate! ¡°Cut!¡± Meng Chong swung his sword, which followed the breakthrough of his Golden Buddha Body technique. Bang! A domineering slash swept across the sky, aiming straight at the man in the black robe! ¡°I won¡¯t let you go, I must kill you!¡± The man in the black robe blocked the strike, his heart filled with trepidation; his opponent¡¯s strength had grown so much stronger. This was a considerable threat, he, the Great Grandmaster, would be in danger if the other party¡¯s strength continued to improve. ¡°Great Grandmaster, as expected, is hard to kill!¡± Meng Chong sighed. Even with his breakthrough in the minor achievement of the Vajra Body, his all-out strike was still unable to injure the Great Grandmaster. Meng Shushu rolled his eyes. Did they think the Great Grandmaster was a piece of cabbage, a mere chop away from being killed? Meng Chong continued on his escape. ¡°Only when Vajra Body reaches major achievement, will I have the strength to kill him. But in a short period of time, I won¡¯t be able to achieve that.¡± Meng Chong furrowed his brows. Even if he consumed all the Spiritual Medicine on him, he still couldn¡¯t achieve the major accomplishment of the Vajra Body. Was he meant to continue this stalemate indefinitely? Any delay might lead to changes! ¡°I wonder where my senior brother is.¡± Meng Chong was somewhat helpless. He thought of his eldest senior brother, Xu Yan. If he could join hands with Xu Yan, they should be able to deal with the Great Grandmaster on their tail. ¡°If senior brother has achieved the major achievement in the Innate Realm, he should be able to kill the Great Grandmaster.¡± He was now feeling quite the headache. ¡°Should I go find Xie Lingfeng?¡± Meng Chong thought of Xie Lingfeng. If he went to the Sword Venerable Cliff to find Xie Lingfeng, could he escape from this predicament? ¡°Keep it as it is for now, and see how it goes. If it really doesn¡¯t work out, maybe it¡¯s time to go to the Sword Venerable Cliff?¡± ¡°No, I have already used Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan¡¯s names. If the people at the Sword Venerable Cliff found out, they should come for me. If Xie Lingfeng knew, he should be able to guess it was me.¡± After pondering these thoughts, Meng Chong continued evading, keen to see who could outlast whom! ¡°Who exactly is the enemy of my junior sister? There is more than one Great Grandmaster, and there are probably even stronger Great Grandmasters.¡± Meng Chong was secretly in shock. No wonder his junior sister had to hide away in the remote wilderness. The enemy¡¯s power was too formidable. ¡°Brother Meng, what if another Great Grandmaster comes after us?¡± Meng Shushu asked anxiously. The man in the black robe was relentless, vowing not to stop until they were dead. The enemy¡¯s power was likely to possess more than one Great Grandmaster. Meng Chong was too powerful, and since he had offended them, they would certainly try every possible means to eradicate him or he would surely become a threat in the future. Therefore, another Great Grandmaster might actually come! ¡°If it really comes to that, I¡¯ll go to the Sword Venerable Cliff!¡± Meng Chong said through gritted teeth. ¡°But the Sword Venerable Cliff is too far from here!¡± Meng Shushu uttered in a helpless manner. ¡°Back to Dayue Kingdom!¡± Meng Chong said solemnly. In case they really couldn¡¯t shake off their pursuer, or even if a second or third Great Grandmaster came for them, they would have no choice but to flee back to Yunshan County. The strength of their master was formidable; any number of Great Grandmasters would certainly meet their demise! As long as they were killed, no one would know that they had escaped to the wilderness. These were Meng Chong¡¯s thoughts. When Xu Yan learned of Meng Chong being hunted by a Great Grandmaster, he was filled with rage, and without any delay headed directly to the border of the Yan Kingdom. Reaching a large city, he descended with such imposing force that all the Great Grandmasters in the city pretended to see nothing; they were too afraid of the young man who was radiating an intense aura. Xu Yan, bearing the jade token given by the lady in the plain dress, went to the Tianbao Pavilion for the latest information. After obtaining the intelligence, he took to the skies, following the direction of Meng Chong¡¯s escape as provided by the Tianbao Pavilion. All the way, there was no sign of Meng Chong. He was feeling somewhat anxious. Upon reaching a small city, he promptly entered the Tianbao Pavilion within the city to receive new information with his jade token. The news he obtained was Meng Chong had left a certain large city and speculated to be heading towards Dayue Kingdom. ¡°Since 1 know about my junior brother¡¯s approximate escape direction, the enemy could know it too!¡± Thinking this, Xu Yan¡¯s face slightly changed and he became more anxious. Just as he left the small city, a falcon descended. It was a falcon from the Sword Venerable Cliff! Xu Yan took the envelope, quickly skimmed through it, looked in a certain direction, and disappeared from where he stood in an instant. ¡°Junior brother is heading this way, and the distance should not be too far. The Great Grandmaster¡¯s aura is intense, and it should be easy to detect.¡± Xu Yan stood atop a high peak, looking around. Suddenly, a faint golden beam, far away, flew across the sky. ¡°Junior brother!¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed. With one step, he vanished from where he stood and went straight towards it.. Chapter 233 River¡¯s Myriad Images, massacres Great Grandmaster _1 Translator: 549690339 Meng Chong, with Meng Shushu on his back, was desperately escaping, ¡°Cousin, how is your injury?¡± Meng Shushu¡¯s face was pale and he was panting heavily, ¡°I can still hold on!¡± He was on the verge of tears, fearing the appearance of another Grandmaster, when another one truly did appear, blocking their path. Fortunately, Meng Chong was fast enough. He suddenly changed his direction and managed to escape, leaving the Great Grandmaster behind. However, seizing the opportunity, the enemy launched a strong attack, which came thunderously. Even though he had created some distance, Meng Shushu couldn¡¯t withstand such a powerful strike. He thought he was going to die. Lucidly, Meng Chong swung his sword to counter some of the attack, and with the force of the blow, increased his speed and widened the gap. Leaving the Great Grandmaster behind him. Despite all this, Meng Shushu was grievously injured. Fearing that he might die, which would be a significant loss, Meng Chong reluctantly fed him two Elixir pills. ¡°Brother Meng, if you absolutely can¡¯t escape, just leave me. They might not necessarily kill me. You might end up being held back if you keep running with me on your back!¡± Meng Shushu gritted his teeth and spoke. ¡°Nonsense, if you die, my loss would be huge. Who¡¯s going to give me the storage bag?¡± Meng Chong grumbled and complained. Meng Shushu¡¯s face darkened, so Meng Chong only cared about his storage bag, huh? He felt that even if he managed to survive this time, he would have to slave away for Meng Chong in the future, finding a way to buy a storage bag for him. From then on, he probably had to wander in the wilderness all day, looking for various rare spiritual medicines. This was not the life he wanted to live! A Great Grandmaster was persistently pursuing them, and another Great Grandmaster was following from behind, this was the first Great Grandmaster who started chasing them. Even though they had already gotten quite far away, till they couldn¡¯t see their figures anymore, they were still not giving up and continued to pursue them. ¡°Brother Meng, what if a third Grandmaster comes?¡± Meng Shushu voiced his worry. ¡°Are Grandmasters as common as cabbages, coming one after another?¡± Meng Chong replied frustratedly. He was secretly shocked in his heart. His junior sister¡¯s enemy had a strong force, three Grandmasters had already appeared. One among them was killed in the border wasteland. And now two were chasing him. Clearly, these were definitely not all of the Grandmasters from the enemy¡¯s force! ¡°Cousin, can you recognize which force they belong to?¡± Meng Chong asked in a deep voice. Daring to pursue him, once he improved his abilities, he would definitely seek revenge. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, underground forces are low-profile, and these people seem to be even more discreet despite having many Grandmasters, they are quite unknown.¡± ¡°Moreover, they never seem to mention their affiliations.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head. Meng Chong frowned. More than once, he wanted to get the name of their force from them, but they never disclosed it. They firmly refused to reveal their affiliations. ¡°Such shady bastards, even with a Grandmaster rank, they wear masks and only show their eyes, it¡¯s clear they¡¯re not good people.¡± Meng Chong grumbled and continued his frantic escape. He also feared that another Grandmaster would appear. If they managed to surround him, it would be truly dangerous. ¡°1 have to find a way to shake them off.¡± Meng Chong thought with a frown. Suddenly, a figure arrived with an unimaginable speed. Meng Chong was shocked. He was just about to change his direction to escape when he was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was his senior brother Xu Yan! ¡°Senior Brother!¡± Meng Chong was delighted. Xu Yan came forward, noticing Meng Chong¡¯s slightly torn clothes, but no apparent injuries. The person on his back was not so lucky, he was severely injured and extremely pale. ¡°Junior brother, are you hurt?¡± ¡°No!¡± Meng Chong stopped, looking back, ¡°Senior Brother, it¡¯s a Great Grandmaster, look at his attire.¡± Xu Yan looked up. The black robe was too familiar. He was even angrier, ¡°Junior Brother, wait for a while, I¡¯ll go and kill him! ¡°Those who hide their faces and show their tails dare to pursue my junior brother, it seems their lives are too comfortable.¡± Xu Yan went straight to kill him. Meng Shushu was astounded, this young man is Meng Chong¡¯s senior brother? Moreover, he was so fierce, going straight to kill the Great Grandmaster. That was a Great Grandmaster! ¡°Senior Brother, be careful! There¡¯s another Great Grandmaster behind him!¡± Meng Chong warned hastily. ¡°That¡¯s perfect, I¡¯ll kill them both!¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t seem to care. the man in the black robe narrowed his eyes and shouted, ¡°Who are you, meddling in this matter?¡± ¡°A thing that hides its face and shows its tail dares to chase my junior brother, I¡¯ll slay it today!¡± Xu Yan slashed out with his sword. Mountain River Dragon Chant! Roar! The mountains and rivers appeared, and the dragon chant echoed. The man in the black robe narrowed his eyes, bellowed angrily, and slashed with his curved sword. The terrifying blade radiated like a raging wave! This young man gave him a very dangerous feeling! Bang! The mountains and rivers collapsed, the dragon chant resounded, as if it was going to bury all living creatures! This Great Grandmaster was significantly stronger than Yin Hong who had just made a breakthrough. He couldn¡¯t be defeated with a single strike, but for Xu Yan, he wasn¡¯t a difficult enemy to kill either. Since there was another Great Grandmaster behind him, he would fight quickly to avoid letting the person behind escape! Right off the bat, it was the Mountain River Dragon Chant! Roar! A Grandmaster was still a Grandmaster, after all. As the dragon chant echoed and the mountains and rivers appeared, the other¡¯s mind only flickered for a moment, and he didn¡¯t fall into a trance. The horrifying blade light continued to pour out, as if it wanted to tear the mountains and rivers apart! Chapter 234 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan struck out with another sword. In a brief moment, within the mountains and rivers, amidst bridges and flowing streams, shadowy figures overlapped, lakes rippled, and tall buildings stood tall. In his fantastical landscapes, it seemed as though life itself existed. The Sword of Life that Transforms Throughout the Mountains and Rivers. Within the mountains and rivers, the overlapping figures seemed to wield long swords, swinging downwards with the sound of a dragon¡¯s chant. ¡°Not good!¡± The robed man¡¯s face was filled with horror. At this moment, he found himself trapped within the mountains and rivers. The terrifying intent to kill shrouded him, the figures surrounding him, brandishing their swords and slashing towards him. No matter how he unleashed his knife light, no matter how he exerted his strength, all he could see was the sword light, as well as the flipping mountains and rivers, and the terrifying power to destroy life! Thud! The man in the robe blacked out and lost consciousness. It was Xu Yan¡¯s first time activating the Sword of Life that Transforms Throughout the Mountains and Rivers. Under one sword, the body of the man in the robe kept showing cracks, soon afterwards, it disintegrated. A small bag fell from the shattered robed man. Xu Yan raised his hand to grab it and sighed a sigh of relief, ¡°Almost, I almost lost a stack of spirit tickets. These guys, are all very rich, him being a Great Grandmaster, must be even richer.¡± Without checking how many spirit tickets were inside, he stuffed the bag into his bosom. Xu Yan looked ahead, a figure had already appeared on the horizon, rushing towards him. Fie went directly to meet them. ¡°To dare to hunt my younger disciple, you have a lot of nerve.¡± Fie struck out with another sword. ¡°Kill!¡± The black robed man¡¯s face changed drastically, swinging his sword, only to realize in horror that his companion who was hunting Meng Chong had disappeared! A bad foreboding welled up in his heart. ¡°Who are you?¡± Fie roared angrily, as he defended with his sword, he subtly moved his body, ready to flee. Danger! A strong sense of danger immediately covered his heart. ¡°Your slayer, Sword god Xu Yan!¡± Boom! The overwhelming sword light combined with the sword intent, forming mountains and rivers, shrouding in all directions. Completely blocking the black robe man¡¯s escape route. Another sword strike. The Sword of Life that Transforms Throughout the Mountains and Rivers. The black robe man¡¯s body suddenly shattered into pieces and a bag fell from his body which Xu Yan grabbed. The man in the robe, shattered and smashed into pieces, eventually turning into dust and sprinkling from the air. Before he hit the ground, he had already turned into ash! Under one sword, the sword intent obliterated everything, directly turned them into ashes. In the distance, Meng Shushu had already come down from Meng Chong¡¯s back, panting as he stood next to Meng Chong, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape. Fie was so shocked that he didn¡¯t even feel the pain from the injuries on his body. Is this Meng Chong¡¯s elder brother? Too strong, absurdly powerful! That¡¯s a Great Grandmaster, right? Fie kills one with a single sword strike? Could it be, he¡¯s Xie Lingfeng from the Cliff of Sword Respect? Meng Chong scratched his head and happily said, ¡°Brother has broken through and can cross ranks to kill the Great Grandmaster now. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of those who hide their heads but show their tails!¡± Patted his shoulder excitedly and said, ¡°My family, did you see that? Follow me, and you will be absolutely safe!¡± Thud! Out of excitement, he exerted a bit too much force and forgot that Meng Shushu was seriously injured. Immediately, he slapped Meng Shushu so hard that he spat out blood. ¡°Hiss! My family, you are too fragile!¡± Meng Chong hastily withdrew his hand. Meng Shushu, crying inside, is now even more injured than before. ¡°Brother Meng, give me the healing medicine quickly!¡± Anyway, he was already heavily indebted, he didn¡¯t care about owing another eighteen sixth-grade spiritual medicines. ¡°Here you go!¡± Meng Chong, wincing, took out a pill and stuffed it into his mouth. ¡°There are only three left!¡± Looking at the bottle, which only had three left, Meng Chong winced. With a flash, Xu Yan returned, his face excited and thrilled, ¡°Younger brother, how did you get involved with them? Do you know where their den is? I¡¯ll go and wipe them out right now!¡± Those in the black robe were really rich! Xu Yan had killed two Great Grandmasters and obtained their money bags. As he opened it, besides two vials of medicine and several spirit crystals, there were nearly two hundred thousand spirit tickets. They are truly Great Grandmasters! In contrast, Yin Flong is truly a dead pauper! Those medicine vials, although not worth a small fortune, were made using spiritual medicines. But they were not elixirs; in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes, they were a wasteful use of heavenly resources and were just trash. Spirit tickets were his favorite since he can buy many spiritual medicines with them. His eyes were now filled with excitement. He could hardly wait to strike down the opponent¡¯s den right away and make a huge fortune overnight, becoming a rich man. In the Inner Domain, he wouldn¡¯t be poor anymore! Meng Shushu swallowed and thought to himself, Meng Chong¡¯s elder brother seems to be planning to strike at the base of the black-robed men, not out of revenge, but to loot their riches? That eagerness, it scared him even! Meng Chong shook his head, ¡°1 don¡¯t know. 1 saved him, went to a spiritual medicine treasure land and then started being hunted.¡± Then, Meng Chong introduced Meng Shushu and described how he was hunted by a Great Grandmaster, especially emphasizing Meng Shushu¡¯s identity as a spiritual medicine searcher, and that he owed him a storage bag. On hearing this, Xu Yan¡¯s look at Meng Shushu changed. A spiritual medicinal searcher? And he could rank in the top five in the Inner Domain? Xu Yan of course figured out the value of Meng Shushu. He gave a gentle smile, lightly patted Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°So it¡¯s Brother Meng. I¡¯m Xu Yan, Meng Chong¡¯s elder brother. Since you are my younger brother¡¯s family, you can also call me ¡®elder brother¡¯.¡± Meng Shushu was a bit stunned, but he soon realized that this was a great chance to connect with powerful backers! Chapter 235 Translator: 549690339 A strong being who can kill a Great Grandmaster as easily as slaughtering a chicken. By merely calling him ¡°Senior Brother¡±, I made a profit on my own! ¡°Meng Shushu, greets Senior Brother Xu!¡± lie hastily and excitedly bowed. ¡°Hmm!¡± Xu Yan nodded, smiling warmly: ¡°Since you¡¯ve called me ¡®Senior Brother¡¯, I¡¯ll be frank with you, I¡¯m short of a storage bag, what do you think?¡± Meng Shushu:¡­ A true brother indeed, always thinking about the storage bag, huh? Meng Shushu felt numb. At this moment, he could only grit his teeth and say, ¡°Senior Brother Xu, I¡¯ll do my best to earn enough money to buy you a storage bag!¡± He was on the verge of tears, from now on, he would have to roam about everywhere, searching for various spiritual medicines, just to raise enough money to buy two storage bags! ¡°Good! Excellent! Having this as your goal gives me immense comfort! I believe in you, you can definitely afford a storage bag!¡± Xu Yan happily patted his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s not delay, let¡¯s get to the Spirit Medicine Treasure Land now and harvest the spiritual medicines there to avoid nightlong dreams.¡± Xu Yan said solemnly. ¡°You¡¯re right, Senior Brother. If they find out that the Great Grandmaster has been killed and forcibly enter, causing the spiritual medicines to be destroyed, the loss would be tremendous.¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°There might already be a Great Grandmaster stationed there.¡± Meng Shushu said gravely. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up, he said, ¡°That would be perfect, Great Grandmasters are usually rich, killing one could earn a lot of spirit crystals.¡± Meng Shushu:¡­ So, Great Grandmasters have become moneybags, kill one and earn a fortune. This is absolutely outrageous! The high and mighty, incredibly strong Great Grandmaster, had in this moment, crumbled in Meng Shushu¡¯s mind. To him, Great Grandmasters were the apex warriors, the ones countless martial artists worshipped. Yet, to certain people, they were simply walking money bags? The three did not linger, and went straight back to Mount Tian Hammer in Yan Country. The place was quite far from Mount Tian Hammer though, and it would take a significant amount of time to reach there. Meng Shushu was injured and wasn¡¯t able to travel long distances. Hence, Meng Chong simply picked him up and carried him along the journey. Meng Shushu was completely flabbergasted, he felt like he was being carried like a small chicken. ¡°There might be Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine in the treasure land?¡± All along the way, Meng Chong gave a detailed account of the spiritual medicine treasure land. Upon hearing about the possible Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine in the treasure land, Xu Yan was taken aback. That was an exceedingly rare item indeed. Once a Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine appeared in the world, it would likely attract the attention of Great Grandmasters and even lead to the demise of smaller forces. That showed just how valuable Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine was in the Inner Domain. Tianbao Pavilion sold Sixth-grade Spiritual Medicine, yet had never sold any Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine. That was why the Sixth-grade Spiritual Medicine was universally accepted as the highest-grade medicine in the Inner Domain. ¡°There might only be a chance for a Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine, generally speaking, it wouldn¡¯t appear in the Inner Domain. Our ancestral teachings state that the spiritual energy of nature in the Inner Domain might not be enough to allow a spiritual medicine to grow into the fifth grade.¡± Meng Shushu explained: ¡°The reason I suspect there might be Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine there is because I think it was a garden left behind by previous Sects where they cultivated spiritual medicine. With their artificial arrangements and cultivation combined with a long period of growth, a Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine might grow.¡± After thinking for a while, he added: ¡°I can¡¯t ascertain if there are Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicines, but there will definitely be spiritual medicines that rank between the fifth and sixth grades.¡± Xu Yan exclaimed excitedly: ¡°So, there might be semi-Fifth-grade Spiritual Medicines? That¡¯s not bad either!¡± After a long journey, the three finally arrived at Yan Country. They could see a mountain peak that looked like a hammer in the distance.. Chapter 236 Translator: 549690339 Sky Hammer Mountain, the original dense forest almost completely disappeared, the large tree in front of the stone cave, though severed halfway, stood tall, like a great pillar. The place where it was cut off had been leveled, and a man in a black robe sat cross-legged on top of it. On either side of the stone cave beneath the tree, six men in black robes stood with a relaxed demeanor, showing no signs of vigilance, as if they w¡¯ere exchanging messages amongst themselves. With a Great Grandmaster present, it wasn¡¯t necessary for these grandmaster martial artists to stand guard. The Great Grandmaster seated cross-legged on the tree was a mid-level Great Grandmaster, a strong existence among Great Grandmasters. Even if he couldn¡¯t defeat a fully accomplished Grandmaster, if he wanted to retreat, he could still manage it. Without huge profits to tempt them, other Great Grandmasters wouldn¡¯t rashly act, since making an enemy of a strong being of the same realm was ultimately unwise. Of course, if there were massive profits tempting them, things would be different. Despite Sky Hammer Mountain being a treasure trove of spiritual medicines, outsiders were unaware of it. Moreover, a general treasure trove of spiritual medicines wasn¡¯t worth making an enemy of a Great Grandmaster. The man in the black robe that sat cross-legged on the big tree, like the previous two Great Grandmasters, was dressed the same. The only difference was the white leaf embroidered on the chest of his robe. The leaf was slender as a willow leaf. Xu Yan and the others did not hide their traces and directly flew in openly, seemingly unafraid that there might be a powerful being guarding the treasure-loaded mountain. The black-robed Great Grandmaster opened his eyes and announced solemnly, ¡°Someone¡¯s coming!¡± The black-robed men on either side of the stone cave immediately became alert, gripping their curved swords. If a Great Grandmaster attacked and they could not resist, their first course of action would be to break open the stone cave, forcefully enter the treasure-laden grounds and even if this resulted in the destruction of spiritual medicine, it was still better than letting others reap the benefits. At a glance, Xu Yan noticed the black-robed man standing halfway up the tree. A Great Grandmaster! Moreover, a stronger Great Grandmaster! ¡°Senior Brother Xu, that Great Grandmaster seems stronger!¡± Meng Shushu swallowed nervously. Just as Grandmasters had varying strengths, so did Great Grandmasters. The strength of a Great Grandmaster who broke through all at once, relying solely on their own talent and accumulated base was ultimately much greater than those who lingered at half-step Great Grandmaster, and then slowly progressed by hoarding spiritual medicine. The Great Grandmaster on the tree ahead was evidently one who relied solely on his own talent and base to breakthrough at once. His strength was incomparable to the two dead ones. The black-robed man stood there, gathering momentum like a celestial force. Not a novice Great Grandmaster, but a mid-tier Great Grandmaster! Xu Yan was not afraid and instead revealed an excited expression, exclaiming, ¡°The stronger the better! The stronger they are, the higher their status, and equally richer they are. This is another windfall!¡± Meng Shushu¡¯s mouth twitched. He was worried for nothing! In Xu Yan¡¯s eyes, the man was just a walking bag of money! ¡°Junior Brother, deal with those several people later to prevent them from destroying the spiritual medicine treasure trove.¡± Xu Yan looked at the six black-robed men on either side of the tree behind the stone cave. ¡°No problem, one slash for each person, just six slashes in total.¡± Meng Chong nodded enthusiastically. Having been chased for such a long time, he could finally vent his rage. Meng Shushu remained silent. The two brothers were both ruthless and exceptionally strong. To them, Great Grandmasters and Grandmasters were like cabbages that could be killed off easily. ¡°Who are you, and why do you want to interfere in this matter?¡± The black-robed man¡¯s momentum surged and the pow¡¯er of a Great Grandmaster surged like a celestial force. On Xu Yan¡¯s body, the intent of a dragon¡¯s palm burst forth, blocking the man¡¯s force. He said calmly, ¡°Sword God Xu Yan.¡± ¡°Sword Dao Cliff?¡± The man in the black robe frowned. Upon hearing about a powerful practitioner of the Sword Dao, he immediately thought of Sword Dao Cliff, but the name Sword God Xu Yan was very unfamiliar. Moreover, the title ¡®Sword God¡¯ was rather presumptuous. Even Xie Tianheng would not dare to proclaim himself so! ¡°No!¡± Xu Yan shook his head. His gaze fell on the white leaf that looked like a willow leaf embroidered on the man¡¯s chest. He could possibly trace the man¡¯s affiliation from this symbol. ¡°Which organization are you from? Name it!¡± Xu Yan asked in a deep voice. ¡°If you wish to interfere in this matter, you should consider whether you can afford to offend a peak Great Grandmaster!¡± The black-robed man avoided the question and said coldly instead. Peak Great Grandmaster? Xu Yan was not panicking at all. Even if he couldn¡¯t defeat a peak Great Grandmaster, the man couldn¡¯t do anything to him either. And when he reached the epitome of the Innate Realm, what peak Great Grandmaster? He could kill one with a single sword strike, and they posed no threat at all. Since the man didn¡¯t want to reveal his identity, there was no need for pointless conversation. Xu Yan unsheathed his sword, saying, ¡°You hide behind a cover and don¡¯t even dare to let people know your name, yet you want to intimidate people with the status of a peak Great Grandmaster? ¡°Today, I¡¯ll cut you down!¡± The black-robed man was furious. Sword in hand, he lunged forward, ¡°I¡¯ll like to see how you plan to kill me!¡± Boom! The moment Xu Yan clashed with the black-robed man, Meng Chong and Meng Shushu had already rushed towards the stone cave. The six Grandmaster martial artists didn¡¯t entertain the idea of fleeing at all, naturally with only two of them and six of them, they had the advantage. ¡°Kill them!¡± The six black-robed men wielding their curved swords met the charge. Meng Shushu slowed down and immediately lagged behind Meng Chong. He didn¡¯t need to do anything himself. Boom! The light of the sword shone, an absolute sword intent, wreaking havoc everywhere. One slash, and a splat sounded! Chapter 237 Translator: 549690339 One black-robed man falls! ¡°Not good!¡± The remaining black-robed men immediately turned pale with fright. This is too terrifying! One cut and he kills one of their own. They only have a few guys left, how could they withstand a few more cuts from him? They wanted to escape, but it was already too late. Meng Chong kept cutting down one after another. With six slashes, six Grandmaster Martial Artists were slaughtered. After killing the people, Meng Chong excitedly looted the bodies and emptied their money pouches, then his blazing Sword Intent rolled out, reducing the bodies to ashes. ¡°Impudent!¡± An angry roar came from the sky. The Great Grandmaster was horrified. Their six Grandmasters, like cabbages, were all slaughtered one by one by that bald brute! Not even a bit of resistance! These were Grandmaster Martial Artists for god¡¯s sake, training just one costs a lot of resources, and those who could become Grandmasters, would surely have high talent! ¡°Dare to be distracted in front of me?¡± Xu Yan sneered; perhaps, the opponent was seeking a quicker death? Aroo! The dragon roared, the Sword Intent enveloped everything, the mountains and rivers overturned, and the Golden Dragon spiraled around. Following that, another Heaven Burning Golden Flame Sword was launched! ¡°Not good!¡± The black-robed Great Grandmaster turned pale with fear. He hurriedly collected his thoughts. The curved sword in his hand was shattering inch by inch, radiating a terrifying light. He must escape! He felt a deadly crisis descending! Absolutely determined, he used his secret technique. With the explosion of the curved sword, a powerful strike was launched, intending to break through the opponent¡¯s onslaught and escape. Xu Yan raised an eyebrow. A martial arts secret technique? This was his first encounter with a Martial Artist who used a martial arts secret technique, and moreover, a mid-level Great Grandmaster. Martial arts secret techniques were extremely rare in the Inner Domain, only existing in powerful forces that have deep foundations. Especially powerful secret techniques, only belong to the top-notch powers. Don¡¯t think that the Seven-star Study Palace seems like they have many martial arts secret techniques. However, those truly compatible with a martial artist¡¯s cultivation technique, and can be cultivated, are not actually many. Not every martial arts secret technique, can be cultivated¡ªnor was every martial arts secret technique capable of unleashing a powerful combat force. Furthermore, you need a foundation of talent in order to successfully cultivate a secret technique. There should be no conflict with your own cultivation technique. Generally, martial arts secret techniques were passed down along with their respective influences. Only then there would be no conflicts, and it would be suitable for cultivation. The secret techniques of the Seven-star Study Palace were quite diverse, covering various types. Traditional students wanting to cultivate these secret techniques needed to find one that matched their cultivation technique. A regular martial arts student, usually had no opportunity to come into contact with it. ¡°What difference does it make if it¡¯s the Martial Arts Secret Technique? Can you escape?¡± Xu Yan sneered once again. As for the Inner Domain¡¯s martial arts secret techniques, he didn¡¯t give them much value. Most martial arts secret techniques were difficult to activate and were destructive to oneself. The power they unleashed, in his view, was just so-so. Not a big improvement. Urgently, Xu Yan used his sword technique. The mountains and rivers overlapped, the Golden Dragon spiraled. Within a blink of an eye, Encircled by Eighteen Golden Dragons; it was as if eighteen Golden Dragons were manipulating the mountains and rivers, it enveloped everything beneath. Boom! The black-robed figure exploded with brilliant light. A powerful aura exploded out and crushed the mountains and rivers; it seemed like a strike would break through the Sword Intent of the mountains and rivers! However, there were mountains upon mountains, seemingly boundless. In a blink of an eye, numerous figures appeared, wielding swords. His Sword Light had already enveloped him. ¡°No¡­¡± The black-robed Great Grandmaster¡¯s eyes were full of fright. He couldn¡¯t believe it and let out a cry, but he couldn¡¯t make a sound anymore. Crack! His head split open, his entire body started to disintegrate, his black robe shattered, and a bag fell down. Xu Yan held up the bag in his hand and snorted, ¡°Thinking you could survive so long if I hadn¡¯t been worried about damaging my money bag? ¡°Thinking you could get away by using secret techniques?¡± The black-robed figure kept disintegrating until it finally turned into ashes and dissipated. Xu Yan happily opened the bag and found a stack of Spirit Bills inside. Each one had a limit of ten thousand. There were more than thirty of them. ¡°Nice, nice. As expected from a Great Grandmaster, another fortune is in my hands!¡± The organization that the man in black cloak belongs to is rather wealthy. I wonder where their lair is. 1 really want to take it down and make a fortune. Xu Yan rued. If he took down their lair, wouldn¡¯t he never be poor again? ¡°This power, has not just one, but likely multiple Great Grandmasters at their peaks. With my current power, taking down their lair is rather difficult. ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. Once 1 break through to the Perfect Innate Realm or even penetrate the Tongxuan Realm, I can then take down their lair. When my disciple sister returns to the Inner Domain, I don¡¯t believe they will not show up. ¡°Once they reveal themselves, 1 will eventually find their lair!¡± Xu Yan muttered to himself. Upon reaching the cave entrance, he looked forward with anticipation, ¡°Is this the entrance to the spiritual medicine treasury?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Meng Shushu nodded. He was greatly shocked. That was a middle-grade Great Grandmaster who couldn¡¯t defend against a few sword strokes and was annihilated. Xu Yan¡¯s power was truly terrifying. Soon, however, he cheered up again. He might owe a lot, but having such a powerful backing seemed worth it. ¡°Go, let¡¯s go in!¡± Xu Yan waved his hand and said. Inside the cave, the mottled stone wall revealed no trace of a door. There was only a small round hole on one side of the stone wall. Meng Shushu took out a key, which was a small hammer, and put it in the round hole. He twisted the handle of the hammer and, with a click, the hammer head sprang open, seemingly hooking onto something inside the hole. With vigorous twisting, there were cracking noises followed by vibrating stone walls and falling dust. At some point, there was a thud, as if something had been moved aside. Meng Shushu pushed the stone wall, and with rumbles, it opened inward. A faint light could be seen inside. ¡°Let¡¯s go, the door is open!¡± Meng Shushu flicked his hand, sending a few forces flying in, seemingly probing something. Then he eagerly walked into the tunnel followed closely by Xu Yan and Meng Chong. When entering the tunnel and looking up, they found that the top of the tunnel was like a patchwork of stones, which would collapse instantly if forcibly opened. ¡°This has been ingeniously constructed!¡± Xu Yan exclaimed. Meng Shushu excitedly said, ¡°It¡¯s confirmed; this place was previously a spiritual medicine sect where spiritual medicines were cultivated!¡± The faint light from the front was getting brighter. When they walked out of the tunnel, all three of them were amazed at the scene in front of them. Despite the passage of considerable time, one could vaguely see sections of medicinal fields. Each section had spiritual herbs planted on it. As Meng Shushu had said, this was once the site of the spiritual medicine sect, a place for cultivating spiritual herbs. Beams of light were cast from all directions and also from overhead. The three of them followed the light, beams of which were streaming in through small openings, illuminating the entire mountain space. Above them, there were a dozen lines of cracks. The light outside the mountain projected through these cracks, ensuring that the space inside the mountains isn¡¯t pitch dark. ¡°This mountain was man-made.¡± Xu Yan spoke gravely. No traces of human intervention were visible from the outside, but inside, they could clearly see signs of clever assembly. A martial artist with lower skills couldn¡¯t forcibly break in here. If a martial artist above the rank of Grandmaster were to forcibly invade, it would trigger a chain reaction. The entire mountain would collapse, crushing the spiritual herbs leading to no gains at all. ¡°The lowest rank here is the eight-grade spiritual medicine!¡± Meng Shushu said excitedly. Although there weren¡¯t many spiritual medicines left in each medicinal field, when added together, the quantity of spiritual medicine was quite considerable. ¡°The spiritual medicines planted in the mountains generally prefer dark places; they are usually quite rare and difficult to find.¡± Meng Shushu began to dig the herbs, explaining as he did. ¡°For instance, this ground moon shoot likes dark places. Its bamboo stalk is slender, and doesn¡¯t grow higher than three feet¡­¡± Meng Shushu referred to a small bamboo plant in front of him. He quickly dug out the ground moon shoot from the ground. The size of a baby¡¯s fist and half a foot long, the freshly dug shoot was clad in a white husk, and a faint bamboo scent permeated around. ¡°Meng Shushu, you are a spiritual medicine scout, you know how to dig and preserve spiritual medicines, so tell us, what¡¯s the correct way to dig and preserve them?¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong also excitedly began to dig the spiritual medicines. Most of these medicines were on Su Lingxiu¡¯s medicine list.. Chapter 238 Translator: 549690339 Meng Shushu was digging as he explained, ¡°Be careful when digging up spiritual medicine. Avoid damaging it otherwise its medicinal power will disappear. If too much time passes, there will be little left.¡± Being a spiritual medicine explorer, he knew all kinds of spiritual medication intimately. He continued to explain to Xu Yan and another person, ¡°Herb-like spiritual medicine is less fragile. You only need to dig it up as long as the damage is minimal, it won¡¯t lose its medicinal power. One must pay particular attention to fruit-like spiritual medicines, they must be kept with their stems. Like the crop that grows underground, be careful when digging so as not to damage it, then there would be no problem. ¡°The spiritual medicine that grows underground always has a layer of protection.¡± ¡°Of course, this is just a method of harvesting spiritual medicine. For long-term preservation and preventing the loss of medicinal power, there are other, more complex methods.¡± ¡°Tianbao Pavilion is best at preserving spiritual medicine. So, generally speaking, all major forces, after harvesting the spiritual medicine, will deposit it in Tianbao Pavilion for safekeeping. Alternatively, they would seal the spiritual medicine before storing it.¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong were choosing and digging up spiritual medicine while listening to Meng Shushu¡¯s explanations. ¡°Tianbao Pavilion is really impressive,¡± Xu Yan exclaimed. From the Spiritual tickets that allow entry to the inner domain, to the storage and sealing of spiritual medicine, it was clear that no major force dared to offend Tianbao Pavilion. However, Tianbao Pavilion adhered to principles of non-interference in the inner domain struggle, maintaining its own principles and an excellent reputation. This was one of the reasons why the major forces placed their trust in Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°Tianbao Pavilion is naturally powerful. No one knows about their actual strength. Even though the Seven-star Study Palace is considered strong, I feel it might not be as powerful as Tianbao Pavilion,¡± Meng Shushu exclaimed. ¡°However, major forces like the Seven-star Study Palace have their own ways of dealing with spiritual medicine, including storage and sealing techniques. ¡°They still deposit a portion of the spiritual medicine in Tianbao Pavilion because branches are spread across the inner domain. If there¡¯s an emergency that requires spiritual medicine, it can easily be collected from Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°Rumor has it that these major forces have secret agreements with Tianbao Pavilion, which gives them generous cooperation privileges,¡± Meng Shushu commented. Being a resident of the Inner Domain, Meng Shushu clearly understood the strength of Tianbao Pavilion. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh aloud. ¡°Uncle, do you know how to store and seal spiritual medicine?¡± Meng Chong asked while digging up spiritual medicine. ¡°Being a skilled explorer of spiritual medicine in my family, I naturally know how to preserve and seal spiritual medicine. However, it¡¯s quite troublesome, and the materials needed for sealing spiritual medicine are even more complicated to prepare. ¡°Nevertheless, you can buy these from Tianbao Pavilion, albeit at a cost,¡± Meng Shushu nodded with a sigh. Nowadays, most explorers of spiritual medicine in the Inner Domain were employed by Tianbao Pavilion. He didn¡¯t like being restrained, so he refused Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s recruitment. Meng Chong nodded, he had seen the materials used by Tianbao Pavilion for sealing spiritual medicine. They used a layer of transparent membrane to encase the spiritual medicine, ensuring the medicine¡¯s power wouldn¡¯t be lost. Half a day later, all the spiritual medicine in the medicinal field had been harvested; most were of the eighth class, with only a few seventh-class medicines. There were twenty-three kinds of spiritual medicine in total. ¡°Carrying so many varieties of spiritual medicine is inconvenient. If only there was a storage bag,¡± Xu Yan looked at the pile of spiritual medicine and complained. ¡°Meng Shushu, as a spiritual medicine explorer, how can you not buy a storage bag? How can you carry a large amount of spiritual medicine? So, you must get a storage bag,¡± Xu Yan advised, patting Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Meng Shushu replied helplessly. It seemed impossible to extricate himself from the pit dug by these two brothers. ¡°That¡¯s not right, there¡¯s no sixth-class spiritual medicine here, let alone fifth class,¡± Meng Chong said, looking at the spiritual medicine with furrowed brows. ¡°There¡¯s still one key left. High-quality spiritual medicines are usually planted individually in every medicinal field,¡± Meng Shushu took out another key and said. ¡°Are there any other medicinal fields?¡± Meng Chong looked around as soon as he heard it, ¡°There!¡± The three of them went over to the cavity and found a hole. Meng Shushu excitedly inserted the key and turned the lock with a click, as if unlocking it. He pushed the stone wall, causing mud to fall and revealing an open stone wall. Behind the wall, the light was slightly brighter, especially in the middle where a beam of light was shining. The three of them looked at the location where the light was shining and were immediately stunned. There grew a plant of about one foot high with green leaves, under which a thin vine was hanging. A crystal-clear dewdrop was hanging on the vine. Under the light, it shimmered brilliantly; it didn¡¯t look like an ordinary object! ¡°What kind of spiritual medicine is this?¡± Xu Yan asked curiously as they carefully approached. Upon closer inspection, they found that the dewdrop hanging under the green leaves looked like a small fruit, but also like a small bead. It was as transparent as dew and glowed exquisitely. Meng Shushu walked around the small tree. The more he looked, the more excited he got. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were puzzled. They didn¡¯t recognize it; Su Lingxiu never mentioned this kind of spiritual medicine. ¡°Uncle, have you figured it out?¡± Meng Chong asked, looking up. This spiritual medicine was extraordinary and definitely not ordinary seventh or eighth class. ¡°This is¡­ this is Skydrop Marrow. I¡¯ve only seen it in books. It¡¯s described as having green leaves with dew-drops hanging underneath resembling marrow,¡± Meng Shushu¡¯s face turned red with excitement.. Chapter 239 Translator: 549690339 | ¡°This is a treasure, a real treasure, a fifth-tier spiritual medicine!¡± He carefully reached out, gently touching the leaves of the Heaven Dripping Marrow as if caressing the cheek of a loved one. His manner made both Xu Yan and Meng Chong break out in goosebumps! ¡°Tell us about this Heaven Dripping Marrow.¡± Xu Yan asked. Meng Shushu took several deep breaths to calm his excited heart, saying, ¡°The Heaven Dripping Marrow is a unique spiritual medicine. Its tier is not fixed; the longer it grows, the higher its tier becomes, and it¡¯s rumored to grow into a top-tier spiritual medicine. ¡°To determine its tier, one must count how many droplets it harbors. Less than nine droplets make it a sixth-tier medicine. Nine to eighteen droplets make it a fifth-tier. This Heaven Dripping Marrow plant has exactly nine droplets.¡± Upon inspection, Xu Yan and Meng Chong discovered that indeed, nine branches each suspended a droplet. Even the same tiered spiritual medicines come with high, medium, and low grades. This Heaven Dripping Marrow is a low-grade fifth-tier medicine. Yet, even so, it is a rare treasure in the Inner Domain. ¡°It¡¯s said that the Heaven Dripping Marrow is a rare kind of spiritual medicine. It has a magical effect of strengthening a martial artist¡¯s willpower, enhancing their comprehension, and their innate talent. Every time one appears, it causes a scramble among the great grandmasters. Among the fifth-tier medicines, it belongs to a particularly precious category.¡± Meng Shushu continued explaining. ¡°Enhancing comprehension and innate talent? So magical?¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. Meng Chong rubbed his hands, this truly was a treasure. A single Heaven Dripping Marrow plant, a fifth-tier medicine if it was processed into an elixir, imagine how powerful it would become? It was almost unthinkable! At this moment, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help feeling excited. His parents¡¯ innate talent was mediocre. If they had an elixir produced with Heaven Dripping Marrow, it could improve their talent and comprehension, making martial arts practice much easier. In the Inner Domain, such medicines are generally consumed directly. As for refining them into elixirs, that involves stewing them into pills with other medicines ¡ª not much more than that. In Xu Yan and Meng Chong¡¯s opinion, this was squandering of a precious resource. A medicine like Heaven Dripping Marrow would never be mixed with others and stewed in the Inner Domain. People dared not destroy its effects and would generally consume it directly. This was an even greater waste! Refining it into an elixir was the right thing to do! ¡°This Heaven Dripping Marrow, if we take it to the Tianbao Pavilion, we should be able to exchange it for a storage bag.¡± Meng Shushu excitedly said. ¡°No way!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong spoke simultaneously. You can buy a storage bag because Tianbao Pavilion has them. But the Heaven Dripping Marrow is a spiritual medicine you can come across but can¡¯t seek out. Besides, let Meng Shushu sort out the storage bag matter himself. This Heaven Dripping Marrow plant definitely cannot be taken in exchange. Meng Shushu gave an embarrassed smile, then said, ¡°Or, let¡¯s just eat it together. See if it can really enhance our innate talent.¡± ¡°No, eat it directly? Are you a cow? Of course, it must be refined into an elixir.¡± Xu Yan outright refused. ¡°Elixir?¡± Meng Shushu blinked. He had never heard of it. He thought of the impressively effective healing medicine Meng Chong had given him to take, could that have been an elixir? ¡°Meng, you quickly dig up the Heaven Dripping Marrow and seal it well. Don¡¯t let a bit of medicinal potency leak. Once the elixir is successfully refined, I¡¯ll give you one.¡± Meng Chong said. This treasure spot was partly thanks to Meng Shushu, and he would be a part of their party in the future, specifically responsible for finding spiritual medicines. They couldn¡¯t just order him around without giving him any perks in return. ¡°Okay, no problem!¡± Meng Shushu did not ask any more about the elixir. It was clearly something secretive. But as long as he could receive one, he wouldn¡¯t come away empty-handed. Besides, the effects would probably be better than consuming the Heaven Dripping Marrow directly, right? Meng Shushu began to dig up the Heaven Dripping Marrow. Since it was a fifth-tier medicine and incredibly precious, Xu Yan and Meng Chong, not skilled in harvesting medicines, wouldn¡¯t dare lend a hand indiscriminately. Only now did they find time to look around. Apart from the Heaven Dripping Marrow, they discovered several other medicinal fields. Each had a spiritual medicine growing in it. ¡°Sixth-tier spiritual medicines?¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong¡¯s eyes lit up. Sixth-tier spiritual medicines were the highest tier medicines openly available in the Inner Domain, rare and costly. And here were several of them. Both of them refrained from harvesting, leaving everything to Meng Shushu to handle. After the Heaven Dripping Marrow was extracted, Meng Shushu took out a thin membrane, carefully sealing the medicine and reinforcing the membrane with his inner qi. Only after finishing his careful work, did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank goodness, I didn¡¯t lose the sealing meds I was carrying.¡± Meng Shushu carefully collected the remaining sealing meds and began to forage the remaining spiritual medicines. ¡°These are all level six spiritual medicines. Two of them are top-grade, the rest are medium-grade.¡± Meng Shushu explained. He ripped out the level six spiritual medicines and used the sealing med to restrict them. However, there weren¡¯t enough sealing meds, so two of them were left unsealed. ¡°Be careful with these two, don¡¯t damage them. When we get to town, we can buy some more sealing meds from Tianbao Pavilion to seal them.¡± Meng Shushu ripped off a piece of his clothing carefully wrapped the two level six spiritual medicines, and handed them over to Meng Chong. ¡°No problem.¡± Meng Chong excitedly and carefully took them. Heavenly Essence, of course, is safer with Xu Yan. Even if the Great Grandmaster comes, he couldn¡¯t snatch it away. There are too many spiritual medicines, and without a storage bag, Meng Shushu was about to take off his clothes to wrap them up, when he saw Xu Yan pull out a large bag. ¡°Thank goodness, I was prepared. Finally, I got to use it.¡± Xu Yan happily stuffed the spiritual medicines, one after another, carefully into the bag. Meng Shushu was stunned. Could you predict the future? Carrying a large bag with you in advance? Meng Chong regretted, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that my bag fell off when I was being chased by the Great Grandmaster!¡± Meng Shushu:¡­ True to their status as fellow brothers, they were both carrying large bags, right? With a full bag of spiritual medicines, Xu Yan was delighted. Finally, he fulfilled his promise to his younger sister. He had also stored quite a lot of spiritual medicines in Tianbao Pavilion. Moreover, he also had quite a few spirit crystals and could afford to buy a lot of spiritual medicines. He should be able to collect all of the spiritual medicines on his sister¡¯s list. ¡°Disciple, you hold these spiritual medicines.¡± Xu Yan handed over the bag full of spiritual medicines to Meng Chong. Meng Chong, with his muscular stature, was more suited to carrying this large bag, while the Heavenly Essence and several well-sealed level six spiritual medicines were wrapped up and carried by Xu Yan. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± All the spiritual medicines in the spiritual medicine treasure land have been harvested, with nothing else left, it was time to leave. Moreover, having killed the black-robed Great Grandmaster, if other powerful figures sensed it and killed again, it would be somewhat troublesome. After all, under the current circumstances, they were not in a suitable state for a big battle, as it could easily damage the spiritual medicines. After getting out of the spiritual medicine treasure land, Xu Yan was alert to his surroundings and found no enemies, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Brother, should we head home now?¡± Meng Chong asked, his face full of excitement. Carrying such a large bag of spiritual medicines, it¡¯s not appropriate to venture into the inner domain anymore. They should also make a trip back to the borderland. He guessed his sister must be eager for them to go back. The level six spiritual medicines, especially the Heavenly Essence, should not stay in Tianbao Pavilion. Although Tianbao Pavilion had an excellent reputation, as his master said, it was only because they hadn¡¯t encountered an interest convincing enough for them to abandon their credibility. Who can be sure whether Heavenly Essence is tempting enough for Tianbao Pavilion to breach their principles? ¡°These spiritual medicines need to be sealed. It¡¯s about time to go back. I also need to retrieve my stored spiritual medicines and visit the Canglan Island. I also have to buy the spiritual medicines on the list.¡± Xu Yan pondered for a while. It was about time to go back. ¡°Once the spiritual medicines are sealed, you can go back first. I will retrieve the saved spiritual medicines and buy the ones on the list after saying goodbye to Brother Xie.¡± It¡¯s been a fruitful trip to the inner domain. It was about time to go back and work on improving his skills. Next time he comes to the inner domain, he should be able to move freely. ¡°Okay!¡± Meng Chong nodded, his face fierce, ¡°Next time I come, I will definitely defeat a few Great Grandmasters. That¡¯s the only way to let out this stifled breath!¡± With so many spiritual medicines, his sister should be able to refine many pills. With the help of the pills, his practice of the Great Sun Golden Body will surely speed up. It won¡¯t take long for him to make a breakthrough. When his Innate Realm is complete or perfect, he will return to the inner domain, go straight to the lair of those black-robed people, and take them down. He also wants to defeat a Great Grandmaster! ¡°Disciple, next time you come, you can visit the Seven-Star Study Palace, pass the nine-tier challenge platform, and check out the martial arts books in the scripture pavilion. It will benefit you.¡± Xu Yan said seriously. ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Meng Chong nodded. Meng Shushu remained silent the whole time. This pair of disciple-brothers were mysterious and overbearingly powerful. Meng Chong had already started to plan how to defeat a Great Grandmaster. They were truly terrifying! Chapter 240 Grandmaster, Killing Skulli Translator: 549690339 I After leaving the spiritual medicine haven, the three of them chose to traverse through the forest, concealing their movements due to the fear of being attacked by powerful forces associated with the man in the black robe. Upon reaching the outskirts of a city, Xu Yan and Meng Chong wait outside while Meng Shushu, disguised, went into the city¡¯s Tianbao Pavilion to purchase sealing medicine paper. When Meng Shushu returned with the sealing medicine paper, they began sealing up the spiritual medicine. Once done, they set out back to the Great Yue Kingdom. Along the way, a messenger bird landed. The bird was from the Sword Master Cliff, arriving due to Xu Yan¡¯s messenger bird token. In the messenger cylinder of the bird, was a letter from Xie Lingfeng, asking if help was needed. Xu Yan replied with a letter, sending it back through the bird. ¡°Is this bird from Sword Master Cliff?¡± Meng Shushu exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Oh, you recognize it?¡± Xu Yan said in surprise. ¡°Senior Brother Xu may not know, spiritual medicine scouts like me are naturally familiar with the major forces and understand them well. If there is a need to cooperate, I may need to use their messenger birds, so naturally, I can recognize them.¡± Meng Shushu explained. ¡°I see!¡± Xu Yan finally understood. ¡°By the way, can you train messenger birds to build a messenger network?¡± Xu Yan pondered for a moment before asking. If they were to enter the inner domain, messenger birds, being a convenient method of communication, are absolutely essential. Relying on other people¡¯s messenger birds is ultimately not a reliable method. ¡°I am a spiritual medicine scout, how could I know about such things?¡± Meng Shushu frantically shook his head. ¡°Tianbao Pavilion provides a messenger bird rental service. Some forces, unable to establish their own network, rely on renting from Tianbao Pavilion, although it comes at a high price. ¡°Of course, you can also rent for single-use, temporary use. Up until now, there hasn¡¯t been any leak of information regarding messenger birds from the Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°For general forces, it is quite guaranteed.¡± Meng Shushu thought for a while and then added. ¡°This Tianbao Pavilion, really is not simple, involved in all kinds of business.¡± Meng Chong said with a sigh. Xu Yan took out the jade plate given by the lady in plain clothes and asked, ¡°The Tianbao Pavilion you mentioned that rents messenger services, is it this?¡± ¡°Yes, your jade plate can only be used for receiving messages at the Tianbao Pavilion, it cannot receive messages from messenger birds. This type is relatively cheaper. Most forces use these, mainly for obtaining information from the martial arts world. Even so, the annual cost is over a hundred thousand spirit crystals.¡± Meng Shushu nodded. Xu Yan was secretly surprised. This Tianbao Pavilion is really impressive, a simple reception of information costs at least a hundred thousand spirit crystals annually. How many forces are there in the inner domain? Just within the Great Yue Kingdom, there are already numerous forces, how many more would there be in areas not governed by the three major nations. Furthermore, those areas are also vast with numerous forces. As such, one can tell, Tianbao Pavilion didn¡¯t need to invest their own money to establish the messenger network, all of it was funded by the major forces! Upon entering the Great Yue Kingdom, Xu Yan heaved a sigh of relief as there were no grandmasters chasing after them. It wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of the grandmasters, but rather the fear that the fights would damage the Heavenly Droplet Marrow and the six pieces of rank six spiritual medicine. If that were to happen, killing any number of grandmasters wouldn¡¯t compensate for the loss. Rank five spiritual medicine is not something that can be bought! ¡°Junior Brother, for safety, I will escort you to Lanping County.¡± Xu Yan told Meng Chong after some thought. ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong nodded. He was not afraid of grandmaster martial artists and they pose no threat to him, he could kill them with one slash and not worry about any damage being done to the spiritual medicine. If a half-step grandmaster or even a grandmaster was to attack, it would be difficult. The three headed straight for Lanping County. Lanping County is located at the borderland, a great distance away from their location. To reach Lanping County and Iron Mountain County, it would take some time. Besides, to avoid any accidents, Xu Yan tried to keep as low a profile as possible. Killing a grandmaster is not urgent, protecting the spiritual medicine is the top priority. ¡°Brother Meng, Senior Brother Xu, I will hide out in Lanping County for now, until things die down before I continue my search for spiritual medicine. How should I contact you in the future?¡± Just as they were about to enter Lanping County, Meng Shushu asked. Xu Yan thought for a moment and said, ¡°In the future, you can go to Iron Mountain County to contact me, or contact Xie Lingfeng and have him relay the message to me.¡± Iron Mountain County is a place bordering the wastelands. Now that they¡¯ve brought back the spiritual medicine to the wasteland, the number of martial artists in the wasteland would surely increase, and it¡¯s only natural for them to enter the inner domain. The first place those from the wasteland would settle down was naturally Iron Mountain County. ¡°I understand!¡± Meng Shushu nodded. ¡°You¡¯re doing great, strive to earn two storage pouches soon!¡± Meng Chong patted his shoulder as encouragement. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Meng Shushu wanted to cry, a storage pouch! How many spiritual medicines would he need to find to afford one? Just as they stepped into the boundaries of Lanping County, Xu Yan suddenly halted, extending his arm to block Meng Chong and Meng Shushu. He stared ahead, his expression solemn. A figure approached from the distance, step by step. Wherever he passed, the ground seemed as though it had been burned by fire, leaving behind only blackened dirt. He was dressed in a red robe, wearing a headdress that hid his face. His complexion was pale, and he gripped a staff topped with a skull. The black staff, topped with a skull, had red flames flickering in its eye sockets and mouth, emitting an immensely powerful aura. A grandmaster! Xu Yan took out the spiritual medicine he was carrying and handed it to Meng Chong, warning him, ¡°Junior Brother, be careful.¡± ¡°Senior Brother, don¡¯t worry..¡± Chapter 241 Translator: 549690339 Meng Chong¡¯s expression was serious, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade, warily watching his surroundings. Meng Shushu widened his eyes and stared at the Grandmaster before them. His scalp prickled, and his body trembled lightly. ¡°Such a coward!¡± Meng Chong sighed. Being weak was one thing, but to also lack courage? ¡°H-he¡¯s Huo Tu, the Demon Lord!¡± Meng Shushu said with a gloomy expression. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were taken aback. Huo Tu, the Demon Lord? One of the nine Demon Lords in the Demon Cult, widely known as one of the three famous Demon Lords. He is of brutal nature, practices the Cultivation Technique of Massacring, and slaughtered hundreds of Martial Artists and several Grandmasters to step into the territory of the Great Grandmaster by refining their blood essence. He¡¯s the most brutal among the nine Demon Lords, with an unpredictable whereabouts and concealed location, to prevent being besieged by the Great Grandmasters. ¡°No, Huo Tu, the Demon Lord shouldn¡¯t be this weak,¡± Xu Yan suddenly objected. ¡°Weak?¡± Meng Shushu swallowed nervously and said, ¡°Senior Brother Xu, Huo Tu, the Demon Lord, is a peak stage Great Grandmaster. Among all peak stage Great Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, he can be ranked in the top thirty.¡± ¡°Then you must be mistaken, he is merely a mid-tier Grandmaster, not a peak stage one. Despite being stronger than that black robe who 1 killed, he is still a long way from being a peak stage Great Grandmaster,¡± Xu Yan shook his head. ¡°So it¡¯s not Huo Tu, the Demon Lord, but one of his Great Grandmasters.¡± Meng Shushu let out a sigh of relief. The dark path Great Grandmaster walked step by step, locking onto Xu Yan from afar, without haste or fear, as if unconcerned about Xu Yan and the others escaping. ¡°Could it be that the black robe was under the command of Huo Tu, the Demon Lord?¡± Meng Chong pondered. ¡°Impossible, given the nature of Huo Tu, the Demon Lord, he wouldn¡¯t keep a bunch of low-profile people around. However, why is this Great Grandmaster here?¡± Meng Shushu wondered. Xu Yan was deep in thought. He had escorted Du Yuying home, killing several Demon Cult Grandmasters including Qianhuo Master. Could they all have been under Huo Tu, the Demon Lord¡¯s command? Now, the opponent¡¯s Great Grandmaster has come to him. The threats faced by Prince Du¡¯s mansion were indeed not insignificant, with Huo Tu, the Demon Lord secretly taking action. What is the underlying secret? However, all these are in the past. He defeated Yin Hong under the name of Xie Lingfeng, the deterrence of the Sword Master Cliff was indeed strong, and the threat to Prince Du¡¯s mansion was immediately lifted. In Seven-star Study Palace, he had already announced his real name, clarified that he was not Xie Lingfeng, so does it mean that the powerful men under Huo Tu, the Demon Lord are here to seek revenge? ¡°You are Xu Yan?¡± The Demon Cult¡¯s Great Grandmaster asked, his cold gaze firmly locked on Xu Yan. ¡°Yes, I am!¡± Xu Yan clearly affirmed. ¡°Very well, remember this, 1 am Killing Skull, under the command of Huo Tu, the Demon Lord!¡± With a whoosh, a reddish flame spurted out of the skull, burning fiercely. Killing Skull at this moment seemed like holding a torch! Meng Chong and Meng Shushu hurriedly retreated, putting some distance between them. Xu Yan¡¯s expression became slightly serious. The skull wand held by Killing Skull, emanated a fierce flame represents the very essence of his power. It had no heat, only a chillness. But it seemed capable of incinerating everything, corroding all life, even more dreadful than deadly poison. The opponent cultivated Massacre Cultivation Technique. It was highly likely the notorious Hellfire Blood Refinement Technique of Huo Tu, the Demon Lord, using the blood essence of Martial Artists and the blood of living beings to refine the Hellfire! ¡°I¡¯ll take your blood essence and everything else. It seems I¡¯ll get a good harvest this time?¡± Killing Skull sinisterly grinned. His gaze lingered on the large bag in Meng Chong¡¯s hand for a while and then revealed a smile. ¡°Senior Brother Xu, be careful, Killing Skull is one of the three strongest men under Huo Tu, the Demon Lord. He has killed countless people, and that Hellfire is horrific. It can burn a Martial Artist¡¯s Inner Qi and is impossible to extinguish once it adheres to you, leading to certain death.¡± Meng Shushu hurriedly cautioned fearing that Xu Yan might be negligent. ¡°Good, good, you indeed know of my reputation.¡± Killing Skull glanced at Meng Shushu, whose cold gaze almost made Meng Shushu break out in a cold sweat. Even without Meng Shushu¡¯s warning, Xu Yan knew the danger of Killing Skull. However, the threat of Hellfire wasn¡¯t all that significant to him. At least it couldn¡¯t burn his Innate True Qi. ¡°Being the powerful man of Huo Tu, the Demon Lord and a Great Grandmaster, you must have killed many for treasure, haven¡¯t you?¡± Xu Yan suddenly had a realization, and his eyes lit up as he asked. Killing Skull frowned; somehow, he felt that something was off about the boy¡¯s manner. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be afraid or serious? Why was he asking these questions? ¡°Of course, my name, Killing Skull came to be because I¡¯ve killed many, don¡¯t bother begging for mercy, boy, because 1 won¡¯t spare you.¡± Killing Skull sneered. ¡°How many Spirit Crystals do you have on you?¡± Xu Yan asked eagerly. This Killing Skull, a Great Grandmaster, a powerful man of the Demon Lord, who had countless killings to his name, should be quite wealthy, right? This was like a money bag walking right up to his doorstep! ¡°What do you mean?¡± Killing Skull frowned, sensing something odd in Xu Yan¡¯s attitude. ¡°I¡¯ve killed several demon path Grandmasters, but they were all poor as church mice, which has tarnished the name of the Demon Cult. I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me. I, Xu Yan, never fight without gaining something in return.¡± You, a Demon Cult Great Grandmaster, should be pretty rich, right? You can¡¯t be dead broke, can you?¡± Chapter 242 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan asked solemnly. ¡°You are seeking death!¡± Deathly Skeleton was enraged, indignantly holding on to a notion of being despised. Boom! The terrifying Blood Prison Fire surged as he held the skeleton staff, curling up a horrific red flame that emitted a cracking sound, and charged fiercely towards Xu Yan. This youngster is taking liberties way too far! Xu Yan slashed out with his sword, Mountain River Dragon Roar! The sword intent of the Mountain River filled the air, resonating with a dragon roar, followed closely by a palm strike, carrying the mighty and peerless Golden Giant Dragon with the extreme yang and hard energy, raging into the scorched Blood Prison Fire. As strong as the Blood Prison Fire seemed, it ultimately belonged to the gloomy class of cultivation techniques, often seen as sinister power. The energy of the Descending Dragon Palm, extreme yang and hard, was perfectly able to restrain the Blood Prison Fire. Boom! The Golden Dragon roared, flexing its formidable strength, rolling and rotating in rapid succession, the Blood Prison Fire gradually diminishing as if it could not corrode the Golden Giant Dragon at all. On the contrary, under the bombardment of the Golden Giant Dragon, it kept getting weaker. ¡°You!¡± The face of the Deathly Skeleton changed drastically. ¡°I won¡¯t spare you!¡± What was the opponent¡¯s cultivation technique that seemed to restrain his cultivation technique? The skeleton staff enveloped a gloomy atmosphere, the flames transformed into countless skulls falling from the sky, as if they intended to bury and burn all beings. ¡°Today, after killing you, I would like to see what Demon Lord Huo Tu can do? If you dare to offend me, Xu Yan, just wait for me to kill you on your doorstep.¡± Xu Yan sneered. The Golden Giant Dragon spun around, his Longsword came crashing down. All Creature Sword of the Mountain River! Boom! The face of the Deathly Skeleton was horrified, the crisis was looming, and a burst of blood gushed out from his body, turning into a shield, enveloping him. The Blood Prison Fire that spewed out from the skeleton staff suddenly condensed into a giant sword, as if it was going to block this blow. At the same time, his figure flickered, planning to escape. Xu Yan¡¯s strength was beyond his expectation, and the terrifying Golden Giant Dragon, fierce and intense, restrained his Blood Prison Fire. As such, his powerful killing skill was unable to release its due power fully. ¡°Once you¡¯re here, don¡¯t even think of escaping. No enemy has ever escaped from my, Xu Yan¡¯s, hand!¡± Xu Yan slashed again, his palm once more struck out. Roar! Eighteen Golden Giant Dragons roared in unison, swirling all around, attacking from the outside to the inside. ¡°Kill!¡± The Deathly Skeleton¡¯s face drastically changed, revealing a hideous and gloomy look. Bang! The robe on his body exploded in an instant, a column of bloody aura surged from his body, and the world seemed to be filled with a nauseating stench of blood. The tremendous bloody aura spewed out from the Deathly Skeleton¡¯s body, poured into the skeleton staff, and in an instant, his body began to wither. ¡°If you want to kill me, then we will die together!¡± The Deathly Skeleton¡¯s face looked hideous; his skeletal staff had turned blood red, emanating a terrifying aura. Xu Yan, in return, was even more furious, ¡°Give me back my spirit ticket!¡± As the Deathly Skeleton¡¯s robe exploded, so did his money bag, and with it the spirit ticket naturally broke into fragments. This meant that, even if Xu Yan killed his opponent, there would be no reward! How could he not be angry? Since the spirit ticket was already destroyed, there was no need to worry about damaging it while attacking. His Sword Intent escalated instantly. The fierce killing aura seemed to even change the color of heaven and earth. At this moment, the Deathly Skeleton, who was prepared to fight to the death, felt chills running down his spine.. That temperament of murder, that terrifying killing intent, was even more frightening than the murderous aura of the devil himself! Chapter 243 Translator: 549690339 The Life-taking Skeleton was a strong presence under the flags of the Demon Lord Huo Tu, a middle-level Great Grandmaster, who had killed countless people. Countless martial artists have fallen victim to his cultivation technique, perishing as a nourishment for his training. His Skeleton Staff was his renowned weapon, a very extraordinary precious artifact. When the crisis came, the Life-taking Skeleton was a decisive person. He directly cast the life-taking secret technique, his robe shattered, and the bloody energy flowed into the Skeleton Staff. His body instantly shriveled. Life-taking Skeleton was confident that by using this life-taking secret technique, he could certainly repel Xu Yan, buying himself time to escape! If he fails to escape, he¡¯d rather die with the enemy. Even if he could not kill the opponent on the spot, as long as Xu Yan was injured, it would be absolutely impossible to recover from the injury with his malignant cultivation technique. If he is lucky enough to survive, he will surely ruin his martial arts and become a half-invalid! His death would not be in vain! He was once besieged by four or five Great Grandmasters, he used this life-taking secret technique. Although the price was a bit high, he managed to escape, those Great Grandmasters who besieged him were severely damaged. Most of their strength was almost ruined. However, with the help of the Demon Lord, he swallowed the essence blood of more than a dozen Grandmasters and slowly recovered. When he came to kill Xu Yan this time, although his strength was unexpected, the Life-taking Skeleton was confident that he could escape with his life. All it took was a little time and the absorption of some martial artist¡¯s essence blood, then he could gradually recover. Unexpectedly, Xu Yan suddenly burst into anger, which made him feel extremely cold and tremble throughout his body. Even his consciousness seemed to be hit. Thus, the almost invoked life-taking secret technique suddenly slowed down at this moment, and could not be cast immediately. Mountains and rivers covered his sight and the masses were turning into savage ghosts wielding swords to kill him! The Life-taking Skeleton didn¡¯t understand why Xu Yan became so angry just because he blew up his robe. It was his robe, not Xu Yan¡¯s! Was it about Spirit Crystal notes? Were those Spirit Crystal notes yours? It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. When Life-taking Skeleton was about to die, he woke up suddenly and realized that his biggest mistake was to tear his clothes apart. He should never have blown up the money bag he carried, along with the robe. Would he, a murderous demon cult¡¯s Great Grandmaster, care about the Spirit Crystal notes he carried? If something went wrong, he would simply slaughter some people and rob them. So, he was very determined to blow them up! As a result, it thoroughly upset Xu Yan. Without money, Xu Yan naturally had no reservations and attacked angrily! With Xu Yan¡¯s terrifying sword slashing down, the Life-taking Skeleton didn¡¯t even have the time to cast the secret technique before being cut down by Xu Yan. His body collapsed, turned into ashes, and vanished. Only the Blood-Red Skeleton Staff, which had been imbued with bloody energy, fell on the ground! Xu Yan was still furious and cursed, ¡°You bastard from the demon cult, you were too cruel, Demon Lord Huo Tu, isn¡¯t it? Just wait for me! If you don¡¯t compensate me a few million Spirit Crystals, you¡¯re as good as dead!¡± Meng Shushu, who is watching the battle not far away, was stunned at this point, completely shocked and a little panicked, ¡°Senior Brother Xu is so terrifying when he gets angry. That scared me! I can¡¯t continue to take it easy, I must work hard, try to find spiritual medicine, and try to buy back the treasure bag I owe Senior Brother Xu as soon as possible!¡± Completely horrifying. Originally, the Life-taking Skeleton could have fought back, but he exploded his robe, and all the money in the money bag he carried was exploded as well, along with the Spirit Crystal notes. As a result, it enraged Xu Yan, and that angry sword was simply terrifying. Under one sword, the Life-taking Skeleton, who was ready to fight hard, was completely killed before he even had the time to cast his desperate secret technique! After dealing with the Life-taking Skeleton, Meng Shushu breathed a sigh of relief. Although they encountered a Great Grandmaster attack, Xu Yan was, as always, invincible and effortlessly solved the enemy. As soon as Meng Chong returned to Xu Yan¡¯s side, he heard Xu Yan swearing, ¡°I¡¯m so angry, I¡¯ve suffered a big loss! There¡¯s nothing gained from this attack.¡± I his account must be credited to the Demon Lord Huo Tu. If he doesn¡¯t compensate me a few million Spirit Crystals¡­?, it¡¯s several tens of millions of Spirit Crystals, or work for me to earn money, he won¡¯t live!¡± Meng Shushu wiped his cold sweat off his forehead, he had a hunch that the Demon Lord Huo Tu seemed to have offended Xu Yan due to this incident, and his ending might not be good! Senior Brother Xu, actually it¡¯s not a total loss, you see, that Skeleton Staff is not an average treasure, it¡¯s very valuable.¡± Meng Shushu pointed at the Skeleton Staff on the ground. Xu Yan raised his hand and took the Skeleton Staff. The blood-red Skeleton Staff looked extremely evil, as if it had swallowed countless essence blood. When the Life-taking Skeleton cast the secret technique, that bloody energy just merged into the Skeleton Staff, and he was killed before he had time to cast it. This led to the Skeleton Staff containing the power of that secret technique. Which caused the value of the Skeleton Staff to skyrocket drastically. ¡°Are you talking about this Skeleton Staff? How much do you think it can sell for?¡± Xu Yan felt a bit better, not entirely without gains. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s definitely worth a lot.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head. Xu Yan examined the Skeleton Staff and said thoughtfully, ¡°This Skeleton Staff contains the secret technique of the Life-taking Skeleton. If it is triggered, it will be equivalent to a full blow of a Great Grandmaster. ¡°This is indeed valuable. I suppose it would cost several million Spirit Crystals, right?¡± Meng Chong seemed to think of something and said, ¡°Senior Brother, do you think it would be better to give this Skeleton Staff to Senior Sister? Maybe she can use it?¡± Chapter 244 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan found this to be reasonable; his junior sister was a medic martial artist, adept at refining medicine. The power of the Bloody Hellfire contained within the skull staff might be usable by her. Besides, even if it couldn¡¯t be used, it could serve as protection for his junior sister. After all, the skull staff contained the power of a secret technique from a Great Grandmaster. ¡°Then let¡¯s give it to junior sister!¡± Xu Yan nodded and said. Meng Shushu, however, spoke, ¡°Senior Brother Xu, actually the three big nations, as well as some other great forces have put a bounty on the Living Corpse. Whoever manages to kill him can go claim the reward. Xu Yan was instantly invigorated, asking anxiously, ¡°How much is the reward?¡± ¡°Added up, it should also be two to three million Spirit Crystals. The Living Corpse didn¡¯t kill few people in the past, all the major forces have martial artists who have been brutally killed by him, the reward has always been there. ¡°Just that no one was able to claim this reward. As Senior Brother Xu has killed him now, taking his token should entitle you to the reward, right?¡± Meng Shushu thought for a moment and then said. ¡°The token of the Living Corpse?¡± Xu Yan looked at the skull staff, this was naturally the best token, but if he planned to take it back to his junior sister, it wasn¡¯t suitable as a token anymore. His gaze swept across the ground, seeing the scattered pieces of a shattered robe. With a wave of his hand, he picked up one of the fragments, which had an incomplete pattern embroidered on it. ¡°Can this be used as a token?¡± Meng Shushu was about to say something but stopped short. How could this serve as a token? No one would believe it! ¡°I got it!¡± Xu Yan slapped Meng Shushu on the shoulder, saying, ¡°I have a task for you. Spread the news that I killed the Living Corpse. Say that I, Swordsman Xu Yan, eradicated this demon for the forces offering the reward, even at the risk of offending Demon Lord Huo Tu. ¡°Do you understand? I killed the Living Corpse for them, since they¡¯ve issued a reward, they can¡¯t just renege on their word, right? ¡°I, Xu Yan, went through great pains for their reward, daring to offend the Demon Lord Huo Tu, they can¡¯t possibly go back on their word, can they?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Senior Brother Xu, 1 will take care of this, and make sure the entire Inner Domain knows that it was for those forces that you dared to offend Demon Lord Huo Tu and kill this demon. Meng Shushu quickly agreed. ¡°Tell them, I¡¯ll pay them a visit in a few days.¡± An excited expression appeared on Xu Yan¡¯s face, it seems his efforts weren¡¯t wasted after all. The three continued on their way, arriving in Lanping Prefecture City, where Meng Shushu disguised himself and left, having agreed on a way to communicate, they went their separate ways. Xu Yan and Meng Chong then went to Iron Mountain County, in order to avoid being tracked, both of them concealed their aura and avoided populated areas. They did not encounter any attacks all the way, and eventually made it back to Iron Mountain County. ¡°junior brother, you go back first and inform our master and junior sister that I¡¯ll be back within a month. 1 need to collect the bounty, the spiritual medicine I deposited, and the spiritual medicine junior sister has listed. Upon parting, Xu Yan instructed Meng Chong. ¡°Senior brother, don¡¯t worry, once junior sister refines the medicine, I¡¯ll deliver it to Uncle and Auntie.¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Thank you, junior brother, you can go now. I¡¯ll stay here to see if anyone manages to track us here.¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Okay!¡± Meng Chong carried a large bag of spiritual medicine on his back, the Heavenly Dew Marrow and the rest of the rank six spiritual medicine were wrapped in small packages and hung in front of his chest. A Sword hung at his waist, and in his other hand, he held the skull staff. With a flash, he plunged into the endless mountains, heading back to the borderlands. Xu Yan sat down on a large tree, quietly waiting, just in case someone chased them here. Three days later, no one had tracked him, Xu Yan glanced back towards the borderland direction before turning around to leave without looking back. His next destination was to claim the bounty for killing the Living Corpse. The martial arts world in the Inner Domain was buzzing. The infamous, murderous Great Grandmaster from the Demon Sect, the Living Corpse had been killed! The killer was Swordsman Xu Yan, that monstrous, unique genius who had stunned the Seven-star Study Palace! Rumor has it that he saw the rewards posted by the three big nations and various forces, was angered by the brutality of the Living Corpse, was not afraid of offending Demon Lord Huo Tu, tracked down the Living Corpse and killed him. According to an unidentified individual who was fortunate enough to witness the intense battle, Swordsman Xu Yan was filled with hatred towards the Living Corpse¡¯s brutality, in his anger, he executed his unparalleled swordsmanship, with a single stroke, he turned the Living Corpse into ashes. Only a piece of the robe worn by the Living Corpse was left, embroidered with a broken pattern of Demon Lord Huo Tu¡¯s insignia, purposely left behind by Xu Yan as a token. Countless prodigies and many Grandmasters were all shocked. Does Swordsman Xu Yan not fear Demon Lord Huo Tu? Can it be, he¡¯s the prodigy of Sword God Cliff, hence he isn¡¯t afraid of the Demon Sect? With regards to Xu Yan¡¯s feat of killing the Living Corpse, rumors ran rife, while the person involved, Xu Yan, had started on his journey to claim the reward, and arrived at the first Sect to collect his reward. In the Seven-star Study Palace, inside a small courtyard. Du Yuying was in the middle of practicing. Her aura had become somewhat unusual, her body exuded a shiny white light, making her look saintly and radiant. And her strength had also risen to a First Grade Strength. Given her age and this level of strength, she could be considered an exceptional prodigy. At one moment, Du Yuying lightly coughed, her face turned a few shades paler, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, she slowly ended her cultivation exercise and opened her eyes. She appeared deep in thought, ¡°My body still has some issues, breaking through to become a Grandmaster, still seems far off!¡± She sighed inwardly, and the picture of that handsome young man involuntarily surfaced in her mind, stirring her heart again.. Chapter 245 Translator: 549690339 | Stepping out of the training room, Cui¡¯er hurried over, her face flushed, overflowing with happiness. ¡°Miss, Miss, the murderous skeleton is dead, killed by Young Master Xu. Everyone is saying that Young Master Xu despised the brutal murder skeleton and that¡¯s why he killed it.¡± ¡°But 1 think, Young Master Xu might have done it for you, Miss. After all, it was the Murderous Skeleton who meddled in the affairs of the Prince¡¯s Mansion.¡± Du Yuying¡¯s eyes gleamed a moment, but they quickly dimmed again. She said with sorrow, ¡°Cui¡¯er, how could it be for me? When Young Master Xu escorted me back then, it was purely for the sake of the Spiritual Medicine and Spirit Crystals.¡± Back then, Xu Yan was just starting out, and he was very poor! ¡°1 still believe that Young Master Xu did it for you, Miss. He used Xie Lingfeng¡¯s name to intimidate those people at the time. Now that his identity has been revealed, he surely fears those people will cause trouble for you again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why he decisively took action, assassinated the murderous skeleton, and deterred those villains.¡± ¡°Young Master Xu is a person who sees things through. Having escorted you once, he certainly wouldn¡¯t want any trouble to fall on you because his identity has been exposed.¡± Cui¡¯er persisted with conviction. Du Yuying¡¯s eyes lit up, finding Cui¡¯er¡¯s words not without reason. Thinking this, her heart leapt, and a blush crept up her face. She said, ¡°Cui¡¯er, I want to start a business to earn Spirit Crystals and Spiritual Medicine, to give to Young Master Xu as soon as possible. 1 want to buy him a storage bag!¡± She remembered that Xu Yan liked storage bags a lot. ¡°Miss, you can definitely do it!¡± Cui¡¯er nodded excitedly. At that moment, Du Yuying¡¯s eyes shone with determination and a fighting spirit. For the figure in her heart, she wanted to become¡­ a wealthy woman! At the top floor of the Unparalleled Pavilion. A woman in plain clothes sat by a stream, her delicate white feet kicking the water, she turned to her master, ¡°Master, now you should realize how wise it was for me to advise you against taking action earlier, right?¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang looked incredibly grave. While the murderous skeleton was not as powerful as her, it wasn¡¯t going be easy killing him. After all, with strength on par with the murderous skeleton, even if they were to lose, they¡¯d still have methods to escape. What was even more shocking was that Xu Yan had blown up a grandmaster at Seven-star Study Palace with a single palm. It was a grandmaster after all! Although still a beginner, they were still incredibly powerful. How did he manage to blow them up with a single palm strike? Even she couldn¡¯t achieve such a feat. ¡°My good disciple, your Master is suddenly having feelings for Xu Yan, what should I do?¡± The Great Grandmaster Wushuang squinted. The woman in plain clothes jumped up like a cat that¡¯s tail had been stepped on. ¡°Master, how old are you anyway, with such thick skin. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡± The Great Grandmaster Wushuang teased, ¡°Oh, oh, little girl, are you jealous of your Master, and yet you said you weren¡¯t having spring thoughts. You even lent your jade medallion. Is it so you can meet again when he returns it?¡± The woman in plain clothes huffed and turned her head, appearing to sulk. Great Grandmaster Wushuang sighed, ¡°Little girl, you can¡¯t get that young man. He came to the Unparalleled Pavilion to hone his mental state. I suspect his martial arts is pure, he¡¯s not interested in romantic matters.¡± The woman in plain clothes smiled, ¡°Master, you just don¡¯t understand. He likes Spirit Crystals, he likes Spiritual Medicine, and 1 have all of these here. He doesn¡¯t have to be moved by me, but by Spirit Crystals and Spiritual Medicine.¡± ¡°Also, he likes storage bags. I have to figure out a way to get one.¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang was dumbfounded. She suddenly felt that her disciple seemed to have turned into a¡­ sycophant? Or should it be called¡­. a lickspittle?! Chapter 246 Medical Martial Arts Manual_i Translator: 549690339 Inside the Yunshan County estate, Li Xuan was sighing. Xu Yan had already started killing Great Grandmasters. He didn¡¯t have any idea what was happening, this short time after they went to the Inner Domain. If not killing Grandmasters, then they were killing Great Grandmasters. On the other hand, Meng Chong was being chased by Great Grandmasters. Li Xuan was a little worried, but he reasoned that since they hadn¡¯t caught Meng Chong in so much time, the danger should not be too great. ¡°Xu Yan has already reached the peak of the Innate Realm, having understood the mystery of the True Qi, and should soon comprehend the cultivation technique of the Tongxuan Realm.¡± Li Xuan was mulling this over. The cultivation technique for the realm above Tongxuan, which Li Xuan was creating, was almost complete. The theoretical framework was already done, with only minor refinements needed. ¡°Once Xu Yan perceives the method of Tongxuan, I can give him the cultivation method for the next realm. Having him familiarize himself in advance, so maybe by the time he breaks through to the Tongxuan Realm, he will have understood it?¡± Li Xuan had great expectations for Xu Yan. Su Lingxiu had already entered the first step of martial arts, and she was perfecting the Art of Alchemy, beginning to comprehend the art of making pills. The size of the Red Cat was increasing constantly. Its huge thick gold chain had been replaced, with a longer and thicker one. Most of the time, it was either sprawled at the gate of the estate or trying to woo Su Lingxiu to get her alchemical pills. Its enormous size made it seem more majestic than ever. Shi¡¯er had already broken through to the early stage of Qi-Blood Realm, yet in terms of strength, he could no longer oppress Red Cat or whip it as before. Fortunately, after a period of indoctrination, Red Cat seemed to really believe that being whipped was ultimately for its own good. Li Xuan continued to read the ancient book. After reading a lot, he also gradually had some ideas. Whether or not things were as he suspected, he still didn¡¯t know. He could only wait until his power had grown before he could verify these things. One day, Li Xuan, with his hands behind his back and a leisurely step, took a stroll outside the estate. He had decided to roam and see if he could find the next suitable candidate for his disciple. Although the fourth martial arts system wasn¡¯t complete and was only an idea with questionable feasibility and strength, it didn¡¯t prevent him from finding a candidate for a disciple. He could temporarily avoid accepting a disciple until the fourth martial arts system was developed. Afterward, he could take on the disciple. With plans in mind, Li Xuan started to act. He straightaway left the estate, stepping out leisurely with strides that covered dozens of yards. His first stop was Donghe County where he casually visited Xu Yan¡¯s parents. Being Xu Yan¡¯s master, it was time for him to meet his parents. Xu Junhe and his wife were very excited and paid great tribute. This martial arts saint was also a martial arts forefather of the borderlands, now the belief of all the martial artists of the borderlands! As for the Xu Family, being the holy family of martial arts in the borderlands they were revered. Everyday martial artists who were cultivating martial arts came to the Xu Family, hoping to receive some guidance. After a period of conversation, Li Xuan realized that Xu Junhe was indeed an extraordinary person. No wonder he was able to marry the former governor¡¯s wealth and become the richest person. Moreover, Xu Junhe¡¯s talent was not bad, even slightly better than Shi¡¯er. He was already at Qi-Blood Realm early stage. Madam Xu¡¯s martial arts realm was slightly inferior, but was still quite good. However, she did not have the heart to pursue powerful martial arts. It was clear that her heart was completely occupied by Xu Yan, her beloved son. No wonder Xu Yan could freely search high and low for experts to train in martial arts and spend money freely. All because of his mother, Madam Xu¡¯s indulgence. After giving Xu Junhe and others some guidance on martial arts, Li Xuan bade them farewell. After some wandering, he arrived in Qi Country City. However, he didn¡¯t reveal his true identity, but just wandered around Qi Country City as an ordinary person. After staying for less than a day, he left Qi Country. After that, he went to Wu Country, roamed around and then went to the northern savannah, one of the three kingdoms of the borderlands. Northern savannah was unlike Qi and Wu Countries as it consisted of several tribes. The ruler of the northern savannah was usually elected based on their martial prowess. Every time when the old ruler dies, the tribes would fight for the throne. The one with the strongest martial prowess could become the ruler. This place valued military power more than anything. They were fierce and loved to fight. Now, at the time of old ruler¡¯s critical condition, all major tribes, including the old ruler¡¯s tribe were involved in a struggle for the new ruler. The ultimate winner would represent their tribe in a fight for the ruler¡¯s position. Due to its location in the wild grasslands, far away from Wu and Qi Countries, and in the transition period between the old and new rulers, people of the northern savannah knew nothing about the changes in Wu and Qi Countries. Even the concept of martial arts had not yet reached here. According to the custom of the northern savannah, after the new ruler takes up his throne, he would traditionally attack Wu and Qi Countries to the south, plundering resources to demonstrate his power. Li Xuan lingered in the northern savannah for two days. He nearly foresaw that when the new ruler of the northern savannah came to attack Wu and Qi Countries, a group of martial artists cultivating martial arts would defeat them. Shaking his head with regret, he failed to find a suitable disciple in the borderlands. He began his return to Yunshan County. ¡°In the borderlands, it was hard enough to find Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Su Lingxiu came from the Inner Domain, so finding another suitable disciple in the borderlands would be impossible. ¡°How could such a small border area produce so many geniuses?¡± Li Xuan smiled wryly and gave up the idea of finding another disciple in the borderlands. ¡°There¡¯s no rush for a new disciple. Besides, the new martial arts haven¡¯t been developed yet.¡± When Li Xuan returned to Yunshan County and had just sat down, a golden light appeared.. Chapter 247 Medical Martial Arts Manual_2 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has slain the Great Grandmaster who was pursuing Meng Chong, and your Mountain River Sword Intent has improved.¡± As I thought! After receiving the news, Xu Yan went and killed the Great Grandmaster who was hunting Meng Chong. ¡°Xu Yan is truly ruthless!¡± Li Xuan could not help but marvel; Xu Yan had just entered the Inner Domain and was already taking on big-shot players, killing Grandmasters left and right. He had just made a breakthrough in the Innate Realm, ended a Great Grandmaster, and now he had killed another Great Grandmaster. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has slain the Great Grandmaster who was pursuing Meng Chong, and your Mountain River Sword Intent has improved.¡± The golden light emerged once again. Li Xuan:¡­ So, there was more than one Great Grandmaster chasing Meng Chong? Are there really that many Great Grandmasters in the Inner Domain? Can they run into them just like that? Xu Yan had even killed three of them! ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has slain consecutive Grandmasters, and you obtained the Annihilation Sword Intent!¡± The feedback from the Golden Finger continued. Annihilation Sword Intent! Li Xuan was overjoyed, he finally had a Sword Intent outside of his disciples. The Annihilation Sword Intent can destroy everything, it¡¯s incredibly powerful! ¡°As martial artists, we should go out and explore the world of martial arts. My disciples, it is time for you all to go out and explore the path of invincibility on my behalf.¡± Li Xuan was delighted in his heart. Su Lingxiu¡¯s hands were pulsating with vital energy, condensing into Alchemic Flames, as she practiced Alchemy. She had been practicing bare-handed alchemy for several days and had already found the knack to it. ¡°The Art of Alchemy should be able to level up now, right?¡± Li Xuan was full of anticipation. Xu Yan and Meng Chong had joined forces, but Li Xuan had no idea what would come next. Li Xuan, who had nothing to do, pointed out the acupoints on Red Cat with his bamboo stick again, especially the acupoint on its head, he urged it to awaken this acupoint first. Red Cat still looked like it didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°I wonder if the Big Devil Method will be successful, and if it is, what feedback will I get?¡± Li Xuan was curious. The Big Devil Method was after all, a way of the great devils, and he was human, what feedback could he get? Could he become able to cultivate the Big Devil Method? ¡°I¡¯m thinking too much. Whether Red Cat can cultivate it is still unknown.¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s expression was solemn, a bead of sweat appeared on her forehead, her delicate hands, now turning into the shape of a pill furnace with her vital energy, another flow of vital energy condensing into Alchemic Flames, enveloping the vital energy pill furnace. At some point, her hand shook, the vital energy dispersed, and several pills fell into her palms. Bare-handed vital energy alchemy had finally succeeded! Just as Li Xuan sat down, a golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has understood the Art of Bare-handed Alchemy you created. You¡¯ve gained the Void Alchemy Technique (Beginner).¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. The Void Alchemy Technique, he had mastered it instantly, as if he had been born with the ability to do so. This is a truly extraordinarily powerful Alchemy Technique. Even if it¡¯s just at the beginner level. ¡°Once Su Lingxiu is proficient in bare-handed alchemy, I¡¯ll pass on the Void Alchemy Technique to her. Let her use it as a foundation to further comprehend more powerful alchemy techniques.¡± Li Xuan was quite pleased with himself. Although Su Lingxiu was greatly depleted after succeeding with vital energy alchemy, both the speed of pill refining and the quality of the pills were much better than using a pill furnace. But it is destined that it can¡¯t be mass produced. Only an Alchemy Furnace could be used for mass production of pills. Next, Su Lingxiu continued her alchemy while using the Alchemist¡¯s Treasure as a foundation to further comprehend the alchemical martial arts. She was not far from reaching the Minor Accomplishment stage of the Vital Energy Realm, and was closing in on Shi¡¯er. And with the help of the pills, Zhou Ying was not far from entering the Vital Energy Realm. ¡°Another glorious day.¡± Li Xuan brewed a pot of tea, and enjoyed it leisurely. He had developed a liking for tea these days. It seems, tasting tea has a more sophisticated air. ¡°Your apprentice Meng Chong has killed a Martial Artist Grandmaster. Your ¡®God-Slaying Blade¡¯ experience has leveled up. Li Xuan sighed, was this the beginning of revenge? ¡°Your apprentice Xu Yan has killed a Martial Artist Great Grandmaster. Your ¡®Void Annihilation Sword Intent¡¯ has leveled up.¡± Xu Yan has killed another Great Grandmaster again. ¡°These Great Grandmasters, they¡¯re too weak, like cabbages, easy to kill?¡± Li Xuan was at a loss for words. Whether it was Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan or Su Lingxiu, they all stated that Great Grandmasters in the Inner Domain were truly the cream of the crop. The forces within a Great Grandmaster¡¯s control were top-tier. And yet, this? ¡°They¡¯re just too weak, with limited vision. The Great Grandmasters are not particularly strong. There should be many top-tier forces in the Inner Domain, right? Hence, the amount of Great Grandmasters should be considerable.¡± After understanding this, Li Xuan eased his mind. There were plenty of Great Grandmasters in the Inner Domain for Xu Yan to kill. Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t run out of them anytime soon! ¡°Your apprentice Su Lingxiu has gained an initial understanding of the Alchemy Martial Arts Manual. You get the Alchemy Martial Arts Manual.¡± A golden light emerged. This time, Li Xuan was truly excited. The Alchemy Martial Arts Manual, a complete system integrating the arts of Alchemy, Medicine, and Combat, including the techniques of Golden Needle Acupuncture, were all partially understood by Su Lingxiu. And all of these were extrapolated from the basis of the Alchemy Manual. Li Xuan had found a way to expedite the feedback from the Golden Finger. Now that he had obtained the Alchemy Martial Arts Manual, albeit at a basic level, he could teach it to Su Lingxiu. Allow Su Lingxiu to fully grasp the Alchemy Martial Arts Manual ahead of time, and with that as her bedrock, she could dissect more advanced aspects of the Alchemy Martial Arts Manual. And so on¡­ The more Li Xuan thought about it, the happier he became. After all, this differed from the Martial Arts cultivation technique. Even though Xu Yan had understood the technique of a certain realm, he could only grasp the technique of that particular realm. The feedback he got from the Golden Finger was just for that one realm and did not include techniques from the next realm. Therefore, it could not expedite the understanding of the next level. However, the Alchemy Martial Arts Manual and Alchemy were different. Now that Su Lingxiu had developed an initial understanding, with the Golden Finger giving him a complete understanding, he could then pass on this complete understanding to Su Lingxiu. In doing so, Su Lingxiu could perfect the Alchemy Martial Arts Manual faster and expedite the understanding of higher-levels of the Martial Arts Manual. ¡°Master, when will they return?¡± Su Lingxiu walked over, pounding his shoulder as she sighed. All the precious medicines gathered by Kou Ruozhi and the others, Su Lingxiu had refined into pills but because they weren¡¯t Spiritual Medicine, the strength of the pills wasn¡¯t commendable. Moreover, these medicines were of a much lower caliber. Su Lingxiu had no challenge in refining them, and failure was practically impossible. Without Spiritual Medicine, she couldn¡¯t refine real pills, and the pills from the Alchemy Manual couldn¡¯t be made. ¡°Soon, probably?¡± Li Xuan patted her little hand, standing up and said, ¡°Since you have entered the door, and there are no more herbs left for you to refine, invest more time in cultivating Martial Arts and understanding the Eight Diagrams. ¡°Your eldest senior brother and your second senior brother have gained insights from the Eight Diagrams and gained from it. I hope you will as well.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes lit up. The movement techniques of the eldest and second senior brothers were potent. They were all derived from contemplations upon the Eight Diagrams. And the Eight Diagrams, containing the mysteries of the universe, would yield infinite benefits, no matter how miniscule the understanding. Arriving at the mountain forest outside the manor, where Xu Yan and Meng Chong previously contemplated the Eight Diagrams, Li Xuan stepped on to the ground. The Eight Diagrams appeared instantaneously. ¡°The Eight Diagrams, representing Qian, Kun, Xun, Zhen, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui. These are the Eight Diagrams¡­¡± Li Xuan began explicating the Eight Diagrams to Su Lingxiu. Upon completion, he said, ¡°You meditate on this. When your eldest senior brother returns, you can ask him for some guidance.¡± Leaving Su Lingxiu to deliberate on the Eight Diagrams, he returned to the manor with leisurely strides. Su Lingxiu began to cut back on Alchemy, occasionally attempting to refine medicines, proficient in this art of Alchemy. More time was invested in understanding the Eight Diagrams and practicing Martial Arts. Li Xuan watched Zhou Ying, who was engrossed in arduous training. With the help of the pills, she successfully switched over to practicing Martial Arts, now at the stage of refining impurities and soon to complete it. Zhou Ying dedicated herself to her training, possibly because of the responsibility she bore. Over the years, she had been protecting and taking care of the young Su Lingxiu. In her eyes, Su Lingxiu was like her daughter. A wave of light Sword Intent enveloped Zhou Ying, helping her refine impurities faster and subsequently start her journey on the path of Martial Arts. A few days later, Zhou Ying¡¯s bones and muscles resonated with thunder. She had entered the world of Martial Arts. However, the Golden Finger didn¡¯t give any feedback. ¡°Now that I have become stronger, her entry into the world of Martial Arts is not enough for me to get feedback. I¡¯m afraid 1 need a large number of people entering the Martial Arts world to get feedback.¡± Li Xuan considered this. The Border Wasteland had many Martial Arts practitioners. However, those who had entered the Martial Arts world were probably fewer than fifty. ¡°Your apprentice Su Lingxiu has broken through to the minor Success Stage of the Qi-Blood Realm. You have mastered ¡®Alchemy Martial Arts¡¯ (Innate Realm).¡± Su Lingxiu had broken through to the minor Success Stage of the Qi-Blood Realm.. Chapter 248 Translator: 549690339 Su Lingxiu has just embarked on her martial arts journey, yet she has already achieved minor completion in the Qi and blood realm. This is astounding given the short time. Her cultivation speed wasn¡¯t much slower than that of Xu Yan. Li Xuan became increasingly suspicious that Su Lingxiu might have some special physique that is exceptionally suitable for the cultivation of Dan Medical Martial Arts. After Su Lingxiu¡¯s breakthrough, the Golden Finger fed back to him the achievement of great progress in Innate Dan Medical Martial Arts. This made his three kinds of martial arts integrate into one and naturally his strength was also improved. Li Xuan raised his palm, and a strand of True Qi appeared. The light blue True Qi contained endless vitality, and in an instant, it transformed into a strand of Dan Fire. This was the Innate True Qi of Dan Medical Martial Arts! ¡°To heal people, a strand of True Qi is enough.¡± Li Xuan exclaimed. After Zhou Ying entered martial arts, she went to spar with Shi¡¯er. Their duel was incredibly intense, even though Shi¡¯er achieved minor completion in the Qi and blood realm, one minor realm higher than Zhou Ying. Ad Yet, he didn¡¯t seem to have the expected advantage in the fight. This left Shi¡¯er a bit frustrated. ¡°Why are you so weak?¡± Zhou Ying said discontentedly. ¡°I¡¯m not weak. I¡¯m practicing Meng Chong¡¯s broadsword tactics. I¡¯m afraid that if 1 use it, 1 might not be able to control it and hurt you!¡± Shi¡¯er said helplessly. If he accidentally hurt Zhou Ying, he was worried that he would upset Su Lingxiu. If that happened, how would he get the medicine for cultivation? ¡°You teach me your broadsword tactics.¡± Zhou Ying frowned and said. She also understood what Shi¡¯er was worried about, and had no intention of forcing him to use all his strength. ¡°Alright!¡± Shi¡¯er nodded. After Zhou Ying entered martial arts and Su Lingxiu refined spiritual medicine once again, Su Lingxiu made all the medicinal materials into pills at one go. Part of these pills were rewarded to Kou Ruozhi and the members of the Chang Qing Pavilion. With the assistance of Kou Ruozhi and Xu Junhe, the Chang Qing Pavilion was initially established. There were a few people with decent talents cultivating martial arts, but none of them had made a breakthrough yet. Remaining Spiritual Medicine Pills were split, a portion of them were given to Xu Junhe, the rest being for Zhou Ying and Shi¡¯er to use for cultivation, then there was also Red Cat¡¯s share. Su Lingxiu also anticipated whether Red Cat could truly cultivate into a powerful demon beast. ¡°It¡¯s been several days since the Golden Finger gave any feedback. Could it be that all the grandmasters have been killed?¡± Li Xuan mused to himself. Without any feedback from Xu Yan killing grandmasters, Li Xuan felt suddenly unaccustomed. ¡°Though there are quite a few grandmasters, Xu Yan cannot provoke grandmasters every day. What¡¯s more, Xu Yan is not the kind of person who causes trouble. Having no feedback for so many days is normal.¡± Li Xuan thought for a moment and then felt relieved. Red Cat, adorned with a thick golden chain, walked over and lay on the ground. Its pair of eyes stared at him, seeming to want his guidance. ¡°You big cat, you¡¯re getting bigger and bigger. At this rate, you¡¯ll turn into a fat tiger. You need to shrink a bit yourself, gather all your strength into your apertures, and condense yourself. ¡°Release your strength from the apertures to expand your body, this is the power of a fierce beast¡­¡± Li Xuan picked up a bamboo stick and pointed around on Red Cat while instructing it. Looking at the increasingly massive body of Red Cat and its growing strength and fierce breath, and a seeming increase in spirituality. All signs indicated that it seemed to be having some enlightenment. Of course, as to when it can become a fierce beast, that was unknowable. Idle as he was, Li Xuan didn¡¯t mind instructing Red Cat more. As an unparalleled expert, naturally, the pets he kept couldn¡¯t be ordinary. The Red Cat looked thoughtful, appearing as if it understood somewhat. After Li Xuan finished instructing, it stood up and left, laying outside the manor, appearing to be dozing. Li Xuan took out an ancient book and continued to study the first page, suddenly a golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has killed a grandmaster, your Sword Intent of Extinction has been improved.¡± Xu Yan had killed a grandmaster again. ¡°Could it be that Xu Yan and Meng Chong have provoked some powerful faction?¡± Li Xuan guessed in his heart. Meng Chong had returned. He came back earlier than expected, with a small parcel hanging on his chest, a burly man looking very cautious, lest he damage the thing in the parcel. Carring a large bag on his back that was bulging, Li Xuan was amazed. Could it be filled with spiritual medicines? Where did he get so many spiritual medicines? Taking into consideration that Xu Yan and Meng Chong were killing grandmasters and great grandmasters, could it be that they were robbing spiritual medicines? Xu Yan didn¡¯t come back. ¡°Master, I am back!¡± Meng Chong respectfully placed the parcel down and greeted him. Li Xuan nodded and said, ¡°Good that you¡¯re back!¡± Su Lingxiu, who was outside studying the Eight Diagrams, rushed in, ¡°Second Senior Brother, you¡¯re back. Where¡¯s Eldest Senior Brother?¡± ¡°Junior Sister, Eldest Senior Brother still has some things to do. The spiritual medicines on the list aren¡¯t complete yet. He will be back within a month.¡± Meng Chong stood up with a silly smile on his face. ¡°Junior Sister, look, this is all spiritual medicine!¡± Meng Chong opened the large bag, revealing the full bag of spiritual medicines. Su Lingxiu became excited and her eyes turned red, ¡°Second Senior Brother, where did you get so much spiritual medicine, you didn¡¯t encounter any danger, did you?¡± Meng Chong patted his chest and said, ¡°It¡¯s a piece of cake. Any troubles were all handled by Eldest Senior Brother.¡± Then he opened the small parcel and said, ¡°Junior Sister, do you recognize this spiritual medicine?¡± Li Xuan also looked over. The first thing he saw was a small green tree hanging with nine dew-sized small fruits. This spiritual medicine was clearly extraordinary at first glance. Zhou Ying and Shi¡¯er also came over. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± Su Lingxiu opened her eyes wide.. The others may not recognize it, but how could she not? Chapter 249 Translator: 549690339 Heavenly Marrow! Moreover, there are nine of them, a Fifth Grade Spiritual Medicine! ¡°This is a Fifth Grade Spiritual Medicine, Heavenly Marrow!¡± Su Lingxiu was astonished. After all, the Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine is already the highest graded medicine in the Inner Domain, and it is incredibly rare. Sightings of Fifth Grade Spiritual Medicine in the Inner Domain are unheard of. Even if it has appeared before, it must have been kept under strict secrecy, hence why there¡¯s no knowledge about it. No matter the situation, it just goes to show that Fifth Grade Spiritual Medicine within the Inner Domain, is a find that is purely down to luck! ¡°Second senior brother, where did this come from?¡± Zhou Ying and Shi¡¯er were both astounded. When Su Lingxiu introduced the spiritual medicine to the two senior brothers last time, Shi¡¯er was listening on the side too, so he isn¡¯t entirely clueless about spiritual medicine. Meng Chong came back from the Inner Domain and brought back a Fifth Grade Spiritual Medicine?! Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but recall how Xu Yan and Meng Chong were either killing Grandmasters or Great Grandmasters. Could it be that they were targeted because of this single strand of Fifth Grade Spiritual Medicine, and therefore encountered so many Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters? ¡°Hehe, I dug it up from a precious spiritual medicine land.¡± Meng Chong said, scratching his head. ¡°Junior sister, look, there are also Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicines.¡± Indeed, in the small bundle, the most precious is undoubtedly the Heavenly Marrow. Apart from that, there are several stalks of Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine. ¡°These spiritual medicines are too precious, especially the Heavenly Marrow. My skill in Alchemy isn¡¯t strong enough currently, therefore I won¡¯t be able to concoct the Heavenly Marrow and Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine into pills right now.¡± With such valuable spiritual medicine, every failed concoction attempt equates to a huge loss. ¡°Although the spiritual medicine has been sealed with medicine foil, the best storage method for Fifth and Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine is to store them in a Spirit Jade box. However, there is no Spirit Jade in this wasteland¡­¡± Su Lingxiu delicately arranged the spiritual medicines and said, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. ¡°No worries, I will head to the Tianbao Pavilion in Tieshan County and buy some Spirit Jade boxes!¡± Meng Chong thumped his chest as he said that. ¡°Second senior brother, there¡¯s no rush. If you go and buy Spirit Jade boxes, other people will know that you¡¯ve acquired Seventh or Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicines.¡± Su Lingxiu stopped him hurriedly. ¡°Shi¡¯er, inform Kou Ruozhi to get some jade boxes. Although they aren¡¯t Spirit Jade boxes, they can still be used for storage. We¡¯ve already sealed the medicines and we aren¡¯t going to store them for several dozen to a hundred years, so ordinary jade boxes will also work.¡± Su Lingxiu turned to Shi¡¯er and instructed him. ¡°Alright, I will inform Kou Ruozhi.¡± Shi¡¯er went to find someone to inform Kou Ruozhi, then quickly returned. Su Lingxiu carefully placed the Heavenly Marrow and a few Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicines on the table, waiting for the jade boxes to be delivered. She opened the huge bag of spiritual medicines, most of which were Eighth Grade, a few Seventh Grade and a tiny portion were Ninth Grade medicines. ¡°Second senior brother, there are so many spiritual medicines here, I can concoct so many medicinal pills!¡± Excitement was beaming from Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes. Before her senior brother left for the Inner Domain, he said he would bring back a large bag of spiritual medicines, and indeed he brought back a large bag! ¡°There are more spiritual medicines with the eldest senior brother. The medicinal ingredients listed on that list can all be gathered, junior sister, you can set your mind at ease to concoct pills!¡± Meng Chong thumped his chest as he spoke. ¡°Second senior brother, was it very dangerous for you all to acquire these spiritual medicines?¡± Su Lingxiu looked at him with reddened eyes. Meng Chong felt somewhat embarrassed under her gaze, he scratched his head and said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that dangerous, and everything has been resolved by the eldest senior brother.¡± ¡°Second senior brother, can you tell me what happened?¡± Su Lingxiu curiously asked. Both Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying were also wearing expressions of curiosity. Although Li Xuan was also curious, as a master, he naturally couldn¡¯t show it. He just sat there, calmly reading an ancient book. It was as though he knew everything all along. ¡°No problem, this story is quite thrilling!¡± Meng Chong shrugged off his embarrassment, pulling over a stool to sit down. ¡°Shi¡¯er, make tea!¡± Zhou Ying gave Shi¡¯er a kick. Shi¡¯er hurriedly ran to prepare a large pot of tea, pouring a bowl for Meng Chong using a bowl instead of a cup. He too, yearned for the Inner Domain. ¡°Let¡¯s start from the beginning, it all started with a coincidence¡­¡± Meng Chong sipped a bowl of tea and began telling his story from when he had accepted Meng Shushu¡¯s task. When he mentioned Meng Shushu, Zhou Ying was surprised and asked, ¡°Meng Shushu? The heir of the Meng family, a prominent lineage in the world of spiritual medicine explorers?¡± ¡°Oh? You know him?¡± Meng Chong was astonished. Su Lingxiu also looked surprised, ¡°Aunt Zhou, you know him?¡± Zhou Ying shook her head and explained, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I know him. I simply know of him. Meng Shushu is quite famous in the circle of spiritual medicine explorers, being the descendant of the prestigious Meng family despite its decline¡­¡± Meng Chong nodded, adding: ¡°His family mentioned that his parents died unexpectedly while searching for spiritual medicine. His grandfather, reportedly going to aid an old friend, also lost his life.¡± That being said, Meng Shushu was the last one remaining in the Meng family. Upon hearing Meng Chong¡¯s words, Zhou Ying seemed to have recalled something. She opened her mouth to speak but decided against it. She commented instead, ¡°I heard that Old Master Meng was once a Great Grandmaster. I had no idea that he fell.¡± A Great Grandmaster, huh! Meng Chong was no longer in awe of Great Grandmasters. After all, they were just all right in terms of power. His eldest brother had already accomplished the feat of defeating a Great Grandmaster, so it was his turn next. The only question was which unlucky Great Grandmaster would cross his path. ¡°Second brother, continue!¡±, Su Lingxiu piped up. ¡°¡­ I saved the descendant of my family clan, so he owes me a life. Furthermore, I was given a storage bag, eighteen Sixth Grade spiritual medicines, and then I went to a place rich with spiritual medicine to harvest more,¡± Meng Chong did not hide anything. He detailed his journey to Mount Tian Hammer, his battle with a Grandmaster, the ensuing half-step with a Great Grandmaster, and finally his escape with Meng Shushu when a Great Grandmaster appeared. In the end, Xu Yan caught up with them and killed two Great Grandmasters. They went to the land of spiritual medicine again, killing more Grandmasters, harvesting spiritual medicine, and on their return journey, they came across a murderous skull and defeated that too. Su Lingxiu, Zhou Ying, and Shi¡¯er looked at Meng Chong, utterly astounded. According to Meng Chong¡¯s narrative, ever since entering the Inner Domain, they¡¯d either been killing Grandmasters or killing Great Grandmasters! Especially Xu Yan. He was a complete brute! Killed a Great Grandmaster with one stroke? ¡°The murderous skull¡­ was killed?¡± Zhou Ying was horrified. This was one of the nine Demon Lords, under Huo Tu, one of the three strongest and most bloodthirsty members. All three nations posted a bounty on him, but he remained unscathed. Those who had tried to besiege him ended up dead or injured. Hence, everyone was too scared for the reward to hunt the murderous skull down. Was he really slain by Xu Yan?! ¡°Yes, he¡¯s dead. My eldest brother turned him into ashes with a single stroke,¡± Meng Chong confirmed. He went on, ¡°Our eldest brother is getting ready to receive the bounty. He¡¯s also going to take control of Canglan Island. This way, we¡¯ve secured a territory in the Inner Domain.¡± ¡°Canglan Island?¡± Zhou Ying was a bit startled, ¡°Did Young Master Xu manage to tame Yin Hong?¡± Yin Hong was rather famous, especially in the Greater Yue country where he was known as the strongest under the Great Grandmasters. Meng Chong shook his head and said, ¡°Not at all, Yin Hong has managed to achieve the level of a Great Grandmaster. He picked a fight with my eldest brother at the Seven-star Study Palace and lost to a single slap!¡± Zhou Ying:¡­ A Great Grandmaster, was blown away by a single slap? After hearing Meng Chong¡¯s recounting, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the thrilling course of events. Compared to Meng Chong¡¯s exploits, Xu Yan¡¯s adventures were most likely even more outstanding and thrilling. He was truly on a constant cycle of killing Grandmasters or preparing to kill Great Grandmasters. ¡°The Inner Domain is truly exciting!¡± Shi¡¯er¡¯s eyes were full of yearning. Meng Chong gave him a glance and said, ¡°Shi¡¯er, with your current level of strength, it would still be dangerous for you to go to the Inner Domain. There are Grandmaster Martial Artists everywhere.¡± Sheer made an embarrassed smile. In Meng Chong¡¯s narrative, Grandmaster Martial Artists seemed to be cut down as easily as vegetables, which made him feel like Grandmasters were like cabbages, available for the picking. ¡°Actually, there aren¡¯t that many Grandmaster Martial Artists. The Inner Domain is so large¡­¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s voice petered out as she continued speaking. She simply couldn¡¯t understand why, in the Inner Domain, despite Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters being top-tier cultivators, Xu Yan and Meng Chong had killed one after another ever since their arrival in the Inner Domain. In the end, Xu Yan started killing Great Grandmasters too, one after another¡­ They were mowed down like heads of lettuce! ¡°Younger martial sister, who exactly are your enemies?¡± Meng Chong¡¯s sudden somber tone broke the silence, ¡°The organization that hired Meng Shushu and sent that Grandmaster who chased me, wore the same outfit as the Great Grandmaster our Master destroyed. He belonged to the same organization as your enemy.¡± Su Lingxiu and Zhou Ying¡¯s expressions abruptly changed.. Chapter 250 Translator: 549690339 Su Lingxiu¡¯s expression changed drastically, her voice trembling slightly, Second Senior Brother, are they hunting you down because of me?¡± Meng Chong shook his head, ¡°Junior Sister, what are you thinking about? They don¡¯t even know you¡¯re my Junior Sister. It¡¯s just a coincidence.¡± Upon hearing this, Su Lingxiu let out a sigh of relief. She had been so nervous that she had forgotten this fact. Zhou Ying seemed to think of something, ¡°Are you saying, they hired Meng Shushu to find the Spiritual Medicine treasure land, in order to get the Spiritual Medicine from there?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Aunt Zhou, what happened?¡± Su Lingxiu asked with knitted eyebrows. ¡°Miss, they wanted to lure you out with six-grade spiritual medicine because they presume¡­¡± Zhou Ying didn¡¯t continue. However, Su Lingxiu understood the reason, and her expression inevitably darkened. Meng Chong scratched his bald head and said, ¡°Junior Sister, stop hiding. They are not a formidable force. The eldest senior brother has killed quite a few from their side. He has even killed three great grandmasters.¡± Su Lingxiu remained silent for a while before finally speaking, ¡°Actually, 1 don¡¯t even know what kind of force they are. All 1 know is that they¡¯re a hidden force. As for their name or why they want to capture me, I have no idea.¡± Meng Chong frowned, ¡°Junior Sister, you don¡¯t know what kind of force they are either?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. After thinking for a while, she added, ¡°However, I suspect that it might have something to do with my father. I¡­ I don¡¯t even know who he is, let alone his name.¡± As she spoke, Su Lingxiu¡¯s expression turned sad. Meng Chong was at a loss for words. Su Lingxiu didn¡¯t even know who her own father was. After a moment of silent comfort, he reassured, ¡°Junior Sister, a teacher is like a father. You have a master and us. No one will be able to bully you!¡± ¡°I know. I am no longer alone.¡± Su Lingxiu showed a smile. A twitch appeared at the corner of Li Xuan¡¯s mouth. Su Lingxiu¡¯s background seemed a bit too dramatic. Could her father be somebody influential? Since they had started talking about the men in black, their enemies, Su Lingxiu didn¡¯t hide anything anymore. She told everything as it was.¡¯ ¡± They were probably looking for the six-grade spiritual medicine in order to lure me out. What they don¡¯t know is that my mother is already dead, and no amount of spiritual medicine can bring her back. ¡°My mother was actually a Grandmaster martial artist, but her health began to decline after she gave birth to me. She passed away when 1 was ten, and I have lived with my grandfather ever since¡­ or rather, you could say he¡¯s my maternal grandfather¡­.¡± According to Su Lingxiu, she had no idea who her father was since she was a child. Her mother never mentioned him, and she even took her mother¡¯s surname. After Su Lingxiu¡¯s birth, her mother seemed to have exhausted herself, damaging her fundamental energy, and her health deteriorated day by day. She worked hard to learn medical skills for her mother. Unfortunately, her mother died when she was ten, and she has been living with her grandfather ever since. A few years ago, a grandmaster martial artist came to capture her, but they underestimated the strength of Su Lingxiu¡¯s grandfather and were killed. Her grandfather realized the severity of the problem and decided to hide with Su Lingxiu and Zhou Ying, but the force behind the men in black attacked with a great grandmaster. Su Lingxiu, guided by Zhou Ying, hid and waited for her grandfather to return. When her grandfather returned, he was nearing death. After hastily instructing her to hide, he passed away. Then, Zhou Ying took Su Lingxiu and fled to the borderlands. ¡°Junior sister, your grandfather was a great grandmaster?¡± Meng Chong asked in surprise. ¡°Yes!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. The previously silent Zhou Ying suddenly spoke, ¡°The old man, named Doctor Su Zhen, was skilled in medicine making and treating injuries of all kinds of martial artists. He initially planned to seek shelter with Tianbao Pavilion, but it was too late. ¡°In order to save the young lady, the old man used up all his favors and obtained a lot of spiritual medicine, which cleared all his relationships. ¡°So initially, no strong figures came to help.¡± The ¡°young lady¡± mentioned in Zhou Ying¡¯s words is Su Lingxiu¡¯s mother. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but feel awestruck. No wonder Su Lingxiu¡¯s medical skills were so impressive, she was from an extraordinary background. As for why Su Lingxiu¡¯s mother¡¯s health had deteriorated significantly after she gave birth to Su Lingxiu, and why it seemed that her fundamental energy had been severely damaged, Li Xuan had some guesses. Su Lingxiu¡¯s talent was extremely good, and she had a special physique. This special physique was probably why her mother¡¯s energy was seriously damaged, leading to her death. ¡°Could Su Lingxiu¡¯s physique, limited by the environment, be incomplete, and the men in black captured her for her physique? ¡°Or it might be related to her biological father? Maybe her biological father is not just an ordinary person. Is this going to be another dramatic story about her identity?¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. None of this mattered. Su Lingxiu was already his disciple, and had practiced the Dan Medical Martial Arts. Regardless of her background, she was his disciple. If anyone dared to bully his disciple, he would kill them! Meng Chong looked at Zhou Ying, who looked like he wanted to say something but held back, which made Zhou Ying frown. He said, ¡°Since we¡¯re laying everything out, if you have any questions, just ask directly.¡± ¡°Well, Junior sister¡¯s grandfather was a great grandmaster, and her mother was a grandmaster. Why are you so weak?¡± Meng Chong, scratching his head, asked tentatively. Before Zhou Ying switched to studying Martial Arts, she was only at the four-grade realm. This was way too weak. ¡°I have poor talent..¡± Chapter 251 Making Golden Body Elixir_2 Translator: 549690339 I Zhou Ying, however, didn¡¯t find it a source of shame and explained openly, ¡°My family was destroyed, and it was the old master and young mistress who took me in since I was a child. Due to my poor ability, the old master pulled some strings to obtain a Grade 6 spiritual medicine to help improve my constitution.¡± ¡°I started supplementing my body with spiritual medicine from the age of five, continually improving my talent until I became what you see today. If there weren¡¯t any mishaps, I would have had a chance to become a Grandmaster.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Meng Chong realized, then added, ¡°I heard that the ¡®Heaven¡¯s Drop Essence¡¯ can enhance talents. Once your junior sister refines the elixir, you can also continue to elevate your talents.¡± Although I don¡¯t know why the person in the black cloak abducted Su Lingxiu¡­ If he is our enemy, then we must destroy him. ¡°Junior Sister, rest assured, the identity of the man in the black cloak won¡¯t stay hidden for long. Even if he is part of the dark forces, eventually someone will find out, by then my senior brother and I will destroy their hideout!¡± Meng Chong viciously declared. ¡°They are actually very powerful, we need to be careful. As for revenge, I¡¯m not in a hurry. Once I become stronger, naturally I can find them one by one and bury them all!¡± Su Lingxiu clenched her fists. Li Xuan glanced at Zhou Ying but didn¡¯t ask anything. He noticed, Zhou Ying was concealing something. The secrets about Su Lingxiu¡¯s origins and the black cloak man¡¯s intentions, she probably knew something. Since she wasn¡¯t saying anything, even keeping it from Su Lingxiu, there surely must be some considerations involved. After Meng Chong brought back a great deal of spiritual medicine, Su Lingxiu once again embarked on researching elixirs. Using the properties of spiritual medicine, she constantly formulated new elixir recipes. For example, an elixir suitable for Meng Chong¡¯s cultivation. The physical martial arts focus on training the body, hence the elixirs emphasize the refinement of the body, unlocking vital points, nurturing a golden body, and the properties of the spiritual medicine used all aim to strengthen the physical body. Based on the theory of ¡®monarch, minister, assistant, and guide,¡¯ Su Lingxiu devised her elixir formulas. This was her first time refining an elixir using only spiritual medicine, she didn¡¯t dare to be the slightest bit negligent. Firstly, she practiced with Ninth Grade spiritual medicine, then when her alchemy skills became proficient, she raised the grade of the elixir she was making. Below the Pill Furnace, the flames burned intensely. Su Lingxiu had a solemn expression, her hands were aflame, aided with divine firing stones, she embarked on refining her first batch of elixirs. Not unexpectedly, the first batch of elixirs failed. The elixirs ended up like clumps. However, they were ultimately refined from spiritual medicine, so even if they appeared clumpy, their effects greatly surpassed elixirs made from ordinary medicinal herbs. Red Cat was exuberantly excited. After chewing on two failed elixirs, it felt somewhat stuffed and lay at the door to digest. After failing twice, Su Lingxiu finally saw success on her third attempt: twelve elixirs, releasing a delicate fragrance, the surface even displayed a faint glow. ¡°Second Brother, this is ¡®Body Strengthening Pill,¡¯ try it and see if it has any effect!¡± Excitedly, Su Lingxiu handed an elixir to Meng Chong. ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong was equally pumped up. He wished to break through and achieve perfection in his ¡®Great Sun Golden Body¡¯ as soon as possible, and then he could beat the Great Grandmaster. Swallowing an elixir, he began to refine it. With one glance, Li Xuan could already guess the results. The ¡®Body Strengthening Pill¡¯ was indeed refined from Ninth Grade Spiritual Medicine and had powerful effects, but for Meng Chong who was cultivating his ¡®Great Sun Golden Body,¡¯ its effects were a tad ordinary. Meng Chong¡¯s physical body had long ago reached a state that nearly rivaled a treasure. ¡°Second Brother, how is it?¡± Su Lingxiu asked hopefully. Meng Chong scratched his head and replied, ¡°The effect is average, but for other martial artists, it should be quite impressive!¡± Su Lingxiu considered thoughtfully, the characteristics of various spiritual medicines appearing in her mind. She planned to upgrade the ¡®Body Strengthening Pill.¡¯ Meng Chong¡¯s physical body was exceptionally formidable. The effect of ordinary elixirs wasn¡¯t very large. ¡°Second Brother, don¡¯t worry, I will refine an elixir suitable for your training.¡± Su Lingxiu solemnly declared. ¡°Just do your best, even without elixirs, my cultivation doesn¡¯t slow down.¡± Meng Chong wasn¡¯t particularly anxious about this. The remaining ¡®Body Strengthening Pills¡¯ were given to Zhou Ying and Shi¡¯er. Seeing this, Li Xuan decided to show off a little bit, an elixir recipe forming in his mind. ¡®Golden Body Pill!¡¯ ¡°The Dao of Elixirs, is vast and profound, don¡¯t limit yourself to plants, don¡¯t imprison yourself. Today, I will demonstrate a little bit for you.¡± Li Xuan sat in his chair, didn¡¯t even bother to stand up. Raising his hand, a few strands of spiritual medicine flew over. ¡°Watch closely. This time, I will be performing the Void Alchemy to refine a Furnace of Golden Body Pills!¡± With just a wave of his hand, it seemed as if an alchemy furnace appeared in the void, condensed from True Qi. Spiritual medicines were thrown into the void alchemy furnace, and a roaring alchemy flame emerged immediately. Before our very eyes, the spiritual medicine melted, extracting the essence, refining away the impurities. The essence of various spiritual medicines fused together, undergoing a transformation. A faint golden light emerged, and within the void alchemy furnace, twelve pale golden pills appeared. Su Lingxiu watched without blinking, her heart filled with shock. This void alchemy was truly profound and unpredictable. ¡°I¡¯ve only just begun, and the realm at which my master stands is so far, far away.¡± The Golden Body Pill was successfully refined. With a swing of his hand, Li Xuan sent the Golden Body Pill flying to Meng Chong. Meng Chong excitedly received it, ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± The moment he consumed the Golden Body Pill, an intense medicinal effect was absorbed into his body. A faint golden light radiated from Meng Chong. ¡°The Golden Body Pill is meant for the physical martial artists¡¯ cultivation. You two are not physical martial artists. Don¡¯t consume it recklessly, or you¡¯ll harm your physical bodies and damage your foundation, which would outweigh its benefits.¡± Li Xuan looked at Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying and reminded them. However, his heart was secretly relieved, thinking how dangerous it was. The Void Alchemy consumed so much that it was not something an Innate Realm could execute. Despite his strength being a hundred times over those at the same realm, performing the Void Alchemy was still a close call to losing control. The consumption was far beyond imagination. ¡°It was a close shave.¡± Li Xuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If the refining had failed, his reputation as a peerless master would have been quite embarrassing. Luckily, with a strength a hundred times beyond individuals of the same realm and the Void Alchemy seemingly innate in him, he successfully refined the Golden Body Pill. ¡°Master, this void alchemy¡­¡± Su Lingxiu was excited beyond measure. She massaged her Master¡¯s shoulders while her face was full of anticipation. ¡°Your strength is too low. Even if I passed it down to you, you wouldn¡¯t be able to grasp it. Master the Barehand Blood Qi Alchemy first, and when your strength has improved, we¡¯ll consider the Void Alchemy.¡± Li Xuan realized that passing down the Void Alchemy to Su Lingxiu now would be pointless. She wouldn¡¯t be able to cultivate it nor use it as a foundation to understand a higher level of alchemy. So, he decided not to pass it down to her for the time being. Until she had mastered the Barehand Blood Qi Alchemy to perfection and had broken through into the Innate Realm, only then would he pass down the Void Alchemy to her. ¡°Okay, Master, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be able to break through to the Innate Realm soon.¡± Su Lingxiu thought that her master made sense and shouldn¡¯t aim too high prematurely. Now that there were spiritual medicines, they could refine more types of pills, and she won¡¯t have to worry about consuming too many pills causing a shaky foundation, because she cultivated the Pill Medicine Martial Arts. Therefore, her cultivation speed would dramatically increase. Su Lingxiu failed in refining the Golden Body Pill with the alchemy furnace in her first attempt. The defective pills ended up being consumed by Red Cat. After consuming the Golden Body Pill, Meng Chong went to a small hill outside the manor for his cultivation. Kou Ruozhi brought over a jade box. Su Lingxiu carefully stored the Heaven Droplet Marrow and the Sixth Grade Spiritual Medicine into the jade box and buried it underground. In the following days, Su Lingxiu constantly engaged in pill refinement, researched pill recipes, cultivated martial arts. Spiritual Medicine was continually consumed and the amount of pills refined increased. The Blood Qi Pill was a necessity, and the quantity was the most substantial. The Blood Qi Pill refined with Spiritual Medicine had astonishing effects. Both Zhou Ying and Shi¡¯er saw a rapid increase in their cultivation speed with the help of the pills. Besides that, some Blood Qi Pills were given to Kou Ruozhi and members of Chang Qing Pavilion. Su Lingxiu, using spiritual medicine and treasured medicine, refined pills that could assist in refining skin, bones, and organs for those who just entered the Martial Arts realm. Other than the Blood Qi Pill, there is also the Qi Nurturing Pill, a pill for those in the Innate Realm. It can nurture True Qi, quickly recover consumed Qi, and increase cultivation speed. However, the Qi Nurturing Pill wasn¡¯t particularly useful for Meng Chong and Xu Yan. A portion of the refined pills was sent to the Xu Family in the East River County to Xu Junhe, for him to distribute. Li Xuan called Su Lingxiu over. It was time to pass down the Pill Medicine Martial Arts Scroll to her. After receiving the Pill Medicine Martial Arts Scroll, Su Lingxiu¡¯s martial arts cultivation took a step further. The types of pills she could now refine increased, and her pill-refining speed also quickened. She had already mastered the Barehand Blood Qi Alchemy to perfection. Pills refined from Ninth Grade Spiritual Medicine almost never failed. Pills refined from Eight Grade Spiritual Medicine had a success rate of over sixty percent. Of course, if an alchemy furnace was used to assist in pill refinement, pills made from Eighth Grade Spiritual Medicine would have a success rate nearing ninety percent.. Chapter 252 Translator: 549690339 With an abundance of spiritual medicine and ample supplementary pills for cultivation, the rate of achievement naturally increases. Within Su Lingxiu¡¯s Chang Qing Pavilion, there are already over twenty members who have entered the stage of Internal Organ Refinement. Kou Ruozhi is not far from being initiated into martial arts. However, a considerable amount of pills have indeed been consumed. Su Lingxiu spends nearly every day practicing alchemy, especially in the production of Qi-Blood Pills, for Chang Qing Pavilion and the Xu Family. Her practice time has consequently been somewhat reduced. About half a month later, Su Lingxiu also made a breakthrough and attained a solid foundation in her Qi-Blood realm. ¡°Your disciple, Su Lingxiu, has made a breakthrough in the Qi-Blood realm and your Medical Alchemy Path (Innate Realm) is now complete. Golden light emerged. Li Xuan was contemplating an issue as he looked at Su Lingxiu. If one wanted to train martial artists from the borderland to quickly improve their martial skills, pills were indispensable. However, the required quantity of these pills was a large number. Spiritual medicine is secondary after all. General Qi-Blood Pills don¡¯t require much spiritual medicine for production. It¡¯s even alright if the proportion is a bit low, using spiritual medicine as the main ingredient and lesser medicinal components for the rest of it. But how could Su Lingxiu alone produce such a large quantity of pills? Even if she has mastered the art of making Qi-Blood Pills, producing dozens of them every time she fires up the furnace, a single person like her would not be able to sustain such large production numbers. Moreover, Su Lingxiu also needs time to practice martial arts, comprehend the scriptures of the Medical Alchemist, create higher grade pills and study the alchemy, among other things. Staying in the borderland is only temporary, it¡¯s inevitable to enter the Inner Domain. Eventually, Changqing Pavilion will also expand into the Inner Domain with a focus on selling pills. It could be easily predicted that upon the release of the pills, the martial artists from the Inner Domain would flock to it like bees to honey. Definitely, it would trigger coveting from various parties, along with threats of different kinds. Whether Tianbao Pavilion could handle it remained unimown. As for co-operating with Tianbao Pavilion, it would depend on what Tianbao Pavilion could offer. Of course, no matter how they choose to cooperate, the initiative will always lie with Changqing Pavilion. If one wanted a large supply of pills, relying solely on Su Lingxiu wouldn¡¯t suffice even if she worked herself to death. Li Xuan was thinking about the production line method. Could this be applied to pill-making as well? The creation of pills is also divided into several steps. It¡¯s not easy to learn the whole alchemy, but a single step is much easier to grasp. At the end, the essence of the spiritual medicine is extracted, fused, and finally transformed into a pill. In doing so, even if someone stole all the steps of the pill-making process, they would still find it hard to learn alchemy. Besides, the methods for making each different pill vary. Those who are not Medical Alchemist Martial Artists won¡¯t be able to master the various methods of pill production. The pills marketed within the Inner Domain mainly fall into three categories. Qi-Blood Pills, which are needed by ordinary martial artists, as even though the martial arts of the Inner Domain do vary, the usefulness of Qi-Blood Pills in assisting their practice still stands. The Gathering Qi Pills are for Grandmaster Martial Artists. And Healing Pills. By merely producing these three types of pills, Changqing Pavilion would secure vast resources within the Inner Domain. They could even accept tasks such as exchanging certain quantities of spiritual medicine with refining one unit of a pill, and so on. As long as Chang Qing Pavilion establishes itself in the Inner Domain and the pills become popular amongst the martial artists, there won¡¯t be a shortage of spiritual medicine. Of course, one shouldn¡¯t take too big a step at the beginning, or else the sudden surge of demand will be intense. Li Xuan¡¯s aim for heading to the Inner Domain was to enjoy himself, not to constantly deal with trouble. Therefore, one must wait until martial arts in the borderland have become powerful enough, forming massive momentum, before they can heavily promote the pills. Even if they face covetous gazes and impacts, they will have the strength to handle it without Li Xuan needing to intervene. After thinking this over, Li Xuan called Su Lingxiu over, gave her some hints about the assembly line method for producing pills, and asked her to refine it herself. ¡°Master, this method is good. I know what to do now.¡± Su Lingxiu was overjoyed upon hearing it. Afterward, she started cogitating on how to separated the steps for pill-making, how to preserve semi-finished products for the next step, and so on, as well as how to forge a pill furnace, which would involve blacksmithing. But before that, suitable Alchemist Martial Artists were needed to learn the segregated pill-making steps. The plan for an assembly line to make pills could not be implemented in the short term. As for the current pill requirements, the quantity needed is not much, so Su Lingxiu recently took some time to make a batch, which is enough to satisfy needs for a while. As she continued to consider the assembly line method for pill production, she also contemplated on the Eight Diagrams and various martial arts techniques mentioned in the Medical Alchemy Scriptures. In the inner Domain, Xu Yan had already visited several forces and had secured the bounties. Regarding the three great nations¡¯ bounties, he only sought out the one from Greater Yue State. Whether it was due to his reputation as a prodigy or the formidable deterrent power from his killing of Great Grandmasters or simply Greater Yue State¡¯s indifference towards the small bounty, they handed out the reward quite happily, which Xu Yan was very pleased with. As for the other two nations, due to the long distances involved, the bounties had to be temporarily set aside, to be collected when the opportunity arises in the future. After returning to Seven-Star City, he met Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan again and returned the Kite Order to Hu Shan. ¡°Brother Xu, you¡¯ve become famous in the martial arts world, even the Slayer¡¯s Skull perished at your hands!¡± Xie Lingfeng couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Xu Yan has merely achieved the proficient level in the Innate Realm, which is equivalent to Grandmaster in terms of realm, yet he has already killed a Grandmaster. Indeed, he has killed an enemy who surpasses their realm by one level! Chapter 253 Translator: 549690339 This is the power of the true martial arts. ¡°The Great Grandmasters are also very strong. The Living Death Skull was the strongest among the Great Grandmasters I killed. To kill him, I had to draw my sword several times!¡± Xu Yan said with a face full of admiration. Xie Lingfeng:¡­. A few strikes and he killed a Great Grandmaster with a formidable reputation. Is that considered ¡®strong¡¯? ¡°I¡¯m going to take over Canglan Island, it will be my territory thereafter. After taking over Canglan Island, I will buy some spiritual medicine, then return to the North Wilderness. ¡°Brother Xie, are you planning to stay at the Seven-star Study Palace to study martial arts scriptures?¡± Xu Yan laid out his future plans. ¡°I have cultivated some True Qi, but I¡¯m still unsure about how to proceed with my cultivation. I want to ask a senior for guidance, so it would be better to accompany Brother Xu.¡± Xie Lingfeng thought for a moment and said. The purpose of his visit to the Sword Grandmaster Cliff was to find Xu Yan for cultivation matters. Since Xu Yan was returning to the border wilderness, he might as well accompany him and directly ask his seniors for advice. ¡°That would be great!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°By the way, Brother Xu, this is a generous gift from Miss Du.¡± Xie Lingfeng asked Hu Shan to bring out a large box. This was a generous gift that Du Yuying had sent to the Sword Grandmaster Cliff for him. He had it brought from the cliff to give to Xu Yan. ¡°Brother Xie, I borrowed your name to get this generous gift from Miss Du, you should accept it.¡± Xu Yan shook his head and said. ¡°Since Miss Du sent it to you, it¡¯s inappropriate for me to keep it. Moreover, I used the name Xie Lingfeng to raise my reputation. Brother Xu, there¡¯s no need to be formal. You should accept this gift, as it is a token of Miss Du¡¯s feelings.¡± Laughing, Xie Lingfeng opened the box. Inside were some spiritual medicine, a treasure sword, and some precious gems they were all quite valuable, rightfully deemed a generous gift. ¡°These two boxes are a local specialty from Prince Du¡¯s residence, the Yunwu Spiritual Tea. It is said to be rare. The tea is very fragrant, and the leaves look like clouds. When steeped in a teapot, it seems as if you are brewing a pot of fog.¡± Xie Lingfeng picked up a jade jar from the box and explained. The box contained three jade jars, all filled with Yunwu Spiritual Tea. ¡°Yunwii Spiritual Tea, though considered of the lower ninth grade of spiritual medicine, is quite famous. It gets its name from the fog-like appearance, and its delicate and refreshing aroma is highly appreciated by some Great Grandmaster martial artists.¡± Xie Lingfeng put the tea jar back in the box. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes sparkled as he said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll accept it!¡± My master would like Yunwii Spiritual Tea, right? In the border wilderness, my master only drinks coarse tea. While my master¡¯s realm is very advanced, he lives a humble and natural life, not caring about the type of tea he drinks. But as his disciple, I can¡¯t let my master drink coarse tea all the time, can I? Since I got this spiritual tea, I must bring it back and present it to my master! ¡°Hu Shan, strap the box on your back. Let¡¯s go.¡± Xie Lingfeng said cheerfully. ¡°No problem, young master.¡± Hu Shan picked up the box, tied it with a rope, and carried it on his back. Xu Yan asked curiously, ¡°Brother Xie, don¡¯t you have a storage bag?¡± Xie Lingfeng chuckled bitterly, ¡°Brother Xu, you may not know, but storage bags are very expensive. It¡¯s not as simple as just paying in spirit crystals. Although I hold a decent position on Sword Grandmaster Cliff, I still can¡¯t afford a storage bag!¡± There was another reason he didn¡¯t mention. If a Grandmaster martial artist carried a storage bag, it could easily be stolen! Even though he was regarded as a genius on Sword Grandmaster Cliff, and his father was Xie Tianheng, he could not avoid being the target of theft, though he may not be killed for it. Many Great Grandmasters could not afford a storage bag, so naturally, they coveted others¡¯. If a Grandmaster martial artist was found to have a storage bag, it would be strange if they were not robbed! After all, not everyone has Xu Yan¡¯s strength. Xu Yan was astonished. The storage bag was even more precious than he thought. Even someone like Xie Lingfeng, with his status, couldn¡¯t afford one. As they strolled out, Xu Yan inquired, ¡°So, who would have a storage bag?¡± He had killed many Grandmaster martial artists and a few Great Grandmasters. For example, the Living Death Skull was a Great Grandmaster with a notorious reputation, but he didn¡¯t possess a storage bag. ¡°Typically, only peak Great Grandmasters possess them, but not all of them.¡± Xie Lingfeng pondered for a moment and then replied. ¡°Peak Great Grandmaster, huh.¡± Xu Yan sighed. That won¡¯t be easy to kill! With his current strength, killing a perfected Great Grandmaster is not difficult. But killing a peak Great Grandmaster is a little tricky. After all, the strength of a peak Great Grandmaster truly represents the peak, far unmatched by the ones below the rank of perfected Great Grandmaster. In the entire Inner Domain, there were not many peak Great Grandmasters, thus any faction with a peak Great Grandmaster at its helm could be considered a top power. Just as he was leaving the guest house, he saw Du Yuying and Cui¡¯er coming up to him with a fast-paced run. ¡°Young Master Xu.¡± Without her veil, Du Yuying¡¯s exquisite beauty was on full display. Her creamy-white cheeks flashed faintly with a hint of blush, which made her look more attractive and captivating. Yet, Xu Yan¡¯s heart remained undisturbed! ¡°Miss Du!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Young Master Xu, are you heading to Canglan Island?¡± Du Yuying asked softly. ¡°Yes!¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t try to hide it and suddenly remembered something. He added: ¡°Thank you for the generous gift, Miss Du.¡± Seeing the box that Hu Shan was carrying, Du Yuying¡¯s eyes sparkled with joy and excitement, which she couldn¡¯t conceal. She said, ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it, Young Master Xu!¡± She then turned and beckoned, ¡°Cui¡¯er!¡± Cui¡¯er took out a pouch and handed it to her, ¡°Here, miss!¡± Du Yuying took the pouch, and grabbed Xu Yan¡¯s hand. She put the pouch in his hand and said, ¡°Young Master Xu, these are twenty thousand spirit crystals. It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s my way of showing my gratitude towards you.¡± As she said that, her soft hand gently caressed Xu Yan¡¯s hand and her cheeks turned even redder. ¡°I can¡¯t accept a reward for doing nothing, Miss Du should take it back.¡± Xu Yan shook his head. Even though he was in need of spirit crystals, he was a man of principles. ¡°Young Master Xu, you killed the Skeleton beast, this is a part of the bounty, it has been after us in the Prince Du residence for a while now, and Young Master Xu killing it, has relieved us of a major problem.¡± ¡°These few spirit crystals are not nearly enough to repay your kindness, it¡¯s just all I had at the moment. Please accept this small token of gratitude, I hope Young Master Xu won¡¯t refuse!¡± Du Yuying had all her arguments lined up. She held Xu Yan¡¯s hand and folded his fingers, softly saying, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll accept it!¡± So, it was a reward for killing the Skeleton beast. Xu Yan, pleased with himself, withdrew his hand and kept the spirit crystals. Miss Du was a good person who knew to repay kindness, maybe she was too excited and unknowingly held on to my hand.¡± Xu Yan cupped his hands and said, ¡°Miss Du, till we meet again!¡± It was time to say goodbye. ¡°Young Master Xu, I owe you a great debt of gratitude; someday I would like to repay you with a storage pouch, where should I look for you?¡± Du Yuying hastily asked. ¡°A storage pouch?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes sparkled with delight, ¡°Miss Du, you are too kind. A storage pouch is quite valuable¡­¡± ¡°No matter how precious the storage pouch, it can never match the kindness of Master Xu.¡± Du Yuying earnestly responded. ¡°In that case, you might find me at Canglan Island, or you can deliver it to Brother Xie, he will pass it to me.¡± Xu Yan felt that Du Yuying was a good person, really grateful and returned the favour, he replied immediately. ¡°I will remember!¡± Du Yuying nodded. ¡°Brother Xie, let¡¯s go!¡± Xu Yan stepped away, his figure swiftly moving. Xie Lingfeng looked at Du Yuying with a strange expression, shook his head without saying anything, and quickly followed Xu Yan¡¯s pace. ¡°Miss Du, she really knows how to repay kindness; I didn¡¯t protect her for nothing back then,¡± Xu Yan said thoughtfully. A wry smile formed on Hu Shan¡¯s lips. Is this a repayment of kindness? She is smitten with you! ¡°Miss Du has a great aptitude, but she seems to have some physique problems. I don¡¯t know why, but she¡¯s already in the first grade, not far from becoming a Grandmaster.¡± Xu Yan continued to praise her, his affection for Du Yuying growing. Of course, it was simply pure appreciation. Xie Lingfeng nodded, ¡°Miss Du is a student of a Seven-star Study Palace Academic Supervisor. Her talent is indeed extraordinary, it might have something to do with her peculiar physique¡± Du Yuying being a student of the Seven-star Study Palace Academic Supervisor indicated her exceptional talent. Just as the three of them stepped out of Seven-Star City, eager to head for Canglan Island, a beautiful silhouette floated towards them. She was dressed in white like snow, even without seeing her face, she exuded an exceptional allure. It was the woman in white from Unrivaled Pavilion! Chapter 254 Grandmaster on Canglan Island i Translator: 549690339 I Upon seeing the lady in plain clothes, Xie Lingfeng¡¯s expression turned serious. This was the only person he had met in the Inner Domain who could pose a threat to him. ¡°Young Master Xu.¡± The woman in plain clothes spoke softly, approaching gracefully. ¡°You came at a perfect time. I want to return this to you as a thank you for lending a hand last time. If you ever have any trouble, I am willing to assist you once.¡± Xu Yan took out a jade token and handed it to the woman. ¡°Young Master Xu, you are too polite. Please keep the jade token.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes seemed to hold a smile. ¡°No!¡± Xu Yan stuffed the jade token into her hand. He didn¡¯t like owing people favours. Since he no longer needed it, he naturally wouldn¡¯t keep it. The lady felt a slight disappointment, but she did not insist on Xu Yan keeping the token. Instead, she took out a bag and handed it to Xu Yan, saying, ¡°This is a thank-you gift for you, Young Master Xu. Inside there are three hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, and some Spiritual Medicines stored in the Tianbao Pavilion. You can redeem them at any Tianbao Pavilion.¡± Xu Yan wondered, ¡°A thank-you gift?¡± A total of three hundred thousand Spirit Crystals was a large sum, and the Spiritual Medicine storage receipt indicated that those stored medicines must be quite valuable. However, why was she thanking him? ¡°Young Master Xu, you killed the murderous skeleton, so I naturally have to thank you. That murderous skeleton committed evil acts and killed many people from my Unparalleled Pavilion. We¡¯ve had a bounty on his head for a long time. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve killed him, you have avenged those who lost their lives because of him in my Pavilion. Of course, I have to thank you.¡± The woman seemed very pleased, as if a big load had been taken off her chest with the death of the murderous skeleton. ¡°The murderous skeleton again?¡± Xu Yan was delighted. This murderous skeleton was widely hated. Although he didn¡¯t get any Spirit Crystals from killing it, only a skeleton stick, the reward he received for it was a huge windfall. ¡°Then I shall accept without reservation.¡± Xu Yan cheerfully received the bag. ¡°Young Master Xu, where are you heading?¡± Seeing Xu Yan accepting the items, the woman seemed pleased and asked with a smile. ¡°To claim Canglan Island.¡± Xu Yan did not hide the fact as there was no need to. ¡°How can I contact you, in case I need to?¡± The woman asked. ¡°You can come to Canglan Island, or ask Brother Xie to relay the message.¡± Xu Yan replied after some thought. ¡°Young Master Xu, if you have free time, you can come to Unparalleled Pavilion for a chat.¡± The woman suggested with anticipation. ¡°I¡¯ll see when I have some free time.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s response seemed rather perfunctory. There was no need for him to temper his mind anymore, so there seemed to be no need to visit the Unparalleled Pavilion. As for beautiful women; They are nowhere near as intriguing as Sword Dao is! The woman in plain clothes left, and Xu Yan continued on his journey towards Canglan Island. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought, that murderous skeleton was worth quite a bit. Killing him really made me a fortune.¡± Xu Yan remarked with a sense of gratification. Xie Lingfeng twitched the corner of his mouth. That woman from Unparalleled Pavilion was obviously delivering gifts on purpose! The excuse about the murderous skeleton killing people from Unparalleled Pavilion was merely a pretense. Unparalleled Pavilion may not be as prestigious as Sword Monarch Cliff, but it¡¯s also one of the top powers with deep roots and many supporters. Not speaking of the murderous skeleton, even Demon Lord Huo Tu wouldn¡¯t dare to intrude into Unparalleled Pavilion recklessly. The Unparalleled Great Grandmaster is also a pinnacle Great Grandmaster, whose strength isn¡¯t much lesser than Demon Lord Huo Tu¡¯s! One is Du Yuying, and the other is the woman in plain clothes; both are going out of their way to provide benefits to Xu Yan. Xie Lingfeng is numb to it. As the outstanding genius of Sword Monarch Cliff and the only son of Xie Tianheng, he has never been treated like this. He could only sigh that a true prodigious talent is welcomed wherever they go. Especially by women! Canglan Island is some distance away from the Seven-star Study Palace. It is located in Yunfeng County of the Dayue Kingdom, on the Cang River and regarded as one of the islands on the Cang River. When Grandmaster Yin Hong was alive, he took control of this island, dominating a territory and calling himself the Canglan Island Master, or Master Canglan. With his demise, the people on Canglan Island didn¡¯t dare to stay and all left. The wealth and other things on the island couldn¡¯t help but suffer some loss. With Xu Yan¡¯s fame for killing the murderous skeleton, naturally no one dared to covet Canglan Island. The deterrence of a Great Grandmaster is very strong anywhere. Moreover, Xu Yan, who killed a Great Grandmaster, is even more so. ¡°I wonder how much is left on the island.¡± Xu Yan remarked wistfully. Merely saving Meng Chong from being hunted had made him rush to his aid, hence he had to delay the matter of Canglan Island. Now, after such a long time, surely a lot of things have been taken away from the island. How much of Yin Hong¡¯s legacy was left, wasn¡¯t easy to say. Of course, Xu Yan was now relatively wealthier. Although it hurt to lose Yin Hong¡¯s legacy, the Canglan Island alone is invaluable. It can be considered his territory in the Inner Domain. Moreover, Canglan Island is located in the Cang River, one of the three main rivers of the Dayue kingdom, and has an excellent geographical location. There are also some special products on the island. In the middle of the turbulent Cang River, there was an island standing tall, with ancient trees lush with verdant growth. Among the trees, there were pavilions, towers, palaces, and houses. Canglan Island, which is several miles in circumference, is the largest island in the Cang River, rich in nature¡¯s spiritual energy. A kind of Spirit Fruit grows there, which, despite lacking any special effects, tastes excellent. Martial Artists below the Seventh Grade who eat it can improve their physique and accelerate their cultivation. Although it is only Ninth Grade, it bears fruit every year, and the quantity is considerable. It is a kind of high-quality fruit that can only be enjoyed by powerful figures in large forces and superior Martial Artists.. Chapter 255 Grandmaster on Canglan Island_2 Translator: 549690339 Near Canglan Island, there¡¯s a type of fish that¡¯s delicious in taste and can considerably nourish low-level Martial Artists. Just these two specialties of Canglan Island alone could bring considerable wealth to the island. This island is not bad, it¡¯s a good place to cultivate.¡± Xu Yan looked at Canglan Island in the distance, surveyed the surrounding landforms, and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a good place.¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded. As the three of them were about to reach Canglan Island mid-air, Xu Yan suddenly halted and said in a deep voice, ¡°Brother Xie, you and Hu Shan, step back!¡± Xie Lmgfeng hesitated, but without asking any questions, retreated with Hu Shan. Xu Yan was currently staring blankly at Canglan Island below and coldly said, ¡°Why bother hiding, come out.¡± As he was speaking, he began to retreat. Not that he was afraid of the people hidden on Canglan Island. But rather, he was afraid of damaging Canglan Island in a fight, especially those Spirit Fruits. Each plant destroyed was a significant loss. After all, this was his territory now, and fighting in one¡¯s own territory was unwise. Two figures flew from Canglan Island. They wore black robes, had a green leaf embroidered on their chests, and wore hoods that concealed their faces. In their hands were curved knives, flickering with cold light. Great Grandmaster Martial Artists! Moreover, they were accomplished Great Grandmasters! ¡°Again, you guys who hide your faces!¡± Although there were two of them, and they were both accomplished Great Grandmasters, he was not afraid in the least! Xie Lmgfeng felt a chill in his heart. Accomplished Great Grandmasters, and there were two of them! It showed the enemy¡¯s caution, afraid that one person would not be able to deal with Xu Yan! He couldn¡¯t help but worry. Xu Yan¡¯s strength was indeed strong, his power when striking was hard for ordinary Martial Artists to resist. However, accomplished Great Grandmasters were much stronger than average Grandmasters. Once they were able to withstand Xu Yan¡¯s attack, it would not be easy for Xu Yan to defeat them. Moreover, there were two of them! As he and Hu Shan retreated, he transmitted his voice to Xu Yan, ¡°Brother Xu, can you handle it? If not, let¡¯s retreat for now. I can ask Jianzun Cliff to send a Grandmaster to help.¡± ¡°Brother Xie, don¡¯t worry, these are just two good men coming to give us money.¡± Xu Yan responded via sound transmission. The people in black robes were usually rich. And these two were accomplished Great Grandmasters, naturally even richer. Killing these two would mean a lot of loot! Xu Yan was feeling happy inside. Xu Yan, not to mention that you took our spiritual medicine and treasures, tell me, where is Su Lingxiu?¡± One of the people in black robes said coldly. Xu Yan¡¯s gaze turned cold, ¡°Want to know? Well, it depends on whether the money bags on you are heavy enough!¡± ¡°You really know where she is?¡± The person in the black robe¡¯s voice was ice cold and filled with killing intent. I have already said that if you want to know, you have to show me whether your money bags are heavy enough. Bring them up and let me see?¡± Xu Yan said with a beaming smile. Firstly, trick them into giving him the money bags, so that during a fight later on, he wouldn¡¯t accidentally destroy both people and money bags. After all, they were two accomplished Great Grandmasters. He couldn¡¯t be careless. I he aura of the persons in the black robe burst out. The might of the accomplished Great Grandmaster stirred the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to form a storm-like aura around them. The raging pressure swept through the place, like heavenly might. Xu Yan¡¯s expression turned serious, accomplished Great Grandmasters. Their strength was much greater than any average Grandmaster¡¯s. The Skeleton of Slaughter was indeed very powerful, but it was still somewhat lacking compared to these two accomplished Great Grandmasters. Moreover, the two Grandmasters in front of his eyes were obviously among the top in the accomplished realm. ¡°Stirring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as if they have control over it. Although it¡¯s not as good as Tongxuan Realm, they are somewhat close with their ability to communicate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and knowing the profound power of the world.¡± At this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes sparkled. The two accomplished Great Grandmasters stirred the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to create a storm-like aura. Viewing this scene, an idea of the profound power of the Tongxuan Realm unveiling itself in harmony with heaven and earth¡¯s spiritual energy came into Xu Yan¡¯s mind. At this moment, his comprehension of the Tongxuan Realm made a substantial leap. Xu Yan felt that he was nearly capable of fully comprehending the cultivation technique of the Tongxuan Realm. All he needed now was to calm down and reflect for a while, then he would be able to comprehend the wonders of the Tongxuan Realm. If he were to fight with the two accomplished Great Grandmasters right before him, his gains surely would not be small. The two accomplished Great Grandmasters seemed to have formed two tempests of heaven and earth, their aura astonishing. All the Martial Artists on the river saw this and were shocked. Great Grandmaster fighters? The nearby grandmaster martial artists were even more horrified. Anyone who could stir up nature¡¯s spiritual energy as if it were a storm must be an accomplished great grandmaster. And there were more than one of them! Could this be happening in the direction of Canglan Island? There had already been rumors that Yin Hong, the previous owner of Canglan Island, had been slain at the Seven-star Study Palace, and had lost the Island to Xu Yan, the Sword God. Could it be the great grandmasters were targeting Xu Yan? No one dared to approach. They could only observe from afar. ¡°Xu Yan, you may be a prodigy, but if you don¡¯t want to die, tell us her whereabouts! Otherwise, your death is a certainty!¡± The robed men in black split to the left and right, forming a pincer attack. ¡°No one can extract information from me, Xu Yan, without a cost. If you want answers, bring out the money. ¡°Otherwise, forget about it. You actually think the two of you can kill me?¡± Xu Yan sneered. With a blurry movement of his figure, he vanished from the spot, and the next moment he was already several miles away. Yet before the robed men could pursue him, he returned to his original position. Heavenly Lightning Flash! A speed beyond imagination. The robed men couldn¡¯t help but focus their attention. If Xu Yan truly wanted to escape, it would be hard for them to chase him down. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, hand over the money and we can talk!¡± Xu Yan cheerfully said. ¡°Xu Yan, if you go back on your word, there will be no place for you in the Inner Domain!¡± The robed man backed down. The whereabouts of Su Lingxiu were significant. As long as they could locate Su Lingxiu, all else could be set aside. ¡°No worries. Xu Yan¡¯s reputation is unparalleled. You can surely trust me!¡± Xu Yan patted his chest. He thought to himself, ¡°As long as I kill you two, who will know that 1 broke my word? As long as no one knows, my reputation remains untarnished!¡± ¡°Give it here!¡± I he two black-robed men pulled out the money bag and threw it to Xu Yan. The curved blade in their hands gleamed brightly, apparently trying to take advantage of Xu Yan receiving the money bag. However, with a wave of Xu Yan¡¯s palm, a small golden dragon flew out, coiling up the two money bags. He didn¡¯t relax his vigilance in the slightest, leaving his adversaries without the opportunity they sought. Xu Yan was thrilled. As soon as he got the money bag, he opened it up to take a look and his face immediately changed. ¡°You two poor bastards. You¡¯re dignified great grandmasters, but you only have a bit of spirit crystal on you? This crappy pill, what a piece of junk, who would want it? ¡°Only two eighth grade spiritual medicines? Are you worthy of the prestige of a great grandmaster? Is the information I, Xu Yan, have to offer this worthless? ¡°You¡¯re insulting me!¡± Two great grandmasters! And all they had were a few spirit tickets, amounting to no more than a hundred thousand spirit crystals. As for those two bottles of pills, Xu Yan didn¡¯t regard them at all. What a bunch of trash! There were only two eight-grade spiritual medicines! The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment! The two robed men were stunned for a moment. Then they started trembling with anger. The storm raging around them grew increasingly intense and even showed signs of going out of control. Over the sea, waves roared and billowed. They were great grandmasters! With such prestige, they wouldn¡¯t carry a huge amount of spirit tickets on them. They only carried some healing medicine and a spiritual medicine for emergencies. With their strength, they could convert anything they needed into spirit crystals in any Tianbao Pavilion, so why would they need to carry a large amount of spirit tickets with them? Ulis was an exclusive treatment for great grandmasters and above. But this young man in front of them dared to humiliate them like this! ¡°You deserve to die!¡± Boom! The storm swept in, and two figures armed with overwhelming power moved in to attack from the left and right. The sea rolled up huge waves, with mighty waves crashing down out of thin air. Two sharp bursts of blade light glimmered in the storm, pouring out from the waves. When great grandmasters made their move, it was earth-shattering! A dragon¡¯s cry echoed, and eighteen golden giant dragons burst out, charging towards the rolling waves, as if pacifying the raging waves with the might of a dragon! Sword light layered upon layers, the scene was one of mountains and rivers descending, a dragon¡¯s cry ringing out. Mountain-River Dragon Cry! Xu Yan took this seriously. Since he had already gotten the money bags from the two poor grandmasters, there was no need to hold back. His first move was to give it his all! One against two! Chapter 256 Translator: 549690339 | Outside Canglan Island, on the massive river, monstrous waves crashed, the wind and clouds altered their colors, a powerful oppressive force surged, shaking all directions. The battlefield was like a storm, absolutely terrifying. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan retreated again and again, avoiding the scene from afar. Staring at the battlefield, their expressions were incredibly solemn. ¡°Young master, can Xu Yan achieve victory?¡± Hu Shan spoke with some worry. A couple of breakthrough Great Grandmasters, wielding power so vast, a single move could cause earth-shattering storms. ¡°Since Xu Yan is not retreating, he must be sure of his chances.¡± Xie Lingfeng spoke gravely. Even so, he was also somewhat worried. ¡°Which force do these robed men belong to? Being able to deploy two Great Grandmasters shows their strength is not weak at all. They must definitely have a peak Grandmaster overseeing them.¡± Hu Shan voiced his thoughts solemnly. ¡°They are a part of the dark forces, and within the dark forces, not many possess this level of strength.¡± Xie Lingfeng looked on with a grave expression. In the vast Inner Domain, besides the many visible forces, there existed some dark forces. The dark forces are those who keep a low profile, or those who engage in underhanded dealings, never revealing their group¡¯s name. Although everyone knew of their existence, nobody could call out their name, and hence they were referred to as the dark forces. Of course, even among the dark forces, there are the strong and the weak. Not all dark forces keep their names hidden. Any dark forces that could even keep their names hidden from the large forces showed that their strength was extremely formidable. The force that these black-robed men belong to, is one of these. The battle continued, the waves growing more and more violent, waves towering as high as tens of meters, layers of blade light were like a storm, constantly bombarding outwards. From a distance, the battlefield looked like an apocalypse! Xu Yan circulated his Innate True Qi, lashing out comfortably and even faint traces of spiritual light surfaced on his body. This was the ferocious side of the Dragon soaring over rivers and mountains, revealing itself during the battle. The spiritual energy of the world surged into him, continually replenishing his used True Qi. Xu Yan grew fiercer the more he battled, and his aura grew stronger and stronger. While battling, he was also gaining insight into the strong aura of the two black-robed men, stirring the spiritual energy of the world, and causing the earth-shattering oppressive force that they unleashed. The two black-robed men grew more and more shocked the more they battled, and they were more determined than ever. They must kill Xu Yan, or else he would certainly become a great threat! Swinging their scimitars, the knife energies became much more severe. In the end, both of their auras converged, signifying that they were going to collaborate on an attack! Hum! A massive scimitar light appeared in mid-air, continuously pouring down, as if traversing half the sky, sealing all directions. The scimitar light raged, vaporizing the huge waves, and it seemed as if the entire world was enveloped by the scimitar light, forming a purgatory of scimitar light! Xu Yan¡¯s gaze concentrated. The enemy¡¯s combined aura boosted their strength in an instant and was blocking all exits. They were trying to prevent him from escaping! Laughing coldly in his heart, if he wanted to escape, how could they stop him? Boom! In that instant, Xu Yan¡¯s aura soared, his Sword Intent was vast, and his strong, ruthless intent swept across the world. Mountains and rivers surfaced, sealing all around, preventing the black-robed men from escaping. He struck out with his left palm, the Golden Giant Dragon roared, the dragon¡¯s eyes shimmered with dazzling light. The powerful Dragon¡¯s true meaning was carried along a wave of anger, even the billowing waves of the river seemed to have been smoothed over at this moment. Roar! The Golden Dragon burst forth, charging towards one of the black-robed men. The mighty force was constantly smashing the blade lights, bombarding outwards continuously. But the black-robed men were powerful. The scimitars in their hands danced in the air, and before the Golden Dragon could get close, it had already shattered. However, Xu Yan immediately struck with another palm. The Descending Dragon Palm power, brutal and unrivalled, kept shattering his layers of blade light. Every palm strike pushed him a certain distance forward. Xu Yan, at this moment, was displaying his full strength. His left hand wielded the Descending Dragon Palm, his right hand held the Sword Dao of mountains and rivers, with one sword slash after another. He was single-handedly fighting against two and had seized the upper hand. Moreover, he had reversed the situation, sealing all directions, blocking the black-robed men¡¯s escape route. A sword fell. Roar! Dragon¡¯s roar sounded, mountains and rivers enveloped all, as if wanting to draw the black-robed men into the mountains and rivers to completely annihilate them. Another sword descended. Mountains and Rivers, All beings Sword! The sword light was vast and during the surge of Sword Intent, the mountains and rivers, Dragon roar and the All beings sword overlapped instantly. Then, again, the Sword of Mountains and Rivers ¨C Dragon¡¯s roar flashed out, along with mountains and rivers ¨C the All beings sword. One sword after another, completely suppressing the black-robed men. The Sword Intent of mountains and rivers grew stronger and stronger, the intent of killing filled the world, making it overflow with a killing aura. It felt as if the whole world had been stirred into a murderous frenzy. The fight continued to this point, the expressions of the black-robed men had drastically changed. They felt a strong crisis; their current situation was extremely dangerous. Roar! Another palm struck forth from Xu Yan, the giant golden dragon charged toward the other black-robed man. Just as he was about to swing at the dragon, suddenly, the dragon split into eighteen smaller dragons. In an instant, from all directions, they charged at the man. At the same time, Xu Yan slashed with his sword. The mountains and rivers, Dragon roar, and All beings sword instantly merged together, drawing the black-robed man into the Sword Intent of mountains and rivers. ¡°Today, I, Sword God Xu Yan, behead the Great Grandmaster outside Canglan Island. Anyone who dares to covet Canglan Island will be killed without mercy!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s voice, like thunder, echoed throughout. The martial artists spectating from the distance were all shocked, beheading a Great Grandmaster? And two Great Grandmasters at that! Just how strong is Sword God Xu Yan? Chapter 257 Translator: 549690339 I Could he be a peak Great Grandmaster? ¡°And for those hidden forces in black robes seeking revenge, come find me. As a Sword God, I am always waiting, but remember to bring a substantial number of Spirit Crystals. Broke bastards don¡¯t deserve to die at my hands!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s cold voice came once more. Everyone took in a deep breath, this was a direct declaration of war against a particular power! A force powerful to mobilize two accomplished Great Grandmasters must be one of the top powers, and one with a peak Great Grandmaster at the helm. Was this one man actually suppressing the whole top power on his own? The two men in black robes felt an intense life-or-death crisis and their aura abruptly changed amidst their horror. An eerie energy emerged, and their scimitars were enveloped in a layer of chilling energy, as if encased in frost, making the surrounding temperatures plummet. This eerie energy seemed to carry the breath of death itself. The other party was prepared to fight to the death and had activated some form of powerful Martial Arts secret technique. It was obvious at glance, this secret technique must have come at a great cost. But in a life-or-death situation, such costs seemed insignificant. ¡°A secret technique based in Martial Arts? Heh!¡± Xu Yan sneered, and with a swing of his sword, it seemed as if all living things fell silent, and the mountains and rivers were destroyed. The pervasive mountain and river images engulfed the eerie energy,¡ªincluding everything surrounding him. Along with the extinction of the mountains and rivers, this eerie energy was also swept away by the forces of the destruction. ¡°No! What is this¡­¡± The man in the black robe widened his eyes, full of incredulity. What kind of swordsmanship was this? Why was it so bizarre and powerful? His body was disintegrating bit by bit, turning into ashes along with the mountains and rivers. Boom! One fell with a swing of Xu Yan¡¯s sword, while the Descending Dragon Palm emitted a vigorous and masculine power, like an enraged golden dragon¡ªthe sky and earth changed colours because of its rage. The eerie energy released by the descending palm of the man in the black robe who used a secret technique seemed to have met its nemesis. Under this intense Yin strength, it was as weak as paper, unable to resist at all! ¡°How is this possible!¡± The man in the black robe exploded, crushed by the terrifying might of the dragon, scattering into flying ashes! Peace returned to the world. The Cang River flowed as usual, and the storm that felt like the end of the world had disappeared without a trace. Only one man stood proudly in mid-air with a sword in his hand. The spectators fell silent in this moment! In their minds, they engraved a name: Sword God Xu Yan! A young man with a sword, striking down two accomplished Great Grandmasters outside Canglan Island! ¡°Speaking of prodigies in this world, no one can compete with Xu Yan!¡± ¡°Xu Yan alone suppresses all the talents of the Inner Domain!¡± ¡°It is foreseeable that in the near future, Xu Yan will be the number one in the Inner Realm Martial Arts!¡± The Grandmasters who were watching the battle made these remarks with deep feelings. Xu Yan is young but he has slain an accomplished Great Grandmaster. Perhaps it won¡¯t take long for him to slay a peak Great Grandmaster. A true unrivalled genius, none can match! Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were greatly shocked at this moment. The power of Xu Yan had far exceeded their imaginations. He was merely at the Innate Realm but had already killed two accomplished Great Grandmasters single ¨C handedly. Is this the terrifying aspect of the true Martial Arts? Xie Lingfeng sighed in his heart. He was known as the pinnacle of swordsmanship and the strongest genius in a thousand years. However, compared to Xu Yan, the gap was quite large. What comforted him was that among the prodigies in the Inner Domain, he was still at the top, still possessing the qualifications and confidence to look down on other prodigies. Xie Lingfeng had given up the idea of catching up with Xu Yan¡¯s pace. He knew his limits. The biggest wish of his life was to understand the sword with his heart and step into the real Sword Dao. ¡°Brother Xu, this battle has truly shaken the Inner Domain.¡± Xie Lingfeng came over and said with emotion. In the Seven-star Study Palace, he had blasted Yin Hong with one palm, which was shocking enough. Now, outside Canglan Island, he fought two accomplished Great Grandmasters alone and killed them. This deterrence was far stronger than blasting Yin Hong. After all, Yin Hong had just entered the realm of the Great Grandmaster, and was a weakling among them. Some powerful Great Grandmasters, although they had heard about Xu Yan blasting Yin Hong, didn¡¯t take it to heart. They thought that Xu Yan had used some secret technique to temporarily increase his power to blast Yin Hong. They felt that if they exerted all their efforts, they could probably do the same. After all, the actual strength of Yin Hong, a new recruit to the Great Grandmasters, was unknown to everyone. But it was guessed that his strength was not strong among the Great Grandmasters and belonged to the third-tier Great Grandmasters. Xu Yan blasting him seemed spectacular and shocking. However, the accomplished Great Grandmasters, including the peak Great Grandmasters, didn¡¯t really care much. Now, Xu Yan stood against two and killed two accomplished Great Grandmasters, both of whom were the stronger ones. His deterrent power surged in an instant. Even the peak Great Grandmasters have to be cautious. ¡°It¡¯s just an empty title, not worth mentioning!¡± Xu Yan waved his hand dismissively. The three of them continued on to Canglan Island. ¡°The accomplished Great Grandmaster is still very powerful. He was able to fight me for such a long time and his might was extremely astounding. A peak Great Grandmaster must be even more powerful.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s voice was laden with awe. He had underestimated the accomplished Great Grandmasters, and more so, the peak Great Grandmasters. An accomplished Great Grandmaster can stir up nature¡¯s spiritual energy and almost control it for his own use. The peak Great Grandmaster¡ªhas he already mastered controlling some of nature¡¯s spiritual energy to amplify his fighting power? Definitely not to be underestimated. Xu Yan felt that with his current power, he might not be able to defeat a peak Great Grandmaster. However, a peak Great Grandmaster might not be able to defeat him either. ¡°Once I have fully broken through the Innate Realm, even a peak Great Grandmaster can be killed.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. The three of them made it to Canglan Island where all the buildings were intact. Xu Yan headed directly to where Yin Hong was located, and saw that the door to his residence had been opened, all as expected. After an extensive search, a hidden room was finally found. Upon opening the hidden room, it was filled with Spirit Crystals and rows of jade boxes. Inside these boxes were seventh-grade spiritual medicine. There were altogether eleven strands of seventh-grade spiritual medicine. There wasn¡¯t a single strand of sixth-grade spiritual medicine; in the Inner Domain, such medicine was indeed rare. Xu Yan did a rough count. There were less than a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, and along with the eleven strands of seventh-grade spiritual medicine, there were about thirty more strands. What relieved Xu Yan was that in the secret room, there was a box containing spirit bills amounting to a few hundred thousand. As for the receipts for items stored at the Tianbao Pavilion, there was none. While this hidden room was indeed concealed and necessitated the strength of a Grandmaster to open, it had remained untouched, not emptied out by anyone. Clearly, it was left for him intentionally. Those who removed items from Canglan Island were also afraid that if they did not leave anything, they may provoke Xu Yan and invite trouble. ¡°This fellow Yin Hong, is kind of poor.¡± Xu Yan heaved a sigh. ¡°I wonder who the benefactor behind him is. Are they rich or not, will they seek revenge for him?¡± Xu Yan was somewhat looking forward to the benefactor behind Yin Hong seeking revenge. Since they were able to become Yin Hong¡¯s benefactor, it meant they were not simple; they would not be weak either, right? Undoubtedly they must be wealthy. If they came to seek revenge, would he become rich all of a sudden? Xu Yan shook his head. Based on the current situation, the benefactor behind Yin Hong had no intention of seeking revenge for him. ¡°Take everything except the Spirit Crystals.¡± Xu Yan took away the spiritual medicine and spirit bills, and shut the door of the secret room. All were stuffed into the box given by Yuying as a gift, and would be taken back when returning to the wasteland. ¡°Brother Xie, Hu Shan, find a place and rest for a while. I have some insights and will stay on Canglan Island for a few days.¡± Xu Yan said aloud. ¡°Brother Xu, are you not afraid of the black-robed peak Great Grandmaster coming back?¡± Xie Lingfeng reminded him. ¡°No worries, let them come if they want. They can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± Xu Yan said indifferently. ¡°Hu Shan and I will do our best not to let people disturb Brother Xu¡¯s meditation.¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded in agreement. After instructing Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, Xu Yan went to a small mountain peak on Canglan Island, and sat cross-legged under an ancient tree. He wanted to contemplate the principles of Tongxuan Realm. After battling the two accomplished Great Grandmasters, he had gained more epiphanies, and understanding the Tongxuan Realm was just an insight away. ¡°The Tongxuan Realm is a transformation of True Qi into True Yuan. True Yuan merges with nature¡¯s spiritual energy, connecting to the mysteries of the universe. It controls nature¡¯s spiritual energy, and in the early stages interfaces with the Great Power of Heaven and Earth.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already comprehended the subtleties of True Qi and have a direction on how to refine it into True Yuan. As for its fusion with the spiritual energy of the world¡­¡± With his eyes slightly closed, in his mind Xu Yan visualized all that his master explained when passing on the art of Tongxuan Realm. Gradually, the practice of Tongxuan Realm surfaced in his mind, linking with the Innate Realm. The method of breaking into the Tongxuan Realm, and the specific practices all became clear and distinct.. Chapter 258 Translator: 549690339 I After Xu Yan successfully split his True Qi and comprehended its mysteries, he was close to understanding the method of the Tongxuan Realm. At this moment, the cultivation technique of the Tongxuan Realm appeared one by one in his mind, how to refine True Yuan, how to merge with nature¡¯s spiritual energy, how to communicate the mystery of heaven and earth. All these gradually became clear. The complete and true Tongxuan Realm cultivation technique emerged in Xu Yan¡¯s mind, the path to the Tongxuan Realm had been opened. He just needed to break through the perfection of the Innate Level to break through to the Tongxuan Realm! The third realm of Martial Arts, Tongxuan! ¡°So this is Tongxuan, I¡¯ve finally comprehended the method of Tongxuan that my master taught me.¡± Xu Yan was extremely excited. Having comprehended Tongxuan, the third realm of martial arts, the door was already open for him. He just needed to walk step by step to the door and then step in. ¡°I need to break through the perfection of the Innate Level as soon as possible. Once I reach the perfection of the Innate Level, I can break through to the Tongxuan Realm. Once I reach the Tongxuan Realm, even a peak Great Grandmaster can be easily killed!¡± Xu Yan was extremely excited. ¡°I should go back.¡± Canglan Island was already his territory. After killing two accomplished Great Grandmasters, no one dared to covet Canglan Island, even a peak Great Grandmaster would have to weigh the risks. ¡°The list of spiritual medicines needed by my junior sister should be put together and purchased. Once I bring them back to her, having these pills, my parents¡¯ cultivation will quickly improve. ¡°Especially my grandfather, who is of advanced age. With these pills to nourish his body, he will be able to steadily increase his strength.¡± Xu Yan was very aware that his parents and family could not always stay on the edge of the wilderness. The Inner Domain was vast and rich in resources, far beyond the wilderness. Only by advancing in strength can they better protect their safety. He could not always stay by his parents¡¯ side. ¡°My junior sister¡¯s enemy is quite powerful, I should figure out a way to investigate. They seem to value my junior sister greatly and insist on capturing her.¡± Xu Yan pondered in his heart. He had already made a great enemy of the force behind the man in the black robe. Since he had made an enemy, he naturally intended to completely destroy their forces. But the black-robed men¡¯s power was mysterious, and it was not easy to investigate where they were based. Of course, if Su Lingxiu came to the Inner Domain and revealed herself, there would be no need for arduous investigations, as they would actively seek her out. Therefore, formidable strength was needed to deal with the forces of the man in the black robe. As for his master, Xu Yan never considered relying on him to deal with the black-robed men. How could a man with such high status as his master personally deal with the black-robed men? It would be beneath his dignity. As a disciple, how could he possibly let his master clean up the mess he had created? He, Xu Yan, solved his problems himself. His master had retreated from the world and re-entered it for him, and he could not disturb his master¡¯s peace over such trifles! ¡°Once I enter Tongxuan, no matter how many peak Great Grandmasters come, I will kill as many as come, let¡¯s see how many peak Great Grandmasters you have!¡± Xu Yan sneered in his heart. He descended from the mountain. ¡°Brother Xie, Hu Shan, let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time to leave!¡± Xu Yan called to them. ¡°Brother Xu, your strength must have advanced again, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Xie Lingfeng spoke wistfully. ¡°Not that easy!¡± Xu Yan shook his head. Hu Shan carrying a box, three of them left Canglan Island. Upon leaving Canglan Island, Xu Yan did not immediately return to the wilderness, but instead picked up the spiritual medicines stored in the Tianbao Pavilion, as well as bought all the spiritual medicines on the Su Lingxiu¡¯s list. The quantity of spiritual medicine he had purchased was enormous, a small-town Tianbao Pavilion, was probably not enough to assemble all the spiritual medicine, so Xu Yan bought spiritual medicine from the Tianbao Pavilion in the prefecture city of Lanping. The previously deposited spiritual medicines were also in Tianbao Pavilion in the prefecture city of Lanping. A whole two large bags of spiritual medicine, Xu Yan carried one, and Xie Lingfeng helped carry the other, like a small hill on their backs. ¡°Spirit crystals, they really get spent too quickly!¡± Xu Yan sighed heavily. This trip almost totally depleted all his spirit tickets, just to buy these two big bags of spiritual medicines, gathering all the spiritual medicines on the list. We bought several portions of each kind of spiritual medicine. The spiritual medicines on Su Lingxiu¡¯s list were mostly ninth and eighth grade, with only a few seventh grade ones, and not a single sixth grade one. Presumably, when Su Lingxiu was drafting the list, she considered the rarity of the sixth grade spiritual medicines and that getting them would be a major challenge, so no sixth-grade spiritual medicines were included. Even seventh grade spiritual medicines were only listed in small quantities. The fact that the grades of the spiritual medicines on the list were lower was the reason they were able to buy such two large bags. Otherwise, with Xu Yan¡¯s current number of spirit crystals, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to buy such a large quantity of spiritual medicines. Hu Shan, carrying a box, was in fact the one carrying the least amount among the three. Xu Yan and Xie Lingfeng were both carrying a large package, taller than they were. Walking on the street of Lanping Prefecture, they attracted numerous gazes, especially as they came out of the Tianbao Pavilion, it was obvious that they had bought a lot of things in there. ¡°I have the feeling we¡¯re going to draw attention.¡± Hu Shan sighed. The manager of the Tianbao Pavilion had asked Xu Yan whether he wanted to leave through the side door to avoid attracting attention. Instead, Xu Yan said it was unnecessary and went straight through the main entrance of the Tianbao Pavilion. It would be strange if they didn¡¯t attract attention. ¡°I hope the people who are watching us aren¡¯t poor.¡± Xu Yan sighed. Although he was carrying a large bag of spiritual medicine, as long as he was not attacked by a Great Grandmaster, he did not have to worry about the spiritual medicine being damaged in battle. Any ordinary Grandmaster martial artist could be wiped out in the blink of an eye, posing no threat at all.. Chapter 259 Translator: 549690339 I Hu Shan¡¯s mouth twitched, he suspected that Xu Yan had just spent nearly all of his Spirit Tickets and was now red-eyed with poverty, hoping to lure people into a robbery to earn some Spirit Crystals. After the trio left the Lanping prefecture, Hu Shan exuded a Grandmaster¡¯s aura, immediately deterring many onlookers in the shadows. They withdrew and abandoned their intentions to rob them. In this way, Martial Artists below the Grandmaster level were effectively screened out. The one who dared to rob the three of them would naturally be a Grandmaster Martial Artist. ¡°If someone comes to rob us, as long as they hand over their money bags obediently, let them go then. After all, we¡¯re the ones who lured them into the robbery, so there¡¯s no need to kill. I¡¯m not a bloodthirsty person,¡± Xu Yan turned to Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan and said. Xie Lingfeng nodded to indicate that he understood. Hu Shan rolled his eyes, muttering to himself: such principled action you¡¯re taking! Wealth moves the heart; the trio hadn¡¯t traveled far from the prefecture city when they were interrupted by Martial Artists. Moreover, there were six Grandmaster Martial Artists. All of them wore face masks, fearing to be recognized. They must be somewhat reputed Grandmaster Martial Artists within Lanping prefecture. ¡°Even Grandmaster Martial Artists can get this destitute that they resort to robbery?¡± Xu Yan exclaimed with sincere regret. ¡°Brother Xu, we have too many Spiritual Medicines on us, robbing us would provide them worry-free supply for more than a decade. Not all Grandmasters are wealthy,¡± Xie Lingfeng helplessly said. Perhaps it was his previous assertion that Grandmasters are top-notch Martial Artists in the Inner Domain, lofty and superior, which gave Xu Yan the mistaken impression that all Grandmasters are wealthy? ¡°Six against three, and the odds are in our favor. You three should know how to choose, right? Leave your stuff here, and we won¡¯t make things difficult for you,¡± said one of the robbing Grandmaster Martial Artists in a serious tone. Xu Yan raised his hand and slapped out, a Golden Giant Dragon spiraled out and swirled around the six Grandmasters. He laughed lightly and said, ¡°Robbing me? What a blessing! Hand over your money bags, or die!¡± The robbing Grandmasters were nearly scared out of their wits. A slap summoned a Golden Giant Dragon? This is Xu Yan, the Sword God¡¯s signature cultivation technique! They looked again and realized that the one carrying the large bundle was just a teenager¡­ ¡°Sword God, spare us!¡± They instantly knelt down. They actually attempted to rob Xu Yan? Xu Yan collected six money bags, glanced at them, and nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go. And remember, don¡¯t reveal my identity.¡± Xu Yan warned. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The six Grandmaster Martial Artists left in a state of disarray. As for whether they would reveal Xu Yan¡¯s identity, absolutely not. Who in their right mind would want to reveal their own stupidity of attempting to rob Sword God Xu Yan when they were the ones who ended up in misfortune? If other people also ended up in trouble, even if the news did eventually get out, they wouldn¡¯t be the only ones laughed at. The six Grandmaster Martial Artists held their tongues, they were absolutely not going to admit that they had tried to rob Xu Yan. As dignified Grandmasters, they would never stoop to something as base as highway robbery! The trio, Xu Yan, encountered several waves of robbers. However, after they had moved far enough from Lanping prefecture, they didn¡¯t encounter more Grandmaster robbers. After all, the number of Grandmaster Martial Artists is limited. Besides, not all Grandmaster Martial Artists would resort to robbery. ¡°Brother Xu, why did you buy so many Spiritual Medicines?¡± Xie Lingfeng curiously asked. Xu Yan seemed to have a particular fondness for Spiritual Medicines. He earned Spirit Crystals just to buy more Spiritual Medicines. ¡°I¡¯m taking them back for my junior sister to use them in Alchemy.¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t bother to hide it. ¡°Junior sister?¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s eyes widened, forming large circles. Had his senior accepted another disciple? He was really envious! ¡°What is Alchemy?¡± Xie Lingfeng immediately asked, puzzled. ¡°Pills! The method my master passed down to my junior sister, you will know when you go there. Those pills are incomparable to the ones in the Inner Domains,¡± Xu Yan cheerfully said. The trio¡¯s speed got faster and faster, and they began to hide their tracks to avoid being tracked. Once they crossed this mountain, they would be able to enter the border wilderness. Su Lingxiu had conceptualized the flowchart of Alchemy, drawn it on a piece of paper, and annotated each step for Alchemy. The most critical, and also the most difficult step in the whole Alchemy process, was the final congealment into a pill. ¡°Master, what do you think?¡± Su Lingxiu unfolded the schematic diagram of the Alchemy assembly line that she had drawn and showed it to her master. Li Xuan took a look, silently praising it in his heart. His disciple, Su Lingxiu, indeed had an exceptional talent for Alchemy. He had only made a casual suggestion, but she had already implemented it. ¡°There should be no problems. Trial run it a few times, and if there are issues, you can adjust accordingly,¡± Li Xuan nodded in approval. ¡°I¡¯m going to start preparing right away, selecting talented people to learn the process of alchemy.¡± Lingxiu was brimming with excitement. It was necessary to prepare for entering the Inner Domain in advance. Elixirs were the foundation of Chang Qing Pavilion. She immediately informed Kou Ruozhi to select a group of people and prepare a selection of herbal materials. When she was free, she would teach them the steps of alchemy, passing on the skill to the members of Chang Qing Pavilion. With sufficient Spiritual Medicine, there would naturally be no lack of elixirs. With elixirs to assist, the speed of cultivation would naturally increase rapidly. However, Lingxiu was a bit troubled as she had not yet gleaned anything from The Eight Diagrams. What she lacked was a potent movement technique. ¡°I will wait for my senior brother to return and ask for his guidance.¡± Lingxiu thought to herself. She had prepared a new batch of Golden Body Pills and had come to the small hill outside the estate. ¡°Second senior brother, this is the Golden Body Pill.¡± Meng Chong received the Golden Body Pill, saying, ¡°Junior sister, we have enough elixirs. Temporarily, there¡¯s no need to prepare more Golden Body Pills. You should also spend more time on your own cultivation.¡± ¡°Second senior brother, alchemy is also a form of my cultivation.¡± Lingxiu said with a smile. Meng Chong thought about it, then nodded. His junior sister was cultivating the path of an alchemist martial artist, and alchemy was indeed a part of her cultivation. ¡°Second senior brother, how much longer till you break through?¡± Lingxiu curiously asked. ¡°Not too far away.¡± Meng Chong laughed. He was using Golden Body Pills to nourish his acupoints. Each acupoint should harbor a mystery, which he had not yet cultivated. For one of the acupoints, he was cultivating his sword intent, storing up a hidden trump card so he could unleash a blow that would exceed his own limits at critical moments. As always, Li Xuan used a bamboo stick to point out acupoints on Red Cat¡¯s body, repeating the methods of a high-grade magical beast. After Red Cat heard it, it would leave in a seemingly understanding manner, lying at the entrance of the estate, appearing deep in thought. The elixirs made from discarded Spiritual Medicine were surprisingly effective, causing Red Cat¡¯s body to become larger yet again, forcing Shi¡¯er to replace the gold chain once more. ¡± Your disciple Xu Yan has slashed down a Great Grandmaster. Your Sword Dao experience has increased, and your understanding of the Sword Intent of Obliteration has improved.¡± Suddenly, a golden light appeared. Li Xuan was taken aback. Xu Yan had killed another Great Grandmaster? ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has obliterated a Great Grandmaster with a single palm strike. Your experience in the Descending Dragon Palm has increased, and your understanding of the Intent of Dragon Power has improved.¡± The golden light appeared again. Li Xuan drew a sharp breath in. Was Xu Yan being ambushed? ¡°Could it be the force where the black-robed man belongs?¡± Presently, the only ones who would ambush Xu Yan were either from the black-robed man¡¯s faction or from the Demon Lord Huo Tu¡¯s faction. A considerable moment had passed with no feedback from the Golden Finger. ¡°So only two Great Grandmasters are ambushing him?¡± Li Xuan shook his head; the two Great Grandmasters dared to ambush Xu Yan. They must be tired of living. ¡°Xu Yan, it should be time for him to come back?¡± Meng Chong had been back for almost a month now. The next day, as Li Xuan was planning to go instruct Lingxiu on comprehending The Eight Diagrams. All of a sudden. Golden light appeared. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has realized the cultivation technique of Tongxuan Realm you created, and you break through to the Tongxuan Realm!¡± Xu Yan had truly understood the cultivation technique of the Tongxuan Realm! BOOM! Li Xuan could sense that his entire body was undergoing earth-shattering changes. His vast True Qi was gradually transforming into True Yuan. His strength was skyrocketing at this moment. Moreover, he felt that he could now merge his True Yuan with nature¡¯s spiritual energy at will, control nature¡¯s spiritual energy, and unleash the Great Power of Heaven and Earth! He had broken through to the Tongxuan Realm! The Qi Sea in his Dantian was now boundless, having been transformed into an ocean. The vast True Qi had become True Yuan, like surging waves rolling in his Dantian. Once circulated, it flowed like a river throughout his body. ¡°So, this is the Tongxuan Realm, truly formidable!¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. The martial arts that he had created were indeed powerful. Amidst the third stage of martial arts, he seemed to have begun controlling the Great Power of Heaven and Earth. In an instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth above the estate immediately converged into a sword, floating in mid-air, this sword containing a terrifying might. As if it held the power of Heaven and Earth. ¡°Comprehension of the mysteries of Heaven and Earth, and the initial touch of the Great Power of Heaven and Earth; this is the Tongxuan Realm!¡± Li Xuan revealed a contented smile. With a single thought, the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth he had been manipulating dissipated. The sky above the estate returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.. Chapter 260 Translator: 549690339 Having broken through to the Tongxuan Realm, Li Xuan was in high spirits, finding his elevated strength the real source of joy. Now that Xu Yan had comprehended the mystery of the Tongxuan Realm, it was time to find an opportunity to inform him about what lay beyond the¡¯ Tongxuan Realm. Sharing this understanding with him beforehand could possibly expedite his own epiphany, right? As for the training above the Tongxuan realm, the fourth martial arts realm, Li Xuan had almost finished creating it, and it dovetailed quite well with the Tongxuan realm. Given Xu Yan¡¯s phenomenal capabilities, he should be able to figure it out without much problem. Li Xuan squinted slightly, focusing his mind. He wanted to inspect the origins of the Golden Finger. Now that he was in the Tongxuan realm, his strength had increased again. It was time to once again attempt to uncover what his Golden Finger really looked like. As his consciousness sank inwards, the previously imperceptible Golden Finger from the Innate realm now revealed itself as a faint golden light. But that was all. Beyond this thin, faint golden light, there were no discernible contours. He was still unable to see what the Golden Finger looked like. Li Xuan let out a breath. This was a good sign. His current inability to see the Golden Finger and use it efficiently was due to his low-level power. As he ascended the realms, he was sure that soon enough he¡¯d be able to fully perceive the Golden Finger and how he could use it more effectively. In the Tongxuan realm, I can¡¯t fully perceive the Golden Finger, but I can at least sense it somewhat. I can even see a bit of golden light. It seems my speculation isn¡¯t wrong. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, won¡¯t I be able to properly view the Golden Finger from the fourth martial arts realm beyond the Tongxuan realm?¡± Li Xuan was getting excited at the prospect. However, he also felt amazing, the conditions to trigger the Golden Finger were indeed very demanding. And even after triggering it, he still couldn¡¯t fully see it, let alone make use of it. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Xu Yan coming to the small village, acknowledging me as his master, and cultivating my made-up martial arts, 1 might still be in the village living a mundane life.¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. This Golden Finger, more or less, was tricky. The conditions to trigger it were harsh, and the requirements for one¡¯s strength and realm to visualize it were quite high. Luckily, everything is proceeding smoothly! As long as he goes step-by-step, completes the fourth martial arts realm, and allows Xu Yan to comprehend it, once he steps into the fourth martial arts realm, he should be able to see the Golden Finger fully. What exactly are the uses of this Golden Finger, and how will it affect my continued creation of martial arts?¡± Li Xuan was pondering in secret. He could foresee that the Golden Finger was certainly related to the creation of new martial arts. As for whether it could enhance the efficiency of creating martial arts techniques, he was unsure. ¡°It¡¯s still the fourth realm of martial arts. It¡¯s going to take a while. Even if I pass on the techniques I¡¯ve created to Xu Yan, it will still take him some time to full comprehend them. ¡°It will probably have to wait until after Xu Yan has broken through the Tongxuan realm.¡± Li Xuan was musing in his mind. ¡°Xu Yan is already at the peak of the Innate realm, not far from perfection. With the aid of the Dan medicine, he should be able to break through the Innate realm quickly, but¡­¡± Li Xuan thought of Meng Chong. Although he had been taking the golden body pill, Meng Chong was only using it to nurture his golden body meridians, laying a solid foundation for his cultivation. He wasn¡¯t in a rush to enhance his Golden Body. Even so, his strength had improved significantly. Although Meng Chong was using the pill for cultivation, he wasn¡¯t dependent on it. Instead, he treated the pill as nourishment for his golden body¡¯s meridians, constantly solidifying his foundation. If Meng Chong was doing this, Xu Yan would probably do the same. Both men would prefer to use the pill to strengthen their foundations and naturally break through the realm at the right moment. This was suppressing their realm by accumulating their own foundation. Su Lingxiu was cultivating the Dan Medicine Martial Arts. Consuming Dan pills wouldn¡¯t weaken her foundation but would instead promote her advancement. The power of her Evergreen Bone was now evident. However, Dan Medicine Martial Arts wasn¡¯t renowned for its formidable power. Su Lingxiu¡¯s strength might not be on par with Xu Yan¡¯s or Meng Chong¡¯s, but it was far from weak. She could easily overpower those at the same level in the Inner Realm Martial Arts. Shi¡¯er had consumed quite a number of Dan pills, which made his strength a bit inflated. Recently, he had been busy honing his martial arts foundation. Contrarily, Zhou Ying knew how to use Dan pills correctly. Her cultivation base was solid and not inflated. Moreover, her strength was escalating quickly, and she had already caught up with Shi¡¯er. Even using the knife technique taught by Meng Chong, Shi¡¯er couldn¡¯t defeat Zhou Ying anymore. This made him feel quite helpless. He could only temporarily abstain from the Dan pills and work hard on his martial arts instead. The size of Red Cat was visibly growing. Despite consuming so many discarded pills, he didn¡¯t show any adverse effects, instead, he was becoming more and more fierce, showing signs of becoming a ¡¯ great demon. His enormous size concealed immense vitality, and his physical strength was becoming stronger. His strength was nearly comparable to the Innate Realm. A regular Grandmaster from the Inner Domain would probably not be able to beat him. Would this big cat really transform into a great demon?¡± Li Xuan wondered to himself. Red Cat, despite his size, had learned to act cute, often wandering up to Su Lingxiu, acting adorable to please her. He had essentially turned into a real-life large cat. Whenever Su Lingxiu was delighted, she would reward him with a complete Dan pill. Watching as Red Cat grew larger day by day, to the point where he could no longer fit through the doors of the manor, he could only lay outside. Master, do you think Red Cat might really cultivate into a Great Demon?¡± After feeding Red Cat a Dan pill, Su Lingxiu came running over, tugging at Li Xuan¡¯s shoulder as she asked.. Chapter 261 Translator: 549690339 ¡°It¡¯s still early!¡± Li Xuan shook his head. If Red Cat really succeeded in cultivating the Great Demon Technique, Golden Finger should have given some feedback. Although Red Cat¡¯s size is getting bigger, it is still far from cultivating the Great Demon Technique. ¡°When the size of Red Cat can be freely reduced, that¡¯s roughly when it enters the Great Demon realm,¡± Li Xuan said with a laugh. ¡°Master, you mean, whenever Red Cat can reduce its size, that¡¯s roughly when it enters the Great Demon realm?¡± Su Lingxiu found this somewhat unbelievable. Red Cat¡¯s size has already become very large. Normally speaking, an eruption of power could make its size grow, but how could it also shrink? Li Xuan nodded. ¡°So, can Red Cat become the size of a small cat?¡± Su Lingxiu asked with a face full of anticipation. ¡°If it successfully cultivates into a Great Demon, that naturally won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Li Xuan said with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s great. Red Cat will surely be very cute if it becomes small!¡± Su Lingxiu said excitedly. Li Xuan looked at Red Cat outside the mansion, which almost resembled a fat tiger. If it could reduce its size and turn into a cat-sized creature, it would also be a fat cat, right? Xu Yan came back. Along with Xu Yan was Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan. Two large packages and a big box showed that they had brought back quite a lot of things. Upon seeing this, Li Xuan could not help but sigh, a storage bag was truly precious. Even Xie Lingfeng, the proud prodigy of Sword Cliffs, did not have one. Xu Yan should have done quite well in the Inner Domain, but he still did not manage to purchase a storage bag. The idea of the fourth Martial Arts system surfaced once again. ¡°Master, I¡¯m back!¡± Xu Yan put down the packages and saluted respectfully. ¡°Good, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re back!¡± Li Xuan was very happy. The oldest disciple was the core of his Martial Arts legacy after all. ¡°Greetings to the senior!¡± Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan both saluted respectfully. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s little Xie and little Hu!¡± Li Xuan nodded with a smile. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Su Lingxiu ran over excitedly. The eldest brother was back, and he had brought large packages, which must contain Spiritual Medicine. With so many Spiritual Medicines, she no longer lacked pills or Spiritual Medicines for Alchemy practice. ¡°Little Sister!¡± Xu Yan showed a smile. Looking at Su Lingxiu, a pure and aloof girl with a clear and smart aura, Xie Lingfeng could not help but sigh: she must be another genius. Otherwise, how could she have caught the eye of their senior? ¡°Little Sister, these are all Spiritual Medicines. I¡¯ve brought back all the Spiritual Medicines on your list.¡± Xu Yan gently patted two large bags of Spiritual Medicine and said with a smile. When he initially went to the Inner Domain, he said he would bring back a large bag of Spiritual Medicine. Now, he finally made it happen. ¡°Thank you, Big Brother!¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s face turned red with excitement, her eyes shining like stars. Meng Chong also came back. ¡°Brother Xie and Hu Shan are here too!¡± He greeted Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan cheerfully. When Xie Lingfeng saw him, he couldn¡¯t help but recall the rumor in the Inner Domain that Meng Chong was bald¡­ ¡°Big Brother, who are they?¡± Su Lingxiu looked at Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan. ¡°Little Sister, let me introduce you, this is Xie Lingfeng, and he is Hu Shan, from Sword Cliffs!¡± Xu Yan introduced them to Su Lingxiu. ¡°You¡¯re Xie Lingfeng?¡± Su Lingxiu was surprised. ¡°This is my little sister, Su Lingxiu!¡± Xu Yan introduced her to Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan. ¡°Miss Su Lingxiu, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Xie Lingfeng!¡± Xie Lingfeng was slightly baffled. Could Su Lingxiu possibly know him? His reputation surely couldn¡¯t have reached these remote areas. ¡°The one known as the number one sword prodigy of Sword Cliffs in a thousand years, one of the three youngest Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, Xie Lingfeng. I didn¡¯t expect you to know my brother.¡± Su Lingxiu sighed. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s prodigy status was as renowned as thunder in the Inner Domain. Upon meeting him today, he indeed lived up to his reputation. However, compared to her own brother, he was far behind. ¡°You know me?¡± Xie Lingfeng was even more astonished. ¡°Of course!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. Xie Lingfeng suddenly realized, wasn¡¯t the person the man in the black robe was looking for Su Lingxiu? ¡°Are you from the Inner Domain?¡± ¡°Yes, I fled to the borderlands. I was lucky to meet my master. Hee hee, I¡¯m so strong now that you won¡¯t be my match soon!¡± Su Lingxiu lifted her small head and said. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face was full of envy. Being able to be taken as a disciple by a master like this, what a tremendous fortune, this was indeed a grand opportunity! ¡°Master, this is Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea.¡± Xu Yan opened the box, took out a jar of Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea, and placed it on the table. ¡°Hmm, not bad!¡± Li Xuan nodded. But he was extremely excited internally. Spiritual Tea, he¡¯d never had it before. Thanks to his good fortune of having disciples, he could finally taste the Spiritual Tea. ¡°Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea, isn¡¯t this a specialty of Prince Du¡¯s mansion?¡± Su Lingxiu was astonished. ¡°Master, let me make tea for you!¡± At Li Xuan¡¯s side, Zhou Ying had already prepared a teapot, teacups and water. Su Lingxiu opened the jade jar, took out the Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea, put it in the teapot, her palm¡¯s energy transformed into Dan fire, heated the water, and poured it into the teapot. immediately a fragrant aroma filled the air, permeating their hearts and spleens. ¡°Master, please have tea!¡± Su Lingxiu poured a cup of tea for Li Xuan. After Li Xuan took a sip, he fell in love with this Spiritual Tea, and sighed with admiration internally. It was definitely a worthy Spiritual Tea. After drinking this tea, ordinary tea would be unbearable for his palate in the future. ¡°Not bad at all!¡± Li Xuan was ecstatic internally, but he always kept a calm demeanor on his face, as if the Spiritual Tea was just ordinary. Xu Yan was delighted to see this. As long as the Master was happy, it was enough. ¡°The production volume of Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea is quite good, we should buy more from Miss Du in the future to present to Master!¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. Xie Lingfeng was a little embarrassed, he had forgotten to bring some of the local specialties from Sword Zun Cliff to offer to the Master, it was really remiss of him! Glancing at the box, Li Xuan noticed it contained more than one jar of Spiritual Tea, enough for a while. ¡°You just got back from the Inner Domain, you should relax a bit, spend time with your family, and bring some specialties from the Inner Domain back to your parents.¡± Li Xuan pointed to the Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea and said. ¡°Master, I understand.¡± Xu Yan nodded. Although he was eager to go home and see his parents, he didn¡¯t set off immediately on this return journey. In the estate, it was full of joy, and the three of them talked about old times after Xu Yan¡¯s return, and Su Lingxiu also became more familiar with Xie Lingfeng. Hu Shan was not a young man after all, so he hung out with Zhou Ying and Shi¡¯er. After a day. Su Lingxiu started the Pill Furnace to make some pills, preparing for Xu Yan to take home. ¡°Big Brother, you brought back six and seven rank spiritual medicines. 1 have revised the recipe for the Beauty Pill. After eating this pill, one¡¯s appearance will never age again.¡± While she started the alchemy process, Su Lingxiu spoke. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed. His mother would certainly love it. ¡°Besides maintaining youthfulness, it can also improve one¡¯s physique.¡± She carefully halved a rank six spiritual medicine, and sealed the unused half again carefully. The Beauty Pill she was making this time was of a higher rank than before, so its effects were naturally stronger and had other functions besides maintaining youthfulness. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, were watching with their eyes wide open from the side. Is this alchemy? The pills were indeed miraculous and wonderful, they possessed the mysterious power of creation! After consuming one pill yesterday, both of them immediately realized the wonder of the pills. Especially Hu Shan, his Martial Arts Inner Qi, which had not yet fully condensed into True Qi, quickly condensed into True Qi after consuming only one Qi Condensing Pill. In the entire Inner Domain, no such amazing medicine could be found. The medicine made by the Inner Domain¡¯s methods, compared to these Pills, is just garbage! They¡¯re completely wasting spiritual medicine! Both of them had their horizons broadened all of a sudden, they looked down on those pills of the Inner Domain, even if they were made with rank six spiritual medicine. They regarded them all as garbage! Su Lingxiu had a serious expression, not daring to be distracted. This was the first time she had made a Beauty Pill, and the ranks of the spiritual medicines she used were not low. If she failed, the loss would be significant. Even if they had a lot of spiritual medicine, they couldn¡¯t waste it like this. Even though, the failed refinement was given to Red Cat to eat, it was not too wasteful, but it still hurt her heart. The pill furnace rotated in Su Lingxiu¡¯s hand, and the Dan fire made from her Qi and blood was burning. As the refinement progressed, her vitality and spirit were consumed, and sweat emerged on Su Lingxiu¡¯s fair forehead. Xu Yan and the others didn¡¯t dare to breathe too loudly, fearing they would disturb her. Pop! Finally, the Dan fire became smaller and smaller, Su Lingxiu slapped the lid of the pill furnace, the lid opened, and twelve pills flew out. They were as pure and white as jade, emitting a faint glow, and the scent of medicine lingered in the air.. Chapter 262 Translator: 549690339 Su Lingxiu looked at the Beautifying Pill in her palm and breathed a sigh of relief. The first furnace was successfully refined, and it was of high quality. As her understanding of Alchemy Martial Arts became deeper, her ability to make pills barehanded became more refined. With the assistance of the alchemy furnace, her pill making process was even more effortless. Her alchemy skills had greatly improved. ¡°Senior Brother, this is the Beautifying Pill!¡± Su Lingxiu put the pill into a small jade bottle and handed it to Xu Yan. ¡°Thankyou, junior sister!¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed. ¡°Making pills is not hard work.¡± Su Lingxiu laughs happily. Then, she continued refining pills, all of which were needed by Xu Yan. Xu Yan took out a Beautifying Pill. It was as lustrous as jade, enticing to the eye. One could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary pill. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan came over and marveled at the magic of the pill the longer they looked at it. ¡°This one Beautifying Pill, if brought to the Inner Domain, would probably attract countless martial artists to fight over it!¡± Hu Shan exclaimed. ¡°Miss Lingxiu, what conditions would I need to meet if I want you to refine pills for me?¡± Hu Shan rubbed his hands and asked expectantly. ¡°Just provide the spiritual medicines.¡± Su Lingxiu replied. ¡°Then let me provide double the amount of spiritual medicines. I can¡¯t let you refine pills for free. Even though we all get along well, I don¡¯t know much about pills, so I¡¯ll have to bother Miss Lingxiu to introduce them to me.¡± Hu Shan said excitedly. ¡°No problem, I have all kinds of pills.¡± Su Lingxiu readily agreed. ¡°Junior sister, won¡¯t it be too tiring for you to refine pills alone? If we plan to expand to the Inner Domain and supply pills, you won¡¯t be able to refine so many by yourself.¡± Xu Yan raised this issue. Expanding to the Inner Domain was inevitable since Su Lingxiu¡¯s enemies were all in the Inner Domain. ¡°Senior Brother, the Master has already given me pointers. I have also found a solution. I just need to get hold of some alchemy furnace, find someone to learn the steps of alchemy¡­ The most important thing is, I have not yet prepared the equipment for the assembly line.¡± Su Lingxiu, who had finished refining a furnace of pills and was about to start refining the next one, said-so. ¡°Sister Lingxiu, if you don¡¯t mind, I can handle it. I can forge any kind of pill furnace, and the materials for the treasure will definitely be top-notch.¡± Xie Lingfeng offered. Pills will inevitably take the Inner Domain by storm. He also wanted to lend a hand to get more acquainted with Su Lingxiu. So they could get some benefits when Sword Master Cliff needed pills in the future. ¡°That would be great! I¡¯ll give you the designs later. We don¡¯t need that much good materials. The quality of this pill furnace is enough. We shouldn¡¯t spend too much.¡± Su Lingxiu was ecstatic. ¡°This furnace is just made of ordinary treasure materials. I will have someone use top-grade materials to forge a furnace for you as a gift.¡± Xie Lingfeng looked at the alchemy furnace Su Lingxiu was using, which was just an ordinary treasure. If a furnace made of higher-grade materials was used to refine pills, wouldn¡¯t it be faster, easier, and of higher quality? ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Su Lingxiu did not refuse. ¡°Is there anything special about the pill furnace that needs to be kept confidential? I can tell them to keep it a secret.¡± Xie Lingfeng said solemnly. Sword Master Cliff had their forging masters who could certainly keep a secret. ¡°No need. The pill furnace is not the key. Without the knowledge of alchemy, one cannot refine pills even when given a pill furnace.¡± Su Lingxiu shook her head. After refining the pills, Xu Yan was ready to go home. He took a canister of Spiritual Tea with him. Su Lingxiu gave the designs of the assembly line and the alchemy furnace to Hu Shan. She had made some improvements to the new furnace. The original furnace was merely a product of her beginner stage, created according to her needs. Now, with her mastery over alchemy, she had a clear idea of what kind of furnace would better suit pill-making. If she was to change her pill furnace, it was only natural to forge one that would better accommodate alchemy. ¡°Miss Su, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got it all under control.¡± Hu Shan pounded his chest. He tucked the designs into his bosom, ready to go to the Inner Domain. Xie Lingfeng saw him off, ¡°Hu Shan, remember to visit Tianbao Pavilion when you are there. Get ahold of some of my Sword Honor Cliff¡¯s collection.¡± ¡°Young Master, understood!¡± Hu Shan nodded. With Hu Shan gone, Su Lingxiu continued with her alchemy, Meng Chong continued cultivating his golden body acupoints. Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying, continued practicing their martial arts. The Red Cat lay outside the manor, its eyes sometimes seemingly understanding, sometimes confused. Xu Yan had already gone home. It seemed like only Xie Lingfeng was left with nothing to do. ¡°Senior, I am confused and don¡¯t know how to continue practicing. I need your advice!¡± Xie Lingfeng said respectfully. Li Xuan sat in his chair, savoring his Spiritual Tea, pouring his own drink, looking quite leisurely and contented. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s confusion was nothing more than the dilemma between True Martial Arts and Pseudo Martial Arts. After condensing his True Qi, his strength had indeed improved. The next step in his training was simply to continue training according to the Inner Realm Martial Arts. The method of condensing True Qi should be combined with his existing training. He was already a Grandmaster Martial Artist, and his martial arts foundation was largely established. Switching to martial arts would not allow him to fully transition, and, even now, he was on the cusp of reaching the Innate Realm. Without bridging the Heaven-Earth Bridge, Xie Lingfeng would not be able to fully practice the martial arts he created. His training after reaching the Innate Realm would naturally be a journey towards understanding the mystery of the universe. Condensing True Qi into True Yuan, but his martial arts framework is still the Inner Realm Martial Arts framework, and the core is gradually converging towards the martial arts he created. If he can break free from the framework of Inner Realm Martial Arts after understanding the mysteries of the universe, even if he has not bridged the Heaven-Earth Bridge, he can be said to have practiced the ¡°True Martial Arts¡±.. Chapter 263 Translator: 549690339 Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but think about another issue. If he were to take a fourth, or even fifth disciple, and if they already had martial arts strength in them, how would they switch to practicing the martial art that he¡¯d created? Would they abandon their own martial arts and start from scratch? In which case, they would need to start from lower realms, gradually elevate to higher realms. What kind of feedback could this process provide to him? ¡°As such, the fourth martial art I create should be adapted somewhat, so that even those who have already cultivated martial arts can switch to practicing the martial art I¡¯ve created based on their existing achievements. ¡°Only in this way, the new disciple¡¯s realm will not be very low. However, how can they easily switch to the new martial arts?¡± Li Xuan doesn¡¯t have a good solution to this question for now. ¡°Right now, it¡¯s not time to take on new disciples. Neither is the fourth martial art completed. So it isn¡¯t urgent. Once I break through the fourth realm of martial arts, if I can see the Golden Finger, I might be able to use the Golden Finger to create a suitable cultivation technique.¡± For the new martial art, he plans to utilize the Golden Finger before creating another set. If all goes well, once he stands above the pinnacle, he should be able to understand what the Golden Finger is and how to use it. After sipping a cup of tea, he looks at Xie Lingfeng and says, ¡°You are being too stubborn. Why bother with the genuineness of martial arts? Since you¡¯ve condensed True Qi, just continue practicing according to your original method. What you¡¯re doing is just condensing the Inner Qi into True Qi through martial arts. ¡°As for the realms beyond Innate, it¡¯s still long way off for you. Why think too much about it? Just practice step by step. The more you think, the more confused and unconfident you become. You, too, are a genius. You should believe in yourself. The martial path is endless. There¡¯s no need to be obsessed over whether something is true or not. Be faithful in your beliefs, and always strive to move forward.¡± Xie Lingfeng was startled. ¡°The elder said, 1 am a genius too, which means he recognizes my talents. Have I been too stubborn all along? ¡°The strength of Brother Xu is breathtaking, making me feel weak. But actually, I¡¯m not weak at all. Some people are just stronger than me. ¡°How many people can be stronger than me?¡± At this moment, Xie Lingfeng had a feeling of sudden enlightenment. His spirits lifted and it was as if the path to his cultivation had been made clear. Follow step by step, break through the pinnacle of the Grandmaster, and then break through the Great Grandmaster. Once he becomes a Great Grandmaster, he will continue down the path of True Martial Way. And beyond being a Great Grandmaster, perhaps that will be his chance to switch to another martial art. ¡°Thank you, Elder, for pointing out the way. I¡¯ve understood!¡± Xie Lingfeng said respectfully. Li Xuan nodded. After all, Xie Lingfeng is considered a genius. He may not be as good as Xu Yan, but being touted as the first genius in a thousand years in Sword Supremacy Cliff is not an empty praise. His issue was just that his confidence was somewhat shattered, making him feel lost. All he did was to acknowledge Xie Lingfeng¡¯s talents and restore his confidence. ¡°Martial paths may differ, but there will always be intersections. Don¡¯t be too rigid about it. Explore and understand more. True Martial Artists must eventually find their own path.¡± Li Xuan took this opportunity to offer some more guidance. He didn¡¯t mention that all martial paths lead to the same end. Instead, he talked about intersections, which could potentially exist. After all, when he creates martial arts techniques, he would sometimes refer to the martial arts of the Inner Domain. Since there are references, there might be intersecting points. ¡°Thank you, Elder!¡± Xie Lingfeng was taken aback. So, to be a real martial artist, one has to find his own path? 1 he elder was truly unfathomable. According to his point of view, martial artists who haven¡¯t found their own paths yet can¡¯t be regarded as real martial artists! With his confusion cleared, Xie Lingfeng started to practice hard, in hopes to break through the stage of the middle-tier Grandmaster earlier. He couldn¡¯t afford to lag too much behind. When Xu Yan returned home, he naturally spent several days with his parents, then went to Qi Country¡¯s Capital to visit his grandfather and to present him with some spiritual medicine. After being busy for almost half a month, Xu Yan finally returned. On that day, Su Lingxiu broke through the perfection of Qi-blood realm. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has reached the perfection of Qi-blood Realm. Your Pill-Doctor Martial Path has achieved perfection (Innate Realm).¡± Li Xuan was not surprised by this. However, after reaching the perfection of Qi-blood Realm, Su Lingxiu did not continue to break through the Innate Realm, even though the cultivation of the Pill-Doctor Martial Path was quite similar to the orthodox martial path. The cultivation and breakthrough of Innate Realm were quite similar. She had long understood the method to break through the Innate Realm. However, her foundation was still lacking and needed some time to accumulate. For example, she hadn¡¯t yet come to understand the movement technique of the Eight Diagrams. Moreover, the subtlety of the Innate Realm needs to be explained by Xu Yan. 1 he responsibility of a senior brother is to instruct his junior brothers and sisters¡­¡± Li Xuan showed a smile. Once he starts taking disciples again, despite the differences in martial arts systems, Xu Yan could still help them to comprehend, as his understanding of martial arts is exceptionally profound due to his pure martial path. Li Xuan was also hoping that Xu Yan would absorb all martial arts systems and finally integrate them into one, thus creating a truly unique and pure martial path of his own. This was his high expectations for his main disciple Xu Yan, who alone had the potential for such a journey in martial arts. After Xu Yan returned, he began to help Su Lingxiu comprehend the Eight Diagrams. As a smart and agile young girl, the movement technique she wanted to cultivate did not suit the Heavenly Lightning Flash or Rage Lightning technique. Moreover, her combined practice of alchemy and martial arts was particularly unique. With Xu Yan¡¯s help in comprehension, Su Lingxiu had already gained some insights, and she was not far from understanding her own movement technique or even a complete set of cultivation techniques. It was at this time that Hu Shan came back. To his back was a bundle that resembled a small mountain, visibly heavy. But for him, a Grandmaster, such weight was nothing. ¡°Miss Su, this is an alchemy furnace!¡± Hu Shan took out an alchemy furnace and handed it to Su Lingxiu. The alchemy furnace was made of top-quality materials, classified as a top-grade treasure, and was quite valuable. ¡°Thank you so much. For the first pill from this furnace, I will help you refine a batch of Qi-promoting pills,¡± Su Lingxiu excitedly took the alchemy furnace and vowed. ¡°I must thank you, Miss Su then!¡± Hu Shan was filled with joy. Opening the large bundle, he took out item after item. All were alchemy tools for Su Lingxiu¡¯s assembly-line production, including the alchemy furnace inside it. However, as part of the assembly-line alchemy, each person was in charge of one step, so the alchemy furnace was slightly different and facilitated easier control in refining medicines. Overwhelmed with excitement, Su Lingxiu began assembling the line-production alchemy tools one by one. Curious, Li Xuan looked over and couldn¡¯t help but admire the creativity of Su Lingxiu who had assembled all these from a single inspiration. Once the line-production alchemy tools were assembled, they occupied more than half of the yard. Each step could be performed by multiple people simultaneously to craft spiritual medicines. If the next step couldn¡¯t keep up, semi-finished products would accumulate and slowly deplete over time. Moreover, she had made it airtight so that the semi-finished medicines would not lose their potency. ¡°Junior sister, this assembly-line alchemy looks pretty impressive. I just don¡¯t know how much it increases efficiency!¡± Xu Yan walked around the assembly-line alchemy furnace, exclaiming in wonder. ¡°Training people in alchemy might not be so easy!¡± Meng Chong pondered, stroking his head. ¡°No big problem, learning one step will be much easier. Practice makes perfect; the most difficult will be the final step.¡± Su Lingxiu was brimming with excitement. Chang Qing Pavilion could be put to good use. ¡°Shi¡¯er, inform Kou Ruozhi to bring some people over. We are going to build an assembly-line alchemy room outside the mansion. Furthermore, I plan to select a group of people and train them in the art of alchemy. Ask him to prepare more medicinal materials and Spirit Flame stones.¡± Su Lingxiu turned and ordered Shi¡¯er. ¡°No problem!¡± Shi¡¯er immediately set off to execute the task. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were both interested in this assembly-line alchemy, intrigued by its magical novelty. ¡°1 want to try this new furnace!¡± Holding the new furnace, Su Lingxiu couldn¡¯t contain her excitement and prepared to start refining Qi-promoting pills. ¡°Miss Su, these are my spiritual medicines!¡± Hu Shan pulled out a bag of spiritual medicines. ¡°For this alchemy service, I won¡¯t charge you. You can tell me directly what kind of pill you want to refine.¡± Su Lingxiu took the spiritual medicine and asked. Hu Shan thought for a moment, then looked at Xie Lingfeng and asked, ¡°Young Master, which kind of medicinal pill would be best to refine?¡± Xie Lingfeng hesitated briefly and then said, ¡°Something that can speed up cultivation, heal injuries and recover, and strengthen the physical body. Let¡¯s go with these three types.¡± These were his current cultivation needs and directions. He greatly admired Meng Chong¡¯s powerful physique. No! Xu Yan¡¯s physique was also incredibly strong, so he decided to enhance his body as well.. Chapter 264 Mystery of The Eight Diagrams_i Translator: 549690339 After Xie Lingfeng finished speaking, he looked at Su Lingxiu expectantly and asked, ¡°Sister Lingxiu, do you have pills that can strengthen our bodies?¡± Su Lingxiu nodded, ¡°For physical training, of course, the Gold Body Pill is the most powerful. However, it¡¯s something only the second senior brother can use. You guys are not practicing physical martial arts, so the Gold Body Pill isn¡¯t suitable for you. ¡°Perhaps the Body-Strengthening Pill would be better. Its effects are not bad, it can at least double one¡¯s physical strength without any significant issues.¡± Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were overjoyed. Doubling their physical strength would surely lead to a significant increase in their abilities. ¡°Miss Su, do we have all the required spiritual medicines?¡± Hu Shan asked. Almost all. The little that¡¯s lacking, I can supplement. You all have forged so many things for me, I naturally will refine the pills for you for free,¡± Su Lingxiu replied indifferently. The value of this assembly line pill furnace and the new pill furnace is not low. Extracting the spiritual medicine, Su Lingxiu excitedly started her alchemy The new alchemy furnace has higher quality and she has redesigned it to better suit alchemy. Unsurprisingly, the speed of alchemy has almost doubled, and the quality of the pills is even better. A furnace full of Qi Condensing Pills, directly yielding thirty-six pills. After that, she started making healing pills. Finally, when refining the Body-Strengthening Pill, Su Lingxiu was extremely excited. She seemed to be addicted to alchemy and couldn¡¯t stop. The more she refined, the more excited she became. It was as if she had only truly experienced the joy of alchemy at this moment. ¡°This pill furnace is not bad!¡± Su Lingxiu exclaimed excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s great!¡± Hu Shan grinned, unable to stop his laughter. With each bottle of pills they received, he was filled with joy. After aU the spiritual medicine Hn Shan brought was refined, Su Lingxiu finally ended her alchemy process. Having acquired the pills, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were thrilled They wholeheartedly plunged into cultivation, aiming to increase their strength as soon as possible. Meanwhile, with Xu Yan¡¯s help, Su Lingxiu continued to comprehend The Eight Diagrams. Outside the manor, Kou Ruozhi was leading others in constructing the assembly line alchemy room. The personnel required for alchemy had also been selected. They were all teenagers from poor backgrounds whose lives had improved because of the charity of the Tianmu religion. They were firm in their belief in 1 ianmu and maintained unwavering loyalty. To them, Su Lingxiu was their deity, and they would never betray her. Kou Ruozhi was reliable and diligent in his work. Ever since he had stopped obsessively thinking about rebellion, dissolved the religion, and restructured it into the Chang Qing Pavilion, he became more active and diligent, having found new life beliefs. On the Eight Diagrams map, Su Lingxiu felt she was on the brink of comprehension, with Xu Yan¡¯s guidance. She was just a step away from understanding the secrets of the universe and seeing the world in a new light. She stood at the center of the map, with her realizations from the Eight Diagrams emerging in her mind. Xu Yan stood watching. He knew that for Su Lingxiu to truly understand and cultivate her own technique, the last spark of understanding had to come from within. Su Lingxiu furrowed her brows slightly, feeling that she was just a small step away from understanding a strong movement technique. However, it always seemed that she was missing just this small step, getting stuck at a certain point. Suddenly, a butterfly fluttered by, seemingly attracted by her fragrance, and began dancing around her. In that instant, a bright idea flashed in her mind, and she finally understood! Her face was flushed with excitement, and she took a step forward. Her body floated in the air, and it seemed as though she was dancing like a butterfly making no noise at all, but with numerous shadows emerging around her. ¡¯ It was as if illusions covered her true figure, making it impossible for others to tell where her real body was. Or which among the numerous figures was her true body. On the map of the Eight Diagrams, the numerous figures of Su Lingxiu flitted about, like a vivid and ethereal butterfly, with her true form hidden somewhere among them. Xu Yan had a smile on his face. His junior sister disciple had finally gained enlightenment. He also felt a moment of enlightenment. The mysteries of The Eight Diagrams indeed had a connection with the rhythms of the universe. He felt he was on the threshold of understanding a new Sword Dao technique. Besides the Life and Death Sword, there should exist new Sword Dao techniques. Meng Chong was also observing from a distance. He looked thoughtful After some enlightenment himself, he walked over to Xu Yan to have a discussion and confirm his understanding. Su Lingxiu finally stopped. Her face was flushed with excitement ¨C she had finally understood a movement technique! ¡°Senior Brother, I¡¯ve understood a movement technique. Let¡¯s call it Thousand Butterflies Illusion.¡± The dancing butterfly had given her the final inspiration, it had broken through the final barrier, and had led her to see a new world. ¡°Good!¡± Xu Yan nodded and laughed. Outside the manor, Li Xuan was instructing the Red Cat. He lightly pointed out the pressure points on its body with a bamboo stick, intending to help it remember. He used a bit of force to make it remember the pain. The Red Cat lay on the ground, not daring to move, its eyes looking at him pitifully. ¡°This is your chance. If you can understand this, you might become the number one monster in this world,¡± Li Xuan said with a smile. Whether there existed monsters in this world was not of essence to Li Xuan. Either way, if the Red Cat understood, it would definitely become the top monster of the world. The martial arts techniques they had created were different from the inner realm martial arts, and they were stronger. The path of monsters he was teaching should also be stronger, right? Even if it wasn¡¯t stronger, that didn¡¯t matter. At least it wouldn¡¯t be weak. It was unique and self-contained.. Chapter 265 Translator: 549690339 1 ¡°Your disciple, Su Lingxiu, has comprehended the Thousand Butterfly Illusion Movement Technique from your teachings of The Eight Diagrams. As a result, you have gained the Thunder Illusion for your Thundercrossing Divine Technique.¡± A golden light emerged. Su Lingxiu had comprehended a movement technique. Li Xuan was not surprised. With Xu Yan¡¯s help, Su Lingxiu herself was extremely talented. It was only natural that she could comprehend her movement technique. Even without Xu Yan¡¯s assistance, she could have done it, it would have just taken more time. This time, the feedback from the Golden Finger added a subsidiary movement technique to the Thundercrossing Divine Technique- the Thunder Illusion! While displaying the Thundercrossing Divine Technique, one could manifest thunder illusions that conceal the true body, making it impossible for others to detect its location. ¡°Not bad, the movement technique has become stronger!¡± Li Xuan was in a great mood. The Thundercrossing Divine Technique was extremely powerful. With an increased power level, one could move as fast as thunder traversing the void in just a split second. In the following time, Xu Yan and Meng Chong were contemplating The Eight Diagrams, with Su Lingxiu also participating. Even the time spent on alchemy had been reduced. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were training hard as well. With the aid of elixirs, the speed of their training increased dramatically. Xie Lingfeng has already broken through to the level of an intermediate Grandmaster. Hu Shan, being on the verge of reaching the level of an intermediate Grandmaster, also made a breakthrough this time. After Kou Ruozhi had built the alchemy room, Su Lingxiu went to guide his training, as well as instructing a group of young men and women in their practice of alchemy, providing them with elixirs. However, alchemy itself would have to wait a little longer. At least until the apprentices of alchemy reach the Bone Tempering stage, they would be eligible to learn about Alchemy. Only after reaching the Bone Tempering stage can one have greater stamina to complete Alchemy. Supplies for practicing Alchemy and deity fire crystals were being sent over continuously. As the martial arts training in the borderland kept expanding, the number of martial artists kept increasing. However, the number of genuine beginners in martial arts was still too few. Most of the beginners in martial arts were concentrating on Xu¡¯s family and Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°Kou Ruozhi, you are close to making a breakthrough in Martial Arts. Temporarily hand over the tasks at hand to others and focus on your training to make a breakthrough as soon as possible,¡± said Su Lingxiu to Kou Ruozhi. ¡°Yes, Pavilion Master, I will make a breakthrough in Martial Arts as soon as possible,¡± Kou Ruozhi responded excitedly. ¡°Once you have made a breakthrough in Martial Arts, there will be some tasks for you to handle. Given your abilities, I¡¯m confident you will handle them without fault,¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. ¡°You can rest assured, Pavilion Master. I will complete the tasks perfectly without any errors,¡± Kou Ruozhi assured, patting his chest. With his intelligence, it naturally occurred to him that he might be needed to go to the Inner Domain. Having finished her instructions, Su Lingxiu went back to join her two senior brothers in their contemplation of The Eight Diagrams. She had already reached completion with her qi and blood cultivation and was accumulating strength. When her foundation was strong enough, she would break through to the Innate Realm. The divinity of the Innate Realm had already been explained to her by Xu Yan. Even though time flew by and neither Xu Yan nor Meng Chong had made any breakthroughs, their strength continued to grow steadily. Li Xuan was very satisfied with this. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has made small achievements in the realm of Knife Spirit. As a result, your knife spirit has reached completion.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s Knife Spirit had made minor advancements. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has made small achievements in the realm of Knife Intent. As a result, your Knife Intent has reached completion.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s Knife Intent had also improved. ¡°When will Xu Yan comprehend the second realm of Sword Dao?¡± Li Xuan wondered to himself. Xu Yan had already reached the great achievement of Clear Sword Heart and comprehended the second realm of Sword Intent. However, due to the limitations of his realm, he was temporarily unable to display the second realm of Sword Intent. ¡°If Xu Yan comprehends the Heart Sword Realm, even if he can¡¯t break through due to a lack of strength, I should be able to break through to the Heart Sword Realm first.¡± Li Xuan murmured to himself. The Heart Sword Realm, this stage of Sword Dao is too advanced. Though Xu Yan had already reached Clear Sword Heart¡¯s great accomplishment, to comprehend how to break through and step into the Heart Sword Realm was not an easy feat. ¡°The Heart Sword Realm, probably requires one to be above the Tongxuan Realm to touch upon it, right?¡± Li Xuan seemed lost in thought. The Heart Sword Realm was too mysterious. Conceiving all things under heaven as a sword, how powerful would that be? Would it be too difficult for the Tongxuan Realm to achieve? But it might not necessarily be the case. Given Xu Yan¡¯s exceptional talent, even at the Tongxuan Realm he could initially conceive all things under heaven as a sword ¨C it was not impossible. ¡°As for Meng Chong¡¯s second stage of Knife Dao, the distance is still far. However, the mysteries of the acupoints of the Great Sun Golden Body have been decoded by him to a large extent. His strength has increased.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s gaze was concentrated, and inside his Great Sun Golden Body¡¯s acupoints, he had already cultivated some profound mysteries. ¡°The number of borderland martial artists is still too small, but breaking through a hundred martial artists should not be too far away. Will there be feedback upon breaking a hundred?¡± Li Xuan was looking forward to it. He was already a martial arts saint master that the borderland martial artists believed in, and was also respectfully referred to as the Ancestor of Borderland Martial Arts! If that¡¯s the case, as the number of beginners in martial arts cultivation increases, there must be feedback. Outside the manor, on the hillside. Xu Yan slashed out with his sword, displaying the Life Sword of Rivers and Mountains. Suddenly in the rivers and mountains, thunder rolled and boomed. A sword of thunder, raging and unmatched, seemed to destroy the heavens and earth. lhe rivers, mountains, and the whole world seemed to tremble at this. ¡°Zhen represents thunder, so this sword should be called the Zhen Thunder Sword.¡± Xu Yan muttered to himself. This was a sword technique he had enlightened from The Eight Diagrams, the second sword technique in his Rivers and Mountains Sword Dao! Zhen Thunder Sword! On the other side, Meng Chong contemplated for a while, then blasted out a fist. The wind roared and thunder boomed, golden light emerged, and the raging fist force poured towards the sky. ¡°Zhen is Thunder, Xun is Wind. My Wind Thunder Vajra Fist can also be enlightened and improved through The Eight Diagrams.¡± Meng Chong soared into the air and began to perform it. Thunder was fierce, and a storm was sweeping. In the sky, a storm carried along with thunder, running wild all around. A figure of golden light, like a Vajra Arhat, was so fierce that all evils retreated! Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan looked up, their hearts were shocked. Meng Chong¡¯s strength has become stronger again, what is this fist technique? It is truly incomparably powerful. Li Xuan looked up thoughtfully, Meng Chong had gained some insights from The Eight Diagrams, and his Wind Thunder Vajra Fist had made a breakthrough. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has comprehended the true meaning of Wind and Thunder, and your true understanding of Wind and Thunder is complete.¡± Golden light emerged, with the Golden Finger¡¯s feedback coming. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has comprehended the second sword of the Rivers and Mountains, the Zhen Thunder Sword, and you have fully comprehended the Zhen Thunder Sword.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s feedback also came. Li Xuan was delighted in his heart. It was indeed a wise decision to bring out The Eight Diagrams back then. Now, it has started to bear fruit. Xu Yan and Meng Chong have both gained something from The Eight Diagrams, and they understand the profoundness of The Eight Diagrams better. Both of them felt that they were still far from truly understanding the mystery of The Eight Diagrams. In their hearts, they marveled that what their master had passed on to them was truly an endless path of martial arts! Su Lingxiu was also comprehending. With the help of Xu Yan and Meng Chong, she gradually gained some insights according to her talents and preferences. ¡® Li Xuan glanced and saw that what Su Lingxiu was comprehending was a martial art related to needles. Su Lingxiu has already enlightened the Golden Needle Crossing the Aperture and others, which are contained in the Medical Martial Scripture. However, she still lacked some more powerful killing techniques. ¡°The mystery of The Eight Diagrams is really immeasurable. Each time I delve into it, I feel its infinite use and profoundness, as if I can never fully comprehend it, and only understand a little bit of the skin.¡± After instructing Su Lingxiu, Xu Yan sighed with emotion. ¡°Indeed, the mystery of The Eight Diagrams is truly profound.¡± Meng Chong agreed with a nod. Even the eldest brother thinks it¡¯s mysterious, it shows how powerful and profound The Eight Diagrams is. Su Lingxiu slightly closed her eyes, and even as the blood surged within her, golden needles appeared one after another, surrounding her. Suddenly, the golden needles shot out, continuously changing. For a moment, they were as gentle as a gust of wind, penetrating everything and stabbing at everything. Thud! A small golden needle was embedded in a tree. The needle was small, but it only left a tiny needle hole in the tree. Yet, the area around the needle hole gradually withered, seeming to have turned into a rotten piece of wood. It was as if the lifeblood carried by the golden needle had directly withered the trunk and destroyed its vitality. With a crunch. The tree fell down. Xu Yan exclaimed, ¡°Junior sister¡¯s golden needle technique is not to be underestimated. It¡¯s tiny and swift, silent and deadly. Once it hits, even if it doesn¡¯t kill, it will seriously injure.¡± Meng Chong nodded and said, ¡°Moreover, junior sister¡¯s golden needle technique can not only kill people, but also save people!¡± Su Lingxiu had finally grasped a needle technique as well. ¡°Eldest brother, try to take my needle attack!¡± Su Lingxiu was excited, having finally understood a powerful killing technique. Numerous needles rained from the sky, like a gentle breeze sweeping through, enveloping Xu Yan instantly and was about to turn him into a hedgehog in the next moment. Xu Yan smiled faintly. Instead of using his Innate strength, he used his Qi-Blood Realm¡¯s strength, raising his hand and swiping. Amidst the swirling energy of the Descending Dragon Palm, he captured all the golden needles.. Chapter 266 266 164 Special Physical Constitution of Su Lingxiu 1 Translator: 549690339 I Su Lingxiu¡¯s golden needle, although swift and powerful, is small and thus difficult to defend against. It also possesses extremely strong piercing force that ordinary martial artists¡¯ vital energy and blood can hardly withstand with ease. Moreover, the golden needles are ever-changing. Fending off one might be possible, but not ten, eight, or even hundreds and thousands. However, for Xu Yan and Meng Chong, they inevitably pose little threat. After all, Su Lingxiu¡¯s comprehension of the golden needle was greatly attributed to the two of them. They have already gained some understanding of the ways of the golden needle. Meng Chong¡¯s Great Solar Golden Body doesn¡¯t even need to deliberately block them, as the golden needles can¡¯t breach his defense. As for Xu Yan, even though Su Lingxiu¡¯s golden needles are remarkable, under the same realm, they can¡¯t pose any threat to him. Even if Su Lingxiu attempts ambush, the situation remains the same. ¡°The method of your golden needle, junior sister, is effortlessly effective against other martial artists.¡± Xu Yan chuckled, returning the golden needle to her. ¡°Senior brother, your strength is too strong.¡± Su Lingxiu bore a frustrated expression. She felt that her golden needle was already very powerful, only to have it effortlessly broken. ¡°My golden needle technique is called ¡®Wind God Needle of the Xun¡¯!¡± Excited beyond measure, Su Lingxiu then picked up her own spade, saying: ¡°In the future, I want to comprehend a method specific to the spade, mainly for burying people!¡± Suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something and left in a rush, saying: ¡°I¡¯m going to test my golden needle on Hu Shan.¡± Xu Yan shook his head; Hu Shan might be in for some hardship. Although Su Lingxiu hasn¡¯t yet broke through the Innate Realm, her strength is far superior to ordinary martial artists. Most of the grandmaster martial artists are no match for her. The understanding of The Eight Diagrams has temporarily come to an end. Next is to hone oneself, enhance the foundation, and strive to break through as soon as possible. After reaching the perfect stage of the Innate realm, even peak grandmasters can be easily eliminated. Meng Chong was full of fighting spirit; he was preparing to break through the accomplishment of the Great Solar Golden Body. As long as he can break through, he will no longer fear the grandmaster. Having been chased by the black-robed grandmaster for some time, he had been holding back his anger. After the breakthrough, it¡¯s time to retaliate against the grandmaster. His Wind-Thunder Diamond Fist and Heaven-Earth Overlord Blade also nearly had breakthroughs, inspired from The Eight Diagrams. Both can be tested on the grandmaster. He also aspires to shatter a grandmaster with one punch. When the eldest senior brother entered the Inner Domain, he was immensely domineering, knocking down grandmasters and crushing great grandmasters along the way. Meng Chong thought of his own visit to the Inner Domain, where he started off slaying grandmasters as if butchering chickens, but ended up being chased by a black-robed grandmaster! He didn¡¯t earn many spirit crystals either. Luckily, there were plenty of spiritual medicines in the blessed land of medicines, making his trip to the Inner Domain not in vain. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has comprehended the Wind God Needle of the Xun from The Eight Diagrams, and your Wind God Needle of the Xun has become accomplished.¡± Golden light emerged and Li Xuan had already become calm. However, for this Wind God Needle, he had no emotional fluctuations and wouldn¡¯t even bother using it. As a mature man, wielding golden needles was a bit out of character, and did not align with his image as an extraordinary expert. In his mind, he couldn¡¯t help but recall a guy named Dongfang Bubai, the image of flying embroidery needles in his hand¡­ Su Lingxiu started instructing the group of young boys and girls in alchemy, choosing those with the best talent to learn the final step of Alchemy ¨C to condense into a dan! Learning Alchemy, even if it¡¯s just one step, requires repeated practice, thus demanding a quite large amount of herbs. During the practice stage, common herbs are used. Once proficient, precious herbs will be used for practice. Finally, spiritual medicines will be used, at which point control over the failure rate is required, in order to increase the success rate of Alchemy. All of these require time and even the methods of production for the vital energy dan, the stored energy dan, and the healing dan are slightly different at every stage. However, the differences are not significant, once the production method of one of the dan formulas has been grasped, the other dan formulas become much easier to process. First, start with making low-grade dan medicines, such as those made with precious herbs that can assist in refining bones and organs, or even help sensitize vital energy. This naturally leads to the production of many low-grade dan medicines in the alchemy room every day. There are also a fair amount of waste dan, but as alchemy proficiency increases, the quantity of waste dan starts to decrease. The finished dan medicine is naturally used as an aid for practice by members of Chang Qing Pavilion, or sold to frontier martial artists in exchange for medicinal materials. It could even be used to win over suitable martial artists to join Chang Qing Pavilion as peripheral members. Under the powerful temptation of dan medicine, many martial artists who have begun to train are eager to join Chang Qing Pavilion. However, the requirements for joining Chang Qing Pavilion are very strict. There are age restrictions and talent limitations, and the selection is rigorous. As for waste dan, in the spirit of not wasting, it was all given to Red Cat to eat. Though he was a little picky ¨C after all, having tasted the waste dan from spiritual medicine refining, he didn¡¯t really care for these ordinary waste dan. But since these were given to him by Su Lingxiu for disposal, he couldn¡¯t waste it. To please Su Lingxiu, and to avoid her displeasure, Red Cat instantly swallowed them all. Only when each type of dan medicine has a hundred percent success rate will the cultivation of a new type of dan medicine begin. Only in this way can the failure rate be reduced when cultivating new dan medicines. Although there seems to be a lot of spiritual medicines, they can¡¯t stand waste. The senior brothers have spent a lot of time for these spiritual medicines. Therefore, in order to minimize the failure rate when refining spiritual medicines, Su Lingxiu has very strict requirements for the success rate of Alchemy! Kou Ruozhi has entered the realm of Martial Arts and broken through the vital energy realm. He was excited beyond expression; he had finally become a Martial Artist.. Chapter 267 Translator: 549690339 I ¡°Pavilion Master, I¡¯ve made a breakthrough!¡± Kou Ruozhi came to report to Su Lingxiu about his breakthrough as soon as possible. ¡°Very good, let Yunshan look after the Chang Qing Pavilion for now. You have to go to the Inner Domain. I have some tasks for you.¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. ¡°Yes, Pavilion Master!¡± Kou Ruozhi nodded earnestly. Yunshan, the County Magistrate of Yunshan, could control Yunshan county under the Heavenly Mother Sect before, so of course, he was not a simple brute. Moreover, Yunshan was drawn into the Heavenly Mother Sect by Kou Ruozhi, and was a core member of Chang Qing Pavilion. Once Kou Ruozhi had arranged the affairs of the Chang Qing Pavilion, Su Lingxiu started to instruct him about the Inner Domain. The first task was naturally to prepare for Chang Qing Pavilion¡¯s entry into the Inner Domain. The first thing was to figure out the strength of the martial artists in Tieshan County and determine where to establish the Chang Qing Pavilion, as well as how to operate it, and so forth. There was also another very important task. That was to build an intelligence network for Chang Qing Pavilion. Su Lingxiu explained the general situation in the Inner Domain to Kou Ruozhi in detail. How to act specifically would depend on Kou Ruozhi himself. Su Lingxiu believed that with Kou Ruozhi¡¯s talent, he should be able to complete the task soon. The reason why she initially kept Kou Ruozhi was because she saw his potential. ¡°Be careful in your actions and don¡¯t expose the Borderlands for the time being. You should know what to do.¡± Su Lingxiu said finally. ¡°Rest assured, Pavilion Master. I know what to do. I won¡¯t let you down. Chang Qing Pavilion will surely resonate in the Inner Domain and stand at its peak.¡± Kou Ruozhi said passionately, full of ambition. ¡°If you really have this ability, your name, Kou Ruozhi, will certainly be prominently known in the history of martial arts!¡± Su Lingxiu said with a smile. The words made Kou Ruozhi even more excited. On the same day, Kou Ruozhi took some Spirit Crystals given by Su Lingxiu and several spiritual tickets, left the Borderlands, and went to Tieshan County in the Inner Domain. The Spirit Crystals and spiritual tickets were naturally brought back by Xu Yan. Looking in the direction of the Inner Domain, Su Lingxiu¡¯s bright eyes flashed with killing intent. She was about to return to the Inner Domain. She would surely uproot and annihilate the power of the man in the black robe! ¡°Kou Ruozhi has reached the entry level of the Blood Energy Realm, theoretically corresponding to third-grade martial artists. But he is much stronger than the third-grade martial artists in the Inner Domain. Apart from the Tianbao Pavilion, there¡¯s definitely no grandmaster martial artist in Tieshan County. ¡°Even third-grade martial artists may not exist. Once they break through to the third-grade, martial artists in Tieshan County will leave this barren land.¡± Su Lingxiu thought to herself. With Kou Ruozhi¡¯s strength and means, she believed he would soon have a foothold in Tieshan County and complete the tasks she had given him. However, setting up an intelligence system would be difficult. It was absolutely impossible to do it in a short time. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to break through to the Innate Realm!¡± Su Lingxiu was ready to break through to the Innate Realm. She had enough foundation and had gained a deeper understanding of the Dan Yi Martial Canon. She had also deeply understood the Thousand Butterfly Phantom Movement Technique and the Xunfeng God Needle, so it was time for her to make a breakthrough. ¡°Master, I¡¯m going to break through to the Innate Realm.¡± Su Lingxiu said as she poured tea for her master. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan, playing with the Jade Ruyi in his hand, nodded. ¡°Master, do you have any advice for breaking through to the Innate Realm?¡± Su Lingxiu asked. Li Xuan pondered for a while. Xu Yan had integrated Sword Intent into himself when he broke through to the Innate Realm, transforming it into a Spiritual Bone. Meng Chong was also similar, both had undergone significant transformations If Xu Yan was to break through to the Tongxuan Realm, Li Xuan even suspected that he would further transform. Would his Spiritual Bone get stronger? Or would he transform into a Spiritual Body? As for Su Lingxiu, who practiced the Dan Yi Martial Technique and didn¡¯t understand Sword Intent, Knife Intent, Needle Intent and the likes, how would she transform when she broke through to the Innate Realm? Li Xuan always wondered since Su Lingxiu had a special physique. After learning about her background and that her mother, a grandmaster martial artist, passed away due to excessive energy loss after giving birth to her. Hence, Li Xuan suspected that Su Lingxiu¡¯s special constitution might not be complete, and breaking through to the Innate Realm could be an opportunity, an opportunity for self-transformation. Then he spoke, ¡°You practice the martial arts of alchemy and medicine. To break through the Innate and transform, you need to focus on the path of alchemy, revive your Chang Qing bone and use it as a foundation to elevate yourself. ¡°Your two senior brothers honed themselves through sword intent and blade intent during their breakthroughs, leading to their transformations. But you have not grasped the sword intent nor the blade intent. These are not your strengths either. ¡°So, put some effort into the path of alchemy.¡± Su Lingxiu seemed thoughtful. After a while, she nodded and said, ¡°Thank you, Master, I know what to do.¡± Li Xuan nodded. Su Lingxiu¡¯s understanding of the method meant that she would transform when she broke through to the Innate Realm. This might elevate her special constitution to a new level. Su Lingxiu began to prepare for her breakthrough to the Innate Realm. She spent days pondering about the elixir recipe and eventually figured out one. She then began practicing alchemy. The main ingredients were three Rank Six spiritual medicines, and the auxiliary ones were of Rank Seven. This was the highest grade elixir she had ever prepared, so she was extremely careful, not allowing for the slightest distraction. If the preparation failed, the loss would be substantial. Finally, the elixirs were successfully prepared. Nine in total, they were green and glossy, seemingly containing vigorous vitality. Li Xuan watched thoughtfully. Outside the manor, under a large tree on the mountain. Su Lingxiu was sitting cross-legged, trying to break through to the Innate Realm. Xu Yan, Meng Chong, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were all watching from a distance. Zhou Ying was both nervous and joyful, her doting eyes fixed on the distant girl. Breaking through to the Innate Realm was not challenging for Su Lingxiu. The uncertainty lay in whether she could use this breakthrough as an opportunity to transform and elevate herself. The bridge between heaven and earth was penetrated. Nature¡¯s spiritual energy entered her body, a faint blue light appeared, it seemed invigorating. The buds of the large tree beside her seemed to be growing rapidly. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan looked on with envy. Even in the Borderland, they could cultivate by absorbing the spiritual energy from heaven and earth and breaking through realms. This was the essence of martial arts. Martial Arts shouldn¡¯t be restricted. The two cultivated in the Borderlands, relying entirely on elixirs. The speed of their cultivation was not slow by using Qi-infused elixirs. However, they couldn¡¯t sense nature¡¯s spiritual energy and felt somewhat depressed. As Su Lingxiu¡¯s blue light intensified, anyone could feel the vigorous vitality, even from afar. The unfolding momentum indicated that she was transforming. At one point, just as she was about to break through to the Innate Realm, a special situation occurred. The spiritual energy flooding into her body did not condense into Innate True Qi. Xu Yan frowned, silently watching, while inspecting the condition of Su Lingxiu. Zhou Ying looked anxious and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Young Master Xu, what¡¯s happening to her?¡± Even though she was only at the minor accomplishment stage of the Blood Qi Realm, just a step away from the major accomplishment stage, she could tell that something wasn¡¯t right with Su Lingxiu¡¯s breakthrough. ¡°Junior sister¡¯s body seems to be involuntarily absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, just like¡­¡± Xu Yan thought carefully, ¡°like a thirsty person madly drinking water.¡± Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t help but worry, asking, ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Junior sister has prepared elixirs. It should be fine.¡± Xu Yan was also somewhat concerned. Su Lingxiu, at this moment, noticed the internal condition of her body. Feeling confused, she quickly put an elixir in her mouth. The elixir instantly melted in her mouth, giving birth to vigorous vitality within her. She took a deep breath, continuing to circulate her cultivation technique. The Alchemy Martial Codex flashed through her mind. She swallowed another elixir and began to temper her Chang Qing Bone. At the same time, golden needles emerged and punctured into her body¡¯s acupoints. The needles trembled as if they were hooking up with nature¡¯s spiritual energy, thus triggering the charm of her acupoints. She swallowed another elixir. The rich vitality and intense energy circulated in her body, stimulating her Chang Qing Bone. At one point, the Chang Qing Bone emanated a faint green light, and the vitality became stronger. Su Lingxiu felt as if her body was transforming and seemed to be connected with the big tree beside her. It was a feeling as if she could control the big tree with a flicker of thought. The spiritual energy from heaven and earth flooded into her body through the bridge between heaven and earth. It no longer dissipated and was absorbed by her body. Instead, it began to impact her Dantian and open up the Qi ocean in her Dantian. Li Xuan walked over leisurely. Looking at Su Lingxiu, who was breaking through, he confirmed his suspicion¡ªSu Lingxiu did have a special constitution, but it was incomplete. It was due to the limitations of her environment and congenital deficiencies. However, now she had tempered her Chang Qing Bone. She was breaking through to the Innate Realm, and with the aid of the elixir, her special constitution had not only been remedied but was also elevating and about to transform into a stronger constitution.. Chapter 268 Translator: 549690339 I Seeing Li Xuan appear, Xu Yan quickly asked, ¡°Master, what¡¯s going on with my junior sister?¡± ¡°A small issue.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s expression was as calm as the still surface of a lake. His Jade Ruyi amulet turned smoothly in his hand. It was time for him to exude an all-knowing air. ¡°Due to her constitution, the young girl is limited by her environment and suffers from innate deficiencies, which she¡¯s currently compensating for.¡± Li Xuan stated this nonchalantly, as though he had seen through it all from the beginning. ¡°She has been preparing for this breakthrough into the Innate Realm, not only to compensate for her deficiency but also to evolve and gain stronger constitution.¡± Li Xuan looked at Su Lingxiu, who had almost completed her breakthrough. Surrounded by a soft, green light, the big tree next to her seemed to be full of life, flowing into Su Lingxiu¡¯s body. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Xu Yan exclaimed with enlightenment. As expected, the master had everything under control. ¡°Master, what will be the constitution of my junior sister after the breakthrough?¡± Xu Yan asked with curiosity. After his own breakthrough, his jade bones had undergone a metamorphosis, becoming spiritual bones. The basis of such spiritual bones was the jade bones, which were quite formidable. Any Martial Artist who tried to compete with him in terms of endurance would undoubtedly be unable to outlast him! Li Xuan gave a slight smile. He didn¡¯t answer Xu Yan¡¯s question about what Su Lingxiu¡¯s constitution would be. Although he had not yet received any Golden Finger feedback, he didn¡¯t know what her constitution was at the moment. Instead, he counseled, ¡°My disciple, there¡¯s no singular constitution. As one rises through the ranks, each level is a transformation. With a solid foundation, those who undergo this metamorphosis will inevitably become stronger and more unbreakable. ¡°As you continue your evolution, even when you stand alongside those with Innate constitutions, you will surpass them in strength and become unbreakable, indestructible!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s words were aimed at encouraging Xu Yan to continue rising and evolving at each level, even if others could not. Xu Yan could very well achieve that! ¡°Master is telling me that while those with Innate constitutions are powerful. Although I don¡¯t possess an Innate constitution, I am still capable of continually transforming and surpassing them. ¡°Their Innate constitutions limit them from advancing further, while I rise from obscurity, boundless and limitless!¡± Xu Yan felt his heart pounding, his blood boiling with excitement. ¡°Master is reminding me that with my talents, I can continually evolve, and keep pushing my limits. Isn¡¯t this a kind of constitution in itself? ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s really unbounded and limitless!¡± Xu Yan continued to indulge in his imagination, growing more excited as he did so. The more he imagined, the deeper his admiration for his master¡¯s profound wisdom. Everything his master said or did was geared towards teaching him, expounding on the highest level of Martial Arts. Li Xuan glanced at Xu Yan and thought, ¡°This disciple of mine is definitely imagining something again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to let the mind wander. The more one imagines, the more powerful they become, the more profound the Martial Arts they can comprehend!¡± Li Xuan silently cheered on his student. He didn¡¯t fear a student who let their imagination run wild, he feared one who didn¡¯t partake in this form of imagination at all! There was nothing obstructing Su Lingxiu¡¯s breakthrough now. She was in the process of evolving and transforming. Meanwhile, Li Xuan, with a leisurely stride, returned to the manor. He was eager to know what kind of constitution Su Lingxiu would end up with after her transformation, and what kind of feedback this would bring him. He now possessed the Indestructible Innate Spiritual Body and the Longteng Mountain Rive Spiritual Body. He wondered what kind of constitution he would end up with if Su Lingxiu evolved with her special constitution? Would his Longteng Mountain River Spirit Body evolve further? The Indestructible Innate Spiritual Body was already quite formidable, after all, it was an Innate Spiritual Body. Even though he told Xu Yan that one shouldn¡¯t only strive to have an Innate constitution. Actually, anyone with an Innate constitution inherently possesses extraordinary talents. From the starting stage, they have already surpassed countless Martial Artists. How many rising Martial Artists can catch up? Of course, Xu Yan should not be judged by common standards. Li Xuan was confident that even a strong individual with an Innate constitution would be left behind by Xu Yan, especially considering that Xu Yan was practising the powerful Martial Arts that he had created. Taking into account both his jade bones and Xu Yan¡¯s Longteng Mountain River Bones, neither fell short compared to those with special Innate constitutions. They were perhaps even stronger. ¡°My Innate Spiritual Bones are not something those with powerful Innate constitutions can compare to.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. Once back in the manor, he sat in his chair, leisurely and patiently waiting for the Golden Finger feedback. Su Lingxiu was in the midst of her transformation. She could feel herself becoming lighter and lighter, with a natural affinity with plants and flowers. Even her perception of Spiritual Medicine had sharpened, allowing her to perceive the characteristics and the age of the medicine, etc. Even with unfamiliar Spiritual Medicine, once she saw it, she seemed to instantly understand its nature and function. Nature¡¯s spiritual energy infused into her, and her Innate True Qi continuously condensed. Endless and rich, her True Qi was gentle yet harbored a great deal of energy. On her palm, a strand of light green True Qi flame emerged and started to burn fiercely. The True Qi she transmuted had turned into a flame! Boom! Su Lingxiu swallowed another elixir, bringing her breakthrough and physical transformation to the final phase. ¡°So, this is what it feels like to be in the Innate Realm of a Dan medical Martial Art.¡± Su Lingxiu contemplated her own transformation, feeling joyful. Her power was surging rapidly. Even though she was merely in the introductory stage of the Innate Realm, no peak Grandmaster would be her match. In terms of raw power, she certainly was not on the same level as Xu Yan and Meng Chong. After all, Dan medical Martial Art did not excel in combat but could still dominate the Grandmaster Martial Artists of the Inner Domain. But this was not enough. Within the forces of the people in black robes, there existed Great Grandmasters and peak Great Grandmasters. If she wanted to deal with peak Great Grandmasters, she would need to reach the perfected state of the Innate Realm. However, with two senior brothers by her side, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.. Chapter 269 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Even if a Great Grandmaster attacks, even if I can¡¯t defeat them, I¡¯ll be able to escape!¡± So thought Su Lingxiu. Of course, if a Great Grandmaster truly attacked, she wouldn¡¯t need to run. Not to mention her master being there, just the two elder martial brothers alone would be enough to handle the Great Grandmaster. Boom! At a certain moment, a blue radiance burst forth from Su Lingxiu, causing the grass and trees around to thrive and the leaves to become a deeper shade of green. She has broken through to the Innate Realm! Her physique has also fully evolved and transformed. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, has broken through to the Innate Realm, your Alchemy Martial Arts advanced to Tongxuan Realm.¡± The feedback from the Golden Finger arrived. With Su Lingxiu¡¯s breakthrough, her Alchemy Martial Arts advanced into the Tongxuan Realm, and her strength had grown once more. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, has broken through to the Innate Realm, transforming into the Blue Wood Spirit Body. You have obtained the Innate Spiritual Body.¡± Blue Wood Spirit Body! After her special physique evolved and transformed, Su Lingxiu has become a Blue Wood Spirit Body. ¡°Innate Spiritual Body?¡± Li Xuan was sensing the changes in his body. After obtaining the Innate Spiritual Body, he could feel an increased affinity with the Innate Indestructible Spiritual Bone, making his body even stronger. The affinity with nature¡¯s spiritual energy increased dramatically once again. Spiritual energy was constantly rushing into his body, instantly transforming into Innate True Yuan. The spiritual energy entering his body was gentle and subtle, others could not detect any abnormalities. If they happened to be close to him, they would only sense that the spiritual energy had become richer. The Dragon Soaring Spiritual Body has elevated to the Innate Spiritual Body, encompassing all the properties of the Dragon Soaring Spiritual Body, and it¡¯s even more powerful. ¡°My strength has increased again!¡± Li Xuan was extremely excited. The real source of joy is the growth of strength. ¡°This lass is really giving it all, it was not a waste to take her as my disciple and even kill a Great Grandmaster for her.¡± Li Xuan was very satisfied. Among the three disciples, each had their own strengths. Every time their strength increased, it would always bring him considerable feedback. Of course, Xu Yan was the core among the three disciples. ¡°What kind of feedback will I receive when Xu Yan breaks through to Tongxuan Realm and undergoes another transformation? Surpassing Spiritual Bones and Spiritual Body?¡± Li Xuan was full of anticipation. Xu Yan wasn¡¯t too far from reaching the Tongxuan Realm. Right now, he was accumulating his foundation, preparing to breakthrough Innate Completion. After Su Lingxiu¡¯s breakthrough, she was in precipitation. Meanwhile, Xu Yan and Meng Chong continue to improve themselves, accumulating their foundation and hidden strength, preparing for a breakthrough. Xie Lingfeng felt stimulated. He felt that he might not be able to defeat Su Lingxiu. He didn¡¯t dare to slack off, diligently cultivating, hoping to breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm as soon as possible. Hu Shan, on the other hand, was even more depressed. When Su Lingxiu hadn¡¯t had her breakthrough, he had exchanged pointers with her. He was unable to block those golden needles and was pricked several times. Now that Su Lingxiu had broken through, he might end up looking like a hedgehog. ¡°I can¡¯t compare with geniuses, I, Hu Shan, must compare with the grandmasters of the Inner Domain. Among my peers, 1 am very strong.¡± Thinking this way, Hu Shan felt at ease. Zhou Ying was extremely excited. The lady who originally needed her protection and care, now far surpassed her in strength. ¡°I also want to breakthrough to Innate Realm soon!¡± Zhou Ying also began to diligently cultivate. She was only a step away from reaching peak Qi-blood Realm. Having achieved a breakthrough, Su Lingxiu was extremely excited. She had finally broken through to the Innate Realm, and her physique seemed to be quite extraordinary. ¡°Master, what kind of physique do I have?¡± After returning, Su Lingxiu asked, massaging her master¡¯s shoulders happily. ¡°Blue Wood Spirit Body.¡± Li Xuan stated indifferently. ¡°So, am I gifted?¡± Su Lingxiu was even more elated. ¡°The Blue Wood Spirit Body is nothing much, don¡¯t be complacent. You should have ambition, constantly elevate yourself!¡± Li Xuan said solemnly. ¡°I know, master!¡± Su Lingxiu stuck out her tongue playfully. After breaking through to the Innate Realm and sublimating her Wooden Spiritual Body, Su Lingxiu began her first session of alchemy. Her hands ignited with the flame of alchemy, directly refining the pills by hand. The speed was beyond her imagination. Soon, a batch of pills was successfully concocted, and their quality was even better than what she produced during the Qi and Blood Realm. Next, she went on to successively refine various kinds of pills, accumulating a pile¡ªQi and Blood Elixirs, Qi Accumulation Elixirs, Body Strengthening Elixirs, and so on. After breaking through to the Innate Realm, Su Lingxiu became busier as she was preparing for a return to the Inner Domain. She took out more time to guide the alchemy disciples of Chang Qing Pavilion, striving to refine elixirs with spiritual medicine as soon as possible and improve the success rate and quality. Zhou Ying had fully mastered the Qi and Blood Realm. Shi¡¯er was somewhat frustrated as he had fallen a bit behind. The Red Cat was getting bigger and bigger, looking more and more like a chubby tiger. However, its aura was continually growing stronger, and its physical body became even more robust, but the feeling of entering the threshold of a full-fledged demon was elusive. Time elapsed amid the hustle and bustle. The first batch of Qi and Blood Elixirs were successfully produced via the assembly line method, with a decent quality and a failure rate of less than thirty percent. Su Lingxiu let out a sigh of relief, grateful that the failure rate wasn¡¯t high, reducing the waste of spiritual medicine. Next up was the refining of Qi Accumulation Elixirs, Body Strengthening Elixirs, and Healing Elixirs. Red Cat had been overfed these past few days. It lay on the ground, not wanting to move at all. Looking at the large bowl in front of it, which was still half-full with failed elixirs, it felt a sense of despair. ¡°Red Cat, eat quickly! Don¡¯t waste!¡± Su Lingxiu added another handful of failed pills into the bowl, urging the cat. ¡°Roar!¡± Red Cat let out a grievance-filled growl. It genuinely couldn¡¯t eat anymore! Su Lingxiu pressed her brows together, a golden needle materialized in her hand, and she started to look for the suitable acupoints on Red Cat¡¯s body to help it digest the power of the failed elixirs it had consumed. However, she noticed that the needle in her hand was a bit too short for Red Cat¡¯s massive body. She called Shi¡¯er over and asked him to prepare a set of golden needles that were about a foot long. Li Xuan heard the pitiful cries of the Red Cat from outside the manor, and his lips twitched involuntarily. Su Lingxiu was using long golden needles to stimulate the acupoints of the Red Cat, assisting it to digest the elixirs in its body. That bowl of elixirs needed to be eaten quickly to avoid waste. Adhering to the principle that the hard-earned spiritual medicines must not be wasted, not even a single bit, Su Lingxiu could only help Red Cat digest the power of the failed elixirs. After being constantly pricked, Red Cat began to remember those acupoints. ¡°Huh, Red Cat, you actually finished eating those failed elixirs so fast?¡± A few days later, Su Lingxiu was surprised to find that the Red Cat had quickly finished the failed elixirs, and it seemed like it wanted more. Li Xuan watched the Red Cat for a long time. This chubby tiger seemed to be on the verge of transforming into a full-fledged demon. Xie Lingfeng had broken through to the realm of a fully accomplished Grandmaster. He was very excited and went to spar with Xu Yan in Sword Dao. Even though he might not withstand Xu Yan¡¯s one sword strike, sharpening his swordsmanship would still bring significant improvement. Su Lingxiu¡¯s assembly line method of alchemy was finally successful. The success rate of refining the Qi and Blood Elixirs was a hundred percent, and the Qi Accumulation Elixirs were close to a hundred percent as well. The daily production volume was quite high. With no shortage of elixirs, the cultivation speed of the members of the Chang Qing Pavilion surged dramatically. Elixirs refined from non-spiritual medicines had begun circulating in the border region, speeding up the cultivation process of the martial artists there significantly. Su Lingxiu started to research how to refine the fifth-grade spiritual medicine known as Heavenly Dew Marrow. Refining the Heavenly Dew Marrow must be done with utmost caution. After all, if the process fails, the loss would be enormous. Fifth-grade spiritual medicine was difficult to come by, let alone the rare Heavenly Dew Marrow. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has broken through to the complete stage of the Innate Realm; your True Yuan has doubled.¡± Golden light emerged, and the Golden Finger gave its feedback. Xu Yan had broken through to the complete stage of the Innate Realm. Li Xuan felt overwhelmed. Xu Yan was just a step away from the Tongxuan Realm. Once Xu Yan entered that realm, Li Xuan could impart the cultivation techniques that were above the Tongxuan Realm. However, after Xu Yan broke through to the complete stage of the Innate Realm, he did not immediately break through to the Tongxuan Realm. Instead, he continued to hone his abilities and accumulated more foundation. He wanted to accumulate a powerful foundation before breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm. By doing so, his strength after the breakthrough would be remarkably stronger. Li Xuan could sense Xu Yan¡¯s improvement and various changes. ¡°These are to enhance his foundation for a transformation and evolution during the breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm.¡± Li Xuan understood in his heart. This was the reason why Xu Yan did not directly breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°Considering that each realm¡¯s breakthrough is for evolution and ascension, Xu Yan seems to have taken my words to heart¡ª is he doing this to crush any potential competitors with the Innate Physique?¡± Li Xuan was pleased with Xu Yan¡¯s ambition. Delaying the breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm wasn¡¯t a big deal. Moreover, if there was a chance of transforming and evolving during the breakthrough, even delaying it by a year or two would be worth it! However, Xu Yan would probably spend a month or two at most accumulating his foundation, and then he would break through to the Tongxuan Realm.. Chapter 270 Translator: 549690339 | After Xu Yan broke through to the perfection of the Innate Realm, he returned home to instruct his parents in cultivation, then travelled to the capital of Qi Country, teaching his maternal grandfather and the others how to cultivate. Under the nourishment of the medicinal pills, Guo Rongshan¡¯s body has greatly improved. Cultivating martial arts has become easier for him, and he¡¯s now not far from the martial arts beginner stage. Meanwhile, Guo Yunkai has already stepped into the energy and blood state. The development of martial arts in the border areas has begun to accelerate, and more martial artists will appear soon. Li Xuan is looking forward to the feedback he should get as the number of martial artists increases. ¡öYour disciple Meng Chong has broken through to the perfection of the Golden Body of the Sun, and your Golden Body of the Sun has been significantly strengthened.¡± Meng Chong had made a breakthrough. However, the feedback from the Golden Finger was not a breakthrough, but rather, a significant increase. Although his state hasn¡¯t changed, he had strengthened. Observing the wonderful nurturing of the Daylight Golden Body through the acupuncture points, Li Xuan sighed inwardly, realizing that Meng Chong had started to cultivate blades within the acupuncture points and had laid some cards up his sleeve. As Meng Chong was improving, so would Xu Yan, and even more so. Li Xuan assumed Xu Yan¡¯s ¡°Vista Sword Intent¡± had already nurtured a formidable skill set behind the scenes. Li Xuan glanced at his Sword Intent and it suddenly made sense to him. ¡°My cultivation of martial arts purely through physical training, alchemy and medical treatment is an integrated system, without any conflicts and in flawless harmony, just because they are the paths of cultivation I created myself. Thus, can they be derived from the same origin?¡± Li Xuan pondered. -This means, no matter how many martial arts techniques I create, they can all stem from the same source. Eventually, will this lead to a transformation into a stronger martial arts technique?¡± Li Xuan curiously wondered. However, creating a martial arts technique is not an easy task, let alone finding someone who can comprehend it. ¡ö¡öOnce the Golden Finger can be used, let¡¯s try to create a new martial art technique again,¡± Li Xuan decided. Concentrating his mind, he noticed a faint golden light again ¨C the location of the Golden Finger. Now he was not far from seeing the complete Golden Finger. According to his estimations, unless something unforeseen happens, he should see the Golden Finger and take advantage of it after reaching the fourth stage of martial arts, beyond the realm of understanding the mysterious. While Xu Yan returned home and Meng Chong was devoted to his own cultivation and teaching Shi¡¯er the art of swordsmanship, Zhou Ying saw this and sought guidance from Meng Chong as well. Su Lingxiu was busy researching the alchemy formula to prepare for producing the elixir of the Celestial Drop Marrow. What a valuable medicinal pill that enhances both aptitude and talent! Of course, for people with extraordinarily strong talent, it might not be very useful. Take her Green Wood Spiritual Body for example- even if Celestial Drop Marrow was successfully produced, it would not enhance her own talent, after all, this Celestial Drop Marrow is nothing more than a fifth-rank spiritual medicine. Its ability to enhance talent is limited. However, for Zhou Ying, Shi¡¯er and the others, it can greatly enhance their talent. A month goes by. Zhou Ying is at the perfection of the Qi and Blood Realm, not far from the Innate Realm. However, she needs to settle down for a while. After all, such a rapid improvement in cultivation, relying on medicinal pills, is inevitably a bit superficial. Shi¡¯er has reached the completion of the Qi and Blood Realm. Su Lingxiu is not far from the small achievement of the Innate Realm. This month, she refined several batches of medicinal pills. She has already figured out the formula for the Celestial Drop Marrow pill, and all that¡¯s left is to activate the furnace for the alchemy. A stalk of sixth-grade spiritual medicine was liquefied in Su Lingxiu¡¯s hands, and the essence was carefully distilled from it. Then, she carefully put the essence into a jade bottle and sealed it. Then she started refining another stalk of sixth-grade spiritual medicine. In order to make sure the refining process of the Celestial Drop Marrow goes smoothly, Su Lingxiu can only extract the auxiliary herbs in advance. So during the refining process, she only needs to extract the Celestial Drop Marrow, then fuse it and refine it into a pill. The failure rate will be significantly reduced. After days of research and practice, her alchemy skills are now refined. Seeing this, Li Xuan estimated that it was almost time to teach Su Lingxiu the Void Alchemy Technique. After she understands the Void Alchemy Technique, she can use it as a foundation to comprehend higher levels of the Void Alchemy Technique. Just as Su Lingxiu was preparing to start refining the Celestial Drop Marrow, Li Xuan called her over. ¡°Master, do you think I will be able to successfully refine the Celestial Drop Marrow?¡± Su Lingxiu asked nervously. A fifth-grade spiritual medicine is very precious, and there is only one. Naturally, she felt the pressure and was a bit nervous. ¡°Alchemy, particularly when it comes to high-grade pills and new kinds of pills, requires calm and peace of mind. As long as you concentrate and do your best, that¡¯s all that matters. ¡°If you lack confidence before even starting alchemy, and can¡¯t keep calm and peace of mind, then don¡¯t do it. When you don¡¯t even have faith in yourself, the chances of failure are even higher.¡± Li Xuan said calmly. Because the Celestial Drop Marrow is so valuable and there is only one, Meng Chong was chased by a Great Grandmaster for a period of time in order to obtain this spiritual medicine. For this very reason, Su Lingxiu was afraid of failing the refining process, which would let down her two Senior Brothers. Therefore, she was under tremendous pressure. ¡°Master, I understand!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded solemnly, having gained some understanding. ¡°Your alchemy skills are already perfect, your hands-on alchemy is now mature. Today, 1 will pass on the Void Alchemy Technique to you.¡± Li Xuan nodded and spoke out. Su Lingxiu was overjoyed, ¡°Thankyou, Master!¡± ¡°The Void Alchemy Technique uses the void as the furnace to smelt the medicinal pills. This is the foundation of the Dao of Alchemy. You are to use this as a base to grasp the Dao of Alchemy. ¡°You should not be limited to the Void Alchemy Technique, but delve deeper, realizing that in addition to medicinal pills, Dao can be other things too¡­ Li Xuan spoke seriously, reminding her to comprehend deeper, using the Void Alchemy Technique as a base to comprehend stronger alchemy techniques. Su Lingxiu nodded solemnly and said, ¡°Master, 1 understand! 1 will not limit myself. I understand that what you are passing onto me is an understanding that most of it is up to the disciple to comprehend..¡± Chapter 271 Translator: 549690339 I ¡°I will definitely not merely settle for the Void Alchemy. Based on it as a foundation, I will seek to comprehend more advanced Alchemy to perceive the Dao of Alchemy.¡± Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Just like the Medical Martial Manual, I already have some new ideas. 1 believe that soon, I will be able to derive a higher level of Medical Martial Manual.¡± Su Lingxiu continued excitedly. Li Xuan felt even more gratified. In that case, would he be able to acquire a higher-level Medical Martial Manual soon? ¡°Good, your enlightenment makes me very gratified as a master.¡± Li Xuan said approvingly. Following that, he transmitted the Void Alchemy technique to Su Lingxiu. Having learned Void Alchemy, Su Lingxiu was naturally unable to execute it immediately. After all, she was only just a beginner at the Innate Realm. She was still lacking some strength to pull off Void Alchemy. However, from the Void Alchemy technique, she had gained some understanding of alchemy, and her skill in hand-based alchemy had improved a step further. She had initially planned to concoct the Heavenly Seed Marrow, but due to the comprehension of Void Alchemy, it had to be postponed. A few days later, Su Lingxiu¡¯s alchemy skills had further improved. She now had a lot more confidence in concocting the Heavenly Seed Marrow and was ready to start concocting. Xu Yan had also returned. ¡°Junior sister, believe in yourself. Just do your best. Don¡¯t be afraid of failure. It¡¯s just one plant of spiritual medicine. Although it¡¯s a fifth-grade spiritual medicine, if we can have one, we¡¯ll naturally have the second and the third.¡± Seeing Su Lingxiu under great pressure for fear of failing, Xu Yan said. ¡°Eldest brother is right. Since our family could find one, we could also have a chance to find the second one. If I fail, once I reach the Inner Domain, I can ask our family to look for more.¡± Meng Chong also said. ¡°Mm, rest assured, elder brother, I am confident.¡± Su Lingxiu clenched her fist and said. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan also came over. A fifth-grade spiritual medicine, what a precious thing that was. What kind of magical effect would the pill made from the fifth-grade spiritual herb bring? Everyone was curious and came over to watch Su Lingxiu concoct the Heavenly Seed Marrow. Even the Red Cat, which had been resting outside the mansion, jumped in and lay down nearby to watch. Li Xuan suspected that the Red Cat was hoping for a failed concoction because only if she failed, it would have the opportunity to eat such a precious spiritual herb. This big cat seems to have become more intelligent.¡± Li Xuan sat in a chair, looked at the Red Cat for a moment, and thought. Before concocting the Heavenly Seed Marrow, Su Lingxiu concocted another kind of pill which she had researched recently. This pill was not low in grade and had extraordinary effects. Life-saving Pill! A healing pill that as long as there is a breath left, it can save the person. Also, it has the effect of repairing the foundation. She began by skillfully refining the Life-saving Pill, preparing to concoct the Heavenly Seed Marrow in the next batch. ¡°Hu Shan, does our Sword Zun Cliff have fifth-grade spiritual medicine? ¡± Xie Lingfeng asked curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Hu Shan scratched his head and said. ¡°Brother Xie, your Sword Zun Cliff is such a powerful force with profound heritage. It can¡¯t be possible that you don¡¯t have fifth-grade spiritual medicine right?¡± Xu Yan asked curiously. ¡°I cannot tell!¡± Xie Lingfeng shook his head: ¡°Fifth-grade spiritual medicine really depends on luck. And m the Inner Domain, it is extremely rare. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be possible that there is none for sale in the Tianbao Pavilion.¡± After pondering for a while, he added: ¡°Sword Zun Cliff has a long heritage, and I should lean towards having the fifth-grade spiritual medicine as a treasure, but this should be the real foundation, which I don¡¯t have access to.¡± ¡°When I return, 1 will ask my father.¡± Xu Yan found it reasonable. Fifth-grade spiritual medicine must be truly one of the foundations. ¡°Young Master, if we have fifth-grade spiritual medicine, why not refine it into a pill? Our foundation would be stronger.¡± Hu Shan said with a touch of desire on his face. One fifth-grade spiritual medicine would only benefit one person when put to use. Even if it is divided up, it can¡¯t serve more than two or three people at most. It¡¯s already the limit. If it is refined into a pill, he might even have the chance to take it! ¡°That makes sense, but my father has to be willing to give it to me.¡± Xie Lingfeng said helplessly. Su Lingxiu was fully focused on her alchemy. A furnace of Life-saving pills was successfully concocted, totaling thirty-six pills. They were neatly placed in three jade bottles. ¡°This is the Life-saving Pill. Even if a Great Grandmaster suffers severe injuries and is left with only one breath, it can bring him back to life and also repair the damaged foundation.¡± Su Lingxiu placed three bottles of pills on the table and said. ¡°What if I want a bottle? Ten sixth-grade spiritual medicines!¡± Xie Lingfeng asked excitedly. ¡°Sure!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. With ten sixth-grade spirit medicines, she bought a bottle of Revival Pills and made a great profit. Of course, for Xie Lingfeng, he too felt he made a killing. If there were no relationships involved, let alone ten, not even a hundred sixth-grade spirit medicines could buy such an extraordinarily effective pill. ¡°Thank you!¡± Xie Lingfeng excitedly put the bottle of pills away. Su Lingxiu started to make the Heaven Drop Marrow. She looked grave, extremely focused, and totally undistracted. Xu Yan and the others held their breath, daring not make a single sound for fear of disturbing Su Lingxiu¡¯s alchemy. For this, Xu Yan even glared at the Red Cat lying nearby, warning it not to make any sound, or else it would be cooked and eaten! The Red Cat was so scared it did not dare to breathe! Of all the people, it feared Xu Yan the most. If Xu Yan really wanted to cook it, nobody could stop him! As for Li Xuan, he certainly wouldn¡¯t stop it. His senior disciple was the one he valued the most. 1 he production of the Heaven Drop Marrow was slow and demanded a lot, making sweat beads appear on Su Lingxiu¡¯s forehead. She didn¡¯t dare lose focus and carefully controlled the alchemical flame. At a certain moment, Su Lingxiu slapped the pill furnace with both hands. The pill was successfully produced! Out of the original thirty-six pills, six had ended up being spoilage. The remaining thirty pills were shiny like dewdrops, incredibly tempting. Their alchemical fragrance was condensed and undissipated, and one could only smell the faint fragrance that was soothing upon reaching the tip of one¡¯s nose. Although six were wasted, the overall process was successful. Su Lingxiu was exceedingly excited. I here were thirty-six small jade bottles on the table, all made out of spirit jade, purchased by Hu Shan from Tieshan County. In each jade bottle, there was a pill. ¡°This is a fifth-grade pill, the Heaven Marrow Pill, which improves talent and enlightenment,¡± Su Lingxiu excitedly commented. ¡°It can actually enhance talent and enlightenment?¡± Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan were shocked. For martial artists, talent and enlightenment were fundamentals. They were almost determined from birth and couldn¡¯t be changed. ¡°Of course!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded, and added, ¡°However, if your talent is too high and your enlightenment too strong, the fifth-grade Heaven Marrow Pill may not be very effective.¡± After all, if one¡¯s talent far exceeded the limit of the Heaven Marrow Pill, it would be as inconsequential as a drop of water falling into the ocean ¨C there would be no noticeable increase. And, the Heaven Marrow Pill worked best on the first dose. The second dose would only be half as effective, and taking three pills was the limit. Any more, and it would lose its enhancing effect. Xu Yan took out a Heaven Marrow Pill and studied it closely for a while, and said, ¡°It¡¯s of no use to me.¡± Li Xuan inwardly smirked, ¡°To say that the Heaven Marrow Pill is useless to you is an understatement. Even the highest-grade pills or treasures in the world that enhance talent and enlightenment would be useless to you.¡± ¡°Because your monstrous abilities already far exceed the scope of what talent and enlightenment can measure.¡± Meng Chong also shook his head. This Heaven Marrow Pill was of no use to him either. After all, he was no longer an average physical body. Since the moment he tempered his Vajra Glazed Bone, he surpassed ordinary beings. His talent and enlightenment were no longer ordinary. Hu Shan was incredibly ecstatic, his body trembling as he exclaimed, ¡°Twenty sixth-grade spirit medicines, I¡¯ll take a Heaven Marrow Pill!¡± What was he lacking? Talent and enlightenment! ¡°No problem!¡± Su Lingxiu handed him a jade bottle. Twenty sixth-grade spirit medicines wasn¡¯t a small sum, but considering their friendship, she sold him one. Then, she turned to Xie Lingfeng. ¡°Do you want one?¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s lips twitched. Xu Yan and Meng Chong, even Su Lingxiu couldn¡¯t use the Heaven Marrow Pill. But he, the number one genius of the Sword Monarch Chff, actually had to use the Heaven Marrow Pill to enhance his talent and enlightenment? lhe gap was too wide, a bit embarrassing. ¡°Yes!¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded. Su Lingxiu handed him a jade bottle, and received twenty more sixth-grade spirit medicines. ¡°Your talent isn¡¯t bad. The enhancement from the Heaven Marrow Pill might not be very high for you.¡± Su Lingxiu reminded him. lhe higher the talent and the comprehension, the less noticeable the effects of the Heaven Marrow Pill would be. ¡°I understand!¡± Xie Lingfeng nodded, thinking that any improvement, no matter how slight, is still improvement. Meng Chong took a pill and said, ¡°I promised to give one to our clan member. Once he experiences the benefits, he will definitely work harder.¡± After tasting the benefits, Meng Shushu would surely work hard to find fifth-grade spirit medicines.. Chapter 272 Translator: 549690339 From the remaining spiritual medicine, Xu Yan plans to give some to his parents and loved ones, one to Zhou Ying, and Shi¡¯er, who looks on pitifully, also gets given one by Su Lingxiu. Out of the thirty spiritual medicines, sixteen remain. Su Lingxiu collects them. These sixteen ¡°Innate Marrow Pills¡± are extremely precious. They could enhance one¡¯s innate talent or perception, but whether another strain that possesses such capabilities can be found remains unknown. These are being saved for emergencies. Xu Yan looks forward to giving the spiritual medicine to his parents and others. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan each find a place to take their medicine. Same for Zhou Ying and Shi er. ¡°Roar¡±! Red Cat looks miserably at Su Lingxiu. Its gaze constantly flickers to the six defective pills. ¡°Eh, Red Cat? You seem to have become smarter.¡± Surprised, Su Lingxiu reaches out to rub Red Cat¡¯s head. ¡°Here, have one.¡± She tosses one of the defective pills into Red Cat¡¯s mouth, continuing to rub its head, ¡°You¡¯ve already consumed a lot of pills. If you can¡¯t cultivate into a great demon that can shrink or grow at will, I might turn you into a ¡®great cat pill¡¯ myself!¡± Rolling over, desperation shows in Red Cat¡¯s eyes, it trembles in fear of becoming medicinal. Watching Red Cat, Li Xuan ponders that the defective Innate Marrow Pills should still have effects. After Red Cat ate one, perhaps it could enhance its perception a bit? According to the current changes in Red Cat, it seemed to be transforming into a great demon. Its body was getting bigger and bigger, moreover, within its body lies a large amount of blood, its physical body was also getting stronger. From its appearance, one might mistake it for a fat tiger, but in terms of strength, it possibly cannot be challenged by any ordinary Grandmaster level Martial Artist. Red Cat returns outside the estate, making itself comfortable on the ground, seemingly digesting the defective Innate Marrow Pill. Having successfully refined the Innate Marrow Pill, Su Lingxiu could breathe a sigh of relief. She focuses on cultivating again, continuing to comprehend the ¡®Alchemy and Martial Arts Classic¡¯ and ¡®Virtual Alchemy Techniques¡¯, learning various pill formulas. In preparation for entering the Inner Domain. Kou Ruozhi has been to the Inner Domain for a while now, it should be time to return. After Zhou Ying absorbs the Innate Marrow Pill, she could feel her talent being enhanced, and cultivating got easier. Moreover, regarding breakthrough to the Innate Realm, it was also no longer inscrutable. She excitedly starts to comprehend the Innate Realm Cultivation Technique, preparing for a breakthrough to the Innate Realm. Shi¡¯er is very happy. He felt the enhancement of his own talent. The Innate Marrow Pill truly is magical. Xie Lingfeng doesn¡¯t notice much of a difference, he only felt his mind become slightly clearer, which seems to indicate an enhancement in his perception ability. His talent isn¡¯t weak itself, hence the effects of the Innate Marrow Pill on him were naturally on the weaker side. Hu Shan noticed an obvious change. He was overflowing with excitement, currently training hard, striving to breakthrough to the Late-stage Grandmaster Realm as soon as possible. ¡°There are under ten people left before we have a hundred Martial Artists.¡± Li Xuan hoped for this silently. As more people practiced Martial Arts, and with the assistance of spiritual medicine, it was not far from having over a hundred beginner Martial Artists. At present, the Martial Artists in the borderlands are mainly concentrated to the Xu Family and Chang Qing Pavilion. Other Martial Art practitioners, most are in the Basic Realm, still some distance from the Blood and Qi Realm. This day, Kou Ruozhi returns. Reporting his mission to Su Lingxiu. Chang Qing Pavilion has established a branch in Tieshan County. They didn¡¯t choose to establish in the county city, instead, they built an estate and high-rise outside of the county city. With his strength, he easily gained territory. Initially, he made a name for Chang Qing Pavilion and made contact with a manager of Tianbao Pavilion in Tieshan County. Laying a foundation for possible future collaborations. ¡°You¡¯ve done well with this task, here¡¯s a reward.¡± Su Lingxiu nods in satisfaction. She presents Kou Ruozhi with a bottle of spiritual medicine for cultivation purposes. ¡°Thank you, Pavilion Master!¡± Overjoyed, Kou Ruozhi expresses his gratitude. ¡°Keep up the good work. If the Chang Qing Pavilion prospers, you will benefit too, such as with the spiritual medicine that enhances talent and perception.¡± Su Lingxiu stated solemnly. ¡°Yes, rest assured Pavilion Master!¡± Kou Ruozhi patted his chest to ensure that he would do his utmost to develop and expand the Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°Prepare to enter the Inner Domain. The Alchemy Room is of vital importance, you should understand. After entering the Inner Domain, think about how to maximize the benefits of the spiritual medicine, how to gain resources. Provide me with a plan to look at.¡± Su Lingxiu order came. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Pavilion Master, 1 have the plans in mind!¡± Kou Ruozhi nods. This is as solid as his forte. After some hesitation, Kou Ruozhi adds, ¡°Pavilion Master, about business matters, actually there¡¯s someone who¡¯s better suited, Xu Junhe. He¡¯s quite crafty¡­¡± Upon seeing Su Lingxiu¡¯s hard glare, Kou Ruozhi nervously corrects himself, ¡°he¡¯s a capable and astute man, his business methods are exceptional ¨C even 1 cannot match up to him.¡± Not denying it, Su Lingxiu nods her head. She¡¯s heard the stories about the father of the oldest disciple, Xu Junhe. This is a legendary figure who truly rose from rags to riches. ¡°I will discuss this with the oldest disciple and ask his father¡¯s opinion.¡± Su Lingxiu opens up. ¡°I feel that Xu Junhe might also be preparing to enter the Inner Domain, should 1 contact him?¡± Kou Ruozhi questions. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Inner Domain together. It¡¯s about time. Tieshan County is a small place, it doesn¡¯t contain any threats.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s voice arrives, as he has just returned. ¡°Eldest Disciple, is your father interested in doing business in the Inner Domain?¡± The hopeful Su Lingxiu inquires. ¡°He should be interested, I guess?¡± Xu Yan isn¡¯t quite sure. To his father, it seems more of his heart is in Martial Arts. As for business, he already sees it lightly. ¡°Then I will find the time to ask him about it..¡± Chapter 273 Translator: 549690339 | Su Lingxiu had made a decision. Chang Qing Pavilion desired expansion, especially in terms of how to sell the elixirs and how to maximize benefits. They couldn¡¯t just rely on Kou Ruozhi alone. And she, she wouldn¡¯t manage these affairs too much, nor was she familiar with them. Xu Junhe was undoubtedly the best candidate. ¡°Alright.¡± Xu Yan nodded his head. ¡°By the way, when I was in Tieshan County, 1 chatted with a manager from Tianbao Pavilion. 1 heard a piece of news that seems to be related to Young Master Xu.¡± Kou Ruozhi suddenly spoke. ¡°Oh, what is the news?¡± Xu Yan raised an eyebrow. He¡¯s been back to the borderlands for quite some time and was almost cut-off from the news of the Inner Domain. ¡°Canglan Island!¡± Kou Ruozhi said, ¡°That manager mentioned a notorious Great Grandmaster who claimed to challenge Young Master Xu on Canglan Island, wanting to kill Young Master Xu. ¡°Moreover, that manager also said that a powerful Great Grandmaster had been searching for Young Master Xu¡¯s whereabouts and had been to Canglan Island multiple times.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan sneered, ¡°It looks like it¡¯s the peak Great Grandmaster, could it be the man in the black robe? Besides the power that the man in the black robe belonged to, he didn¡¯t think he had offended any other powerful forces. Immediately, he thought of someone else. Demon Lord Huo Tu! One of the nine Demon Lords of the demonic sect, he had killed the Killing Skull, one of the three major powerhouses under his command. ¡°Did they say when they are going to challenge me?¡± Xu Yan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Kou Ruozhi shook his head. Xu Yan pondered for a moment and said, ¡°No need to pay attention to it. When I return to the Inner Domain, 1¡¯11 find them. Peak Great Grandmaster, huh? I¡¯ll slay them with a single sword! He had already perfected the Innate realm and could break through to the Tongxuan realm at any time. However, to undergo a transformation during the breakthrough to Tongxuan, he had never rushed to break through. But his strength kept increasing. The peak Great Grandmaster had already lost his interest. Of course, if it was one of the top peak Great Grandmasters, he would take a look. But the ordinary peak Great Grandmasters, he could kill with a slap! ¡°Senior brother, the man in the black robe is not weak at all and you need to be more cautious. I¡¯m afraid they might have set an ambush on Canglan Island!¡± Su Lingxiu expressed her concern with furrowed brows. ¡°Junior sister, don¡¯t worry. When the time comes, I¡¯ll go with senior brother. This gives us a chance to kill some Great Grandmasters to vent our anger!¡± Meng Chong stepped forward, revealing a fierce grin. He had been chased by a Great Grandmaster for a while, and he was holding back his anger. Now that his strength had broken through, he was worried about where to vent his anger, but the opponents were offering themselves as targets on a silver platter. ¡°Junior sister, rest assured. In the face of absolute strength, an ambush is nothing more than suicide.¡± Although Xu Yan said so, he didn¡¯t take it lightly in his heart. His master¡¯s teaching was imprinted on his heart. Numerous unparalleled powerhouses had died due to underestimating their opponents. He, Xu Yan, was not a fool! ¡°I¡¯ve caused trouble for senior brother.¡¯ Su Lingxiu said apologetically. ¡°What¡¯s all this nonsense about causing trouble? The man in the black robe, in my eyes, is here to deliver wealth.¡± Xu Yan waved his hand. ¡°Also, there¡¯s one more thing.¡± Kou Ruozhi spoke again. ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Yan glanced at him. The person Kou Ruozhi feared the most was not Su Lingxiu but Xu Yan. Hence, in front of Xu Yan, he always proceeded with caution, afraid of displeasing Xu Yan. ¡°There¡¯s someone in Tieshan County looking for information regarding the two of you. It seems to be quite urgent.¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong frowned. Who in Tieshan County would be looking for information about them? Meng Shushu! ¡°What happened to our family? Are they being chased by the man in the black robe again?¡± Meng Chong curiously asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Kou Ruozhi shook his head. ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 visit our family. I can also deliver the elixirs at the same time.¡± Meng Chong immediately made a decision. Meng Shushu is a spiritual medicine scout. Has he discovered another spiritual medicine treasure and couldn¡¯t get in himself? Kou Ruozhi reported the situation and began to prepare for his journey to the Inner Domain. Su Lingxiu was busy as well. Xu Yan traveled back and forth between Donghe County and the capital of Qi Country. Since they were moving to the Inner Domain, his family would be moving with him. The inner Domain was not as desolate as the frontier. Even in Iron Mountain County, there was a certain amount of danger. However, the danger wasn¡¯t too significant. After all, the only grandmaster in Iron Mountain County was the one in charge of Tianbao Pavilion. Iron Mountain County was a desolate place, so the Grandmaster stationed there was only a third-rate Grandmaster. Even Red Cat could defeat him. Xu Junhe had already reached the peak of the Blood Qi Realm and wasn¡¯t far from its completion. Breaking into the Innate Realm would need a lot more time. Nonetheless, being at the peak of the Blood Qi Realm made him one of the top experts in Iron Mountain County. Li Xuan looked at his busy disciples, feeling somewhat lamented. It was time to leave the frontier and head into the Inner Domain. ¡°It¡¯s about time for a change of scenery. I wonder if 1 could find a suitable disciple in the Inner Domain,¡± Li Xuan thought. As frontiersmen martial artists move into the Inner Domain, the martial arts also spread to the Inner Domain. Would this lead to a dispute over martial arts? The news that Xu Yan had slain a grandmaster in the Inner Domain spread across the land, shaking the entire Inner Domain. In the Seven-star Study Palace, Fu Yuntian sighed in his heart. Xu Yan was truly a monster, for his power had now surpassed him. And how old was he? At this moment, he remembered the scene of Xu Yan debating martial arts with a dozen scholarly warriors. ¡°Iron bone, copper bone, gold bone, jade bone¡­ Thunderous trains, vigorous blood¡­ Blood Qi Realm, Innate Realm.¡± Fu Yuntian murmured to himself. The martial arts described by Xu Yan weren¡¯t just made up! He wasn¡¯t merely a Grandmaster, he was an expert of the Innate Realm! Those who debated martial arts with Xu Yan had been constantly arguing ever since. They all accused Xu Yan of shamelessly making up martial arts theories at random. Others believed that what Xu Yan described wasn¡¯t without basis, but was instead a complete theory that seemed to truly exist. Those scholars of martial arts kept arguing incessantly, declaring their intention to find Xu Yan and challenge him to another debate. As a matter of fact, due to conflicting beliefs on whether Xu Yan¡¯s theories were made up or did exist, those scholars had several sparring sessions amongst themselves. When the news of Xu Yan slaying a grandmaster reached them, the scholars stopped their debates and started questioning their lives. Some even came to challenge Fu Yuntian. They wanted to test if their martial arts could also defeat a higher realm. As expected, they were all suppressed by a single palm from Fu Yuntian. News of this slowly spread, and grandmasters who were also scholars of martial arts joined the discussion. They pondered day and night, trying to understand the martial arts theory Xu Yan had put forth. According to Xu Yan¡¯s explanation, his Innate Realm theoretically corresponded to the Grandmaster Realm, but he managed to defeat a Grandmaster across realms! Wasn¡¯t this martial art stronger than the one they were practicing? Fu Yuntian exhaled, murmuring under his breath, ¡°I feel like something is going to happen. Those guys are martial arts fanatics. They¡¯ll stop at nothing in pursuit of the martial arts.¡± The Scholars at the Seven-star Study Palace were all obsessed with martial arts. They were well equipped with a profound knowledge of it, and the Palace offered them the perfect environment for the research. Therefore, they remained at the Seven-star Study Palace, prohibiting anyone from disturbing them. That was why they had once struck back at the dynasty that coveted the Palace. Fu Yuntian felt somewhat troubled. He shouldn¡¯t have allowed Xu Yan to debate martial arts with the scholars in the first place. Now these scholars might leave the Seven-star Study Palace to find Xu Yan for the purpose of researching the martial arts he elucidated. -1 have to talk to Xu Yan,¡± Fu Yuntian thought as he sighed. As for suppressing Xu Yan? That was against the principles of the Seven-star Study Palace, and they might not even have the ability to do so. Since Xu Yan had slain a Grandmaster, some time had passed. His strength might have improved even further. Only by understanding the transformation of Xu Yan¡¯s strength over time, could one truly comprehend his power and abnormality. Then another piece of news arrived. Huo Tu, one of the nine Demon Lords of the Demon Sect, announced his intention to kill Xu Yan on Canglan Island. In the end, he arrived at Canglan Island only to find that Xu Yan was not there. He was furious, threatening to destroy Canglan Island and kill everyone related to Xu Yan if he did not show up to face his death. Fu Yuntian looked at the envelope in his hand which contained information about Canglan Island. ¡°Huo Tu, the Demon Lord, along with two other peak grandmasters, is this a coalition amassed to eliminate the threatening Xu Yan, the mysterious man in black?¡± After pondering for a while, Fu Yuntian summoned a carrier pigeon, wrote a letter, and let it fly away. ¡°Such a powerful hidden force, there are only a few in the entire Inner Domain. Who does this man in black work for?¡± Fu Yuntian mused. This was an opportunity to establish a good relationship with Xu Yan.. Chapter 274 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Can we trace the force behind the black-robed people? In a small courtyard of Seven-star Study Palace, Du Yuying looked at the person before her and asked. ¡°No!¡± The man shook his head. After pondering for a moment, Du Yuying said, ¡°Go to the Tianbao Pavilion and ask if there is any information about the black-robed people. ¡°Miss, such a powerful dark force, even if the Tianbao Pavilion knows, they should have some agreement with them and not disclose it. ¡°Even if Tianbao Pavilion is willing to disclose, we may not be able to afford it!¡± The man sighed. After a moment of silence, Du Yuying asked, ¡°Have they found that place yet? And the spiritual medicine 1 need?¡± ¡°Miss, we have found the spiritual medicine. As for that place, we only have a clue and are still investigating.¡± The man replied. ¡°Give me the spiritual medicine. And find out where that place is as soon as possible.¡± She said while massaging her forehead. ¡°Yes!¡± In Wushuang Pavilion, a woman in plain clothes asked her master, ¡°Master, who are these black-robed people?¡± With a helpless look on his face, the Wushuang Great Grandmaster said, ¡°My dear pupil, the black-robed people are very powerful, try not to provoke them.¡± She felt a bit of a headache. Her disciple was really determined to win the heart of Xu Yan. ¡°I don¡¯t want to provoke them, I just want to get their information.¡± The woman in simple clothes said calmly. ¡°There¡¯s no news for now.¡± The Wushuang Great Grandmaster shook his head. ¡°Xu Yan has been silent for a long time. After Canglan Island was occupied by Huo Tu, the Demon Lord, he didn¡¯t show any reaction. Did Xu Yan decide to hold back for now?¡± The Wushuang Great Grandmaster pondered and added. ¡°Master, do you think Xu Yan is the kind to hold back? The woman in plain clothes laughed lightly. The Wushuang Great Grandmaster was stunned for a moment. He visualized the proud figure of Xu Yan in his mind. He was a very arrogant man who would never retreat. His current absence could only mean one thing. He didn¡¯t know about the situation on Canglan Island. ¡°Has he secluded himself to improve his strength?¡± The Wushuang Great Grandmaster wondered. ¡°When Xu Yan takes action again, would he be slaughtering a peak Great Grandmaster? Killing the Demon Lord, Huo Tu?¡± Thinking of this made her feel a tremor in her heart. While all the powers and formidable figures of the Inner Domain were waiting to see how Xu Yan would respond to the Demon Lord Huo Tu, Xu Yan, who was at the edge of the domain, was busy moving to the Inner Domain. Kou Ruozhi had already led some of the members of Chang Qing Pavilion to the Chang Qing Pavilion in the Inner Domain and started to lay down their roots. Xu Junhe was ambitious again, he wanted to amass a large amount of wealth in the Inner Domain. So, when Su Lingxiu came looking for him, he easily agreed. And Pharmacist Pan, under the guidance of Su Lingxiu, had developed a basic foundation in alchemy. Although he couldn¡¯t complete the alchemy process by himself, he was becoming quite familiar with various alchemy steps. Especially the final step of condensing the pill. After all, he was a pharmacist and had a talent for medicines. He was given temporary responsibility for the alchemy room and also followed Kou Ruozhi to the Inner Domain. Not far from Tieshan County, there stood a large estate that vaguely resembled a small city. A tall building stood out in the estate, drawing the attention of all the forces in Tieshan County. But none of those forces dared to stand in the way, or were greedy for it. The name of Chang Qing Pavilion had spread all over Tieshan County. It was a business force created by a mysterious martial artist, and reportedly, they mainly sold medicines needed for martial artists¡¯ cultivation. The person in charge of Tianbao Pavilion in Tieshan County didn¡¯t care about the establishment of Chang Qing Pavilion, and didn¡¯t think they could compete with Tianbao Pavilion. There were many large and small business forces in the Inner Domain, but they were all small fry in front of Tianbao Pavilion and posed no threat. Even some business forces had to rely on Tianbao Pavilion to survive. As for Chang Qing Pavilion selling medicines for martial artists¡¯ cultivation, Tianbao Pavilion cared even less. Although the medicines of the Tianbao Pavilion were a little pricey, their effects could not be compared with the medicines sold by other business forces. The behemoth that was Tianbao Pavilion never oppressed other business forces, because they simply did not need to and there was no need to. In fact, many business forces bought their supplies from Tianbao Pavilion. Meng Shushu looked at the grand estate of Chang Qing Pavilion with a frown on his face. He was hesitant about whether to scout it out, but was afraid of exposing himself. He had been in Tieshan County for quite some time, looking for news about Xu Yan and Meng Chong, but without any success. This made him feel a bit anxious. ¡°Where on earth are Senior Brother Xu and Brother Meng? I reached out to the Sword Master Cliff to send a message, but they haven¡¯t responded yet.¡± Meng Shushu felt quite helpless. The contact information he was given didn¡¯t prove useful in contacting Xu Yan and Meng Chong. He had no choice but to come to Tieshan County himself, but still came up with nothing. In his anxiousness, he even started to look for a burly, bald-headed teenager. That day, he noticed that the man from Chang Qing Pavilion seemed somewhat surprised. ¡°Should 1 scout it out? I can¡¯t stay here for much longer, or it will be dangerous if my trail is discovered.¡± Meng Shushu pondered. If he continued searching for news about Meng Chong, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of the black-robed people, as Meng Chong was easily recognizable. However, Xu Yan¡¯s fame overshadowed Meng Chong¡¯s and all attention was centered on Xu Yan. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll look it up. Whether 1 get results or not, 1 have to leave Tieshan County!¡± Meng Chong gritted his teeth, stood up, and was about to inquire inside Chang Qing Pavilion. All of a sudden, his shoulder sank! A hand was placed on his shoulder.. Meng Shushu was taken aback and was just about to make a move to get away when he heard a voice, ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Chapter 275 Translator: 549690339 It¡¯s Meng Chong! Meng Shushu¡¯s face darkened; looking up at Meng Chong, he said annoyedly, ¡°Can¡¯t you make some noise? You almost scared me to death!¡± He found it hard to accept; he was a Grandmaster Martial Artist after all and someone had gotten close to him without him noticing at all! Meng Chong¡¯s strength seemed to have become even stronger. ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re so jumpy. Have you been chased again? By the man in the black cloak?¡± Meng Chong asked cheerfully. ¡°I haven¡¯t been chased yet.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head. He looked around and asked, ¡°Where is Senior Brother Xu?¡± ¡°My senior brother is busy with something. If you need something, just tell me.¡± Meng Chong said while patting his shoulder. ¡°This matter can¡¯t be resolved without Senior Brother Xu.¡± Meng Shushu said helplessly. ¡°Really, does it involve the Great Grandmaster?¡± Meng Chong raised an eyebrow. He then clenched his fist and said menacingly, ¡°Where is the Great Grandmaster? I¡¯d like to vent some anger!¡± ¡°Brother Meng, have you had a breakthrough?¡± Meng Shushu asked in surprise. Meng Chong¡¯s confidence must mean he had gotten much stronger. ¡°Quite so. I should have no problem beating up the Great Grandmaster.¡± Meng Chong touched his head, saying arrogantly. ¡°We still need to find Senior Brother Xu. This is not an ordinary matter.¡± Despite Meng Chong¡¯s breakthrough, Meng Shushu still lacked confidence. ¡°Be specific, what is the matter?¡± Meng Chong frowned. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, 1 owe you and Senior Brother Xu a Bag of Holding, right? To buy a Bag of Holding as soon as possible, I exhausted every means to hunt for Spiritual Medicine, and actually found a treasure land¡­¡± After parting ways with Xu Yan and Meng Chong, Meng Shushu weighed his options and realized he couldn¡¯t continue to be lazy. He had to strive hard to break through into becoming a Great Grandmaster. He set his teeth and started hunting for Spiritual Medicine. By using a variety of secret techniques and methods to find Spiritual Medicine passed down in his family, he finally discovered a treasure land, where there was a very high possibility of sixth-grade Spiritual Medicine. Overjoyed, Meng Shushu was about to enter the treasure place when he discovered a powerful force lay hidden there. If so, Meng Shushu would have simply retreated as many treasure places are claimed by other forces, which is normal. And many forces would build their Sects on such places. But the force occupying this place was the Black Cloak Force! He was about to retreat when he saw a man in a black cloak emerge from a stone wall. In the flash of a glance, he saw a small grass growing in the stone wall which was very similar to a kind of fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine. The man in black was a Grandmaster Martial Artist. Meng Shushu felt his strength was slightly better than the man¡¯s but just as he was considering to make a move, he discovered there was a secret room within the stone wall. A powerful aura came from the secret room. Terrified, Meng Shushu had to retreat cautiously. After leaving the treasure place, he began to look for Xu Yan and Meng Chong. ¡°That person might be a peak Great Grandmaster!¡± Meng Shushu said solemnly. ¡°Could that be the Black Cloak¡¯s hideout?¡± A cold light flashed across Meng Chong¡¯s eyes. No wonder Meng Shushu wanted to find his senior brother. A peak Great Grandmaster, after all, with his current strength, he was not afraid of a peak Great Grandmaster, but victory would not be achieved in a short time. If he hadn¡¯t accumulated a deep foundation, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat a peak Great Grandmaster. If that really was the Black Cloak¡¯s hideout, there might be more than one peak Great Grandmaster there. Only with his senior brother¡¯s help could they take them all down! ¡°Cousin, are you sure there¡¯s fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine there?¡± Meng Chong immediately asked excitedly. ¡°Eighty percent certainty!¡± Meng Shushu said solemnly. ¡°The Black Cloak people are really rich!¡± Meng Chong couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. ¡°Cousin, this matter does not need to be rushed. The hideout won¡¯t move. You did an excellent job, continue working hard towards getting the Bag of Holding and fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine. ¡°You have to believe in yourself. Being a Great Grandmaster is not the end. If you lose your ambition, you won¡¯t be able to break through.¡± Meng Chong patted Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulder encouragingly. ¡°I will try my best. 1 will try to find more Spiritual Medicine.¡± Meng Shushu said with lack of certainty. ¡°This is a pill made with Sky Essence marrow. It can enhance your talent and perception, its effect is much stronger than eating Sky Essence marrow. I promised you one and I will not go back on my word.¡± Meng Chong smiled and took out the Sky Marrow pill. As long as Meng Shushu took this pill and tasted its benefits, he would surely be motivated. ¡°Is this the pill?¡± Meng Shushu looked at the Heavenly Spinal Pill inside the jade bottle in shock, one could tell that the pill was extraordinary at first glance! ¡°Correct, find a place to take the pill. If you need to find me in the future, go to the Chang Qing Pavilion.¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Okay!¡± Meng Shushu nodded, eager to try the effects of the pill. When back at the border, Meng Chong found Su Lingxiu and informed her about Meng Shushu¡¯s news. ¡°Is it really the Black Robed people¡¯s nest?¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°Not sure, it might just be a treasure land they control that has a powerful figure stationed.¡± Meng Chong said, shaking his head. ¡°It seems there¡¯s a Grade Five Spiritual Medicine there. I and Senior Brother will definitely bring it back.¡± The value and magical effectiveness of Grade Five Spiritual Medicine can be seen from the Heavenly Spinal Pill. ¡°I¡¯m troubled you, Senior Brother.¡± Su Lingxiu was very touched. Three days later. ¡°Master, I am going back to the Inner Domain.¡± Su Lingxiu massaged her master¡¯s shoulders as she said. ¡°Hmm, then go to the Inner Domain.¡± Li Xuan nodded. It was time to go to the Inner Domain. That was the place where the Martial Arts world resided. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Li Xuan stood up, waved his hand and placed a chair on the back of Red Cat. Shi¡¯er was hanging two large baskets onto Red Cat, which attracted an angry look from Red Cat. Shi¡¯er¡¯s mouth twitched. This big cat was stronger than him. ¡°Red Cat, the things in these baskets aren¡¯t mine. This basket contains the master¡¯s books and belongings, and this basket contains the young lady¡¯s things. If you are unwilling to carry them, in the future, you might¡­¡± Shi¡¯er reluctantly said. Red Cat glanced at him as soon as he heard it, seemingly blaming him for not saying it earlier. ¡°This fat tiger is actually becoming smarter. It couldn¡¯t possibly be turning into a big demon, right?¡± Shi¡¯er cursed silently. Li Xuan sat on the chair on Red Cat¡¯s back, and he even put a small table in front of the chair and made a pot of Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea along with some cakes. These cakes were made by Su Lingxiu using alchemy and spirit fruit to show her gratitude to her master. With Red Cat¡¯s size, having a chair and small table on its back was still spacious. Su Lingxiu also got on Red Cat¡¯s back and sat behind Li Xuan. As she massaged her master¡¯s shoulders, she cheerfully asked, ¡°Master, how does the spirit cake taste?¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Master, going to the Inner Domain, there is a possibility that my identity could be exposed. I¡¯m afraid it might trouble you.¡± Su Lingxiu said softly. ¡°Trouble? For your master, there is no such thing as trouble, just as this ant.¡± Li Xuan lifted his hand, and on one of his fingers, an ant was crawling. He pinched his fingers together, and the little ant was crushed into dust. You see, can this ant cause trouble for your master?¡± Su Lingxiu was startled, then overwhelmed with excitement, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve overthought.¡± In her master¡¯s eyes, her enemies, even if they are peak Grandmasters, are nothing more than ants. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand, but for your master, I¡¯m actually quite lazy. Even though it¡¯s only an ant, I¡¯m too lazy to crush it.¡± Li Xuan nodded, and then added. Although, with his strength, a group of Grandmasters could be easily crushed with a wave of his hand. He was worried that his disciple felt she had a strong backing and provoked Martial Artists above the level of Grandmaster. That would be a real nuisance. Of course, Li Xuan thought that with his current strength, even Martial Artists above the Grandmaster level should not be his match. He was afraid of more advanced Martial Artists. Whether they exist in the Inner Domain is unknown, the elder from Wu Country that was possessed was obviously not something a Grandmaster could do. Such strong beings may not be in the Inner Domain, but they certainly exist. Master, I understand, I won¡¯t deliberately invite trouble.¡± Su Lingxiu said happily. Red Cat, carrying Li Xuan and Su Lingxiu, entered the endless mountains to head to the Inner Domain. Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying followed by their side. Subsequently, Xu Yan and Meng Chong also arrived. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan also came to say goodbye, both of them were to return to Sword Grandmaster Cliff to collect the spiritual medicine they owe for the Heavenly Spinal Pill. In ten days to half a month, they will deliver the spiritual medicine. As they looked back, the frontier was getting further away, and the Inner Domain was right in front of them. From today onwards, they would truly step into the Martial Arts world of the Inner Domain. The Martial Artists of the border had taken their first step towards the Inner Domain.. Chapter 276 Translator: 549690339 Outside Tieshan County, the Chang Qing Pavilion was brightly lit. A gigantic tiger arrived under the cover of night, unnoticed by anyone outside the Chang Qing Pavilion. Li Xuan and his companions entered the Inner Domain. They did not hide their presence, but neither did they make a grand spectacle. Nobody knew they had come from Dahua. Xu Junhe and Kou Ruozhi, among others, had already arrived and were waiting. The Red Cat strode into the mansion without stopping, heading directly for the innermost courtyard. This tranquil and elegant area was set up for Li Xuan. ¡°Do what needs to be done,¡± he said. Li Xuan dismounted from the Red Cat, moved chairs and a table into the courtyard under a large tree, and waved his hand. ¡°Yes, master!¡± Su Lingxiu began to arrange affairs for the Chang Qing Pavilion. The sale of the spiritual medicine, how to maximize profit, and a series of other matters were awaiting her attention. ¡°Master, I need to go out with my junior brother,¡± Xu Yan respectfully said to his master. ¡°Go, with me here, what are grandmasters and great grandmasters? They are just like little ants!¡± Li Xuan nodded his head. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were going out again to slay a great grandmaster. Li Xuan could again receive feedback from the Golden Finger. Moreover, Xu Yan¡¯s jostling in the world of martial arts would facilitate his enlightenment. And it would be beneficial for him to increase his strength. ¡°Thankyou, master!¡± Xu Yan was looking forward to it. That treasure place harbored Rank Five spiritual medicine. Indeed, killing black-robed individuals could make one wealthy! Apart from the black-robe people¡¯s treasure place, the haughty Demon Lord Huo Tu on Canglan Island also needed to be dealt with. For being so audacious, he must be tired of living. ¡°Senior Brother, shall we go to Canglan Island to kill the Demon Lord, or should we first go to the hideout of the black-robed people?¡± asked Meng Chong after leaving the Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°Canglan Island is not in a hurry. Let¡¯s first go to the black-robed people¡¯s hideout to see if it is truly their lair. We can gain another windfall. As for Canglan Island, let Demon Lord Huo Tu live a few more days. And as one of the nine demon lords, his wealth should not be underestimated. ¡°I must not kill him for nothing. Let him prepare a million spirit crystals before I kill him!¡± said Xu Yan with a sly smile. Demon Lord Huo Tu will definitely produce a million spirit crystals for his appearance. Besides, Canglan Island may not only be home to Demon Lord Huo Tu. Those who desperately want to kill him will definitely pay a considerable price. ¡°I wonder if Demon Lord Huo Tu has a treasure satchel,¡± said Xu Yan curiously. One of the Nine Demon Lords, famous and awe-inspiring, perhaps he has a treasure satchel? ¡°He should drop everything before the fight. So as not to destroy everything if he fights too hard,¡± said Meng Chong excitedly. He had long been coveting a treasure satchel, but has not seen it till now. In a small courtyard in Tieshan County, Meng Shushu was extremely excited. After refining the Tian Sui Dan, he found that his own aptitude had increased. The familial secret technique that he had not understood before was suddenly understood now. ¡°This is the power of the pill!¡± One Tian Sui Dan greatly increased his aptitude and perception. Even if he took a whole Tian Sui stem, it would not have this effect. As a descendant of a family that seeks spiritual medicine, Meng Shushu naturally knew about the effect of the Tian Sui. ¡°Are there cultivation pills? If there are, won¡¯t I be able to break through to a great grandmaster soon?¡± Meng Shushu was extremely excited. ¡°You must work hard to find spiritual medicines. You must strive and explore, the more the better!¡± At this moment, Meng Shushu seemed to be on fire. ¡°Uncle, you can go now.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s voice came from outside the house. ¡°I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming!¡± Meng Shushu was so excited that he hurriedly opened the door and went out. ¡°Senior Brother Xu, Brother Meng, do you have any cultivation pills?¡± Seeing the excited and high-spirited Meng Shushu, Meng Chong grinned, threw him a bottle, and said, ¡°Inside is a Yuan Qi Pill, which aids in cultivation. Uncle, from now on, you must work hard. The more work you do, the more pills you will get. You must know that these pills are very difficult to refine.¡± He began to present Meng Shushu with a pie in the sky, making Meng Shushu¡¯s blood boil, wishing he could immediately go and find spiritual medicine, not resting for a moment! Xu Yan patted Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Pill refining is not easy, and the consumption of spiritual medicine is great. The higher the rank of the spiritual medicine, the scarcer it is, so you must work hard. The more six-rank spiritual medicines, and five-rank spiritual medicines, the better.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Senior Brother Xu! From now on, I, Meng Shushu, will never slack off, I will fight day and night. I will never let you down!¡± Meng Shushu patted his chest excitedly. ¡°Well, I am very gratified that you have this fighting spirit.¡± Xu Yan nodded in satisfaction and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a special offer, a six- rank spiritual medicine for a bottle of Yuan Qi pills, three five-rank spiritual medicines for a pill of the same rank as the Tian Sui Pill!¡± ¡°Thankyou, Senior Brother Xu!¡± Meng Shushu was extremely excited. ¡°Let¡¯s go, where is the treasure? We¡¯ll set off now,¡± Xu Yan waved his hand. ¡°Okay, follow me. The treasure is still very far away from here, close to the boundary of Yan Country¡­¡± Meng Shushu said solemnly. The three men left Tieshan County, heading straight for the treasure occupied by the black-robed people. At the border, in Qi Country. With Li Xuan¡¯s entry into the Inner Domain and the Xu Family¡¯s move into the Inner Domain, the martial artists of Dahua all knew that the place they were in was just a desolate region without martial arts. The more they knew, the more they were grateful to the martial arts saint, the heroic Dahua, who brought martial arts to Dahua, enabling the people of Dahua to stand tall. Although Xu Junhe had entered the Inner Domain, the Xu Family was not left unattended. After all, as the holy land of Dahua¡¯s martial arts world, it still needed martial artists to preside, to give some instruction to Dahua¡¯s martial arts practitioners, and to consolidate the heart of Dahua¡¯s martial arts. Chapter 277 Translator: 549690339 | In the royal capital of Qi Country, is the emperor¡¯s study room. Emperor Qi has indeed started to practice martial arts, but the progress is slow. After all, he is getting old, and even with the nourishment of precious medicine, he still feels the difficulty of martial arts. Especially when he first started to strengthen his bones, the unbearable itching and pain would be unbearable for those who did not have strong willpower. Martial Arts is not something that everyone can cultivate. However, after encountering many setbacks recently, Emperor Qi¡¯s willpower has significantly strengthened, allowing him to endure until now. He has already started to strengthen his bones. This is a rather slow pace. Among the princes, it turns out that the eldest prince has the most unyielding will and is most suitable for practicing martial arts. He easily overcame the pain of strengthening bones. The Third Prince fares much worse, as he can¡¯t bear the discomfort for long whenever he strengthens his bones. As such, his progress is slow. Now, the eldest prince¡¯s bones have been tempered to the strength of metal, and he has perfected this phase. He has started the organ strengthening stage. The eldest prince has been spanked several times after all, his pain tolerance has been trained to a high level, surpassing other pampered princes. In the study, Guo Rongshan has arrived, carrying a box in his hand. ¡°Brother Guo, what brings you here so late?¡± Emperor Qi asked curiously. Guo Rongshan opened the box that was on the table, inside were three jade bottles. ¡°Your Majesty, these are pills necessary for cultivation. They are for bone strengthening, organ strengthening, and blood regeneration.¡± The Emperor Qi looked at him questioningly. He naturally knew about the Guo family¡¯ s possession of medicinal pills, but they were personal items given by Xu Yan. No one dared to covet them. Today, they offered to give him medicinal pills? ¡°Brother Guo, should you have any matter to discuss, you may decide. I won¡¯t have any objections.¡± Emperor Qi carefully said. Guo Rongshan, with a calm expression, slowly spoke. ¡°I am supposed to be a highly moral person, so I feel a tremendous amount of pressure at all times to do real and helpful things for the border people, to strengthen our border region¡­¡± Emperor Qi has become stern. What Guo Rongshan was referring to was not Qi Country, but the border region! It means that his vision was not confined to Qi Counry alone, but encompasses the entire border region! Guo Rongshan continued, ¡°The term ¡®Border Region¡¯ is merely a term used by the people of the Inner Domain. The land where we live is barren and primitive, thus it has been referred to as the border region. But can we just settle for this forever? ¡°My son-in-law, Xu Junhe, has already entered the Inner Domain to develop. From henceforth, can we just settle for remaining in the border region? ¡°We, the people of the border region, must unite so that we can secure a foothold in the inner domain. Our martial arts from the border region comes from the compassion of our ancestors. ¡°We must hold the conviction to occupy a place in the inner domain, and pass on the martial arts techniques of our ancestors. ¡°So, to unite our border people, I propose that Qi Country and Wu Country merge into one, and we no longer call ourselves the border region, but instead Dahua, a resplendent, great nation.¡± Upon hearing this, Emperor Qi of Qi Country abruptly stood up, his face greatly changing as he exclaimed in shock, ¡°Brother Guo, are you trying to exterminate Qi Country?¡± ¡°Why is Your Majesty so insistent on keeping Qi as a country? It is but a small country in the border region. Dahua is the right path. Only by entering the Inner Domain and establishing a foothold can one achieve eternal greatness. ¡°The name of Qi may be gone, but You will always remain a sovereign.¡± Guo Rongshan looked calmly at the Emperor Qi. In the study room, all was silent. Emperor Qi¡¯s expression changed, as though he was contemplating something. After quite a while, he took a deep breath and said, ¡°Would the Emperor of Wu agree to this?¡± ¡°He will agree,¡± Guo Rongshan replied calmly. ¡°In this vast land of Dahua, if there¡¯s no Qi or Wu, then who will rule?¡± the Emperor Qi asked solemnly. ¡°When Dahua is first established, there will be two emperors ruling the kingdom. The Northern Emperor is you, and the Southern Emperor is the Emperor of Wu. I propose the establishment of the Dahua Inner Council to mediate between the North and the South. I am willing to serve as the first Great Elder of the Inner Council.¡± Guo Rongshan took out a proposal and put it on the table, inviting Emperor Qi to take a look. Emperor Qi was thoughtful. Guo Rongshan was not going to rebel, yet he wanted to become the Great Elder of the Inner Council. Dahua would have two emperors, both from the North and the South, with him mediating in the center, which clearly placed him above the two emperors. The Emperor of Wu was younger than him and was ambitious. Would he agree to this? While reading the proposal, Emperor Qi was contemplating whether to secretly contact the Emperor of Wu. After closing the proposal, there was a long silence from Emperor Qi. ¡°Dahua will unite our people, the name ¡®border region¡¯ has not yet spread widely. We should seize this opportunity to propagate the name Dahua. We are all people of Dahua, Dahua represents the origin of the world. Therefore, we are the rightful heirs!¡± Guo Rongshan spoke up, ¡°Your Majesty, this is the inevitable course of events!¡± Emperor Qi exhaled, knowing he could not resist. The unstoppable force was already set in motion with the emergence of Martial Arts. Guo Rongshan and perhaps Xu Junhe have probably been pushing this forward behind the scenes. In fact, Emperor Qi suspected that the establishment of Dahua was probably engineered by Xu Junhe! ¡°Now that Dahua has been initially established, how will the Emperor of Dahua be determined after the two emperors of the North and South? Will it continue to be divided between the North and South?¡± Emperor Qi asked in a deep voice. ¡°The second generation emperor of Dahua will be chosen from the royal families of the original Qi Country and Wu Country. Whoever gains the support of the majority of the Dahua populace and more backing from the cabinet, will become the Emperor of Dahua!¡± Guo Rongshan calmly declared. Emperor Qi fell silent. If it came to this, the Emperor of Dahua, though nominally the ruler of Dahua, would be constrained by the cabinet and could not truly dominate everything. This was a type of balance. Looking at the calm expression on Guo Rongshan, Emperor Qi gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Brother Guo, remember that we are sworn brothers, so please look out for the royal family of my Qi Country.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, rest assured, I am inclined towards you.¡± Guo Rongshan nodded. ¡°As long as the Emperor of Wu does not object, I naturally will not object!¡± Emperor Qi said solemnly. ¡°Your Majesty, rest assured, the Emperor of Wu won¡¯t object.¡± Guo Rongshan smiled. A few days later, news swept through the borderland. The Emperor of Wu announced the abolishment of the name of Wu Country, merging with Qi Country to establish Dahua! The next day, Emperor Qi also announced the abolishment of the name of Qi Country, merging with Wu Country to establish Dahua. Simultaneously, the Dahua Cabinet was established, with Guo Rongshan as the Head Elder. At the same time, several important ministers from Wu Country joined the cabinet and became members of it. The force of the Qi Country was renamed Dahua Might and was under the rule of the cabinet, responsible for safeguarding Dahua. The former Wu Country¡¯s Tiaxuan Guard was renamed Tiaxuan Force, also belonged to the Dahua Cabinet, and was considered on par with Dahua Might in terms of responsibility. Next, the Dahua Cabinet issued new laws. All martial artists in Dahua were required to respect the Great Dahua¡¯s Martial Arts Saint, the Great Dahua¡¯s Martial Ancestor, and uphold the glory of Great Dahua¡¯s Martial Arts. The Martial Arts cultivation techniques were widely disseminated in Dahua. Dahua, divided into North and South emperors, Emperor Qi remained in Qi Country and the Emperor of Wu remained in Wu Country. They did not interfere with each other, with only the Dahua Cabinet handling the affairs of both countries. A new era has arrived in the borderland! Everyone is leaning towards martial arts. Everyone is grateful for the blessings of the Martial Ancestor¡¯s teachings and is striving for the rise of Dahua! Gradually, it was said throughout Dahua, ¡°the Inner Domain, is not just for the people of the Inner Domain. We, the people of Dahua, should also have a place in it!¡± ¡°Dahua, the land of the origin of heaven and earth, we the people of Dahua, are also the rightful lineages!¡± In Tie Shan County, Li Xuan had just come out of Tianbao Pavilion, feeling that Tianbao Pavilion really knew how to do business, like a major inland capital. Just returning to the Chang Qing Pavilion and sitting down in a chair. A golden light emerged and said: ¡°Investing your written Martial Arts, widely spread in Dahua, you¡¯re being revered as the Great Dahua¡¯s Martial Ancestor, you acquire The Ancestor¡¯s Heart+The Ancestor¡¯s Aspect.¡± Li Xuan was immediately surprised and looked at the borderlands. Such radical changes happened just after he had left? Dahua? Has the borderland finally unified? ¡°The Ancestor¡¯s Heart?¡± Li Xuan was greatly stirred, he vaguely understood why there was a response from the Golden Finger. The borderland, due to the Martial Arts he spread, had entered a new era, and Martial Arts had become something everyone was looking forward to, revering him as the Great Dahua¡¯s Martial Ancestor. The Ancestor¡¯s Heart, has the ability to absorb Martial Arts methods into the practitioner, increasing their ability to create new Martial Arts methods. The higher the realm, the stronger the power of The Ancestor¡¯s Heart could be displayed. And The Ancestor¡¯s Aspect is that anyone who practices the Martial Arts he created would inevitably worship and admire him deep down, and revere him! ¡°It¡¯s playing out big. Now I¡¯ve really become a Martial Ancestor!¡± Li Xuan was a little shocked. The establishment of Dahua felt like something Xu Junhe would do. Chapter 278 Translator: 549690339 Dahua¡¯s establishment was indeed through the efforts of Xu Junhe. When Li Xuan focused for a moment, he heard the conversation between Xu Junhe and Kou Ruozhi in the Chang Qing Pavilion. The two were discussing how to stake a claim in the Inner Domain. Tieshan County, part of the Lanping territory of the Da Yue Kingdom, is the first hurdle if Dahua dreams of gaining a foothold in the Inner Domain. The initial establishment of Dahua was not formidable, having less than a hundred Martial Artists. To resist the suppression of the Da Yue Kingdom was difficult. Thus, the two figured out they need to proceed slowly, waiting for their power to grow without rushing to establish the name of Dahua. ¡°Brother Xu, isn¡¯t this origin of heaven and earth, Dahua is an orthodoxy,¡¯ an easy way to irritate those in the Inner Domain? Aren¡¯t we playing too big a game?¡± Kou Ruozhi said with some worry. Originally a remote and uncivilized land, the statement ¡®origin of heaven and earth, Dahua is an orthodoxy¡¯ claiming that Dahua as the orthodoxy of the world is certainly provocative to the Inner Domain. Those who originally sat by and watched the dispute between Dahua and Da Yue Kingdom are likely unable to resist taking action against Dahua. However, Xu Junhe merely smiled slightly and said: ¡°What you said is correct. But Dahua is what I mentioned, not the border. The Inner Domain can also be Dahua, cannot it?¡± Kou Ruozhi twitched at the corner of his mouth, ¡°The Inner Domain has to approve it!¡± ¡°With more people practicing Dahlia¡¯s Martial Arts, there will naturally be approval. Just a matter of time.¡± Xu Junhe said cheerfully. Li Xuan, who was listening to their conversation, muttered to himself that Dahlia¡¯s entry to the Inner Domain is going to bring about a storm of Martial Arts. After a round of fighting, if they find that Dahlia¡¯s Martial Arts is stronger than the Inner Domain Martial Arts, it can be imagined that the young people of the Inner Domain who desire to pursue Martial Arts will, of course, choose to practice Dahlia¡¯s Martial Arts. Why practice Martial Arts? Isn¡¯t it for strength, for living longer? No one would abandon the cultivation of a powerful martial art, only to learn a weaker one. In this phase of the intertwining of two kinds of Martial Arts, a storm is bound to be set off in the Inner Domain. But this storm is still too far away for him. In the short term, it can¡¯t be stirred up. Dahua is still too weak now, crossing the line of a hundred Martial Artists only now. ¡°If the Inner Domain became all Dahua, with my created Martial Arts taking over the existing ones, what feedback would I receive?¡± As Li Xuan thought about this, he couldn¡¯t help but look forward to it. People like Xu Junhe, Kou Ruozhi, Guo Rongshan, Emperor Qi, The Emperor of Wu, are not fools. They know that Dahua is weak and wouldn¡¯t rashly clash with the Inner Domain. Instead, they would slowly infiltrate and gradually strengthen themselves. Xu Yan and Meng Chong are sure to become representatives of Dahlia¡¯s Martial Arts. The more distinguished the two become, the more practitioners they¡¯ll draw to Dahlia¡¯s Martial Arts. The establishment of Dahua, as well as Tieshan County¡¯s quiet transformation because of the arrival of the Chang Qing Pavilion, were unbeknownst to Xu Yan and Meng Chong who were en route to a place rich in Spiritual Medicine. The three of them finally arrived at the outskirts of the treasure land. ¡°Senior Brother Xu, do you see that mountain range? There¡¯s a valley there with a deep pool. Spiritual Energy accumulates within the valley, forming a treasure land where Spiritual Medecine grows. ¡°The water from the pool gushes from underground, rich with the Spiritual Energy of the Earth, making it better suited for the growth of Spiritual Medecine. The cliffs in the valley are where the people in black cloaks reside. ¡°There¡¯s a suspicion that within one of those cliff caves, grows a five-grade Spiritual Medicine. And perhaps there¡¯s more than one place within the entire cliff wall where Spiritual Medicine is growing, perhaps there¡¯s more than one five-grade Spiritual Medicine.¡± Meng Shushu pointed to the mountain peak in front of them and said. ¡°If this is really the lair of the people in black cloaks, there must be many strong warriors. We should be cautious, don¡¯t let anyone escape. And if this is only one of their branches, we should absolutely prevent them from sending any messages.¡± Xu Yan said in deep voice. ¡°Killing the flying pigeons will naturally cut off their communication. But these pigeons are fast and extremely sensitive. They would fly away long before strangers approach. ¡°This is one of the methods used by major forces to keep a lookout.¡± Meng Shushu furrowed his brows. Xu Yan and Meng Chong couldn¡¯t help but frown. To cut off communication, they had to kill the pigeons. But to kill them, they would be inevitably stopped by the men in black cloaks. Once they encountered resistance, they might not be able to exterminate all the pigeons. Moreover, they didn¡¯t know where the pigeons were hiding. ¡°Is there anything that could attract these pigeons?¡± Xu Yan asked Meng Shushu. ¡°Pigeons usually eat spiritual beans, but attracting them with unknown beans is almost impossible. These pigeons would not eat unfamiliar spiritual beans.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head. Xu Yan paused for a moment, took out a small bottle, and poured out a few pills, ¡°Do you think these pills could attract the pigeons?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Looking at the pill in his palm, Meng Shushu¡¯s eyes lit up, but he was unsure if they could attract the pigeons. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. Elder Sister says there¡¯s a chance this pill might attract the Mountain Swallowing Toad. If it can attract the toad, why not the pigeon?¡± Xu Yan decided to give it a try. The pill in his hand was one that Su Lingxiu had created for practice. It had the effect of attracting spiritual beasts and might draw the Mountain Swallowing Toad out of hiding. This was a key ingredient to make an storage bag. Xu Yan carried the pill with him, thinking maybe he¡¯d have a chance to catch a Mountain Swallowing Toad and slipped it into his pocket. The three moved forward cautiously. When they were twenty miles from the mountain, Meng Chong and Meng Shushu stayed where they were. Xu Yan advanced alone, making no sound as he approached. Outside the valley, he found a suitable place, crushed a pill, and a unique scent scattered into the air. This scent mingled with the fragrance of grass and trees, making it imperceptible to human noses and not likely to alert the people inside the valley.. Chapter 279 Translator: 549690339 I Xu Yan hid himself in a tree, waiting quietly. Suddenly, a kite appeared and landed in front of the spiritual medicine. ¡°It really works!¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed. The kite was flying low instead of soaring into the sky, not triggering any alarms. No one in the valley would take notice. After all, kites don¡¯t always stay in one place. Only when they soar up high will it be a warning signal, indicating that strangers are approaching. Xu Yan flicked his finger, and a wisp of faint Sword Intent instantly killed the kite, turning it into flying ashes. This wisp of Sword Intent was extremely subtle and disappeared in an instant, just enough to kill the kite without alerting anyone in the valley. Having killed one kite, another one flew in shortly after, followed by another. Xu Yan flicked his fingers, killing all the incoming kites. In total, five kites were killed, and no more appeared. ¡°Only five kites, it¡¯s a bit few. Could this place be just a branch? Or one of the locations occupied by the men in black robes?¡± Xu Yan packed up the crushed spiritual medicine. Returning to Meng Chong, he said, ¡°All the kites have been killed. They can¡¯t send out any messages now. This place may not be the main base of the men in black robes, but a branch instead.¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go straight up. I want to smash the Great Grandmaster!¡± Meng Chong rubbed his hands excitedly. Having been hunted by the Great Grandmaster in black robes for a while, he was fired up for revenge. ¡°Meng Shushu, be careful. Keep an eye out for any that may slip through the net.¡± Xu Yan looked at Meng Shushu and warned solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Senior Brother Xu, I¡¯ll watch on the periphery. If I can, I¡¯ll kill whoever tries to escape.¡± Meng Shushu nodded. Although he said so, Meng Shushu did not believe anyone would manage to escape. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were so fierce that no one from the men in black robes in the valley would stand a chance. The valley was silent, only the sound of a creek flowing from the pool could be heard. The cliff was sometimes covered in moss, if not careful, one would not notice someone living inside. Nor would they discover, hidden within the cliff, spiritual medicine. ¡°Senior Brother, let me make the first move and test them.¡± Although they assumed this was not the main base of the men in black robes, but merely a branch, they still could not be reckless. ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Yan nodded. Meng Chong soared into the sky, heading straight for the valley, not hiding his presence at all. With his appearance, a loud rumble followed, rocks shattered from the cliff and a figure in a black robe appeared. ¡°Someone is here!¡± A Great Grandmaster Martial Artist. And a fully accomplished Great Grandmaster at that. ¡°Give me your Spirit Crystals, hand over the spiritual medicine!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s body was glowing gold, he brandished his precious blade with a ferocious expression. The black-robed man¡¯s gaze gradually turned cold. A stranger appeared, the kites did not signal any alarm and loss their trace, it was obvious the kites had been dealt with by some means by the intruders. ¡°Is it you?!¡± The black-robed man glanced at the bald head and burly figure, and immediately remembered someone. He was the one who saved Meng Shushu, who was pursued by a Great Grandmaster, and in the end, all the pursuing Great Grandmasters were killed! Moreover, the spiritual medicine in the treasure place was plundered! ¡°If you seek death, I¡¯ll fulfill your wish!¡± The black-robed man drew his curved sword, and the aura of a fully-accomplished Great Grandmaster burst forth, creating an atmosphere in the valley as if a storm was forming, like the wrath of heaven! Meng Chong held his blade in his hand, sneered and said, ¡°Today, I will cut you down!¡± Boom! The brilliance of the blade shot across the sky, the storm and thunder intensified, as he released a ferocious chop. His body erupted with a valorous aura, as if it would rip apart the black-robed man¡¯s force! ¡°Not good!¡± The black-robed man turned pale with fear. The opponent¡¯s strength was so formidable! Boom! The curved blade was unleashed, its gleaming light pouring forth, enveloping everything in a storm, blasting out with a mighty force. Boom! The mountainside shattered once again, two figures flying out. They were Great Grandmasters, holding curved blades, joining the grand battle. They formed a three-man siege against Meng Chong. ¡°Just in time!¡± Meng Chong was fearless, exhibiting his Great Sun Golden Body. With his Heavenly Overbearing Blade and Wind Thunder Diamond Fist, he fought against the three without a disadvantage, in fact, growing more battle-hungry, pressing the three Great Grandmasters. After breaking through the Innate Realm, Meng Chong nourished himself for a period of time with the Golden Body Elixir, which strengthened his foundation. His power was far superior to what he had initially. Not to mention a single accomplished Great Grandmaster, even two novice Great Grandmasters, even if he was to be besieged by three accomplished Great Grandmasters, he still held the upper hand. ¡°Cowardly fellows who hide their heads and show their tails, stop hiding. If you don¡¯t make a move, these three are destined to die!¡± Meng Chong was incredibly fierce. He did not even bother to defend against the attacks of two novice Great Grandmasters, letting their attacks pour onto him, yet he remained unscathed. The powerful resistance of the flesh-colored Martial Arts was revealed at this moment. The two novice Great Grandmasters were terrified, while the accomplished Great Grandmaster let out an angry roar, exploding fully with an attack resembling a storm, carrying a terrifying force, seeking to obliterate Meng Chong. However, another attack, a blade light, overwhelmingly dominant, stirred up the wind and lightning, annihilating all the attacks, breaking all offensive forces, attempting to kill him. The two novice Great Grandmasters were both spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, their faces turning instantly pale. They used their Martial Arts secret technique to jointly block Meng Chong¡¯s attack. The accomplished Great Grandmaster, his curved blade suspended mid-air, momentarily pouring all his momentum into the blade, like a heavenly intimidating storm, constantly channeled into the blade. Within just a moment, the curved blade became frostily chilling. The intention of gloomy cold permeated all around, with the blade slashing through the air, instantly shattered into pieces, while in mid-air, a bone-chilling blade light slashed down. After releasing this attack, the accomplished Great Grandmaster turned pale, his breath erratic, staggering a few steps backward. It was visible that this deadly move had cost him somewhat. Meng Chong frowned; at this very moment, he felt as if he was being stared down by a cold eye, a sense of gloomy cold enveloping him, leaving him nowhere to hide or retreat. ¡°So this is his trump card?¡± Meng Chong held his blade, standing as a Great Sun, repelling the gloomy cold. With the storm of wind and lightning before him, the Overbearing Blade Intent emerged with the intention of Wind Thunder Fury. He swung his blade! The terrifying blade light, like a wild blast of wind and lightning, roared out, striking towards that chillingly cold blade light. Boom! The wild storm of wind and lightning, carrying the power of thunder and lightning, the gloomy cold blade light, instantly shattered, the cold dissipating. The wild thunder blade light, in an instant, struck towards the man in the black robe! ¡°How can this be!¡± The man in the black robe was horrified. He was an accomplished Great Grandmaster. The strike he had put his all into was shattered, moreover, the powerful attack from his opponent was already upon him. The breath of death emerged! Boom! Just at this moment, a blade light struck out from the shattered mountainside. This attack churned the surrounding nature¡¯s spiritual energy into formation, with a terrifying power, seemingly imbued with the might of the heaven. Boom! Boom! Boom! Meng Chong¡¯s attack was blocked. A man dressed in a black robe, a red leaf embroidered on his chest, a peak Great Grandmaster with white hair exposed under his mask, walked over step by step. Every step he took seemed to stir the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, forming a formidable power, surrounding him. ¡°Guardian Bai!¡± The accomplished Great Grandmaster quickly saluted. ¡°This man is the one who rescued Meng Shushu.¡± The accomplished Great Grandmaster pointed at Meng Chong. Guardian Bai¡¯s gaze was icy cold, staring at Meng Chong, ¡°Surrender!¡± As he spoke, the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth formed a tempest around him, the sky in the valley changed color, a terrifying pressure encompassing the surroundings. The might of the peak Great Grandmaster! Once you reach the peak, it can change the color of the heavens and earth, this is the existence at the apex of the Inner Domain, the peak Great Grandmaster! Meng Chong¡¯s face was serious, the peak Great Grandmaster was indeed powerful. If it wasn¡¯t for his deep foundation, he might not be a match. But to defeat the peak Great Grandmaster would be very challenging. However, Meng Chong was confident that with his strong flesh, after the fierce battle, he would be the ultimate victor! His gaze turned towards the mountainside, where the shattered mountainside revealed some rooms carved within it. In one of the rooms, in-between the rock fractures, a small grey grass was growing. It seemed like a fifth grade Spiritual Medicine! What made him more surprised was the presence of a package in the room, implying that the man in black¡¯s possession was not on him at the moment. No need to worry about exerting excessive power, and destroying all spirit tickets. He was probably never expecting that someone would kill their way to his doorstep. Therefore, when Meng Chong arrived, they made a hurried appearance, having no time to carry money bags, packages, and the like. Perhaps, relying on the peak Great Grandmaster standing guard, any enemies would be annihilated. They¡¯ve never considered the problem of having to flee.. Chapter 280 Translator: 549690339 From outside the valley, Meng Shushu had been watching every movement within. He was both shocked and amazed when Meng Chong had intervened ¨C it had only been a short time since they had met, and Meng Chong has already become so powerful. He¡¯s a match for the Great Grandmasters. And not just one Great Grandmaster. ¡°What! Three Great Grandmasters can¡¯t even match up to Meng Chong. His strength increase is just too fast, how did he cultivate? Could it be due to the medicinal pills?¡± Meng Shushu was taken aback. Then, he became excited: ¡°Spiritual Medicine! I need to collect more Spiritual Medicine and exchange it for the medicinal pills needed for cultivation. With those pills, I can quickly break through to the level of the Great Grandmaster!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong are indeed great allies that he needed to stick tightly to. Suddenly, high above the valley, the wind and clouds changed color, and nature¡¯s spiritual energy was stirred as if mighty waves were rushing over. Peak Great Grandmaster! Meng Shushu¡¯s heart sank. Despite Xu Yan being very strong, this was a Peak Great Grandmaster, the ultimate powerhouse of the Inner Domain. In ancient times, people often said that when one enters the peak level, they could change nature¡¯s colors. This shows the power of a Peak Great Grandmaster. Rumors said that a Peak Great Grandmaster could create terrifying power by stirring up nature¡¯s spiritual energy around them with their every move. ¡°Senior Brother Xu, you have to be invincible!¡± Meng Shushu was a little worried. Upon Guardian Bai¡¯s appearance, his powerful aura seemed to stir the surrounding spiritual energy of the world, creating a terrifying surge that center around him, and surged in waves of tremendous power. Meng Chong was taken aback. This was what a Peak Great Grandmaster in the Inner Domain would be. This peak stage could harness the surrounding nature¡¯s spiritual energy to become enormous power to a certain extent. ¡°Peak Great Grandmaster, nothing more than this!¡± Meng Chong gave a cold smile. He glanced at the stone wall behind Guardian Bai. Each of the rooms there was growing Spiritual Medicine, especially the room Guardian Bai had come out of. There was a small grey plant, which looked like a five-ranked Spiritual Medicine! ¡°Humph!¡± Guardian Bai gave a cold snort, raised his hand, and spiritual energy gathered into a gigantic palm, blasting down towards Meng Chong with terrifying power. Golden light erupted from Meng Chong¡¯s body, which instantly grew larger, his loose clothing tearing apart due to this. His fiesty aura, standing proudly, surged untamed. A terrifying blade light, aimed straight at the giant suppressive hand, gashed forward. Boom! The terrifying blade light directly chopped open the giant palm. Guardian Bai¡¯s gaze hardened; this person was not to be underestimated. Moreover, the cultivation technique he practiced seemed unusual. It seemed like he was at the Grandmaster realm, but his aura was far more superior than that of a Grandmaster. It was also different from the aura of a Grandmaster martial artist. It was as if he was practicing another form of Martial Arts! ¡°Just a petty trick!¡± Guardian Bai gave a cold snort, ready to attack again. Suddenly, a figure appeared, holding a longsword in his hand deftly, the gentle wind carrying a sharp killing intent. Even his formidable aura seemed to be churned up. Guardian Bai¡¯s face changed dramatically as he looked at the young man who had suddenly appeared. Xu Yan {appeared} as soon as he ensured that there was no second Peak Great Grandmaster in the valley, and there was no one trying to escape. His eyes moved past Guardian Bai, looking towards the stone wall. His heart was excited. The men in black robes were indeed rich. Time to make a huge fortune again. As for Guardian Bai, this Peak Great Grandmaster, although he could manipulate the spiritual energy around him into a powerful force to a certain extent, it was too superficial. Compared to the Tongxuan Realm, where True Yuan was combined with nature¡¯s spiritual energy, understanding the mysteries of heaven and earth, was too far behind. It seemed that he had only learnt a bit of the superficial aspects of Tongxuan, mastered the shallow techniques, and did not get the true essence of Tongxuan. ¡°False Martial Arts are indeed weak, the higher the realm, the greater the gap.¡± Xu Yan sighed in his heart. At the Grandmaster realm, compared to the Innate Realm, although he was weaker, the disparity was not so great. Xu Yan felt that his innate potential and strong foundation allowed him to have such powerful strength. The normal Martial Artist in the Innate realm, compared with the martial artist at the Grandmaster realm of the Inner Domain, was equal to an intermediate Grandmaster when they first entered the Innate Realm and could be compared to a complete Grandmaster when they reached the mature Innate stage. The difference between the two was just a small realm of strength. However, the gap between the top talents in both martial arts is very large. For example, Xu Yan and Xie Lingfeng were both top talents, but the disparity between them was enough to make Xie Lingfeng despair. The gap widened further in the Tongxuan Realm above the Innate. Once one entered the Tongxuan Realm, they could control the nature¡¯s spiritual energy and have the power of the Peak Great Grandmaster. Of course, the difficulty of breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm might be greater than that of breaking through to the Great Grandmaster. This remained to be seen. Xu Yan looked indifferently at Guardian Bai, and spoke: ¡°A Peak Great Grandmaster hiding his identity, isn¡¯t that disgraceful? You are not even willing to tell people the name of your organization, acting like a rat in the gutter, aren¡¯t you?¡± Guardian Bai remained silent in the face of Xu Yan¡¯s taunt. His eyes were immensely solemn, his aura continually amplifying, a saber emerged in his hand. Nature¡¯s spiritual energy seemed to become a series of curved sabers circulating around him; the wind and clouds began to change, and the intimidating pressure made the air above the valley seem as if it was stagnating. Threat! Guardian Bai felt a strong sense of threat from this young man. Xu Yan sneered, ¡°Today, I will behead you, this Peak Great Grandmaster, just like killing a gutter rat!¡± Chapter 281 Translator: 549690339 The faint breeze turned into Sword Intent, mountains and rivers emerged, and a golden dragon was coiling inside the mountains and rivers. ¡°Junior brother, the three of them are on you!¡± Xu Yan looked at the other three men in black robes and said. ¡°Senior brother, rest assured, I¡¯ll cut them down immediately!¡± Meng Chong gave a sinister grin, dismissing Guardian Bai and attacked the other three. After executing the Martial Arts secret technique, the energy of the Great Grandmaster had weakened, killing him would only take a slash or two. The same goes for the other two men. The color on Guardian Bai¡¯s face changed slightly, but he didn¡¯t dare to move and stood alert, watching Xu Yan closely without any negligence. The threat was growing stronger, and the breath of death seemed to seep into his chest. This was a feeling he had never experienced since he became a Peak Grandmaster. ¡°Run!¡± Guardian Bai said in a low voice. ¡°Can they escape?¡± Meng Chong sneered, his blade light flared, spanning across the sky, slashing towards the three who were trying to flee. One slash cut off their escape route. ¡°Three moves! If three strikes do not kill you, I will let you live!¡± Sword Intent flowed from Xu Yan¡¯s body, a streak of sword light burst forth, mountains and rivers emerged, as if a landscape was formed in the sky above the valley. ¡°Arrogant!¡± Guardian Bai snorted coldly. He thinks he can kill me in three strokes? Even Xie Tianheng from Sword Master Cliff couldn¡¯t do it! Moreover, even though 1 am Lord Bai, a Peak Grandmaster, wouldn¡¯t I be able to escape? Boom! Guardian Bai made a move, exerting his peak strength, displaying the extreme power of a Peak Grandmaster. But Xu Yan, stroke his sword! Roar! Rumbling Dragon of Mountains and Rivers! Then the second stroke cut out, transforming the mountains and rivers into myriad images, with a dragon leaping amongst them, turning it into a world-ending sword. The third stroke slashed out, the shadow of life and death in the myriad scenes of mountains and rivers, swinging the sword down! The Sword Dao of mountains and rivers realized by Xu Yan had evolved, from Rumbling Dragon of Mountains and Rivers to the second style derived from it, Dragon Rampage Ends the World, and then to the Sword of Life and Death in the Myriad Scenes of Mountains and Rivers. Three strokes slashed out. The turbulent power that stirred up nature¡¯s spiritual energy was already buried in the mountains and rivers. Guardian Bai¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, his body crumbled piece by piece, turning into dust, and scattered in mid-air. A Peak Grandmaster had fallen! On the other side, two of the three escaping Grandmasters had already been killed by Meng Chong. The last Great Grandmaster, before his death, was horrified to see the boy kill Guardian Bai with three strokes! How terrifying it was to kill a Peak Grandmaster with three strokes! What¡¯s even more frightening is, how old is he? Not even twenty, right? Splash! His body disintegrated under the sword light and turned into dust. In his last moment, he did not feel wronged in his death. After all, Guardian Bai, a Peak Grandmaster, was killed by three strokes. How about himself? In this valley, there were no longer any men in black robes. This was not the lair of the men in black robes. But with a Peak Grandmaster and a Greatest Grandmaster, along with two other Grandmasters, a total of four Grandmasters ruled here. It illustrated the importance of this place. ¡°Senior brother, is that a fifth-grade Spiritual Medicine?¡± Meng Chong excitedly looked at one of the secret compartments in the mountain wall. ¡°It¡¯s very likely.¡± Xu Yan was also excited. The two of them didn¡¯t rush in, but waited for Meng Shushu to come. As for Spiritual Medicine, Meng Shushu was naturally more familiar. Soon, Meng Shushu arrived. He was equally elated. Senior Brother Xu was as invincible as ever, a Peak Grandmaster was killed just like that. He was outrageously strong. ¡°Let¡¯s go, have a look inside.¡± As soon as Meng Shushu arrived, Xu Yan took the lead and entered the secret room of Guardian Bai. Upon entering the room, the first thing they saw was a gray plant growing in the rock crevice. ¡°It¡¯s a five-grade Spiritual Medicine!¡± Meng Shushu was beyond excited. ¡°What kind of Spiritual Medicine is this?¡± Xu Yan asked in curiosity. For some reason, approaching the grey grass bestowed a sense of peace of mind. Meng Shushu approached carefully and observed the grey grass for a long time, frowning, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± ¡°Bro, aren¡¯t you a spirit medicine scout? How come you don¡¯t know?¡± Meng Chong was taken aback. ¡°Fifth-grade spiritual medicines are practically extinct in the Inner Domain, the information 1 have from my family records is also limited. It¡¯s not strange that I don¡¯t know.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head. ¡°Harvest it quickly. Since it¡¯s a fifth-grade spiritual medicine, it must have extraordinary effects, especially since it was cared for by a Great Grandmaster. It must have exceptional divine effects.¡± Xu Yan spoke. Bring it back, let Su Lingxiu look at it, and she will know what effects this spiritual medicine has. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Meng Shushu began to enthusiastically harvest the grey grass. While Xu Yan and Meng Chong started to inspect the secret chamber, particularly the belongings left by Guardian Bai. The secret chamber was simple, near the spiritual medicine was a bed carved out of stone. On top of it laid some envelopes and bags in a slightly messy arrangement. Xu Yan picked up one of the bags, inside were some pills, two seventh-grade spiritual medicines, and a bag containing spirit bills. ¡°Kind of broke for a Great Grandmaster.¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit disappointed. The spirit bills were only worth over a hundred thousand spirit crystals, which seemed a lot, but it didn¡¯t match up to a Great Grandmaster. Moreover, there was no storage pouch. He had killed a Great Grandmaster for the first time and hadn¡¯t found a storage pouch, revealing the rarity of such pouches. ¡°Senior Brother Xu, Great Grandmasters are at the top, they receive preferential treatment in Tianbao Pavilion, including credit facilities and direct access to needed items. So they usually don¡¯t carry many spirit bills.¡± While digging up the spiritual medicine, Meng Shushu explained. ¡°I see!¡± Xu Yan realized. Meng Chong was studying the envelopes, attempting to find clues to the black-robed man¡¯s allegiances. Unfortunately, the letters did not mention their affiliation, and some were even encrypted communications, making it impossible to fully understand the contents of the letter. Among them, one letter mentioned the murder of the Grandmaster and the ongoing investigation into Su Lingxiu, which had yet to make any progress. It seemed that Guardian Bai was a key figure in the black robe men¡¯s organization. It was not surprising, considering he was a Great Grandmaster. ¡°All done!¡± Meng Shushu had dug out the spiritual medicine and properly sealed it with a medicinal wrap. Then, the three moved on to another secret chamber. Inside each chamber, there was grey grass. Two were seventh-grade, one was sixth-grade. The harvest of spirit bills and the like was actually richer than that of the Great Grandmaster. ¡°They¡¯re nurturing spiritual medicines!¡± Meng Shushu spoke in a deep voice. Xu Yan nodded. Upon exiting the secret chambers, Xu Yan slashed his sword, reducing a layer of the mountain wall, but no other secret compartments were found. Looking around the valley, this place indeed was a treasure trove, where nature¡¯s spiritual energy converged. Considering the lingering spiritual energy on the cliffs, it was no wonder that spiritual medicines could grow here. Around the valley, numerous spiritual medicines had grown, mostly of the ninth-grade and a few eighth-grade, all harvested. After sweeping everything clean, Xu Yan pondered, ¡°Shall we stick around a few days? If someone comes, we¡¯ll kill them.¡± Meng Shushu reasoned, ¡°Senior Brother Xu, with a Great Grandmaster stationed here, the black-robed forces probably don¡¯t circulate often. Most of the time they rely on bird messengers for communication. ¡°Now, with the bird messenger gone and communications cut off, they won¡¯t realize something¡¯s amiss until people are dispatched when countless days have passed. There¡¯s no need to wait around here.¡± Xu Yan pondered it over, as on Canglan Island, the Demon Lord Huo Tu was still making a commotion. It was time to deal with him. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s be on our way.¡± The three left the valley. ¡°Senior Brother, are we going to Canglan Island to kill the Demon Lord?¡± Meng Chong asked eagerly. Xu Yan smiled, ¡°No rush. He seems very keen on me going there. How can I not make him pay a little? Although I, Xu Yan, am going to kill him, he can¡¯t skimp on the service fee.¡± ¡°Makes sense!¡± Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Send a message to the Demon Lord Huo Tu. If he wants me to face him, he should prepare a million spirit crystals. That¡¯s the service fee, along with all his assets, so I can easily gather them after killing him.¡± Xu Yan said, in a cheerful tone. Who could refuse when money¡¯s being handed out on a plate? The Demon Lord Huo Tu was a good guy. He was offering both his money and his life. Such individuals were hard to come by and were thus worth cherishing. Meng Shushu twitched at the corner of his mouth, mourning for the Demon Lord Huo Tu in his heart. Of all people to provoke, he had to choose Xu Yan. If he wanted Xu Yan to face him, he would indeed have to fork out a million spirit crystals. Would the Demon Lord Huo Tu agree to Xu Yan¡¯s terms? He must! If Xu Yan chose to avoid combat, the Demon Lord Huo Tu would be helpless. Since he wanted to kill Xu Yan, how could he be reluctant to pay up? ¡°I wonder how many Grandmasters are waiting for me on Canglan Island.¡± Xu Yan smiled brilliantly, not at all feeling like he was walking into a lion¡¯s den.. Chapter 282 Translator: 549690339 Meng Shushu swallowed, feeling his scalp starting to numb. Are there more than just the Demon Lord Huo Tu on Canglan Island? A number of Great Grandmaster powerhouses? Was Xu Yan going to face them all alone? No, Meng Chong would be with him. Even so, it was still extremely dangerous. ¡°Senior Brother Xu, what if there is more than one peak Great Grandmaster on the island?¡± Meng Shushu reminded. Xu Yan looked at him strangely and said, ¡°I have already killed two complete Great Grandmasters, and the news has spread. If they are planning to besiege me, of course, they would be peak Great Grandmasters. ¡°Isn¡¯t it very normal that there is more than one Peak Great Grandmaster?¡± Meng Shushu opened his mouth, not knowing what to say anymore. It turns out that Xu Yan had already assumed that there were more than one peak Great Grandmaster waiting for him on Canglan Island. No wonder he was willing to part with a million Spirit Crystals so readily. ¡°I will go back first, hand the Spiritual Medicine to Junior Sister, and then head to Canglan Island.¡± Xu Yan showed a brilliant smile. The three of them went straight to Lanping county. Under the planning of Xu Junhe and Kou Ruozhi, the Chang Qing Pavilion in Tie Shan county had gradually made a name for itself, although its medicinal pills had not been announced yet. They began to sell the pills overseas under the guise of cultivation aiding medicines. However, Tie Shan County was still too poor. Only a few could afford to buy these pills using Spirit Crystals. Moreover, most Martial Artists were accustomed to buying cultivation resources from the Tianbao Pavilion. Xu Junhe was not in a hurry. He started storing medicinal pills, such as Qi and Blood Pill and Bone Tempering Pill which were made using precious herbs and could help in the basic cultivation of Martial Arts. At the same time, he sent people to the villages near the Endless Mountain in Tie Shan County to spread the concepts of Dahua and teach the basics of Martial Arts in secret. In Tie Shan County, cultivating Martial Arts was a luxury. Many who carried the heart of Martial Arts died with regret because they lacked cultivation techniques and resources. Xu Junhe started spreading Martial Arts among these people. He even donated cultivation pills and indoctrinated them with ideas that Dahua is the world and the Inner Domain is just part of it. They gradually shifted their beliefs from the Inner Domain to embrace Dahua. With this promotion, numerous youngsters in the mountain villages of Tie Shan County secretly started to cultivate the Dahua Martial Arts. They all looked up to the supreme Dahua Martial Ancestor. Xu Junhe even commissioned someone to compile a biography of Dahua, creating ancient legends about the beginnings of heaven and earth and the orthodox Dahua. Li Xuan flipped through the biography and nodded frequently. This Xu Junhe was indeed clever, slowly infiltrating the Inner Domain. This biography was like an ancient legend, and at its core was him, the supreme, compassionate Dahua Martial Ancestor. Li Xuan suspected that Xu Junhe got the inspiration to write this biography from Xu Yan¡¯s obsession with legends and his relentless pursuit of masters. If people believe in this biography and take up Dahua Martial Arts, they will be more active, diligent, and long for the legends and powerful figures in it. This biography did receive some guidance from Li Xuan. Things like ¡®Dark Turmoil,¡¯ ¡®Collapse of Heaven and Earth,¡¯ ¡®Martial Ancestor saves the World,¡¯ and ¡®One Man Against Eternal Times¡¯ were all included in it. ¡°Good, this Dahua Martial Ancestor of mine really inspires awe. He must be the faith in the hearts of Martial Artists. To honor his name, I must make Martial Arts progressively stronger.¡± Looking at the biography, Li Xuan was motivated. At that moment, Xu Junhe was persuading the Tianbao Pavilion to distribute the Dahua biography to every corner of the Inner Domain under the name of a legendary novel, and allow Tianbao Pavilion to handle the sales. However, who in the Inner Domain would read such a novel? As a result, this sneaky Xu Junhe created a legend that the biography hid treasures and unparalleled Martial Arts; if one could decrypt it, they would stand at the top of the Inner Domain. Eventually, he fooled the Tianbao Pavilion by giving them a Qi Accumulating Pill. He even reached an agreement with the Tianbao Pavilion in Tie Shan County to supply Spiritual Medicine and they would distribute the Qi Accumulating Pill to various places in the Inner Domain. This was a cultivation aiding pill created by a Grandmaster and was highly effective. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but admire Xu Junhe¡¯s abilities. The person in charge of Tianbao Pavilion, having experienced the astonishing effect of Qi Accumulating Pill, visited them the very next day. He wanted to buy the pill formula, but Xu Junhe only gave him half of it. Xu Junhe explained that he had made a considerable investment in studying this pill without even breaking even. He wished to rely on the Tianbao Pavilion to distribute it throughout the Inner Domain, which would fulfill his aspiration for the creation of Chang Qing Pavilion. Seeing Xu Junhe¡¯s generous nature, the person in charge of Tianbao Pavilion didn¡¯t hesitate and agreed to distribute the Qi Accumulating Pill. The profit was split into 30-70. 70 for the Chang Qing Pavilion, 30 for the Tianbao Pavilion. After all, running Chang Qing Pavilion was not easy, and they had already given half of the formula. The remaining half could be discussed once Chang Qing Pavilion recovered their costs. The Tianbao Pavilion was very reputable and also very confident. They didn¡¯t show any signs of domination when dealing with other businesses. This was why the Tianbao Pavilion had such a good reputation in the Inner Domain. They had never had a bad reputation. Li Xuan could imagine that, very soon, the Qi Accumulating Pill would become famous in the Inner Domain, thanks to the channels of Tianbao Pavilion. The Grandmaster Martial Artists would scramble for it. The name of Chang Qing Pavilion would be known throughout the Inner Domain. And large amounts of Spiritual Medicine and Spirit Crystals would quickly amass. As for the pill formula they gave to Tianbao Pavilion, so what? Even if you have the formula, how can you refine a Qi Accumulating Pill without the method? Chapter 283 Mountains and Rivers, Old Acquaintances_2 Translator: 549690339 I Of course, Xu Junhe was granted permission by Su Lingxiu to use the prescription as a lure to persuade Tianbao Pavilion to sell on behalf of Chang Qing Pavilion, helping to establish its reputation. After all, the prescription is of great importance; if it couldn¡¯t be guaranteed foolproof, Xu Junhe would hardly use it as a bargaining chip. ¡°Using Tianbao Pavilion as the channel to accumulate rapidly, as soon as Tianbao Pavilion reacts, we can start negotiating. Chang Qing Pavilion will have the confidence then. As for overpowering Chang Qing Pavilion with strength¡­¡± Li Xuan shook his head. Xu Yan was on the verge of breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm. No matter how powerful Tianbao Pavilion was, what could they possibly do? Strength is the key. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, has killed a peak Great Grandmaster with three strikes of his sword, your Mountain-River Sword Dao is complete.¡± Suddenly, a golden light appeared. The feedback from the Golden Finger had arrived. Li Xuan revealed a smile. Xu Yan was as violent as ever, starting to kill peak Great Grandmasters. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, has successively killed three Great Grandmasters, your understanding of the Dao of the Sword has elevated, and the experience of the God-Killing Sword Technique has increased.¡± Meng Chong had also started killing Great Grandmasters. All of these were within Li Xuan¡¯s expectations. ¡°Indeed, having disciples making a name for themselves in the Martial Arts world is the key to rapid advancement in strength.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. A few days later, Xu Yan and Meng Chong came back. Along with them was Meng Shushu, a Spiritual Medicine Scout. However, upon seeing Zhou Ying, Meng Shushu was immediately flabbergasted. ¡°You are¡­ that girl?¡± Surprised, Zhou Ying frowned at Meng Shushu, feeling like she recognized him somehow. ¡°You know her?¡± Meng Chong asked in surprise. Meng Shushu gravely explained, ¡°She is the girl adopted by the Medicine King, Su Zhen. When I saw her back then, she was quite young, but even after so many years, I can recognize her at a glance.¡± Zhou Ying was sturdy and imposing, a true warrior woman. Even as a child, she was probably already extraordinarily sturdy, so anyone who had seen her, even if they hadn¡¯t seen her in many years, and even though she had grown up, would still be able to recognize her. Zhou Ying was only about thirty. Meng Shushu, as a Grandmaster Martial Artist, looked rather young, but was actually over fifty. Grandmaster Martial Artists who were geniuses in their youth tend to age rather well. ¡°You know my grandfather?¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s expression changed, and she walked over, her eyes narrowed. Upon seeing Su Lingxiu, Meng Shushu¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, displaying a mixture of joy, comfort and complexity. ¡°You¡¯re still alive?!¡± Something was wrong with that sentence. Su Lingxiu¡¯s gaze hardened and she asked coldly, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Meng Chong laid a hand on Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°What is the meaning of this? Do you know my junior sister?¡± Meng Shushu gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°So she is your junior sister.¡± Zhou Ying suddenly interjected, ¡°I remember you. Are you the grandson of Elder Meng?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me!¡± The look on Meng Shushu¡¯s face was conflicted. Meng Chong suddenly remembered something. Meng Shushu had mentioned that his grandfather went to the aid of an old friend and in the end, perished. Could it be that he went to aid Su Lingxiu¡¯s grandfather? Zhou Ying went silent immediately, apparently, she did know a thing or two about this. ¡°Aunt Zhou, who is he?¡± Su Lingxiu asked with a frown. ¡°He¡¯s the descendant of the Meng Family, a prominent family in the field of Spiritual Medicine. Elder Meng and your grandfather were very close friends. Back in the day, most of the spiritual medicine required by the young Miss was found by Elder Meng.¡± Zhou Ying sighed. Su Lingxiu was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°So, he¡¯s my uncle. It¡¯s nice to meet you, uncle!¡± Meng Shushu quickly dodged and waved his hand, ¡°Please, don¡¯t call me uncle. I can¡¯t bear it!¡± Although his own grandfather and Su Lingxiu¡¯s grandfather were close friends, when it came to generation division, he and Su Lingxiu were of the same generation. ¡°We are actually of the same generation, although I am a bit older.¡± Meng Shushu gave an awkward smile. ¡°After all, Senior Brother Xu, Brother Meng and I treat each other as equals.¡± ¡°What my cousin said is correct.¡± Meng Chong pat Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulder. He didn¡¯t expect Meng Shushu to have a connection with Su Lingxiu. If that was the case, he mustn¡¯t exploit him too much in the future. After all, he is family. ¡°Brother Meng, do you know something about this?¡± Su Lingxiu asked in a deep voice. Meng Shushu hesitated for a moment, sighed and finally said, ¡°I don¡¯t know much, but when my grandfather learned that Elder Su had run into trouble, he went to his aid, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Su Lingxiu expressed regret. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head and said, ¡°I looked for you too, but the news I got was that the entire family of the Medicine King had been wiped out!¡± Looking at Su Lingxiu, Meng Shushu couldn¡¯t help but think of that gentle woman and that graceful figure. Some things were destined to be hidden in the heart, not to be told to anyone. Like his parents, they had actually fallen unexpectedly whilst searching for the spiritual medicine needed to treat Su Lingxiu¡¯s mother. Li Xuan glanced at Meng Shushu, this fellow was hiding something, probably about Su Lingxiu¡¯s background. However, since he chose to hide it, it must be widely involved. ¡°Brother Meng, do you know which power killed my grandfather?¡± Su Lingxiu asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve been looking for clues, but I haven¡¯t found any.¡± Meng Shushu shook his head. ¡°The black-robed people, they are sister Su¡¯s enemies.¡± Meng Chong spoke in a deep voice. Meng Shushu froze, as if he realized something, he said, ¡°I see. No wonder they are searching for the treasure land of spiritual medicine.¡± After some chit-chat and reminiscing, he took out his harvest this time, a fifth-grade spiritual medicine, and asked. ¡°Sister Su, do you know what this spiritual medicine is? I don¡¯t know why, but there is a feeling of spirit fullness near it.¡± Xu Yan took out a grey grass and said. Li Xuan looked over upon hearing this, his heart startled, was this a spiritual medicine that could nourish the spirit? ¡°This is¡­ a fifth-grade Stone Ghost Grass.¡± Su Lingxiu was astounded, ¡°Stone Ghost Grass, grows in dark stone gaps, extremely difficult to find and extremely rare. A fifth-grade Stone Ghost Grass is unheard of!¡± Then, Su Lingxiu introduced, ¡°Stone Ghost Grass has the miraculous effect of nourishing and solidifying the spirit, making a person¡¯s spirit as firm as a tenacious rock, allowing one to not be affected by external influences, or be influenced by illusions¡­.¡± Xu Yan suddenly realized that the effect of Stone Ghost Grass seemed to be of no use to him. What external influence, what illusion, had no effect on him. He had already reached the mysterious state of ¡°no women in his heart,¡± where no illusion could shake his heart. ¡°I want to research how to refine Stone Ghost Grass into a pill.¡± Su Lingxiu said excitedly. ¡°The pill was refined by you?¡± Meng Shushu widened his eyes and asked. ¡°It was me.¡± Su Lingxiu glanced at Meng Shushu. She could not forget the kindness of helping provided by Old Mister Meng. So, she handed a bottle of Qi Gathering and Body Strengthening Pills to Meng Shushu, and said, ¡°These are Qi Gathering Pills and Body Strengthening Pills, which can help you cultivate and increase your strength.¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you. Don¡¯t worry, I will help you find the spiritual medicines. Just tell me what spiritual medicines you need. As you know, I am a spiritual medicine scout; finding spiritual medicines, especially rare ones, is what I am good at.¡± Meng Shushu was very excited to take them and made a promise. ¡°Alright!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. Having delivered the spiritual medicine, Xu Yan and Meng Chong didn¡¯t stay long. On Canglan Island, the Demon Lord Huo Tu was still making a fuss. It was time to deal with the Demon Lord Huo Tu. Just as the two of them were preparing to leave, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan hurriedly arrived. ¡°Miss Su, here are the spiritual medicines!¡± Hu Shan handed a bag to Su Lingxiu, which contained dozens of sixth-grade spiritual medicines. Su Lingxiu was astonished, it was no wonder they were from Sword Lord Cliff, their foundation was truly profound. ¡°There is a bit too much spiritual medicine.¡± The spiritual medicine here had exceeded the quantity needed to purchase Tianmarrow Pills. ¡°Whatever is extra, consider it as prepaid money for the pills.¡± After Hu Shan finished speaking, he and Xie Lingfeng hurriedly went to find Xu Yan and Meng Chong. ¡°Brother Xu, there is danger on Canglan Island, you cannot go rashly.¡± Xie Lingfeng said with a serious look. ¡°How many Great Grandmasters are there?¡± Xu Yan asked with a raised eyebrow. Xie Lingfeng was taken aback, ¡°Brother Xu, you know?¡± A few Great Grandmasters? Speaking so casually, seemed like he didn¡¯t take Great Grandmasters seriously at all. How long has it been, in the eyes of Brother Xu, have Great Grandmasters become so insignificant? ¡°I guessed it.¡± Xu Yan smiled and said. ¡°According to the information I got, on Canglan Island, apart from the Demon Lord Huo Tu, there are at least two other Great Grandmasters hiding.¡± Xie Lingfeng said soberly. ¡°Three?¡± Xu Yan pondered for a while, and then said, ¡°That¡¯s not much, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to kill them.¡± ¡°Elder Brother, leave one for me to practice.¡± Meng Chong said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.. Chapter 284 Translator: 549690339 Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan looked at the excited pair of brothers, feeling utterly stunned. That was a peak Great Grandmaster they were talking about! In their eyes, was this figure so fragile? As worthless and easily beaten as a grasshopper? ¡°Brother Xie, who is the other peak Great Grandmaster? From the demonic sect, or a member of the black-robed people?¡± Xu Yan curiously asked. Apart from Demon Lord Huo Tu, the other neighboring peak Great Grandmaster was either a powerful person from the demonic sect or belonged to the black-robed people¡¯s force. Beyond that, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t think of any other force that would ambuscade him. Having just killed a peak Great Grandmaster of the black-robed people, if there are still other black-robed peak Great Grandmasters lurking on Canglan Island, that would signify the incredible power of their forces. ¡°Most likely the black-robed people!¡± Xie Lingfeng said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ve used some information from the sword-cliff, but 1 can¡¯t find out to what camp the black-robed people belong. This demonstrates how deeply concealed they are and how one cannot underestimate their power.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s expression hardened, then he said coldly, ¡°Having killed their peak Great Grandmaster, let¡¯s see whether they will show their true colors and how many more peak Great Grandmasters I can kill!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, to Canglan Island, but before we do that, Demon Lord Huo Tu should prepare my payment for my intervention.¡± Xu Yan said, making a gesture with his hand. The group of four left Tie Shan county, heading straight for Canglan Island. However, in Lanping prefecture city, they spread the news out, letting it reach Canglan Island. If Demon Lord Huo Tu wants Xu Yan to go to Canglan Island to fight, he must prepare one million spirit crystals and move all his possessions onto Canglan Island! Otherwise, Xu Yan would not agree to fight! Upon hearing the news, Inner Realm Martial Artists were left dumbstruck. Was that even possible? Xu Yan¡¯s justification was that Canglan Island might have been ravaged, resulting in him suffering devastating losses. Even if he won back Canglan Island, he couldn¡¯t recover from these losses. Unless Demon Lord Huo Tu paid the one million Spirit Crystals as a combat fee, plus moving all his possessions to Canglan Island. Only then would Xu Yan be willing to intervene! On Canglan Island, the ferocious-looking, red-haired Demon Lord Huo Tu was filled with anger: ¡°This bastard is too insolent!¡± He dared to blatantly demand a combat fee from him! Moreover, he demanded that Demon Lord Huo Tu move his life¡¯s treasures to Canglan Island, only then would he agree to fight. Yet, he did so with a righteous attitude, unashamed, and showing no signs of dishonor that had lost any of his strength! What infuriated Demon Lord Huo Tu even more, was that members of the Inner Realm Martial Arts community considered Xu Yan¡¯s refusal to fight a wise move. They commended Xu Yan as a talented and discerning youth who knows how to make the right moves! At such a young age, with such strong natural talent, avoiding fighting the infamous Demon Lord Huo Tu was not a disgrace at all! This caused Demon Lord Huo Tu to be so furious that he wanted to destroy Canglan Island! However, Demon Lord Huo Tu had no means to deal with Xu Yan if he refused to fight. Even if he wanted to take the initiative to find Xu Yan, it would prove to be impossible. If he could find Xu Yan easily, he wouldn¡¯t have set his sights on Canglan Island. ¡°Agree to his conditions,¡± said a man in the black robe standing behind Demon Lord Huo Tu. ¡°Who says anyone could lay their hands on my Spirit Crystals? If you want to kill him, you produce the million Spirit Crystals!¡± Demon Lord Huo Tu coldly replied. ¡°We can!¡± The black-robed man nodded. ¡°Yinjue, you are the vice-curator of Yinlou Pavilion, yet you are personally involving yourself with this. Do you have such a deep-seated grudge against a boy like Xu Yan?¡± Demon Lord Huo Tu squinted his eyes and asked. ¡°Huo Tu, don¡¯t ask about things you shouldn¡¯t know, and don¡¯t speak carelessly about things you should not speak of. There would be severe consequences otherwise,¡± Yinjue said, his gaze chilling as ice. ¡°Huh!¡± Demon Lord Huo Tu scoffed, ¡°If not for the old monster of Yinlou Pavilion backing you, why would I agree to work with you?¡± ¡°Huo Tu, I¡¯d advise you to choose your words wisely,¡± warned Yinjue coldly. ¡°Humph!¡± Demon Lord Huo Tu snorted. His eyes gleamed with a hint of fear. Even he, a peak Great Grandmaster, felt a sense of dread when he thought about the curator of Yinlou Pavilion! Such terror! ¡°Tell Xu Yan that I, Huo Tu, will be waiting for him on Canglan Island, leaving my treasures and a map of their location behind!¡± Demon Lord Huo Tu said coldly. He glanced at Yinjue, then at the person standing behind him ¨C a black-robed figure who served as one of Yinlou¡¯s protectors. A peak Great Grandmaster. His gaze fell on the river, where someone seemed to be hiding. The vice-curator of Yinlou Pavilion, came with two protectors, and together with Demon Lord Huo Tu, there were four peak Great Grandmasters ¡ª all to kill one youth! Such a situation had never occurred in the Inner Realm Martial Arts community before! However, they all feared great calamity from Xu Yan¡¯s potential. They knew they had to kill him before he came into his full power! Otherwise, endless troubles would ensue! However, Yinlou Pavilion seemed to have other purposes as well, like finding someone. This seemed like orders from the curator of Yinlou Pavilion! Canglan Island was the focus of many formidable warriors this time. The infamous Demon Lord Huo Tu challenged the rising prodigy, Xu Yan, an event never before seen in the martial arts world. The story of Xu Yan became more widespread ¡ª how he had stormed through the nine stages of the Seven-star Study Palace, beating up Grandmasters, and single-handedly killing two accomplished Grandmasters in a joint attack. At such a young age, his strength surpassed many Grandmasters. He was a monstrous talent never seen before in the martial arts realm. Demon Lord Huo Tu had a fearsome reputation, and also many who wanted him dead. He was on Canglan Island, where his enemies wanted to kill him. However, it seemed they were all being obstructed. The other two Demon Lords from the demonic sect were actually preventing others from getting to him. In fact, there were unidentified powerful individuals who seemed to be other Demon Lords. This made all the major forces suspect ¨C was the demonic sect planning to unite once more and sweep across the Inner Domain? Chapter 285 Translator: 549690339 The Demon Sect was once mighty, but since the disappearance of the Demon Lord, it wilted under external pressure and internal disorder. It was a shadow of its former self. As numerous strong individuals and forces set their eyes on Canglan Island, news started to spread. Demon Lord Huo Tu paid a million Spirit Crystals as a duel fee! This caused quite a stir with everyone realizing that Huo Tu was determined to kill Xu Yan, even agreeing to these conditions. Furthermore, there were rumors that Huo Tu had left a treasure map to his lifetime¡¯s collection on Canglan Island. If Xu Yan emerged victorious, he could claim it. Consequently, all eyes were drawn to Xu Yan. Was Xu Yan really going to accept this challenge? Moreover, some sharp-witted forces began to sense that Canglan Island seemed to be a trap. A deadly trap! Upon receiving the million Spirit Crystals sent over from Demon Lord Huo Tu via Tianbao Pavilion, Xu Yan was thrilled. ¡°The more enemies like this, the better. If 1 kill ten or eight of them, I won¡¯t be broke!¡± Xu Yan sighed in amazement. ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re really good at doing business. I can¡¯t do it. I haven¡¯t made much Spirit Crystals.¡± Meng Chong sighed, feeling the need to learn more from his elder brother. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan looked at each other, at a loss for words. Only these two brothers could make money in this way, and only they had such strength! ¡°Tell Demon Lord Huo Tu that I, Xu Yan, will definitely honor our appointment and meet him outside Canglan Island for a fight to the death,¡± With a serious look, Xu Yan sent a message back through Tianbao Pavilion. After receiving what he was supposed to get, Xu Yan and his party leisurely made their way to Canglan Island, without any hurry. ¡°Since big brother has obtained the treasure map from Demon Lord Huo Tu, will anyone come to rob it?¡± Meng Chong asked with anticipation. ¡°Hard to say, after all, I¡¯ve already killed peak-level Great Grandmaster. Who would dare to rob me?¡± Xu Yan shook his head regretfully. Unable to resist interjecting, Xie Lingfeng said, ¡°Not necessarily, what if other Demon Lords take actions?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°That would be great. The esteemed Demon Lord must be wealthy, right? Another windfall opportunity!¡± A twitch ran through Xie Lingfeng¡¯s mouth. He didn¡¯t know what to say. He sighed inwardly. This is the confidence of being powerful! Along the way, they surprisingly bumped into someone familiar. The Great Supervisory Teacher Fu Yuntian from Seven-star Study Palace. ¡°Great Supervisory Teacher Fu, did you come for me?¡± Xu Yan was surprised. ¡°Friend Xu, after this battle, please visit our Seven-star Study Palace. Our Palace Master wishes to meet you. Of course, there¡¯s also information that you¡¯d be interested in.¡± Fu Yuntian said. ¡°No problem.¡± Xu Yan agreed without hesitation. As for why it had to be after the battle to go to Seven-star Study Palace, it was merely to see his strength. As Fu Yuntian left, two young women appeared. The Great Grandmaster Wushuang from Wushuang Pavilion and a young maiden in a simple dress. ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s been a while since we last met.¡± The maiden in the simple dress greeted sweetly. ¡°Not really that long.¡± Xu Yan blinked and replied. The maiden in the simple dress:¡­ Great Grandmaster Wushuang seemed to be suppressing her laughter. ¡°You¡¯re looking for me. What is it?¡± Xu Yan asked. ¡°I am here to remind Young Master Xu, there is more than one peak Great Grandmaster on Canglan Island. I hope you will be cautious.¡± The maiden in the simple dress said seriously. ¡°Are there ten peak Great Grandmasters?¡± Xu Yan thought and asked. The maiden in simple dress was stunned. Ten peak Great Grandmasters? Are you saying that without ten peak Great Grandmasters, they can¡¯t threaten you? Have you really become that powerful? ¡°I suppose not.¡± The maiden in the simple dress said awkwardly. ¡°Not even ten? That¡¯s looking down on me, Xu Yan!¡± Xu Yan sighed. Just because he¡¯s young, should they belittle him like this? The maiden in the simple dress fell silent. She didn¡¯t know what to say for the moment. Great Grandmaster Wushuang huffed in disdain, ¡°Kid, how arrogant are you? Am I looking down on you if there aren¡¯t ten peak Great Grandmasters? ¡°Could it be that you can face ten peak Great Grandmasters alone?¡± This kid was too arrogant. So much so that she was fed up and almost wanted to teach him a lesson. Xu Yan glanced at her, ¡°What would a woman like you know? Only the weak are arrogant. True powerhouses are never arrogant. What they say is the truth!¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯d have to be incredibly strong to say that.¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang mocked. ¡°Well, not too strong, for instance, with someone like you, it might take two or three sword strikes to kill. Not much effort really.¡± Xu Yan thought for a moment and said seriously. Great Grandmaster Wushuang seethed with anger, her vibe was so ferocious that it changed the weather. Grinding her teeth, she raged: ¡°Arrogant child, you can kill me in two or three strikes? Let¡¯s see how you do it!¡± She, a respected peak-level Great Grandmaster, when was she ever humiliated in such a way? Even Xie Tianheng, from the Sword Grandmaster Cliff, would not dare to spout such nonsense! ¡°Master, calm down, calm down!¡± The maiden in the simple dress hurriedly advised. Xu Yan frowned, ¡°Why would I want to kill you from out of the blue? Besides, I, Xu Yan, charge quite a fee for a duel. If there aren¡¯t a million Spirit Crystals as a stake, it¡¯s not worth my time!¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang couldn¡¯t stand it, the waves of her chest rising and falling dramatically, her face flushing red. With a swish, she flung her disciple behind her and shouted angrily, ¡°Today, I must teach this boy a lesson. Don¡¯t stop me!¡± The maiden¡¯s face paled as she hurriedly called from behind, ¡°Young Master Xu, please show mercy!¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang:¡­ Traitor! Her anger heightened. She threw a bag over to Xu Yan and coldly declared, ¡°There are more than enough Spirit Crystals in this bag.. Let¡¯s see how you intend to kill me in two or three sword swings!¡± Chapter 286 Translator: 549690339 Xu Yan was overjoyed. This Great Grandmaster Wushuang was a good person. She actually gave him money to discipline her, he had never met someone like this in his life. ¡°Agreed, agreed, then take my sword strike!¡± Xu Yan grasped the bag, unsheathed his longsword, and struck out. Roar! Rumbling Dragon of the Mountains and Rivers! The enraged Great Grandmaster Wushuang, however, was neither careless nor dismissive. Two willow leaf-like twin blades appeared in her hands, and she fiercely struck out. Xu Yan¡¯s strength was great, and she naturally wouldn¡¯t doubt that. Otherwise, how dare she challenge him on Canglan Island? However, the outrageous claim that he would kill her with two or three strokes was what enraged her. Who did she think she was to Peak Grandmaster Wushuang? She was a Peak Grandmaster, and her strength was not weak among other Peak Grandmasters. Could she be compared with those trashy Grandmasters? Boom! As the sword strike descended, the mountains and rivers shrouded the surroundings, and a dragon¡¯s growl echoed. The Great Grandmaster Wushuang¡¯s expression changed dramatically. The blade light shattered, and the stirring wind and clouds disintegrated under this one sword stroke. She hastily retreated. Xu Yan did not continue to attack. He wasn¡¯t really aiming to kill after all. ¡°This sword of mine is average at best, how do you feel? If 1 used my full strength, could you block three strikes?¡± Xu Yan sheathed his sword and spoke. Great Grandmaster Wushuang was silent. Cursing inwardly, her expression was complicated and resentful. Who was this monster¡¯s master who was able to teach such a monstrous being? Indeed, true experts never act arrogantly! ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± The woman in plain clothes hurried over, stroking her master¡¯s heaving chest, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Young Master Xu is a straightforward person who never lies. Why won¡¯t you listen to him?¡± Rebel! Great Grandmaster Wushuang was livid, glaring fiercely at her disciple. Comforting her master, the woman in plain clothes approached humbly, with an apologetic expression, ¡°Please forgive us, Young Master Xu. My master is always this petulant, but she means no harm.¡± Xu Yan nodded, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Thank you, Young Master Xu, for showing mercy. This is a small token of my appreciation from Miaomiao. I hope you won¡¯t find it too modest.¡± The woman in plain clothes then handed over a bag to Xu Yan. Her soft and white hands even took the opportunity to touch Xu Yan¡¯s hand a few times. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up, and he said cheerfully, ¡°How can I accept this? You¡¯re too kind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± The woman in plain clothes reluctantly retracted her hand. Great Grandmaster Wushuang was about to be infuriated to death by her own disciple. Was it another chance to give presents, huh? What charm did this man have?! ¡°Young Master Xu, my name is Yun Miaomiao, please be careful on Canglan Island.¡± Yun Miaomiao softly spoke up. Just a few Peak Grandmasters, they¡¯re nothing to be concerned about. You can rest assured, Miss Miaomiao.¡± Finally, Xu Yan came to know that the woman in plain clothes was named Yun Miaomiao. Thinking back to when he first saw her at the Wushuang Pavilion, he couldn¡¯t help but marvel at her enchanting beauty and allure. Indeed, just like her name Miaomiao; beautiful yet unattainable, forever etched in one¡¯s mind. However, her charms were ineffective against him. Before Yun Miaomiao could say anything more, the Great Grandmaster Wushuang, unable to bear any further humiliation, pulled her disciple away. ¡°Miaomiao is a good girl indeed, generous and extravagant in her ways. She has also been fully supportive in the past, helping in the honing of my mindset. She¡¯s really rare.¡± Xu Yan commented thoughtfully. Meng Chong nodded on the side, expressing his agreement. Xie Lingfeng was silent. ¡®Brother Xu truly has ¡°no women in his heart¡±. His mindset is too profound, I don¡¯t stand a chance in comparison.¡¯ Hu Shan¡¯s facial muscles twitched. ¡®These two are too straightforward. Haven¡¯t they noticed the tender affection in that girl¡¯s eyes?¡¯ He pondered, ¡®Could it be precisely because they are single-minded, their hearts only containing martial arts and nothing else, that they are so monstrous and powerful?¡¯ ¡°I should change my ways too. 1 shouldn¡¯t think too much. Only having martial arts in my heart would be fine.¡± Hu Shan thought to himself.. Chapter 287 Translator: 549690339 Not only the Demon Lord Huo Tu on Canglan Island, but also other peak Great Grandmasters are known to reside there; the exact number, however, remains unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear which forces these peak Great Grandmasters belong to. In any case, the forces at play must undoubtedly be those affiliated with the Blackrobe individuals or those with the Demon Sect. Whether a third force is involved remains unknown. To Xu Yan, it does not matter which power these peak Great Grandmasters hail from. Defeat them, and that¡¯s it! Just off Canglan Island, above the Cang River, are small boats floating. Each one is quite a distance away from Canglan Island, but to the powerful, this distance is trivial. Aboard each of these small boats is a Grandmaster, all here to witness the battle. The battle at Canglan Island, a major event that hasn¡¯t occurred in the Inner Realm Martial Arts world for thousands of years, involves a suddenly rising unparalleled genius on one side and the notorious Demon Lord of the Demon Sect on the other. Grandmasters found themselves disqualified from witnessing such a grand event. On an older small boat, the Great Grandmaster Wushuang and Yun Miaomiao are present, along with two other Great Grandmasters who are their students. All of them are powerful figures from the Wushuang Pavilion. ¡°The royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom has come as well,¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang gazed into the distance, spotting a small boat adorned with purple patterns and added. As Yun Miaomiao squinted in their direction, she frowned, ¡°Will the Great Yue Kingdom interfere?¡± Canglan Island, located within the territory of the Great Yue Kingdom, technically fell under their jurisdiction. It used to be Yin Hong¡¯s territory, but is now owned by Xu Yan. However, in the Inner Domain, where might makes right, not even the Great Yue Kingdom would rashly contend against a Great Grandmaster by claiming territory. Of course, a Great Grandmaster wouldn¡¯t deny that the territory under their control belongs to the Great Yue Kingdom. Both sides maintain a tacit understanding. ¡°It¡¯s unclear whether the Great Yue Kingdom will target the Demon Lord Huo Tu or Xu Yan if they decide to step in,¡± Great Grandmaster Wushuang shook his head. On the boat of the Great Yue Kingdom, a young man waited, dressed in purple. As he gazed in the direction of Canglan Island, he claimed, ¡°This island is publicly known as Yin Hong¡¯s but in reality, it belongs to the palace. I¡¯d like to see whether Xu Yan is qualified to own it.¡± It¡¯s the Second Prince of Great Yue Kingdom! By his side, a middle-aged man, tall in stature with sharp eyes ¡ª a peak Great Grandmaster. ¡°Your Highness, shall I make a move?¡± The middle-aged man asked. ¡°No need, just observe,¡± The Second Prince replied. Although he holds the distinguished title of a prince in the Great Yue Kingdom, the real power lies with the peak Great Grandmasters. The middle-aged man is tasked with protecting him and, beyond that, does not need to listen to any of his commands. However, usually the protector, who is a peak Great Grandmaster, doesn¡¯t completely ignore his orders. Rather, the prince simply cannot command the peak Great Grandmaster. Generally, requests are made to invite the peak Great Grandmaster to take action. This is the privilege of a peak Great Grandmaster. Even a mighty entity like the Great Yue Kingdom or someone as respected as a prince must accord them due respect. On another small boat, Fu Yuntian quietly watched Canglan Island. Next to him, an old man sat engrossed in reading a book. The old man, unkempt with messy hair, seemed devoted entirely to the book in his hand. However, he was in fact a peak Great Grandmaster. Among the many boats, one was made from precious materials used for forging treasures, making it exceedingly valuable. That was the boat of the Tianbao Pavilion. During such grand occasions, strong individuals from all major forces within the Inner Domain come forward. Even the Yan Kingdom and the Purple Cloud Kingdom have their Grandmasters here to watch the battle. Amid these, a weather-beaten wooden boat floated silently along the Cang River. A man was seated cross-legged on the bow, a black-sheathed longsword lying horizontally on his lap. This scene on the old wooden boat didn¡¯t draw the attention of those on the Cang River. After all, those who gathered here were numerous, all Grandmasters, and not all sought the limelight. Only strong individuals aboard the Tianbao Pavilion glanced at the boat and its occupant. ¡°Hu I lai of Sword Master Cliff has also come. Xu Yan and Xie Lingfeng are close, so is Hu Ilai planning to take action?¡± ¡°Even if Hu Hai steps into the fray, he can only block one person at most. Unless Xie Tianheng shows up¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Xie Tianheng last appeared ¡ª it seems he¡¯s in seclusion. If he is indeed here then, that Huo Tu would surely run for his life.¡± As the strong individuals from the Tianbao Pavilion spoke, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan had already arrived at the boat. ¡°Father, is it just you here?¡± Ilu Shan looked around before asking. ¡°Uncle Hai.¡± Xie Lingfeng greeted. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hu Hai opened his eyes, nodding his acknowledgement before turning his gaze towards Canglan Island, ¡°There are at least three peak Great Grandmasters. If I intervene, I can block one; delaying two is possible, but it won¡¯t be for long.¡± Xie Lingfeng exhaled sharply, ¡°Considering Brother Xu dared to show up, it means he must be confident. There might not be a need for Uncle Hai to intervene.¡± Hu Ilai, with a smile, said, ¡°I¡¯m curious too. What kind of unparalleled genius is he that even young master considers himself inferior?¡± To this, Xie Lingfeng forced a smile and said, ¡°Uncle Hai, how can I compare with Xu Yan¡¯s freakish talent? If I can merely get started on Sword Dao in this lifetime, I¡¯d consider it more than enough.¡± Hu Hai, visibly displeased, responded, ¡°Young master, what are you talking about? Even if your power is lesser than his, you can¡¯t say you¡¯ve yet to start with Sword Dao.¡± Xie Lingfeng simply shook his head and Chapter 288 Translator: 549690339 | Outsiders¡¯ words are useless, only when he realizes the truth will it work. ¡°What a spectacle.¡± Xu Yan gazes around Canglan Island, heaving a sigh. His gaze falls on the old wooden boat where Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan are located, ready to assist if necessary as powerful figures have come to Swordsman Cliff this time. However, for Xu Yan, that is completely unnecessary. His gaze shifts to Canglan Island, where the presence of Demon Lord Huo Tu is not concealed in the least. ¡°Brother, how many peak Great Grandmasters do you think there are?¡± Asked Meng Chong in a deep voice. ¡°No less than three.¡± Xu Yan laughs softly, his demeanor gradually turning solemn, saying, ¡°Today, let these Martial Artists of the inner domain realize the true essence of Martial Arts!¡± This battle serves as a show of strength to deter major forces and safeguard Chang Qing Pavilion. It¡¯s also for honing his own Martial Arts skills in preparation for breaking through to the Innate Realm. Once he enters the Innate Realm, he will be at the pinnacle of the Inner Domain! ¡°Brother, I suspect there¡¯s an ambush underwater, let me handle that.¡± Meng Chong also wears a solemn expression. In this battle, he seeks to hone his physical Martial Arts in preparation for a breakthrough to the complete state of Innate Realm. Through battle comes improvement. ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Yan nods his head. Walking atop water with a carefree demeanor, he recalls his master¡¯s leisurely stride. At this moment, he seems to have tapped into the freedom and detachment that comes with being a powerful figure. ¡°I¡¯m still far behind my master. I¡¯m unable to mimic his carefree demeanor and harmony with nature¡¯s rhythm.¡± Xu Yan mused internally. Meng Chong submerges into the river, waiting for the ambush. He intends to strike the moment they reveal themselves. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± The multitude of spectators feel exhilarated at this moment. A handsome young man strides forward leisurely, as if he isn¡¯t stepping into a dangerous situation, but a peaceful haven instead. ¡°Young Master Xu¡­¡± Yun Miaomiao narrows her eyes, murmuring to herself. The Great Grandmaster Wushuang slaps his forehead, realizing that his disciple is past the point of no return! On the river surrounding Canglan Island. Xu Yan halts, ¡°Demon Lord Huo Tu, prepare to meet your end. Try not to wreck my Canglan Island.¡± ¡°Arrogant boy!¡± Demon Lord Huo Tu gives a cold snort, leaving the island as he soars into the sky. As Demon Lord Huo Tu appears, his fiery-red hair dances in the wind. Nature¡¯s spiritual energy churns around him, within moments, everything surrounding Huo Tu takes on a deep red hue. It¡¯s as if waves of blood surge around him, with horrifying sounds of hissing. The increasingly viscous blood waves seem to pollute the spiritual energy, a faint scent of blood begins to waft in the air. The pulsating blood waves slowly transform into crimson flames, as if promising to incinerate all creatures. ¡°Blood Refining Hellfire Technique!¡± Seeing this scene, all the powerful figures look on with grave expressions. One of the unique techniques of the Demon Cult, it is also the technique Demon Lord Huo Tu used to make his name. Blood Refining Hellfire Technique, a true killer technique, cultivated with the essence and blood of living beings. Especially prized is the essence and blood of Martial Artists. Demon Lord Huo Tu has cultivated this technique to the level of a peak Great Grandmaster, a testament to how many Martial Artists he has killed and how much essence and blood he has processed to reach this terrifying strength. ¡°Boy, I¡¯m taking your blood today.¡± Demon Lord Huo Tu holds a hook blade in his hand. The blood-red hook seems to have been shaped by drenched blood, appearing to have disemboweled countless Martial Artists. Xu Yan is unfazed, he starts, ¡°Where¡¯s the map to your treasure hideout? Give it to me. It¡¯d be a hassle to have to look for it later when you¡¯re dead, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°What a cocky brat! I¡¯ll carve out your heart and eat it!¡± Demon Lord Huo Tu is so angry his eyes seem to be spewing fire. With a thunderous roar, a patch of blood cloud appears in mid-air, which promptly transforms into the raging Blood Refining Hellfire, exuding a gloomy and bloody aura. With a swing of the hook, the horrifying Blood Refining Hellfire rages, heading directly towards Xu Yan. Demon Lord Huo Tu doesn¡¯t hold back in his initial attack, full of murderous intensity. Xu Yan moved out of the way in a flash, appearing in another location. ¡°Demon Lord Huo Tu, how am I supposed to know that you¡¯re not lying and that no real treasure maps exist?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s manner is light, seemingly not disturbed by the overwhelming aura of Demon Lord Huo Tu. Demon Lord Huo Tu¡¯s expression turns grave, realizing that with his previous attack, Xu Yan was able to dodge with his unpredictable movements. ¡°The map is on the island, as I have said,¡± proclaimed the Fire Demon Lord with a deep voice. ¡°What if it gets taken away during our fight?¡± Xu Yan looked towards Canglan Island and said with a smile, ¡°Why hide it? Bring the map here.¡± The gaze of the Fire Demon Lord hardened. Xu Yan was aware that not only he was present on the island but still dared to fight. Was he relying on his peculiar movement techniques, thinking he could escape unscathed? Two figures appeared on the island ¨C both dressed in black robes, only revealing their eyes. One of them tossed a scroll in Xu Yan¡¯s direction. Xu Yan¡¯s True Qi flared, opening the scroll in front of him. It was a map. He immediately stored it, completely ignoring the black-robed figures parting to encircle him. On the chest of one of the black-robed individuals, a red leaf was embroidered. A protector level? On the other one, a crescent moon pattern was embroidered. A more powerful entity? Moreover, the black-robed individual with the crescent moon symbol was slightly more powerful. Three peak Great Grandmasters! The many strong individuals watching the battle changed their expressions. Besides the Fire Demon Lord, there were another two hidden peak Great Grandmasters. However strong Xu Yan might be, even if he could defeat the Fire Demon Lord, how could he fight against three peak Great Grandmasters? The Fire Demon Lord was already one of the strongest amongst the peak Great Grandmasters, and one of the two others was slightly stronger than him. The other one, although weaker, was still a peak Great Grandmaster. ¡°Xu Yan is in danger!¡± This thought crossed the minds of the observing martial artists. Yun Miaomiao¡¯s expression grew anxious, pulling her master¡¯s hand and saying, ¡°Master, you have to step in!¡± The Wushuang Grandmaster chuckled coldly, ¡°That kid is really fierce, he can kill a peak Great Grandmaster with two or three sword strikes. With just three peak Great Grandmasters, it won¡¯t even take ten strikes. What are you worried about?¡± ¡°Master, this is not a time to act stubborn.¡± Yun Miaomiao said urgently. ¡°If the kid dared to come, do you think he has no assurance of victory? Ni Zi, don¡¯t worry unnecessarily.¡± Wushuang Grandmaster sighed. ¡°How do you see these three peak Great Grandmasters?¡± Fu Yuntian asked the elder. ¡°Just use your eyes.¡± The elder answered, annoyed, ¡°The kid is not stupid, if he can¡¯t win, won¡¯t he run? What are you worried about, there¡¯s also someone over there who will act once things go wrong.¡± Fu Yuntian followed his gaze to an old wooden boat where a person was seated cross-legged with a black scabbard longsword on his knees. ¡°He actually came.¡± Fu Yuntian felt somewhat surprised, albeit not entirely. After all, Xu Yan had once used the name of Xie Lingfeng to access the Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s archive, showing a close relationship between them. The elder looked towards the Canglan Island and said coldly, ¡°As long as that old Yinlou Pavilion geezer doesn¡¯t show up, this is just a minor issue. If that dead old man comes, now that¡¯s worth noting.¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± Fu Yuntian asked curiously. The elder remained silent, seemingly very cautious of the man from the Yinlou Pavilion. Xu Yan looked around with a radiant smile, ¡°You secretive people again. Only two of you came?¡± Yin Jue said solemnly, ¡°Xu Yan, just tell us where the girl is, and we can spare your life today!¡± They came for Su Lingxiu! Xu Yan wasn¡¯t surprised but became even more curious. Why did the black-robed people insist on capturing his junior sister? Furthermore, they seemed to think that capturing her was worth any price. ¡°Spare my life? Just the three of you?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes turned cold. A subtle wind rose around him, discarding any pretense of amicability in favor of an air of hostility. He drew his sword and stared at Yin Jue, sneering, ¡°A rat hiding in the ditches, too scared to even reveal its name. How dare you talk big? Today, I, Sword God Xu Yan, will put you down!¡± Boom! ¡°Arrogant!¡± The Fire Demon Lord snorted, his sickle slicing through the air, producing an overwhelming tide of blood-red fire. The sky was bathed in scarlet, dissolving and sizzling. It appeared as if it was corroding the heavens. Boom! Yin Jue raised his hand, and his blade shone like a heavenly curtain, layer upon layer of the blade barrier blocked all directions, attacking Xu Yan. The other black-robed individual also made his move. The combined forces of the three peak Great Grandmasters changed the color of the heavens and the earth. Their terrifying might pressured the water surface down by a layer. Watching from afar, the battlefield seemed to ignite an apocalyptic might.. Chapter 289 Translator: 549690339 Once the three great grandmasters made their move, they set off a power to destroy heaven and earth. The battlefield was interwoven with the light of blades and blood, and at the center of everything was the figure of a young man. Even peak grandmasters like Wushuang have become solemn. They reasoned to themselves that facing the siege of three major powerhouses, facing such terrifying offensive, even if they did not die, they would be severely injured and would find it difficult to escape. Hu Hai¡¯s face was serious, he stood up, the black-scabbarded longsword by his side trembled as if it was ready to be drawn out at any moment. Roar! A dragon roar resounded, a golden dragon roared and rushed into the swirling blade light. All the powerhouses felt a moment of dizziness, as though they saw mountains and rivers appearing over the battlefield, the golden dragon flying around with overwhelming might. ¡°What swordsmanship is this?¡± Xu Yan slashed with the sword in his hand, his momentum surged. The Innate True Qi operated, a brilliant light shone around him. A faint dragon shadow, revolving around the scene of mountains and rivers, could vaguely be seen. ¡°Today, the Demon Lord Huo Tu will be slain outside Canglan Island!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s voice echoed loudly. He slashed with his sword, aiming it at Demon Lord Huo Tu. With a clap of his left hand, eighteen golden dragons roared and rushed towards Yin Jue and the other man in black. ¡°Arrogant!¡± The Demon Lord Huo Tu snorted coldly. His eyes suddenly turned blood red, a thick layer of blood energy appeared around his body, as if covered in blood essence. The sizzling sound grew denser and denser. A chilly aura filled the air, blood fire blazing, as if he set himself on fire. Bloodthirsty, violent aura surged out from Demon Lord Huo Tu¡¯s body, his momentum was intensifying, the curved hook became even more crimson. ¡°Kill!¡± With a furious roar from Demon Lord Huo Tu, he launched an attack like a madman. ¡°This sword, beheads the Demon Lord Huo Tu!¡± However, Xu Yan¡¯s face was indifferent, and he slashed down with his sword. The mountains and rivers recoiled as if they were about to wipe out all living beings. All kinds of attacks were annihilated within the mountains and rivers. The mountains and rivers kept breaking apart, as if they were about to be blown apart. Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound, the surroundings trembled, and a streak of lightning seemed to emerge from thin air. It transformed into a sword, like heaven¡¯s might and heaven¡¯s punishment, shaking the surroundings, and fiercely slashed down! The sword of shaking thunder in the myriad of mountains and rivers! ¡°This is bad!¡± Yin Jue looked terrified, his aura erupted all over his body, mingling with the Qi of the protector, and unleashed a powerful offensive, blasting away the eighteen golden dragons. The curved saber hung in the air, intending to come to the rescue of Demon Lord Huo Tu. At the same time, there was a rumbling sound, and a column of water shot up into the sky. A figure in a black robe shot up from under the water, carrying a formidable momentum, killing towards Xu Yan to rescue Demon Lord Huo Tu. At this moment, the Thunderbolt Sword descended like a heavenly punishment. There were men in black robes advancing and backing up Xu Yan, intending to make a move against him. Either slay the Demon Lord Huo Tu and suffer a heavy damage, or deflect the siege, in which case, he would completely fall into the encirclement. Watching the battle, all the gods were horrified at the sight of the Thunderbolt Sword. It was as terrifying as a heavenly punishment and seemed like the nemesis of evil, sweeping away all gloom. It seemed like a heavenly punishment on the enemy! The Demon Lord Huo Tu practiced a life-killing cultivation technique, which was naturally evil and gloomy, which was countered by the Thunderbolt Sword. As this sword descended, the notorious Demon Lord Huo Tu seemed destined to fall! However, in addition to the two men in black who had already taken action, there was actually another person hiding in the water, who also took action at this moment. If Xu Yan¡¯s single slash kills Demon Lord Huo Tu, he is bound to face a three-pronged attack. If he doesn¡¯t die, he will be seriously injured! The battlefield changes in an instant. Boom! Suddenly, a golden figure shot out from the water, terrifying blade light aiming at the man in black who had just emerged from the water. ¡°Your opponent is me!¡± Meng Chong grinned and charged over. If the other party did not defend themselves from this attack, they would undoubtedly die! The black-robed man looked greatly changed, and hastily defended himself with his blade. Boom! Meng Chong¡¯s body grew a size larger, his loose clothes were stretched to the point of tearing. He put his knife back into the scabbard, his fists thundered out with a mad and violent force, attacking the man in black directly. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a hearty battle!¡± Under the golden glow enveloping his body, the robustness of the ¡®Golden Sun¡¯ was fully displayed at that moment. The man in the black robe looked horrified. Under Meng Chong¡¯s fierce attack, his body backed away and promptly left the battlefield. The two then engaged each other in a separate location. Meng Chong¡¯s fists thundered, filled with fieriness, his robust body gave people a strong sense of pressure. Each of his punches was like a sudden gust of wind and thunder, he kept closing in on the man in black. In response to the black-robed man¡¯s attack, he only defended with thirty to forty percent of his strength, letting the remaining attack power hit him without any defense. Using his robust body to withstand the attack head-on. His fierce attack, with every punch landing solidly, was incredibly violent. It seemed like a humanoid beast, forcing the black-robed man to become flustered. At this moment, the man in the black robe was horrified. What kind of monster is this? Why is the flesh and blood body so scary, it¡¯s almost comparable to a treasure weapon. Every attack made by the other party was simply defended, just slightly weakening his attack power. The remaining strength was not disregarded at all, and was allowed to hit him head-on. What frightened him was that even the weakened attack, if it hit any peak grandmaster, it would cause serious injury if not death. No peak grandmaster dared to ignore such an attack. Such a strong attack, the bald youth actually disregarded it, and what shocked him more was that the attack left only a shallow imprint on him. For a moment, the man in black robe was in a panic, his curved saber kept cutting out terrifying saber lights. At the same time, he was retreating frantically, trying to get rid of Meng Chong.. Chapter 290 Translator: 549690339 But no matter how frantically he retreated or dodged, Meng Chong kept in hot pursuit, punching after punch, executing brutal and relentless attacks like a humanoid brutal dragon. Everyone on Cang Jiang, even the strongest, was horrified. This bald youth, having such terrifying physical strength, was almost as good as a treasure. How could there be such a physically powerful man in this world? How could he have cultivated a body of flesh and blood comparable to a treasure? While everyone was in awe of Meng Chong¡¯s brutality and his robust physique comparable to a treasure, the sword of thunder already fell like a divine punishment. Boom! All of the Demon Lord Huo Tu¡¯s attacks, those thick waves of blood, had completely dissipated under this sword. Where the sword lands, it sweeps away all the darkness. No¡­ A short sound of disbelief rose, and under this sword, the body of the Demon Lord Huo Tu turned into charred black, and eventually disappeared like ashes. At the same time, Yin Jue and the Protector¡¯s attacks also rushed towards Xu Yan. However, in an instant, Xu Yan vanished from where he was and appeared beside the protector. Transposing forms! The sword falls. Roar! A dragon chants over the mountains and rivers! In the sound of dragon chant, the Protector felt as if he had entered a mountain river and was in a daze. Not good! He was horrified, wondering what sort of swordsmanship it was that he could interfere with his mind. Boom! Knife light conjured an eerie chill. He spat out vital blood and directly executed a martial secret technique. Xu Yan struck with another sword, Mountain River Universe Life Sword! The protector, who had just escaped from the mountain river, seemed to see the destruction of mountain rivers and the strike of the sword from all beings. Squelch! As the sword fell, his body started to disintegrate and eventually disappeared into the air like ashes. Yin Jue has already made his move to assist, but it was too late. One sword defeated Demon Lord Huo Tu, and two swords defeated the protector. The battle only occurred briefly, and it was beyond hope to change life or death. What terrifying power is this! Yin Jue was shocked, and even fear showed in his eyes. He couldn¡¯t imagine the extent of the young man¡¯s strength if he continued to grow. Aspiring to the summit of Inner Realm Martial Arts? Escape! He must escape! Only the tower master can kill Xu Yan! Yin Jue believed that his strength was slightly superior to Demon Lord Huo Tu but not significantly. If they were to fight seriously, he could kill Huo Tu, but he himself would suffer severe injuries. Demon Lord Huo Tu might have been restrained by the thundering sword due to his cultivation technique, hence he couldn¡¯t even withstand a single sword. He assesses that even if he can withstand one sword himself, what about the second or the third sword? Xu Yan seemed relaxed and at ease, clearly more than just one sword in strength. Yin Jue, who was originally heading towards Xu Yan, quickly retreated, ready to escape. ¡°None of my enemies can escape from me!¡± Xu Yan hummed coldly, vanished from where he was, and in an instant, he caught up with Yin Jue. The sword lands! The mountain rivers collapsed, and the thunderous sword fell as if divine wrath itself had descended. Yin Jue turned ashen with horror. Only when facing this sword did he understand the terror of it. The threat of death enveloped him. Like the destruction of mountain rivers, the radiating might was immense as if a divine punishment desired to obliterate him! The curved knife shattered into a bone-chilling frost. Yin Jue¡¯s body instantly became withered, and extremely strong knife light emerged from his body. He didn¡¯t try to resist that sword of divine punishment, instead, he aimed this blade at Xu Yan. ¡°Hmph!¡± Xu Yan gave a cold snort and slapped out with one palm. The Golden Giant Dragon roared, its dragon might was overwhelming, eyes bright, and a furious power that could shake the heavens surged from the Golden Giant Dragon. The incompatible Golden Giant Dragon roared and collided with the blade light. Boom! Yin Jue¡¯s mortal blow, which shattered most of the Golden Giant Dragon, was only that much and was deflected by a palm strike. His eyes were filled with disbelief. He summoned a dragon with one palm blow, which completely deflected his mortal strike? How strong is Xu Yan, exactly! Squelch! Yin Jue¡¯s body was scorched black, turning into flying ash and dissipating! Xu Yan, with his sword in hand, stood tall, his eyes sweeping contemptuously around him, leaving all the powerful warriors present shocked into silence! The young man, majestic as a dragon, had awe-struck the world! Boom! The fight on the other side seemed even more violent. As the onlookers watched, Meng Chong¡¯s figure had already closed in on the man in black. To the man¡¯s horrified gaze, Meng Chong sneered, his arms snapping shut, pinning the man to his chest. Splat! Everyone swallowed, their faces filled with shock. This was nothing short of a human-shaped tyrannosaurus! He was ferociously brutal, with no one to match him! Meng Chong¡¯s arms locked together, hugging the man in black, clamping down with terrifying strength, the horrifying power of his physical body reducing the man in black to fragments. The sound of snapping carried far and wide. The man in black¡¯s body shattered, turning into fragments, then into flying ash, and dissipated. Thud! All those present, the powerful warriors, were filled with shock. How brutal and aggressive he was! He was indeed a human-shaped tyrant, who directly killed by crushing the person in his arms, into fragments; the frightening, scorching aura didn¡¯t even allow the victim¡¯s blood to splatter before turning into fragments and into ash! Too violent, too fierce. ¡°This is just too awesome!¡± Hu Shan murmured in shock. Xie Lingfeng sighed. For his senior to take someone like that as his disciple, he truly had an extraordinary eye. Meng Chong¡¯s ferocity was undoubtedly displayed this time. He directly used his powerful body to strangle a peak Great Grandmaster. Perhaps, this was the first time throughout history that a peak Great Grandmaster had been strangled to death like this. Of course, Meng Chong¡¯s swift victory was undoubtedly related to Xu Yan¡¯s consecutive beheading of three peak Great Grandmasters, which had caused the man in black to be greatly perturbed, and filled with fear, leaving him distracted and exposed for Meng Chong to seize. But Meng Chong¡¯s strength was already enough to take on a peak Great Grandmaster. Hu Hai was shocked completely, questioning from where such an ominous beast had appeared, this young man was simply too powerful. Looking at Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, his gaze grew strange. Such a powerful young man, even he was far from being a match, why would he need to lend a hand? The Jiang River was silent. All the strong warriors were silent. Fu Yuntian stared at Meng Chong, where did this bald-headed young man come from? ¡°So even Young Master Xu¡¯s junior brother is so powerful!¡± Yun Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in astonishment. Meanwhile, on a small boat, a charming woman was watching Meng Chong, her eyes full of infatuation. ¡°This is what a real man is like, unlike those pretty boys. Who likes these good-for-nothings? He¡¯s so violent, so powerful. Ah, I really like him!¡± The woman covered her chest, her eyes only seeing that robust and burly figure¡­ Xu Yan, with his sword, stood on the Jiang River, his gaze sweeping all around proudly, ¡°The Sword God Xu Yan is here. Who dares to say otherwise? Who still covets my Canglan Island? Who still wants to kill me? Come out!¡± There was no response on the Jiang River. Some boats, fearing to be misunderstood because they were closer to Xu Yan than other boats, were frantically moving back. Coming out at this moment would simply be asking for death, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°If you¡¯re too scared to step forth alone, you can team up. A group of ten, eight, all together, I, Xu Yan, will take you all on!¡± Xu Yan continued to speak. Ten or eight? How many sword strokes would they be able to withstand? The Grandmasters were mumbling in their hearts, moving their boats backwards, fearing that they would attract the attention of Xu Yan and be casually slain by his sword, dying unjustly. ¡°Since no one is stepping out, from today on, without my permission, no one should step on Canglan Island, or it will be seen as a provocation!¡± Xu Yan said loudly. No one dared to utter a word of dissent! At this moment, the Second Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom spoke in a low voice to someone on his side: ¡°The relationship between Yin Hong and me should not be disclosed. Those who know about this, make sure to deal with them all!¡± If Xu Yan found out that Yin Hong was his man and took his anger out on him, wouldn¡¯t the situation be even worse? If he provoked such a formidable enemy, his own father would certainly abandon him and expel him from the royal family right away, he had to be realistic! ¡°Just two or three sword strokes!¡± The Wushuang Grandmaster muttered to himself. Yun Miaomiao snorted and said, ¡°Master, I was telling you for your own good, but you didn¡¯t believe me. Had I not pleaded for mercy, you would have been killed by Young Master Xu with just two or three sword strokes!¡± The Wushuang Grandmaster glared at his disciple, pissed to the core, thinking to himself, what a disobedient pupil, who only had Xu Yan in her heart now, and no room for her master. ¡°This fight was truly exciting.¡± Meng Chong touched his head and excitedly walked over. This fight had perfectly showcased the essence and power of the Body Martial Arts. ¡°With a body as strong as yours, my junior brother, none of the Grandmasters can hurt you.¡± Xu Yan said with a sigh. The Body Martial Arts were truly fierce, revealing an aggressive and violent momentum, like a human beast.. Chapter 291 Translator: 549690339 The Battle of Canglan Island concluded with Xu Yan¡¯s overpowering execution of three peak Great Grandmasters. The name of Xu Yan, the Sword God, truly shone throughout the Inner Domain, rightfully earning him the title of ¡°Number One Prodigy¡± of his generation. Meng Chong also gained fame in the Inner Domain, slaughtering a peak Great Grandmaster with his formidable physical strength. Many powerhouses did not linger, they left one after the other. Yun Miaomiao left reluctantly. Fu Yuntian and the old man also returned to the Seven-star Study Palace. ¡°Brother Xu¡¯s strength truly makes him the number one figure of this generation,¡± Xie Lingfeng sincerely exclaimed. ¡°Oh, not at all. I am just starting out in martial arts,¡± Xu Yan humbly responded. ¡°May I ask what kind of swordsmanship you used?¡± Hu Hai asked out of curiosity. ¡°This is my dad, Hu Hai!¡± Hu Shan introduced hastily. Xu Yan became serious, ¡°You misunderstood, it isn¡¯t swordsmanship, it s Sword Dao!¡± Hu Hai was stunned. He suddenly remembered Xie Lingfeng saying he had not yet entered the Sword Dao. Recalling Xu Yan¡¯s terrifying sword, which was unlike any other swordsmanship, he noted it didn¡¯t even bear the resemblance of ordinary swordsmanship. ¡°So, that¡¯s how it is!¡± Fie nodded thoughtfully. Canglan Island was not destroyed, and the buildings still stood. Xu Yan and the others decided to stay for a while. This battle brought a sense of improvement to Xu Yan, further perfecting his Sword Dao. The same held for Meng Chong. His brutal battle helped him truly understand the essence of physical martial arts and exhibit its formidable strength. Xie Lingfeng also reflected. Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Dao gave him some ideas. Additionally, he took the opportunity to learn about Sword Dao from Xu Yan, especially understanding the sword¡¯s heart. Besides their personal reflections, Xu Yan was also waiting for the remaining powerhouses in the black cloak and the Demon Lords from the Demon Cult to arrive. While the Battle of Canglan Island caught the attention of many powerhouses, Chang Qing Pavilion¡¯s Qi-accumulating Pills began to sell, spreading among Grandmaster Martial Artists. When sales initially started, each Qi-accumulating pill cost ten thousand spirit crystals and came with an extra copy of the ¡°Dahua Chronicles¡±. Tianbao Pavilion superior reputation handled sales. While a single pill costing ten thousand spirit crystals is expensive, its cultivation effectiveness is outstanding, even surpassing the usage of spiritual medicines. Moreover, if the consumption has been too high, it could rapidly recover the consumption. Therefore, from the very beginning, Martial Artists started to buy them for trial. Although most people only bought a single pill to try, the sales were still high, and all pills in the first batch were sold out. Liang Qing was one of the three Grandmasters of Xiaolin City in the Great Yue Kingdom and the pillar of the Liang Family, one of the three major families in Xiaolin City. However, among these three Grandmasters, his strength was the weakest. While he was at the entry-level stage of the Grandmaster level, he had been stuck at this stage for over thirty years. He could not break through to the middle-level Grandmaster, and had always been suppressed by the other two families. However, he had better connections than the Grandmasters of the other two households. He had deep ties with the management of Tianbao Pavilion in Xiaolin City. Therefore, when he heard that Tianbao Pavilion was selling a new drug called the Qi-accumulating Pill, which supposedly aided in cultivation, and even helped Grandmaster Martial Artists break through bottlenecks, he took notice. Each pill cost ten thousand spirit crystals, which was not cheap. In Xiaolin City, ten thousand spirit crystals were almost the annual income of a medium-sized family. Although the Liang Family wasn¡¯t weak, ten thousand spirit crystals also amounted to their income for a month. However, since Liang Qing was a Grandmaster Martial Artist, the Liang family did have some foundation. So, grinding his teeth, he bought all three Qi-accumulating pills. Liang Qing began practicing in his secret chamber. After consuming one Qi-accumulating pill, he was amazed by its effect. The bottleneck halting him from becoming a middle-level Grandmaster seemed to loosen. He couldn¡¯t help but feel overjoyed, the Qi-accumulating pill is truly a treasure for Grandmaster-level cultivation! With the help of this Qi-accumulating pill for cultivation, increasing the speed of cultivation by three to five times isn¡¯t a problem. The Qi-accumulating pill is made for Innate Realm Martial Artists. Therefore, Grandmaster Martial Artists in the Inner Domain can also take it, and its effects on Grandmaster Martial Artists are even better than on Innate Realm Martial Artists. The reason being, the Inner Qi of a Grandmaster is, after all, slightly inferior to True Qi. The Qi-accumulating pill¡¯s amplification on their Inner Qi and its enhanced effect are naturally greater than on True Qi. After the consumption of all three Qi-accumulating pills, Liang Qing successfully broke through to become a middle-level Grandmaster. He was ecstatic. He saw hope in breaking through to become an accomplished Grandmaster, and becoming the number one Grandmaster in Xiaolin City. Therefore, he immediately sought his friend at Tianbao Pavilion to buy more Qi-accumulating pills. However, the Qi-accumulating pills were sold out, and he had to wait for the next batch. Just like Liang Qing, there were numerous Martial Artists who broke through their bottlenecks due to the Qi-accumulating pill. Even those who didn¡¯t break through realized the astonishing effectiveness of the Qi-accumulating pill! With the help of the Qi-accumulating pill for cultivation, becoming an accomplished Grandmaster or even a peak Grandmaster seemed not too far away. Thus, Tianbao Pavilions all over the place were flooded with Grandmaster Martial Artists who all wanted to purchase the Chang Qing Pavilion¡¯s Qi-accumulating pills. At the same time, they started to look for information about where Chang Qing Pavilion was, which force it belonged to, and planned to personally visit and purchase the pills. The popularity of the Qi-accumulating pill was beyond the expectation of Tianbao Pavilion. Before selling the pill, they had tried its effects. Although it was somewhat stronger than spiritual medicines, it didn¡¯t have such a miraculous effect. Claims such as tripling or quadrupling the cultivation speed were too exaggerated. However, such explosive sales made them realize the enormous potential value of the Qi-accumulating pill, and the higher-ups of the Tianbao Pavilion immediately gathered. A Martial Artist Grandmaster, on the spot, took one Qi-accumulating pill to test its effects. ¡°The effects are indeed extraordinary, but not as exaggerated as the rumors out there,¡± the Grandmaster seemed surprised. ¡°Are there any pills left that we sold?¡± A high-level executive suddenly asked in a deep voice.. Chapter 292 Translator: 549690339 I ¡°All sold out,¡± The executives at Tianbao Pavilion suddenly realized a problem. Did the Qi-storing elixirs they tested differ from the ones they sold? ¡°Go, purchase Qi-storing pills from Chang Qing Pavilion. The more, the better. Proceed as agreed in the initial contract,¡± An executive of Tianbao Pavilion commanded. The name of Chang Qing Pavilion began to spread in the Inner Domain, especially among grandmaster martial artists. The factions started looking for Chang Qing Pavilion, hoping to purchase Qi-storing pills. Everyone saw that the Qi-storing pill could strengthen their power. Whoever obtained more Qi-storing pills would undoubtedly have the advantage. The second alchemy room in Tieshan County¡¯s Chang Qing Pavilion was put into operation. With the experience from the first batch, training the second batch of alchemy apprentices was much easier and faster, and all had a certain foundation in martial arts. They were all selected from Dahua. Li Xuan sighed in his heart, both of his apprentices were doing great. Xu Yan killed three peak great grandmasters, and Meng Chong killed one. He received feedback from the Golden Finger again. His Sword Dao improved further, combat experience was also increasing, and the combat experience of physical martial arts soared. He mastered the essence of physical martial arts combat. Although his realm did not rise, his strength improved. The first batch of Qi-storing pills were sold out. Tianbao Pavilion came to Chang Qing Pavilion to purchase Qi-storing pills, and profits were distributed according to the initial agreement. Li Xuan knew that after the second batch of Qi-storing pills were sold, Tianbao Pavilion would pay attention to Chang Qing Pavilion and would inevitably try to incorporate Chang Qing Pavilion. If Chang Qing Pavilion did not agree, whether they would encounter strong suppression was waiting to be seen. Now, because of the Qi-storing pills, Chang Qing Pavilion has become famous. Even if it leaves the channel of Tianbao Pavilion, it still won¡¯t worry about not being able to sell the elixirs. However, once it loses the support of Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s huge power, would the various powers in the Inner Domain have some malicious intentions? This was an inevitable result! Even Tianbao Pavilion, with its excellent reputation, might also resort to some means to coerce, it is possible. ¡°Sigh, troubles may come to the door, will it be time for me to take action? I am a world-class master, dealing with these weaklings isn¡¯t quite fitting for my status,¡± Li Xuan muttered in his heart. Although he thought so, once Su Lingxiu couldn¡¯t cope, he would inevitably need to take action. ¡°I hope that anyone who comes to find trouble is at least a great grandmaster. Grandmasters are really too weak,¡± Li Xuan was thinking. He then thought of another problem, Tianbao Pavilion was so strong and had branches all over the Inner Domain. If he could cooperate with them, it would indeed be a good choice. ¡°Buy a stake in Tianbao Pavilion? It¡¯s worth considering,¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself. Currently, in the Inner Domain business, there is no concept of shares. Chang Qing Pavilion uses elixirs to buy a stake in Tianbao Pavilion, and then gradually become the actual controller of Tianbao Pavilion? ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± Of course, the high-level executives of Tianbao Pavilion were not fools. If Chang Qing Pavilion wants to buy a stake, they will need to show enough strong power. The weak have no right to talk about cooperation. Xu Junhe looked at the Tianbao Pavilion executive who came to the door, and apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, the last Qi-storing pill was given to you by mistake, it was a small Qi-storing pill instead,¡± Tianbao Pavilion wanted to test the medicine, and Xu Junhe asked Su Lingxiu to specially refine a small Qi-storing pill. Its effect was only one-fifth that of a real Qi-storing pill. With this effect, Tianbao Pavilion would not be too tempted and would definitely agree to sell on behalf, reaching an initial cooperation agreement. Sure enough, the first batch of Qi-storing pills was sold out. The spirit crystals were credited to their account. The popularity of the Qi-storing pills could not be hidden from Tianbao Pavilion, so Xu Junhe, with an apologetic face, directly gave an excuse that the pill was wrong. This is just a step. Both sides tacitly agreed, and this is how business is done. ¡°Brother Xu, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s normal to make mistakes during busy work,¡± A Tianbao Pavilion official waved his hand. Next was the second batch of Qi-storing pills. The quantity was larger than the last batch. Tianbao Pavilion was generous and directly paid the spirit crystals that Chang Qing Pavilion had earned in advance. The agreement remained the same. As for how Tianbao Pavilion would operate in the future, there is no conclusion yet. Xu Junhe also felt the pressure. He naturally understood that with the strength of Tianbao Pavilion, if it targeted Chang Qing Pavilion, Chang Qing Pavilion would not be able to resist with its current strength. Even if they do not use powerful forces but just cut off the source of spiritual medicine, it can cause a sharp drop in the amount of elixirs produced by Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°Senior, I feel there may be some trouble. For example, some powerful beings may intend to break in and steal the secrets of the elixirs,¡± Xu Junhe said with a frown. ¡°No problem,¡± Li Xuan responded indifferently. Since the senior said it was okay, then there would naturally be no problem. Xu Junhe took his leave. Su Lingxiu was preparing to break through to the Innate Realm for Zhou Ying while refining the pills. She was not far from reaching the small success of the Innate Realm. The second batch of pills was as hot as ever, but Tianbao Pavilion did not sell all of them. Instead, they kept a portion and started studying, wanting to crack the pill. Major powers in the Inner Domain started to investigate where Chang Qing Pavilion was and what power was behind it. Outside Canglan Island, Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Xie Lingfeng said goodbye. No one powerful came to the door. Xu Yan was no longer waiting. He planned to go to the Seven-star Study Palace. Meng Chong would take the trial at the Martial Arts Stage and enter the Archive Pavilion to view the martial arts secrets. These days, he had given pointers to Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan. Both had gained a lot, especially Xie Lingfeng, he felt as if he had found the way to the clarity of the Sword Dao.. Chapter 293 Translator: 549690339 However, it might be impossible to attain complete enlightenment in swordsmanship within the Innate Realm. Xie Lingfeng decided to retreat back to the cliff of Sword Grandmaster for his cultivation and deeper understanding of the cliff¡¯s manuscripts, in the hopes of enhancing his skills further. ¡°Brother Xu, if you need anything, feel free to contact me.¡± Xie Lingfeng handed Xu Yan a token. With this token, he could reach out to him at the Sword Grandmaster cliff outpost via messenger hawk. ¡°All right!¡± Xu Yan accepted the token, realizing that the newly entered Chang Qing Pavilion into the inner domain might face several challenges. ¡°On behalf of Sword Grandmaster Cliff, I wish to purchase a batch of medicinal pills from Chang Qing Pavilion. If necessary, Sword Grandmaster Cliff is willing to step in and repel any threats.¡± Xie Lingfeng stated solemnly. He was well aware of the challenges that would arise with the launch of Chang Qing Pavilion¡¯s medicinal pills. Of course, the greatest pressure comes from the Tianbao Pavilion, a behemoth whose background and strength are unknown to all. ¡°Well, Brother Xie, on behalf of Sword Grandmaster Cliff is buying medicinal pills, let¡¯s do it at a 30% discount!¡± Xu Yan responded with a smile. Hu Hai, on the side, was wondering what these medicinal pills were. Were Sword Grandmaster Cliff and Chang Qing Pavilion, which Xu Yan was representing, striking some form of cooperation in order to help Chang Qing Pavilion avoid certain troubles? That wasn¡¯t a small price to pay. Of course, he didn¡¯t voice his thoughts. Xie Lingfeng, as the most prominent talent of Sword Grandmaster cliff and the only son of the current sword master Xie Tianheng, was also the next sword master, he was entitled to make these decisions. After their departure, Xu Yan and Meng Chong set out for Seven-Star Study Palace. As for the treasures of Demon Lord Huo Tu, it wouldn¡¯t be too late to seek them out after returning from the Seven-Star Study Palace. If the map turns out to be fake, then it would all be for naught. However, if it is real, the treasures of Demon Lord Huo Tu are exceedingly well-hidden, and won¡¯t be discovered by others in the short term. ¡°Hu Shan, you and Uncle Hai will be responsible for purchasing medicinal pills from Chang Qing Pavilion, as well as blocking any powerhouses that aim for the Pavilion.¡± Xie Lingfeng directed. ¡°Yes, Young Master!¡± Hu Shan responded excitedly. ¡°What are these medicinal pills?¡± Hu Hai asked curiously. ¡°This is Qi Imbuement Pill, Uncle Hai. Try it and you¡¯ll know.¡± Xie Lingfeng handed over a bottle of Qi Imbuement Pills. Upon examining the pill, Hu Hai realized it was something special. After swallowing one pill, even he, as a peak Grandmaster, was taken aback. This medicinal pill could actually aid in cultivation. If a grandmaster martial artist were to practice with it, his progress would inevitably accelerate. Plus, as long as one wasn¡¯t untalented, breakthrough to the peak grandmaster level seemed effortless. Anyone who has entered the Sword Grandmaster Cliff would naturally not lack talent. Even if someone grew their strength through consumption of this pill, their power might seem unsteady, but a surge in cultivation is assured, resulting in overall significant strength increase. Moreover, after the breakthrough, spending more time forging one¡¯s skills could solidify their strength! ¡°Young Master, this medicinal pill is astonishingly effective!¡± Hu Hai exclaimed in awe. ¡°This was concocted by Junior Sister Xu Yan. I have a deep friendship with Brother Xu. If there is a need for any special pill to be concocted, we can simply provide the spiritual medicine. I believe the Fifth Grade spiritual medicine of our Sword Grandmaster Cliff could be better utilized to concoct pills.¡± Xie Lingfeng said with a smile. Immediately, he handed over a Rebirth Pill, saying, ¡°This is the Rebirth Pill. Even a peak Grandmaster who is seriously injured can be revived as long as he is still breathing. Moreover, it can help restore damaged foundations.¡± Hu Hai¡¯s breathing grew heavier and his eyes widened. Just by looking at the Rebirth Pill he could tell it was extraordinary, and he had no doubts regarding Xie Lingfeng¡¯s words. ¡°Medicinal pills are truly miraculous!¡± No wonder the young master desired the strength of Sword Grandmaster Cliff to shield Chang Qing Pavilion from potential troubles.. Chapter 294 Translator: 549690339 Seven-star Study Palace, Xu Yan was there for the second time. He remembered those scholars of martial arts, a smile crept onto his face, they must have known about how he had awed the Inner Domain and slashed down the peak Great Grandmaster. They should realize that he was not a grandmaster martial artist, but an Innate Realm martial artist. Scholars of martial arts who love to study martial arts and are obsessed with it, how could they not be tempted when the real martial arts were presented in front of them? ¡°The true martial artist is not a brute, as taught by my master. And I am a true martial artist.¡± Xu Yan was delighted in his heart. Chang Qing Pavilion always lacked martial artists, you cannot handle everything yourself, and you certainly can¡¯t disturb the tranquil and elegant life of the master because of it. Therefore, these martial arts scholars were very suitable candidates. They were always persistent. Once they made a promise and found their faith, they would definitely defend it fiercely. To lay down their lives for Chang Qing Pavilion. However, the martial arts scholars were one of the foundations of the Seven-star Study Palace, it was not an easy task to poach them away, and it might even lead to enmity with the Seven-star Study Palace. Seven-star Study Palace was undoubtedly powerful. Even though Xu Yan was not afraid, it was inevitable that he had to deal with some troubles, and these troubles would last for a while. It might even disturb the leisure life of the master. However, now that Fu Yuntian had invited him to the Seven-star Study Palace, and the Palace Master of Seven-star Study Palace wanted to meet him, it probably had something to do with his previous comments on martial arts. Maybe some cooperation could be achieved. After all, the Seven-star Study Palace was different from other forces, in that its purpose was to study and spread martial arts. ¡°Senior Brother, I want to challenge the Arena!¡± Meng Chong enthusiastically announced. ¡°Good!¡± Xu Yan nodded. With Meng Chong¡¯s power, he could already kill a peak Great Grandmaster. It was inevitable that he would pass through the Arena. After all, his strength was obvious. This applied even if the ninth layer of the Arena was guarded by a peak Great Grandmaster. The Seven-star Study Palace¡¯s Arena was as bustling as ever. Today, a bald hunk unexpectedly arrived and, following Xu Yan¡¯s previous example, went straight to the seventh level of the Arena and above. The Seven-star Study Palace disciples who guarded the Arena were enraged. Meng Chong didn¡¯t even climb the Arena, flicking his finger he sent people flying. This scene was very familiar. All the martial artists, including the disciples of the Seven-star Study Palace, had a peculiar look on their faces. Could this bald bruiser and Xu Yan have the same master? They seemed exactly the same. Fu Yuntian was helpless, these two brothers really had the same manners, even their ways of challenging the Arena were the same. ¡°Friend Xu, your junior brother doesn¡¯t need to challenge the Arena. The Arena is pointless to him,¡± Fu Yuntian said with a sigh. A man who could physically strangle a peak Great Grandmaster, who came to challenge the Arena, wasn¡¯t he just bullying others? ¡°My junior brother wants to enter the Book Pavilion to see the martial arts texts, naturally, he needs to challenge the Arena,¡± Xu Yan replied with a serious face. ¡°Today will be an exception, let your junior brother enter the Book Pavilion,¡± Fu Yuntian reluctantly said. ¡°That¡¯s not appropriate. The rules of Seven-star Study Palace must be observed. We can¡¯t allow others to think that he can avoid challenging the Arena just because he is my junior brother. People would think that my junior brother can¡¯t pass through the Arena.¡± Xu Yan, however, refused with a shake of his head. Fu Yuntian opened his mouth, didn¡¯t know what to say. Aren¡¯t the rules made to be broken, isn¡¯t that what you said? Now you are talking about obeying the rules again? As expected, Meng Chong easily passed the ninth layer of the Arena, startling the spectators. this is the Book Pavilion. The ninth layer is open for you too.¡± Fu Yuntian took Xu Yan and Meng Chong to the front of the Book Pavilion. ¡°Junior brother, go directly to the ninth floor and look there. If there is time later, read the books on the lower floors.¡± Xu Yan said. ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong nodded, went directly into the Book Pavilion, and went to the ninth floor. ¡°Friend Xu, come with me, the Palace Master wants to see you.¡± Fu Yuntian made a gesture of invitation. Under Fu Yuntian¡¯s lead, Xu Yan headed towards the core area of the Seven-star Study Palace. Friend Xu, you are in the Innate Realm, not a Grandmaster Realm martial artist, right?¡± On the way, Fu Yuntian asked. ¡°Correct, as I said before,¡± Xu Yan nodded. Fu Yuntian nodded, ¡°From where do you learn, my friend?¡± ¡°My master has transcended the secular world, you wouldn¡¯t know even if I told you,¡± Xu Yan replied indifferently. The two passed through a quaint courtyard area and entered an old, almost dilapidated courtyard at the back of the Seven-star Study Palace. In the courtyard stood a seven-rank Spiritual Tea tree, over three meters high, with lush branches and dark green buds. Under the tree, there was a stone table and several stools. An old man with grey hair was sitting on the stool, brewing tea. Xu Yan felt a chill in his heart, the old man was very strong, much stronger than Demon Lord Huo Tu. He even felt that the old man was no longer at the level of a Great Grandmaster. ¡°Young friend, sit!¡± The old man looked affable and revealed a kind smile. After Xu Yan sat down, he personally poured him a cup of tea. ¡°This tea is picked from this Spiritual Tea tree. This Spiritual Tea tree is very old, it is said to have been planted by the founder of our Seven-star Study Palace¡­¡± The old man was introducing the Spiritual Tea tree next to him. Fu Yuntian stood quietly by the side. Xu Yan took a sip of the tea and asked, ¡°How should I address you, sir?¡± ¡°Bai Yun Kong, some folks call me Old Man Bai,¡± The Palace Master of Seven-star Study Palace, Bai Yun Kong, said with a chuckle. Next, Bai Yun Kong seemed to be chatting about everyday matters, introducing the Seven-star Study Palace, refilling Xu Yan¡¯s tea. He kept talking for half an hour. Only then did he ask the question, ¡°Young friend, may I ask, what is the realm above Innate?¡± Chapter 295 Translator: 549690339 I At this moment, Bai Yun Kong¡¯s expression became slightly more solemn. ¡°Tongxuan.¡± Xu Yan put down his tea cup and said, ¡°The mystery of heaven and earth.¡± ¡°Tongxuan?¡± Bai Yun Kong murmured to himself a few times. ¡°Young Friend, what is your view on Grandmaster Martial Arts?¡± Bai Yun Kong asked. Xu Yan was stumped at this point. Should he straightforwardly say that it was false martial arts? The old man in front of him was very powerful. If he were to be agitated and went mad, it would become tricky. Moreover, his master didn¡¯t say it was false martial arts either. After some pondering, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any particular views. Different people practice differently. There¡¯s no true or false in Martial Arts.¡± Bai Yun Kong gave a wry smile. Although Xu Yan stated that there¡¯s no true or false in Martial Arts, Grandmaster Martial Arts seemed like false martial arts in his eyes. ¡°There is no true or false in Martial Arts.¡± Bai Yun Kong laughed and said, ¡°The establishment of the Seven-star Study Palace is to study Martial Arts. Many of the martial arts cultivation techniques circulated in the Inner Domain today originate from there. ¡°The purpose of the Seven-star Study Palace is to study Martial Arts, to explore the essence of Martial Arts. Regardless of the cultivation technique, they will study it without any prejudice. ¡°Even killing techniques, though they injure the heavens and create karma, will not be passed on. However, we will not abandon the study of them. Perhaps there is something useful to be gleaned, to establish a new cultivation technique? ¡°Many secret martial arts techniques have made great contributions to our Seven-star Study Palace. Some secrets come with an extremely high price, they are researched from killing techniques and used for self-preservation in times of crisis, or even to perish together with the enemy.¡± Xu Yan understood Bai Yun Kong¡¯s meaning. The aim of Seven-star Study Palace was to explore the essence of Martial Arts. They would not hold hostility due to different kinds of Martial Arts. Bai Yun Kong continued, ¡°Despite our scholars¡¯ studies and creation of techniques and secret techniques, we haven¡¯t essentially changed. ¡°We are still within the existing framework of Martial Arts. There were scholars who tried to jump out of this frame, but all failed.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s appearance captured the attention of many scholars at the Seven-star Study Palace. It was unlike the Inner Realm Martial Arts; it was something apart from the existing Martial Arts. All Martial Arts scholars were practically going mad. In their eyes, nothing was more attractive than discovering a new domain. ¡°So, what do you mean by that?¡± Xu Yan blinked and asked. ¡°Would you be willing to become a senior scholar of our Seven-star Study Palace? Don¡¯t worry, there will be no other constraints, except that we need to exchange ideas on your Martial Arts.¡± After hesitating for a moment, Bai Yun Kong added, ¡°Of course, you might think that the Seven-star Study Palace wants to steal your Martial Arts technique. It is understandable if you refuse.¡± Xu Yan laughed freely and said, ¡°Why not? I have one condition, though.¡± Spreading Martial Arts? Xu Yan had no aversion to it. His master had the heart to propagate teaching from the start. Having spread it to the Borderland, why couldn¡¯t he spread it to the Inner Domain? ¡°Oh, what¡¯s your condition? Please go ahead.¡± Bai Yun Kong was a bit surprised. Then he asked again, ¡°Did your master give permission for you to spread the Martial Arts? To avoid breaking the rules because of my request.¡± ¡°What kind of person is my master? Spreading teachings all over the world, why not?¡± Xu Yan laughed. Bai Yun Kong was shocked in his heart, and asked solemnly, ¡°Could I have the honor to meet your master and seek advice in person?¡± ¡°I need to ask my master about that.¡± Xu Yan shook his head and responded. ¡°Old Turtle Bai, you are not being fair. Friend Xu arrived, and you didn¡¯t say a word. Are you hiding it because you are afraid I will find out?¡± Suddenly, an unkempt, disheveled old man with two dark circles under his eyes stormed in. Xu Yan knew at a glance that he was another Martial Arts scholar. And he seemed to be no weaker than Bai Yun Kong¡¯s. Xu Yan secretly smiled. His journey to the Seven-star Study Palace was smoother than expected. Luring a few Martial Arts scholars back was no problem at all. As for the cooperation with the Seven-star Study Palace, he could consider it. He had nothing to lose from bearing the title of Senior Scholar of martial arts. When the second batch of Yuan Qi pills were on sale, the powerful forces acted immediately, using their connections to contact Tianbao Pavilion for priority to purchase. And those martial artist grandmasters without a strong backing could only watch helplessly as the Qi-gathering Pills were sold out once again. In response, they redoubled their efforts to ascertain the location of the Changqing Pavilion. Major factions, of course, continued to use their intelligence networks to gather information on the Changqing Pavilion. Tieshan County in Lanping Province belongs to the rule of Greater Yue Country. The county magistrate is a subject of the Greater Yue and as the Changqing Pavilion is located within Tieshan County, the County Magistrate seized this opportunity to make a name for himself. He personally set off for the capital of Greater Yue. The emergence of the Qi-gathering Pills stirred up undercurrents in the Inner Realm Martial Arts world. Various factions were all anticipating something. In the capital of Greater Yue, the current emperor was in his study, looking at a Qi-gathering Pill in his hand. ¡°Is there any news from Changqing Pavilion?¡± A eunuch emerged from the shadows, ¡°Your Majesty, no messages have been received yet.¡± Just then, another eunuch entered the imperial study to report that Tieshan County had sent an important piece of intelligence through the Tianyi Guard. The Tianyi Guard is the internal security force of the Imperial House of Greater Yue, directly under the control of the Emperor. The Emperor of Greater Yue glanced at the intelligence report and his eyes instantly lit up. Changqing Pavilion was in Tieshan County! And it didn¡¯t seem to be particularly strong! ¡°We must control it!¡± The Emperor of Greater Yue immediately issued an order: ¡°Order the Tianyi Guard to ensure that Changqing Pavilion is under our control. As long as it is within the territory of my Greater Yue, it must obey my command. Be swift!¡± Following the Emperor¡¯s order, a strong member of the Tianyi Guard set off quietly that day, carrying the imperial edict and leaving the capital, avoiding the prying eyes of other factions. In a place within the Inner Realm, within a treacherous peak, a tall building was erected. Inside the gloomy cave, figures in black robes could be seen standing in the corridors and shadows. On the top floor of the building, within a grand hall, seven figures clad in black robes stood. At the front of the hall, on a chair, sat an old man leaning on a walking stick. He looked frail, with half-closed eyes and white hair, showing signs of old age. However, the seven below him, even though they had reached the peak of grandmastery, were tense, fearing that one wrong word could invite punishment. Ever since they joined Yinlou Pavilion, the old man had always been like this. He seemed ageless, yet he never took his rest. The host of Yinlou Pavilion is an enigmatic character, whose strength is also a mystery. Even peak grandmasters tremble before him. ¡°Three peak grandmasters died and there are no leads?¡± The host of Yinlou Pavilion spoke with no emotion. Unable to discern his mood, the seven peak grandmasters below dared not breathe and bowed their heads. ¡°No clues left from the Stone Ghost Grass¡¯ spot, and no traces of the humans that were present?¡± The host of Yinlou Pavilion continued. One of the robed figures replied in a low voice: ¡°Based on some signs, it seems that Xu Yan could be associated with the Stone Ghost Grass.¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± The host of Yinlou Pavilion asked in an indifferent tone. Although his mood was undetectable, all seven knew that he was preparing to take matters into his own hands. ¡°He went to the Seven-Star Study Palace.¡± Someone replied. ¡°He¡¯s not important, Su Lingxiu is the vital element here. We must find her at all costs, regardless of the means or channels used. Do you understand?¡± Upon hearing that Xu Yan was in the Seven-Star Study Palace, the host of Yinlou Pavilion discarded the idea of seeking him out. The prime task was to find Su Lingxiu. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± The seven hastily replied. One of them then began, ¡°Master, Tianbao Pavilion is selling a type of medication called Qi-gathering Pill, which can significantly boost the cultivation speed of grandmaster martial artists. Could this be related to Su Lingxiu? ¡°She has been learning medical techniques and pharmacy since childhood, and she was taught by the Medicine King. Also, she is¡­¡± The host of Yinlou Pavilion looked at the person who had spoken: ¡°Find the source of the Qi-gathering Pill, by any means necessary.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± The host of Yinlou Pavilion waved his hand: ¡°Go.¡± The seven bowed and retreated, leaving the tall building to investigate the news from all sides. The Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s host, who was sitting alone in the tall building, opened his squinted eyes. His cloudy eyes were now flashing with a terrifying shine. ¡°No one can stop me. I have been waiting for too long. She is my only chance. How can I attain the legendary Heavenly Man realm without entering the Gate of Lingyu! ¡°Be it Xu Yan or anyone else, anyone who dares to obstruct me will surely die!¡± A cold voice filled with murderous intent emanated from the host of Yinlou Pavilion.. Chapter 296 Translator: 549690339 The Changqing Pavilion was still rapidly expanding, with large quantities of spiritual medicines being bought and a third alchemy production line being assembled in the alchemy room. Apart from the Qi-condensing pill, they also made a batch of Qi-blood pills that Xu Junhe and Kou Ruozhi took for cultivating the Great Wasteland Warriors and the martial artists around Iron Mountain County. The term ¡°Dahua¡± was gradually being spread among the mountain villages and throughout Iron Mountain County. Eventually, a slogan about rebuilding the glory of Dahua appeared. This was the work of Kou Ruozhi, who was experienced in rebellion. ¡°The number of martial artists is soon to break one hundred,¡± Li Xuan was eagerly anticipating, wondering what kind of feedback he would get once he had cultivated the Martial Arts to the hundredth milestone that he himself had developed? Now, the cultivation of Dahlia¡¯s martial arts had entered a rapid development phase. With adequate supply of pills, as long as one¡¯s talent wasn¡¯t too poor, one¡¯s cultivation speed can advance by leaps and bounds. Su Lingxiu had made a breakthrough to the minor success stage of the Innate Realm. Li Xuan¡¯s strength had increased again. Following the Dan Doctor Martial Code, Su Lingxiu had achieved some new extended insights and believed it wouldn¡¯t be long before a higher layer of the Dan Doctor Martial Code would emerge. As for the Void Alchemy Technique, Su Lingxiu had also gained some insights. The only thing that kept her from being able to utilize it was her lack of strength. ¡°A storm is coming!¡± Li Xuan sighed while standing in the courtyard. The manager of Tianbao Pavilion had been replaced by someone else, who was a peak Grandmaster martial artist. Moreover, he told Xu Junhe that it would take some time for Tianbao Pavilion to gather spiritual medicines. He also hinted at whether Changqing Pavilion would like to join Tianbao Pavilion and become a member of Tianbao Pavilion. As for the alchemy apprentices, someone secretly tried to win them over. However, the apprentices were all loyal and reported the incident to Xu Junhe immediately. Brainwashed by Kou Ruozhi¡¯s ideology, these apprentices, who harbored the lofty ideals of revitalizing Dahua, and had good pay and no concerns about the pills required for cultivation, would never join other forces. Xu Junhe started to slow down on expansion, and the supply of elixirs also started to be restricted, claiming that the lack of spiritual medicines resulted in insufficient elixir production, hence the inability to meet the demand. Tianbao Pavilion did not take any further action nor showed any signs of resorting to force, which was somewhat unexpected. Meng Shushu returned with a large bag. He was very diligent now, scavenging for high-grade spiritual medicines everywhere. ¡°It would be nice if there was a storage bag.¡± Meng Shushu put down the bag of spiritual medicines and sighed. He finally understood why Xu Yan and Meng Chong were so envious of the storage bag. If they had a storage bag, they wouldn¡¯t have to carry a large bag around. It draws too much attention. ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Brother Meng.¡± Su Lingxiu thanked him sincerely. ¡°It¡¯s not hard, finding spiritual medicines is what I do best.¡± Meng Shushu waved his hand. His strength had significantly increased and he had already broken through to become a Great Grandmaster. Su Lingxiu taught him the method of refining True Qi, and he had begun to refine his Inner Qi into Innate True Qi. Once he succeeded in refining Innate True Qi, his strength would further increase. His future was bright, and he was full of fighting spirit. Suddenly, Li Xuan looked up in a certain direction. ¡°They¡¯re coming.¡± Su Lingxiu asked in confusion, ¡°Master, who¡¯s coming?¡± ¡°Trouble for Changqing Pavilion.¡± Li Xuan laughed. Suddenly, Su Lingxiu and Meng Shushu looked up. Over a dozen figures flew in from the sky, all dressed in black and carrying long knives. The leader was a Great Grandmaster! The group arrived in the sky above Changqing Pavilion, surveyed the area, then the leading Great Grandmaster took out a royal decree and unfolded it. ¡°Changqing Pavilion, heed the decree: Changqing Pavilion, through your creation of the Qi-condensing pill, has greatly contributed to the martial arts of our Great Yue Kingdom. We commend your outstanding achievements, offering special rewards to Changqing Pavilion, appointing you as the Dan Medicine Department of Great Yue Kingdom, and dubbing the Pavilion Master of Changqing Pavilion as the Marquis Changqing. Accept the decree.¡± The leading Great Grandmaster finished reading the decree and then looked down. His strength surged, the implied warning clear. Either accept the decree, and everyone can be friends, you can even go to the capital of the Great Yue Kingdom and acquire a noble identity, serving under His Majesty of the Great Yue Kingdom. If you resist, you will become a criminal, once in the Great Yue Kingdom, you¡¯ll be treated as a slave! ¡°The Great Yue Kingdom doesn¡¯t have the right to rule over my Changqing Pavilion, go back where you came from!¡± Su Lingxiu said coldly. ¡°How insolent, is Changqing Pavilion planning to rebel?¡± The leading Great Grandmaster shouted angrily, his aura exploding. ¡°You¡¯re asking for death!¡± Su Lingxiu was furious. She picked up a shovel in one hand and with a burst of fine golden needles immediately went on the attack. Even though she was only at the minor success stage of the Innate Realm and was trained as a Dan Doctor martial artist, not proficient in fighting, the opponent was only at the early stage of Great Grandmaster after all. Su Lingxiu did not fear him in the slightest. This was a perfect opportunity to hone her combat experience. She was confident there was no danger with her master present. Boom! As the fight broke out, Su Lingxiu¡¯s Secret Wind Golden Needle, known for its rapid, surreptitious movement, took the Great Grandmaster by surprise, and instantly pricked into his arm. In an instant, he felt numbness in his arm. The muscles around the area where the golden needle pricked withered as if they had lost their vitality. His face instantly turned pale. He had underestimated this girl! In his momentary carelessness, his arm was seriously damaged and his combat prowess diminished. Moreover, the golden needles were tricky and difficult to deal with, so he had no choice but to exercise caution. After exchanging blows with Su Lingxiu for quite some time, he could not subdue her. ¡°Attack together!¡± The group accompanying him were all elite members of the Heavenly Garments Guard, Grandmaster martial artists. In an instant, over a dozen Grandmaster martial artists surrounded them. Meng Shushu, holding a pen-like weapon, jumped into the fray, yelling angrily, ¡°So what if you¡¯re the Heavenly Garments Guard, who are you trying to intimidate!¡± Chapter 297 Mysterious Yinlou Pavilion_2 Translator: 549690339 I However, no matter how strong he was, restraining two or three Grandmasters was about his limit. Down below, Zhou Ying immediately became anxious. At that moment, a streak of sword light cut across. Boom! The overwhelming sword light instantly killed a Grandmaster Martial Artist. The Great Grandmaster of the Heavenly Wardrobe Guard, who was battling with Su Lingxiu, suddenly changed his expression, speaking sternly, ¡°Heavenly Wardrobe Guard of the Great Yue Kingdom, do you intend to interfere in our Great Yue Kingdom¡¯s affairs?¡± The Great Yue Kingdom is the strongest of the three kingdoms in the inner domain. Hardly any forces in the entire inner domain dare to challenge the might of the Great Yue Kingdom. However, a cold voice came: ¡°So what if it¡¯s the Heavenly Wardrobe Guard? What can the Great Yue Emperor do about it?¡± The Heavenly Wardrobe Guard Great Grandmaster¡¯s face changed, hastily retreating, disengaging from the fight, and looking over with a gloomy face. ¡°Who are you to dare interfere with the matters of my Great Yue Kingdom?¡± ¡°Sword Honor Cliff, Hu Shan!¡± Hu Shan gave a cold smile. Behind him, Hu Hai gave the Heavenly Wardrobe Guard¡¯s Great Grandmaster a single glance, and the latter suddenly felt a creeping terror! A peak Great Grandmaster from Sword Honor Cliff! ¡°Chang Qing Pavilion is under my Great Yue Kingdom¡¯s jurisdiction, the hand of Sword Honor Cliff¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, a streak of sword light killed him instantly. Hu Hai sneered, ¡°Sword Honor Cliff¡¯s actions, does a running dog like you have the qualification to comment about¡± Meng Shushu swallowed, this was the power and dominance of Sword Honor Cliff. ¡°Miss Su, should we kill all of them?¡± Hu Shan looked at the remaining Heavenly Wardrobe Guards. Before Su Lingxiu could answer, Hu Shan saw that the dead body of the Heavenly Wardrobe Guard¡¯s Great Grandmaster and the remaining Grandmaster Martial Artists, had turned to ashes in an instant. Thud! Had their elder stepped in? Hu Hai was covered in cold sweat, there was a great terror in this Chang Qing Pavilion. For an instant, he seemed to sense the real power of the heavens! Su Lingxiu knew that her teacher had moved, she sighed in relief and asked Hu Shan: ¡°Why are you here?¡± Hu Shan grinned and said: ¡°I came to buy elixirs. Young Master Xu had it arranged, I am here on behalf of Sword Honor Cliff.¡± He then introduced: ¡°This is my father, Hu Hai!¡± Sword Honor Cliff, Great Grandmaster Hu Hai! ¡°Greetings to Great Grandmaster Hu Hai,¡± ¡°Miss Su is being too polite!¡± Hu Hai hastily replied with a salute. Since Hu Shan came this time on behalf of Sword Honor Cliff to buy elixirs, Su Lingxiu readily agreed. They sold all their in-stock elixirs to Sword Honor Cliff. Hu Shan and his father didn¡¯t linger too long, but they did reveal that Sword Honor Cliff would handle some of the troubles for Chang Qing Pavilion, but ultimately they couldn¡¯t stop them all. There were too many forces in the inner domain. And this time, they killed the Heavenly Wardrobe Guard, the royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom would undoubtedly not let this matter rest. Iron Mountain county was ultimately the territory of the Great Yue Kingdom, and it was fair for them to intervene. Even if Sword Honor Cliff fought with the Great Yue Kingdom, Xie Lingfeng was not in a position to make the decision. As for Xie Tianheng, the Sword Lord, he was still in seclusion and thus could only resist some of the threats from the Great Yue Kingdom and could not completely block them. Su Lingxiu wasn¡¯t surprised by this, Xie Lingfeng¡¯s support was already enough. As Chang Qing Pavilion was in a turbulent situation, it was time for Xu Yan and Meng Chong to return and take charge. They couldn¡¯t always rely on her teacher, could they? Hu Shan and his father left. Kou Ruozhi angrily said: ¡°We must rebel and overthrow the old emperor of Great Yue Kingdom!¡± Su Lingxiu glanced at him and said: ¡°Is our Chang Qing Pavilion suited for rebellion?¡± Kou Ruozhi was startled, and then fell into deep thought, ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Dahua once, to discuss with Emperor Qi and the Emperor of Wu. These two emperors should know how to rebel, right? ¡°In the future, there will be no Great Yue Kingdom, only our Dahua!¡± He was adept at rebellion, but with his weak strength, any adeptness in rebellion would be futile. Su Lingxiu didn¡¯t bother with him. She didn¡¯t care about these matters. Back in the courtyard, she massaged her teacher¡¯s shoulders and apologized: ¡°Teacher, I have caused trouble for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Li Xuan sipped his spiritual tea and said, With a mere thought, he manipulated nature¡¯s spiritual energy, transforming it into a powerful offensive attack, crushing the Grandmaster Martial Artist in but an instance, effortlessly. ¡°Master, that was superb.¡± Su Lingxiu was beside herself with glee. Li Xuan patted her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid your troubles are about to begin.¡± Su Lingxiu was taken aback. She had just revealed her ability, alerting the black-robed men to her presence. It wouldn¡¯t be long before they found her in the county. The Chang Qing Pavilion was her creation. ¡°How could I be troubled with Master by my side?¡± Su Lingxiu replied with a cheeky smile. Xu Yan finally managed to persuade several martial arts scholars to join the Chang Qing Pavilion as guests, while also delving into martial arts. In exchange, he reached a simple agreement with the Seven-star Study Palace. He would hold the honorary title of Martial Arts Scholar at the Seven-star Study Palace, but would not be subject to any of its rules; it was a mere title. Xu Yan felt cheated: his increasing strength would boost the reputation of the Seven-star Study Palace, which he was unwilling to do. Bai Yun Kong was speechless. Even the promise of his scholars defected wasn¡¯t enough to sweeten the deal for Xu Yan? Eventually, the Seven-star Study Palace agreed to pay Xu Yan an annual reservation fee of three hundred thousand spirit crystals, and the agreement was formally reached. The martial arts scholars could leave with Xu Yan, but the rules of the Seven-star Study Palace would not change. They would not intervene in the disputes of the martial arts world or assist Xu Yan against other forces. Unless, of course, Xu Yan truly became a member of the Seven-star Study Palace. Being a member of the Seven-star Study Palace meant adhering to their principles. While the Seven-star Study Palace would not step in, the scholars who left with Xu Yan had their own responsibilities to bear, and their actions to protect those responsibilities would not violate the principles of the Seven-star Study Palace. Xu Yan made no protest. He never intended to rely on the Seven-star Study Palace for support; he was just there to recruit some martial arts scholars. These single-minded men, so devoted to their beliefs, would certainly go to great lengths to uphold them. Once they came to the Chang Qing Pavilion and experienced true martial arts and elixirs, they would undoubtedly become infatuated and reluctant to leave. Xu Yan reasoned that the martial arts scholars with the darkest circles under their eyes were the most dedicated. They had committed themselves to the study of martial arts from a young age, forsaking sleep and thus gaining dark circles under their eyes. These circles persisted even as they ascended to the positions of Grandmaster, and Great Grandmaster. ¡°The Great Supervisory Teacher Fu once mentioned that the Seven-star Study Palace held information that I would find interesting. Could it be what I suspect?¡± Xu Yan asked, turning his gaze to Bai Yun Kong. If his assumptions were correct, the information Fu Yuntian referred to was likely about the black-robed men. ¡°The black-robed men hail from the Yinlou Pavilion, one of the three major secret forces in the Inner Domain, with no fewer than ten Great Grandmasters at its peak,¡± Bai Yun Kong said solemnly. ¡°Peak Great Grandmaster might be a rare sight in the world of martial arts, but the vast Inner Domain, rich in resources and home to numerous powers, holds a not insignificant number of them.¡± ¡°The Palace Master of Yinlou Pavilion is mysterious and powerful, causing even Peak Great Grandmasters to shudder. Even I am not confident of my chances of victory against him.¡± The Inner Domain is expansive, with a plethora of powers. The top forces are home to dozens of Peak Great Grandmasters, thanks to their abundant cultivation resources, powerful techniques, and centuries of heritage. Even if it took decades to create a Peak Great Grandmaster, over time, their numbers added up. Most, reaching this realm, resided at the pinnacle of the Inner Domain. Having few matters to attend to, they devoted their days to perfecting their skills and pursuing the path beyond Great Grandmaster. Xu Yan was not surprised by this. It was only to be expected that the prosperous Inner Domain martial arts would amass numerous Peak Great Grandmasters. What did surprise him was the extraordinary power peddled by the black-robed men of Yinlou Pavilion. The strength of the Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s Palace Master was unprecedented? Even Bai Yun Kong, the Palace Master of the Seven-star Study Palace, the most powerful Inner Domain warrior he had encountered thus far, had no confidence in winning against him. He even sensed that Bai Yun Kong was perhaps more powerful than he initially estimated. ¡°Where is the Yinlou Pavilion located?¡± Xu Yan asked solemnly. Although the Palace Master of Yinlou Pavilion was strong, the current Xu Yan might not be able to win. However, after breaking into the Tongxuan Realm, he could kill him. At that point, he could directly take out the enemy¡¯s lair. Wouldn¡¯t he make a real fortune then? ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Bai Yun Kong shook his head: ¡°As for the three major secret forces, not even the Seven-star Study Palace, let alone Tianbao Pavilion, knows where they are.¡± Yinlou Pavilion had always been elusive. Even if they met face to face, without the black robes as a marker, nobody would know they were from Yinlou Pavilion.. Chapter 298 Translator: 549690339 The Yinlou Pavilion was mysterious, and its master was even more so. Even a powerful figure like Bai Yun Kong had only seen him from afar once, an old man on the verge of dying. From what was known so far, the owner of the Yinlou Pavilion had always appeared as a frail old man. Those who knew of him would secretly refer to him as the Undying Elder! ¡°The master of Yinlou Pavilion is not to be underestimated. I don¡¯t mean to belittle you, my young friend, but I doubt you can handle him with your current strength,¡± spoke Bai Yun Kong seriously. ¡°No problem. Even if I¡¯m not his match now, he cannot kill me. Within one month, I will be able to kill him,¡± said Xu Yan, brimming with confidence. Bai Yun Kong twitched his mouth, within a month he could kill the master of Yinlou Pavilion? Did that mean he could also kill Bai Yun Kong in one month? From where did he get such confidence? However, Bai Yun Kong did not think Xu Yan was arrogant. Indeed, Xu Yan had never been arrogant. Everything he said was always the truth. The more Bai Yun Kong thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He felt like his decades of cultivation had been futile. Look at Xu Yan, his strength improved as easily as eating and drinking. His first time at the Seven-star Study Palace, he¡¯d barely been the match of an entry-level Great Grandmaster. However, not many days had passed and he¡¯d already exploded a Great Grandmaster in strength! How long had it been since then? He¡¯d killed several peak Great Grandmasters already, in one more month, Bai Yun Kong himself would not be his match! How monstrously talented could one be! ¡°Palace Master Bai, do you know what the goal is of Yinlou Pavilion?¡± Xu Yan curiously asked. What was Yinlou Pavilion after that they would spare no effort to capture his Junior Sister? A deep grudge? Was it related to his Junior Sister¡¯s origin? ¡°I don¡¯t know, the Yinlou Pavilion has always been a mystery. This is the first time they have acted so openly,¡± Bai Yun Kong shook his head. At that moment, a carrier hawk landed. Bai Yun Kong took a look at the letter and announced, ¡°Leng Qiu, a disciple from Sword Dao Cliff, wants to meet with you outside the Study Palace. He seems quite anxious. Would you like to see him?¡± Xu Yan hesitated, thinking that if there wasn¡¯t an urgent matter, Leng Qju wouldn¡¯t be so anxious to see him. Therefore, he stood up and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave. Have the Martial Arts scholars find an opportunity to wait for me on Canglan Island.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Bai Yun Kong gave his agreement. Outside the Seven-star Study Palace, Xu Yan saw Leng Qju, whose Sword Dao had made tremendous strides since the last time he¡¯d given him pointers. ¡°What did you urgently want to see me about?¡± Leng Qju handed him a letter and said, ¡°This is Brother Xie¡¯s letter, he asked me to deliver it to you.¡± Xu Yan opened the letter and his eyes immediately turned cold. The Great Yue Kingdom was really audacious! Although Tianbao Pavilion had not taken any actions, they seemed to be waiting for the right time. They seemed to be waiting for Chang Qjng Pavilion to call for help. ¡°Thank you.¡± Xu Yan bowed his fist. He had to return to Iron Mountain County to deal with the impending crisis. Since the Heavenly Cloak Guard of the Great Yue Kingdom had come here once, then the other powers would gradually notice the location of Chang Qjng Pavilion. Although the Heavenly Cloak Guard was exterminated, the Great Yue Kingdom wouldn¡¯t just let it go. As one of the three biggest countries in the Inner Domain, both its foundation and strength were extremely strong. Xu Yan found Meng Chong in the Repository Pavilion, and the two immediately embarked on their journey back to Iron Mountain County. In the Imperial City of the Great Yue Kingdom, inside the royal study, the Great Yue Emperor looked grim. All of the Heavenly Cloak Guards that were dispatched were exterminated without exception. Judging from the information gathered, besides Hu Hai from Sword Dao Cliff who killed the Great Grandmaster, the rest of the Grandmaster Martial Artists were all killed by powerful figures inside Chang Qjng Pavilion. ¡°Sword Dao Cliff!¡± The Great Yue Emperor¡¯s eyes turned dark. ¡°Do they think my Great Yue Kingdom is easy to bully?¡± Though Sword Dao Cliff was unparalleled in strength, the Great Yue Kingdom wasn¡¯t weak either. Besides, Sword Dao Cliff had numerous forces to fend off, and wouldn¡¯t rush to declare war on the Great Yue Kingdom. ¡°Issue a decree to the Dukes Pan, Zheng, Hong, and Ma, to jointly block the strongmen of Sword Dao Cliff from going to Lanping County, to show the attitude of my Great Yue Kingdom; ¡°Issue a decree to the Great Commanders of the Heavenly Cloak Guard and Heavenly Imperial Guard, to lead the elites and head to Lanping County immediately, waiting for further orders. ¡°Give an order to the Divine Halberd Army to go to Lanping County and seal off Iron Mountain County.¡± The Great Yue Emperor angrily commanded. The Heavenly Cloak Guard and the Heavenly Imperial Guard were the two strong guard units of the royal family. As for the Divine Halberd Army, it was the Kingdom¡¯s national defense force, and the minimum cultivation level required to join was Black Iron tier. The Imperial City of the Great Yue Kingdom was shaken, and many officials were horrified. Why was the Great Yue Emperor suddenly mobilizing the Divine Halberd Army, and why were the Heavenly Cloak Guard and the Heavenly Imperial Guard also mobilizing their elites? Of the five Dukes, four are showing their attitudes towards Sword Dao Cliff. Soon, the news had spread that Chang Qjng Pavilion was located in Iron Mountain County in Lanping County while the Heavenly Cloak Guard had failed to successfully requisition the Chang Qjng Pavilion in the first attempt. The various Great Yue Kingdom families were sending out their strongmen to participate in this operation, which the Great Yue Emperor allowed. What it meant to integrate Chang Qjng Pavilion, they understood. Once successful, the strength of the Great Yue Kingdom would skyrocket. With just a few dozen to a hundred years of accumulation, they would probably have the strength to unify the other two countries and rule the Inner Domain! When the Great Yue Kingdom¡¯s elite forces were mobilized, the Great Yue Emperor personally visited Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°Will your Pavilion intervene this time?¡± The Great Yue Emperor directly questioned. A strongman from Tianbao Pavilion smiled and said, ¡°Our Tianbao Pavilion only does business and does not intervene in the power struggles of the Inner Domain, just like when the Kingdom was established and collapsed, we did not intervene.¡± ¡°Really not intervening?¡± The Great Yue Emperor looked directly at him. The importance of the Essence Qj Pill was self-evident, would Tianbao Pavilion truly not be moved? ¡°Our Tianbao Pavilion has principles. Unless the other party joins our Tianbao Pavilion and becomes a member of our Tianbao Pavilion, we won¡¯t lift a finger. Your Majesty can rest assured,¡± he replied.. Chapter 299 Translator: 549690339 The powerhouse of Tianbao Pavilion still wore a smile on his face. The great Yue Emperor stared straight at him. The meaning of Tianbao Pavilion was obvious. If Chang Qing Pavilion could not hold up, they should switch sides to Tianbao Pavilion. If that happened, Chang Qing Pavilion would become part of Tianbao Pavilion. If the Great Yue Empire continued to interfere, it would be targeting Tianbao Pavilion, and Tianbao Pavilion would inevitably respond. Of course, if Chang Qing Pavilion didn¡¯t ask for help, and didn¡¯t join Tianbao Pavilion, then Tianbao Pavilion wouldn¡¯t step in. However, since Tianbao Pavilion made such a statement, they must be confident that Chang Qing Pavilion would eventually seek help and side with Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°Tianbao Pavilion is taking too much. Yunqi Pills can¡¯t be controlled by one group, not even by Tianbao Pavilion.¡± The Great Yue Emperor stood up and left. He knew that in this dispute over Yunqi Pills, the Great Yue Empire alone was no match for Tianbao Pavilion. Only if all the major forces joined hands could they balance Tianbao Pavilion. We can¡¯t let Tianbao Pavilion monopolize the Yunqi Pills any longer. On this day, the top forces of the Inner Domain, under the connection of the Great Yue Empire, joined this movement one after another. This was an understanding; they couldn¡¯t let Tianbao Pavilion continue to reap the benefits of Yunqi Pills alone! The Seven-star Study Palace still showed no intention of meddling in the dispute, maintaining neutrality, adhering to the principle of imparting martial arts, without intervening in the conflicts of the Inner Realm Martial Arts. ¡°What a storm.¡± Bai Yun Kong sighed. ¡°Teacher, can Xu Yan hold on?¡± Fu Yuntian asked curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he won¡¯t die. By the time he can kill the master of the Yinlou Pavilion in a month, the royal family of the Great Yue Empire will be in danger. ¡°All the forces that take action will be in danger.¡± Bai Yun Kong shook his head, but he was sure that Xu Yan would not die, even if Chang Qing Pavilion could suffer heavy losses. If Xu Yan survives, all the forces that have made a move should prepare for retaliation. ¡°Would Sword Dao Cliff make a move?¡± Fu Yuntian asked in a deep voice. ¡°Xie Tianheng is in seclusion, and Xie Lingfeng, still young, can¡¯t make a decision, but hasn¡¯t someone already made a move? Blocking many powerhouses.¡± Bai Yun Kong spoke with a smile. ¡°I actually admire Sword Dao Cliff a bit, they didn¡¯t seize the opportunity to share the benefits.¡± Fu Yuntian sighed. About the Yunqi Pills matter, Sword Dao Cliff has heard about it long ago, but they didn¡¯t have any ulterior motives. Apart from the unbreakable relationship between Xie Lingfeng and Xu Yan, the people from Sword Dao Cliff are much more noble than the rest of the forces. ¡°A bunch of sword cultivators, especially those under Xie Tianheng¡¯s command at the Sword Dao Cliff, are proud deep down, they won¡¯t stoop to snatching other people¡¯s treasures.¡± Bai Yun Kong chuckled. Yinlou Pavilion. Seven top-level Great Grandmasters gathered at the top of the tower. ¡°Master, we have found her!¡± The eyes of Yinlou Pavilion Master shone brightly, and he became excited, asking, ¡°Where?¡± ¡°In the Great Yue Empire, Lanping prefecture, Tie Mountain county, within Chang Qing Pavilion. It appears that she founded Chang Qing Pavilion, and researched Yunqi Pills.¡± A Grandmaster replied respectfully. ¡°Good, good, good, worthy of Ling Domain¡¯s bloodline. Truly extraordinary!¡± The Yinlou Pavilion Master praised exultantly. ¡°Master, many forces, including the Great Yue Empire, are converging on Lanping Prefecture, making preparations to divide up Chang Qing Pavilion and usurp control of Yunqi Pills, to stop Tianbao Pavilion from monopolizing.¡± The Yinlou Pavilion Master rose from his seat and said, ¡°Everyone, follow me to Tie Mountain County. Su Lingxiu must not fall into the hands of others, she belongs to my Yinlou Pavilion.¡± While exiting, he ordered, ¡°Inform the Demon Lord of Extinction that we have found the person. If he wants to go through the Gate of Lingyu, then let¡¯s join forces.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± A Grandmaster respectfully replied. The mountain peak where Yinlou Pavilion was located opened a portal, and eight figures came out. The aging Master of Yinlou Pavilion looked around, rose into the air, leading the seven ultimate Great Grandmasters, and headed to Tie Mountain county in Lanping prefecture. At the same time, a kite flew out of Yinlou Pavilion, heading towards a certain place. In a canyon shrouded in gray fog and filled with miasma, a person who looked emaciated sat cross-legged on a large stone. Around him, corpses were strewn about ¡ª both human and animals. All shrunken and desiccated. Every form of grass and trees around was wilted. A green poisonous frog hopped over. As soon as it got within ten feet of the large stone, it instantly dried up into a dead, shrunken frog. A kite descended from the sky. Just before it got close, it fell to the ground with a thump and transformed into a dried and dead bird. The emaciated form sitting on the large stone opened its eyes, raised his hand, and took off the envelope attached to the lute¡¯s leg. ¡°Lanping Prefecture, Tie Mountain County?¡± The Demon Lord of Extinction¡¯s eyes flashed with excitement as he rose into the sky, heading straight for Lanping Prefecture. In the Great Yue Empire, the wind and clouds churned. All the martial artists¡¯ gazes converged on Lanping Prefecture, specifically on the impoverished Tie Mountain County. The Divine Polemical Army arrived in great numbers, blocking the roads leading to and from Tie Mountain County. In the City Lord¡¯s mansion of Lanping prefecture, a middle-aged man in a purple robe, with three long beards and a resolute face, sat high in the main position. ¡°Our Great Yue Empire, joined by all of you, aims to prevent Tianbao Pavilion from monopolizing the Yunqi Pills. Otherwise, if we wanted to acquire Yunqi Pills in the future, we would have to buy them from Tianbao Pavilion, and even the supply couldn¡¯t be guaranteed. ¡°Since Chang Qing Pavilion is within the territory of our Great Yue Empire, it should belong to us. We are willing to share the Yunqi Pills with all participating parties, but we need a distribution plan.¡± The man in the purple robe spoke solemnly. ¡°Prince Zi Yi, please speak freely.¡± A powerful figure spoke up. Prince Zi Yi, a formidable prince of the Great Yue Empire¡¯s royal family, a pinnacle Great Grandmaster, known for his incredible strength, and also the Great Commander of Heavenly Guard.. Chapter 300 Translator: 549690339 For the sake of the Qi Condensing Pill from the Chang Qing Pavilion, the Great Yue Kingdom dispatched the elite forces of the Heavenly Clothes Guards and the Heavenly Imperial Guards. Their combined strength outmatched any other power present. However, to counterbalance the Tianbao Pavilion and prevent it from monopolizing the pill, they had joined forces with various other powers. ¡°We, the Great Yue Kingdom, will hold fifty percent of the share. The remaining fifty will be divided evenly among you all.¡± The King in purple robes spoke solemnly. The strong influencers from various powers were silent for a long while before nodding their heads, seemingly approving this distribution plan. Of course, the final distribution could only be determined after they had taken control of the Chang Qing Pavilion and acquired the method of synthesizing the Qi Condensing Pill. Moreover, the Tianbao Pavilion, a giant entity, was a part of this equation. ¡°Then follow my lead to take control of the Chang Qing Pavilion.¡± The King in purple stood up and spoke. All the strong individuals gathered here were Great Grandmasters, a few of whom were at the pinnacle of their rank. And these were just the visible power-holders. No power dared underestimate the Tianbao Pavilion, this leviathan. Otherwise, the Great Yue Kingdom would not have need to share their plans and collaborate with others. It would be better for everyone to benefit rather than letting the Tianbao Pavilion monopolize all the resources! Tieshan County, a barren and obscure place within the Great Yue Kingdom, suddenly became famous throughout the whole kingdom and subsequently throughout the Inner Domain. The Chang Qing Pavilion was located in Tieshan County. And the Qi Condensing Pill happened to be a discovery made by Chang Qing Pavilion! With the deployment of the Great Yue Kingdom¡¯s Heavenly Clothes Guards and Heavenly Imperial Guards, and the encirclement of Tieshan County by the Divine Halberd Army, the attention of the entire Martial Arts world was drawn here. Various top-tier forces sent out their elite, hoping to grab a piece of the pie. These included the Yan Nation and the Purple Cloud Nation However, most forces outside of the Great Yue Kingdom were impeded by the Sword Master Cliff. The might of Sword Master Cliff deterred even the strongest members of the Yan and Purple Cloud Nations, but not every strong person could be stopped. Peak Great Grandmasters from every top-tier force were dispatched, causing an unprecedented gathering in Lanping County of the Great Yue Kingdom. Even including Grandmaster Martial Artists, present day accomplished Great Grandmasters had to keep a low profile and dare not act arrogantly. ¡°Who would have thought; the Inner Domain has so many peak Great Grandmasters!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a thousand years since we¡¯ve witnessed such a gathering of so many peak Great Grandmasters. Even if the Chang Qing Pavilion is destroyed, it would still become a legend.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not just a thousand years; since the collapse of the dynasty, this is the first time so many peak Great Grandmasters have gathered in order to participate in a single event!¡± ¡°The Qi Condensing Pill. It really is miraculous; no wonder all these peak Great Grandmasters have revealed themselves. I¡¯ve even heard that two peak Great Grandmasters, previously thought to have fallen in the Pillar Mountain, are here.¡± ¡°Why such fanfare for just the Qi Condensing Pill?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand. If the Qi Condensing Pill exists, isn¡¯t it possible that there might be pills even more effective, suitable for Great Grandmasters? Moreover, such a valuable resource for cultivation cannot continue to be monopolized by the Tianbao Pavilion.¡± A martial artist commented, his face displaying an all-seeing expression. The Tianbao Pavilion has seeped into every facet of the martial arts world and, even though it doesn¡¯t interfere with conflicts in the Inner Domain, it feels like a thorn in the flesh to all the major forces. If such a valuable resource as the Qi Condensing Pill were to continue to be monopolized by the Tianbao Pavilion, then the entire Inner Domain would rightfully belong to the Tianbao Pavilion. That¡¯s why, when the Great Yue Kingdom reached out to all sides for cooperation, the major forces tacitly worked together. As for the plan of distribution, it would be determined after taking down the Chang Qing Pavilion, based on each power¡¯s strength.. Chapter 301 Translator: 549690339 The martial artists in Tieshan County were panic-stricken, largely evacuating the area around Chang Qing Pavilion, with several even fleeing into the mountains, planning to return only after the conflict had passed. The current Tieshan County was undoubtedly the most dangerous place. Even Grandmaster martial artists could fall at any time let alone those of them who were merely mid to low-ranked martial artists. They didn¡¯t even rank as third grade. Even the slightest aftermath from a battle could obliterate them completely. Though the county town of Tieshan was a distance from Chang Qing Pavilion, it was nonetheless proximate. The approaching strong powers would doubtless make the town their foothold. As a result, all the martial artists in the county town temporarily left, seeking refuge from the storm that was brewing. Even ordinary people were aware that something was wrong and fled the county town. In just two or three days, the town had become deserted. No guests were moving in or out of Tianbao Pavilion, and it had become cold and deserted. In the highest level of Tianbao Pavilion, a few people sat, unaffected, savoring their tea. Among them, two individuals were noticeable by their grey hair, a sign of their many years, while they sipped their tea and gazed at the profile of Chang Qing Pavilion outside the city. ¡°Such a grand gathering. There hasn¡¯t been such a spectacle since the collapse of the dynasty,¡± commented one of them with a smile. ¡°Indeed!¡± The other nodded. ¡°Alchemy, it really is a marvel. Changing the style of martial arts cultivation, changing the landscape of the martial world, it¡¯s only normal that everyone¡¯s after it.¡± ¡°What do you think, should Tianbao Pavilion take sole advantage of it, or just sit back and watch the shifting situation?¡± The two spoke leisurely, seemingly unaffected by the oppressive forces gathering around them. ¡°It¡¯s just an Qi Gathering Pill, not enough for Tianbao Pavilion to abandon our principles. Let¡¯s see. The alchemy room of Chang Qing Pavilion, and the method of refining the Qi Gathering Pill, are not the key issues. The person who created the Qi Gathering Pill is the key.¡± ¡°Tianbao Pavilion has always valued the gifted ones,¡± one of them said with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right, it would indeed be a waste if someone so gifted didn¡¯t join Tianbao Pavilion. Thus, even if the Chang Qing Pavilion is divided up, that person will still belong to Tianbao Pavilion,¡± the other nodded with a laugh. To take a person away, it wasn¡¯t hard for them. Even if all the powerful forces were to gather, if Tianbao Pavilion wishes to protect someone, no one could touch them! Since everyone wanted the Qi Gathering Pills, they could have them! Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s vision was not limited to just the Qi Gathering Pills. In Chang Qing Pavilion, Su Lingxiu was incredibly tense. She hadn¡¯t expected her actions to provoke such a huge backlash, gathering so many formidable forces from the Inner Domain. The manager of Tianbao Pavilion, with a smiling face, was talking leisurely with Xu Junhe. ¡°Brother Xu, Chang Qing Pavilion is facing an unfavorable situation. As far as I know, the Great Commanders of Dayue Kingdom¡¯s Heavenly Garment Guards and Heavenly Royal Guards have arrived. They are peak Great Grandmasters commanding three Great Master powerhouses.¡± -And also, some of the strong powers revered by the royal family of Dayue Kingdom should have come as well.¡± ¡°In addition, the ancestors of all the top forces have all mobilized. Even by a rough estimate, there are over fifty peak Great Grandmasters.¡± -Do you know what this means? Since the collapse of the dynasty, there has never been a convergence of so many peak Great Grandmasters.¡± -Don¡¯t think that fifty is a high number. Since the collapse of the dynasty, the martial world has rested and recuperated for a long time, and the number of accumulated peak Great Grandmasters is not small.¡± ¡°It has been tens of thousands of years since the dynasty collapsed. Even if only one peak Great Grandmaster emerged every twenty years, how many do you think there would be?¡± ¡°Moreover, how could there be only one peak Great Grandmaster appearing in the entire Inner Domain every twenty years?¡± Xu Junhe¡¯s heart trembled as he listened. He knew what the meaning of a peak Great Grandmaster was. Even if his own son could kill one with a single sword stroke, he would still need fifty strokes, let alone that peak Great Grandmasters weren¡¯t so easily killed when they joined forces? Defeat one, what about ten? It was too dangerous! The only thing that bolstered his spirit was a tremendously powerful predecessor. ¡°Having fifty peak Great Grandmasters indeed pays our Chang Qing Pavilion a high compliment.¡± Xu Junhe said, forcing a laugh. ¡°Brother Xu, Chang Qing Pavilion will not survive this crisis. Given our relationship, you can consider taking refuge in my Tianbao Pavilion. As long as you come to Tianbao Pavilion, your safety can be guaranteed absolutely.¡± The manager of Tianbao Pavilion said with a smile. The implication was clear ¨C let go of Chang Qing Pavilion, abandon the Qi Gathering Pills, and turn them over to the powerful forces. The core people of Chang Qing Pavilion, primarily the one who developed the Qi Gathering Pill, could join Tianbao Pavilion. As long as they joined Tianbao Pavilion, they would no longer have to worry about danger. Xu junhe was secretly shocked. The manager of Tianbao Pavilion had signaled an intent that was quite frightening. No fewer than fifty peak Great Grandmasters were converging, and yet, merely joining Tianbao Pavilion was enough to guarantee their safety, showing how terrifying Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s capabilities were. ¡°Brother Xu, Tianbao Pavilion has always respected the talented, offering them generous treatment, and never restricting their freedom¡­ The manager of Tianbao Pavilion continued with his smiling conversation. -We appreciate your kind intentions. Our Chang Qing Pavilion still has a slight foundation and we haven¡¯t reached that point yet. If it really becomes unbearable, we will consider your offer¡± Taking care to not make any definitive statement that might incite Tianbao Pavilion to abandon their principles and join in the attack on Chang Qing Pavilion, Xu Junhe said with a laugh. -If Brother Xu makes a decision, just activate this signal and Tianbao Pavilion will ensure the safety of Brother Xu and the others.¡± The manager of Tianbao Pavilion left a signal device. Once activated, a flare would shoot into the sky, signalling the Tianbao Pavilion powers to intervene and save people. ¡°Thank you!¡± Xu Junhe said, bowing slightly. The manager of Tianbao Pavilion had left, and Xu Junhe, looking serious, hastily entered the inner courtyard of Chang Qing Pavilion.. Chapter 302 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Hiss, fifty peak Great Grandmasters?¡± Meng Shushu¡¯s face turned pale, this was too terrifying. No matter how strong Xu Yan was, how could one person withstand such a large number of peak Great Grandmasters? Kou Ruozhi broke out in cold sweat, saying, ¡°Is the Inner Domain this powerful? Dayue Kingdom is too strong, and my Dahua is too weak!¡± However, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°If we survive this, I must overthrow the Dayue Kingdom!¡± This was a life-and-death battle for Chang Qing Pavilion, if they won, they would officially join the ranks of the transcendental forces in the Inner Domain, if they lost, they would lose everything. Su Lingxiu had a worried expression as she came running to Li Xuan, saying, ¡°Master, you¡­ you can deal with this, right?¡± Fifty peak Great Grandmasters! Originally, she thought they only had to face the Dayue Kingdom or the forces of men in black robes. However, many top forces gathered, and even with the assistance of Sword Master Cliff, the pressure was immense. Li Xuan was speechless, there were too many peak Great Grandmasters in this Inner Domain, weren¡¯t there? However, upon further thought, it didn¡¯t seem surprising. Just as the steward of Tianbao Pavilion said, after the collapse of the dynasty, there had been no major conflicts in the Inner Realm Martial arts circle, it was in a period of recuperation, and the peak Great Grandmasters were already at the summit of Inner Realm Martial Arts. Even if they weren¡¯t, they were pretty close. In such a large Inner Domain, there were many geniuses, those geniuses who climbed to the peak of martial arts accumulated over the years, resulting in a large number of peak Great Grandmasters. On ordinary days, it might be difficult to see a peak Great Grandmaster, simply because those who had reached the peak of martial arts were perfecting themselves and constantly exploring how to go further. Therefore, there weren¡¯t many peak Great Grandmasters who were active outside. Moreover, if the peak Great Grandmasters do not reveal their strengths, ordinary martial artists can¡¯t detect them at all, this is exactly why the Inner Realm Martial arts world, seems to believe that all peak Great Grandmasters were only rumored to exist. But now, with huge interests at stake, one peak Great Grandmaster after another revealed their whereabouts, naturally causing shock all around! ¡°As a master, I came here to enjoy life. Disciple, you must practice hard in the future. As a master, it¡¯s a bit disgraceful for me to deal with such weaklings as peak Great Grandmasters.¡± Li Xuan patted Su Lingxiu¡¯s hand and sighed. Su Lingxiu felt ashamed and said, ¡°Master, it¡¯s my fault for getting you into this trouble.¡± Just then, Xu Yan and Meng Chong came back and hearing their master¡¯s words, they immediately felt ashamed. ¡°Master, it¡¯s only fifty peak Great Grandmasters, I can handle them!¡± Xu Yan said through gritted teeth. He felt ashamed in his heart, ¡°Master is a recluse who came out of hiding because of me. He originally came to enjoy life peacefully, but now he has to deal with these weaklings. This must be very uncomfortable for Master.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself, if he was extremely strong and had to deal with dozens of ordinary people, he would also feel helpless and humiliated. It¡¯s all because his disciples were not up to par! Meng Chong also felt the same way, although he was only at the peak of the Innate Realm, he felt it was beneath him to deal with dozens of ordinary people. Even though he had no choice but to do so, one could imagine how helpless he felt inside. Master, you must be feeling this way now. Li Xuan looked at his three disciples, their faces filled with shame, and nodded silently to himself, now they understand their master¡¯s helplessness, don¡¯t they? They need to honor their master, practice hard, the faster they improve their strength the better. There is no better way to motivate a disciple to cultivate diligently. He glanced at Xu Yan, although Xu Yan was very strong, after all, he was only at the peak of the Innate Realm. He could deal with seven or eight, or even ten peak Great Grandmasters besieging him. But with fifty peak Great Grandmasters, the might of their collective power, with Xu Yan¡¯s current strength, was absolutely impossible to deal with. Unless, he broke through to the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°Disciple, do not be stubbornly blind. The wise do not strive for temporal bravery. It is normal to be at a disadvantage when faced with a big crowd. As 1 once told you, a true martial artist is not a reckless man!¡± He had to instill in his disciples the idea to hide if they can¡¯t beat the opponent, to prevent them from stubbornly resisting when they encounter a powerful enemy in the future. This is not a good thing. Xu Yan immediately felt guilty, ¡°I will definitely keep Master¡¯s teachings in mind.¡± Fifty peak Great Grandmasters, Xu Yan admitted that with his current strength, he had no chance of winning, his only option was to run away. If it was only ten or so, he would have a chance of winning. ¡°Master, does this mean you have to go into action?¡± Xu Yan asked with a look of shame. It¡¯s all because I¡¯m incapable. 1 can¡¯t even defeat fifty peak Great Grandmasters! 1 vow silently that I will understand martial arts in depth, break through Tongxuan Realm as soon as possible, and enhance my own strength. I can t even deal with these people, and I need my master to take action. I am ashamed of my master¡¯s teaching of martial arts! Li Xuan stood up, twisted his waist, stretched his limbs, and said, ¡°As a teacher, I never oppress people with realm, let alone the Tongxuan Realm to suppress these people. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s time for me to move my limbs and show you the power of the Tongxuan.¡± Finally, it was his turn to take action. Another opportunity to demonstrate to the apprentice how powerful his master is! Upon hearing this, Xu Yan and the others immediately perked up. ¡°Our master is indeed a recluse who never oppresses people with his realm. Even when faced with many enemies, he remains the same. He is a true powerhouse!¡± Xu Yan was thinking with a sigh in his heart. ¡°From the point of view of the realm, Innate Realm is at the same stage as the Grandmasters of the Inner Domain, while Tongxuan Realm is at the same stage as the Great Grandmasters. The master suppresses many peak Great Grandmasters with only the strength of Tongxuan Realm. It¡¯s unimaginable. ¡°This is real supremacy within the realm. No matter how many enemies there are in the same realm, one can suppress them all. When will I be able to do that?¡± Meng Chong was thinking with shock in his heart. Su Lingxiu was thrilled, finally going to see the master take action again. Back then, the scene where a Great Grandmaster was blown up with a palm was still vivid in her memory. Now he was going to suppress several tens of peak Great Grandmasters all by himself. What a peerless style this was! At this moment, Meng Shushu and the others also let out a sigh of relief. Now that the senior was taking action, there would naturally be no problem at all. Kou Ruozhi had a look of admiration on his face. This was our Martial Ancestor of Dahua! Finally, he was fortunate to see the Grand Ancestor take action, and moreover, he was suppressing the enemies with the power of the same realm. ¡°The glory of our Dahua will surely shine in the Inner Domain!¡± Kou Ruozhi was excitedly thinking, beginning to plan in his mind how, after this storm, Dahua would replace the great state of Yue and exist. Rebellion! Must rebel! As long as the Martial Ancestor suppresses all the enemies and controls the resources of the Qi-gathering pill, he will have the strength to attract the powerful men of the great state of Yue. He failed to rebel in the border wasteland. This time in the Inner Domain, he will surely be able to rebel successfully and overthrow the imperial family of the Great Yue State. Li Xuan saw everyone¡¯s excited faces and muttered in his heart: ¡°Is there any existence above the Great Grandmaster? Even if there is, as long as there aren¡¯t ten or twenty, otherwise my high-person image won¡¯t be able to keep up. ¡°Fifty peak Great Grandmasters, no big deal, with my current strength, not to mention fifty, even if a hundred come, I can still push them all aside.¡± After a careful assessment of his own strength, Li Xuan felt confident. Fifty peak Great Grandmasters, that¡¯s a small scene. He also marveled at the allure of the pill, which truly exceeded his imagination. But after this time, he could crush many peak Great Grandmasters, and Chang Qing Pavilion would surely shake the Inner Domain and become one of the transcendent forces. If anyone wanted to make a move on the pill, they would have to weigh their strength. From now on, many powers and martial artists who want pills can only buy them from Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°Will Tianbao Pavilion take action? Who are their powerhouses? Li Xuan would not ignore Tianbao Pavilion. Since he was going to take action, he had to be prepared to face Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s aggression. If Tianbao Pavilion dared to confidently protect Xu Junhe and others under the joint hands of many powers, their strength must be extraordinary. ¡°Let¡¯s count on a hundred peak Great Grandmasters. No problem, I can still push them all aside.¡± After evaluating, Li Xuan found that he was already at the peak of the Inner Domain, with unsurpassed power. These are just small scenes, don¡¯t panic! He sat casually in his chair, playing with the Jade Ruyi in his hand, about to continue encouraging his apprentices, let them feel ashamed and then brave, so they will work harder to practice martial arts in the future. The harder the apprentice works, the stronger the master will be, and the martial arts will continue to grow. Suddenly, he furrowed his brows and looked outside Chang Qing Pavilion. Eight figures were floating towards them. The man in the lead, holding a walking stick in his hand, seemed like an old man in his twilight years. Behind him, seven people, all peak Great Grandmasters. They were all dressed in black robes, the faces of everyone except for the leading elder were hidden.. Chapter 303 Translator: 549690339 Dozens of peak Great Grandmasters launching a joint attack didn¡¯t appear. Instead, eight figures shrouded in black robes emerged first. Xu Yan¡¯s expression turned grave, his gaze firmly fixed on the elder leading the group. His voice rumbled, ¡°Master of Yinlou Pavilion?!¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s face took a drastic change. Her eyes became slightly reddened, filled with hatred as she glared at these eight figures. These were the people who killed her grandfather. They had driven her into the desolate frontiers. However, it was due to this that she had met her Master and trained in the Martial Arts of Dan Medicine! ¡°It¡¯s you people!¡± Su Lingxiu spat out hatefully. The Master of Yinlou Pavilion appeared indifferent as if devoid of any spirit. He glanced plainly at Xu Yan and Meng Chong, completely ignoring Li Xuan who was seated in the chair. Li Xuan, who had neither revealed his aura nor used his mystical qi, was considered no different from Kou Ruozhi and Xu Junhe in the Master of Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s eyes. Merely an existence of ants. ¡°Come with me, otherwise everyone here will die because of you!¡± The Master of Yinlou Pavilion spoke aloofly. ¡°The Master of Yinlou Pavilion is enigmatic and powerful, some even dub him ¡®Old Immortal¡¯. I would like to see, just how enigmatic and powerful!¡± Xu Yan voiced out with a cold snort. He could feel that the Master of Yinlou Pavilion was very powerful and gave him a sense of danger. This was a sensation he had never experienced before. The indifferent gaze of the Master of Yinlou Pavilion turned toward him. In a moment, eyes that were originally turbid, burst out with a chilling and sharp radiance. Boom! Suddenly, an overwhelming oppressive force descended. This pressure, different from a peak Great Grandmaster, seemed like a kind of ¡°Intent¡±, seemingly suppressing one¡¯s consciousness, pressurizing their soul. Everyone found themselves unable to shake off this pressure. Under its coercion, performing any movement seemed strenuous. Even peak Great Grandmasters found themselves trembling with fear in the face of this overwhelming force, their abilities suppressed, perhaps not even capable of using a third of their power. Xu Yan¡¯s face instantly changed, and with a hum, a landscape manifested itself, enveloping everyone within and resisting this pressure. His Mountain and River Sword Intent could resist this pressure. Boom! The landscape roiled, as if withstanding massive pressure. Xu Yan, however, breathed out a sigh of relief. He could resist this pressure, but his heart was filled with dread. He muttered gravely, ¡°Above Great Grandmaster?¡± The Master of Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s eyes were filled with a terrifying brilliance. The pressure was increasing continually, but it was unable to suppress Xu Yan¡¯s Mountain and River Sword Intent. He frowned slightly, his heart full of astonishment. ¡°What kind of cultivation technique is this? Why does it have a resemblance to Heavenly Might yet different at the same time? He isn¡¯t a Heavenly Being, so how does he possess such power that he can resist the Heavenly Might?¡± The Master of Yinlou Pavilion watched Xu Yan closely, his eyes twinkling with understanding. He was beginning to understand how Xu Yan could kill peak Great Grandmasters. It had to do with this mystic power! ¡°It seems to be some profound intent. How was he able to cultivate it? Not even a Heavenly Being yet possessing nearly the same power as one.¡± lie suddenly became interested in Xu Yan. ¡°I¡¯m nothing more than a half-step Heavenly Being. My Heavenly Might isn¡¯t complete. If I can cultivate this mystic and profound intent, wouldn¡¯t I then possess a true Heavenly Being¡¯s might?¡± The Master of Yinlou Pavilion became excited at the thought. ¡°Young man, you¡¯re not my match. Take that girl and come with me. I will spare the others. Otherwise, don¡¯t blame me for being heartless.¡± The Master of Yinlou Pavilion spoke icily, a surge of aura sweeping from his body, revealing his terrifying strength that surpassed peak Great Grandmasters. ¡°So strong!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart wavered. This man was definitely a strong existence beyond a peak Great Grandmaster. Unless he himself broke through to the Tongxuan Realm, he was no match for this man! But he didn¡¯t panic at all, his Master was still here. Li Xuan had been sitting in his chair all this while. The moment the Master of Yinlou Pavilion appeared, he could sense that something was amiss. This man was powerful, far beyond a peak Great Grandmaster. Especially that pressure which seemed capable of directly suppressing a Martial Artist¡¯s consciousness. Was it a robust psychic force? Or perhaps, the power of the Divine Soul? If it was a regular peak Great Grandmaster, they would probably struggle to resist, their consciousness seemingly repressed and restrained, unable to use much of their strength. However, this mental pressure could be resisted by Sword Intent or Blade Intent. If the Sword Intent was strong enough, it could even tear through this pressure. This was why Xu Yan was able to remain unaffected by this force. ¡°An existence above Great Grandmaster? Something seems off. It surpasses a Great Grandmaster but doesn¡¯t feel complete.¡± Li Xuan ruminated. He was almost certain that the Master of Yinlou Pavilion was nearly as strong as someone beyond a peak Great Grandmaster but hadn¡¯t fully broken through. The realm above Great Grandmaster belonged to the cultivation of a Martial Artist¡¯s mental strength? ¡°The fourth realm of the Martial Arts that I¡¯ve created is even stronger and more mysterious than the realm above Great Grandmaster. My direction in devising Martial Arts seems correct. Then the cultivation direction for the fifth realm can also pretty much be confirmed.¡± Li Xuan used the Master of Yinlou Pavilion as a reference to deduce that the realm above Great Grandmaster belongs to the cultivation of a Martial Artist¡¯s mental level, or one could even say, the level of the Divine Soul. The fourth realm of the Martial Arts that he had created, just like Innate and Tongxuan, was still stronger than the current Martial Arts realm! ¡°Even the same cultivation of the Divine Soul results in different levels of strength. The Master of Yinlou Pavilion gave me a rather illusory perception. Although he hasn¡¯t completely broken through, I can still infer that the strength of Martial Artists above the Great Grandmaster isn¡¯t that substantial.¡± Of course, this was taking Li Xuan¡¯s own strength into account. Martial Artists above Great Grandmaster were powerful because of their psychic might, but Sword Intent and Blade Intent could resist this.. Chapter 304 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Xu Yan has reached a high level of understanding, even mastery, in the realms of Sword Dao and Descending Dragon Palm. With his abilities, he can easily deal with martial artists above the level of Great Grandmaster.¡± Li Xuan reassured himself, looking towards the head of Yinlou Pavilion with a faint smile. Finally, he could demonstrate his might once again in front of his disciple. The Martial Arts godlike technique, ¡®God Killer Slash,¡¯ and its sure-kill ability, could finally be put to use. This was also a perfect opportunity to teach his disciple. Allow Xu Yan and Meng Chong to comprehend a martial arts godlike technique similar to ¡®God Killer Slash¡¯! The pressure exerted by the Head of Yinlou Pavilion was growing stronger, it was like the brewing destruction of the world. Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Intent still fluctuated, but it was clearly struggling. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m too weak. If I could unleash the second layer of Sword Intent, I would definitely be able to break this oppressive force!¡± Xu Yan thought resentfully. He has comprehended the second layer of Sword Intent, but it¡¯s limited by his realm, unable to be released. Hum! A dominating Sword Intent erupted from Meng Chong¡¯s golden light, joining forces with Xu Yan to resist the oppressive force. Since their master chose not to intervene, he must be using the Head of Yinlou Pavilion as a way to sharpen them. The greed in the eyes of the head of Yinlou Pavilion was very apparent. A great opportunity was right in front of him. He coldly smirked, ¡°Youngsters, don¡¯t waste your efforts. Although the master has not reached the realm of the gods, it¡¯s just half a step away. You are no match for me. Surrender now, or everyone will surely die!¡± As his voice faded, an intimidating aura radiated from the cane in his hand. At this moment, Li Xuan stood from his chair, casually stretched his legs and twisted his waist. ¡°Disciples, today your master will use this man¡¯s life to teach you the Martial Arts godlike technique. It¡¯s up to you to comprehend as much as you can.¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong were instantly ecstatic, their master was going to teach them powerful martial arts techniques again. A Martial Arts godlike technique? Just by hearing this name, they knew it was going to be incredibly powerful. The head of the Yinlou Pavilion focused his gaze, sharply turning towards Li Xuan. His intimidating aura gradually retracted, concentrating around him. The cane in his hand emitted a chilling radiance. He looked serious. He had misjudged the situation. This man was Xu Yan and Meng Chong¡¯s master? If the disciples were so powerful, how could their master be weak? ¡°Who are you?¡± Li Xuan twirled the Jade Ruyi in his left hand and laughed lightly, ¡°To be fair, I won¡¯t deceive you. I will fight you using an energy level one realm lower than yours.¡± Xu Yan was thrilled, ¡°Master is going to kill the head of Yinlou Pavilion, who is half a step into the realm of gods, using a lower-level energy? Is this to show me the power of Martial Arts god-like technique, effortlessly fighting across realms?¡± ¡°Arrogant!¡± The gaze of the head of Yinlou Pavilion was icy cold. Invisible ripples spread around him, the terrifying pressure they exerted forced Xu Yan and Meng Chong to continuously reduce the range of their Sword Intent and Saber Intent. It was like a giant mountain piling up on their Sword and Saber Intents, ready to collapse at any moment! Even more massive pressure was converging towards Li Xuan. Ripples surged, stirring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, forming mountain-like pressure. Li Xuan stood nonchalantly, raised his right hand, forming a blade with his fingers, laughing lightly, ¡°Are you ready? I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see how you can kill me!¡± The head of Yinlou Pavilion raised his cane, a terrifying light emerged from it, readying a powerful attack. Li Xuan remained calm, glanced at Xu Yan and Meng Chong, ¡°Take a good look, this is the Martial Arts godlike technique, aiming to eradicate their spirits and souls!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong widened their eyes, afraid to miss anything, let alone fail to understand its essence. ¡°Slash!¡± Li Xuan smirked, there was no better way to teach his disciples than by personally demonstrating it. After gaining the Martial Arts godlike technique, there was finally a chance to showcase it. Although the head of Yinlou Pavilion wasn¡¯t a genuine god-like martial artist, he had surpassed the peak of Great Grandmaster, taking a step beyond ordinary existence. The head of Yinlou Pavilion naturally wouldn¡¯t underestimate his opponent, the cane in his hand was already releasing a terrifying aura, ready to attack. However, as Li Xuan¡¯s palms slashed down, an invisible blade aura immediately penetrated his consciousness. All his defenses seemed to be almost ineffective. Boom! There was no place to hide, nowhere to escape. The lord of Yinlou Pavilion, who just rocketed into a terrifying aura, ready to strike a fierce blow, suddenly went limp and tumbled from mid-air, crashing to the ground. His consciousness was gone, leaving only an empty shell of a body. His physical body still held vitality, yet the consciousness, the soul had disappeared! Xu Yan and Meng Chong were stunned. Was this the power of martial arts divine technique? Li Xuan was pleased with his first use of the martial arts divine technique. ¡®God¡¯s Bane Blade¡¯ added with the ¡®One strike kills¡¯, astonishingly powerful, killed the lord of Yinlou Pavilion in an instant. Not just the lord of Yinlou Pavilion but also the seven peak Great Grandmasters behind him. Under the impact of the ¡®God¡¯s Bane Blade¡¯s¡¯ after-effect, they barely struggled a bit before their consciousness wiped out and they tumbled down from mid-air. Looking at the eight corpses on the ground, Xu Yan and Meng Chong were shocked. It might have gone unnoticed by others, but their surrounding sword and knife intents enabled them to sense the terrifying strength of their master¡¯s palm strike! People like Meng Shushu were now staring blankly. The palm strike of the senior killed them all? But looking at those people, they don¡¯t seem dead? Asleep? Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes widened, a guess prompted in her heart. She was shocked by the power of her master¡¯s martial arts divine technique. Even with the lower realm, it killed the half-step heaven-human lord of the Yinlou Pavilion effortlessly! After killing the lord of Yinlou Pavilion and the seven peak Great Grandmasters, Li Xuan calmly explained, ¡°This is the divine technique of martial arts. What I cast was ¡®God¡¯s Bane Blade¡¯, but whether it¡¯s a blade or a sword, there¡¯s no difference. ¡°In addition to ¡®God¡¯s Bane Blade¡¯ .there is the ¡®One strike kills¡¯. No matter how profound the enemy¡¯s movement technique is, they cannot avoid this strike and must take it head-on. If they can¡¯t withstand it, they will undoubtedly die.¡± Pointing to the eight corpses of Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s lord, he said, ¡°Do you see the problem? What I killed was their consciousness, mind, soul.¡± ¡°Grind bones to ashes, annihilate souls, this is soul annihilation. Kill the soul but do not harm the body.¡± Xu Yan was thrilled, he never knew there existed such miraculous martial arts in the world. Annihilating the soul but not harming the body. When he learns it, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about destroying the enemy¡¯s money pouch while killing. Annihilating the soul, but the body remained intact, and the wealth was not damaged at all! He must comprehend this divine martial arts technique! ¡°What the master said, ¡®grinding bones and annihilating souls¡¯, I always pulverize the enemy¡¯s bones to ashes, not giving them a chance to escape. Ultimately it¡¯s not perfect, it lacks the annihilation of the soul.¡± ¡°Master has already taught me that if the enemy¡¯s soul is not extinguished, the enemy has a chance to escape, but I have never comprehended the technique of soul annihilation!¡± Xu Yan felt guilty for not being able to understand his master¡¯s intention. ¡°I am still a bit dull.¡± However, he had already remembered the unique power that his master¡¯s strike emanated at that moment, that was the might of ¡®God¡¯s Bane Blade¡¯. Given time, he believed that he would definitely be able to comprehend the divine martial arts technique. Looking at Xu Yan¡¯s changing expression, Li Xuan was quite satisfied. He believed that with his personal instruction, Xu Yan would surely understand a similar technique to ¡®God¡¯s Bane Blade¡¯. Meng Chong also had the opportunity; even though he was not as monstrous as Xu Yan, he was nonetheless a prodigy. As for Su Lingxiu, her talent was not here, so Li Xuan did not push her too hard. As long as she continued to understand Dan¡¯s martial arts. After killing the eight people of Yinlou Pavilion, Li Xuan looked up at Tieshan County City, Tianbao Pavilion in the sky, where three existences were not weaker than the lord of Yinlou Pavilion. Was this the confidence of Tianbao Pavilion? Half-step heaven-human strongmen! Just that one of them had a gloomy aura, as if filled with poison, as if capable of wilting all beings, practicing the devil¡¯s cultivation technique. An expert of the demon sect? Three people were in a stalemate, the demon sect expert confronted the Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s expert. Obviously, he came with the lord of Yinlou Pavilion. While the lord of Yinlou Pavilion came to arrest people, he was in charge of holding off the Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s powerhouses. The two half-step heaven-humans of Tianbao Pavilion, although they came for Chang Qing Pavilion, they did not make a move after all, they cannot be considered an enemy. Moreover, based on the information revealed by Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s administration. Their intention was to rob Su Lingxiu and some other key figures from Xu Junhe once Chang Qing Pavilion fell. As for Spirit Qi Dan, it would be divided among the major forces. The half-step heaven-human of Tianbao Pavilion could be spared, but that demon sect powerhouse who came for Su Lingxiu, since he had already made a move, kill another one! Li Xuan¡¯s figure moved and disappeared from his original spot in a flash, appearing outside the Tianbao Pavilion of Tieshan County the next moment.. Chapter 305 Translator: 549690339 Atop the Tianbao Pavilion in Tieshan County, two semi-god-like entities were leisurely sipping tea, seemingly in full control of everything. Regardless of whether Chang Qing Pavilion requested help, as soon as it fell, they would step in and rescue the crucial people. No matter how formidable dozens of the Great Grandmasters were, despite not having broken through to the realm of celestial beings, they were potent enough to rescue people in front of multiple peak-level Grandmasters. This was their confidence. Suddenly, their expressions changed. With a single movement, they stepped out of Tianbao Pavilion. The aura of a semi-god! Such a potent entity had arrived, and was heading directly for Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°It¡¯s that ageless old man from Yinlou!¡± one of them commented solemnly. ¡°Yinlou, being a dark force, is overreaching.¡± The other replied indifferently. Both men were of like minds and were about to embark for Chang Qing Pavilion, assuming that the people there would call for help. People certainly couldn¡¯t fall into Yinlou¡¯s hands. Yet, the expressions of the two changed instantly as they braced for major danger. A figure, gaunt as a dried-up corpse, stealthily appeared around them. Insects shriveled and died wherever he went, even the large tree outside Tianbao Pavilion wilted gradually. Boom! The two powerful entities of the Tianbao Pavilion unleashed their aura. It engulfed the Tianbao Pavilion, countered the invisible decaying force, and continuous hissing sounds resonated in the air. Their powers clashed, and the withering force seemed to drain everything in its path. ¡°Desiccate Demon Lord!¡± One of the entities from the Tianbao Pavilion spoke gravely. ¡°The two of you shouldn¡¯t interfere.¡± The Desiccate Demon Lord responded in a hoarse voice. ¡°Are you planning to stop us?¡± ¡°Halting you for a little while, I can do that.¡± The Desiccate Demon Lord replied indifferently. The two semi-god entities of the Tianbao Pavilion fell silent. Desiccate Demon Lord was one of the nine Demon Lords. If the other had not died, the Desiccate Demon Lord would have been one of the most potent among the nine Demon Lords. He was also one of the oldest Demon Lords. The three Demon Lords who earned a public reputation in the Inner Domain were newcomers. Huo Tu Demon Lord was just a member of the junior generation. Compared with the Desiccate Demon Lord, Huo Tu was far behind. Moreover, the Desiccate Demon Lord was rumored to be the Demon Master¡¯s Disciple! The demon cult was incredibly potent under the leadership of the Demon Master, causing a disturbance in the Inner Realm Martial Arts and slaughtering countless Martial Artists. Before the collapse of the kingdom, it had been a significant threat to the kingdom. Despite repeated joint efforts by various forces to exterminate the demon cult, the cult never fell. Instead, their arrogant demeanor was temporarily suppressed. After the collapse of the kingdom, the demon cult ran rampant, representing the darkest times for the Inner Realm Martial Arts. Soon after, the Demon Master disappeared. The demon cult split into factions led by the nine Demon Lords. Under retaliation from other powers, it began to weaken gradually. Nevertheless, they were still not to be underestimated in the Inner Realm, especially the nine Demon Lords. Of course, now there were only eight, as Huo Tu Demon Lord had been beheaded by Xu Yan. Rumor had it that the Desiccate Demon Lord was a disciple of the Demon Master, true or not, it spoke volumes about his mightiness and his exceptional status among the nine Demon Lords. ¡°Is the Master of Yinlou one of the nine Demon Lords?¡± One of the Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s semi-god entities asked in a deep voice. ¡°Yinlou is Yinlou, the demonic sect is the demonic sect. The Master and I, have a bit of an understanding,¡± the Desiccate Demon Lord replied. The two entities from the Tianbao Pavilion appeared uncertain. They wanted to make a move, but the Desiccate Demon Lord was overwhelmingly powerful. Delaying them a little while was entirely plausible for him. In that limited time, those in Chang Qing Pavilion would either be killed or captured. Trying to intimidate the Desiccate Demon Lord and Yinlou¡¯s Master with the might of Tianbao Pavilion would apparently be ineffective; otherwise, the Desiccate Demon Lord wouldn¡¯t have involved himself. Suddenly! All three entities in the standoff had their expressions altered and abruptly turned their gaze towards Chang Qing Pavilion. The Master of Yinlou exuded an overwhelmingly potent aura. Had he encountered a formidable foe? Could there be a semi-god-like entity in Chang Qing Pavilion? Was this source of confidence for Chang Qing Pavilion? The two powerful entities of Tianbao Pavilion looked puzzled. Why did they fail to detect the semi-god-like entity in Chang Qing Pavilion all this time? ¡°What is this?¡± All three were suddenly struck with horror as a terrifying aura emerged from Chang Qing Pavilion. As soon as this aura emerged, the aura of the Yinlou Master disappeared. And with him, the aura of the seven peak-level Great Grandmasters who had come with him, vanished instantly! Dead! A semi-god-like entity had died out of the blue! And there had been no fierce battle, only a moment, and his fate had been sealed! What kind of powerful being could instantly kill a semi-god-like entity? Could it be a true Heavenly Being in Martial Arts? All three momentarily forgot their standoff, each noticing the shock in others¡¯ eyes. Why would there be a Heavenly Being in Martial Arts in the Inner Domain? ¡°Danger!¡± The Desiccate Demon Lord was alarmed. He understood the gravity of the situation. With the Master of Yinlou killed, he and the Master were on the same side; Moving swiftly, he planned to escape. Then, a gentle voice carried over: ¡°Since you have come, let¡¯s not leave prematurely!¡± A young man, holding a Jade Ruyi, seemed carefree and unrestrained with a mysterious and unfathomable aura! Boom! The Desiccate Demon Lord unleashed a wave of grey aura. His figure blurred as he was about to employ a secret technique to escape. As soon as the youth appeared, he seemed to see a terrifying entity¡¯s presence. The scent of death almost smothered him! He must escape! Without any hesitation, the Desiccate Demon Lord immediately resorted to his secret technique, wishing to escape. Li Xuan¡¯s gaze was indifferent. He raised his hand for a fatal attack. To add the final touch to God Slayer Blade! No matter how the opponent used a secret technique or blurred his figure, he could not escape this one fatal hit! Chapter 306 Translator: 549690339 | Under the horrified gaze of two half-step Celestials in the Tianbao Pavilion, the youth¡¯s palm fell, leaving the desiccated Demon Lord, even after using his final secret technique, utterly defenseless. The body fell from mid-air. His consciousness was already dispersed, yet his body remained intact. There wasn¡¯t a single mark of injury visible. This was the most terrifying aspect, the direct annihilation of consciousness! Such a horrifying technique of martial arts! After effortlessly killing the desiccated Demon Lord, Li Xuan looked calmly at the two half-step Celestials of the Tianbao Pavilion, ¡°I¡¯ve never suppressed others with my realm, what do you two think?¡± Immediate beads of cold sweat began pouring from the heads of Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s half-step Celestials. Such a terrifying existence, undoubtedly a Celestial Martial Artist! Even though they were not the target of the attack, they still felt their hair stand on end, as if their consciousness was about to be annihilated. ¡°Senior, please don¡¯t misunderstand! Our Tianbao Pavilion has no ill intentions. We always follow the principle of non-interference in the disputes of the martial arts world. We have only come to witness a major event in the Inner Realm martial arts world.¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s been no misunderstanding. Tianbao Pavilion and Chang Qing Pavilion have happy cooperation, no conflicts, and there surely are no improprieties. We hope the senior understand! The two half-step Celestials nervously spoke. They felt relieved, thanking their decision of adhering strictly to Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s principles without resorting to the use of force against Chang Qing Pavilion, otherwise, they might have been dead by now. Just a wave of his hand had killed a half-step Celestial. How many half-step Celestials could he kill? Terrifying! A true Celestial Martial Artist! Furthermore, he had said he never suppressed others with his realm. Thus when killing the desiccated Demon Lord, he did not show his real strength. The Martial Arts technique displayed, was it just the one below the Celestial realm? What terrifying Martial Arts technique, only the consciousness was eradicated while the body wasn¡¯t injured at all. Such an attack was the hardest to defend against! ¡°From ancient times to the present, any great power collapses when it becomes complacent, considers itself supreme, fails to recognize its position relative to its enemies, and deviates from its principles. ¡°I hope that you, Tianbao Pavilion, can truly recognize who you are.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s tone was indifferent, but the meaning of his warning to Tianbao Pavilion was unmistakably clear. ¡°Yes, yes, you are right!¡± The powerful individuals from Tianbao Pavilion nodded anxiously in agreement. Li Xuan reached out for the body of the desiccated Demon Lord, which fell into his hands. With a flash, he disappeared. In the courtyard of Chang Qing Pavilion, Su Lingxiu looked at the bodies of Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s master and others, her eyes red. Her sworn enemy was dead! Grabbing a shovel, she gritted her teeth in anger, ¡°Even though I couldn¡¯t kill you myself, I¡¯ll still grind your bones into dust to appease the hatred in my heart!¡± Zhou Ying also took out a knife, preparing to join Su Lingxiu in reducing the bodies of Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s master and the peak Grandmasters to pieces for dogs! ¡°Girl, what are you doing?¡± Li Xuan returned with the body of the desiccated Demon Lord and threw it on the ground. ¡°Master, I want to chop him into pieces and feed him to the dogs! Su Lingxiu spoke with hate. Xu Yan and others nodded their heads, showing their support for Su Lingxiu. They were looking at their enemies, so how could they relieve the hatred without grinding the enemies¡¯ bones into dust? Moreover, their master left for a while and brought back another body. This mummified man was undoubtedly a half-step Celestial. However, Li Xuan said, ¡°These people have lost their consciousness, yet their bodies still retain vitality, even their cultivation base remains. Isn¡¯t it a waste to destroy them? ¡°I have left these bodies for you to study. A medical martial artist should not be ignorant of the body of a martial artist.¡± ¡°You should preserve these bodies, dissect them to examine the changes in a martial artist¡¯s body after cultivation, and explore the mysteries.¡± ¡°Grinding the bones to dust is just venting temporary anger. You can turn them into research objects; dissect or dismantle, even reassemble if you want. You can relieve your hate and also gain something in the process.¡± Su Lingxiu paused, turned towards the nine bodies- two half-step Celestials, seven peak Great Grandmasters, whose consciousness had indeed perished, yet their bodily vitality persisted. ¡°Thankyou, master. I understand now!¡± Su Lingxiu became extremely excited, Xu Yan¡¯s words were like opening a skylight for her. Li Xuan nodded, ¡°Preserve the bodies well. I hope this can give you insights into the mysteries of medical martial arts.¡± He was expecting what Su Lingxiu could gain from this. Perhaps, the path of Medical Martial Arts will be further advanced as a result. The reason he didn¡¯t completely incinerate the body was because he purposefully left it behind for Su Lingxiu to dissect and conduct other research, so that Su Lingxiu could benefit from it. To further refine the Dao of Pill and Medical Martial Arts, and improve the level of Pill and Medical Martial Canon. How can one call themselves a healer without understanding the changes and mysteries within a martial artist¡¯s body? ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu was exceedingly excited, hastily preparing spiritual medicine to concoct a pill to preserve the body, ensuring that the body¡¯s vitality isn¡¯t extinguished, and its cultivation level isn¡¯t lost. Commanding Shi¡¯er and Kou Ruozhi to move the corpse to a secret chamber, Su Lingxiu hastily concocted a pill formula, refining a pill that nourishes the body and inserted it into the corpse. Li Xuan sat down on his chair, resuming his calm demeanor, as if killing a half-step Heavenly Being is as trivial as crushing an ant. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan paid respectful homage. ¡°Apprentice, do you have any questions?¡± Li Xuan revealed a smile. ¡°Master, where does the intimidation of the Lord of Yinlou Pavilion come from? Is the divine martial art you used only targeted at mental consciousness?¡± Xu Yan respectfully asked. ¡°The human body has three souls and seven spirits, which are also where consciousness lies. If the soul perishes, everything else is empty, only the physical body remains, which will eventually decay and disappear. ¡°What I killed is the soul! ¡°The divine martial arts have their own mysteries. Once you understand them, you truly understand them. Only what you understand by yourself truly belongs to you. This is your path. ¡°As I have always emphasized, I teach the Dao, not the law. Li Xuan spoke and raised his hand, slashing at the air. God-Slaying Slash! He aims to make Xu Yan and Meng Chong comprehend this slash so that they can understand a divine martial art similar to the God-Slaying Slash based upon it! ¡°Disciple understands, I will not disappoint Master! Xu Yan respectfully replied. He felt a hint of enlightenment in his heart, yet he couldn¡¯t fully comprehend it. To understand divine martial arts is not an overnight task. ¡°After breaking through to Tongxuan, think more about the divine martial arts.¡± Xu Yan silently said in his heart. Meng Chong on the side seemed to have gained something. Li Xuan performed the God-Slaying Slash while he practiced the Dao of sword, so he was able to comprehend some things from it. Of course, he¡¯s still a long way from fully comprehending the divine martial arts. Li Xuan did not pass on the God-Slaying Slash or the One-Hit Kill as he did not want Xu Yan and Meng Chong to be confined by these two divine martial arts, unable to break the frame of these two divine martial arts. What he needs is for Xu Yan and Meng Chong to comprehend their own divine martial arts, to fully express them. Maybe they can create a more powerful and mysterious one, different from both the God-Slaying Slash and One-Hit Kill. By then, he would acquire new divine martial arts from the feedback from Golden Finger, and his strength would undoubtedly improve again. Inside Chang Qing Pavilion, Su Lingxiu, Shi¡¯er, Kou Ruozhi, Meng Shushu, and Zhou Ying were busily bustling about; while Xu Yan and Meng Chong were each absorbed in thought on the side, reflecting on their master¡¯s divine martial arts. Xu Junhe breathed a sigh of relief. Given how strong their senior was, what was there to fear of the joint attack by all the major forces? Fifty peak Great Grandmasters, that¡¯s all they amounted to! He had already started considering how to develop and strengthen Chang Qing Pavilion after this incident. The pace in Dahua could be accelerated; there was no need to tread so carefully anymore. At the top floor of Tianbao Pavilion, two half-step Heavenly Beings were drinking tea. Even though they were holding teacups, their eyes were fixed on Chang Qing Pavilion ¨C their hands slightly trembling. The Demon Lord, whose strength matched them or even stronger, dropped dead without putting up any resistance. This scene left an indelible shadow in the hearts of these two half-step Heavenly Beings. Catastrophically terrifying! With the wave of a palm, consciousness vanished in an instant, offering zero resistance. Although the two were half-step Heavenly Beings, they had no idea how to protect their consciousness. That slash seemed unstoppable, and it appeared that not even a real Martial Dao Heavenly Being could resist it! ¡°Here they come!¡± Suddenly, one of them spoke. ¡°After this incident, I¡¯m afraid the Da Yue Kingdom is going to go through some changes.¡± The two looked up to see dozens of peak Great Grandmasters, enveloped in an intimidating momentum, surrounding Chang Qing Pavilion. Chapter 307 Translator: 549690339 In the small courtyard of Chang Qing Pavilion, Li Xuan was leisurely sitting in a chair, sipping his cloud mist spiritual tea, while Xu Yan and Meng Chong were immersed in some sort of comprehension. Su Lingxiu was excitedly sketching out some patterns of utensils for dissection and research on paper, preparing thoroughly for their upcoming work. Inside the Chang Qing Pavilion, there was no sense of urgency that dozens of peak Great Grandmasters were about to attack. Xu Junhe and Kou Ruozhi were discussing how the Chang Qing Pavilion should develop moving forward, how Dahua should rise, and what means to use to topple the royal family of Dayue State. Rebellion is Kou Ruozhi¡¯s specialty, but after exchanging ideas with Xu Junhe, Kou Ruozhi¡¯s gaze towards Xu Junhe changed a bit. ¡°No wonder he ended up being the wealthiest man, capable of marrying the governor¡¯s daughter despite his humble status, Xu Junhe is really deviously cunning!¡± Kou Ruozhi murmured in his heart. Suddenly, Li Xuan looked up towards the outer area of Chang Qing Pavilion, then lowered his head nonchalantly and continued sipping his cloud mist spiritual tea. Yet, Xu Yan and Meng Chong abruptly opened their eyes, a cold light shining in them. Boom! A powerful pressure came from all directions, the sky was tumultuous with clouds, as if an invisible storm was sweeping towards them. Su Lingxiu stopped drawing, looked up around Chang Qing Pavilion, where several dozen peak Great Grandmasters were gathering with an imposing aura. Meng Shushu gulped, his heart was quivering as peak Great Grandmasters, who were usually elusive, have shown up in such large numbers at once! Xu Junhe, Kou Ruozhi and the others, being the weakest, felt an intense terrifying pressure despite knowing that their seniors were with them and these opponents were of little concern. Regardless, they couldn¡¯t help but feel frightened with their faces turning pale. The imposing momentum of dozens of peak Great Grandmasters was overwhelming, like a terrifying storm, even more imposing than the Lord of Yinlou Pavilion. Apart from peak Great Grandmasters, there were also Grandmasters below peak level resulting in a gathering of more than a hundred Grandmaster experts. The overwhelming momentum was clearly a force to assert their resolve and show their determination. This resolve targeted Tianbao Pavilion. They wanted to tell Tianbao Pavilion, Chang Qing Pavilion would never allow Tianbao Pavilion to monopolize, they would not hand over control of the Qi Condensing Pill! The Purple-robed King stepped forward with a stern look, loudly declaring, ¡°Chang Qing Pavilion, how should you be punished for disrespecting your superiors? Hand yourselves over now.¡± In the eyes of the Purple-robed King, taking over Chang Qing Pavilion was inevitable. Their caution was towards Tianbao Pavilion, so the group¡¯s attention was all on Tianbao Pavilion located in the city. However, as soon as the Purple-robed King finished his sentence, a terrifying sword light shot at him. ¡°How dare you from Dayue take advantage of us in Chang Qing Pavilion. I will cut you down today!¡± Xu Yan let out a furious roar and charged forward. Following the slash from his sword, there was a huge tremor. The mountains and rivers collapsed, and the thunderous sword flashed like a punishment from heaven, slashing towards the Purple-robed King! The sudden shift of events shocked many experts. The Purple-robed King himself was horrified. He let out a roar, intending to block the strike with all his might. However, could Xu Yan¡¯s sword be easily blocked? The peak Great Grandmasters next to the Purple-robed King turned pale and tried to help him! Squelch! Despite their efforts, the Purple-robed King was still struck by the sword. He vomited blood and flew backwards, severely injured! ¡°Xu Yan!¡± The experts sank at heart. Does Chang Qing Pavilion have something to do with Xu Yan? Who in the martial arts world of the major powers wouldn¡¯t know the name of Sword God Xu Yan, who single-handedly killed three peak Great Grandmasters, including the infamous Ninth Demon Lord of the Devil Sect, Huo Tu? Such a strong character, such a remarkable genius who was destined to stand at the peak of Inner Realm Martial Arts, who would dare to offend him? ¡°We must kill him! Don¡¯t forget the purpose of our trip. If Xu Yan is so strong, isn¡¯t it related to the pill? If we also have the pill, won¡¯t we be as strong as him?¡± Although stunned, the Purple-robed King realized that if Xu Yan wasn¡¯t killed, it would cause endless troubles! Upon hearing this, the strongmen thought and agreed; since they had already offended him, they had the numeric advantage, Xu Yan, no matter how strong, would not be able to defeat them! Besides, the Purple-robed King had a point. Xu Yan¡¯s strength must have something to do with the pill from Chang Qing Pavilion, right? At once, no one could sit still. Their eyes were full of excitement and greed, they all roared: ¡°Xu Yan, hand over the pill, hand over Chang Qing Pavilion, or you will undoubtedly die!¡± Xu Yan stood proudly with his sword, looking disdainfully at all sides, he coldly said, ¡°You think you can kill me? The royal family of Dayue state, I will surely pay a visit to your capital city soon!¡± The look in the Purple-robed King¡¯s eyes turned even grimmer, Xu Yan must be killed. If Xu Yan survives with his powerful strength, the royal family of Dayue nation will face a formidable enemy. ¡°Kill him!¡± Not caring about his injuries, he released an intimidating power, and along with the Great Commander of the Heavenly Cloth Guard and some powerful figures from the Dayue nation who were hiding in the crowd, attacked Xu Yan. The rest of the peak Great Grandmasters could not afford to underestimate the situation, in case Xu Yan escaped, it would leave a lot of troubles. If they did not want to offend him, they should not do so. Since they had already done so, they must take advantage of their numbers to eliminate the problem. ¡°Cut!¡± Xu Yan exploded with his Mountain River Sword Intent, one sword slash after another, releasing Descending Dragon Palm. One by one, giant dragons were launched, blocking the attacks from various experts. ¡°Kill!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s robust body suddenly expanded, golden light sparkling, his domineering, unparalleled blade light soared into the sky. Chapter 308 Eradicates All Enemies 2 Translator: 549690339 He too, charged forward. The numerous powerful individuals looked serious and became more determined to kill the two. If they let them escape, they may not be able to withstand a few moves individually. Xu Yan was too fearsome. After nearly ten peak Great Grandmasters made their move, Xu Yan didn¡¯t lose ground despite taking them head on! Such power was terrifying. As the group of peak Great Grandmasters watched in horror, they became more intent on killing, exchanging glances before making their respective attacks. In a flash, the terrifying energy of numerous interweaving attacks, like an apocalyptic storm, swept down towards Xu Yan and Meng Chong. All the people in Changqing Pavilion became tense as they looked up to the terrifying attacks raining down, threatening to destroy everything as they targeted Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Despite Xu Yan and Meng Chong being strong, they seemed somewhat weak under the joint attack of numerous people. Xu Junhe felt his heart leap into his throat, his face filled with anxiety. Boom! With each powerful blow, Xu Yan parried with one sword stroke after another, tearing open numerous gaps in the incoming attack, but the powerful attack continued to surge like a waterfall. No matter how he wielded the sword, he was unable to fend off such terrifying attacks. Meng Chong was surrounded by a golden glow, his whole body shining brilliantly. He swung his sword ferociously, imbued with the true intent of wind and thunder, but his power was ultimately inferior to Xu Yan¡¯s. In the end, there was a thunderous clamor, and he was smashed from mid-air down to the ground. But even though he looked messy, he wasn¡¯t injured. Xu Yan was also struggling to hold on, his body continuously descending. He kept slashing with his sword, but the attacks coming down were unending and getting stronger. The greater the strength he showed, the more the group of peak Great Grandmasters trembled with fear, more determined than ever to suppress him. Li Xuan stood up from his chair, twisted his waist, engaged his limbs, and even hopped around a bit, seemingly warming up. Next, he lifted his hand, and as his True Yuan stirred, it merged with the nature¡¯s spiritual energy. The spiritual energy around him suddenly became violent and concentrated over the top of Changqing Pavilion. Condensing into an enormous spiritual energy shield! Boom! All the attacks from the martial artists, the terrifying power that had been raining down, were all deflected by the shield of spiritual energy. Xu Yan descended from mid-air, looking at the energy shield made up of spiritual energy, filled with exhilaration. This was the wonder of Tongxuan, controlling the nature¡¯s spiritual energy to become the power of Tongxuan! Peak Great Grandmasters could also to some extent mobilize the spiritual energy around them to generate a terrifying force, but compared to the power of Tongxuan, the difference was vast. ii Disciple, observe closely, what is Tongxuan, what is the wonder of communicating with the Universe!¡± Li Xuan smiled at Xu Yan. Today, your master will personally make a move, showcasing to you the power of Tongxuan! ii Pay close attention, this is Tongxuan. I hope that when you enter the Tongxuan realm, you¡¯re able to comprehend the subtleties of Tongxuan and grasp its essence.¡± As Li Xuan spoke, he held the Jade Ruyi in one hand, behind his back. With a wave of his other hand, the spiritual energy transformed into a huge sword dozens of feet long, hovering over Changqing Pavilion. Xu Yan watched excitedly, not taking his eyes off the giant sword formed by spiritual energy. In his mind, it seemed as though a light had been switched on. It was about the second realm of Sword Dao, the Heart Sword Realm. In this moment, he felt he had a vague understanding of how to practice the Heart Sword Realm. ii The wonders of Tongxuan, the Heart Sword Realm of the Universe where all things are my sword¡­¡± Xu Yan muttered to himself. He watched attentively as his master, carefree and unrestrained, climbed towards the sky. Finally, his master was going to make a move again. Although his master was not revealing his complete power, but only the level he possessed when he first entered the Tongxuan Realm, it still elicited a longing in him. His master¡¯s intentions were good, suppressing his own realm in order to teach him. His master was truly formidable and admirable, always strong yet refusing to bully others based on his realm, even when faced with numerous enemies! Xu Yan sighed inwardly: ¡°Master must have been used to battling countless strong opponents on his own in the past, which is why even though his realm is so high, he still confronts his opponents at the same realm level.¡± ii This level of fighter¡¯s confidence, this carefree demeanor, I am far from it! ii All he could do was look up to his master¡¯s realm. In mid-air, all the martial artists were stunned. Their terrifying attack was unable to break the enormous shield hovering over Changqing Pavilion! Watching the young man casually stepping into the sky below and conjuring a huge sword in mid-air with a wave of his hand, they felt their hearts skip a beat. A sense of foreboding overcame them as they realized they had kicked an iron plate. There was such a fearsome strong man in Changqing Pavilion. What realm could he be? Could it be beyond a Great Grandmaster? But Great Grandmasters were already the pinnacle of martial arts in the Inner Domain! ¡°Kill!¡± Having reached an inescapable juncture, these Great Grandmasters did not hesitate. Could any of them, being able to become Great Grandmasters, not be a heaven-born prodigy? In a fleeting moment, they reached an implicit understanding: they must fight with all their might! Boom! All the martial artists struck with all their strength, and terror-inducing power converged in midair, churning the nature¡¯s spiritual energy. For an instant, the sky above the Chang Qing Pavilion darkened. As if the apocalypse was upon them! In the city of Tieshan, atop the Tianbao Pavilion. Two half-step heavenly beings stared at the scene above the Chang Qing Pavilion with solemn eyes. That mysterious existence, was apparently a peerless power who seemed to be a true Martial Dao heavenly being. Remarkably, he didn¡¯t use his realm to suppress others? How self-confident was he! Li Xuan raised his hand, and with a stroke of his massive sword, an intent of annihilation surged all around. The Sword Intent of Annihilation! Boom! With one stroke, his sword shattered the storm and tore through the darkness. More than a dozen peak Great Grandmasters were instantly turned into dust. Immediately afterward, a golden giant dragon, hundreds of feet long, opened its eyes in mid-air. The dragon¡¯s dominance was immense, and with a roar, it charged into the crowd. Boom! Everywhere it passed, Great Grandmasters crumbled one after another. Regardless of how they counterattacked, or used their secret martial techniques, they couldn¡¯t withstand the dragon¡¯s assault. With a single stroke and a palm strike, a third of the martial artists were eradicated. Then, a giant fist appeared in midair, rolling with wind and thunder, brutally charging into the crowd of martial artists. Under the terrified and desperate gaze of the many Great Grandmasters, the horrifying fist force proved to be unstoppable and unequaled. It swept through like a storm, vanquishing another batch of martial artists. The remaining Great Grandmasters were already terrified beyond belief, their faces drained white and they were bathed in cold sweat. They were filled with fear. This was too powerful! Facing the young man¡¯s attacks, they felt as if they were insects trying to shake a tree or mantises attempting to stop a chariot, utterly powerless! One sword, one palm, one fist. Nearly half of the martial artists were annihilated instantly. How could they possibly fight this? Inside the Chang Qing Pavilion, the crowd looked up at the scene, feeling tremors in their hearts. Xu Yan and Meng Chong, both close to reaching the Tongxuan Realm, their eyes were filled with excitement and frenzy. Was this what the Tongxuan Realm was like? It was incredibly powerful, as if the peak Great Grandmasters were simply not on the same level. However, in terms of realm, they supposedly belonged to the same realm. This gap was really too big. The Great Wasteland Warriors, including Kou Ruozhi, were now so excited that they were nearly insane. Their reverence for the Great Wasteland Patriarch reached the skies, and their faith was deep into their bones and souls! H As expected of the Patriarch, the Great Wasteland Martial Arts are truly unparalleled, the Tongxuan Realm, which is on the same level as the Great Grandmasters, totally crushes them!¡± All the Great Wasteland Warriors were burning with passion, their eyes filled with frenzy, and their determination to practice Martial Arts was further solidified; they were all striving to break through to the Tongxuan Realm as soon as possible. Although, they still haven¡¯t obtained the method of Tongxuan yet! In mid-air, a blade appeared. At this moment, it seemed as if there was only this blade in the world, only that domineering aura. Meng Chong widened his eyes, his eyes filled with fervor, and his heart was thrilled. His master was about to unleash the World-Dominating Blade Art! Boom! With a swing, the blade¡¯s light swept across the sky, and under its glow, another batch of martial artists was reduced to dust. The remaining Great Grandmasters had no heart to fight anymore. They saw no difference between this and surrendering their lives. Many Great Grandmasters regretted letting their greed cloud their minds, regretted being manipulated by the royal family of the Datong Kingdom, and regretted jointly attempting to seize control of the Chang Qing Pavilion. The remaining Great Grandmasters were terrified, and if they were lucky enough to live, this would be their lifelong nightmare, leaving an indelible shadow of fear. However, since Li Xuan had made a move, how could he let anyone escape? He had taught his disciple to grind their enemies into dust and annihilate their souls; naturally, he had to set an example. No enemy could be spared! Li Xuan raised his hand, and the spiritual energy between heaven and earth instantly turned violent, taking the form of a sword, blade, fist, and golden dragon. Boom! The violent onslaught swept out instantly, annihilating all the Great Grandmasters who were trying to flee! Chapter 309 Translator: 549690339 | In Tieshan County, on top of Tianbao Pavilion. Two half-step celestial beings are presently sweating cold bullets, their innermost hearts trembling in fear. Among more than a hundred great grandmasters, dozens being peak great grandmasters, all had been annihilated in the blink of an eye! And their opponent did not even make use of the might of the celestial beings! This only serves to underscore what a terrifying sight it has been! They questioned themselves, had they exhibited the might of the celestial beings, they perhaps could have deterred these great grandmasters, albeit for a short while. After all, the combined might of several dozen peak great grandmasters, under the might of their half-step celestial beings, would have been impossible to truly suppress. Should a real fight break out, they could only retreat. There was no way they could withstand the force of dozens of peak great grandmasters. And yet, the mysterious power, having not even exhibited the might of a celestial bemg, annihilated all the great grandmaster martial artists, indicating a truly terrifying strength. That was the master of Xu Yan and Meng Chong! Who on earth was he? Was he truly a Martial Arts Celestial? Why would a Martial Arts Celestial, as rumored, exist in the Inner Domain? The two of them were certain that the rise of Chang Qing Pavilion could no longer be stopped. Following this battle, which power would dare to covet Chang Qing Pavilion? If anyone wanted the elixir, they would have to buy it! Next, they should consider cooperating with Chang Qing Pavilion. The advantage of Tianbao Pavilion lies in its branches spread throughout the Inner Domain. They could quickly sell the elixir to every corner of the Inner Domain. The skies above Chang Qing Pavilion, the enemies were all annihilated, restoring tranquility. However, the scene just a moment ago deeply shocked every person in Chang Qing Pavilion. Li Xuan remained as laidback as ever, returning to his chair and sitting down. Having killed over a hundred great grandmasters, he treated it as nothing more than a trivial task, akin to squishing hundreds of ants. ¡°Master, Master, you¡¯re so formidable!¡± Lingxiu¡¯s face flushed red in excitement, her eyes full of admiration for her master. He was so powerful! She eagerly served tea to her master. ¡°Master, is this the might of the Tongxuan Realm? One person sweeping across hundreds of peers, truly impressive.¡± Li Xuan reacted indifferently, waving his hand. ¡°It was a small deal, I haven¡¯t even used one-tenth of my Tongxuan power. Even if there were thousands, tens of thousands of peers, I would still be invincible!¡± Seeing his disciple¡¯s shocked face, Li Xuan¡¯s heart brimmed with satisfaction. He never felt any embarrassment when bragging in front of his disciples. Xu Yan on the other hand was deeply moved. ¡°When Master speaks of peers, he isn¡¯t talking about these grandmasters, but enemies of the same Tongxuan Realm. Thousands, tens of thousands of peers and still he is invincible. ¡°What a terrifying strength. While I am confident about being unbeatable among peers, I know I¡¯m not as strong as Master.¡± It was hard for him to imagine the terrifying level of his Master¡¯s strength, his posture as he swept through tens of thousands of peers! ¡°I must aim for Master as my goal, strive to enhance my strength. Even if I can t stride through thousands, tens of thousands of peers, I must at least conquer hundreds!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s gaze was firm, his heart full of fighting spirits. Meng Chong was equally shocked. He started reflecting on himself. ¡°My Great Sun Golden Body is formidable, as long as it can¡¯t be broken, I¡¯m unbeatable. However, faced with dozens of peers, I won¡¯t be able to withstand. ¡°Moreover, I face the same realm, practicing the Great Sun Golden Body; I aim to be the strongest physical Martial Artist, unbeatable when faced with hundred enemies, that¡¯s my goal!¡± As for being unbeatable among peers, Meng Chong brushed it aside. With his elder brother disciple there, it¡¯s impossible to be unbeatable among peers. That was exclusive for his elder brother disciple. His goal was simple. Battling one hundred peers without losing, that would be his success! Looking at his two disciples bracing up for the battle, Li Xuan felt very pleased. It was good to have a fighting spirit, which made them practice harder and enhance their strength quicker. As disciples enhanced their strength, his own strength would follow suit. There was no pleasure greater than enhancing strength. The ripples caused by Chang Qing Pavilion had already died down. Xu Yan started to complete himself, preparing for a breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm. Meng Chong was preparing to achieve the perfect stage of the Innate Realm. Lingxiu had already sketched out the tools required for research and handed them to Zhou Ying, asking her to find someone to forge them. Xu Junhe and Kou Ruozhi, brimming with the will to fight, took steps to expand Chang Qing Pavilion. The eyes of all forces and strong people in Inner Realm Martial Arts were focusing on Tieshan County. The battle ofchang Qing Pavilion, like a storm, swept over the entire Inner Domain. The Martial Arts world was shocked! More than a hundred great grandmasters, dozens of them peak great grandmasters. This was the first time so many great grandmasters converged since the fall of the dynasty. In the end, all great grandmasters were annihilated! The news about Xu Yan and Meng Chong coming from Chang Qing Pavilion spread throughout the Inner Domain. Within Chang Qing Pavilion, the mysterious strong person, who single-handedly killed more than a hundred grandmasters, spread terror through the Inner Domain! The forces involved in the battle of Chang Qing Pavilion were thrown into a perpetual state of fear. They feared someone would come knocking on their door one day. The details of the battle were not released as all the strong players had died. The two half-step celestial beings from Tianbao Pavilion certainly wouldn¡¯t disclose these matters. Thus, to the outside world, it was known only that more than a hundred grandmasters were all assassinated. They didn¡¯t know how, within a few effortless moves, more than a hundred grandmasters were destroyed. If they did, it would have been even more frightening. Dayue kingdom¡¯s capital city! On this day, the group of officials were scared senseless, the many influential families involved in this operation trembling in fear, all eyes locked on the emperor of Dayue. The commander of Dayue¡¯s Imperial Guard, the commander of the Heavenly Guard, including the grandmasters who acted this time, all perished! Chapter 310 Translator: 549690339 I The royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom has suffered a heavy loss! And the consequences of this incident are even more terrifying than this loss! The siege of Chang Qing Pavilion and the looting of its elixirs were initiated by the royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom. If Chang Qing Pavilion seeks revenge, the royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom will be the first to bear the brunt! For a moment, some ministers were already considering whether they should prepare an escape route. The face of the Great Yue Emperor turned pale. He realized the gravity of this matter. If not handled properly, the Great Yue Kingdom could be at risk of collapse! In a secluded place within the palace, the high-ranking members of the royal family gathered to discuss how to handle the matter. Even if the royal family did everything in their power, they could do nothing against Chang Qing Pavilion, not least because hundreds of great grandmasters had been killed, and the ministers of Great Yue Kingdom would definitely not exhaust all their resources to fight against Chang Qing Pavilion. The Inner Realm Martial Arts world is watching to see how the royal family of Great Yue Kingdom will react. Standing on the Sword Master Cliff, Xie Lingfeng, looking anxious, had just finished his secluded cultivation and got wind of the incident at Chang Qing Pavilion, and hurried to his father¡¯s secluded cultivation place. Whether Sword Master Cliff would go all out to rescue Chang Qing Pavilion depended on the current Sword Master, his father Xie Tianheng¡¯s decision. Before he could reach the secluded cultivation place, Hu Shan came rushing after him, exclaiming, ¡°Young Master, they¡¯re all wiped out, all wiped out!¡± Hu Shan cried out in shock. ¡°What got wiped out?¡± Xie Lingfeng was taken aback. Was Chang Qing Pavilion wiped out? No way. Didn¡¯t the seniors make a move in such a crisis? ¡°Hundreds of great grandmasters were all wiped out, yet Chang Qing Pavilion remains unscathed!¡± Hu Shan cried out in shock. Xie Lingfeng let out a breath. ¡°It must have been the seniors who took action.¡± No matter how strong Xu Yan and Meng Chong were, it would be impossible for them to take on so many powerhouses! ¡°It must be!¡± Hu Shan nodded. The sheer idea of one person killing hundreds of great grandmasters was breathtaking. However, on second thought, it felt just natural. Compared to the seniors, a great grandmaster was nothing but an ant, right? Hu Shan suddenly woke up. He hadn¡¯t even reached the level of great grandmaster himself yet, and he already started to look down upon great grandmasters. ¡± I¡¯ve been influenced by Xu Yan and Meng Chong,¡± Hu Shan sighed. Seven-star Study Palace. Bai Yun Kong looked into the sky and remained silent for a long time. His eyes revealed undisguised shock. Although he had expected that the many forces of the Great Yue Kingdom and others would fail when joining forces, he never imagined they would be eradicated with such ease. Xu Yan and Meng Chong couldn¡¯t have done it, which means there must be an even more powerful existence in Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°Teacher, the old guy from Yinlou Pavilion and Demon Lord also went to Chang Qing Pavilion,¡± Fu Yuntian said, shocked. The Lord of Yinlou and Demon Lord, both of them were as powerful as his teacher. But they disappeared as soon as they arrived there. The result is self-evident. Undoubtedly, they are all dead! Two quasi-demigods and dozens of peak great grandmasters, such a powerful force, one would think that even if Chang Qing Pavilion ultimately survives this crisis, there has to be a fierce battle. The battle did happen. It did not seem like a fierce one? A group of powerhouses went in quickly and died quickly! It was so quick that the major forces in the Martial Arts world hadn¡¯t even reacted yet. The whole thing was over. Not a single great grandmaster survived. ¡°Did Peng Yuan take his men to Canglan Island?¡± Bai Yun Kong asked. ¡°Master Peng has already led seven people to start their journey to Canglan Island,¡± Fu Yuntian replied. Peng Yuan is the Martial Arts Scholar of the Seven-star Study Palace. He has dedicated his life to studying martial arts and the secret techniques. The part of secret techniques that circulate among martial artists below grade one in Seven-star Study Palace today, were developed by Peng Yuan himself. He was one of the candidates for Martial Arts Scholarship, chosen by Xu Yan in the past. A martial artist of the Great Grandmaster caliber. Bai Yun Kong pondered, seeming to think about something. After a while, he said in a deep voice, ¡°In the Study Palace, we¡¯ll prepare a course, the Dahua Martial Arts Course. When Xu Yan brings Dahua Martial Arts here, we will recruit suitable students to practice Dahua Martial Arts.¡± Dahua Martial Arts! This is the martial arts practiced by Xu Yan, which he himself called the true Martial Arts! Fu Yuntian wore a complex expression, opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t know what to say. Dahua Martial Arts are stronger than Inner Realm Martial Arts. Once Dahua Martial Arts spread, these Inner Realm Martial Artists will eventually be eliminated! And they, it¡¯s still a long way off before they reach the end of their lives. Many strong men have been used to being high above them. Now they discovered that in not too long, they will become the eliminated in martial arts. How would they feel? If they can¡¯t change their martial arts practice now, then there is a high chance they would band together and resist, suppress Dahua Martial Arts for as long as they could. ¡°Conflict of Martial Arts¡± came into Fu Yuntian¡¯s mind. Will the Inner Realm martial arts world become restless? As the top martial arts academy in the Inner Realm, with the principle of teaching martial arts, the introduction of Dahua martial arts could lead to significant disagreements within the Seven-star Study Palace. Could it even lead to internal disputes and divisions? ¡°Teacher¡­¡± Fu Yuntian opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t know what to say. Bai Yun Kong laughed and said, ¡°Afraid of being eliminated? Throughout ancient times, many prodigies have been eliminated. Why should we be an exception? ¡± If you don¡¯t want to get eliminated, then delve into martial arts and figure out how to transition from Inner Realm Martial Arts to Dahua Martial Arts. If you are successful, how could you be eliminated? ¡°In our Seven-star Study Palace, there are countless martial artists dedicated to delving into and exploring martial arts. That¡¯s the founding principle of the Study Palace. Don¡¯t be afraid or worry about getting eliminated just because a new martial art has appeared. ¡°The foundation of Seven-star Study Palace is the Martial Arts Scholars. They will naturally research and find a balance in transitioning to Dahua Martial Arts.¡± Fu Yuntian bowed and said, ¡°Your disciple has learned a lesson.¡± Bai Yun Kong continued with a smile, ¡°As for the dispute, it might not stir up much fuss. Seeing the strength of Xu Yan is proof enough, every martial artist in the world wants to pursue a stronger form of martial arts. ¡°No one can resist this tide of the times. Those who attempt to go against it will eventually be obliterated. ¡°Once the methods of transition are revealed, all martial artists in the world will inevitably convert to practicing Dahua Martial Arts!¡± Fu Yuntian was stunned, his teacher¡¯s words made perfect sense. The martial arts world of the Inner Realm was shaken by the battle at Chang Qing Pavilion, where hundreds of Grandmasters were destroyed. Numerous strongmen were shocked and terrified, and they desired elixirs more than ever! Was the great strength of Chang Qing Pavilion related to the elixirs? At the same time, a rumor began to circulate in the martial arts world: Xu Yan¡¯s practice was not Inner Realm Martial Arts but a more powerful form of martial arts. It was called Dahua Martial Arts! There was a rumor that Dahua Martial Arts were the true martial arts, while the Inner Realm Martial Arts were counterfeit. How could fake martial arts ever match up to the true martial arts? ¡°Nonsense! How can our Inner Realm Martial Arts be counterfeit? It has been passed down for countless generations. Just because an individual named Xu Yan came along, you think our Inner Realm Martial Arts are fake?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, our Inner Realm Martial Arts have a long lineage, how can they be fake? What Xu Yan practices is also Inner Realm Martial Arts. It¡¯s just that his talent is extraordinary, which makes him much stronger than others.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Dahua Martial Arts before. If they existed, why are they only appearing now? They must have been fabricated to disturb our martial arts mindset. It¡¯s truly disgraceful!¡± Many martial artists retorted, indignantly denying that Inner Realm Martial Arts were fake. ¡°Have you heard of Dahua Chronicles? It was given as a gift with the purchase of an elixir. Initially, I didn¡¯t care about it, but after reading it yesterday, I was deeply shocked. It turns out our Inner Realm is a part of Dahua.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, due to the chaos in ancient times, there was a disruption in the transmission of martial arts. Our Inner Realm Martial Arts were actually inherited from the remnants of the true martial arts. Dahua Martial Arts are the orthodox martial arts of the world.¡± ¡°The world originates from Dahua. In the legend of Dahua Chronicles, there are the martial arts left by the Founder. I must study them carefully and find a way to transition to Dahua Martial Arts.¡± In the martial arts world, there were also martial artists believing that the Dahua Martial Arts were the true martial arts. Maybe they weren¡¯t before, but now they must be because Dahua Martial Arts were stronger! Martial artists always pursued what was considered powerful! The name Dahua Martial Arts began to circulate in the Inner Realm martial arts world. Initially, the circulation was small-scale, but it was gradually expanding. Especially with the release of the Dahua Chronicles, some martial artists who purchased elixirs and received the Chronicles as a gift were greatly shocked after reading them, as if they had seen the truth of the world. If it had been before the battle of Chang Qing Pavilion, they might have viewed it as a folk tale. However, after the battle, they could no longer ignore it. Dahua Martial Arts were extremely powerful. It seemed to corroborate that the records in Dahua Chronicles were indeed true. Chapter 311 Translator: 549690339 In Tie Shan County, within Chang Qing Pavilion. After weathering the storm, calm was quickly restored. Red Cat had grown larger and was lounging in the courtyard. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were practicing diligently, drawing insights from their recent experiences. Su Lingxiu was studying the intricacies of martial arts and alchemy. She dissected the body of a peak Great Grandmaster, seeking to uncover the mysteries of martial artists. Zhou Ying was preparing for his transition into the Innate Realm. Shi¡¯er trained feverishly but had been overtaken by Zhou Ying, which he considered to be a loss of face. After several days of excitement, Meng Shushu set out on a spirited quest for spiritual medicine. His eyes were filled with determination and before leaving, he asked Su Lingxiu if she needed any particular spiritual medicine, offering to collect it for her. Su Lingxiu gave him the names of a few spiritual medicines and asked him to gather them if he could. Kou Ruozhi was busy spreading the teachings of Dahua Martial Arts. He summoned more people from Dahua to the Inner Domain and held discussions with the Emperor of Wu and Emperor Qi about their rebellion plans. They plotted how to dethrone the current ruler and replace it with Dahua. Neither the Emperor of Wu nor Emperor Qi could ever imagine that they, as emperors, would one day conspire with someone to discuss strategies for rebellion! If they succeeded in toppling the current kingdom and establishing Dahua in its place, Dahua would genuinely hold a position in the Inner Domain. And they, as the two emperors of Dahua, would be credited with an achievement that would be extolled for generations. When people in the future would talk about their accomplishments, they would laud how the two emperors of Dahua skillfully plotted against the evil kingdom, ushering in a new era for Dahua in the Inner Domain. The more they thought about it, the more excited they became. They spewed out plot after plot, each packed with cunning and deceit. Kou Ruozhi was taken aback listening to all their schemes. He thought to himself, these two ¨C Emperor Qi and the Emperor of Wu ¨C were definitely not foolish rulers. They were well-versed in the art of rebellion ¨C even more so than him. Emperor Qi looked down on Kou Ruozhi, saying ¡°As an emperor, how can you suppress rebellions or crush rebels if you don¡¯t understand the art of rebellion?¡± He was not a foolish ruler. Without some means, how could he maintain his place on the throne? The Emperor of Wu was also a man of ambition. After he ascended the throne, he led a stable regime and toured the lands of Wu Country. If it weren¡¯t for Meng Chong¡¯s emergence halfway through, he would not have been confined to his palace. Xu Junhe was dealing with sales of elixirs, discussing with Tianbao Pavilion about quickly selling the elixirs across the Inner Domain. Becoming more influential through Chang Qing Pavilion and popularizing Dahua¡¯s principles. In all of this, cooperation with Tianbao Pavilion was indispensable. Li Xuan suggested an equity-sharing partnership. Xu Junhe started discussing with Tianbao Pavilion about the partnership, but hinted that if Tianbao Pavilion did not agree, Chang Qing Pavilion would look for other factions to collaborate with. They could collectively establish some sort of alliance selling ownership stakes in the elixir business. Eventually, Tianbao Pavilion conceded, allowing Chang Qing Pavilion to take an ownership stake by offering their elixirs as an exclusive product for Tianbao Pavilion to sell. The two parties agreed to split the profits 70/30. Tianbao Pavilion won¡¯t control anything apart from the elixirs, but they are obliged to consistently provide the spiritual medicine necessary for alchemy. After this negotiation, Chang Qing Pavilion formally entered Tianbao Pavilion, not as a subsidiary, but as a partner with access to its distribution channels. While Tianbao Pavilion only received part of the elixir sales profit. Tianbao Pavilion had no jurisdiction over other affairs of Chang Qing Pavilion. As Chang Qing Pavilion kept expanding, there might come a day when it would have complete control over Tianbao Pavilion, controlling it from behind the scenes. With the agreement reached with Tianbao Pavilion, Chang Qing Pavilion started rapid expansion and development. At the same time, the alchemy room also began expansion, adding more alchemy production lines. Apprentices for alchemy also came from Dahua, all carefully selected talents. Besides the Qi Condensation Pill, Qi and Blood Pills, as well as the Healing Injury Pills, started to be sold. The appearance of Qi and Blood Pills provided immense assistance to martial artists below the first rank. Thus, it became difficult to obtain them for a while. Dahua was also entering its high-speed development phase. Despite there being less than a hundred martial artists who had successfully broken through to the Qi and Blood Realm, there were many at the skin, bone, and organ cultivation stages. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the number of Dahua martial artists began to explode. However, in the short term, the number of Innate Realm martial artists would not see rapid growth. Not all martial artists can rely on pills for cultivation regularly. Most martial artists use pills when they hit a bottleneck or want to break through to a new cultivation stage. In Tie Shan County, teenagers started to practice Dahua-style martial arts. Chang Qing Pavilion also started to recruit exceptionally talented individuals to train them further and as personnel for their expansion. At the same time, they recruited martial artists from the Inner Domain as non-staff personnel at Chang Qing Pavilion. The concept of Dahua was also continually instilled in the people of Tie Shan County, resulting in almost everyone in Tie Shan County harboring dreams of Dahua and considering it as the genuine lineage of heaven and earth. They even looked down upon the Great Yue country. The Martial Ancestor of Dahua had become the martial deity in the minds of these martial artists, with everyone wanting to become a character like him. This trend, under the planning of Kou Ruozhi, was spreading from Tie Shan County to various areas in Lanping Prefecture, gradually engraving the concept of Dahua into people¡¯s hearts. Moreover, rumors spread that if you worship the Martial Ancestor of Dahua, you¡¯ll have an easier time cultivating martial arts, it might even give you a chance to gain the favor of the Martial Ancestor of Dahua and enhance your martial arts fate. Such rumors originated from incidents where someone started practicing Dahua martial arts, but their progress was slow, or they were unable to comprehend the cultivation technique. Then one day, after they started worshipping the Martial Ancestor of Dahua, they had a moment of enlightenment and their martial arts cultivation began to improve by leaps and bounds every day¡­ Chapter 312 Translator: 549690339 Hence, the young boy and girls who had started cultivating Dahua Martial Arts began to venerate the martial ancestor of Dahua. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, Kou Ruozhi that dude really had a knack for these things, no wonder he was able to revitalize the Heavenly Mother Sect and spread their doctrines far and wide. Xu Yan started preparations for breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm. And on that day, news finally arrived from the imperial family of the Grand Yue Nation. The Lanping County and the section of the Cang River where Canglan Island was located, in addition to the Yunfeng County territory adjoining Lanping County, were ceded to Chang Qing Pavilion as compensation for the war waged by the pavilion. Simultaneously, through Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s channels, ten thousand spiritual medicines were sent. From that day onward, the jurisdiction of Lanping County all the way to Canglan Island, which accounted for one and a half counties, was ceded to Chang Qing Pavilion. Grand Yue Nation relinquished sovereign rights and agreed to assist Chang Qing Pavilion in completely taking control of this territory. How to accept and control this semi-county enemy territory would naturally be handled by Xu Junhe and Kou Ruozhi, after they had gained an understanding of the conditions of Lanping County and Canglan Island. They quickly formulated a strategy for controlling these territories. Firstly, Lanping County and that half of Yunfeng County were merged to form Dahua. A Dahua cabinet was established to govern Dahua¡¯s affairs. To win the hearts of the people, they announced that all martial artists from Dahua would enjoy a 70% discount when purchasing alchemy medicines. Those making significant contributions to consolidating Dahua¡¯s authority were rewarded with a bottle of Qi Essence Pills. And one bottle of Qi Essence Pills contained twelve pills! They also announced the establishment of the Dahua Defense Team, tasked with solidifying Dahua, patrolling all around. Anyone joining the Dahua Defense Team would receive one Qi and Blood Pill per month, while Martial Artists at a grandmaster level would receive two Qi Essence Pills per month. In addition, they would acquire the Dahua Martial Arts inheritance, including grandmaster martial artists, methods of refining True Qi. A series of measures swiftly stabilized the situation, and the Dahua Defense Team was successfully established. Of course, the consumption of the alchemy medicines was exceedingly large. As a result, the alchemy workspace was continually expanded. And the teaching of alchemy to new students, including the practice of alchemy steps, no longer needed Su Lingxiu¡¯s intervention. Pharmacist Pan was responsible for supervision. Older students taught the new ones; one teaching another. The new production line was quickly set up. And the production of new alchemy medicines began to be put on the agenda. Pharmacist Pan and several gifted students who had talent for alchemy were called in. The method of producing new alchemy medicine was imparted to them, and they each began to master the steps of alchemy. They next attempted to complete the entire alchemy process by themselves. With the formal entry of Dahua into the Inner Domain, the Emperor of Wu and Emperor Qi also moved into the Inner Domain, while people like Guo Rongshan founded the Dahua Cabinet in the Inner Domain. Among the cabinet members, they started to scout for martial artists from the Inner Domain. However, a strict examination was necessary. They must be loyal to Dahua. But of course, all of these would require time. As the Dahua Defense Team offered generous terms, there was a steady stream of applicants. The first batch of recruits had been fully enlisted, and the next step was to tighten the acceptance criteria. Although the Grand Yue Nation ceded territory and admitted defeat, Kou Ruozhi and others didn¡¯t give up on pulling down the imperial family of the Grand Yue Nation. As the Dahua Defense Team was established and managed to attract outstanding martial artists from the Inner Domain, a rebellion plan began to be put on the agenda. The major plan to instigate a rebellion within the Grand Yue Nation was steadily advancing under the charge of Kou Ruozhi, the Emperor of Wu, and Emperor Qi, slowly infiltrating. As for the expansion of Dahua, and the development of Chang Qing Pavilion, Li Xuan didn¡¯t care. No matter how they struggled, it would only benefit his martial arts ambition. Naturally, Xu Yan didn¡¯t pay any attention to these. Having reached fulfillment himself, he was preparing to break through to the Tongxuan Realm. As for the development of Chang Qing Pavilion, Su Lingxiu also didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. After her revenge had been carried out, she relaxed and devoted herself entirely to pondering the way of alchemy martial arts. Walking in the former Iron Mountain County, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but exclaim that the changes since entering the Inner Domain were truly great. Once a barren county where it was difficult to even find a first level martial artist, Grandmaster Martial Artists could now occasionally be seen. The county had expanded, incorporating Chang Qing Pavilion into the county. Iron Mountain County was now a thing of the past, this place now called Dahua City. The city that was being expanded, many martial artists participated in its construction and the progress was very quick. Soon, a huge city would emerge here. The Dahua Defense Team was on patrol. Among them, there were grandmaster martial artists leading the team. These were the first batch of recruits for the Dahua Defense Team, all of them were originally Loose Cultivators. Or from small clans and forces, thus ensuring that they would more easily exhibit loyalty. Walking in Dahua, Li Xuan saw boys and girls practicing martial arts in the mountains and fields. Some were wearing plain clothes, but their eyes were determined, and their fighting spirits were high. They were striving for martial arts. There were also those who were worried because they hadn¡¯t yet sensed their Qi and blood. Li Xuan sighed in his heart, The martial arts he had created haphazardly had blossomed everywhere. And he had truly become the Martial Ancestor, the Dahua Martial Ancestor! Would the Inner Realm Martial Arts be eliminated due to this? Li Xuan didn¡¯t know, but he believed that the martial arts he created would, as the number of martial artists practicing it increased, lead to the development of various martial skills and secret martial arts techniques. After all, the secret techniques of the Inner Realm Martial Arts, as long as one is talented enough, they could utilize them as a foundation to research techniques suitable for Dahua Martial Arts. ¡°With more people cultivating, I should be able to receive richer feedback, right?¡± Li Xuan was contemplating in his heart. Although for now, there was no apparent feedback, he believed that, with more people cultivating, feedback would certainly come. Chapter 313 Shadows, Martial Arts Clone? 3 Translator: 549690339 | Back in the courtyard of Chang Qing Pavilion, wielding a bamboo cane, he directed Red Cat, who was getting larger and fiercer, showing signs of becoming a formidable beast. Suddenly, a golden light emerged. ¡°Your Martial Arts introductory course has been practiced by over a hundred people, and you¡¯ve acquired the Hundred Martial God Shadows.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. The feedback was finally there. Over a hundred people in the outside world had practiced the Martial Arts introductory course he created, which triggered the feedback. Indeed, the feedback would inevitably trigger when the number of Martial Arts practitioners reached a certain scale. ¡°Hundred Martial God Shadows?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s heart was throbbing with excitement. In an instant, shadows, both virtual and real, emerged from his body, each with the power of the Blood Qi Realm. Moreover, every shadow had a different way of fighting and the martial skills it mastered. Even when practicing the same martial skills, their battle styles and habits were varied. All shadows merged into one, enhancing their strength to the Innate Realm. ¡°Isn¡¯t this pretty similar to having Martial Arts clones!¡± Li Xuan was ecstatic. Each shadow seemed like his clone. Normally, creating a clone would require dividing part of his original strength. However, the Hundred Martial God Shadow did not require that. These God Shadows were like the practitioners of the Martial Arts he had created. They could replicate abilities as feedback without requiring any of his original strength. When a hundred God Shadows combined, they possessed the power of the Innate Realm. Effectively, Li Xuan now had a hundred God Shadows in the Blood Qi Realm and one in the Innate Realm. ¡°When I was at the Blood Qi Realm, I could easily defeat a Grandmaster. In my Innate Realm, crushing a Great Grandmaster is also a breeze¡­¡± Li Xuan was thrilled. As long as the enemy wasn¡¯t too powerful, he didn¡¯t need to act personally. A God Shadow could take over. Even if it was a Great Grandmaster, when the hundred shadows combined, the Innate Realm God Shadow could still effortlessly overpower him. ¡°The Dahua Martial Arts must be promoted aggressively!¡± Li Xuan was thrilled. Surely he, the founder of the Dahua Martial Arts, would not be without rewards? The Hundred Martial God Shadows will continue to increase and become stronger as more people master the Dahua Martial Arts. There could be up to nine hundred God Shadows! ¡°Will I get a thousand Martial God Shadows if the number of people breaking through the Martial Arts introductory course surpasses a thousand? Then ten thousand, a hundred thousand¡­¡± Li Xuan was more and more excited. Wouldn¡¯t this mean he would have hundreds of thousands of Martial Arts clones? The thought of him sitting still, sending out hundreds of thousands of clones in battle, could terrify the enemy to death, right? It¡¯s invincible! ¡°Only the Blood Qi Realm method is currently circulated in the outside world. When someone has practiced Blood Qi Realm nearly completely, the Innate Realm method will be circulated.¡± ¡± When the number of Inner Domain Grandmaster Martial Artists who have condensed True Qi exceeds a hundred, will it be considered a successful transition to the Dahua Martial Arts, and can I receive feedback?¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought. The Inner Domain Martial Artists who converted would surely not be pure Dahua Martial Artists, and simply condensing True Qi would not be considered a successful transition to Dahua Martial Arts. ¡°I should think about how to make the Inner Domain Martial Artists transition to Dahua Martial Arts smoothly. It¡¯s not easy for me to figure it out alone, I need to rely on my senior disciple.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. These intricate matters were better left to his disciple. However, since Xu Yan was mainly focused on his own Martial Arts training, he could also let Xie Lingfeng try. After all, Lingfeng was a genius and had successfully condensed True Qi. Chapter 314 Translator: 549690339 After obtaining the Hundred Martial Shadows, Li Xuan had new insights about his martial arts career. It was not only the orthodox martial arts that could be promoted, but also the physical and medicinal martial arts. Of course, this system of martial arts requires quite high talents. If you want to cultivate physical martial arts, you must have talent in the physical path, so you can get started more easily. This is also the same for medicinal martial arts. Promoting physical and medicinal martial arts is not urgent for now, Li Xuan doesn¡¯t plan to bother with this. As the number of practitioners increases, there will soon be an explosive increase in the number of novices to martial arts, and afterwards it will become more stable. It would take a long time for the martial arts of Dahua to be widely disseminated like the Inner Realm Martial Arts and to replace them completely. Li Xuan believed that by the time Dahua¡¯s martial arts replaced the Inner Realm Martial Arts, his own cultivation level would have improved a lot. With a movement of his mind, several Hundred Martial Shadows emerged out of nowhere, walking in the city, moving silently, their ethereal states barely attracting attention. A young man was struggling with how to sense Qi and blood. He had been trying for three days, but had not yet sensed it, feeling both anxious and somewhat dejected. Once again gritting his teeth, he tried to sense Qi and blood in the horse stance. Suddenly, he thought he saw a shadow drifting by, and seemed to hear a voice in his ear. ¡°Qi and blood, move with the heart, calm down and think, understand yourself¡­¡± The shadow stretched out a hand and tapped him. In an instant, the young man felt a warm current surge in his chest and abdomen, and was thrilled to sense Qi and blood! ¡°It must be¡­ the Martial Ancestor!¡± The young man¡¯s heart was filled with reverence. Had he been guided by the Martial Ancestor? That day, many young men and women practicing in the city all felt a slight stupor, as they saw the figure of the Martial Ancestor guiding them, bringing them great gain. Li Xuan sighed inwardly. Although the Hundred Martial Shadows were similar to clones and even stronger without limitations, they were ultimately limited in activity range due to his own strength. ¡°As I improve, they should eventually become like real clones that can walk outside, fight opponents, and not be limited by distance.¡± Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Li Xuan¡¯s mind. ¡°As my realm improves, so does my martial arts cultivation and the abilities of my martial arts clones. But it would be hard to justify these clone abilities. ¡°I need to ponder over it more about at which realm and how theoretically, similar clone skills could be used. For instance, infusing power into an item that someone can carry. When danger is encountered, it would be activated¡­¡± The more Li Xuan thought about it, the more feasible he felt it was. He had to figure out this ability of a martial arts clone. ¡°How can it be theoretically self-consistent and feasible? I need to think harder about this framework, or the theory would be too superficial. If it¡¯s not self- consistent, Xu Yan would have a hard time understanding it. It might take a long time.¡± With that in mind, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but focus his attention on his Golden Finger. There was a faint glow of gold light, but the outline of the Golden Finger was not visible. ¡°When I can see the Golden Finger, perhaps I can try to write it out using it.¡± If he could use the Golden Finger to assist him, it would be much easier then. Ever since obtaining the Hundred Martial Shadows, Li Xuan would occasionally send them out to walk around the city, giving advice to the young men and women practicing martial arts when he felt like it. In a short time, rumors spread that worshiping the Martial Ancestor could bring martial arts luck and possibly guidance from him. Many more people began to believe in this. Furthermore, it was said that the more diligent one was in practicing, the more likely they were to be favored by the Martial Ancestor and to receive his guidance! Xu Yan was about to break through to the Tongxuan Realm. Having thoroughly perfected himself, he was confident that he would go through yet another transformation when the breakthrough comes. Outside Chang Qing Pavilion, on a mountain peak, Xu Yan was seated cross- legged. Li Xuan didn¡¯t go himself, but sent one of his Hundred Martial Shadows to quietly observe his disciple¡¯s breakthrough. Meng Chong, Su Lingxiu, Xu Junhe, Shi¡¯er, and Zhou Ying were all watching from the foot of the mountain. Tongxuan Realm¡­ After our eldest senior brother breaks through, he would be able to sweep away dozens of peak Great Grandmasters, right?¡± Su Lingxiu excitedly said. ¡°Although he might not be as easygoing as our master, he should have no problem defeating dozens of peak Great Grandmasters.¡± Meng Chong nodded in agreement. There was no obstacle like a bottleneck for Xu Van¡¯s breakthrough to Tongxuan Realm. Had it not been for his decision to consolidate his foundation and build a foundation for a drastic transformation during the breakthrough, Xu Yan could have attempted to break through to the Tongxuan Realm immediately after he reached the peak of the Innate Realm. As such, this breakthrough was inevitable. Spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured in, Xu Yan¡¯s vital energy was continuously condensed and refined, turning into a whirlpool within his vast Dantian Qi Sea. In the process of expanding his Qi Sea, his vital energy liquefied as it condensed, giving birth to the first droplet of True Yuan. The Heavenly Bridge within him was also transforming, seeming to become a bridge connecting heaven and earth, where a golden dragon lay coiling, encrusted with the landscape, almost as if the mundane world was walking on it. Boom! Xu Yan was going through a transformation. Although his cultivation did not revolve around the physical body, his pure and unblemished jade bones acted as the foundation of his cultivation. When he broke through the Innate Realm, his bones went through a transformation, turning into spirit bones. In spite of this, his physical body was unusually strong and intimidating. The Sword Intent surged around him, landscapes being drawn among it. At this moment, Xu Yan seemed to exist within a mountainous landscape, and yet this landscape seemed to exist within his physical body. Chapter 315 Translator: 549690339 I They had formed a mysterious state. As Xu Yan continually achieved breakthroughs, they were also continually entwining and evolving. At one moment, above his Dantian Qi Sea, it seemed as if a downpour had begun, with droplets continuously falling, as if they wished to fill the Dantian completely. Splash! The Dantian Qi Sea turned into an endless ocean, with surging True Yuan creating waves. Above the True Yuan, heavy cloud layers swirled and twisted, forming a vortex. The vortex continuously dropped raindrops. These were True Qi that had yet to be refined into True Yuan, and the spiritual energy of nature being poured in. Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough was continuing, continually sublimating and evolving. At one moment, Meng Chong and others who were watching Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough were momentarily bewildered as if what they had been seeing was not Xu Yan sitting down but a mountain and river. Also in a daze, the mountain and river were beneath Xu Yan, or perhaps Yan was within the mountain and river. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Su Lingxiu shook her head, and when she looked again, everything was as usual. Meng Chong fell into contemplation; was this a phenomenal coincidence that occurred during the Great Elder Brother¡¯s ascension and evolution? Boom! Suddenly, in mid-air, amongst the surging spiritual energy of heaven and earth, a mountain and river formed, solemnly silent, seemingly filled with destructive intent. It seemed to harbor a powerful and sharp killing aura. Any creature that entered the mountain and river would be obliterated within. Combined with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, mysterious secrets known to earth and heaven! This was the Tongxuan Realm! ¡°Our Great Elder Brother has broken through to the Tongxuan Realm.¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s face was filled with excitement and admiration. When will I be able to breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm? I must work harder in cultivation to strive to reach Tongxuan as soon as possible. Once I break through the Tongxuan Realm, I should be able to master the art of Alchemy, right? The image of the mountain and river in mid-air was continuously growing and changing. At one moment within the mountain and river, it seemed that a small vortex appeared, but it didn¡¯t fully form. Also, it seemed pretty unstable. Seeing this, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. Was that the Tai Chi? Tai Chi gives birth to two instruments, two instruments lead to four symbols, four symbols give birth to the Eight Diagrams¡­ He had spoken of all of these when teaching Xu Yan the Eight Diagrams. Now, Xu Yan had some new understandings while breaking through Tongxuan. But it was just at its initial stage, not yet fully comprehended. However, since he already had a lucid comprehension, it wouldn¡¯t be too long before he truly understood it. Boom! In mid-air, the mountain and river continuously collapsed and reformed. At one point, the image of the mountain and river suddenly fell from mid-air and descended on Xu Yan, slowly seeping into Xu Yan¡¯s body, as though merging with the mountain and river into one. I am the mountain and river, and the mountain and river are me! ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, has cultivated the martial arts you created and has broken through the Tongxuan Realm. Your grandmaster¡¯s Tongxuan realm has been completed, and the power is a hundred times that of the same realm.¡± A golden light emerged, and Xu Yan had broken through to the Tongxuan Realm. Li Xuan broke into a smile; his own strength had increased explosively. Even if a true celestial martial artist were to descend, he could easily obliterate them, right? The feeling of increasing one¡¯s strength was the greatest joy in the world. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, has broken through the Tongxuan Realm, evolving into a Mountain-River Spiritual Body; you have obtained an Innate Mountain-River Spiritual Body.¡± The gold light came forth again. As expected, when Xu Yan broke through to the Tongxuan Realm, he ascended and evolved his own body into a Mountain-River Spiritual Body. Now, Xu Yan, with his Dragon Ascension Mountain-River Bone and Mountain- River Spiritual Body, had his strength and foundation further enhanced. Even if he faced a half-step celestial martial artist, although he could not kill them with one or two sword strikes, defeating a half-step celestial had become no problem at all. ¡± He truly is my pioneering Martial Artist.¡± Li Xuan was filled with contentment. He felt that the most correct thing he had done in his two lives was taking Xu Yan as his disciple. Xu Yan had broken through to the Tongxuan Realm, thus it was about time to prepare the realm and cultivation techniques above Tongxuan to pass onto him. ¡°When Meng Chong breaks through, he should also be able to ascend and evolve, right? Even though the ¡°Sun Golden Body¡± is already very strong, if it can further evolve into a Spiritual Body, then the ¡°Sun Golden Body¡± will become even stronger.¡± Li Xuan anticipated in his heart. Meng Chong¡¯s talent was not bad. After Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough, he would also share his experience, so when Meng Chong breaks through, he might possibly ascend and evolve his own body. The second level of the Great Solar Golden Body corresponds to the Tongxuan Realm. When you break through, you refine the True Yuan, which already possesses the mystique of the Great Solar Golden Body. For example, you can transform into a small giant of nine feet tall. Meng Chong has already reached the utmost limit of the Innate Realm; soon, he can reach the perfection of the Innate Realm, and in no time, he will be able to break through to the Tongxuan Realm. The Tianxiu Realm is not quite compatible with the natural spiritual energy of a physical Martial Artist. Yet it can absorb such energy into the body and transform it, such as into the form of a small nine-foot giant. The power it delivers is ferociously relentless. Once again, golden light emerged, bringing great joy to Li Xuan¡¯s heart. Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough into the Tongxuan Realm brought substantial gains indeed. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan derived the preliminaries of the Cycle of Life and Death Sword from your Tai Chi teachings. Your Cycle of Life and Death Sword is now complete.¡± A Cycle of Life and Death Sword! This is a new Sword Dao that Xu Yan comprehended after the River Mountain Sword Dao. Li Xuan was shaken after he obtained the Cycle of Life and Death Sword. This Sword Dao is way too powerful. If combined with the River Mountain Sword Dao, it essentially becomes a path of unstoppable annihilation. In an instant, two sword lights appeared before Li Xuan. They twisted and rotated, separating and intertwining at times. As the wheel of the sword spun, it alternated between life and death. The Sword of Life defends, the Sword of Death attacks; but the Sword of Life and Death can change in a flash. One moment it might be the Sword of Life, the next moment it could turn into the Sword of Death. It cycles endlessly, with unpredictable changes, making it virtually impossible to defend against! ¡°The Sword Dao has become stronger. With this Cycle of Life and Death Sword, slaying a half-step Celestial Being wouldn¡¯t be too hard!¡± Li Xuan was stunned for a moment. If Xu Yan masters the Cycle of Life and Death Sword, even slaying a half-step Celestial Being would not be too hard for him, even at the entry-level of the Tongxuan Realm. Of course, at the moment, Xu Yan has only just comprehended the rudimentary form of the Cycle of Life and Death Sword, so its full power isn¡¯t yet unleashed. However, Li Xuan believes that with Xu Yan¡¯s exceptional talent, it won¡¯t be much longer before he fully masters this Cycle, instead of just its rudimentary form. ¡°This Cycle of Life and Death Sword is just a foundation; it can be continually understood and improved upon. Consider this the first level of the Cycle of Life and Death Sword.¡± Li Xuan mumbled to himself. The Cycle of Life and Death Sword is a mysterious and unfathomable Sword Dao. In Li Xuan¡¯s view, this is just the first level, but as Xu Yan continues to comprehend, there will inevitably be a second level, a third level¡­ The Cycle of Life and Death Sword will also continue to grow stronger. Just like the River Mountain Sword Dao, Xu Yan is also constantly refining and improving it. Just as Li Xuan thought that the feedback from Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough into the Tongxuan Realm would conclude at this point. The golden light appeared again. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has comprehended the fourth level of the Descending Dragon Palm, and now your Descending Dragon Palm also has reached the fourth level.¡± LiXuan:!!! This disciple is truly a freak of nature. He even managed to decipher the fourth level of the Descending Dragon Palm. If there¡¯s a fourth level, the fifth, the sixth, and others would not be surprising in the future. ¡°His strength has markedly increased in a short time.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Pushing his disciple to train and interpret martial arts is the proper path. He doesn¡¯t even need to train hard himself, just lay back and become stronger. This feeling is too exhilarating. Xu Yan broke through to the Tongxuan Realm, he was consolidating and pondering the new realm after the breakthrough, he didn¡¯t return from the top of the mountain yet. Meng Chong also didn¡¯t come back, he was preparing to break through to the perfection of the Innate Realm. Su Lingxiu and others have returned. Xu Junhe was so delighted that he couldn¡¯t stop smiling; his precious son had become stronger again. Like the scene where several pinnacle Great Grandmasters had surrounded them before, now, his son could also sweep across undefeated. Su Lingxiu was inspired and started to train diligently, striving to break through to the Tongxuan Realm as soon as possible. Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying, their blood boiling with passion, yearned for the Tongxuan Realm and began training day and night relentlessly. Zhou Ying has already reached the peak of Qi and Blood, but she feels that she has not yet perfected the opportunity to break through to the Innate Realm, so she is still building up her foundation. She doesn¡¯t want to be a weak Innate after the breakthrough due to insufficient accumulation. Shi¡¯er has also reached the final stage of Qi and Blood, but he feels that his foundation to enter the Innate Realm is even weaker, his realm seems unreal, so he is training himself furiously. Although he can break through to the Innate Realm now, since he has the help of medicinal pills for the breakthrough, after the breakthrough, he would be a weak Innate and would be beaten by Zhou Ying. He was unhappy with that, so to train himself, he gritted his teeth and went to Red Cat for training. The result was he got slapped away by Red Cat, breaking a rib! When Su Lingxiu was treating him, she had a strange look on her face. It always seemed to her that Red Cat did it deliberately, as if to retaliate for the time when Shi¡¯er had whipped it? It appeared that Shi¡¯er¡¯s method of instilling into Red Cat that it was ¡°for its own good¡± wasn¡¯t very effective. It seems that Red Cat took the opportunity to exact revenge! Chapter 316 Translator: 549690339 Shi¡¯er also seemed to have realized this, feeling thoroughly miserable. ¡°Red Cat, you heartless creature, I¡¯ve treated you wholeheartedly and sincerely, yet this is how you treat me? The gold chain around your neck, wasn¡¯t it me who bought it for you?¡± Upon finishing his healing, Shi¡¯er stood in front of Red Cat, expressing his resentment. Red Cat had an expression full of guilt, lifting its claw to signify that it would be gentler next time. As expected, Red Cat was gentler in the following trainings. It no longer broke Shi¡¯er¡¯s ribs, but instead, it slammed Shi¡¯er back and forth like a ball every time even though Shi¡¯er tried to call a halt, it wouldn¡¯t stop. It only stopped when Shi¡¯er couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. Yet, it still kept that expression of ¡®this is for your own good¡¯. ¡°Master, when will Red Cat become a great demon?¡± Su Lingxiu asked with anticipation. ¡°When the time is ripe and the opportunity knocks, it will become a great demon.¡± Li Xuan had no idea when Red Cat would become a great demon, he could only bluff it off by sounding mysterious. Watching Red Cat¡¯s transformation, becoming a great demon is probably just a matter of time. Xu Yan had returned. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve broken through to the Tongxuan Realm.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded approvingly. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve¡­.invited several martial arts scholars from the Seven-star Study Palace. They¡¯re on Canglan Island. I think these people are obsessed with martial arts. I would like to share with them the techniques of the Qi-blood Realm and the Innate Realm and let them study more about it.¡± Xu Yan brought up the matter of the martial arts scholars from the Seven-star Study Palace. Chang Qing Pavilion would soon move to Canglan Island, and even though Dahua was indeed Dahua, Chang Qing Pavilion might be Dahua¡¯s holy land but not Dahua itself. He needed to make some modifications to Canglan Island, and in the meantime, impart the techniques of the Qi-blood Realm and Innate Realm to the martial arts scholars to see if they could figure something out. This was also an avenue to spread Dahua¡¯s martial arts. Starting with the Seven-star Study Palace, it would truly spread throughout the Inner Realm. Upon hearing this, Li Xuan was intrigued. He certainly had been thinking about the matter of Inner Realm martial artists changing their training methods. If they could discover the method of transition, the huge number of martial artists in the Inner Realm, as long as a portion of the martial artists above the third rank succeeded in transitioning, could bring significant feedback to him. The Hundred Martial Shadow could soon reach its peak, possessing nine hundred godlike shadows. The further advancement to thousand martial arts, ten thousand martial arts could also receive feedback in a short period of time. The martial arts scholars from the Seven-star Study Palace always devoted themselves to studying martial arts. There were probably not many people who knew as much about Inner Realm martial arts as they did. Moreover, those who delve into martial arts certainly have their unique talents. Perhaps they could figure out the method to successfully transition to Dahua martial arts. ¡°You can.¡± Li Xuan nodded and added: ¡°Xie Lingfeng condenses True Qi, but is not a true Innate martial artist and has not successfully transitioned. You may let them study how to transition. ¡°Only when Inner Realm martial artists comprehend it themselves, it can be considered their gain. Let them understand it themselves.¡± Xu Yan was taken aback, nodded his head. This is very much in line with his master¡¯s doctrine of teaching, those who want to transition into Dahua martial arts, they must go out and seek understanding themselves! ¡°I understand, I will inform Brother Xie to come to Canglan Island.¡± Li Xuan added: ¡°If you¡¯re willing, you can also offer some insights. You might gain some understanding from the transition between martial arts?¡± If Xu Yan were to deduce, for the martial arts scholars along with Xie Lingfeng, to deduce the true transition method, no one knew how much time it would take. With Xu Yan¡¯s genius, he had reached the Tongxuan Realm. For the understanding of martial arts below the Innate Realm, he was second to none. He has more confidence in deducing the method of transition compared to anyone. Moreover, Li Xuan felt that if Xu Yan could truly deduce it, he might gain more martial arts insights and might even have new gains. To prevent Xu Yan from spending too much time pondering on the method of transition, Li Xuan said: ¡°Of course, your primary focus should be on the comprehension and cultivation of your own martial arts.¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± Xu Yan nodded respectfully. Before going to Canglan Island, Xu Yan spent a few days with his parents and family, guiding his parents¡¯ cultivation. Xu Junhe was about to break through to the Innate Realm. After breaking through to the Innate Realm, he would have certain self-protection power in the Inner Realm. However, Xu Junhe wouldn¡¯t travel too far from Chang Qing Pavilion. He delegated various affairs and let others handle them instead of dealing with risks himself. When the reconstruction of Canglan Island was completed and Chang Qing Pavilion move to Canglan Island, they would also head to Canglan Island. However, as far as Guo Rongshan, the Great Elder of Dahua Cabinet, he would not go to Canglan Island, but stay in Dahua, yet his safety would not be a major issue. At present, there were hardly any strong practitioners who dared to make a move against Dahua. Moreover, the relation between Guo Rongshan and Xu Yan was kept secret and wouldn¡¯t attract a strong practitioner¡¯s attention because of this relationship. Besides, with Dahua¡¯s rapid development and its recruitment of reliable strong practitioners, they could also deal with some crises. The days quickly passed. Xu Yan was preparing to set off for Canglan Island. Before leaving, he guided Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu in their cultivation before heading to Canglan Island. On the way to Canglan Island, he also went to collect the treasures held by Demon Lord Huo Tu. All the big factions in the Inner Realm had methods of communication. For Chang Qing Pavilion, they currently relied on Tianbao Pavilion for communication, but that was not totally reliable. To establish their own communication system, they needed martial artists excelling in training carrier pigeons, as well as providing spiritual medicine and spiritual grain for feeding the carrier pigeons. All of these required dedicated cultivation. Facing this, they spent a lot of money to recruit martial artists who understood how to train carrier pigeons. At the same time, they select a batch of loyal pavilion members to learn how to train carrier pigeons. Chapter 317 Translator: 549690339 As for what the flying kites needed to eat, they were directly substituting it with elixirs. Su Lingxiu specifically researched the elixirs for the flying kites. It¡¯s simple to produce and cost-effective. Plus, after the kites feed on it, they become more submissive and gain an enhancement in their perceptivity. The kite messaging system was beginning to take shape. However, to be fully developed and as effective as other top powers, reaching the entire Inner Domain, it would take a substantial amount of time to evolve. Yet, to only circulate messages within Dahua, that would not take much time The first permanent route for kite messages was between Dahua city and Canglan Island. Meng Chong has finally broken through to the perfect stage of the Innate realm. ¡°Your apprentice Meng Chong has split open eighteen acupuncture points and has broken through the Solar Body Innate Realm to its peak, and your Solar Body has broken through the Tongxuan Realm.¡± A golden light then appeared. Li Xuan was overjoyed. His Solar Body had broken through the Tongxuan Realm, and so his power had been enhanced again. Merely by the might of his physical body, he could easily overwhelm those one step away from reaching the divine realm. After Meng Chong fully broke through the Innate realm, and his Solar Body acupuncture points created a small cycle, he then started to build up himself for the breakthrough into the Tongxuan Realm. The Tongxuan Realm Solar Body symbolizes the cycle of thirty-six Solar Body acupuncture points and markers the changes in one¡¯s Solar Body. Su Lingxiu brewed a batch of elixirs to nourish and strengthen Meng Chong¡¯s body, which would expedite his foundation building and peaking of his innate abilities. Su Lingxiu soon fully broke through to the Innate realm. Once again, Li Xuan received the feedback from Medical Dao, likewise advancing to the Tongxuan Realm. All three martial art systems have advanced to Tongxuan, providing further reinforcement of power. The Chang Qing Pavilion continued to strengthen, and the land of Dahua began to stabilize. Kou Ruozhi, Emperor Qi, and The Emperor of Wu continued their infiltration into the Greater Yue country to secure the hearts of the people. They already began to connect with a few ministers of the Greater Yue country. A cabinet position in Dahua was promised. With the Dahua guards training hardly in the cultivation of the True Qi Technique, the power of the Grandmaster martial artists in the guard has increased by more than 30%. With this, many other martial artists looked on eagerly, hoping to join the guard and acquire the True Qi Cultivation Technique. Furthermore, the well-reputed Dahua martial art was now spreading into the Inner Domain, as a large number of young men and women yet to receive training were aiming to practice Dahua martial art. And even the family prodigy abandoned their family martial art legacy and arrived in Dahua to learn Dahua martial art. Seeing the increasing number of Martial God Shadows, Li Xuan knew more and more people were beginning their martial training. Among all, obviously, the Greater Yue country was the most uneasy about Dahlia¡¯s rise, especially when the incident occurred within its borders, and a grudge was formed. Ceding the land to compensate Dahua is already a disgraceful act, but the battle at Chang Qing Pavilion was horrifying. It had left the Greater Yue country dared not to take any action. Even though Li Xuan was still in the courtyard of Chang Qing Pavilion and never stepped out, there were Martial God¡¯s Shadows all over Dahua city. These shadows came and went without a trace, making it very difficult for even a Grandmaster martial artist to detect them. Unless he chooses to reveal himself, a Grandmaster martial artist could hardly take notice. Even if they did, they would only see a shadow that seemed unreal. In Dahua city, some occasionally had the malicious intent; some were the spies of different powers. However, these individuals would often disappear without a trace.¡± They would be instantly killed by an unknown shadow with no remains left. Although each of Li Xuan¡¯s Martial God Shadows only had the power of the Qi and Blood Realm, his Qi and Blood Realm power was enough to effortlessly kill Grandmaster Martial Artists. Li Xuan felt as though he was enjoying a relaxing life. Everything in Dahua city was under his control without him even stepping out of his door. Whenever he felt like doing so, he would instruct the young martial arts trainees. ¡°Your apprentice Xu Yan has killed a demigod with a sword, your ¡°Ji Mie¡± Sword Dao has upgraded, your battle experience has increased.¡± Suddenly, a golden light appeared, the feedback from the Golden Finger arrived. Li Xuan stared, Xu Yan had just left for a few days, how come he already killed a demigod? Where on earth does the demigod come from? His brows furrowed. Is there a demigod aiming for Xu Yan? Is it the Tianbao Pavilion? Then he thought of it, Xu Yan was going to Canglan Island and would first stop by the treasure place of Demon Lord Huo Tu. So is it the powerful one from the Demon Sect? ¡°Xu Yan has already broken through to the Tongxuan Realm, isn¡¯t it an experience gift?¡± Li Xuan smiled. With Xu Yan¡¯s strength now, not to mention a demigod, even if it were a true god, he could still fight! After exchanging blows with the head of Yinlou Pavilion and the withered Demon Lord, Li Xuan had some new understanding of Martial Gods, with their power primarily lying in the godlike dignity they possessed. Under their suppression, even Grandmaster martial artists failed to resist. It felt like a giant mountain had been pressed onto their consciousness in their minds. Thus, when facing Innate Realm Martial Artists, there is almost no power to resist. However, the majesty of Martial Artists of the Celestial Realm, their Sword Intent, and Blade Intent can all be defended against, and are not affected by the majesty. In this way, the strongest means of the Martial Artists of the Celestial Realm have lost their effectiveness. Because of this, Xu Yan can put up a fight even when facing a true Celestial Realm Martial Artist! While on his way to Canglan Island, Xu Yan took out the map belonging to Demon Lord Huo Tu. The treasures belonging to one of the nine great Demon Lords were undoubtedly numerous. After killing Demon Lord Huo Tu, Xu Yan almost confirmed that he did not carry a treasure bag with him. If Demon Lord Huo Tu had a treasure bag, it must be in this treasure house. As for why he didn¡¯t carry it with him, perhaps Demon Lord Huo Tu was concerned about attracting the covetous gaze of the robed man, so he didn¡¯t carry it with him. Of course, whether the location of the treasure recorded on the map is really unknown. It wouldn¡¯t take much time to explore it, and perhaps Demon Lord Huo Tu was so confident in himself that the treasure recorded on the map truly existed. Xu Yan contemplated the map and began to search for the location outlined. The location of Demon Lord Huo Tu¡¯s treasure, in a desolate land with several barren mountains, no vegetation, and a faint miasma swirling between the valleys. In such a place, regular Martial Artists wouldn¡¯t even come near it, as the miasma can result in severe intoxication if inhaled, if not death. Even a Great Grandmaster would not frequent here. The barren mountains are silent, not even an insect can be heard, it feels like a land of death. ¡°That guy, Demon Lord Huo Tu, cultivates a deadly cultivation technique. For him, this place poses no threat and may even be beneficial for his practice.¡± ¡°No wonder the powerful beings who wanted to kill him couldn¡¯t find his trace.¡± ¡°When he appeared on Canglan Island, it was rumored that a pinnacle Great Grandmaster wanted to kill him. However, he was stopped, probably by a strong man from Yinlou Pavilion.¡± ¡°It could have even been by the other strong men from the Demon Sect.¡± As Xu Yan was thinking about this, he looked at the map and headed towards one of the barren mountains. The miasma and toxic fog here cannot threaten him. He searched without any concern. After breaking through the Tongxuan Realm, his strength greatly increased, and his spiritual body underwent a metamorphosis into a River Mountain Spiritual Body. He was not afraid of these miasmas and toxic fogs at all. He was so full of confidence that even if he encountered a strong man like the Lord of Yinlou Pavilion, he was able to kill them. This was an excellent chance to practice the Sword Wheel of Life and Death that he had realized during his breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm. This Sword Dao was in its infancy and he had not fully understood it yet. Finding a strong opponent to practice with would likely allow him to get the hang of it. ¡°This is the place!¡± Xu Yan stopped halfway up the barren mountain, where there was a protruding rock. According to the map¡¯s description, the treasure is behind this rock. He reached out and smashed the rock with a palm. Puff! The rock instantly turned into dust, revealing an entrance. Xu Yan¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. He had a vague feeling that something was unusual inside. Being a capable man comes with courage, Xu Yan stepped inside without any fear, advancing step by step. Suddenly, there was no path in front of him. He raised his hand and smashed the stone wall, turned it into dust, and forcibly opened it. He continued to move forward. Turning a corner, Xu Yan suddenly halted. He entered a stone chamber inside the barren mountain. The walls are embedded with Luminous Pearls, like stars, dotting the stone walls. The faint light illuminated the stone chamber. The large chamber didn¡¯t seem too dark, but it gave a sense of gloom. The first thing that caught his eye was a blood-red coffin. The crimson coffin, seemingly soaked in blood, emitted a terrifying dread under the dim light. In front of the blood-red coffin was a small stone table, on which was placed a small bag. The shape of the bag looked like a toad squatting on the table. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were on fire, the treasure bag he had been waiting for finally appeared before his eyes. He stepped forward, glancing around, then focused on the blood-red coffin briefly, before turning his attention to the treasure bag. It is a rare treasure in the Inner Domain, not to mention the contents of the treasure bag. The bag itself is a treasure. Chapter 318 Translator: 549690339 | Xu Yan reached out to grab the treasure pouch on the stone table. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the crimson stone coffin shattered, and a crimson hand stretched out from the coffin, grabbing his wrist. ¡°Young man, you have killed Huo Tu and arrived here. You are not mediocre. I am in need of fresh blood food!¡± said a chilling voice. Xu Yan remained calm, as if he had known all along. He didn¡¯t withdraw his reaching hand but directly gripped the treasure pouch. At the same time, his wrist was grasped by the crimson hand. A powerful, eerie aura emanated from the crimson hand. The crimson hand manifested faint bloody red flames, seemingly corroding and refining the flesh, absorbing the essence of his flesh. As Xu Yan gripped the treasure pouch, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and sword light emerged from his wrist. Like a revolving wheel of swords, it ensnared the crimson hand. The sword wheel rotated, seemingly about to sever the crimson hand. ¡°Huh!¡± exclaimed a surprised voice from the shattered crimson coffin. The hand that was gripping Xu Yan¡¯s wrist hurriedly withdrew, but the sword wheel acted like a bracelet and stayed on the wrist, spinning around. ¡°What is this?¡± With a rumble, the stone coffin exploded completely, and a crimson figure stood upright. The figure was surrounded by a strange bloody red aura, its other hand swung to shatter the sword wheel. Xu Yan sneered, and the sword wheel suddenly grew larger, encasing the figure within its spinning form. ¡°Well done, boy!¡± The crimson figure, however, was unafraid. With a loud bang, fierce bloody flames appeared on its body, emanating a maudlin, decaying aura and transforming into something like viscous blood, covering the sword wheel. A sizzling sound arose. Xu Yan furrowed his eyebrows, becoming a bit more cautious. The sword wheel melted under the cover of the bloody flame. Xu Yan didn¡¯t make another move but stared at the crimson figure with a frown. The figure had crimson long hair and appeared very old, yet seemed to be filled with blood, exceptionally red. An eerie aura was constantly emanating, along with a faint, unusual smell of blood. ¡°Could it be that you are the real Demon Lord Huo Tu?¡± Xu Yan asked, surprised. ¡°I am the Blood Fiend King of Demon Sect, and Huo Tu was just my disciple.¡± The Blood Fiend King¡¯s eyes were blood red, faintly shining with crimson light. ¡°Blood Fiend King?¡± Xu Yan frowned. Not knowing the name, he could only guess that someone who was a mentor to the Demon Lord Huo Tu must also be a formidable figure in the Demon Sect. ¡°Your disciple Huo Tu is dead. We had an agreement that if I killed him, all his treasures would be mine. Therefore, I¡¯m taking this pouch,¡± said Xu Yan, tying the treasure pouch to his waist. The Blood Fiend King frowned, looking somewhat displeased. ¡°Young man, have you never heard of me?¡± He was a notorious figure within the demon sect, having slaughtered an entire city singlehandedly to refine vital essence blood and ascend to the realm of Great Grandmaster. Despite being under siege by many strong martial artists, he had managed to slaughter and refine blood essence, even killing several peak Great Grandmasters, which eventually helped him break through the bottleneck of the peak Great Grandmaster and significantly enhance his strength. However, after the prime minister vanished and the demon sect shattered into fragments, he suffered injuries while competing for supremacy with several other faction leaders and fell into an ambush. He was severely injured and had to fake his death and hibernate up to now. Huo Tu, the Demon Lord, was his disciple, who brought him fresh blood food to maintain his vitality and allowed him to survive until now. Anyone who had some understanding of the Demon Sect and the Inner Realm Martial Arts would inevitably know of his notorious reputation as the Blood Fiend King. Xu Yan glanced at him with indifference, saying, ¡°I have no interest in knowing about you old worthless pests. It¡¯s quite normal not to know.¡± Worthless old pests? The Blood Fiend King laughed grimly, ¡°A delicious blood meal dares to despise me¡­In all my years, this is a first. Living long does indeed make one experience all kinds of situations!¡± He was brimming with a terrifying power that resembled viscous blood. Xu Yan replied coldly, ¡°You lived for so long with such weak power, and you still dare to be arrogant. Is it that difficult to admit you¡¯re a waste?¡± Xu Yan had no fondness for the members of the Demon Sect, especially this one, a Demon who cultivated through violence and slaughter. The Blood Fiend King, who radiated such a terrifying power and eerie crimson aura, must have slaughtered countless martial artists to attain his current strength. ¡°Kneel before me!¡± The Blood Fiend King roared when feeling insulted. He bumped the ground in fury, releasing a power that could intimidate even demigods. Xu Yan stayed calm and unfazed. A faint Sword Intent emanated from him and instantly transformed into the Sword Wheel of Life and Death. ¡°I¡¯ll use you for polishing my Sword Dao!¡± The sword wheel split into two streams of light, representing life and death, and fiercely attacked the Blood Fiend King. At this moment, the Blood Fiend King¡¯s expression changed drastically. Could it be that this youngster was a Demigod Realm cultivator, since he remained unaffected under the pressure of his Demigod Realm majesty? Moreover, he suddenly noticed something unusual about Xu Yan¡¯s aura; it didn¡¯t belong to a Grandmaster or a Great Grandmaster, and certainly not a Demigod Realm cultivator. Boom! An enormous hole exploded from the barren mountain, and two figures flew out. One was as red as blood, the terrifying bloody red aura making the figure seem like a horrifying wave of viscous blood. In the figure¡¯s hand was a crimson hook emitting a ghastly aura. Xu Yan, holding a longsword, released the Sword Wheel of Life and Death with each swing, constantly shifting his attack. The Blood Fiend King became more and more horrified as the battle continued. Every time he shattered the strange sword wheel, a second one would immediately appear. Chapter 319 Translator: 549690339 | From the initial formation of the Sword Wheel, it appeared somewhat illusory, as if it wasn¡¯t perfectly formed. As time passed, it gradually solidified, becoming stronger and fiercer. Moreover, between the cycles of the Sword Wheel, the changes between offense and defense were unpredictable, and the attacks became increasingly tricky. At a certain moment, he sensed a touch of deadly intent from a flash of swords. Yet his fierce attack was blocked by another flash of swords; an endless, relentless show of defense. Just when he thought it was merely a defensive sword, it transformed into a sword of death in an instant. He narrowly avoided losing his arm to a slash! As the battle ensued, Xu Yan¡¯s understanding deepened. The Life and Death Sword Wheel kept improving until it was spinning like the Taiji symbol in front of him. The sword light slowly morphed into black and white, with continuous transformations, as if a new Sword Intent was being born. However, he was just a bit short of fully comprehending the Life and Death Sword Intent. ¡°Today is a day of great harvest, I acquired the storage pouch, began to grasp the Life and Death Sword Wheel, remember Blood Devil King, your killer is Sword God Xu Yan!¡± The Life and Death Sword Wheel in Xu Yan¡¯s hand suddenly split into two terrifying sword lights, trapping the Blood Devil King within in a split second. The sword lights instantaneously came together, with life and death alternating, slashing violently at the Blood Devil King! ¡°You wish to kill me, boy, you are too arrogant!¡± The Blood Devil King¡¯s eyes emitted a cold glow; with a loud thud, a surge of bloody light soared to the sky, dyeing half of the sky red with his violent blood flame. The red arc seemed to tear the sky apart. The power of a Half-step Heavenly Being was fully unleashed at this moment. The secret technique he¡¯d been reserving for a critical moment was also deployed. A chill ran through the Blood Devil King¡¯s heart as he felt a strong crisis of life and death. The two wheels of sword light were too dangerous; they could kill him at any time. Even when he was surrounded and attacked by many strong opponents in the past, he had never felt such an intense sensation of life and death crisis. He was shocked, wondering how this young man could be so powerful. Without any hesitation, he decisively used his life-saving secret martial arts technique! Boom! The Life and Death Sword Wheel thundered ahead, altering between life and death, slashing through defenses, and tearing apart attacks. Regardless of how crazily the Blood Devil King fought back, he couldn¡¯t escape from the Sword Wheel of Life and Death. Squirt! At one moment, the Life and Death Sword Wheel came together, and the terrifying Sword Intent surged, transforming into a mountain range in an instant. Life and death returned to one, annihilating everything! The consciousness of the Blood Devil King was stunned, watching his body turn to ash under the sword light. What kind of Swordsmanship is this? Even though he was only a Half-step Heavenly Being, even if his flesh and blood was destroyed, his consciousness remained. Xu Yan¡¯s brow furrowed as he sensed the invisible mental consciousness. Was it the Divine Body condensed by a Martial Arts Heavenly Being? ¡°Soul Eradication! Indeed, when one¡¯s strength reaches a certain level, simply killing the physical body may not kill the enemy completely!¡± Xu Yan sighed inwardly, no wonder his master taught him early on that he should eradicate his enemies completely, leaving no trace of their soul, otherwise, they could escape! The Sword Wheel spun, and the Sword of Life and Death struck at the invisible Divine Body. The Sword Light turned into the Sword of Death, completely eradicating the Divine Body. The Blood Devil King had fallen! After killing the Blood Devil King, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but ponder. Although the Blood Devil King was only a Half-step Heavenly Being, by this measure, a real Martial Arts Heavenly Being wouldn¡¯t be much stronger. ¡°Is there a real Martial Arts Heavenly Being in the Inner Domain?¡± Curiosity sparkled in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes. To date, no existence of Martial Arts Heavenly Beings in the Inner Domain had been heard of. Even the number of Half-step Heavenly Beings known to the Martial Arts world of the Inner Domain was extremely limited. Only those top major powers and pinnacle Great Grandmasters knew about them. So, it seemed like there weren¡¯t any real Martial Arts Heavenly Beings in the Inner Domain. ¡± If I could spar with a Martial Arts Heavenly Being, my Life and Death Sword Wheel could likely be perfected.¡± Xu Yan thought with a touch of regret. But then, he got excited again. He finally got the storage pouch he¡¯d been longing for, after such a long time! He took off the storage pouch hanging from his waist, poured in his True Qi to open the pouch, and peeked in. Inside the storage pouch were stacks of Spirit Tickets and a pile of Spirit Crystals. Beyond that, there were various bottles and vials, along with spiritual medicines. ¡°Demon Lord Huo Tu really was wealthy!¡± Xu Yan quickly counted, immediately filled with excitement, he had finally become wealthy again. The storage bag looked like a toad, hanging at his waist as though it¡¯s a small toad, and the closed toad¡¯s mouth was the opening of the storage bag. When he poured in his True Qi, it could expand the mouth and body of the bag, making it much more convenient to store and retrieve items. Having successfully acquired Demon Lord Huo Tu¡¯s treasures, and effortlessly killing the Blood Fiend King, and improving his Life and Death Sword Wheel, Xu Yan did not linger. He left the desolate mountain and set off for Canglan Island. In a city, he found a communication point for Sword Royalty Cliff and sent a message to Xie Lingfeng to meet up on Canglan Island. ¡°To avoid the major conflicts and martial disputes of the Inner Domain, and transition to practicing Dahua martial arts, one must research it precisely. Only in this way can Dahua replace the Inner Domain,¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. As for how to transition from Inner Realm Martial Arts to Dahua Martial Arts, he didn¡¯t have a good solution. Condensing True Qi was feasible, but simply condensing True Qi did not mean successful transition. ¡°The martial scholars of the Seven-star Study Palace are familiar with Inner Realm Martial Arts and have conducted profound research. If I teach them Dahua Martial Arts, perhaps they can develop a transition method? ¡°Or perhaps I can further understand the essence of Inner Realm Martial Arts from them, and ponder a compromise method.¡± Xu Yan thought silently. Since Xu Yan slew the peak Great Grandmaster on Canglan Island, no one dared to set foot there. After the battle at Chang Qing Pavilion and the ownership of Canglan Island returned to the Dahua territory, although people passed by the ocean, they only looked at the island from afar and longed for it. But haunted by Xu Yan¡¯s might, they did not dare to approach. Not until Peng Yuan from the Seven-star Study Palace arrived with seven martial scholars, did people reside on Canglan Island. Since Peng Yuan and the others came to the Seven-star Study Palace, they have been looking at a book every day, repeatedly pondering or writing something on their own. They never cease their research on martial arts. ¡°Scholar Xu is here, please take a seat!¡± Upon seeing Xu Yan, Peng Yuan and the others hastily ran over, pulling over a chair for Xu Yan to sit on. In the Seven-star Study Palace, Xu Yan had joined as a senior martial scholar, which is why they addressed him in such a manner. They all knew about the Battle of Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°Scholar Peng, you¡¯re too kind.¡± Xu Yan greeted them with a smile and a fist. Peng Yuan and the others were chosen from a group of martial scholars by Xu Yan. Their minds were consumed by studying martial arts, their dark eye circles made it obvious. ¡°In the study of martial arts, not a moment can be wasted. Scholar Xu, look, is this Dahua Martial Arts?¡± Even though Peng Yuan¡¯s eyes were surrounded by black circles, they were exceptionally bright, and they were all staring at Xu Yan expectantly. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s not waste anytime.¡± Xu Yan took out a small booklet. This contained the foundational and initial martial arts cultivation techniques, including refining skin, bones, and organs, up to the Qi and blood realms. ¡°This is the foundational and entry level martial arts technique. The scholars can take a look. Also, Dahua Martial Arts is ultimately different from Inner Realm Martial Arts. Now, many Inner Domain martial artists want to transition to Dahua Martial Arts but they lack the methods. ¡°You scholars have spent your lives studying Inner Realm Martial Arts, and after understanding Dahua Martial Arts, you might be able to research how to transition from Inner Realm Martial Arts to Dahua Martial Arts.¡± Peng Yuan and the others immediately became solemn. The emergence of Dahua Martial Arts was a heavy blow to the martial arts circle of the Inner Realm! Various signs indicate that Dahua Martial Arts is stronger than Inner Realm Martial Arts, and which martial artist does not pursue power? Once Dahua Martial Arts is spread, all the big forces will be unsettled. After all, their strength, besides their own resources, comes from the inheritance of martial practices, which are much stronger than the martial practices of the outer world. This is the source of power for the top martial forces. But Dahua Martial Arts will shake their foundations. Due to the shocking battle at Chang Qing Pavilion, these forces are deeply wary and have not taken action yet. Once they recover, and feel a strong threat involving the survival of their martial heritage, they will undoubtedly join forces to seek survival! The only way to reduce or avoid this martial arts contention is to introduce a transitioning method. The elites of the major forces are strong, and if they transition successfully, they will still have an advantage. Thus, they will not risk everything. While the inheritance is important, a stronger martial practice is obviously more crucial. ¡± Rest assured, Scholar Xu, we will do our best. Not only for others, but also for ourselves, we will definitely find a way to research the method of transitioning,¡± Peng Yuan said solemnly. Chapter 320 Translator: 549690339 | ¡°If you have any questions, feel free to ask me for an explanation,¡± Xu Yan told them, handing the pamphlets to Peng Yuan and his companions. ¡°We can understand it, we can.¡± Peng Yuan and his fellows excitedly left, huddling together to examine the martial arts method of Dahua. Ignoring them, Xu Yan retreats to a peak on Canglan Island. Sitting cross-legged, he continued to meditate on the mysteries of the Tongxuan Realm, the Sword Dao of the Wheel of Life and Death, and the Sword Dao of the Mountain and River. Peng Yuan and the others were astonished as they scrutinized the cultivation techniques in the pamphlets. ¡°Golden bones? Can you really refine such powerful golden bones that gleam with eternal glow, indestructible even after countless years?¡± ¡°This¡­ is jade bones! Flawless and unchanging throughout the ages? This is too magical, too profound, too mysterious!¡± Peng Yuan and his group were thoroughly shocked. Golden bones seemed mysterious enough, let alone the more elusive jade bones. Is it possible that one¡¯s physical body can be refined to this state? And this is merely the foundation of the martial arts. ¡°With thunderous muscles and bones and Qi flowing like the Gang, it s inconceivable, it¡¯s simply inconceivable!¡± The group of martial arts scholars exclaimed in exuberance, as if they had opened a new horizons, and beheld a new world. ¡°1 hate myself for being a grandmaster martial artist. Otherwise, I would definitely cultivate Dahua Martial Arts!¡± A scholar wailed, beating his chest in agony. Over time, Peng Yuan and the others repeatedly referred to the booklet, trying to comprehend its content gradually while cross-referencing it with a variety of Inner Realm Martial Arts scriptures. They even tried performing the cultivation techniques to sense the Qi and blood. But their martial arts foundations were already set in stone, and as grandmaster martial artists, how could they cultivate this new method? They sought out Xu Yan¡¯s help a few times to clarify some of the more complex aspects that they couldn¡¯t grasp on their own. Several days later. Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan arrived. ¡°Congratulations, Brother Xu on your breakthrough!¡± Xie Lingfeng marveled to himself, within such a short span of time, Xu Yan has achieved a breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm. While Xie Lingfeng himself was barely on the verge of grandmaster completion. However, the gap in their powers was ever-widening. Despite his improved insights into Sword Dao, he was still yet to achieve a clear understanding of his Sword Heart. Although he had refines True Qi, he wasn¡¯t an Innate Martial Artist yet and was in an awkward position. He was neither in the Innate Realm nor remained a Grandmaster Martial Artist! ¡°Brother Xie, you¡¯ve been condensing True Qi for a while now, do you have any insights on how to switch to cultivating Dahua Martial Arts?¡± Xu Yan asked thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s difficult!¡± Xie Lingfeng sighed deeply. He, too, had been pondering this question, but remained clueless. Even if he could think of certain methods, he would find them impossible to implement. ¡°It just so happens that Scholars Peng Yuan and others are here, let¡¯s brainstorm and see if there¡¯s a solution,¡± Xu Yan nodded and suggested. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face turned solemn. He clearly understood that the impact of Dahua Martial Arts on the Inner Domain was immense. Even those who were as powerful as Sword Monarch Cliff and were devoted to cultivating Sword Dao felt a tad shaken and lost. The anxiety of additional top-ranking forces was therefore all too predictable. If they fail to switch over to Dahua Martial Arts, their heritage and status will be threatened, and all the major forces will come together in rare unity to go against Dahua Martial Arts. They will endeavour to nip the rising Dahua Martial Arts in the bud. Xu Yan and Xie Lingfeng joined Peng Yuan and others in their discussions, delving deep into martial arts, sharing their insights, trying to find a way to overcome the hurdles. Meanwhile, Hu Shan found himself in an awkward position. He wasn¡¯t able to participate at all. The Yinlou Pavilion cave remained utterly silent. Ever since the Pavilion Master of Yinlou and the peak Grandmasters were killed, the remaining members of Yinlou lived in constant terror. Those who believed their identities in Yinlou were unimown to anyone, hastily destroyed their black robes and everything revealing their identities, and fled to other places. In a sense, they have quit Yinlou. However, more members of Yinlou chose to hide here in the pavilion, never going out, planning to regroup Yinlou once the dust settles. Although the Pavilion Master of Yinlou was dead, and all the peak Grandmasters were gone, there were still Grandmaster strongmen in existence. Did any of these experts lack ambition? The chance to control Yinlou was right before their eyes, and who would want to miss it? Several mature Grandmasters have covertly squared off several times for the title of the Pavilion Master of Yinlou. Fearing that their whereabouts will be exposed and Xu Yan would come knocking, they avoided any grand confrontation, and kept on with their secluded cultivation in Yinlou. Since they had to hide for a while to entirely erase the traces of Yinlou, the first one to break through the peak Grandmaster will become the next Pavilion Master of Yinlou. Of course, the name Yinlou couldn¡¯t be used anymore. The black robe attire also had to be discarded. Otherwise, if they encounter Xu Yan or someone from Chang Qing Pavilion outside, it would spell disaster. The silent cave still stood tall, yet the top floor, where the former Pavilion Master resided, was now occupied by several mature Grandmasters. All of them are frantically cultivating, striving for an early breakthrough to the peak Grandmaster, and to seize the position of the Pavilion Master of Yinlou. Suddenly, a sound of the cave door opening echoed in the silent cave, making it especially grating. The strongmen of Yinlou all shuddered and quickly revealed themselves. The mature Grandmasters in the top floor all came out to look towards the entrance of Yinlou. Given that Yinlou is a secret force, it has always been mysterious and low-key, and the location of Yinlou is extremely secretive. Those who knew the whereabouts were all Grandmasters and core members of Yinlou. All the core members were in hiding in Yinlou and no one was outside. Could it be, Chang Qing Pavilion found this place? Thinking this, the hearts of many Yinlou strongmen began to sink.. Chapter 321 Translator: 549690339 I The sound of footsteps echoed from the entrance of the tunnel, reverberating throughout the cave. The arrival was one person, and they didn¡¯t attempt to conceal their presence at all. The more it was so, the more uneasy Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s martial artists became. The first person they thought of was Xu Yan! If Xu Yan had found this place, he would probably arrive just as brazenly. A group of Great Grandmasters glanced at each other, each prepared for a fight to the death or to surrender. If they were allowed to surrender, that is. A white-robed figure appeared before them, walking from the tunnel into the cave. It¡¯s not Xu Yan! However, the martial artists of Yinlou Pavilion didn¡¯t breathe a sigh of relief because of this. The visitor was not one of them and, although he wasn¡¯t Xu Yan, he was still an outsider! How did he find the Yinlou Pavilion? A few Great Grandmasters gazed at him. Clad in a white robe, he wore a thin cyan mask that covered his face. It made him appear as though his face were cyan. The Cyan-faced Man! Upon recognizing the visitor, all the martial artists of Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s pupils contracted, revealing a horrified look. As everyone knows, there are many secret powers in the Inner Domain, with Yinlou Pavilion being one of the most mysterious three. Among the other two mysterious powers, one of them is even more enigmatic with the strongest power¡ªeven Tianbao Pavilion can¡¯t grasp their true depth. All that is known about this mysterious power is that they all wear cyan masks, covering their faces¡ªlike the Cyan-faced Men! As a result, this secret power was named the Cyan-Faced Man! Every member of the Cyan-faced Men is a Grandmaster. All of the Cyan-faced Men who have appeared before were also Grandmasters, and perhaps, those below the Grandmaster level are not allowed to venture outside. ¡°The Cyan-faced Man?!¡± A Great Grandmaster from Yinlou Pavilion asked with a gloomy expression. The Cyan-faced Man looked at the martial artists of Yinlou Pavilion. His voice was calm and steady, showing no signs of fluctuation. ¡°What is Elder Yin planning to do? What task has he undertaken?¡± For a moment, the Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s martial artists looked at each other in dismay. No one answered. The Great Grandmasters remained silent. After a while, one of them said: ¡°This is the secret of Yinlou Pavilion. How would we know?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you really know?¡± The tone of the Cyan-faced Man had turned somewhat gloomy. ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± The martial artists of Yinlou Pavilion replied in a deep voice. The Cyan-faced Man looked at a martial artist of Yinlou Pavilion and suddenly raised his hand to grab him. The martial artist¡¯s expression changed drastically. He was about to explode with the aura of a Grandmaster, but in an instant, his eyes widened in horror, revealing a look of fear. ¡°Please spare me!¡± At this instant, the man, who was about to resist, felt as if a mountain was pressing onto him. His body stiffened instantly, and his Grandmaster¡¯s strength was suppressed! He had experienced this once before¡ªthat was when the Master of Yinlou Pavilion became angry. The Cyan-faced Man¡¯s strength was comparable to the Master of Yinlou Pavilion! Thud! The Cyan-faced Man grabbed the man by his neck and said indifferently: ¡°Do you really not know?¡± The rest of the martial artists in Yinlou Pavilion were drenched in cold sweat, their faces pale. The Grandmaster who was being strangled looked terrified, his lips moving as if he wanted to speak. The Cyan-faced Man slackened his grip slightly and said, ¡°Speak!¡± ¡°We were given one task¡ªto find and capture Su Lingxiu!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of capturing her?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know. We really don¡¯t know!¡± Crack! The Cyan-faced Man squeezed his hand, and the Grandmaster¡¯s neck was crushed, killing him instantly. The rest of the martial artists in Yinlou Pavilion were horrified, their faces covered in cold sweat. ¡°Elder Yin is already dead, and the useless ones have no need to live. If you don¡¯t know anything, then I will send you to keep Elder Yin company.¡± The Cyan-faced Man¡¯s gaze was cold as he looked at the martial artists of Yinlou Pavilion. ¡°The Master had the task of capturing Su Lingxiu, but we really don¡¯t know the specific purpose. However, it seems¡­ it seems to be related to the heavenly human.¡± A Great Grandmaster from Yinlou Pavilion said, his face covered in cold sweat. ¡°There might be answers in the Master¡¯s secret room, but we can¡¯t open it!¡± Another Great Grandmaster hurriedly added. Subsequently, a few Great Grandmasters began frantically spilling everything they knew, not daring to hide anything. However, the other Grandmasters didn¡¯t know much, and their faces turned white with fear. The Cyan-faced Man listened quietly. Suddenly, a pressure enshrouded the cave. All the Grandmasters were horror-stricken, feeling as if a mountain was pressing on their bodies, slowing their movements, greatly diminishing their strength, and leaving no chance of escape. They couldn¡¯t even fight back. The Cyan-faced Man looked at the Great Grandmasters and said, ¡°Kill them!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± A few accomplished Great Grandmasters, without the slightest hesitation, instantly attacked the remaining Yinlou Pavilion martial artists, their moves were vicious and ruthless. One side was overwhelmed by the force and the other side was more powerful to begin with, the battle quickly turned into a one-sided massacre. Within moments, everyone other than these accomplished Great Grandmasters, was dead! At this point, the man with the green face took out a few light green masks ¨C the same as the one he was wearing, but the color was lighter. ¡°Put them on!¡± The accomplished Great Grandmasters, without the slightest hesitation, donned the masks. ¡°From today on, this place is my legation.¡± The man with the green face stated coldly. ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± The accomplished Great Grandmasters hurriedly bowed in reverence. Finally, they survived! With the lord of Yinlou Pavilion dead, joining the man with the green face was indeed a way out! ¡°Where is the secret chamber?¡± The green-faced man enquired. ¡°My lord, it is right here.¡± One accomplished Great Grandmaster fawningly led the green-faced man to the stone wall behind the high tower. The green-faced man looked over, a hole had been chiselled into the stone wall, and a precious material was forged inside. Unless one knew the method to open it, even an accomplished Great Grandmaster could not forcefully break it open. He stretched out his hand and placed it on the door of the secret chamber. Hum! A terrifying aura surged from the man with the green face, prompting the several Great Grandmasters to step back in horror. They all had a feeling that this green-faced man was somewhat more terrifying than the original lord of Yinlou Pavilion. The palm of the green-faced man turned blue, pressing it onto the door of the secret chamber, as if a red-hot brand was pressed onto a lump of fat. With a hissing sound, his hand sank into the door and at some point, the door to the secret chamber began to crack. Crack! The door shattered and fell, revealing the small secret chamber inside. The man with the green face stepped into it. In the small secret chamber, there were only a few small boxes. The jade box in the middle had a pattern on it. ¡°This is it!¡± The green-faced man¡¯s eyes flashed with excitement and longing, he stretched out his hand, shakily reaching for the jade box. Opening the jade box, inside was a scroll. He picked up the scroll and opened it. So excited that his whole body was shaking, he stared at the contents of the scroll. After a while, he put away the scroll. ¡°Gate of Lingyu, Su Lingxiu?¡± He murmured in a low voice. Coming out of the secret chamber, he looked at the several Great Grandmasters and sternly asked: ¡°Where is Su Lingxiu, and who killed Elder Yin?¡± The few survivors of Yinlou Pavilion, without any hesitation, detailed everything about the lord of Yinlou Pavilion and the summit Great Grandmasters going to Chang Qing Pavilion to arrest Su Lingxiu. ¡°Chang Qing Pavilion is too terrifying. Dozens of summit Great Grandmasters were killed. Legendary prodigies like Xu Yan and Meng Chong, are both from Chang Qing Pavilion.¡± Finally, one person said, his voice trembling slightly. The green-faced man fell silent. Both the lord of Yinlou Pavilion and the Demon Lord were lost in Chang Qing Pavilion, which made him somewhat apprehensive. But instantly, a cold light flashed in his eyes. ¡°I must get my hands on Su Lingxiu. No one can stop me. That person in Chang Qing Pavilion, how could he monopolize the entry opportunity to the Gate of Lingyu? ¡°The Chang Qing Pavilion and the Dahua martial arts, have been in the limelight too much. It seems that the royal family of the Dayue Kingdom is also ready to do something. It¡¯s about time for guys like me to get in touch.¡± The green-faced man thought to himself. ¡°I have a task for you.¡± The green-faced man ordered solemnly. ¡°Please give your order, my lord!¡± The accomplished Great Grandmasters hurriedly paid homage. ¡°Go visit the forces that once made a move on Chang Qing Pavilion and still have surviving Great Grandmasters. The opportunity for revenge has come, there will naturally be people, to deal with that person in Chang Qing Pavilion¡­¡± The green-faced man ordered solemnly. ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± After giving the order, the green-faced man left with the jade box and the scroll in his hand. In the royal palace of Dayue Kingdom, the Emperor sat in his study, his face extremely gloomy. He looked at the intelligence about Dahua in his hand, his hand trembling slightly. Resentment and hatred emerged on his face. But he also felt a sense of helplessness. Chang Qing Pavilion was too powerful; the Dayue Kingdom had to yield and compensate in order to protect itself. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Suddenly, from outside the imperial study, the royal grandmaster shouted in a low voice.. Chapter 322 Translator: 549690339 | The Great Emperor of Dayue suddenly changed his expression and stood up abruptly. Had a power from the Chang Qing Pavilion launched an attack? Hadn¡¯t he conceded by surrendering territories and offering indemnities? Did they truly want to drive him to a fight to the death? Upon leaving his royal study, he saw a green-faced man in a white robe standing outside, two royal attendants staring at him with solemn expressions. ¡°The Green-faced Man?¡± The Great Emperor of Dayue was taken aback. One of the three mysterious secret forces, the Green-Faced Man! ¡°Why have you come here, my lord?¡± The Great Emperor of Dayue asked with a puzzled look. Since it wasn¡¯t a powerful figure from the Chang Qing Pavilion, he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Great Emperor of Dayue, are you not resentful and furious towards Chang Qing Pavilion? Fortunately, I also have some business to attend to. We could work together. What do you think?¡± The Green-faced Man spoke calmly. ¡°How can we work together?¡± The Great Emperor of Dayue asked in a deep voice. The Green-faced Man looked at him but didn¡¯t respond. The Great Emperor of Dayue took a deep breath and said, ¡°Please, let¡¯s discuss this in my study room.¡± ¡°The Great Emperor of Dayue is wise.¡± The Green-faced Man gave a faint smile and walked into the royal study. Powers that had once deployed their Great Grandmasters in their assault on Chang Qing Pavilion, all of them had quietly been visited by the Green-faced Man. The Inner Domain was inundated with undercurrents due to the mysterious Green-faced Man. On Canglan Island, the discussion on how the martial artists of the Inner Domain could convert to the martial arts of Dahua had just ended. After research, the direction for converting to Dahua martial arts had been roughly sorted out. However, implementing it would not be an easy task. ¡°For martial artists below Xingxiu Realm to convert to Dahua martial arts, they will first have to cultivate their vital essence which is of relatively lower difficulty. If they have Vital Essence Pills as aids and supplement it with vital essence condensation methods, it won¡¯t be too difficult. ¡°However, after the conversion, their progress will be relatively slower because their foundation isn¡¯t established from the beginning, thus making them slightly weaker than traditional Dahua Warriors.¡± Xu Yan concluded. Zhou Ying had converted from the fourth realm, which is the Martial Dao of the Inner Domain, where the third realm is where the foundations of martial arts are truly established; hence it is comparatively easier to convert martial arts at the fourth realm. Even if you condensed Blood Essence after the third realm and converted to Martial Arts under the influence of Blood Essence Pill, due to the already established foundation of Martial Arts, it would be relatively weaker than Dahua Warriors. Nevertheless, it is stronger than the martial artists of the Inner Domain. Therefore, once the method of conversion is made public, a large number of martial artists below the first Xingxiu Realm will consider changing their martial arts path. However, there is a prerequisite. That is, they would need the aid of the Blood Essence Pill. Not every martial artist can afford a Blood Essence Pill! ¡°The innate state of Dahua martial arts is about connecting with the Heaven and Earth Bridge. Even if you have condensed True Qi, without the Heaven and Earth Bridge, you are not a Dahua Warrior. ¡°However, the foundations of a Grandmaster Warrior are pretty much set and there is no way to connect with the Heaven and Earth Bridge. This is a dilemma.¡± Xu Yan sighed. If a Grandmaster Warrior wants to convert, apart from condensing True Qi, the Heaven and Earth Bridge is the core. Without the Heaven and Earth Bridge, it is impossible to directly absorb the Spiritual Energy and condense it into True Qi. Instead, he has to absorb Inner Domain Warrior¡¯s Path Inner Qi, then convert it into True Qi through condensation. Peng Yuan and a few other martial scholars were not at all discouraged, instead, they said enthusiastically, ¡°Let¡¯s continue our research, perhaps we might find an alternative.¡± Xu Yan nodded. He would not spend too much effort on the method of conversion. Having just broken through to the Tongxuan Realm, there is much more martial arts comprehension he needs to sort out. Next, Xu Yan advised Xie Lingfeng on how to cultivate the Sword Dao, such as how to comprehend oneself and how to enlighten the sword heart. Whether Xie Lingfeng could enlighten the sword heart is entirely up to him. Xu Yan had basically completed his guidance. Sitting cross-legged atop the precipice of Canglan Island, Xu Yan began to consolidate his powers. Suddenly, he thought of Su Lingxiu. ¡°Junior sister should have dissected those corpses by now. I wonder if she has made any discoveries. Could she concoct a certain elixir that allows meridians to transform into Heaven and Earth Bridge? Although they would only be a semblance of the Heaven and Earth Bridge, they would still possess its capabilities. As such, it could still be possible to convert to Dahua martial arts.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes brightened at this thought. He felt this method might be feasible. Once Chang Qing Pavilion moved to Canglan Island, he could let his junior sister probe it. The Inner Domain had gradually stabilized since the battle of Chang Qing Pavilion. Although there were hidden currents, the surface of the martial arts world was still peaceful and tranquil, with few conflicts. The elixirs were selling well. The method of Dahua martial arts was also gradually being disseminated. One day, the Seven-star Study Palace launched the Dahua Martial Arts class, causing some ripples in the tranquil martial arts world. Xu Yan was oblivious to the undercurrents outside. Even if he knew, he wouldn¡¯t care. He was in the midst of consolidating his powers. The scene of his master killing Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s Master with a wag of the hand surfaced in his mind. That blow directly obliterated Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s master¡¯s soul. Xu Yan had distinctly remembered the mysterious fluctuation that came about when the blow was struck and he was immersing himself in understanding that strange tremor. Xu Yan realised during the fight with Demon King that if he mastered his master¡¯s soul-destruction technique, slaying a demigod shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. ¡°If the enemy also possesses the ability to sever the soul, how should 1 defend myself?¡± Xu Yan contemplated. This was more difficult to defend than any other attacks. As Xu Yan mused, two rays of swordlight appeared in front of him, spinning in a cycle as if they were alive. A mysterious fluctuation echoed from within the Sword Wheel, then vanished instantly. ¡°No good. I can¡¯t meld it into the Sword Wheel and can¡¯t bring it into reality.¡± Xu Yan knitted his brows. With a thought, the Sword Intent of Mountain and River appeared. It went round and round like a cover for one side of sky and earth. Following that, the Sword Intent of Mountain and River surged dramatically and instantly, forming the contours of heaven and earth, no longer illusory.. Chapter 323 Canglan Island, the Woman in Purple_2 Translator: 549690339 I Within that ethereal illusion, one could see the image of mountains and rivers! This is the second form of the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers! After breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm, Xu Yan could finally display the second level of the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers. ¡°I should focus on understanding Sword Intent. If I can grasp the Sword Intent related to killing divine souls, and combine it with the art of killing in Sword Dao or even Martial Arts, my strength to kill will be unparalleled! ¡°Moreover, I can use it not only for attack, but also for defense!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart was throbbing with excitement. He had found a direction for his cultivation. The Sword Wheel of Life and Death once again appeared, merging into the mountains and rivers, where it spun around. In the alternation between life and death, endless variations of killing emerged. For several consecutive days, Xu Yan attempted to understand Sword Intent, but he didn¡¯t achieve anything. On the contrary, the Sword Wheel of Life and Death became more complete and powerful, realizing new ways of killing. When he used the Wheel to kill, he could faintly sense a certain Sword Intent of death. ¡°Is there something wrong with the direction of my cultivation? The Sword Wheel of Life and Death, which I had understood from Tai Chi, is somewhat incomprehensible.¡± Xu Yan was deep in thought, sitting on the peak of the mountain, as still as a statue. A gentle breeze swept across, entering through his neckline, poured into his chest, and caressed his arms as it exited from his sleeves. In that instant, a spark of enlightenment flashed in Xu Yan¡¯s mind. ¡°The Eight Diagrams are packed with the profound mysteries of heaven and earth. Xun represents wind, and wind penetrates all¡­ This should be the direction for my Sword Intent.¡± In that moment, Xu Yan became excited. He had found his direction. Thus, he immersed himself in the gentle breeze, and images of the Eight Diagrams along with its mysteries appeared in his mind. On Canglan Island, Xu Yan sat on the peak of the mountain, immersed in understanding the Sword Intent. Elsewhere, Xie Lingfeng was contemplating, trying to understand his own Sword Dao. Having finished his own cultivation, Hu Shan got a little bored, so he set off on a small boat to have a leisurely float on the river. Peng Yuan and a few others continued to delve into Martial Arts, seemingly tireless as they worked day and night. In Dahua city, Li Xuan¡¯s life continued as usual. Having traveled around Dahua City, he eventually started to feel bored. After reaching perfection in the Innate Realm, Meng Chong was currently accumulating reserves to deepen his abilities in preparation for his breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm. Although he could start his breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm now, like Xu Yan, he wanted to transform and evolve his own abilities during the breakthrough. A step-by-step process to enhance his foundation. Xu Yan had already given him guidance, and Meng Chong too had found how to accumulate reserves to prepare for his transformation. ¡°Your apprentice Meng Chong has reached a great mastery in his Tyrant Knife Intent, and your Tyrant Knife Intent has leveled up.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s Knife Intent had leveled up. Su Lingxiu continued to delve into the Alchemy Martial Scripture and seemed to have made some progress. Li Xuan felt that obtaining the next tier of Alchemy Martial Scripture wouldn¡¯t be too far off. Dahua had gradually gotten on the right track, with the number of Martial Artists increasing but not a lot of Innate Realm warriors yet. This meant the city still lacked that deep-rooted foundation. ¡°One hundred and thirty now.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s One Hundred Martial Shadows had been upgraded to one hundred and thirty. This implied that there were now one hundred and thirty Martial Arts beginners. ¡°I should go to Canglan Island.¡± Chang Qing Pavilion was planning to relocate. Iron Mountain County, after all, was a remote and relatively barren place, too far from the real prosperous inner domain. However, it was an ideal place for Dahua to develop. Su Lingxiu was also preparing to move. She had packed everything. Two large baskets filled with things were hung on Red Cat¡¯s back. They left one production line in the Alchemy Room to maintain the supply of elixirs for Dahua. The remaining Alchemy production lines were all moved to Canglan Island. ¡°Master, we¡¯re all set. We¡¯ll go to Canglan Island and meet up with Big Brother tomorrow,¡± Su Lingxiu said excitedly. ¡°Mm.¡± Li Xuan nodded. Red Cat was excited too. Though playing the role of a porter it saw this as an excellent chance to please Su Lingxiu and so worked very hard. Only by pleasing Su Lingxiu, wouldn¡¯t it ever lack elixirs. The next day, Su Lingxiu and the others began their journey to Canglan Island. The Chang Qing Pavilion in Dahua City was still open. It left behind the County Magistrate Yun Shan, an old member of the Chang Qing Pavilion, to take charge of affairs there. Xu Junhe, Kou Ruozhi, and others also embarked for Canglan Island. Red Cat, loaded with two large baskets, carried Li Xuan and Su Lingxiu on its back. Besides this, it also pulled a large cart effortlessly. The colossal figure of the Red Cat did attract quite a few glances on their journey. Canglan Island is located in the Cang River. Therefore, after leaving the territory of Tieshan County and entering the region of Cang River, they switched to traveling by boat. A large ship was docked at the edge of the Cang River. It was prepared by Tianbao Pavilion. Sailing by ship might not be as fast as a martial artist¡¯s speed, but it won by being much more leisurely. On the deck, Li Xuan sat on a chair. On a small table next to him, there was a pot of spiritual tea among the clouds, and a plate of cakes made from items like spirit fruits prepared by Su Lingxiu, using similar methods to those used in alchemy. Sipping the spiritual tea, eating the spiritual cakes, and enjoying the beautiful view along the Cang River ¨C that¡¯s what life is about. On Canglan Island, it seemed as if there was a breeze blowing around Xu Yan, yet it also seemed to carry a sense of killing intent. The gentle breeze blew, not making physical contact, but seeping into the consciousness. As he immersed himself in comprehension, an understanding of Sword Intent was about to emerge. The only person at leisure on the whole island was Hu Shan. He had already reached the state of a Grandmaster. Feeling bored, he occasionally went fishing on the Cang River in a small boat. When the mood took him, he picked up a fishing rod and started fishing on the river. A few miles outside Canglan Island, there was a patch of aquatic plants. A small boat floated over, stopped near the plant cluster, and a fishing rod was extended from the boat. Hu Shan was leisurely fishing. ¡°I suddenly understand the mindset of my seniors now. I, a grandmaster, relaxing and fishing casually. Isn¡¯t this enjoying worldly life just like they did?¡± Hu Shan thought with joy. While fishing, Hu Shan¡¯s nose twitched a few times. A faint, pleasant fragrance suddenly appeared on the boat. ¡°This scent¡­¡± Hu Shan swallowed some saliva, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. He felt his neck stiffen, but he could only brace himself and slowly turn around to look back. On the boat, seemingly out of nowhere, a woman in a purple dress appeared. Her stunning beauty, unmatched in the world, was all the more unreal due to the hairpin in her hair. The tassels of the hairpin fell, and the purple bead on it came alive with the image of a bird spreading its wings. This pair of hairpins was a precious treasure! Priceless! More alarmingly to Hu Shan, was the strength of this woman in purple! She was a Great Grandmaster! A female Great Grandmaster mysteriously appearing on his boat was most certainly not a good sign! Hu Shan put down his fishing rod and respectfully folded his hands, saying, ¡°I am Hu Shan from the Sword Master¡¯s Cliff. My father is Hu Hai, who learned extensively from the mentorship of the Sword Master, Xie Tianheng. They share a deep bond. May I ask what brings a Great Grandmaster like yourself here?¡± Trying to fall back on his father¡¯s reputation from the start. Worried that even his father¡¯s legendary reputation might not be enough, he conveniently dropped the name of Sword Master Xie Tianheng as well. The purple-dressed woman clearly froze for a bit, then she laughed softly. ¡°The son of Hu Hai, how interesting. I didn¡¯t come to trouble you. I am just here to ask about someone.¡± As soon as Hu Shan heard that the woman in purple was here to inquire about someone, the first person he thought of was Xu Yan. He was a bit confused, what could she possibly want with Xu Yan? A Great Grandmaster looking for trouble with Xu Yan was nothing short of courting death. Although the opponent was stunningly beautiful enough to make any man swoon, in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes, an enemy deserved to be turned to ashes, regardless of how pretty they might be. ¡°Who would you like to inquire about?¡± Hu Shan asked carefully. Xu Yan was on Canglan Island. If she wanted to find him, he had no objections to showing her the way. If someone wanted to seek their own destruction, Hu Shan didn¡¯t mind lending a hand. However, before he could finish his sentence, an invisible slap landed on his face. ¡°Impudent! Am I really that old, to deserve being called a senior by you? I¡¯m not much older than you!¡± The woman in purple yelled resentfully. Hu Shan nearly exploded with rage, but he had to swallow his anger because he was no match for her. He hid her face in his memory, vowing to make his father take revenge for this humiliation! ¡°No, wait. If she¡¯s looking for Xu Yan, there won¡¯t even be ashes of her left!¡± Hu Shan thought angrily. However, his face showed a look of terror. He hastily corrected himself, ¡°My apologies for my previous error. Miss, who are you looking for?¡± The woman in purple nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°I am asking about someone who is very robust, very powerful. Do you know the whereabouts of Meng Chong, who strangled a great master with his bare arms?¡± Her eyes were full of anticipation. ¡°Huh? Meng Chong?¡± Hu Shan was stunned. She¡¯s not here for Xu Yan? She¡¯s here for Meng Chong? Chapter 324 Purple Clothed Woman¡¯s Objective i Translator: 549690339 The lady in the purple dress frowned and replied coldly, ¡°What, is there a problem?¡± Hu Shan cautiously asked, ¡°May I ask miss, why are you looking for Meng Chong?¡± Meng Chong is from Chang Qing Pavilion, not many people mention him. Even though he is very fierce, in the Inner Realm Martial Arts world, people are more focused on Xu Yan. The lady in the purple dress didn¡¯t seem very good at gathering information, and it¡¯s possible that she¡¯s not from the nearby Da Yue Country. Otherwise, she would have been able to find out about Meng Chong. Clearly, the woman saw Meng Chong¡¯s fight on the Cang Jiang river, and knowing that Hu Shan was with Xu Yan and Meng Chong, she sought him out to inquire about Meng Chong¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t ask. You just need to tell me where Meng Chong is.¡± The lady in the purple dress said unhappily. ¡°I don¡¯t know where Meng Chong is either, but if miss isn¡¯t in a hurry, you could wait. Meng Chong should be coming to Canglan Island soon. Why not wait for him at Canglan Island?¡± Hu Shan cautiously suggested. ¡°He¡¯s coming to Canglan Island?¡± The lady in purple dress asked, her eyes lighting up. ¡°Yes, it should be in a few days.¡± Hu Shan nodded. ¡°In that case, if Meng Chong arrives, tell him I have important matters to discuss and to meet me here. How about that?¡± The lady in the purple dress said somewhat expectantly. ¡°Okay, no problem!¡± Hu Shan agreed immediately. Right now, all he wanted to do was to get back to Canglan Island and not come out until Meng Chong arrived. ¡°Alright, you may leave now!¡± The lady in purple dress ascended into the air and said, ¡°Remember, bring Meng Chong here to wait for me.¡± Hu Shan let out a sigh of relief and pat his chest, ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll surely deliver the message and bring Meng Chong here!¡± The lady in the purple dress nodded in satisfaction and left. Hu Shan hastily set off to return to Canglan Island, but before he had gone far, the lady in purple dress appeared again. ¡°Miss, do you have any other matters?¡± Hu Shan asked with a horrified look on his face. The lady in the purple dress seemed to have malicious intentions. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t bring him, so I¡¯m giving you something.¡± The lady in purple dress said solemnly. ¡°What is it?¡± Hu Shan was startled. The lady in purple dress produced a hairpin. It was translucent and shone slightly. It was clearly a treasure. She flicked her wrist and the hairpin shot towards him. Hu Shan was frightened and wanted to dodge, but he was too slow. There was no time for him to avoid her attack when a Great Grandmaster acted. Thud! The hairpin pierced his shoulder, with only the head of the pin showing on the outside, emitting a faint glow. Hu Shan¡¯s face went pale. He felt a chill on his shoulder but no pain. However, he was very anxious. This hairpin was extraordinary. With it piercing his body, it seemed to contain some kind of power. If he tried to pull it out forcefully, he might receive serious injuries. ¡°Okay, you give this hairpin to Meng Chong. I¡¯ve stabbed you with a hairpin, and I know you want revenge. Thus, I¡¯m not worried that you won¡¯t bring him.¡± The lady in purple dress clapped her hands in satisfaction. After saying that, she left. Hu Shan was in shock, cursing in his heart. This woman had taken advantage of him! However, it had to be said, he really wanted revenge and would definitely bring Meng Chong to help him! Upon returning to Canglan Island, Hu Shan initially wanted to find Xu Yan. But considering that Xu Yan was comprehending Sword Dao, he decided not to disturb him. Peng Yuan, a peak Great Grandmaster, was engrossed in his Martial Arts studies and didn¡¯t have time to deal with him. As for the young master Xie Lingfeng, he simply didn¡¯t have the power to deal with the lady in purple dress! Now Hu Shan was in big trouble, he could only wait for Meng Chong to arrive at Canglan Island. As for the hairpin on his shoulder, he couldn¡¯t get it out for now. Xu Yan continued to comprehend Sword Intent, but understanding Sword Intent isn¡¯t an easy task, especially one that targets the Divine Soul. Though he had some insights, he was still far from a complete understanding. A large ship sailed on the Cang Jiang river. Li Xuan leisurely enjoyed the scenery on both sides of the Cang Jiang. Meng Chong was sitting at the stern of the ship, still consolidating his cultivation base. Suddenly, Li Xuan saw a fleeting figure on the bank of the Cang Jiang. ¡°Is someone really coming to rob us?¡± He smiled. Who would be foolish enough to rob a ship belonging to Chang Qing Pavilion? However, other than the fleeting figure, nothing seemed abnormal. It seemed like it was just a passing Martial Artist. That evening, the clouds grew thick over the Cang Jiang, partially blocking the view. The ship¡¯s speed slowed down a bit. Li Xuan was still sitting on a chair, enjoying the view of the evening Cang Jiang. Suddenly, he looked up. By the banks of the Cang Jiang, there seemed to be a figure standing. A person clad in a white robe, with a blue face. The distance was far and the view was obscured by the clouds. Even with Li Xuan¡¯s strength, he couldn¡¯t see clearly. But he faintly saw a blue face. He frowned. A blue face? Were there ghosts in the Inner Realm? Just as he was about to use the Hundred Martial Shadows to investigate, the figure swiftly retreated and left the shore. ¡°Wearing a mask?¡± Li Xuan muttered under his breath, not taking it to heart. No matter what the other party¡¯s intentions were, facing absolute power, it was a suicide mission. As he saw the large ship approaching Canglan Island, Hu Shan was so excited that he was almost in tears. His wait was finally over. He quickly rushed over. He did not wait for the ship to dock and went to find Meng Chong. ¡°Brother Meng Chong, there¡¯s an emergency!¡± Hu Shan directly went to the stern of the ship and spoke excitedly. ¡°What emergency?¡± Meng Chong looked at him in confusion. His gaze fell on the hairpin on Hu Shan¡¯s shoulder.. He looked puzzled and said, ¡°Hu Shan, why do you have a hairpin in your shoulder?¡± Chapter 325 Purple-robed Woman¡¯s Purpose-2 Translator: 549690339 I Hu Shan¡¯s face froze, then he began to wail, ¡°All because of you, there was this woman who wanted to find you. I was afraid of not bringing you along with me, so she stabbed a hairpin into my shoulder, saying it was a gift for you¡­¡± Meng Chong¡¯s gaze hardened. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I have no idea. This hairpin is certainly not ordinary. If we try to remove it rashly, the injuries would be severe.¡± Hu Shan sighed heavily, explaining what had happened in detail. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll meet her. I want to see if she¡¯s tired of living!¡± Meng Chong said grimly. ¡°What about this hairpin¡­¡± Hu Shan pointed to the hairpin on his shoulder with a pained expression. ¡°This hairpin is indeed rather unusual.¡± Meng Chong frowned. Clearly, the hairpin was the woman¡¯s weapon, made of extraordinary material. If they didn¡¯t know how to remove it properly, forcibly pulling it out would cause the hairpin to explode instantly and cause severe harm. He scratched his head, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not good at dealing with these delicate situations. We should either find my eldest martial brother, or my master.¡± Hu Shan¡¯s face fell. ¡°Young Master Xu is meditating on the Sword Dao. I don¡¯t dare to disturb him. As for the elder¡­¡± He didn¡¯t dare to bother the elder with such a trivial matter. No sooner had he spoken than a force entered his shoulder, pushing the hairpin out. ¡°Thank you, elder!¡± Hu Shan was overjoyed. Once the hairpin fell into Li Xuan¡¯s hands, who then examined it and couldn¡¯t help but admire the extraordinary craftsmanship involved in forging it. The hairpin was not a single piece, but a combination of parts. It appeared solid and unified, yet it concealed mechanisms that could release force when struck. If one attempted to forcibly remove it, the contained power would burst forth and cause severe harm. The material used for the hairpin was extremely extraordinary, capable of holding True Qi and True Yuan. Of course, no matter how clever the hairpin, in the face of absolute strength, it was easy to take it out. Li Xuan directly used his True Yuan to suppress the power in the hairpin, preventing it from exploding, and easily took it out. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing. Take it.¡± Li Xuan tossed the hairpin to Meng Chong. ¡°Master, this hairpin¡­It¡¯s not suitable for me, a grown man. Give it to junior sister instead.¡± Meng Chong accepted the hairpin with a look of distaste on his face. ¡°You¡¯ll decide once you see her.¡± Li Xuan laughed. Why was the woman who gave Meng Chong the hairpin doing so? Could it be that she had fallen for Meng Chong? ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong nodded and left the boat with Hu Shan. The atmosphere on Canglan Island was lively. Xu Yan had also finished contemplating on Sword Dao. As soon as Li Xuan saw him, his face lit up. ¡°Is Xu Yan grasping a new Sword Intent? And this Sword Intent seems not so simple!¡± Although Xu Yan hadn¡¯t fully grasped the Sword Intent, he had made some progress. The faint ambience of a gentle breeze around him wasn¡¯t missed by Li Xuan. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before I can grasp a new Sword Intent.¡± Li Xuan looked forward to it. He saw several Martial Arts scholars including Peng Yuan, and their panda-like appearance amused him. ¡°I see why Xu Yan coaxed these scholars to Chang Qing Pavilion. Looking at their dark circles, I can tell that they were pouring all their heart and energy into the Martial Arts. Their single-mindedness makes them easy to deceive.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help sighing. All of them possessed a strength level of Grandmaster or above, especially Peng Yuan who was at the peak of a Great Grandmaster. Yet, even they bore dark circles around their eyes. These were clearly the result of long-term lack of sleep during a time of weak power, and they couldn¡¯t be removed. With the move of Chang Qing Pavilion to Canglan Island, these martial arts scholars were introduced to Alchemy, and all nearly went mad. They followed Su Lingxiu with flattering smiles and diligently helped with various tasks. They were eager to learn about Alchemy and unravel its mysteries. The martial artists from the inner domain began to study the Martial Arts of Dahua once again, while Su Lingxiu had dissected the corpse of a Yinlou Pavilion martial artist and had a deep understanding of the inner domain martial artists. The ¡°Sky-Earth Bridge¡± of the Great Wasteland Warrior, how to replace it ¨C after some research, they finally made progress. Su Lingxiu managed to create a medical pill that could assist in solidifying meridians into ¡°Sky-Earth Bridges¡±. Although they were just false ¡°Sky-Earth Bridges¡±, they were able to allow inner domain warriors to truly practice the Martial Arts of Dahua. Moreover, the method of conversion was also in the hands of Chang Qing Pavilion. Without the medicinal pill, it would be impossible to solidify meridians into ¡°Sky-Earth Bridges¡±. In this way, the position of Chang Qing Pavilion in Dahua would naturally be unshakeable. However, there were both pros and cons. The disadvantage was that many strong men would target Chang Qing Pavilion in order to convert to the Martial Arts of Dahua, intending to force Chang Qing Pavilion to hand over the recipe of the pill, or even the method to manufacture the pill. Of course, this so-called disadvantage was insignificant in the face of absolute power. Meng Chong, who had been away for a few days with Hu Shan, finally returned. A woman in purple was trailing behind him. She was gazing at Meng Chong with an admirative look that set Li Xuan for a baffling surprise. A female simp? Unexpectedly, even Meng Chong, the rough and tough bald man, also has admirers. ¡°One million spirit crystals, how about it, Meng Chong?¡± The woman in purple spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not short on money now!¡± Meng Chong waved his hand. ¡°Two million spirit crystals!¡± The woman in purple continued to raise the price. Meng Chong was somewhat tempted, but he eventually shook his head and said, ¡°You get out, I¡¯m busy!¡± Chang Qing Pavillion isn¡¯t lacking in spirit crystals at present, therefore he naturally would not accept the woman¡¯s hire. ¡°Hu Shan, what¡¯s going on?¡± Xie Lingfeng curiously pulled over Hu Shan to ask. Xu Yan and the others also came over, the woman in purple looked suspicious. ¡°She wants to hire Meng Chong, to escort her to a place, but Meng Chong refused.¡± Hu Shan also had an odd look on his face. Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but recall when he first entered the inner domain. He accepted Du Yuying¡¯s hire and earned his first batch of spirit crystals. On the other side, the woman in purple kept increasing the price: ¡°Three million spirit crystals!¡± Xu Yan and the others couldn¡¯t help but marvel. This woman was really rich! Three million spirit crystals, and she didn¡¯t even bat an eye. ¡°I¡¯ve already said, I¡¯m not accepting hires!¡± Meng Chong frowned, reached out with his large hand, grabbed her by the shoulders, catapulted into the air and threw the woman in purple flying. However, not long after, the woman in purple ran back, her face flushed, and she appeared thrilled. ¡°Meng Chong, you¡¯re so powerful!¡± Meng Chong frowned and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t leave now, don¡¯t blame me if I hit you!¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t leave, you¡¯ll just have to accept my hire. That place is a treasure spot. Although it¡¯s somewhat dangerous, with your strength, you can easily break through.¡± The woman in purple persisted. Meng Chong rubbed his head in annoyance, ¡°If you want me to agree, I won¡¯t need the spirit crystals, unless you give me a treasure bag, otherwise, I won¡¯t agree.¡± A treasure bag, a true treasure in the inner domain. Meng Shushu hasn¡¯t bought a single treasure bag for him to date. In his view, the woman in purple certainly could not produce one. Who would have thought, to his great surprise, the woman in purple actually fished a small bag from her bosom with a joyful exclamation: ¡°No problem.¡± A grey little bag, shaped like a toad. Meng Chong was stunned. She actually gave him a treasure bag just to hire him? His gaze fell on the treasure bag and he couldn¡¯t help but be tempted. However, was there a scheme behind her persistence to hire him? He began to hesitate. ¡°Well, here you go. Now can you accept my hiring?¡± The woman in purple directly stuffed the storage bag into Meng Chong¡¯s hand. ¡°Why must you hire me?¡± Meng Chong drew in a deep breath and said seriously. ¡°Because, I like you!¡± The woman in purple blushed as she spoke. Meng Chong scratched his bald head, looking a little dumbfounded, ¡°Just because of this?¡± ¡°Also, you are very strong, especially your physical defense which gives me a sense of security, you¡¯re the most suitable to go to that place.¡± The woman in purple said earnestly. ¡°I¡¯ll think it over!¡± Meng Chong looked at the treasure bag in his hand, full of temptation. However, her intentions were unclear, and the place she was talking about was undoubtedly very dangerous. ¡°That place, the danger is not too great. With your strength, you can walk right through. Please agree to my request.¡± The woman in purple stared at him pleadingly. Meng Chong looked at his master, then at his senior brother, casting a querying glance. Xu Yan opened his mouth to ask, ¡°Who are you?¡± The woman in purple looked at everyone, thought for a moment, and said, ¡°My name is Zi Yun.¡± Upon hearing this, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.. Chapter 326 Translator: 549690339 | Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face was filled with astonishment, he exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re Zi Yun? The Princess of Ziyun, Zi Yun?¡± Zi Yun stood up straight, arrogantly saying, ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± ¡°How did you become a Great Grandmaster?¡± Xie Lingfeng was utterly shocked. ¡°Hmm, it was an easy feat for someone with my unparalleled talent, to break through to the Great Grandmaster level. You must be Xie Lingfeng, right? Quite a failure, aren¡¯t you?¡± Zi Yun said proudly. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face turned dark, he had been slighted. Yet, he found himself unable to retort. ¡°Brother Xie, do you know her?¡± Xu Yan asked in surprise. ¡°She is my peer and was known as one of the three youngest Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, Princess Zi Yun of the Ziyun Kingdom!¡± Xie Lingfeng said with a bitter smile. Of the three youngest Grandmasters, Zi Yun took the lead and broke through to the realm of the Great Grandmaster! Xu Yan patted Xie Lingfeng¡¯s shoulder, consoling him, ¡°Brother Xie, you don¡¯t need to be discouraged. Even though she¡¯s a Great Grandmaster, she may not necessarily be your opponent!¡± Xie Lingfeng shook his head. Although he¡¯d made significant progress in refining his True Qi and advancing his Sword Dao, defeating Zi Yun, a Great Grandmaster, seemed impossible. Zi Yun kept pestering Meng Chong, saying, ¡°So, now that you feel assured, accept my employment. Escort me to that place.¡± Meng Chong frowned, ¡°Given your talent and strength, you can go there on your own. Why do you need me to escort you?¡± ¡°Because I like you! I like tough guys like you, not those effeminate pretty boys.¡± Zi Yun justified matters in a matter-of-fact way. Seeing Meng Chong still hesitant, Zi Yun gritted her teeth and added, ¡°There will be Rank Five Spiritual Medicine there.¡± ¡°Alright, I accept!¡± The moment Meng Chong heard this, he immediately agreed. Zi Yun was stunned. He agreed immediately when there was mention of Spiritual Medicine? She couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated. If she knew this earlier, she would have mentioned the Rank Five Spiritual Medicine at the start. Xie Lingfeng, however, was puzzled, ¡°Zi Yun, your Ziyun Kingdom has a lot of Great Grandmasters, why must you hire Brother Meng? What¡¯s so special about that place?¡± Zi Yun gave him a glance, hesitated for a while, then said, ¡°I had a fallout with my father. He definitely sent people to catch me. That place is indeed special, but I can¡¯t reveal much.¡± Xie Lingfeng was surprised. Zi Yun was renowned as one of the youngest Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, which demonstrated her extraordinary talent. She would be regarded as a treasure in any power. Did she, in fact, have a fallout with the King of Zi Yun? Zi Yun continued, ¡°To get to that place, I need to cross Ziyun Kingdom. With Meng Chong¡¯s strength, he is capable of escorting me there. The secrets of this location will naturally be revealed when we get there.¡± Then she added, ¡°I had a fallout with my father because he actually wanted to marry me off to someone I¡¯ve never met before. This is simply too outrageous, so I turned against him directly.¡± Xie Lingfeng and the others were puzzled. Had the King of Zi Yun gone mad? Such a prodigy would be desired by any power, to remain as a pillar in their own domain. But he wanted to marry her off, and to such an extent that he was willing to have a fallout with her? ¡°Who was he going to marry you off to?¡± Xie Lingfeng was burning with curiosity. Whether in terms of qualifications to marry Zi Yun, or the condition that Zi Yun¡¯s King would be interested in, few in the Inner Domain qualified. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Zi Yun shook her head; ¡°Don¡¯t ask any more. I¡¯ve never met him, and I don¡¯t even know his name. I think my father has gone crazy.¡± Xie Lingfeng was dumbfounded, Zi Yun¡¯s King was indeed crazy. That day, Meng Chong left Canglan Island to escort Zi Yun to that place. On Canglan Island, Xu Yan continued to comprehend Sword Intent. Meanwhile, Su Lingxiu began concocting the medicine needed for condensing the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth, aiding the transition to the Dahua Martial Arts. The first person to transition was Xie Lingfeng. He was exceedingly excited. With the successful concoction of the medicine, Xie Lingfeng began to condense the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth. He took the first step in his transition to the Dahua Martial Arts. If he succeeded, he would be the first person in the Inner Domain to transition from a Grandmaster Martial Artist to an Innate Realm Martial Artist. Xu Yan also stopped his comprehension of the Sword Intent and watched from the side. People like Peng Yuan were all looking forward to it. If Xie Lingfeng were to succeed in his transition, the Grandmaster Martial Artists within the Seven-star Study Palace who were interested could also transition to Martial Arts. However, it¡¯s relatively difficult for a Great Grandmaster to transition, apart from the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth, how to condense True Yuan and how to comprehend Tongxuan were all huge hurdles. If a Great Grandmaster still has a path forward, there¡¯s no need to rush for a transition. Xie Lingfeng swallowed a pill and began to condense the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth, completely transitioning to the Dahua Martial Arts. He was the first person to truly transition from the Inner Realm Martial Arts to the Dahua Martial Arts, and whether the condensation of the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth would be successful was still uncertain. After a pill was completely assimilated, Xie Lingfeng felt as if a pathway was opened up in his body, like a bridge, and his sensitivity to nature¡¯s spiritual energy became clearer. The embryonic form of the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth had been condensed. Just a bit more practice to solidify it, and it would fully evolve into the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth, marking him a true Innate Martial Artist. Xie Lingfeng swallowed another pill, continued to condense the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth. As the Bridge grew more stable, he guided the spiritual energy into his body, and after passing through the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth, it condensed into True Qi and entered his Dantian Qi Sea. At this point, it could be confirmed that his transition was a complete success. ¡°I have succeeded!¡± Xie Lingfeng was overjoyed. Li Xuan let out a breath of relief. As long as the transition method was confirmed to work, the chances of an Innate Realm Martial Artist appearing in a short time would greatly increase. Of course, compared to a born Innate Realm Martial Artist, those who transitioned were inferior, but they were still stronger than Grandmaster Realm Martial Artists, so there were many Martial Artists who were willing to transition.. Chapter 327 Cultivation, The Actions of the Green-faced Man_2 Translator: 549690339 | However, the use of medicinal pills for assistance posed certain limitations and moreover, the method of switching cultivation would be entirely controlled by Chang Qing Pavilion. ¡°There are countless martial artists in the Inner Realm, countless talents. Perhaps when the method of switching cultivation is spread, someone might realize a way to condense the Heaven and Earth Bridge without the need for medicinal pills,¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself. Upon Xie Lingfeng¡¯s successful cultivation switch, several Grandmasters, who were also martial arts scholars, were excited to switch their cultivation to the Innate Realm and then continue studying the difference between the martial arts of the Inner Realm and Dahua. Hu Shan also prepared to switch to martial arts. Xie Lingfeng continued to consolidate the Heaven and Earth Bridge, enhancing it from within. As for breaking through to the Tongxuaned Realm, he decided to forgo the idea. His foundation was still weak, making it impossible for him to stage a breakthrough. All he contemplated was the enhancement of his power by achieving the full strength of an Innate Realm cultivator, defeating a Great Grandmaster. Xu Yan, having realized the full potential of the Innate Realm, killed even the Peak Great Grandmaster. Xie Lingfeng had more modest aspirations, content with overcoming a mid-level Great Grandmaster with his complete power at the Innate Realm. At Canglan Island, there stood Chang Qing Pavilion¡¯s alchemy room, still supervised by Pharmacist Pan. Regularly, people from Tianbao Pavilion would come to collect the Pills while also delivering the spiritual medicine required for the pills. Xu Yan continued to comprehend Sword Intent while Zhou Ying prepared for a breakthrough into the Innate Realm. Li Xuan led a carefree life, occasionally drifting on the Cang river while leisurely fishing. His days were comfortable and relaxed. One day, ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has defeated a Great Grandmaster with a punch, which increased your battle experience.¡± A golden light emerged. Meng Chong had defeated a Great Grandmaster. ¡°Have they already reached the Purple Cloud Kingdom?¡± Li Xuan wondered. Perhaps, in no time, Meng Chong would begin defeating Peak Great Grandmasters too. Right? With his current strength, which he¡¯d been building up for breaking into the Tongxuan Realm, it should be an effortless feat for him to defeat Peak Great Grandmasters. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has consecutive kills of Peak Great Grandmasters. The Heaven and Earth Overlord Blade that you wield got a power increase. You¡¯ve broken into the second level of the Heaven and Earth Overlord Blade.¡± Li Xuan was stunned. The Heaven and Earth Overlord Blade had levelled up? There was no feedback from the Golden Finger following Meng Chong¡¯s consecutive kills of Peak Great Grandmasters. Xu Yan continued studying the Sword Intent. Wind was constantly floating around his body, containing an annihilating force within the qualified gentleness. It seemed as if it could wipe out the spirit and consciousness. Li Xuan was inwardly thrilled, ¡°Xu Yan doesn¡¯t understand the Sword Way of annihilating Gods. Instead, he is studying the Sword Intent that directly counteracts Divine Souls!¡± Once Xu Yan comprehends this, he will be able to slay half-step heavenly people with ease. Even in the face of true martial arts heavenly people, he would have no fear at all. Moreover, once the Sword Intent is understood, it can be used for both offense and defense. ¡°The improved version of the Dari Golden Body, I should ponder upon it as well, leaving no weak points.¡± Li Xuan was deep in thought. Canglan Island was calm and peaceful. However, undercurrents were silently surging beneath the surface of the Inner Realm. In a small village, Yanguo, an old man with yellowish skin, a slightly hunched back, and white hair lived in a dilapidated wooden house. He was currently carving a wooden sculpture, wood shavings flying all around. Soon, he drafted a figure of a middle-aged man with a cold, stern face, slightly ominous looks, and chilly eyes. The old man scrutinized the statue, his eyes lost in a deep gaze as if he was in a trance. A green-faced man in a white robe slowly walked over and stopped in front of the old man. He eyed at the statue in the old man¡¯s hand for a while then broke into a quiet laugh, ¡°Who could have imagined that the once celebrated Devil¡¯s Child is still alive and secluded in this little mountain village.¡± The old man continued to stare at the statue in a daze, seeming unaware of the green-faced man¡¯s arrival. The green-faced man didn¡¯t mind, continuing, ¡°When the Devil Lord established the Devil Cult, a seven to eight-year-old child used to follow him around. He was the closest person to the Devil Lord and was known as the Devil¡¯s Child. He was the strongest and had the highest-ranking amongst the Nine Great Devil Lords of the Devil Cult. When the Devil Lord disappeared and the Devil Cult split apart, he fought off a siege from several other powerful individuals from the Devil Cult and retreated.¡± ¡°The name of the Bloodthirsty Devil Child disappeared from the Inner Realm for a long time. Who would have thought that the past Devil Child, who was once so celebrated, has retired in this small village.¡± The Devil Child looked up at the green-faced man, ¡°Talk straight to the point. One more nonsense, and you¡¯re dead!¡± The green-faced man said in a deep voice, ¡°Elder Yin is dead.¡± ¡°So what if he died.¡± The Devil Child didn¡¯t care. It¡¯s not like Elder Yin was a member of the Devil Cult. What does his death have to do with him? Even if Elder Yin was from the Devil Cult, his death would still have nothing to do with him. ¡°Elder Yin, he received a task ¨C capture a person. Completion of the task allows one to enter the Gate of Lingyu!¡± The green-faced man stared intently at the Devil Child. The Devil Child lifted his head. His expression was unchanged, still calm and placid. ¡°Are you sure that capturing a person will grant access to the Gate of Lingyu?¡± The green-faced man raised his hand and tossed over a scroll. The Demon Child opened it, saw what was inside, and excitement filled his face as he asked, ¡°Where can this person be found?¡± ¡°Canglan Island!¡± The green-faced man replied in a deep voice. The Demon Child carefully placed the statue he was holding on a shelf, and then asked, ¡°What¡¯s your purpose? Capturing someone like this is no easy task, right?¡± ¡°Both Elder Yin and the other elders are dead. Dozens of peak Grandmasters have also perished. I¡¯ve already contacted the powerful people from all factions. We¡¯re preparing to attack Canglan Island together and force them to hand over the person.¡± The green-faced man did not hide anything, revealing his entire plan. After contemplating for a while, the Demon Child took out a wooden token and threw it to the green-faced man, saying, ¡°Look for Leng Fu. If you want me to make a move, you will need your green-faced man Zijue to come and persuade me.¡± The green-faced man was not frustrated. He picked up the wooden token, bowed his hand and said, ¡°I will take my leave!¡± He turned to leave but suddenly looked back and asked, ¡°Is that statue of the Demon Lord?¡± Ignoring him, the Demon Child picked up a piece of wood and devotedly started carving. Wood dust flew around while the outline of the statue started to emerge. The green-faced man left. Canglan Island, amid a forest thousands of miles away. A green-faced man in a white robe stood in the forest. Behind him, were ten men in red robes and with green faces. These red-robed green-faced men were ail peak Grandmasters. The sound of footsteps echoed as a pale-faced man, as if he had been soaked in icy water, came walking slowly ahead, holding a long knife that gleamed coldly. As he approached, a burst of chilly air surged forward. The man stopped in front of a large tree, leaned against it, and a layer of frost color gradually emerged on the tree trunk behind him. The tree trunk with his back against it was slowly losing its vitality. Looking at the man, the green-faced man in white showed a trace of dread in his eyes. Soon, two more figures appeared. Both of them were wearing hoods, not revealing their faces, obviously to concealing their identities. After arriving, they glanced at the pale man, and one of them whispered in astonishment, ¡°Is that Leng Fu? The Demon Lord Leng Fu!¡± Leng Fu looked at the two people and sneered, ¡°If you¡¯re going to murder and steal, be open about it. Hiding your heads and showing your tails. If you¡¯re afraid of being discovered, just don¡¯t come out.¡± The two hooded people snorted and ignored Leng Fu. ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s go.¡± Leng Fu spoke up. ¡°Not everyone¡¯s here yet.¡± The green-faced man in white spoke sternly. Leng Fu furrowed his brows, showing obvious displeasure. Suddenly, dozens of figures appeared, all of them peak Grandmasters! All of those who arrived had their faces masked, concealing their identities, and they did not exchange much conversation with each other. Counting the number of people, the green-faced man in white found that there were a total of fifty-five peak Grandmasters. Plus the ten behind him, there were sixty-five peak Grandmasters. Speaking of strength, it had already surpassed the time when they surrounded the Chang Qing Pavilion. Moreover, this time, Leng Fu and the other two were all half-step celestial beings. If such a formation fails to capture one person, then the only resort is to pressure the other party to surrender the person in another way. The matter about Su Lingxiu being related to the Gate of Lingyu, once spread, all the powers in the martial arts world will feel compelled to surrender that person. This is about the martial way beyond the Grandmaster! No power or strong person would give it up. But if this happens, the secret of the Gate of Lingyu can no longer be safeguarded and will be known by a large number of people rather than a small secret known to a select few. No one wishes to share secrets and opportunities unless they are forced. ¡°Either they hand over the person, or we will tear down Canglan Island!¡± The green-faced man in a white robe spoke coldly. Leading the ten red-robed green-faced men, they were the first to head towards Canglan Island. Leng Fu followed closely behind with the other two half-celestial beings, and the group of peak grandmasters glanced at each other, silently holding pace behind them. This battle is bound to be won! The Chang Qing Pavilion must be destroyed! The martial arts of Dahua will also disappear from the Inner Domain! Chapter 328 Translator: 549690339 The Canglan Island is serene, with the evening sunset reflecting off the waters of the Cang River to create a charming vista. Li Xuan, returns from a boat ride, sits on a chair, leisurely sipping spiritual tea and consuming spirit cakes. Red Cat is napping in the island¡¯s Spiritual Fruit Forest. Lately, its sleeping hours have increased. It seems to have entered a metamorphic phase. Xu Yan is still seated cross-legged atop a peak, comprehending Sword Intent. Xie Lingfeng continues to consolidate his Bridge of Heaven and Earth, constantly expanding and strengthening it, accumulating his own foundation, and also contemplating the Sword Dao, striving to step into the Sword¡¯s heart enlightenment. Hu Shan and several Grandmaster martial arts scholars have initially condensed their Bridges of Heaven and Earth and are in the middle of consolidating them. Su Lingxiu continues her study of the Dan Medicine Martial Arts Manual, summarizing some insights. She claims she intends to compile a new Dan Medicine Martial Canons. Zhou Ying is preparing to make the final breakthrough to the Innate Realm. At that moment, a storm seems to gather, crossing the Cang River, sweeping towards the Canglan Island. The immense force is not concealed in the slightest. Compared to the momentum of the hundreds of Grandmasters that attacked in the past, it is even more astonishing, shaking the world! Li Xuan looks up, his gaze indifferent, his face showing no hint of change. He has reached the peak of the Tongxuan realm. His strength has increased countless times from before. In a snap of his fingers, he can annihilate a half-step heavenly person. Four half-step heavenly people? Just four snaps of his fingers. ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Li Xuan breaks into a smile. Xu Yan was comprehending Sword Intent. Now with the enemy attack, there is even a half-step heavenly person among them. This is a perfect opportunity for Xu Yan to hone his Sword Intent and understand it. Everyone on Canglan Island lifts their heads in surprise. Dozens of mights galloping over the Cang River towards Canglan Island, their onslaught is entirely undisguised. ¡°What is this?¡± Everyone is shocked. Last time, more than fifty pinnacle Grandmasters were all killed, who would dare to come to seek death again? Everyone¡¯s gaze lands on the four leading figures. Even the sleeping Red Cat is startled awake, lifting its head to see the overwhelming crowd, it roars lowly. If its strength allowed, it would have already rushed to kill them. How dare they disturb its sleep! ¡°Master, who are these people?¡± Su Lingxiu steps out of the house, asking in surprise. Could it be that they came for the elixirs at the Chang Qing Pavilion? Was the deterrent from the previous battle not enough? A power as colossal as a storm, dozens of pinnacle Grandmasters, all masking their faces, concealing their identities. ¡°Hand over Su Lingxiu, and this battle can be avoided!¡± A voice bellows from the crowd. Su Lingxiu is stunned, they came for her? When Yinlou Pavilion¡¯s master was killed, who would still want to capture her? At that moment, a sword light streaks across, slashing towards the person who spoke. ¡°Die!¡± Boom! The faces of all the Grandmasters change, and they move to block it, Xu Yan steps forward majestically, standing alone against a horde of strong beings, without any fear. ¡°Either roll away or die!¡± Xu Yan coldly declares. He looks at the person who spoke earlier, cloaked in red and wearing a green mask. There are nine others dressed like him. In front of these ten men in red cloaks and green masks stands a man cloaked in white with a green mask. They¡¯re from the same faction. He thinks of the black-robed man from Yinlou Pavilion who also aimed to capture his junior sister. ¡°Half-step heavenly person?¡± Xu Yan looks at the four men in white robes and green masks, his eyes slightly narrowing. Four half-step heavenly people. The man in white robe and green mask looks coldly at the defiant youth, calmly saying, ¡°Xu Yan, your talent is outstanding. You don¡¯t have to meet your end here. Hand over Su Lingxiu, and we will retreat.¡± ¡°Hah, I, Xu Yan, never bow to threats in my life. You, half-step heavenly people, are arrogant. It¡¯s just right to use you to hone my Sword Dao!¡± Xu Yan is not afraid, and he coldly smiles. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, don¡¯t blame us.¡± The man in the white robe and green mask has an indifferent look in his eyes. Boom! An eerie chill permeates the air. A blade light emerges like frost, directly attacking Xu Yan. Cold Master has made his move! Two sword lights fly out in front of Xu Yan, transforming into a life-and-death Sword Wheel, constantly attacking. A gentle breeze-like aura permeates from him. It is incorporated into the sword light. As Cold Master makes his move, the man in the white robe and the other three persons, leading several pinnacle Grandmasters, are about to descend on Canglan Island. ¡°One is not enough!¡± Xu Yan snorts, a palm slammed out, a Golden Giant Dragon roars, wind and clouds stir, spiritual energy from heaven and earth keeps pouring into the Golden Dragon, making it seem almost sentient. Boom! The Golden Dragon roars as it charges towards the man in the white robe. Another one of the two half-step heavenly men steps forward, meeting the Golden Dragon, and teams up with Cold Master to launch an attack on Xu Yan. ¡°We must kill him; if he escapes, it will be an endless trouble in the future!¡± The man in the white robe says in a deep voice. Xu Yan is too demonically talented. From the time he slew the pinnacle Grandmasters, it has not been long, yet he¡¯s fighting against two half-step heavenly people without falling into a disadvantage. But for now, the priority is to capture Su Lingxiu. Once Su Lingxiu is captured, they can surround and attack Xu Yan. Even if Xu Yan gets away because of this, it would still be worth it. Other than the two half-step heavenly people, ten pinnacle Grandmasters are also attacking Xu Yan. Xu Yan is not afraid, he hasn¡¯t even gone all out yet, he has not used the Mountain and River Sword Dao, nor the Mountain and River Sword Intent, instead, in battle, he continuously harnesses the fledgling new Sword Intent. Thin, gentle breezes, blended into the sword glow, seems to penetrate everything, as if it could extinguish all spirit consciousness. Xu Yan is engaged in an intense battle with two half-step heavenly persons, as well as ten pinnacle Grandmasters. In mid-air, the sound of explosions echo, and the waters of the Cang River are all pressed down by a layer.. Chapter 329 Translator: 549690339 On Canglan Island, Su Lingxiu was biting her lip, looking at her master with slightly reddened eyes. ¡°Master, I have brought trouble to you and senior brother.¡± Not only does Yinlou Pavilion want to capture her, but this unknown force wants to do so as well! Why? ¡°Focus on your training. As long as you are strong enough, all this will not be a problem.¡± Li Xuan said indifferently. Perhaps this may be related to Su Lingxiu¡¯s background. ¡°The Blue-faced Men!¡± Xie Lingfeng said in a deep voice. ¡°Blue-faced Men?¡± Su Lingxiu asked curiously. ¡°One of the three most mysterious dark forces in the Inner Domain, all of them wearing blue masks. And each of them possesses at least the strength of a Great Grandmaster.¡± Xie Lingfeng said gravely. The man in the white robe and blue mask is obviously extremely powerful, far beyond the simplicity of a peak Great Grandmaster. Little girl, come with me. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t kill you. But if you resist, everyone here will die!¡± The blue-faced man in the white robe looked at Su Lingxiu indifferently. Then, he looked over at Li Xuan and spoke with indifference, ¡°Whoever you are, you can¡¯t swallow everything alone. If you hand her over, we could negotiate.¡± Li Xuan looked up, the Jade Ruyi turning in his hand, and chuckled, ¡°Regardless of your motives, before coming here, you should first weigh your own abilities.¡± ¡°A Demi-God or Martial Arts Deity, they are just like ants to me.¡± ¡°Never mind, I will not suppress you with realm power. Today, let you bottom dwellers witness what the power of Tongxuan Realm is.¡± Li Xuan stood up. He looked towards the dozens of peak Great Grandmasters in the sky and raised his hand. Xie Lingfeng and others were instantly overjoyed. Last time at the battle of Chang Qing Pavilion, he was not there to witness his seniors fight. Today was going to be an eye-opener. The senior truly is a skilled expert. He does not suppress others with power! Peng Yuan and the other Martial Arts scholars were also excited. The power of Tongxuan, demonstrated by the prime ancestor of Martial Arts in Dahua, how powerful could that be! In terms of realm, Tongxuan corresponds to a Great Grandmaster. Immediately, the faces of the white-robed blue-faced man and the other Demi-God turned serious. Their aura surged as they prepared to make their move! The dozens of peak Great Grandmasters intertwined their auras to form a fearsome force, like an apocalyptic storm. ¡°You are alone, let¡¯s see what you can do!¡± Said a peak Great Grandmaster. Boom! With a slap of Li Xuan¡¯s palm, a Golden Dragon appeared in mid-air. Under the control of the dragon claws, it seemed as if the winds and thunder were being directed. The thousand-foot Golden Dragon swirled out, bringing with it a powerful force, as if a True Dragon had descended, and it fiercely attacked the coordinated peak Great Grandmasters. Boom! The might of the Golden Dragon was unmatched, fierce and violent like a thunderstorm. The moment it entered the crowd of peak Great Grandmasters, it instantly killed more than a dozen of them. After a spiraling dive, it proceeded for a sweeping attack. Within a few breaths, the dozens of peak Great Grandmasters were turned into ashes! Thud! Xie Lingfeng and the others were utterly shocked. Is this the might of Tongxuan? Xu Yan is also in the Tongxuan Realm. Although he is extremely powerful, capable of fighting two Demi-Gods and ten peak Great Grandmasters alone without falling behind, But there is a bit of a gap. Is this the might of the prime ancestor of Dahua, the Tongxuan Realm? At this moment, the hearts of the white-robed blue-faced man and the other Demi-God were filled with horror. What kind of power is this? Run! Even four of them together would probably be no match for this person! Could it be that the person before them is a real Martial Arts Deity? ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, you shouldn¡¯t leave!¡± Li Xuan looked indifferent, raised his hand and grabbed. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth transformed into a cage-like structure, directly trapping the two inside. He didn¡¯t kill the white-robed blue-faced man, but left him for Xu Yan to hone his skills. On the other side, Xu Yan was growing stronger as he fought. His understanding of the new Sword Intent was gradually becoming clearer. He felt as though he was about to comprehend it. He levied a sword attack. It seemed as if an invisible wind had suddenly blown into the enemy¡¯s mind. One of the peak Great Grandmasters suddenly felt an intense headache, darkness before his eyes and a shaky consciousness, like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment. ¡°Ah!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but scream. With a flash of the sword, he was instantly slain and turned into ashes. Xu Yan remained calm, the feeling of comprehension was growing stronger. His Death Sword Wheel swept across, with the remaining nine peak Great Grandmasters only feeling an intense headache, darkness before their eyes, and shaky consciousness. Both their offense and defense were instantly lost. Splat! As the Wheel of Life and Death sword swept by, everything was momentarily reduced to ashes! Cold husband and another semi-god person, shocked, dare not slack off a bit, frantically pressing the attack. Xu Yan parried blow after blow, blocking the onslaught, he felt he was about to comprehend sword intent, but seemed to be missing something. Li Xuan waved his hand, releasing the white-robed, green-faced man and another semi-god person, their hearts filled with joy as they escaped and tried to flee. However, a golden dragon appeared out of nowhere and smacked the two of them, knocking them right into where Xu Yan and Cold Husband were fighting. ¡°Kill him!¡± The white-robed, green-faced duo gritted their teeth and attacked Xu Yan. Cold Husband and his companion, fully focused, did not dare to be distracted, working together to attack Xu Yan. When they saw the white-robed and green-faced duo join the assault, they thought they had succeeded in capturing Su Lingxiu. ¡°Did you get her?¡± Cold Husband asked, his voice cold. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and kill him quickly!¡± The white-robed, green-faced duo urged anxiously. Their attacks were carried out with full force. Under the combined attack of the four, Xu Yan was immediately at a disadvantage, seemingly unable to resist. Buzz! Suddenly, Xu Yan swung his sword. This sword attack carried no shining sword light, nor sharp sword intent, it seemed to be just an invisible breeze! The semi-god person facing this sword was initially stunned, wondering if Xu Yan had become unable to strike back. This sword seemed to carry no power at all. However, in that instant, he suddenly felt his mental consciousness being brushed by a breeze, a light breeze that appeared to carry an intent of extinguishing. The mental consciousness that the semi-god person had gathered, was like a flickering candle. Under this breeze, it wavered and gradually weakened, gradually extinguished! ¡°You¡­¡± This semi-god person looked terrified. Before he could even gather his mental consciousness to resist the strange breeze, his mental consciousness flickered out, like a snuffed candle. His intact body fell from mid-air, devoid of mental consciousness. Amidst the aftermath of the battle, it was swept up and instantly turned to ashes. The white-robed and green-faced trio looked horrified. ¡°Run!¡± The white-robed and green-faced duo mistakenly thought it was Li Xuan who had made a move. Their hearts filled with terror, confronted with a Martial Arts Grandmaster, an absolute Martial Arts Grandmaster. Otherwise, why would he possess such terrifying power to silently kill one of them?! At this moment, Xu Yan felt unimaginable excitement. He had finally comprehended the sword intent. He swung his sword at the white-robed and green-faced duo who were trying to escape. Buzz! The sword intent, like a gentle breeze getting into every crevice, directly invaded their mental consciousness. ¡°What kind of secret technique is this?¡± The white-robed and green-faced duo looked terrified and desperately gathered their mental consciousness, wanting to resist this strange breeze, to resist that extinguishing intent. Puff! In the end, being only semi-god people, the mental consciousness they had cultivated was eventually not strong enough. Like the flame of a candle, it was snuffed out after only a few gusts of breeze. Their bodies fell from mid-air! At this moment, Cold husband and the other semi-god person, their faces full of shock, looked at Xu Yan with a fear in their eyes. Only now did Cold Husband realize that dozens of peak Grandmasters had all vanished. Not escaped, but dead! How much time had passed? ¡°Tell me, why did you capture my junior sister!¡± Xu Yan looked at them coldly. ¡°1¡­ I don¡¯t know, you ask him!¡± The other semi-god person said tremblingly. Xu Yan swung his sword! Puff! The other one only resisted for a bit before his mental consciousness was extinguished and his body fell to the ground. ¡°Speak.¡± Xu Yan looked towards Cold Husband with indifferent eyes! Gulp! Cold Husband¡¯s expression changed drastically, he was the only one left now. His bps moved, and after a long while, he said: ¡°It was Qing Mian Bai Jue who found me, I don¡¯t know the specific reasons, only that it seems to have something to do with breaking through to Martial Arts Grandmaster.¡± Xu Yan furrowed his brows, something to do with breaking through to Martial Arts Grandmaster? ¡°Kill!¡± Cold Husband suddenly made a move. All of his cold energy was poured into his long knife. His body shattering, Cold Husband¡¯s essence and blood were all cold, exerting everything, all gathered into this strike. His mental consciousness was attached to the chilly long knife. Buzz! He swung the knife at Xu Yan! Chapter 330 Translator: 549690339 This slash had drawn upon the entirety of Leng Fu¡¯s cultivation. He intended to perish together with his enemy! Xu Yan scoffed and swung his sword. Imagery of mountains and rivers surfaced and blanketed his sword. In the midst of these mountains and rivers, a gentle breeze began to blow, sweeping over the icy blade. Leng Fu¡¯s consciousness was completely eradicated with this breeze. Even so, the power of that slash showed no signs of disappearing. It was as if it intended to pierce through the mountains and rivers, to continue with its deadly pursuit. Buzz! The Sword Wheel of Life and Death rotated, grinding against the long knife. The power in one blow from the knife was completely dissolved, causing the blade itself to shatter and fall down. From then on, no invaders remained, all were eliminated! Xu Yan reached out and grabbed the white-robed blue-faced man from the River Cang who was a corpse, and another body that had been brought up with him. Immediately, he returned to Canglan Island. He tossed the bodies onto the ground. The gentle breeze that graced Xu Yan¡¯s figure was his newly comprehended Sword Intent. ¡°This Sword Intent shall be called the ¡®Sudden Wind Sword Intent¡¯!¡± Xu Yan thought with excitement. Li Xuan also wore a smile. The benefits this battle brought were indeed commendable; they allowed Xu Yan to comprehend Sword Intent in advance ¨C a Sword Intent that targeted spiritual consciousness directly. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has comprehended the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, your Sudden Wind Sword Intent has thus reached great accomplishment,¡± relayed the Golden Finger the moment Xu Yan comprehended his Sword Intent. The Sudden Wind Sword Intent was comprehended through the ¡®Sun¡¯ Diagram from The Eight Diagrams. This battle came suddenly and ended abruptly without provoking attention from anyone. At this moment, night began to fall. The lights of Canglan Island shone brilliantly. Red Cat had resumed its slumber, and Xie Lingfeng and the other few warriors couldn¡¯t help but feel their blood boiling with excitement. They focused all their efforts into their cultivation. The power of reaching the realm of Mystic Oneness was truly unmatched. Xu Yan continued to perceive the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, pondering over the gains from this battle. Su Lingxiu invested all her thoughts into the Martial Arts. She desired to grow more powerful, to face any danger alone without relying on her master and apprentice brother for protection. Zhou Ying was similarly stimulated. At this moment, she was ready to break through to the Innate Realm. Similarly, Shi¡¯er was stirred, and began to prepare for his breakthrough into the Innate Realm. On Canglan Island, everyone immersed themselves in cultivation. Mother Xu, who had never been diligent in her martial arts training, also made a rare effort. Li Xuan remained relaxed and unfazed. As for the trouble brought on by Su Lingxiu, he didn¡¯t put it to heart. He simply decided to slay however many came his way. As for any secrets that lurked behind all this, he was uninterested. This battle on Canglan Island seemed to have failed to cause any ripples in the world of martial arts; it appears unnoticed. The disappearance of four demi-Tian people and dozens of peak Grandmasters seemed to have caused no waves. Only those who knew the ins and outs of it could understand the true power of Canglan Island. In the royal palace of Da Yue, within the imperial study. The Emperor of Da Yue sat in silence, as if awaiting some news. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± A palace attendant stepped forward. ¡°What of the Chang Qing Pavilion?¡± The Emperor of Da Yue asked in a deep voice, his spirits lifting slightly. The Tianyi Guards, the Tianyu Guards and the Divine Halberd Army of Da Yue had all been mobilised and were ready to strike. Once they received news of Canglan Island¡¯s annihilation, he would immediately order them to march on Dahua to eliminate it. ¡°There have been no missives from either the two attendants or the old prince.¡± The palace attendant replied with a bowing head. The Emperor of Da Yue sank into his chair, his face instantly becoming dismayed. He remained silent for a long while. The absence of any news spoke volumes of the outcome. The strong warriors who were dispatched this time for the purpose of annihilating Da Yue were many, much more a formidable force than the first invasion, especially with the presence of four demi-Tian powerhouses! Amongst them, one was the cornerstone of Da Yue, the old prince. After a long while, the Emperor of Da Yue waved his hand, asking the attendant to leave. He also quietly ordered the return of the elite troops at the ready for the extermination of Dahua. He couldn¡¯t afford to leak any information. If this assault had anything to do with Da Yue, it would certainly invite revenge from Chang Qing Pavilion. The Emperor of Da Yue looked despondent. What he needed to deal with next was properly maintaining the stability of Da Yue, figuring out a way to ease relationships with Dahua. To that end, he hardened his heart, found an excuse to establish a commercial avenue with Dahua, and yielded the entire Yunfeng county to Dahua. From then on, the counties of Lanping and Yunfeng were both ceded to Dahua. Other than Da Yue, the forces involved in the mission also assumed a low profile. Everyone scrambled to contract their sphere of influence. The climate in the internal region of the martial arts world, unbeknownst to all, had already begun to change. In the Yan Kingdom, within the royal palace. Emperor Yan looked calm as he gazed at the elderly eunuch below, asking, ¡°The royal uncle is truly gone?¡± ¡°Replying to your Majesty, there were no survivors!¡± The old eunuch nodded. ¡°Announce that the royal uncle is in retreat and is unwilling to participate in political affairs. From today forward, the Black Mystery Guards will only take orders from me. Pass down my decree¡­¡± There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of sorrow in Emperor Yan¡¯s eyes, rather there seemed to be a sense of relief. Although the royal family has lost a genuine cornerstone, he could now truly become the Emperor of Yan Kingdom! The political landscape of Yan Kingdom changed overnight. Emperor Yan now had complete control over power. In a small mountain village, the Demon Child was whittling a piece of wood. A figure slowly approached him. Clad in a red robe, a blue mask was worn on his face. The Demon Child paused his wood carving, looking up towards the newcomer. Surprised, he asked, ¡°Are they all dead?¡± If the white-robed figure had not been killed, the one arriving would have been him, rather than the one in the red robe. The red-robed, masked man replied in a calm voice, ¡°They failed.¡± ¡°How many?¡± The Demon Child¡¯s expression grew serious. ¡°The white-robed, Leng Fu and two others ¨C one from the Da Yue Country and one from Yan Kingdom, along with dozens of peak Grandmasters,¡± the man in the red robe replied sternly. ¡°A heavenly person in the martial arts?¡± The Demon Child had difficulty spitting out these four words. Who else other than a true Heavenly Person in the Martial Arts could take down so many powerhouses? Chapter 331 Translator: 549690339 Not even one of them escaped! If four half-step Heavenly Men weren¡¯t faced with a true Martial Arts Heavenly Man, it would be impossible for none of them to get away! Even if he took action, it would be impossible to kill all four half-step Heavenly Men, not to mention the dozens of Great Grandmasters within. Only a true Martial Arts Heavenly Man could have such terrifying power! The figure in a red robe with a green face said gravely, ¡°Inner Domain, why would there be a Martial Arts Heavenly Man? The rumored Demon Lord is said to have emerged from the Gate of Lingyu. As the true confidant of the Demon Lord, you understand the secrets better than anyone else.¡± The Demon Child was silent. It was as if he had returned to his childhood, when he went to the mountains to collect herbs and saw a man covered in blood, lying on the ground, on the brink of death. He forcibly crushed a rare Spiritual Medicine he had found and poured it into the man¡¯s mouth, then called for his parents to save the man. This act altered the course of his life. The man taught him Martial Arts and took him under his wing, slaughtering Martial Artists left and right to establish the Demon Sect. Later, when the man mysteriously disappeared, he returned to his small mountain village. ¡°Demon Child, don¡¯t you want to become a true Martial Arts Heavenly Man? Considering that the Demon Lord has already disappeared, either by entering the Gate of the Ling Domain or by dying, don¡¯t you have any ideas?¡± ¡°Are you truly content to die of old age in this mountain village?¡± The figure in the red robe with a green face said gravely. The Demon Child looked up, sighed, and said, ¡°If he had returned to the Gate of the Ling Domain, he would have taken me with him. Since there is a Martial Arts Heavenly Man in the Inner Domain¡­¡± The figure in a red robe with a green face understood the Demon Child¡¯s drift instantly: if there truly was a Martial Arts Heavenly Man on Canglan Island, could the Demon Lord¡¯s disappearance be connected to them? ¡°With our strength, we are unable to contend with a Martial Arts Heavenly Man. Within the Inner Domain, the peak Great Grandmasters are already at the pinnacle of martial arts, who doesn¡¯t want to advance further?¡± ¡°You, Hong Jue, know exactly how you took that step forward. You conquered the challenges with the spiritual will of the Five-grade Stone Ghost Grass.¡± ¡°But what if there were future possibilities beyond the Great Grandmasters that have been monopolized by others? What do you think the world¡¯s Great Grandmasters would do if they found out?¡± The Demon Child said with a piercing gaze. The figure in a red robe with a green face drew a deep breath and said gravely, ¡°In the end, we must take this step. Other than this, there are no other methods. Let¡¯s use the world¡¯s Martial Artists in the Inner Domain to pressure that Martial Arts Heavenly Man.¡± ¡°I will make my move. Within the Inner Domain, the other half-step Heavenly Men will also make their move, especially those old geezers whose lives are already hanging by a thread.¡± The Demon Child lowered his head and continued sculpting his statue. The figure in a red robe with a green face turned to leave, ¡°I await your order, Demon Child!¡± Only when the figure in a red robe with a green face had left did the Demon Child stop his carving. His gaze was deep, and in his mind emerged the figure of one who was once full of energy, looking contemptuously upon the world. ¡°Uncle Blood Spirit, did you die at his hands? You said you were a Refining God Heavenly Man, the existence at the pinnacle of heavenly men, and you promised to take me into the Gate of the Ling Domain with you.¡± No one in this Inner Domain understands the Demon Lord better than him. The forces of the green-faced man and some other powerful figures, including the Demon Child, were brewing a storm. Their story of gathering the world¡¯s Great Grandmasters to pressure Canglan Island was unknown to Li Xuan. Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn¡¯t care. With his current strength, even if the world¡¯s Great Grandmasters attacked, what could they do? Atop a peak on Canglan Island. Li Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the vast river of Cang, with Xu Yan respectfully standing beside him. After some time of refining, his Sudden Wind Sword Intent has been perfected. Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Dao has also improved, and he is not far from achieving the perfect understanding of the Sword Heart. Furthermore, his comprehension of the Tongxuan Realm was getting deeper. He wasn¡¯t far from reaching the initial success of Tongxuan Realm. ¡°Apprentice, you¡¯ve already reached the Tongxuan Realm. Do you have any insight into what lies beyond Tongxuan?¡± Li Xuan asked. Today, he was going to teach Xu Yan the martial arts of the fourth state, the martial arts law above the Tongxuan state. ¡°Master, above the Great Grandmaster, there is the Martial Arts Heavenly Man. As the Martial Arts Heavenly Man cultivates mental consciousness, does the state above the Tongxuan also do the same?¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. ¡°The three realms of martial arts, Qi-blood, Innate, and Tongxuan, are all about the cultivation of the body¡¯s mysteries. With a flesh and blood body, one can control the power of Tongxuan. ¡°The fourth realm of martial arts cultivates the mysteries beyond the human body. It cultivates the Divine Intent of martial arts!¡± Li Xuan said solemnly. How to cultivate and connect after reaching the fourth realm of Martial Arts, Tongxuan Realm, was something Li Xuan contemplated after Meng Chong nearly died at the hands of ¡°Senior Wu,¡± realizing that the latter¡¯s body was taken over. Li Xuan formed a concept and was triggered, leading him to begin creating the cultivation method for the fourth realm of Martial Arts. As guessed, above the Great Grandmaster, they cultivate Divine Soul! Only those with a Divine Soul have the power to take over others. Whether it¡¯s the lord of Yinlou Pavilion or a group of people with green faces, they were all half-step Heavenly People and had not condensed the Divine Soul. They had only condensed a robust spiritual body but had not yet transformed it into a Divine Soul. Even so, by referring to the half-step Heavenly People, Li Xuan could roughly derive that the spiritual body condensed by Martial Arts Heavenly People, or called the Divine Soul, is rather vague and not strong enough. The cultivation of the Divine Soul also has variations in strength. After reaching Tongxuan Realm, Li Xuan confirmed his cultivation direction, which is to cultivate the Divine Intent of Martial Arts. It¡¯s a crucial realm where he realized that above the Great Grandmaster, they might be cultivating Divine Soul. To ensure that the Martial Arts he crafted is always stronger, Li Xuan racked his brains to create profound and consistent methods that could seamlessly interconnect with Tongxuan Realm. After successively killing the half-step Heavenly Persons, Li Xuan gained enormous confidence. ¡°Martial Arts Divine Intent?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart was surging with excitement. He was fully focused, fearing he might miss even the slightest detail. Li Xuan solemnly said: ¡°The cultivation begins with opening the Niwan Palace, nurturing the Soul Pedestal, and condensing the Divine Intent; it forms the basis of the Primordial Spirit¡­¡± The fourth realm of Martial Arts, the Divine Intent State! The cultivation of the Divine Intent State involves opening the Niwan Palace, nurturing the Soul Pedestal, and condensing the Martial Arts Divine Intent on top of the Soul Pedestal. After careful deliberation, Li Xuan came up with this theoretical framework. Initially, he worried that the Martial Arts Divine Intent condensed in the Divine Intent State might not be strong enough. However, after meeting half-step Heavenly Persons, he realized the Divine Intent State continued to maintain its strong advantage. Li Xuan continued explaining the Divine Intent State, ¡°The form of Divine Intent is like my genuine self, perceiving the workings of the universe on the Soul Pedestal, condensing the intention of the universe into my intention, refining the form of Divine Intent, this forms the basis of the Primordial Spirit¡­¡± After the lecture, Li Xuan pointed to the location of the Niwan Palace and said, ¡°The fourth realm of Martial Arts involves opening the Niwan Palace and nurturing the Soul Pedestal. Without opening the Niwan Palace, the soul has nothing to perceive, and the Soul Pedestal has nowhere to dwell ¨C naturally, everything else is just empty talk.¡± ¡°Therefore, the first priority is to open the Niwan Palace, nurture the Soul Pedestal, and condense Divine Intent, resembling the true self. ¡°Condense the intention of the universe into my intention; Refine the form of the universe into Divine Form; My intention is the intention of the universe, My form is the form of the universe. ¡°Where the Divine Intent goes, is like the will of the universe, nobody can defy the will of the universe!¡± Xu Yan was engrossed in listening, his mind was so immersed that he muttered, ¡°The universe¡¯s intention is my intention, the universe¡¯s form is my form; my Divine Intent is like the intention of the universe, nobody can defy the universe¡¯s intention!¡± In that moment, he seemed to see his Divine Intent overwhelming everything, like the universe¡¯s intention descending, irresistible and inviolable! Anyone who opposes will be destroyed, any violator will be punished, all within a thought! How powerful is that? Martial Arts Heavenly People only use spiritual pressure to suppress the consciousness of Martial Artists, while Martial Arts Divine Intent is like the intention of the universe. Whoever defies the universe¡¯s intention can be punished by a single thought! Under the Divine Intent, everyone is as weak as an ant! Xu Yan was shocked. He felt that even if he could fully master the Tongxuan Realm, it would be difficult to resist and almost impossible to combat a Martial Artist in the Divine Intent State. Unless his Sword Intent had also grown powerful enough to confront Martial Arts Divine Intent! However, what if the opponent had also comprehended Sword Intent? How strong would the Sword Intent controlled by a Martial Artist in the Divine Intent State be? Xu Yan realized that the Divine Intent State is a watershed, a massive transformation and leap, hence no matter how strong the Tongxuan Realm is, it can¡¯t resist the Divine Intent State. Tongxuan conforms to the nature¡¯s spiritual energy and contains the mysteries of the universe, but can it resist the will of the universe? No! Tongxuan might overthrow Martial Arts Heavenly People but is almost powerless against Martial Artists in the Divine Intent State. At this moment, Xu Yan suddenly felt that Martial Arts Heavenly People were so weak that it undermined the honor of the term ¡°Heavenly People.¡± Sword Intent emerged around Xu Yan, as if wanting to merge with the universe, as if it would represent the universe¡¯s intention, and mountains and rivers appeared as if to form the shape of the entire universe. In his mind, bright ideas surged up, and the Martial Arts methods of the Divine Intent State emerged one by one ¨C the more he contemplated, the more he felt their profound mysteries. The more he felt their unparalleled strength. My intention is the intention of the universe, my form is the form of the universe! Chapter 332 Translator: 549690339 I Li Xuan watched Xu Yan¡¯s transformation and couldn¡¯t help but affirm inwardly. Indeed, his disciple was indeed exceptional. Although Xu Yan had not yet comprehended the Divine Intent State cultivation technique, this experience had triggered a new understanding in him, further boosting his strength. His Sword Intent had reached a higher level. His Mountain-River Sword Intent was originally just an illusory landscape, comprising mountains and rivers and even ephemeral figures, with even a golden dragon hovering it. However, it inevitably appeared illusory, not authentic enough. But now, after muttering ¡°My will is the will of the heavens, my form is the form of the heavens¡± and after understanding the profound function of the Divine Intent State, Xu Yan had an epiphany. The Mountain-River Sword Intent started to change gradually. The original illusory landscape still appeared somewhat illusory, but the scenery had transformed. At first glance, what he saw was not the illusory outline of the landscape, but¡ªCanglan Island! Upon a quick view, Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Intent mirrored Canglan Island, a shrunken version of it to be precise! ¡°Mountain-River Sword Intent is mimicking the form!¡± Li Xuan was stunned inside. This was Xu Yan¡¯s insight coming from ¡°My form is the form of the heavens¡±. One can imagine, whenever he confronts an enemy, Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Intent would mimic the enemy¡¯s surroundings. The enemy would step into the Sword Intent without even realizing it. How terrifying and powerful it is! ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has comprehended the third level of Mountain-River Sword Intent, and your third level of Mountain-River Sword Intent has been mastered.¡± A golden light emerged. The feedback from the Golden Finger arrived. The third layer of Sword Intent! The mountains and rivers are integrated into nature, making the place where I am both the mountains and rivers, and also the Sword Intent! Li Xuan was filled with excitement inside, once again experiencing the joy of strength enhancement. Xu Yan continued to immerse himself in his epiphany. Li Xuan didn¡¯t interrupt him and quietly slipped away. He had already given the Divine Intent State cultivation technique to Xu Yan. When Xu Yan would comprehend it was still unknown, but considering Xu Yan¡¯s exceptional abilities, it should most likely happen once he had mastered the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°My will is the will of the heavens, it can¡¯t be violated within the coverage of the Divine Intent. But how to cultivate martial intent and how to transform the will of the heavens into my will, that is something Xu Yan needs to figure out.¡± ¡°Hopefully nothing unexpected would happen, the Divine Hall would be opened, the Soul Pedestal would be constructed, and the Divine Intent would take shape, I would probably be able to see what the Golden Finger is right?¡± Li Xuan sat in his chair, thinking excitedly. His consciousness focused, he saw a faint golden light. That was where the Golden Finger resided. According to his prediction, once he could break through the Divine Intent State, he should be able to see the full view of the Golden Finger. Maybe even being able to utilize the Golden Finger. He was looking forward to seeing what exactly his Golden Finger was. ¡°More and more Great Wasteland Warriors are emerging.¡± Li Xuan glanced at his own hundreds of martial shadows. The number had started to approach two hundred. Xu Yan continued to practice and comprehend. Through the change in his own strength, Li Xuan knew that Xu Yan¡¯s power was enhancing every moment. It showed that he had comprehended a lot and his strength was in a period of rapid improvement. ¡°I wonder what kind of special place Meng Chong has gone to, according to my calculations, he should also be breaking through the Tongxuan Realm soon.¡± Li Xuan was pondering in his heart. Looking at Red Cat in the Spiritual Fruit Forest on Canglan Island, it was still lazily sleeping. When it woke up, it would go to the Cang river for a swim, and then to Su Lingxiu to show its cuteness and gain favor. After eating the elixir, it would continue to sleep. ¡°This big cat is going to transform into a big demon. I just don¡¯t know how its cultivation is progressing and what kind of strength it will possess after transforming into a big demon, and what kind of feedback it can provide me.¡± Li Xuan looked forward to this in his heart. Canglan Island remained serene without any strong opponents launching an attack. Xie Lingfeng has fully turned to practice Dahua Martial Arts and his ability to ingest and exhale nature¡¯s spiritual energy has significantly increased due to the coagulation of the Heavenly and Earthly Bridge. His strength was also increasing, steadily accumulating strength. Hu Shan and several other martial scholars also successfully transitioned to become Innate Realm Martial Artists. Although they are not following the orthodox path, they were officially starting their journey on the path of Dahua Martial Arts. Zhou Ying broke through the Innate Realm. With Zhou Ying¡¯s breakthrough, Shi¡¯er also became restless, he was once again left behind. Su Lingxiu reached the perfection of Innate Realm and was preparing for a breakthrough to Tongxuan Realm. However, as she was originally a Spiritual Body, there won¡¯t be any evolution or transformation when breaking through to Tongxuan Realm. Nevertheless, she continued to enhance her own foundations, studying the elixirs tirelessly, and constantly summarizing The Scroll of Medical Martial Arts. The strength of a Medical Martial Artist was relatively weak, and Su Lingxiu knew that she has many enemies, so she was trying her best to improve her combat abilities. She takes time to visit her senior brother and continues to comprehend The Eight Diagrams. She wanted to comprehend a fighting method that was unique to her. She has already replaced that old hoe. She used top-grade weapon materials to forge a new hoe. This was her preferred weapon that could bury people! Following Su Lingxiu¡¯s accomplishment in the Innate Realm, Li Xuan¡¯s Medical Martial Arts also stepped into the Tangxuan Realm. Xu Junhe was ready to break through the Innate Realm. With Xu Junhe¡¯s breakthrough, Shi¡¯er became even more frustrated as he was left behind once more. Kou Ruozhi was also preparing for a breakthrough to Innate Realm. At this point, Shi¡¯er couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and devoted himself to intense practice day and night, fearing that Kou Ruozhi might surpass him. Finally, three days later, Shi¡¯er also began to break through to the Innate Realm. Li Xuan looked at his own hundred martial shadows and saw the emergence of an Innate Realm shadow. He couldn¡¯t help but be excited, the stronger the Great Wasteland Warrior, the higher the realm of his martial shadows. What if the entire Inner Domain became Dahua as Kou Rouzhi and Xu Junhe planned? How much more potent would his martial shadows become? Chapter 333 Translator: 549690339 | After Shi¡¯er broke through to the Innate Realm, Meng Chong gave him the saw-toothed blade he had initially brought back to use. Shi¡¯er was ecstatic and sparred with Zhou Ying every day. Although he hardly won, his strength improved each time, which delighted him greatly. The Seven-star Study Palace had started offering Dahua Martial Arts courses. A substantial number of martial artists were practicing Dahua Martial Arts, given Xu Yan¡¯s recognized dominance. In a certain small courtyard. Du Yuying¡¯s aura was fluctuating, her complexion alternating between red and pale, with droplets of sweat sporadically emerging on her forehead. After a long while, she opened her eyes and revealed a hint of exhaustion. Although she had broken through to the Grandmaster Realm, she had yet to completely resolve the issues with her body and occasional complications would arise. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± With a gentle cough, the image of a handsome figure surfaced in Du Yuying¡¯s mind, her heart filled with tenderness. ¡°My body has some defects, stemming from my bloodline. The only way to resolve them completely is to locate that place,¡± she thought to herself. The sudden death of her mother was related to this. If Du Yuying could not resolve this bodily defect of hers, she, too, would die suddenly one day. She was not willing! That place was a secret location passed down through generations in her mother¡¯s family. If she could locate that place, she could cure her bodily flaws and even acquire some inheritance. Her initial marriage into the household of Prince Du was an attempt to search for that location, but there had been no news. On the verge of her mother¡¯s death, the power to search for that location was transferred to her. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years since my mother started searching. Could it be that the place doesn¡¯t exist?¡± she sighed in her heart. Cui¡¯er came running in, exclaiming excitedly, ¡°Miss, there¡¯s news.¡± Thrilled by the news, Du Yuying rose to her feet, ¡°Cui¡¯er, prepare a generous gift. I will go meet Young Master Xu.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± Cui¡¯er replied with excitement and nodded. Upon arriving at the main hall, a man in grey bowed and paid his respects, ¡°Miss, we have a rough idea of where the location is. It¡¯s within this range. However, it¡¯s difficult to access and carries some risk.¡± Du Yuying received the map and examined it carefully, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± That same day, Du Yuying left the Seven-star Study Palace and headed towards Canglan Island. She did not bring Cui¡¯er or a Protector for this journey. Bringing Cui¡¯er along would inevitably slow her down due to the significant issues related to the location. Cui¡¯er understood and could only bemoan her lack of strength. She was resolved to exert herself and redouble her training efforts. An unexpected visitor arrived at Canglan Island. The visitor was looking for Xu Yan. ¡°Miss Du, why have you come here? What can I help you with?¡± Xu Yan asked, looking surprised. From the first time they met, Du Yuying had greatly improved her skills and had entered the early stages of the Grandmaster Realm. However, she seemed much weaker than before, and her gallant aura from the beginning was gone. It seemed connected to her health issues, making her appear as weak as someone who had just recovered from a serious illness. ¡°Young Master Xu, it has been a while.¡± Du Yuying showed a shade of shyness. Li Xuan watched from afar with an odd expression on his face. Was Du Yuying Xu Yan¡¯s fangirl? He couldn¡¯t help but fall into thought. If his apprentice had a fangirl and he, as a master, didn¡¯t even have a maidservant, didn¡¯t that mean he was a failure? ¡°Has it been that long?¡± Xu Yan thought for a while. The time since he had last seen Du Yuying didn¡¯t feel like it was a long time ago at all. Du Yuying maintained her smile and said, ¡°To you, Young Master Xu, it may not seem long. However, for me, it has been a very long time. This time I come¡­¡± She interrupted herself with a cough. Her face flushed, and she started coughing uncontrollably. ¡°Miss Du, is there something wrong with your health? Should I call my junior sister to check on you?¡± Xu Yan offered spontaneously. He had known about her health problem when escorting her before, and he had thought that she would recover after returning home for some rest. But unexpectedly, even after breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm, her health was still not well. ¡°No need, I was born with it,¡± Du Yuying declined, shaking her head. ¡°Young Master Xu, the reason for my visit today is to request a favor. I would like to ask you to escort me to a certain location,¡± said Du Yuying, then she produced a bag. She noticed that Xu Yan had a small pouch hanging from his waist that seemed like a toad, and her heart sank a little. She had been too late to buy a storage bag to give to Young Master Xu. However, she had prepared a million spirit crystals for this visit. Xu Yan scratched his head, apologizing, ¡°Miss Du, there are many strong people in your residence who can accompany you. I am a bit tied up. ¡°I¡¯m not short of spirit crystals, so¡­¡± Yuying¡¯s hand, which was holding the bag, paused. She fell silent all over and suddenly started coughing violently, her face turning red due to the exertion. ¡°Miss Du¡­¡± Xu Yan was stunned, ¡®Miss Du¡¯s body is so fragile.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Yuying took a few breaths, then stuffed the bag into Xu Yan¡¯s hand, saying: ¡°Young Master Xu, Yuying knows you¡¯re in a difficult position, but I can¡¯t find a more suitable person to accompany me. ¡°I have some reservations about trusting the strong ones in our house. That place is of great importance and is also where Yuying¡¯s physical defect can be solved. ¡°Apart from you, I don¡¯t know who else to ask.¡± Xu Yan felt difficulty all at once. If it were before, he would readily agree to accept the million spirit crystals and accompany Yuying to that place. But now, he doesn¡¯t lack money. He no longer has to hustle for spirit crystals and spiritual herbs. And Yuying is considered his friend now. The first money that he earned when entering the Inner Domain came from accompanying Yuying, and he had killed several grandmasters for it. He had made a good profit from one spiritual medicine after another. ¡°Young Master Xu, that place is the Divine Tomb!¡± Yuying said in a low voice. Xu Yan blinked, ¡®The Divine Tomb?¡¯ This was such a secret and treasured place, but Yuying hader shared it directly with him ¡ª this was trust. ¡°My reputation precedes me.¡± After contemplating for a while, Xu Yan replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll accompany you on this journey.¡± He finally understood why Yuying wasn¡¯t asking the strong ones at Prince Du¡¯s mansion to accompany her ¡ª even the great grandmasters would betray others for the Divine Tomb. They could even abandon their own family members. His cultivation isn¡¯t Inner Realm Martial Arts, so the Divine Tomb won¡¯t attract him as much. It is only out of curiosity. ¡°Thank you, Young Master Xu!¡± Yuying said excitedly. Li Xuan heard the entire conversation between Xu Yan and Yuyin. Not because he wanted to eavesdrop, but because his strength was so great that their voices automatically entered his ears. ¡°The Divine Tomb? Interesting. This girl¡¯s physical defect¡­ it reminds me a bit of Su Lingxiu¡¯s.¡± With Li Xuan¡¯s discerning eye, he noticed that Yuying had a special physique, or bloodline. However, due to environmental limitations, it resulted in a defect. It reminded him of Su Lingxiu, whose mother, from the time Su Lingxiu was in her womb, had supplied her with spiritual medicine. Her physique was incomplete and had some flaws, but it did not result in any illness. Obviously Yuying¡¯s mother didn¡¯t have such a luxury, and possibly had a defect too, which led to Yuying having this condition. ¡°The Divine Tomb¡­ Things are starting to get interesting in this Inner Domain. There are hidden things unknown to others.¡± Li Xuan mumbled inside. It would also be good for Xu Yan to take a trip there. Perhaps he could gain something and even comprehend the Divine Intent state in cultivation techniques. ¡°Master, I have to accompany Miss Du to a place.¡± Xu Yan came to Li Xuan and said respectfully. ¡°Okay, then go.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Master, that place is the Divine Tomb. Will there be any peculiarities?¡± After thinking for a bit, Xu Yan asked. Li Xuan mused for a moment. He thought of the senior Wu who had been possessed before. The biggest danger in the Divine Tomb would naturally be the possibility of an undead martial artist possessing someone who enters. However, Xu Yan¡¯s Sudden Wind Sword Intent could defend and kill. If a remnant soul wanted to possess him, it would be like seeking death. Even when the remnant soul was at full strength, it would still be suicidal. Therefore, Xu Yan didn¡¯t need to worry. The one who needed to be careful was Yuying, in case she got possessed. So Li Xuan said, ¡°When entering the Divine Tomb, be careful of remnant souls possessing you.¡± Xu Yan nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Master, I understand.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Xu Yan bid farewell to his parents and sister, while Yuying respectfully bowed to Xu Junhe and his wife, which delighted Mother Xu. On the same day, Xu Yan and Yuying left Canglan Island, setting off for the Divine Tomb.. Chapter 334 Translator: 549690339 The place where Du Yuying went was the tomb of the Celestials; it made Li Xuan think of the place where Zi Yun went. Could it be the tomb of the Celestials, too? So far, the Inner Realm does not have any Celestial Martial Artists. It seemed that the conditions to become a Celestial Martial Artist are not met, but the specific reason is unknown. ¡°If it really is the tomb of the Celestials, Xu Yan should be able to find out why there are no Celestial Martial Artists in the Inner Realm.¡± Li Xuan thought in his heart. After Xu Yan left, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan also took their leave to return to the Cliff of Sword Sovereign for cultivation, guided by Li Xuan¡¯s instructions on the Sword Dao and brought back some elixirs needed for transforming their cultivation techniques and condensing the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. Since the Cliff of Sword Sovereign primarily cultivates the Sword Dao, they have no conflict with the martial arts of the Inner Realm and Dahua. As long as it enhances the Sword Dao and benefits the comprehension of the Sword Dao, they will cultivate it, regardless of which martial art it is. This is why Xie Lingfeng, the genius of the Sword Sovereign Cliff, is able to cultivate martial arts without any psychological burden. The cultivation methods of the Sword Sovereign Cliff were developed for the Sword Dao, and its cultivation techniques, inherited through generations, have long since ceased to be the original ones. Instead, generation after generation has been engaged in continuous exploration to find techniques that better fit the Sword Dao and bring out its power. With the departure of Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan, apart from the lively alchemy rooms, Canglan Island remained tranquil. Li Xuan occasionally took boat trips on the Cang River, fishing until late into the night, enjoying his leisurely time. A storm was brewing in the Inner Realm. In the heart of a lake atop a high mountain within Zi Yun Country, an ice tower stood tall. Transparent and dreadfully cold, the ice tower was home to people dressed in thin clothes with graceful figures. They moved effortlessly amongst the ice, blending their snow-white skin with the glittering ice, creating a mesmerizing painting. At the top of the ice tower, a bewitching woman lounged in light gauze, sandwiched between two young girls who were naked and shivering in the cold wind. The bewitching woman¡¯s hands glided over the young girls, her face exhibiting a sickly flush. Her eyes bore an almost frantic fervor. A figure approached slowly, continuing to carve as he walked, the wood shavings scattering with each step. ¡°Ice Mother, you¡¯re still the same.¡± Devil Child stood atop the ice tower, sighing as he watched the bewitching woman. ¡°The old doesn¡¯t die, what do you want?¡± Ice Mother drew her dripping hand back, watching Devil Child coldly. As she withdrew her hand, the skin of the shrinking young girl, who had been trembling against her, started to flush. Her body started convulsing, and as the convulsion intensified, she slowly withered away. The bewitching woman now looked even more seductive, her skin even whiter. The faint wrinkles around her eyes disappeared, making her look ten years younger. The other young girl curled against her shivered even more violently. She opened her mouth as if to plead, but no sound came out. Her skin gradually turned red, her body convulsed, and she too eventually withered. The Devil Child watched silently. Ice Mother was getting old and needed to absorb the essence of young girls to maintain her youthful appearance and tender skin. Two girls in white gauze came to the ice tower and took the bodies away. Ice Mother lounged provocatively on her chair, a hint of mockery on her flush, seductive face as she addressed Devil Child. ¡°Devil Child, you have become a failure, haven¡¯t you?¡± The carving in the Devil Child¡¯s hand paused, and the muscles on his face twitched. He watched the Ice Mother under the light gauze and fell silent for a while. He was close to the realm of Celestial Martial Artist. A has-been? Indeed he was a has-been. He was genuinely getting old. There was not the slightest ripple of desire in him, not even the slightest! ¡°Useless!¡± Ice Mother mocked. Devil Child reached into his robe and pulled out a scroll, which he laid on the Ice Mother¡¯s lap. He said softly, ¡°Ice Mother, when you learn of my death, burn this scroll and stimulate the jade bead inside with your martial arts.¡± Ice Mother looked at the scroll and fell silent. As the Devil Child turned to leave, he added, ¡°If I¡¯m not dead, we both stand a chance of entering the Ling Domain. If I¡¯m dead, do as I told you: burn the scroll, activate the jade bead, and find a way to enter the Ling Domain.¡± Upon hearing this, Ice Mother suddenly stood up, ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get involved. After all, someone has to take revenge for us. Keep the scroll safe.¡± Devil Child shook his head. Watching the Devil Child¡¯s aging figure disappear into the horizon, Ice Mother looked at the scroll in her hand. After a long moment of silence, she suddenly said, ¡°Bring me two young girls.¡± ¡°As you wish! A woman¡¯s voice echoed inside the ice tower. At the Royal Palace of Dahua, in the Imperial Study. The Dahua Emperor looked at the mysterious man in the red robe with a green face. His face pale, he croaked out, ¡°I do not wish for Dahua to perish!¡± The man in the red robe and green face smiled and said, ¡°Dahua Emperor, don¡¯t you want to break through the Great Grandmaster? This is not just about your Dahua Kingdom.¡± ¡°Gate of Lingyu, realm of Celestials, the opportunities lie on Canglan Island, on Su Lingxiu.¡± The Dahua Emperor jumped to his feet in shock, ¡°What did you say? The Gate of Lingyu? Realm of Celestials?¡± According to common understanding, the Grandmaster is the peak of Martial Arts in the Inner Realm. Even the Half-Step Celestial actually falls within the Grandmaster Realm; it¡¯s just half a step ahead.. Chapter 335 Celestial Beings_2 Translator: 549690339 However, it had genuinely reached its end. There was no way to advance any further. The Gate of Lingyu, a legendary tale only known to deities, was unknown to the Great Emperor, unheard of by countless powers within the Inner Domain, let alone by many Great Grandmasters. Great Grandmasters at the pinnacle of their power, elusive and difficult to trace, were generally believed to be searching for the path forward in Martial Arts, hence their scarce appearances in the open. ¡°Above the Great Grandmasters exists the Heavenly Martial Artist. To attain such a state, one must enter the Gate of Lingyu. The Inner Domain cannot provide a breakthrough; the path forward has been cut off. ¡°The path forward lies within the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°On Canglan Island, the individual who may truly be a Heavenly Martial Artist, might be someone who has emerged from the Gate of Lingyu. Su Lingxiu is the key to entering the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°Can the many Great Grandmasters, and all their strength and influence within the Inner Domain, simply allow a Heavenly Martial Artist to sever their path forward?¡± The man in a red robe with a green face said coldly. ¡°A Heavenly Martial Artist?¡± The Great Emperor was utterly astonished. No wonder dozens of pinnacle Great Grandmasters had been killed, and none had escaped. ¡°Joining the force of all the Great Grandmasters for a single opportunity, forcing the Heavenly Person to step aside, and even ¨C killing the Heavenly Person to open the Gate of Lingyu!¡± A crazed look flashed across the eyes of the man in the red robe with a green face. ¡°Even a powerful Heavenly Martial Artist would not be able to suppress the world by himself. We, who are a step away from becoming Heavenly People, would also make a concerted effort!¡± The man in the red robe spoke with a sort of madness. ¡°Good! My Great Empire will undoubtedly lend all its strength!¡± The Great Emperor spoke excitedly. ¡°Spread the news of the Gate of Lingyu and the Heavenly Martial Artist everywhere, let the forces within the Inner Domain unite, and see how that Heavenly Martial Artist handles it!¡± The man in the red robe said in a low voice. Many forces and powerful Grandmasters in the Inner Domain received the news that there was still a path forward in Martial Arts above the level of Great Grandmaster. To open the Gate of Lingyu and enter the realm of Heavenly Man! The Pavilion Master of Chang Qing Pavilion, Su Lingxiu, is the key to unlocking the Gate of Lingyu. On Canglan Island, there is a Heavenly Martial Artist controlling Su Lingxiu, trying to monopolize the Gate of Lingyu. Take over Canglan Island, hand over Su Lingxiu, and share the opportunity of the Gate of Lingyu, thus opening up the Martial Arts path for those above the rank of Great Grandmaster! The tales of the Gate of Lingyu and the Heavenly Person spread wider and wider within the Inner Domain under the promotion of many forces, and more and more Great Grandmasters received this news. Canglan Island became the center of attention in the Inner Domain. Su Lingxiu was regarded as the key to open the Gate of Lingyu! Many powerful forces gathered, with Grandmasters from the Inner Domain converging. At this time, Martial Artists who were half a step away from becoming Heavenly Beings began to appear one after another, including some pinnacle Great Grandmasters who were once believed to have died. At this moment, they all revealed themselves. Infamous figures from the Demon Church, and the remaining Demon Lords, also appeared one by one. The Dowager Empress of the Great Empire, although old and close to death, also left the imperial mausoleum. A martial artist half a step away from becoming a Heavenly Man emerged from the imperial family of Yan Country. The retired emperor of Ziyun Country also made his appearance. One after another, prestigious and powerful figures appeared. The Martial Arts World of the Inner Domain was shocked! Countless Great Grandmasters were horrified but also excited, vowing to force Canglan Island to hand over the person, and share the chance of the Gate of Lingyu! One after another, powerful forces and formidable figures from great families revealed themselves. The powers of the Inner Domain seemed to be converging, wishing to join forces to suppress Canglan Island. At the Seven-star Study Palace, Bai Yun Kong sat under an ancient tea tree, quietly enjoying his tea. Two figures approached. ¡°Palace Master, regarding the Gate of Lingyu and the Heavenly Person, what should our Seven-star Study Palace do?¡± Bai Yun Kong replied coldly, ¡°Our Seven-star Study Palace principle is not to interfere in the disputes of the Martial Arts world. Have you forgotten?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t about Martial Arts disputes; it concerns the path forward in Martial Arts!¡± One person said with a heavy voice. ¡°The path forward has always been there. The Gate of Lingyu is elusive and hard to find; who could enter it? If you enter the gate, will you automatically become a Heavenly Man? Can first-class Martial Artists all become Grandmasters? Can Grandmaster Martial Artists all become Great Grandmasters?¡± ¡°The principles of the Seven-star Study Palace cannot be violated.¡± Bai Yun Kong said solemnly. ¡°Palace Master, there might still be an opportunity if we try. If we don¡¯t, there will be no chance. I can¡¯t accept that!¡± ¡°Yes, we won¡¯t be satisfied until we¡¯ve tried!¡± The two spoken in a deep voice. Bai Yun Kong looked at the two of them, sighed, and said, ¡°The opportunity is not far away, and the Heavenly Man is not the only path. That¡¯s all I have to say. Make your own decision!¡± ¡°Palace Master, you are too stubborn. I will not miss this opportunity!¡± ¡°Palace Master, it¡¯s you who should stick to your principles and make your own decisions!¡± After speaking their minds, the two turned around and left. Bai Yun Kong¡¯s fingers tapped on the table, seemingly hesitant about whether to make a decision. An elderly man with a lustrous complexion approached, his white hair draped over his shoulders, holding a fan in his hand, appearing youthful apart from his unusually deep, black eyes. ¡°Why the fuss? If there¡¯s anything to hesitate about? Our Seven-star Study Palace principles are uncompromising. Those who defy our ethos are not one of us.¡± Bai Yun Kong managed a bitter smile, ¡°You¡¯re not the Palace Master, it¡¯s easy for you to say. Nevertheless, there¡¯s no need to keep those who don¡¯t adhere to their own hearts.¡± On this day, the Palace Master of the Seven-star Study Palace, Bai Yun Kong, issued the order to expel both deputy palace masters. Anyone who wished to participate in the attack on Canglan Island would be expelled from the Seven-star Study Palace! Also on this day, several of the great grandmasters left the Seven-star Study Palace, and over half of the familiar great teaching grounds were suddenly emptied. The Gate of Lingyu, and the state of the Heavenly Man, offer such great allure to martial artists. Even when faced with a real martial arts Heavenly Man, their fear has been left behind amidst the convergence of strength by the world¡¯s great grandmasters with their numerous forces. They were even thrilled, as if they were back in their youthful days as beginning martial artists, bringing down Heavenly Men, opening the Gate of Lingyu, and making their names known throughout martial arts history. The northern wastelands, known as the edge of the Inner Domains, stretched out into a boundless expanse of white. High peaks stood still at the endpoint, revealing another part of the Inner Domain as you cross over the peaks. Here was the true chilling lands, where even the martial artists who had reached the level of grandmaster dared not linger for long. Half of one of the peaks had been hollowed out and buildings were built up the mountainside along with pavilions, lofts, and gardens, which had everything you could want. And in a garden built on the high mountainside, it felt warm as spring. Every flower and plant was a spiritual medicine, even a Grade 5 medicinal plant, like the Sky-dropping Spinal Marrow, was growing there. In the garden at this moment sat over a dozen figures, among whom was the semi-Human figure from the Tianbao Pavilion who had appeared in Iron Mountain County. This was the headquarters of the Tianbao Pavilion! The man in the purple crown said with a light laugh, ¡°Ever since the old kingdoms of the Inner Domain assembled warriors from all over the world to form the alliance to vanquish the Demon Lord, there has not been this sort of grand occasion.¡± ¡°The two of you have seen him. How did you feel about him?¡± Everyone seated turned their eyes towards the two who had been to Iron Mountain County. ¡°Whether he¡¯s a martial arts Heavenly Man, 1 can¡¯t tell, but 1 get the feeling he¡¯s incredibly profound,¡± said one of them in a deep voice. ¡°With just a flick of his wrist, he killed Kujie, directly destroying his consciousness. I¡¯m afraid even the Demon Lord of the past never had such a technique!¡± said the other with a sigh. The man with the purple crown nodded, laughed at himself, and said, ¡°Everyone wants to enter the Gate of Lingyu, but who knows what the Gate of Lingyu is, or even how to enter it? For Inner Domain martial artists to enter is no different than them becoming pigs or dogs.¡± All the people present remained silent. ¡°Pavilion Master, what¡¯s the situation with Su Lingxiu?¡± Someone asked curiously. The man with the purple crown fell silent for a moment and then said deep voice, ¡°The one who came from the Gate of Lingyu twenty years ago must have been related to her. The matter with the Yinlou Pavilion was a task given by someone from the Lingyu.¡± All the people present were startled, recalling the young and suave man who had claimed to be traveling in the Inner Domain and had been treated with utmost courtesy by the pavilion master at the time. ¡°If he was related, then why did the Yinlou Pavilion kill Su Zhen?¡± Someone asked in doubt. The man with the purple crown pondered for a moment and said, ¡°The one who passed the task to Yinlou Pavilion wasn¡¯t him. This matter involves too much. It¡¯s not something we can discuss.¡± He let out a cold laugh, ¡°The pavilion master of Yinlou Pavilion really thinks he can become a Heavenly Man by completing the task and entering the Gate of Lingyu? There¡¯s no hope for him, even if he were to stoop low to the level of a pig or a dog.¡± The rest all fell silent. The Pavilion Master had once entered the Gate of Lingyu, but failed to become a martial arts Heavenly Man. Could it be that he had become a dog to the powers within the Lingyu? Moving to the Lingyu as pigs or dogs, or stay atop of the hierarchy in the Inner Domain, they had already made a choice in their hearts. Furthermore, they didn¡¯t believe they had the ability to change this situation. Suddenly, the image of a young boy flashed into their minds. Could he be the one, capable of changing the fate of those in the Lingyu Domain if he entered the Gate of Lingyu? Xu Yan! At the Cliff of Sword Mastery, a group of Great Grandmasters were congregated. Xie Lingfeng, who was secluding himself for comprehension in sword arts, was summoned by the hurried Hu Shan just when he felt that he was close to comprehending the state of perfect clarity in Sword Dao.. Chapter 336 Translator: 549690339 ¡°Hu Shan, what¡¯s happened?¡± Xie Lingfeng asked in confusion. ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s terrible, the world¡¯s Great Grandmasters are all planning to besiege Canglan Island!¡± Hu Shan said in a panicked manner. ¡°What? What happened?¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face changed. ¡°The Gate of Lingyu, the myth of celestial beings¡­¡± Hu Shan told Xie Lingfeng everything about the Gate of Lingyu and the celestial being myth. ¡°All the Great Grandmasters from our Sword Master Cliff have gone to find the master!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, to find my father!¡± Xie Lingfeng couldn¡¯t sit still and hurriedly rushed towards the top of Sword Master Cliff. At the top of Sword Master Cliff, a group of Sword Master Cliff Grandmasters gathered, among them were a few white-haired old men with sharp sword momentum, stirring up the spiritual energy around them. With strict eyes and an intimidating air, even the top-ranking Great Grandmasters were frightened. The door of the stone house on the cliff top opened. A tall figure walked out, with a determined face, a treasured sword on his back, his eyes as sharp as a sword¡¯s glow. As he emerged, it seemed like an unsheathed sword ready for action. The current Sword Master of Sword Master Cliff, Xie Tianheng, the number one in the Inner Domain Sword Dao. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do we have a strong opponent coming to Sword Master Cliff?¡± Xie Tianheng glanced at the gathered Grandmasters, including the few Sword Master Cliff elders, and frowned. All of the Grandmasters from Sword Master Cliff were in awe, just how strong is the sword master¡¯s strength? Even those elders were frightened by the sword master¡¯s emergence, as if a sword aura was suppressing them. ¡°Sword Master, it¡¯s like this, the Gate of Lingyu, the myth of the celestial being¡­ There might be a true Martial Arts celestial being on Canglan Island. Now all the Great Grandmasters in the world are gathering there, forcing the celestial being to hand over that girl, Su Lingxiu. I think they even have the intention of going against the celestial being. ¡°Sword Master, shouldn¡¯t we make our move too? Such an important event, such a prestigious opportunity in martial arts history, our Sword Master Cliff shouldn¡¯t miss it!¡± A Great Grandmaster hurriedly opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Right, Sword Master, the celestial being in martial arts, if we kill it, our Sword Master Cliff will be known in martial arts history.¡± ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t miss such an important event!¡± All the Grandmasters from Sword Master Cliff, including a few elders, said excitedly. ¡°Shut up!¡± Xie Tianheng snorted coldly. The noisy voices instantly quieted down. ¡°Aren¡¯t you making a fool of yourselves?¡± Xie Tianheng criticized with regret: ¡°We, as sword-wielding martial artists, should have the courage to draw our swords against the strong, not relying on numerical advantage to embolden ourselves.¡± Xie Tianheng sneered contemptuously: ¡°Those outside are all wastes. When they meet a celestial being in martial arts, they get frightened and gang up on him, and there isn¡¯t a single person who dares to face the celestial being alone. I, Xie Tianheng, am ashamed to be associated with them! ¡°We of Sword Master Cliff stand tall and proud, with unyielding sword spirit. Joining hands with those outside, are you humiliating yourselves? ¡°It¡¯s just a celestial being in martial arts. I, Xie Tianheng, will naturally pay a visit to learn from him. Why would I join that crowd of trash!¡± The Grandmasters of Sword Master Cliff were all dumbfounded, staring blankly at their sword master, taken aback. Before, the Sword Master was indeed arrogant, but he never stooped to disregard everyone in the world. In his words, there still used to be a hint of modesty. There were still a few people in the Inner Domain who could rival him. But now, just after his retreat, with one statement, he considers everyone else as wastes? There is only one person who is so arrogant in their lifetime. That person is Xu Yan! But he was arrogant because of his strength! If he said he would defeat Great Grandmasters, he would just do it; if he said he would slay the top-ranking Great Grandmasters, he would do it. Our Sword Master, how come he¡¯s so arrogant? ¡°Sword Master, that is a celestial being in martial arts, existing above the Great Grandmasters.¡± An elder carefully reminded. ¡°Just because it¡¯s a celestial being in martial arts, I disdain joining forces with those wastes. I will take action personally to learn. As a sword-wielding martial artist, we should have the courage to draw our swords against the strong, only then we can gather our sword momentum!¡± Xie Tianheng said with a haughty look. His eyes swept over all the Grandmasters present, and he coldly said: ¡°Anyone who dares to join those wastes is not worthy of being called a Sword Master Cliff martial artist. We are too prestigious for that! ¡°Sword-wielding martial artists should have a proud spirit. Bullying the weak with numbers, what¡¯s the point of practicing swordsmanship? Just get lost!¡± All the Grandmaster Cliffs were stunned. They were wondering if their Sword Master, after a long seclusion, thought he was invincible and therefore his mind was messed up? ¡°Father, father, don¡¯t be impulsive!¡± Xie Lingfeng¡¯s anxious voice came over. ¡°Here comes our Young Sword Master, Young Sword Master, quickly persuade your father!¡± ¡°Hurry, the Sword Master is going to challenge the celestial being in martial arts!¡± All the Grandmaster Cliffs hurriedly shouted. Xie Lingfeng was a bit stunned, what¡¯s going on, my father wants to challenge the celestial being in martial arts? ¡°Feng¡¯er, don¡¯t choose the wrong path, don¡¯t be like those wastes outside, intimidating the weak with numbers, we of Sword Master Cliff are too good to be associated with them!¡± Xie Tianheng said with a benevolent smile. Although Xie Lingfeng wasn¡¯t entirely sure what was going on, when he heard that Sword Master Cliff wouldn¡¯t participate in the siege on Canglan Island, he was delighted. ¡°Father is right!¡± The Grandmasters of Sword Master Cliff:¡­ After some casual chat, Xie Lingfeng finally got a handle on the situation. He couldn¡¯t help but marvel, when did his father become so arrogant? With every mention of ¡°the wastes outside¡±, everyone was stunned. Xu Yan seemed arrogant, but that was based on his own strength! As for his father, where did he get such unwavering confidence to belittle the martial artists outside by calling them wastes! ¡°Father, I have a connection with Canglan Island, that senior¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng hurriedly mentioned his deep friendship with Xu Yan and other matters.. Chapter 337 Translator: 549690339 I ¡°Hmm? Switch to martial arts?¡± Xie Tianheng looked at his son, his eyebrows furrowed. He didn¡¯t say a word but he noticed that his son¡¯s strength was already comparable to a beginning Great Grandmaster. ¡°Dad, we need to lend a hand to Canglan Island.¡± Xie Lingfeng spoke up. ¡°The senior you mentioned is so formidable that my Sword Dao Cliff doesn¡¯t need to step in. But I will certainly ask him for guidance!¡± Xie Tianheng declared. Upon hearing this, Xie Lingfeng became anxious, ¡°Dad, you are no match for that senior. Even Brother Xu was able to defeat you!¡± ¡°Feng, what do you know?¡± Xie Tianheng proudly stated, ¡°Because he is strong, I want to draw my sword against him. After my recent retreat to ponder on the Sword Dao, in the history of the Inner Realm, I am the unprecedented number one in Sword Dao!¡± ¡°I want to hone my Sword Dao and let the world know of the reputation of Xie Tianheng, the number one Sword Dao practitioner!¡± Xie Lingfeng:¡­ The Great Grandmasters of Sword Dao Cliff:¡­ The Inner Realm was in turmoil, with each peak Great Grandmaster appearing. They were all fired up to take over Canglan Island, and attack the heavenly beings. They were eager for the opportunity to access the Gate of Lingyu. Under the joint effort of the Demon, Man in Green Face, and others including the former Deputy Palace Master of the Seven-star Study Palace, a league of Great Grandmasters from all parts of the world was formed. The Sky Defying Alliance! The situation was intense, Canglan Island was under pressure. They directly demanded the heavenly being on Canglan Island to hand over Su Lingxiu and disclose the secret of the Gate of Lingyu, or face elimination! If not, the Sky Defying Alliance will destroy Canglan Island in seven days! The once quiet Canglan Island was again in the midst of a storm. This storm was unmatched by the previous ones! Many powerhouses of the Inner Realm and Great Grandmasters from all over the world gathered. Canglan Island was challenging the entire Inner Realm! A kites landed on Canglan Island, bringing the message. ¡°Have they gone mad?¡± Shi¡¯er swallowed hard, the hand holding the knife was slightly trembling. Su Lingxiu¡¯s face turned pale. She had never expected that all this was happening because of her? The Gate of Lingyu, the legend of the heavenly beings? What does she have to do with the Gate of Lingyu? ¡°Master, I¡­ I will go to them directly. I can¡¯t drag you into this.¡± Tears welled up in Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes, her face filled with confusion. Zhou Ying looked at her sympathetically, her eyes red and felt extremely anxious. She constantly glanced at Li Xuan sitting on the chair, fearing that he would directly give up on Su Lingxiu. Li Xuan was numb. Initially, he took Su Lingxiu as his apprentice because of her extraordinary talent. She was the most suitable person to practice alchemy and martial arts, and indeed, she was. Not to mention the remote areas, even in the entire Inner Realm, there was no one more suitable for practicing alchemy and martial arts than Su Lingxiu. Moreover, she now possesses the Green Wood Spiritual Body, with extraordinary talent. If she continues to practice and improve her Alchemy Martial Arts, the feedback from the next level of Alchemy Martial Arts will soon be here. Although he knew that there was trouble behind Su Lingxiu, he thought it was only a major power watching her, or she had made a powerful enemy. That¡¯s all. This was not a problem for Li Xuan. If anyone dared to cause trouble, he would eliminate them. So, he killed the master of Yinlou Pavilion, and then killed the Man in Green. He thought that was the end of it, but it turned out Su Lingxiu was involved in some Gate of Lingyu, and Great Grandmasters from all over the world gathered to form a Sky Defying Alliance. This was almost equivalent to making enemies with all the Great Grandmasters of the Inner Realm. This trouble was far from ordinary. However, Su Lingxiu was his apprentice who had comprehended the Alchemy Martial Arts, and he needed her to continue enhancing the Alchemy Martial Arts in the future. No matter how big the trouble was, he had to shoulder it. Besides, it was not only targeting Su Lingxiu but also him, the ¡°Martial Arts Heavenly Being¡±. If he showed signs of weakness, how could he maintain his status as a peerless expert? ¡°After I reach the Great Completion of Tongxuan Realm, sweeping through the world by myself, it won¡¯t be surprising!¡± Li Xuan mumbled to himself. ¡°Apprentice, what are you talking about? What¡¯s this about causing trouble? Do you think these people are significant?¡± Li Xuan chuckled, appearing unperturbed. With widened eyes, Su Lingxiu asked, ¡°Master, are you really a Martial Arts Heavenly Being?¡± Zhou Ying and others all looked over curiously. However, Li Xuan glared with mock anger, ¡°Disciple, are you insulting your master? Who is this Martial Artist from heaven? He¡¯s just like an ant!¡± People like Su Lingxiu were shocked. Was a martial artist from heaven just an ant? ¡°Master, I was wrong!¡± Su Lingxiu massaged her master¡¯s shoulders, her face full of regret. ¡°Master, what is the ¡®Gate of Lingyu¡¯?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°When you¡¯re powerful enough, you¡¯ll naturally understand. Why should you ask so many questions? This world isn¡¯t that complicated. If you find it complicated, it¡¯s just because you¡¯re not strong enough,¡± Li Xuan said without even blinking. Boasting huh? He had become accustomed to it. As a master, he is an unparalleled genius, having already thoroughly understood the world. Su Lingxiu and the others were astonished, but at the same time, they felt that it made sense. Indeed, the so-called complexities and secrets were simply due to their lack of strength. ¡°Master, the Alliance to Overthrow Heaven is due to attack Canglan Island in seven days. With the absence of the eldest and second brother, what should we do?¡± Su Lingxiu asked with a frown. With her strength, dealing with one or two peak Great Grandmasters was naturally not a problem. However, the Alliance to Overthrow Heaven boasted of having all the Grandmasters in the world! Such a powerful lineup was not something she could contend with, let alone her, even if the eldest and second brothers joined forces, they wouldn¡¯t be a match. ¡°Sigh!¡± Li Xuan sighed and said, ¡°Well then, since my disciple is incapable, I¡¯ll have to take on the burden.¡± Su Lingxiu immediately looked ashamed. People like Shi¡¯er also felt embarrassed. They were ashamed of themselves for not being able to handle such a minor issue. ¡°I once said that one person should be able to push through tens of thousands in the same realm. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t believe me then. Now is a good chance for all of you to witness how I, your master, am unmatched in the same realm and how I dominate the world.¡± Li Xuan stood up, one hand behind his back, looking into the sky with an unexplainable aura. Inside Su Lingxiu¡¯s shocked heart, she remembered how she thought her master was boasting back in Tieshan County. No matter how strong he was, it was impossible for one person to defeat thousands, even tens of thousands, in the same realm, right? At this moment, she felt a bit embarrassed and said, ¡°Master, I believe you.¡± Li Xuan laughed softly. ¡°They gather all the Great Grandmasters in the world to intimidate Canglan Island. These ants don¡¯t know their place. Well then, let me dominate the world and see how these ants plan to overthrow the heavens!¡± He figured it out. If the trouble couldn¡¯t be avoided, then he would take action himself, dominate without a match, and let the martial arts world in the Inner Realm know how powerful he, the Ancestor of Dahua Martial Arts, was. Dominating in the same realm, dominating the world. If he did so, wouldn¡¯t the belief of the whole Inner Realm¡¯s martial artists have to change? They would all admire Dahua Martial Arts, eagerly wanting to cultivate Dahua Martial Arts, there was no better way to popularize Dahua Martial Arts. Years later, the Inner Realm would cease to exist. It would be Dahua! ¡°The Gate of Lingyu, where the Celestial Martial Artist resides? Regardless of how the Gate of Lingyu can be opened, Su Lingxiu will eventually be able to enter the Lingyu.¡± Li Xuan thought quietly to himself. Martial Artist from heaven, within the Lingyu! If that was the case, then he had nothing to fear. He would dominate the Inner Realm with absolute power, showing the martial artists in the Inner realm what real invincibility was! ¡°Cultivate Inner Realm Martial Arts and want to break through to the Celestial Martial Artist, there will be limitations. You can only do so if you enter the Gate of Lingyu. However, my Dahua Martial Arts doesn¡¯t have such limitations. ¡°You can cultivate martial arts even in the border wilderness, let alone the Inner Realm. Breaking through to the Divine Intent State is just a matter of time. Since they are not limited, it is not impossible for the martial strength in the Inner Realm to surpass Lingyu one day.¡± A smile appeared on Li Xuan¡¯s face. This was not a trouble or crisis. It was an opportunity for Dahua Martial Arts to truly shake the Inner domain and revere Dahua Martial Arts in the martial arts world of the inner domain! Li Xuan glanced at the Hundred Martial Divine Shadows, which had already surpassed two hundred in number. If every martial artist in the Inner Realm were to cultivate Dahua Martial Arts, how powerful would the Hundred Martial Divine Shadows become? Perhaps, on a certain day in the future, when enemies feel that they have overwhelming numbers to encircle and attack him, they will not know that the truly overwhelming one is actually himself. How impressive would it be for thousands or tens of thousands of divine shadows to appear in unison? This would crush the enemy directly. Once the number of Hundred Martial Divine Shadows increases and merges together, the strength of the Divine Shadows will not be much weaker than that of their master. The more Divine Shadows, the more powerful they will become after merging. One man is equal to an entire army! The more Li Xuan thought about it, the more excited he became.. Such were the benefits of spreading the word to the whole world! Chapter 338 Translator: 549690339 The Alliance against Heaven was formed, gathering the Great Grandmasters from all over the world, aiming directly at Canglan Island, the home of the legendary Martial Artist. The entire Inner Realm Martial Arts community, with its powerful forces, were all awaiting a response from Canglan Island. However, Canglan Island offered no response. As if it despised the Alliance against Heaven. ¡°Good, very good, worthy of a Martial Artist, let¡¯s see how he maintains his haughty attitude!¡± In the Alliance against Heaven, a group of Great Grandmasters felt humiliated and indignant. ¡°Let¡¯s go, flatten Canglan Island!¡± A group of powerful figures from the Alliance against Heaven, under the leadership of the demonic child, the Dowager Empress of Dayue, and the Green-faced Man, rushed towards Canglan Island. The entire Inner Realm, from Grandmasters to Ninth Grade Martial Artists, were all shocked, closely watching the battle on Canglan Island. At this moment, the legend of a Martial Artist on Canglan Island is a well-known tale even to the Ninth Grade Martial Artists in the most remote areas. The most-discussed topics throughout the entire Inner Realm are the Gate of Ling Domain, the legend of the Martial Artist, the Alliance against Heaven, and the plan to strike back at the Martial Artist on Canglan Island. This event is proclaimed to be the grandest event in the history of the Inner Realm Martial Arts in ten thousand years. Despite the turbulence in the Inner Realm, Xu Yan and Meng Chong knew nothing about it. In the northern region, the cold wind howled, the sky was filled with snowflakes as large as goose feathers, and the ground was layered with several feet of snow. A burly figure walked on the snowy ground. ¡°Can you not hang on me?¡± Meng Chong showed a disgruntled expression. Zi Yun curled up on him, resembling a little kitten. ¡°I¡¯m cold!¡± Zi Yun mumbled. Meng Chong really wanted to pull her off and give her a beating, but considering the storage bag, he decided to hold back for now. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± Meng Chong continued to push forward. The cold wind blew against him, but Meng Chong felt no chill at all. Instead, he had some revelations, as a golden body acupoint was running, gathering the chill from heaven and earth. The standing power of the Great Sun Golden Body was about to reach its limit. Once it reached its limit, it would be time to break through to the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°It¡¯s just ahead, between the two large mountains, there is a huge gorge which is our destination.¡± Zi Yun pointed ahead. Meng Chong looked up, the towering peak stood firm as if it was the boundary between heaven and earth. There were rumors in the Inner Domain that the mountains of the North are the boundary of the Inner Domain. Finally, they arrived at Zi Yun¡¯s destination, a gorge formed between the two peaks. The moment he stepped into the gorge, Meng Chong¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What is this?¡± The sight within the gorge resembled the aftermath of a battlefield. It seemed a powerful figure had unleashed a great battle here, leaving behind traces of the conflict. Even the covering snow could not hide them. From the remnants of the battle, Meng Chong was shocked to discover that the strength of the fighting martial artist was unimaginable, far surpassing his current strength. Even if Elder Brother Xu Yan broke through to the Tongxuan Realm, his power could not compare to the warriors who fought here. ¡°Right here. The deeper we go inside, the colder it gets. There are some dangers, so be careful.¡± Zi Yun warned, her eyes filled with a mix of excitement and seriousness. Meng Chong took a deep breath and stepped into the gorge. The cold was even more intense here. The deeper he went, a chilling sensation seemed to penetrate his body, threatening to freeze his blood. Ahead, a large pit appeared, and in it, a spiritual medicine was growing. A Fifth Grade Spiritual Medicine! Zi Yun got down from Meng Chong. Emitting a faint purple glow, she carefully descended into the pit, dug out the spiritual medicine, and put it into her storage bag. Continuing to move forward, she clung tightly to Meng Chong, her expression slightly tense. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. The snow was swept up, transforming into a giant palm, which slapped violently towards them. ¡°Be careful!¡± Zi Yun warned in a tense voice. Meng Chong frowned. This blow was not from an enemy appearing, but a result of a once powerful warrior unleashing this strike, which remained in some unknown way. Boom! Meng Chong threw a punch, his power like a wild storm, instantly dismantling the palm. The moment the giant palm disintegrated and disappeared, Meng Chong¡¯s expression changed. He sensed a faint fluctuation that seemed familiar¡­ a remnant spirit or resentment? He was reminded of his life-and-death battle with Senior Wu when he finally killed him. The bug that Senior Wu had laid had the same faint fluctuation. Although this palm¡¯s fluctuation was much weaker than the one emitted by the bug and seemed to carry some resentment, he understood, that the fluctuation could be the resentment or remnant spirit left by a Heaven Realm level entity! ¡°What is this place?¡± Meng Chong asked Zi Yun with a serious look. He¡¯s no longer the ignorant novice in Martial Arts. After encountering a quasi-Heavenly Realm entity, he realized Senior Wu was taken over by a remnant spirit of a fallen Heavenly Realm entity. Back then, he killed a crippled Heavenly Realm entity! ¡°The Demon Hunting Battlefield!¡± Zi Yun released a sigh of relief as she saw Meng Chong disintegrate the palm, and then explained. Back then, she stopped here because she was struck by this palm and seriously injured. ¡°It is said that the Demon Lord of ancient times came out of the Gate of Ling Domain, and other powerful figures who also emerged from the gate hunted this Demon Lord here¡­¡± Zi Yun, leaning on Meng Chong, began to narrate the legend of the Demon Hunting Battlefield. In the center of the surrounded big mountains, there was a small outcrop. Xu Yan and Du Yuying walked over. ¡°That¡¯s the entrance to the Tomb of the Heavenly Beings.¡± Yuying pointed excitedly towards the small hill. Xu Yan, who constantly felt a gentle breeze around him, looked curious.. Just how powerful were real Heavenly Beings? Chapter 339 Translator: 549690339 | The two headed towards the hill, and as Xu Yan raised his hand, the layers of soil on the small hill continually peeled off. After the entire hill had shrunk by a third, a stone house finally emerged. The door of the stone house was tightly closed, and on the heavy stone door, there was a pattern engraved, resembling disoriented clouds and mountains. ¡°This is it!¡± Upon seeing the pattern on the stone door, Du Yuying was overjoyed. Unable to contain her emotions, she couldn¡¯t help but cough. With each cough, she took the chance to lean on Xu Yan¡­ Outside of Canglan Island, the crowd was buzzing, and the momentum was as fierce as a storm. The clouds in the sky had been swept away, leaving only a heavy and oppressive aura, pressing down like a tremendous mountain. ¡°It¡¯s terrifying!¡± Chewing on his tongue nervously, Shi¡¯er was holding his jagged knife. ¡°Coward!¡± Zhou Ying bit down on her teeth, gripping her long knife tightly, disdainfully glancing at Shi¡¯er. Shi¡¯er:¡­ The Red Cat, which had initially been sleeping in the Spiritual Fruit Forest, was directly awakened. Its tail curled up, and it quickly dug a pit on the ground with its claws, burying itself and only leaving a pair of eyes exposed. Su Lmgxiu¡¯s hand was clutching the corner of her clothes, her face slightly pale. She looked outside Canglan Island to see crowding martial artists, all of whom were Great Grandmasters at the front. And behind the crowd, were all Great Grandmaster Martial Artists. Although not all of the Great Grandmaster-level powerhouses from the Inner Domain had arrived, at least seventy to eighty percent had gathered. With such a terrifying lineup, even a genuine martial artist would likely not withstand their onslaught, right? Even if they didn¡¯t die, they would be forced to flee in a sorry state, or even suffer serious injuries. Fortunately, her master was far beyond a standard martial artist. To her master, this was a piece of cake. Su Lingxiu anxiously said, ¡°Master, don¡¯t keep fighting against opponents in the same realm anymore. Just suppress them directly with your overwhelming realm, okay?¡± In his heart, Li Xuan muttered, ¡°1 would if I could, but my level is only the Tongxuan Realm, alas!¡± Calmly, he said, ¡°As a master, I never bully others because of my realm. Besides, I have no opponents any longer, and can no longer fight to my heart¡¯s content. So, I¡¯ll seize this opportunity to flex my abilities a bit and reminisce about the old days when I was invincible.¡± Su Lingxiu pressed her lips together, realizing that her master had been so invincible for so long that he had no more opponents, felt lonely, and thus suppressed his realm and moved about just for the sake of some fun. ¡°How high is Master¡¯s realm exactly? The eldest disciple once said that Master is close to the existence of Dao.¡± Su Lingxiu pondered in her heart. Li Xuan looked at the shocked expressions on everyone¡¯s faces. Feeling incomparably thrilled, he stood up, twisted his waist and swung his arms, appearing to warm up for the battle. Su Lingxiu was excited. She could see her master¡¯s invincible figure. Shi¡¯er and the others were extremely excited, not worried about the safety of Canglan Island at all. The demonic children and others, leading a group of peak Great Grandmasters, their auras connected, blended together, as if integrated with the heaven and earth, appeared very confident at this moment. Even if they faced a martial artist, they felt they could fight! At this time, more than twenty figures flew over. Each of them exuded arrogant demeanors and wore precious swords around their waists. The person leading them had a slender figure, a resolute face, piercing eyes, and looked exactly like a sharp sword. The moment the powerful warriors of the Sky-defying Alliance saw him, their expressions hardened. The master of Ya Cliff, Xie Tianheng! ¡°Now that Master Xie has also arrived, it¡¯s perfect. Let¡¯s oppose the heaven-defying, hand in hand!¡± A deputy master of the Seven-star Study Palace spoke with a smile. Xie Tianheng glanced over, sneered at the corner of his mouth, showing contempt, ¡°Coward! Who wants to oppose the heaven-defying hand in hand with you, a useless bunch who can only gather momentum for courage! ¡°I, Xie Tianheng, am ashamed to be allied with you!¡± I he deputy palace master of the Seven-star Study Palace was taken aback, then his face turned green with anger. Who was Xie Tianheng calling a coward? All the other powerful warriors wore confused expressions. Did Xie Tianheng have some grudge with this deputy master? ¡°What do you mean, Xie Tianheng?¡± Boom! The deputy palace master¡¯s aura erupted as he gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°At this moment, we have come to oppose the Martial Artist and should not create internal discord.¡± The demonic child said in a deep voice. Immediately, the deputy palace master¡¯s expression changed, and he subsided, but he stared at Xie Tianheng, gritting his teeth in anger. ¡°Master Xie, your grudge with him can be addressed later. Now, the priority for all of us should be to oppose the Martial Artist!¡± The demonic child looked at Xie Tianheng and said. ¡°You¡¯re an old waste, not worthy to speak with this Sword Master. Who ever said I wanted to work with you?¡± Xie Tianheng coldly scorned. The Evil Child was shocked. An old waste? ¡°Sword Master Xie, did you just call me an old waste?¡± The Evil Child¡¯s face darkened, when his name, Demon Child, held sway within the Inner Domain, Xie Tianheng wasn¡¯t even a speck of liquid. And now this disdain for himself?! Xie Tianheng smirked, pointing his finger arrogantly, ¡°I called you an old waste, not just you, all of you are waste!¡± Silence! All of the strong fighters within the Alliance to Teminate the Heavens stared at Xie Tianheng, their anger billowing. Their wrath, originally aimed at Canglan Island, was on the verge of being redirected towards Xie Tianheng. The powerful fighters of Swords¡¯ Cliff turned green. Their Sword Master¡¯s madness knew no bounds, even if one of them couldn¡¯t defeat him, there are many skilled fighters in the Alliance! Feeling the momentum of the Alliance to Terminate the Heavens, several elders of Swords¡¯ Cliff hurriedly conveyed a message to the Demon Child and others, ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive, our Sword Master, who just came out of seclusion, may have some problem. Please calm down, calm down!¡± ¡°Gentlemen, prioritize the big picture, don¡¯t lose your reason because of our Sword Master¡¯s rant!¡± The elders of Swords¡¯ Cliff were in turmoil, fearing that instead of killing the Celestials, they would kill Swords¡¯ Cliff. That would be terrible! The Demon Child and other powerful fighters took a deep breath, ignoring Xie Tianheng, focusing on the bigger picture of transgressing the Celestials. On Canglan Island, Li Xuan wore an odd expression, looking at the newly arrived Xie Lingfeng, ¡°Is your father always this arrogant?¡± He had started to admire Xie Tianheng. In front of a crowd of strong fighters, declaring ¡°you are all waste,¡± was akin to saying ¡°everybody here is garbage.¡± I he difference was, Xie Tianheng clearly did not have the strength to crush this crowd of strong fighters! Xie Lingfeng looked embarrassed, ¡°Please forgive us, elder. My father has become arrogant since coming out of seclusion.¡± As he was about to say more. One person from the Alliance to Terminate the Heavens stepped forward, coldly saying, ¡°Where is the Celestial? Hand them over, or we will attack ¡¯ today!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Li Xuan waved his hand, and that Martial Artist instantly exploded into ashes. He stood with one hand behind his back, looking indifferent, while rising into the air, his eyes indifferently looking at the crowd of martial artists in the Alliance to Terminate the Heavens. Even if you are a Celestial Martial Artist, could you stand against the power of the whole Inner Domain?¡± A purple-clad, blue-faced man coldly asked. ¡®Celestial Martial Artist, what¡¯s so great about that?¡± Li Xuan, unimpressed, calmly said, ¡°The Alliance to Terminate the Heavens? I will not belittle you by using my realm against you. Today, I will crush you all at the Third Realm of Martial Arts, the Tongxuan realm!¡± ¡°Arrogant!¡± The Demon Child gave a cold smile. He had heard about the Dahua Martial Arts. Theoretically, the Tongxuan Realm corresponds to the Great Grandmaster¡¯s Realm. But the other side is bragging about fighting the Alliance to Terminate the Heavens at the same level? ¡°Even Celestial Martial Artists can reverse the attack. You talk about fighting at the same level after reducing your own cultivation level. Stop bluffing. Today we are here to reverse the Celestials, you are destined to die!¡± With a boom, the Demon Child¡¯s hair flew wildly as he held a knife in his hand. Layers of bloody light emerged from his body, As the cold energy surged and stirred, the spiritual energy of nature flowed towards him, his impressive pressure surged like a raging tide. The purple-robed, blue-faced man, and the red-robed, blue-faced man beside the Demon Child, as well as the other near-Celestial fighters, all looked serious. Demon Child, a well-known cruel character, was once a trusted follower of the Demon Lord! He was the most powerful person present. Reverse the Celestials, to be written down in the history of Martial Arts. It starts today!¡± ¡°The Gate of Lingyu should not be monopolized!¡± The purple-robed, blue-faced man shouted loudly. I he near-Celestial fighters and all the other peak grandmasters were also ready to go. The breaths of these powerful fighters intertwined. They formed a terrifying wave of pressure magic, visibly rippling like tidal waves, and the river water instantly stopped flowing. The water could not flow downstream, and a huge wall of water formed upstream. The wall of water grew taller and thicker, as if it would turn into a giant wave at any time and crash down. Even Xie Tianheng, was serious at this time. He led the fighters of Swords¡¯ Cliff to retreat. On Canglan Island, everyone held their breath, watching nervously as the tremendous pressure and figure standing alone on the river. Su Lingxiu gripped the corners of her dress her face filled with anxiety. Even though she knew her master was incredibly powerful and safe, she couldn¡¯t help but be nervous.. Chapter 340 Li Xuan stood alone against thousands of martial artists, his expression calm, yet his heart heavy. The Demonic Child¡¯s power surpassed that of any Semi-Heavenly being he had ever encountered. Of course, even with his current strength, he was not really considered much. However, the severe wei element formed by the intertwining force fields of such a multitude of strong warriors was not to be taken lightly. Once they attacked, it would cause earth-shattering damage! Gathering the might of all the great grandmasters in the world was not something to be underestimated! Li Xuan somewhat believed that even a true Heavenly Martial Artist, when faced with this formation, would have to retreat thrice and flee. But, he was not in the least afraid! His blood soared even more with the thought of the monumental battles he had orchestrated till now, the martial arts he had created, becoming the martial ancestor of the Dahua, and the various battle experiences he had compiled. He had never truly had a big fight, At this moment, he even longed for a battle. ¡°Conquering everything lies before me, today, I, Li Xuan, will suppress everything!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s blood was boiling with excitement. Today, he wished to experience the thrill of conquering everything. In a blink, the river seemed the same, yet it also seemed to have changed. The third level of the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers! ¡°Master, do you need a weapon?¡± On Canglan Island, Shi¡¯er suddenly spoke. If his Master wanted to sweep all others of the same level, wouldn¡¯t he need a weapon? Hence, he jitteringly raised his serrated knife and asked. As he spoke up, the Demonic Child and others turned their gaze towards him. Suddenly! ¡°Why is the Blood Spirit Knife in your hands?¡± The Demonic Child¡¯s expression drastically changed as he furiously yelled out. He even uncharacteristically moved to eliminate Shi¡¯er on Canglan Island and snatch back the Blood Spirit Knife! Li Xuan raised an eyebrow, clapped his hands, and the Golden Dragon spiraled to block the Demonic Child¡¯s path. He didn¡¯t kill the Demonic Child because he believed he could learn about the identity of the original body-snatcher from the Demonic Child¡¯s mouth. ¡°The Blood Spirit Knife?¡± The warriors from top forces were stirred, and they all looked at the serrated knife in Shi¡¯er¡¯s hand! Shi¡¯er, being stared at by such strong warriors, was so nervous that he was close to breaking out in cold sweat. His hand trembling faintly as he tried to hide the serrated knife behind him. ¡°Could it really be the Blood Spirit Knife?¡± ¡°Despite being a bit damaged, it indeed looks like the Blood Spirit Knife from the rumors.¡± Fabled to be the weapon of the demonic leader, the Blood Spirit Knife! The Demonic Child was howling and ferociously attacking. He roared, ¡°Why is the Blood Spirit Knife in your hand? Speak! Where did Uncle Blood go?¡± Soon after, the Demonic Child¡¯s eyes turned bloody red. Staring at Li Xuan, he menacingly said, ¡°Was it you? Did you kill Uncle Blood Spirit?¡± All the Semi-Heavenly warriors present realized the truth. Rumors about the Demonic Child and the Demonic Leader were likely true. This was evident from the Demonic Child¡¯s address for him. ¡°Brother Demonic Child, it must have been this man who killed the Demonic Leader. The chance for revenge is right here, don¡¯t be impulsive. Let¡¯s attack together.¡± The Empress Dowager of the Great Yue Kingdom spoke in a deep voice. The Demonic Child seemed to have calmed down, retreated and returned to his previous position, intertwining his force with everyone else¡¯s. Gasping for breath with blood-red eyes, he hoarsely said, ¡°You indeed are a Heavenly Martial Artist, but I bet you suffered severe injuries, didn¡¯t you? Uncle Blood Spirit, who was a Heavenly Martial Artist himself, wouldn¡¯t have been killed by you without paying a high price!¡± Great warriors including the Purple Robe and the Green Face were awestruck. The Demonic Leader, Blood Spirit Child, was a Heavenly Martial Artist! Now, they all remembered the rumors about the martial artists that intended to kill the Demonic Leader. Although those events were deliberately eroded for various reasons. But their forces still retained these rumors. The Empress Dowager of the Great Yue Kingdom had a complex expression on her face. The Demonic Leader, Blood Spirit Child, who had dominated everyone, had indeed been rumored to be stronger than a Great Grandmaster. So, it was true! Li Xuan had a sudden realization. The one who had almost killed Meng Chong turned out to be the Demon Religion¡¯s Demonic Leader from the rumors! A Heavenly Martial Artist. Li Xuan was somewhat puzzled. Why would such a powerhouse end up with only a remnant of his soul left, surviving by possessing an old man with something like a bug? Perhaps, the one who targeted Meng Chong did so because of Meng Chong¡¯s robust physical body and substantial vitality. Looking at the Demonic Child with murderous intent and the crazed expression, Li Xuan smiled faintly and said, ¡°A mere ant that only has a wisp of soul left, who wanted to make a comeback by body possession, was killed by my disciple¡¯s single strike.¡± ¡°Alih¡­You deserve to die, and your disciple deserves to die too!¡± Demonic Child was completely out of control, nearly insane. ¡°Attack, kill him!¡± Demonic Child roared. ¡°Attack!¡± People like the Purple Robe and Green Face and the Empress Dowager of the Great Yue Country ordered in deep voices. Boom! Li Xuan raised his hand and took a step out, indifferently saying, ¡°Today, it is time for the martial artists of the Inner Domain to witness what a true Heavenly Power is, so they no longer have frog¡¯s perspective at the bottom of the well!¡± In that instant, the river seemed to transform into a giant sword, floating up into the sky, and slashing towards the allied forces of the Anti-Heaven Alliance. With one stroke of the sword, the heavens and earth changed colors! Li Xuan also didn¡¯t dare to be careless and used all his strength. With a punch, the giant dragon roared and attacked like a real dragon emerging into the world! Raising his hand for a slash, the Dominating Celestial Blade dominated everything under the heavens, the blade light crossed the sky, unstoppable. A punch was sent out, the fierce wind rumbled, destroying everything! Xie Tianheng and other warriors on the cliff of Sword Saint were horrified at this moment. Is this the power of the Heavenly Realm? With their strength, they naturally sensed that the power Li Xuan deployed did not have the pressure of beings like the Heavenly people. This proves that he was indeed facing the enemy with the same level! He had so many opponents and did not bully them with his realm. How much of a noble figure was this! The Semi-Heavenly warriors of the Anti-Heaven Alliance, along with the peak grandmasters, launched a combined attack, their appearance terrifying as if they wanted to bombard the river and wipe away Canglan Island! Chapter 341 However, faced with such a terrifying attack, Xie Tianheng and the others only saw the Cang River rising into the sky and transforming into a giant sword, causing a loud slash, directly tearing apart the offensive of the Sky Sundering Alliance. Immediately after, a thousand-foot-long Golden Giant Dragon roared into the Sky Sundering Alliance. The unmatched light of the blade was as powerful as a gust of thunder. Every movement was as simple as killing an ant! Li Xuan¡¯s gaze was indifferent. Each of his movements showcased the Mountain River Sword Dao, Heaven and Earth Tyrant Blade, Descending Dragon Palm, the Thunder and Diamond Fist. Within a mere moment, the red-robed figure and the Dowager Empress of Dayue were blown to pieces one after another. One by one, the peak Great Grandmasters turned into flying ashes and dissipated. With each step forward, dozens of martial artists were reduced to ashes and faded into nothingness. On Canglan Island, everyone was immensely shocked. Is the power of Tongxuan so strong? Xu Yan was already absurdly powerful, and after entering Tongxuan Realm, he casually killed those who were half a step into the realm of Celestials. But now, when compared, the difference was far too great. It was as if there was a hundred-fold difference! Su Lingxiu muttered to herself: ¡°No wonder my master always said that if he could have half his power from back then, that would be enough for him.¡± ¡°Forget about having half, even if one could have a tenth of the Master¡¯s power at the same realm, that would be enough to sweep hundreds or thousands of people of the same realm.¡± At this moment, Su Lingxiu felt powerless. Her master was just like a mountain. One that could only be looked up to, but impossible to climb. All the strong people in Sky Sundering Alliance were shivering at this moment, yelling out loud, frantically taking action, constantly displaying their secret techniques. However, they were still not able to shake that person in the slightest! The opponent hadn¡¯t even revealed a shred of the Celestial¡¯s power! Are Martial Arts from Dahua really this terrifying? At this moment, many people regretted joining this battle. But it was too late now. Most of the Great Grandmasters, who were below the peak Great Grandmasters, were behind the strongest fighters. Their intention was just to contribute a bit to the big fight. The real determinant of victory or defeat were the ones in front, the people who were half a step into the Celestial realm and the peak Great Grandmasters. At this moment, these Great Grandmasters were terrified. Taking advantage of the fact that the battle had not yet reached them, they hurriedly withdrew, hoping to sever their ties and claim that they weren¡¯t members of the Sky Sundering Alliance! ¡°You¡¯re trying to pressure me by gathering the power of the world? Today, I am going to push against the whole world!¡± Li Xuan said indifferently. At this moment, his blood was boiling. This thrilling and intense battle was far more enjoyable than he had imagined. ¡°Kill!¡± The Demon Child, with bloodshot eyes, made use of the opportunity to leave the battlefield and headed towards Canglan Island, aiming for Shi¡¯er! ¡°Humph!¡± Li Xuan snorted coldly. The Sword Intent, as subtle as a breeze, blew down from Canglan Island and skimmed over the Demon Child¡¯s body. The Demon Child, who had just rushed onto Canglan Island and was not far from Shi¡¯er, lost the light in his eyes and his consciousness dissipated completely. With a thud, the corpse fell not far in front of Shi¡¯er. Shi¡¯er¡¯s face was covered in cold sweat, holding the Blood Spirit Blade in his hand, looking lost and even thinking about throwing the blade aside. ¡°You¡¯re so squeamish! If you don¡¯t dare to use it, give it to me!¡± Zhou Ying said contemptuously. ¡°Who said I don¡¯t dare to use it!¡± Shi¡¯er hugged the blade to his chest and forcefully calmed himself down. All the strong half Celestial characters had been wiped out. Only a few peak Great Grandmasters remained, their faces pale and in a state of panic. ¡°Predecessor, please spare us!¡± ¡°We were deceived by others, please forgive us, senior!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s gaze was calm. With a wave of his hand, he eradicated the remaining peak Great Grandmasters. He had taught his disciple that in the face of enemies, they should crush their bones and destroy their souls. As a master, he had to lead by example. No enemy could be spared! He looked up at the remaining Great Grandmasters who had retreated far away, as if they wanted to sever their ties with Sky Sundering Alliance. These Great Grandmasters, however, were all here to oppose the Celestials. Just at this moment, they had been scared out of their wits and hastily withdrew to a safe distance in the hope of severing ties. ¡°If I kill all of them, how many Great Grandmasters will I have left in the Inner Realm?¡± Li Xuan murmured to himself. But if he didn¡¯t kill them, it might make him appear too compassionate. On the other hand, if he killed them, it might just make him seem too ruthless, as he was almost wiping out all the Great Grandmasters in the Inner Realm. Just then. Among the terrified Great Grandmasters, a voice rang out: ¡°The Sky Sundering Alliance is against heaven. They have bewitched the world¡¯s martial artists and caused rebellion against the higher authorities. Their hearts deserve to be put to death. Senior Celestial is respected and trusted, he has suppressed the rebellious Sky Sundering Alliance and restored peace to my Inner Realm!¡± ¡°I feel deeply grateful, and thank my predecessor, for ridding our Inner Domain of this rebel, restoring the righteousness to our Martial Arts realm. I bow in gratitude to the celestial predecessor!¡± As these words rang out, the panicked Grandmasters, as if finding their backbone, seemed to see hope. They all knelt in respect, ¡°We all bow in gratitude to the celestial predecessor who suppressed the heavenly alliance¡¯s traitors, and restored peace and order to our Inner Domain!¡± ¡°We bow in thanks to our predecessor!¡± Looking at the countless kneeling figures of the Grandmasters and martial artists in front, Li Xuan smiled. Among so many people, there would inevitably be a few sharp ones. They took the opportunity to kneel and dissociate themselves from the Heavenly Alliance. From this day forward, this battle was no longer about the martial artists of the Inner Domain gathering forces to rebel against the celestial beings. Nay, it was about the celestial predecessor suppressing the tumult in the Martial Arts world caused by the Heavenly Alliance! To restore peace and order to the Inner Domain, to bring back righteousness to the Martial Arts realm. The predecessor was a noble figure of grand morality, a leading light, squashing rebels with a single move, reversing fortunes! This was the truth that the victor could change history! ¡°We kneel in gratitude to the predecessor, for suppressing the Heavenly Alliance¡¯s traitors, saving us from a sea of suffering, and restoring order to our Inner Domain!¡± All the Grandmasters knelt and cried out in high spirits. The more loudly they shouted, the more solemn their expressions became, as though it were indeed true that the predecessor suppressed the rebels, restored peace to the Inner Domain, and saved them from deep waters. Li Xuan chuckled and said indifferently, ¡°That¡¯s how the story should go!¡± There was no further need to kill. In an instant, those grandmasters were crying with gratitude, ¡°We thank the predecessor for his great kindness and virtue!¡± ¡°The predecessor¡¯s great virtue is unequaled in past and present¡­¡± The sound of sycophancy filled the air like a surging tide. Boom! A deafening noise echoed. Upstream Cang River, with the conclusion of the great battle, a wall of water came crashing down, causing a massive wave, surging forwards. Li Xuan looked on as the terrifying wave raged towards Canglan Island, threatening to wash it away. Without waiting for Li Xuan to make a move, those previously kneeling Grandmasters rushed forward, working together to suppress the great wave, calming the raging waters of the Cang River. Li Xuan stepped forward and once again sat down on the chair on Canglan Island. ¡°Master, have some tea!¡± Su Lingxiu, her face red with excitement, brewed a pot of Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea, and poured a cup for her master. ¡°Hmm!¡± As Li Xuan sipped his tea, it was as though the earlier battle was as easy as crushing a few ants. Though he alone suppressed the Heavenly Alliance and overpowered all opposition, this battle had somewhat depleted him. Of all the times he had intervened since his arrival, this was the most involved and intense. Su Lingxiu massaged her master¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Master, it¡¯s all because your disciple isn¡¯t up to par, forcing you to condescend to personally deal with such weaklings. It has indeed been hard on you!¡± Li Xuan smiled. ¡°As long as you¡¯re aware. You must train well, enhance your strength, reach a level where no one can match you within the same realm, or even overturn those above you. That would truly comfort your master.¡± Su Lingxiu pouted, ¡°Master, but how can I possibly become invincible within the same realm? Our senior brothers are way stronger than I am, no matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t catch up.¡± ¡°Then strive to become invincible within your realm, besides your two brothers.¡± Li Xuan pat her hand and said. ¡°Master, I am, in fact, already so.¡± Su Lingxiu giggled playfully. Upon realizing, Li Xuan noticed Su Lingxiu¡¯s strength was indeed only weaker than Xu Yan and Meng Chong. ¡°Don¡¯t become complacent. Continue working hard on your training. The Martial Path is endless.¡± Li Xuan ernestly told her. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded her head, an earnest look on her face. The master alone had overwhelmed the world. Now, the entire Inner Domain had no forces or individuals strong enough to pose any issue for her anymore. Even if the Gate of Lingyu and the celestial legends seemed enticing, one needed sufficient strength to pursue them. She finally breathed a sigh of relief internally. However, Su Lingxiu knew that if the opening of the Gate of Lingyu were related to her, the potential danger would always remain. Even if it wasn¡¯t in the Inner Domain, what about inside the Gate of Lingyu? Su Lingxiu promised herself that she would aim to break through the Tongxuan Realm as soon as possible, and even reach higher realms. Only then could she truly eliminate any looming threat! ¡°If only I possessed even a tenth of my master¡¯s power within the same realm. Then, today, I could have suppressed the Heavenly Alliance on my own.¡± Su Lingxiu thought silently to herself. Just then, a figure walked over. His imposing aura was like that of a sharp sword drawn from its sheath. Xie Tianheng! Chapter 342 Everyone on Canglan Island turns their gaze towards Xie Tianheng, the sword master of Sword Dao Cliff. At this moment, he exudes an imposing aura, poised for an intense battle. A short while ago, many powerful figures from the opposing alliance were effortlessly subdued and killed. How dare he strike? Xie Lingfeng¡¯s face turns pale, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. What was his father thinking? He emerged from seclusion, now brimming with an unprecedented amount of arrogance. The other practitioners have severely underestimated their opponents. Even formidable demi-gods and grandmasters were reduced to nothing but ash. And he¡¯s still thinking about challenging them? ¡°Father, listen to me¡­¡± Xie Lingfeng is on the verge of tears. ¡°Step aside, child.¡± Xie Tianheng casually tosses aside the flustered Xie Lingfeng. Outside Canglan Island, a group of strong warriors of Sword Dao Cliff catches Xie Lingfeng and retreats to a safe distance. ¡°Young Master Sword, don¡¯t stay too close. If you were to be caught in the crossfire, it¡¯d be disastrous!¡± ¡°Exactly, there might be something wrong with our Sword Master. You can¡¯t afford to be reckless now. You¡¯re the next Sword Master after all.¡± Xie Lingfeng almost coughs up blood. Li Xuan continues to sit on his chair, looking at Xie Tianheng with a peculiar expression. This father of Xie Lingfeng is really quite brave! Xie Tianheng unsheathes his sword, his eyes resolved and his expression solemn: ¡°All my life, I, Xie Tianheng, have pursued the pinnacle of Sword Dao. I¡¯ve always believed that a true martial artist of Sword Dao must have the courage to challenge the stronger ones to push oneself beyond the limits!¡± Li Xuan nods in his heart. Xie Tianheng is a proud man, blessed with an extraordinary talent for Sword Dao. He is quite a wild and arrogant soul. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t dare belittle all the strong fighters of the opposing alliance. His courage is commendable! ¡°During my seclusion, I had a breakthrough. I believe 1 have found a path in Sword Dao that no martial artist before me has tread. I, Xie Tianheng, am certain to pioneer a new era for Sword Dao. ¡°I acknowledge that I am no match for my seniors, but I need to hone my Sword Dao. The only way is to challenge the strong. Today, I mustered up the courage to seek guidance from my seniors!¡± Xie Tianheng speaks in a deep, proud tone. Li Xuan becomes curious. What kind of Sword Dao has Xie Tianheng understood? Could it be more powerful than the Sword Dao he himself has created? Claiming himself to be the number one in the history of Sword Dao? Also stating he will be the pioneer of Sword Dao? ¡°Then let me see how you can claim to be the number one in the history of Sword Dao and pioneer a new era of Sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan responds, with a light chuckle. ¡°You won¡¯t be disappointed!¡± Xie Tianheng replies solemnly. ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡± Li Xuan remains seated, not even bothering to stand up. To practice Sword Dao before him? Bold indeed! Xie Tianheng doesn¡¯t mind. This time, his only goal is to challenge the stronger so as to refine his Sword Dao. Boom! He raises his long sword. In that split second, a formidable sword force explodes from Xie Tianheng. The sword force grows stronger, shaking heaven and earth, concentrating on the longsword. At this moment, Xie Tianheng appears like a longsword standing between heaven and earth. The fierce and deadly sword force, concentrated and undispersed, is like a sword storm! Outside Canglan Island, Xie Lingfeng, filled with utmost urgency, and the worried strong warriors of Sword Dao Cliff, are all dumbfounded at this moment. What kind of Sword Dao is this? The sword force that stands between heaven and earth, concentrated and undispersed, fierce and deadly, is even beyond the power of demi-gods! ¡°What powerful Sword Dao has our Sword Master comprehended?¡± ¡°Pioneering a new era of Sword Dao? No wonder the Sword Master is so arrogant!¡± All the warriors from Sword Dao Cliff sway in a trance. ¡°What has my father realized? It feels so powerful!¡± Xie Lingfeng is also amazed. Li Xuan looks at Xie Tianheng with great surprise. This Sword Dao Cliff Sword Master indeed possesses extraordinary talent in Sword Dao. He has surpassed Xie Lingfeng! Except for Xu Yan, Xie Tianheng probably has the strongest talent in Sword Dao. What¡¯s more, Xie Tianheng is not a demi-god, but a peak grandmaster. He hasn¡¯t taken that half-step, but with the fierce, deadly, and remendously powerful sword force, he can ignore the power of the demi-gods. No wonder Xie Tianheng is so arrogant. ¡°I Xie Tianheng, have comprehended the momentum of Sword Dao. The momentum is the sword, and the sword is the momentum. This is a solution to Sword Dao and also a path of Sword Dao that no one ever has tread. ¡°I, Xie Tianheng, am the pioneer of Sword Dao and today, I seek guidance from my seniors!¡± Xie Tianheng looks proud, with an aura of ¡®if not me, then who else¡¯. Li Xuan reveals a smile. Xie Tianheng has not comprehended the Sword Intent, and he does not have the Heart of Sword, but he has comprehended the Sword Force and concentrated the Sword Force. As force becomes the sword and sword becomes the force, this concentrated Sword Force is vast and fierce. At this moment, Xie Tianheng himself can be seen as a Sword Force standing between heaven and earth. Li Xuan sighs internally. If it had not been for his presence, creating a more powerful Sword Dao, and Xu Yan having understood it, and further reached the comprehension of Sword Intent, Xie Tianheng could have truly pioneered a new era of Sword Dao. At least, he could have pioneered the new era of Sword Dao in Inner Domain. However, even though the Sword Force is powerful, it is ultimately too scattered and weak in his eyes. Powerful yet purposeless, it is destined to dissipate like a gust of wind. Xu Yan¡¯s Heart of Sword has understood the Sword Force, but he feels it¡¯s too weak, so he has not practiced Sword Force, instead directly comprehended the stronger Sword Intent. Sword Intent is formless that can lead to the Dao, while Sword Force does not belong to the realm of Sword Dao, but is only a stronger killing technique. At least, that¡¯s how it is in Li Xuan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Even though Sword Force looks vast and seemingly powerful, in the end, it¡¯s too illusory.¡± Li Xuan shakes his head, raises his hand, and condenses nature¡¯s spiritual energy into a sword.. Chapter 343 ¡°In my eyes, you have not entered the Sword Dao yet. However, you indeed surpass a multitude of Martial Artists of the Sword Dao. You can be considered to have extraordinary talent.¡± ¡°This is Sword Intent, only those with a clear understanding of the sword can enter the Sword Dao and comprehend the Sword Intent.¡± ¡°You should try this sword and see how much you can comprehend. It¡¯s all up to you.¡± As Li Xuan spoke, he waved his hand and the sword, refined from spiritual energy, slashed towards Xie Tianheng. A surge of Mountain and River Sword Intent swept out. ¡°Sword Intent?¡± Xie Tianheng frowned as he swung his sword down; the powerful sword momentum, condensed into a giant sword, seemingly capable of breaking everything! However, the immensely powerful sword momentum, upon contact with spiritual energy and Sword Intent, was like a lump of fat thrown on red-hot iron. With a hiss, it was effortlessly shattered. ¡°Impossible!¡± Xie Tianheng was taken aback. ¡°Slice!¡± In that instant, Xie Tianheng¡¯s sword momentum surged violently, exhibiting the Myriad Rivers Swordsmanship, overwhelming and continuous. Still, in face of that sword, he was utterly defenseless. His full confidence, deemed to be capable of looking down on previous and contemporary Sword Dao¡¯s momentum, turned out to be so vulnerable. ¡°Sword Intent?!¡± In that moment, Xie Tianheng was somewhat in a trance. The more he initiated, the more he felt the strength and mystery of the Sword Intent. His sword momentum, as if controlled by the Sword Intent, appeared to have no offensive power to speak of. It seemed as though those who understood Sword Intent could easily suppress practitioners of Sword Dao without Sword Intent! Xie Tianheng couldn¡¯t accept that the momentum of the Sword Dao he had painstakingly comprehended would be so inadequate. He went all out, his horrifying sword momentum growing stronger and stronger, its awe-inspiring presence exceeding a Semi-Celestial¡¯s full force. ¡°No matter how strong the sword momentum is, it is just a gust of wind. A strong wind can break a tree and lift a house but it cannot move a massive rock. ¡°Sword Intent, however, can reduce the massive rock to ash. ¡°You can comprehend sword momentum, which is commendable. If you can transform momentum into intent, and comprehend Sword Intent, then you¡¯d truly enter the gateway of the Sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan chuckled and offered his advice. Xie Tianheng¡¯s expression tightened, his composure wavering. After his seclusion, he thought he had entered a Sword Dao path that was unprecedented, pioneering a new era of Sword Dao. For a time, he didn¡¯t regard anyone in the world. Yet now, his Sword Dao¡¯s momentum was so weak? Sword Intent, what profound doctrine was that? He had never heard of it before. And in this powerful person¡¯s eyes, he hadn¡¯t even entered the doorway of Sword Dao? ¡°Thanks for your advice, Junior takes leave!¡± Xie Tianheng was on the verge of breaking down. He withdrew his sword intent, bowed with a stiff face and spoke. After which, he swiftly departed. ¡°Father!¡± Xie Lingfeng called out anxiously. ¡°Sword Lord!¡± The Great Masters on the Sword Dao Cliff all shouted and followed swiftly. Only Xie Lingfeng was left, flustered. Shamefully returning to Canglan Island, he said, ¡°Elder, forgive me, my father For a moment, he didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Your father, on the path of Sword Dao, has quite a talent. If he can move on from his setback, given time, he will inevitably enter the Sword Dao and comprehend the Sword Intent.¡± Li Xuan said with a smile. Xie Lingfeng was somewhat surprised, the elder¡¯s evaluation of his father was that high? ¡°You are still a bit away from entering the Sword Dao. Reaching Sword Intent in one step, for you, requires either slow comprehension over time, which won¡¯t be short. ¡°Or to wait for a flash of insight, then you can also comprehend Sword Intent. ¡°But you can first comprehend sword momentum, and then condense Sword Intent from sword momentum. For you, this is the right path. Li Xuan opened his mouth to give advice. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s talent naturally wasn¡¯t bad, he was already not far from stepping into the Sword Dao. Sword Intent is too hard to comprehend, not everyone is a freak like Xu Yan. The appearance of Xie Tianheng made Li Xuan realize how to lower the threshold for entering the Sword Dao. Practitioners of Sword Dao can start by cultivating Sword Momentum as their foundation. Even if they fail to comprehend Sword Intent, but have honed the Sword Momentum, their strength will significantly increase. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, elder!¡± Xie Lingfeng respectfully saluted. Without staying on Canglan Island for long, Xie Lingfeng quickly left to comfort his father and learn about Sword Momentum. ¡°Xie Tianheng is quite interesting!¡± Li Xuan chuckled. The incident of the Pledge Alliance countering the Celestials spread throughout the Inner Realm Martial Arts world, with all martial artists paying attention to the outcome. In the imperial city of Great Yue Nation, the atmosphere was tense, with the Emperor and the great clans all quietly awaiting the news. Yan Nation, Purple Cloud Nation, and many great forces remaining strong as well. This counter-attack against the Celestials brought forth many powerful people. Such as one of the three great mysterious forces, the Green Faced Man, who despite the death of a Semi-Celestial, still had two Semi-Celestial powers, the Red Robe and the Purple Robe! This shocked many top forces. Although the Demon Sect was declining, it also revealed its powerful foundation in this battle. The residual Demon Lords all appeared. The notorious Demon Child also took action, his strength arguably the strongest among all Semi-Celestials. Such a lineup, gathering the power of all Great Grandmasters, even Celestials will suffer defeat, right? In the Great Yue Nation, several figures returned disheveled, entering the palace. ¡°So, did you kill the Celestials?¡± The Emperor of Great Yue and other strong individuals hurriedly asked. Those Grandmasters, looking deathly pale, their bodies trembling slightly, stood on the floor, their legs seeming weak! ¡°They¡¯re dead! They¡¯re all dead!¡± One of them said with a trembling voice.. Chapter 344 Daiyue King and the rest felt a jolt of surprise in their hearts, sensing that something was off about these men. A sense of dread crept up within them. ¡°Who was it? Celestials? Xu Yan, Meng Chong?¡± Hope flickered in the eyes of Daiyue King. ¡°All the Celestial candidates, all the peak Great Grandmasters are dead!¡± The voice of the Great Grandmaster was still trembling. While the others, their knees gave way, and they collapsed to the ground. ¡°With every gesture and step overpowering the world, unsurpassed, and also¡­¡± The speaker too, went limp and collapsed on the ground. ¡°And also, what?¡± The voice of the Daiyue King began to shake. Daiyue Kingdom¡¯s Celestial candidates, one perished last time, and this time, even the strongest of their core essence, are dead! Though their strength had diminished drastically, consoling was the fact that the other powerhouses also suffered heavy losses, hence, the Daiyue Kingdom still remained the most powerful nation. ¡°He, the senior Martial Artist, fought everyone in the Tongxuan Realm with Martial Arts. He did not suppress others with his realm¡­ Dahua Martial Arts, is too powerful.¡± Incredulity was written all over the faces of Daiyue King and his men. He did not suppress others with his realm, he lowered his own state, and wrestled with the enemies on equal terms. One man suppressed and killed the Renegade Alliance? Is Dahua Martial Arts at the Tongxuan Realm so formidable? The Great Grandmaster, spoke again: ¡°That we are still alive is due to the magnanimity and nobility of the senior Martial Artist. This was not a rebellion against the Celestials by the Renegade Alliance, but rather the Renegade Alliance¡¯s treachery which bred chaos in the Inner Realm Martial Arts world, causing havoc in the world. ¡°They committed heinous acts, rebelling against their superiors, oppressed martial artists, stirring conflict in the world of martial arts, leading to devastation and misery. ¡°They were unscrupulous and lunatics, colluding with the Devils, practicing the demonic ritual of sacrificing martial artists. Fortunately, the senior Martial Artist was able to turn the tide, suppressing the rebels of the Renegade Alliance. ¡°Returning peace to the Inner Realm, returning righteousness to the world of Martial Arts¡­¡± Daiyue King and his men, were momentarily at a loss for words. This defined the war, portraying the Renegade Alliance as evil forces wreaking havoc in the Inner Realm, and the senior Martial Artist as the suppressor of the evil! The senior Martial Artist, magnanimous, wise, and formidable¡­ Daiyue King and the others looked worn out, a bitter smile on their faces. They were aware, all these were conditions that the senior Martial Artist did not pay heed to! The Renegade Alliance had to be evil, the senior Martial Artist, the shining knight rescuing the common people in the Inner Realm, lofty and formidable! The truth, no matter what it is, the senior Martial Artist will have the final say! ¡°Issue the decree, denounce the Renegade Alliance as traitors, for causing havoc among the people, sacrificing martial artists, distorting the truth, collaborating with the Devils¡­¡± Pinning several heinous crimes on the Renegade Alliance. ¡°¡­ Thank the senior Martial Artist, magnanimous and wise, for saving the people of the Inner Realm, suppressing the evil Renegade Alliance, returning peace to the Inner realm, restoring righteousness to the world of Martial Arts¡­¡± Similar scenes also took place in Yan Nation, Purple Cloud Nation. And the remnants of the higher-level powerhouse also passed the order to their disciples, about the impressive achievements of the senior Martial Artist in saving the people of the Inner Realm. As for the Gate of Lingyu, it was merely an excuse for the Renegade Alliance to cause chaos! For the martial artists below the level of Grandmasters, who were not directly involved in this incident, the rebellion against the Celestials spun a complete about-face overnight, and they were all left startled. Is this the truth? The Inner Realm, so very nearly suffered near total annihilation, thankfully the senior Martial Artist suppressed the head of the Renegade Alliance and saved the people of the Inner Realm? But three nations and various top powerhouses directed their gratitude to the senior Martial Artist for saving their lives. Could this possibly be untrue? For a time, mid-to-low level martial artists, were moved to tears. So it turned out, the senior Martial Artist saved countless lives in the Inner Realm all on his own.. Chapter 345 ¡°Have you heard? The revered elder practiced Dahua Martial Arts and he doesn¡¯t bully others with his realm superiority, he annihilates the rebels of the Sky-cutting alliance merely using the mysterious power within his same realm.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard as well, Dahua Martial Arts, that¡¯s the orthodox way of martial arts!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll switch to practicing Dahua Martial Arts, regardless of the cost¡± ¡°Me too!¡± In the realm of Inner Domain Martial Arts, the hot topic now is the revered elder and the switch to practicing Dahua Martial Arts. ¡°My son, Inner Domain Martial Arts is too weak. There¡¯s no need for our family¡¯s inherited cultivation technique anymore. As you¡¯re still young, and your martial power is weak, switch to practicing Dahua Martial Arts.¡± ¡°From this day on, all new disciples of our School will practice Dahua Martial Arts.¡± ¡°From today onwards, our Martial Arts school will only teach Dahua Martial Arts.¡± After the revered elder has crushed the rebels of the Sky-cutting alliance with just the same realm powers, Dahua Martial Arts has become the first choice of practice for all newcomers to martial arts. At the same time, Qi-blood realm martial arts cultivation techniques are now available for sale at Tianbao Pavilion. Techniques beyond the Qi-blood realm are not currently for sale, If you wish to acquire them, you must go to Dahua. Because of this, some people are hesitant, afraid that if they practice Dahua Martial Arts, the conditions to gain later cultivation techniques will be harsh. Without further cultivation techniques, wouldn¡¯t that mean their progress would stall out? Of course, many more have resolutely chosen to practice Dahua Martial Arts. After all, not every martial artist believes they can break through to the Grandmaster¡¯s realm. Similarly, those who believe their innate talent is mediocre and have no hopes of becoming a Grandmaster, do not care about innate qualities. Practicing Dahua Martial Arts is at least stronger than Inner Domain Martial Arts at the Qi-blood Realm. It¡¯s worth it. More importantly, those who practice Dahua Martial Arts have a much longer lifespan than first-tiered martial artists from the Inner Domain. The Inner Domain Martial Arts world is all agog with practicing Dahua Martial Arts. The major forces, however, are in a tough spot and dare not speak out. They even brainwash themselves into thinking that the Sky-cutting Alliance are rebels, evil forces, and that¡¯s the truth! In the Seven-star Study Palace, Bai Yun Kong walks around, missing more than half of the familiar teachings from the past. It makes the whole Seven-star Study Palace seem scarce of teachings. The mission of the Seven-star Study Palace is not to be contradicted. Isn¡¯t this mission just empty words? There¡¯s something hidden within it.¡± ¡°Is the Gate of Lingyu really so easy to enter? Even after entering, what can be done? Inner Domain martial artists are still insignificant.¡± Bai Yun Kong murmurs to himself. Returning to his dwelling, he drinks tea, contemplating something. Will Dahua Martial Arts gradually replace Inner Domain martial arts? If one day Dahua Martial Arts is unrestricted, it could surpass the realm of Martial Arts Celestial Beings, the Inner Domain would undergo earth-shattering changes. By that time, the situation will be entirely different for Inner Domain martial artists entering the Gate of Lingyu.¡± ¡°That day still seems far off.¡± Bai Yun Kong shakes his head and smiles reluctantly. Even if the entire Inner Domain switches to practicing Dahua Martial Arts, it¡¯ll still take time for the overall strength to improve. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s a hassle for us martial arts scholars to teach martial arts to young students again. Those teachings are all useless.¡± An elderly man holding a fan appears with a sigh. ¡°Pang Yu, you¡¯re the head of the martial arts scholars, it¡¯s time for you to put in some effort.¡± Bai Yun Kong snorted. Pang Yu shakes his head and sighs, ¡°The current Palace Master is incompetent, causing trouble for us dedicated martial arts scholars!¡± Bai Yun Kong didn¡¯t bother responding. After Pang Yu sat down, he sighed and exclaimed: ¡°I never thought the vanished Demon Lord was dead. I had thought he escaped back to the Gate of Lingyu.¡± ¡°You seem to know quite a bit about the Demon Lord?¡± Bai Yun Kong curiously asked. ¡°Not much really. The previous head scholar was part of the group who surrounded and killed the Demon Lord, he barely escaped death and returned.¡± ¡°While he was still alive, he would often brag to me about those years, so I do know a bit about the Demon Lord.¡± Pang Yu shakes his head and sighs, his words revealing a certain disdain for the previous head scholar. ¡°The Demon Lord is rumored to have come from the Gate of Lingyu.¡± Bai Yun Kong said solemnly. ¡°Yes, he indeed comes from the Gate of Lingyu. The massacre of the Demon Lord killed too many. If it weren¡¯t for the people from Gate of Lingyu who came to kill the Demon Lord, everyone probably would have died.¡± Pang Yu sighed. ¡°Now in the Inner Domain, those who have witnessed the Demon Lord¡¯s deeds are probably all dead¡­ The Demon child, the Great Yue¡¯s empress dowager¡­ all these old folks are dead.¡± rhe story of the Demon Lord, there were strong people who forced the dynasties and major forces to erase the events of the past.¡± ¡°Just like now, the incident of the Sky-cutting Alliance, is far from the truth.¡± Pang Yu let out a chuckle. Bai Yun Kong silently nods. After these people who have witnessed the event die, the true situation about the Sky-cutting Alliance will remain unknown, with only a few less-than-credible rumors left. Within the Seven-star Study Palace, Pang Yu and Bai Yun Kong discuss the overall situation in the Inner Domain. Atop the icy tower, two petite bodies are still lying next to Bing Niang, shivering in the cold wind, while Bing Niang¡¯s hands seem to be playing with something. A flush appears on her enchanting face, two small bodies convulsed and gradually shriveled, losing their vitality. The fine lines that had just appeared on Bing Niang¡¯s brows disappeared again, making her seem more enchanting, more youthful. ¡°Sky-cutting alliance, Martial Arts Celestial Being¡­ Demon Child, you¡¯re dead huh.¡± Bing Niang murmurs to herself, an air of loneliness wafting about her. Are all her old acquaintances gone? Is she the only one left, struggling to survive on the icy lake, absorbing the essence of young girls to maintain her eternal youth, preserving her appearance? Chapter 346 ¡°The cultivation technique passed down by the Demon Lord is quite useful indeed, even if it does require the vitality of many young girls each year.¡± Bing Niang sighs to herself. Two maidens with gauze drapes approached and carried off the withered corpses on either side of Bing Niang. ¡°The Demon Lord is dead!¡± Bing Niang suddenly felt desolate in this moment. The missing Demon Lord was dead after all. Bing Niang unrolled a scroll, ¡°Demon child, your method of dealing with revenge is quite unique. I fear that I won¡¯t live long if I do this as well. ¡°Well, never mind. I¡¯ll help you this once.¡± Following the instructions left by the demon child, Bing Niang burned the scroll and activated the jade bead. The bead transformed into powder and in the instant, Bing Niang recalled something the Demon Lord mentioned ¨C a pair of beads known as Mother and Child Beads. If the child bead is shattered, the mother bead will feel the reaction. Could this jade bead be the child bead? ¡°Demon child, I have done as you asked. Whether this is what you wish for or not, I have no idea.¡± Bing Niang murmured to herself. Her face was becoming increasingly flushed. She slumped onto a chair in a highly indecent pose, humming softly before ordering. ¡°Go find a handsome young man for me. The more handsome the better and he must have the strength of a grandmaster or higher!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Her order was echoed in the Ice Tower. North of the Cang, at Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s headquarters. A man with a purple coronet stood in the courtyard, lamenting at how the once powerful organization opposing the heavens had been wiped out overnight. Moreover, it had turned into the malicious force causing chaos in the Inner Domain and harming Martial Artists. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that the Demon Lord would be killed by him on Canglan Island.¡± A half-step Heavenly Being sighed. The man with the purple coronet shook his head. ¡°The Demon Lord didn¡¯t die at his hands.¡± ¡°Hmmm? What do you mean, Pavilion Master? The Blood Soul blade was discovered on Canglan Island, why didn¡¯t he die there?¡± The powerhouse of the Tianbao Pavilion present were all taken aback. The man with the purple coronet seemed to have some reservations about the Demon Lord. After some thought, he said, ¡°The Demon Lord was the person marked for death by the Taimiao Sect. In order to prevent a major disturbance in the Inner Domain, she asked me to pass on a message that drew the Demon Lord to the wilderness.¡± The powerful members of the Tianbao Pavilion were all stunned. The sudden disappearance of the Demon Lord actually had something to do with their Pavilion Master? ¡°The Taimiao Sect?¡± A powerhouse murmured under his breath as if he wanted to ask more, but the man with the purple coronet shook his head and declined further explanations. With the conflict involving the coalition against the heavens over, Canglan Island returned to peace. The reactions of the various major forces in the Inner Domain were as expected. The battle had a profound impact on the Inner Domain. Once again, Dahua became the focus of attention. Kou Ruozhi left Canglan Island and returned to Dahua City. He planned to overthrow the Great Yue Dynasty using the momentum he gained from eliminating the coalition. One day, a Grandmaster Martial Artist visited the residence of Prince Du. Prince Du himself received him. As a peak Great Grandmaster, he was receiving a Grandmaster Martial Artist, clearly indicating that the visitor had a special status. This Grandmaster Martial Artist was from Dahua City. The families of several important ministers of the Great Yue Dynasty also received visits from Grandmaster Martial Artists. Undercurrents were beginning to stir in the Great Yue Dynasty. Seizing the opportunity during unrest and the dynasty¡¯s weakening power, a storm was brewing against the Great Yue Dynasty. On Canglan Island, Li Xuan was back to his leisurely daily life. Everyday, he would lazily raft along the river. A life of relaxing enjoyment. Red Cat seemed to have been stimulated by the attack of the coalition. Especially after Shi¡¯er mocked it for hiding in the ground like a timid rat, it had been in a huff ever since. It spent all day sleeping. Occasionally, there would be a roar from within its body, as if it was undergoing some sort of transformation. Shi¡¯er started to regret making fun of Red Cat fearing that it might seek revenge after its transformation. Su Lingxiu was continuously accumulating power, completely neglecting the Alchemy Room while she delved into studying the Martial Canon of Alchemy. Her aim was to understand the higher level of the Alchemy path. She couldn¡¯t wait to increase her strength. And the key to increasing her strength lay in her ability to use medicine acquired through alchemy to strengthen herself. Zhou Ying was training with a renewed determination. The attack by the green-faced man and the coalition were all connected to Su Lingxiu. She had seen the helplessness and despair written on Su Lingxiu¡¯s face. Despite the crisis having been averted with ease both times. The experience spurred Mother Xu into training more diligently. Her usual training practice was extended by an hour to one and a half hours each day. Li Xuan returned from another boat ride. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has made a small breakthrough in the Tongxuan Realm, while you have fully mastered it.¡± This feedback from the Golden Finger suddenly came. ¡°Xu Yan broke through so quickly?¡± Li Xuan was taken aback for a moment. It seemed that there really was something within the Tomb of the Celestial Being. His strength had increased once again. The next day, as Li Xuan prepared to continue his boat journey down the Cang River, a golden light manifested. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has broken through to the Tongxuan Realm, successfully mastering the Great Sun Golden Body (Tongxuan Realm), with an increase in strength that is a hundredfold stronger than his peers within the same realm.¡± Meng Chong had broken through to the Tongxuan Realm. Li Xuan was overjoyed. His strength had increased once again. Moreover, cultivating the Tongxuan Realm¡¯s Great Sun Golden Body comes with the ability to transform into a ten-foot tall human. Of course, Li Xuan did not attempt this transformation. After all, once transformed into a ten-foot-tall colossal being, his clothes would disappear, leaving him stark naked. ¡°If Meng Chong wished to use the transformation of the Great Sun Golden Body, he probably would need to prepare a set of clothes that could drastically stretch without breaking.¡± Such attire did exist in the Inner Domain. Clothes woven from Yunhuan silkworm silk, even when transformed into a thirty-foot-tall giant, would not rupture but instead could still cover the body. However, the Yunhuan silkworm silk clothing were costly. Although the Chang Qing Pavilion could easily afford them now, Meng Chong didn¡¯t seem to have made any preparations. ¡°Hopefully Meng Chong won¡¯t encounter strong opponents that would necessitate the use of the ten-foot-tall Golden Body.¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself. Otherwise, once Meng Chong transforms into a ten-foot-tall Golden Body, he would be completely naked. Of his three disciples, Xu Yan had achieved minor success in the Tongxuan Realm, Meng Chong entered the Tongxuan Realm, and Su Lingxiu reached perfection in the Innate Realm. It won¡¯t be long before she would break through to the Tongxuan Realm. And about the realm above Tongxuan, the Divine Intent State, Xu Yan seemed close to understanding it? ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has transformed into a Vajra spiritual body, causing you to obtain the Innate Mountain-River Vajra Spiritual Body.¡± The Golden Finger issued another feedback; when Meng Chong broke through to the Tongxuan Realm, he also sublimated and metamorphosed into a spiritual body. It had only been three days since Meng Chong broke through to the Tongxuan Realm. As Li Xuan was drinking the Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea, a surge of golden light burst forth suddenly. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, used the ten-foot-tall Golden Body to fight the spiritual beast, Snow Bear, leading to an enhancement in your ten-foot-tall Golden Body and an increase in battle experience.¡± Li Xuan was taken aback; Meng Chong had used the ten-foot-tall Golden Body. Where had Zi Yun gone? Spiritual Beast Snow Bear? Are there spirit beasts in the Inner Domain? Li Xuan pondered. Indeed, spiritual beasts did exist in the Inner Domain, with the Mountain-Swallowing Toad being one of them. Beyond that, it seemed that there were no news of any other formidable spiritual beasts existing in the Inner Domain. The fact that Meng Chong had to use his ten-foot-tall Golden Body indicated that the Snow Bear was extremely powerful, comparable to a real Celestial Being. Not long after Meng Chong killed the Snow Bear, Golden Finger sent more feedback. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, understood the Martial Arts Divine Technique, Divine Slayer, and you have mastered the Divine Slayer!¡± Li Xuan was somewhat surprised. Meng Chong must have encountered something, as he had suddenly comprehended a Martial Arts Divine Technique similar to the God-slaying Blade. Although he didn¡¯t comprehend any Sword Intent targeting the Divine Soul, comprehending the Divine Slayer technique that targets the Divine Soul made him extraordinarily powerful. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, used the Divine Slayer to kill the Celestial Being¡¯s Remaining Soul, which led to an enhancement in your Divine Slayer Technique and an increase in your battle experience!¡± Leftover Soul of the Celestial Being? Li Xuan furrowed his brows. This was the second time Meng Chong had killed a leftover soul of the Celestial Being, wasn¡¯t it? Previously, when he was still in the Blood Qi realm, he killed the Demon Lord¡¯s remaining soul that possessed Senior Wu! So who was the leftover soul of the Celestial Being that he killed this time? Could it be that Meng Chong entered the Gate of Lingyu? Li Xuan quietly mused, that wouldn¡¯t mean¡­ did he just make a Martial Arts Celestial Being his foe? Would Meng Chong be hunted down by a Martial Arts Celestial Being? ¡°Meng Chong comprehended Divine Slayer, and also broke through to the Tongxuan Realm; even if a Martial Arts Celestial Being comes, they wouldn¡¯t be his opponent¡­¡± Li Xuan suddenly furrowed his brows, ¡°That¡¯s incorrect, Martial Arts Celestial Beings have different levels of strength too. Young Martial Artists who have just become Celestial Beings wouldn¡¯t be a match for Meng Chong, but if it¡¯s one of the stronger Martial Arts Celestial Beings, Meng Chong might not stand a chance!¡± He then recalled Xu Yan, who entered the Tomb of the Celestial Being some time ago but seemed to have never encountered any danger. ¡°Even if a Martial Arts Celestial Being comes, with me not making a move and only using the mysterious aura, I should be able to deter them, right?¡± Li Xuan murmured to himself. In the northern wilderness, the Demon Hunting Battlefield. After Meng Chong had destroyed the giant palm, Zi Yun began to tell the story of the origin of the Demon Hunting Battlefield. This surprisingly had ties to the rumored Demon Lord. As they walked further in, Zi Yun narrated the heroic deeds related to the Demon Hunting Battlefield and the Demon Lord. Chapter 347 ¡°The rumor has it that the Demon Lord escaped from Gate of Lingyu to Inner Domain. A bunch of powerhouses chased him to this place and clashed fiercely.¡± ¡°The Demon Lord, alone, slaughtered all the pursuers, but he was severely wounded.¡± Zi Yun said excitedly. ¡°Gate of Lingyu?¡± Meng Chong was filled with curiosity. ¡°Legend has it that this is the gateway to the Ling Domain. I don¡¯t really understand the specifics either. People who know about the Gate of Lingyu are extremely rare in Inner Domain.¡± ¡°I also learned about these things by chance, even my father King does not know about it.¡± Zi Yun said with great pride. As they continued to go deep into the gorge, the coldness grew more intense. By the end, Zi Yun seemed to be struggling a little. ¡°There¡¯s something off about this chill!¡± Meng Chong said with furrowed brows. ¡°It¡¯s a remnant of the power left behind by those who surrounded and killed the Demon Lord.¡± Zi Yun said in a deep voice. So many years have gone by, and there¡¯s still leftover power. This showed how powerful the strong ones were back then. Of course, it also has something to do with the particular geography of the gorge or other factors. Taking advantage of the situation, Zi Yun clung onto Meng Chong again, curled up like a small kitten. Meng Chong¡¯s meridians rotated, the coldness poured into his meridians, nurturing his Spiritual Body. At this moment, Meng Chong suddenly had some realization. The Sun Spiritual Body is extremely strong with a powerful yang energy. However, if he wants to sublimate and transform, he needs to accumulate a foundation to nurture his body. The nurturing of the meridians of his Spiritual Body is of utmost importance. At this moment, Meng Chong suddenly realized that if he could use the coldness to nurture himself and stimulate the yang energy of the Sun Spiritual Body, the interaction between yin and yang would certainly cause sublimation and transformation. ¡°Breakthrough is imminent, the opportunity has appeared!¡± Meng Chong was extremely excited. As he continued forward, he noticed a recess in the mountains ahead, which seemed to be covered with a thick layer of frost. A cold chill emanated from the recess. In the vagueness, it seemed like there was a broken corpse underneath the thick frost in the recess. And the source of the coldness was this corpse. The remnants of the corpse of the strong being who surrounded and killed the Demon Lord, contained its cultivated power of extreme coldness, which permeated, accumulated in the recess. So many long years had passed, and yet it was still bitterly cold. The power of this strong being was truly terrifying. Meng Chong looked around the gorge and for some reason, he felt that there was something special about this place that made the residual power of the strong being accumulate and dissipate slowly in the gorge. Exactly because of this, even though so much time had elapsed, the residual power of the strong being was still formidable. ¡°Choosing this place to surround and kill the Demon Lord may be due to its uniqueness.¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. Moving towards the recess in the mountainside, the chill became even more piercing- a thread of coldness seemed like thin needles, penetrating his body. ¡°Meng Chong, what are you going to do over there? It¡¯s freezing.¡± Zi Yun¡¯s body trembled, her teeth chattered due to the cold. Her face had turned pale. Meng Chong pulled her off him and casually threw her behind, saying: ¡°I want to cultivate for a while, you can wait outside.¡± Ignoring Zi Yun¡¯s protest, he walked directly into the recess. The moment he entered, he felt a chill like needles, stimulating him constantly. The Sun Spiritual Body immediately began to operate. The golden light shone, making him look like a figure of the Sun. ¡°This guy died a horrible death!¡± Meng Chong looked at the broken corpse under the thick frost in the recess. It seemed to have been hacked more than a dozen times. Sitting cross-legged in the recess, Meng Chong started to nurture himself, preparing for the breakthrough to Tongxuan Realm. Zi Yun could only wait patiently from a distance, waiting for Meng Chong to finish his cultivation. Looking up towards the depths of the canyon, there was a hint of caution in her eyes. ¡°Could it be that the Jade Command is really in the Demon Hunting Battlefield? The Gate of Lingyu is not far from here, but how to open it, why can¡¯t I see it?¡± Zi Yun pulled out a small book from her bag and began to study it carefully. As time passed, Meng Chong, who was sitting cross-legged, radiated golden light. The frost in the recess began to melt. The previously pervasive coldness had disappeared. Boom! As Meng Chong¡¯s aura surged, the golden light brightened. His aura grew stronger. The hairless head reflected the light. His eyes half-closed, he looked like an otherworldly Buddha. Zi Yun, who was watching him at a distance, was dumbfounded. Her eyes were full of joy. Breaking through Sun Spiritual Body was something bound to happen. Meng Chong broke through to the Tongxuan Realm and transformed into a Vajra Spiritual Body! ¡°My strength has increased!¡± Meng Chong excitedly felt the changes in himself. ¡°This transformation has made the Sun Spiritual Body even stronger, with a deeper foundation. This is the Tongxuan Realm!¡± Meng Chong stood up, examining the changes in his physique. The nurturing of his meridians was extensive. He could manifest a three-foot Sun Spiritual Body, transforming into a small giant, in an instant. ¡°Even a treasured weapon would struggle to hurt my current body!¡± Recalling his master who single-handedly dominated dozens of peak Grandmasters, Meng Chong reckoned that he should be able to accomplish something similar with his current strength, right? Manifesting a three-foot Sun Spiritual Body, transforming into a small giant, he could shrug off a Grandmaster¡¯s attack and simply push forward with brute force. ¡°This Demon Hunting Battlefield is a good place!¡± Chapter 348 Meng Chong looked deep into the gorge. Zi Yun came running over, her jade-like face flushed. She began to caress Meng Chong¡¯s body, his robust muscles full of ferocity caused her heart to flutter. ¡°Smack!¡± Meng Chong slapped her hand away, frowning, ¡°Keep your hands clean!¡± Zi Yun giggled, ¡°Meng Chong, congratulations on your increasing strength!¡± ¡°Enough, let¡¯s go!¡± Meng Chong continued on into the gorge. Soon he saw a fifth-ranked Spiritual Medicine under a cliff wall. The Spiritual Medicine was crystal clear, blending into the snowy white landscape, easy to miss. Zi Yun began harvesting the Spiritual Medicine. As they progressed, several more fifth-ranked Spiritual Medicines were discovered in succession. ¡°Something¡¯s not right, aren¡¯t fifth-ranked Spiritual Medicines extremely rare? How come there are so many here?¡± Meng Chong said, frowning. ¡°It must be the result of fallen seeds from the Spiritual Medicines carried by those who once battled the Demon Lord here. Over the years, they have grown into fifth-ranked Spiritual Medicines!¡± Zi Yun conjectured. Meng Chong gave her a glance. This woman knew quite a lot and certainly had some inside knowledge about the demon hunting battlefield. ¡°What are you here to find?¡± Meng Chong asked solemnly. ¡°Yu Ling!¡± Zi Yun¡¯s expression became serious, ¡°With Yu Ling, one can enter the Gate of Lingyu. Meng Chong, when the time comes, you can come with me! She looked at Meng Chong with a hopeful gaze. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Meng Chong replied noncommittally. The nature of the Gate of Lingyu was yet unknown, and by his estimation, his strength was not enough. As to what Yu Ling was, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask anymore. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong!¡± Meng Chong abruptly stopped, his eyes intensely fixed ahead. A force was looming up ahead and he noticed a giant footprint in the snow. It was the footprint of some monstrous beast! ¡°What is that?¡± Zi Yun¡¯s face changed. As they appeared, the beast in the depths of the gorge seemed to sense something and let out a low growl. Then a giant humanoid beast appeared in their sight. It was a giant bear, walking upright, with snow-white fur blending into the white snow around it, appearing like a walking snowflake. The upright bear was over two meters tall and resembled a small giant. What made Meng Chong more serious was, the bear was holding a short spear in one of its paws! The spear actually wasn¡¯t short, it only seemed so relative to the bear¡¯s massive size. ¡°Meng Chong, something¡¯s wrong! We should run!¡± Zi Yun¡¯s face changed as she spoke. ¡°You get back!¡± Meng Chong drew his blade and said solemnly. He had noticed something off about this bear; its eyes contained a non- beastlike gaze. ¡°But¡­¡± Zi Yun was incredibly anxious. Seeing the bear getting closer and its ferocious momentum emerging, Zi Yun could only retreat, fearing she might become a burden to Meng Chong. After backing far away, Zi Yun took out a small booklet and nervously flipped through it, ¡°It doesn¡¯t say anything about a giant bear being here!¡± Boom! The bear began to charge, lifting the short spear in its paw. The tip of the spear emitted a cold gleam, and a sharp force swept towards them. The brilliance of the spear tore through the thick snow, thrusting straight at Meng Chong. Boom! A dominating aura burst out from Meng Chong. He swung his blade, decimating the spear¡¯s luminescence and instead of retreating, he launched a direct attack. He had just reached Tongxuan and this was a perfect opportunity to hone his skills. Moreover, there was something unusual about this Snow Bear. If he could hunt it down, it would make an impressive trophy. If he could peel off the snow-white pelt and gift it to his master, the trip would not have been in vain. These were Meng Chong¡¯s thoughts. The bear seemed surprised by Meng Chong¡¯s strength. The spear brilliance surged once more, and hundreds of smaller, incredibly swift spear points burst out. Meng Chong roared angrily, wielding his blade which carried the sense of a tempest, slashing out and engaged in a fierce battle with the bear. The towering stature of the bear gave it an advantage of height and reach. Compared to the bear, the already imposing Meng Chong looked like a mere child. Clang! The sword and spear clashed, shaking Meng Chong¡¯s hand and causing his precious blade to tremble slightly. Startled, he realized that the spear of the giant bear was no ordinary weapon. The battle escalated, as Meng Chong masterfully wielded his blade with domineering intent while the giant bear emanated an oppressive aura. It was like a heavenly mandate that aimed to suppress his spiritual consciousness. However, it was nullified by the domineering intent of his blade. ¡°A half-step sky bear?¡± Meng Chong frowned, this aura, purer in essence than the one emitted by the master of the Yinlou Pavilion, had a more direct suppressive effect on his spiritual consciousness. Nevertheless, it seemed weaker. Moreover, it gave him a familiar feeling. He had felt this mild oppression and fluctuation before. ¡°Who are you?¡± Meng Chong asked gravely while clashing blades with the giant bear. Since its appearance, the bear had not roared or even growled once, which was uncharacteristic of beasts. As the spear lights got more intense, the giant bear¡¯s aura grew stronger. Its eyes sharp as knives, it attacked with increasing brutality. It appeared as though it was regaining its strength. The aura and fluctuations around the giant bear also started to intensify. Meng Chong could feel the pressure mounting. Boom! Suddenly, the giant bear shook its spear to collide with Meng Chong¡¯s blade. At this moment, as if having calculated it, the bear made a swift move with its other paw. It did not aim for Meng Chong but rather slammed onto the blade and the spear. Slap! Meng Chong felt an enormous force hitting the side of his blade, and with the spear rattling as though glued to the blade. The bear¡¯s palm strike intended to knock his blade off. The giant bear was a seasoned tighter ¨C skilled and cunning enough to try and disarm his opponent amid battle. Unfazed, Meng Chong threw a punch. His fist infused with a strong gust of wind and thunderbolt force, hit the long spear. In an instant, both the sword and the spear flew off their hands. The bear displayed no concern, its giant paws heavily slapping over. Its flailing paws soared up, whipping up the accumulated snow. The dominance of the bear¡¯s palm strike was like a mountain rolling over Meng Chong. Meng Chong charged with his fists clenched, colliding head-on with the bear. The echo of the intense collision reverberated through the gully, and big pits appeared on the ground. The bear was enormous and muscular, possessing a strong physique and tremendous strength which gave it an advantage as its paws repeatedly bombarded, and standing legs keen to kick. No matter how one looked at it, the bear¡¯s fighting style was not ordinary. Meng Chong¡¯s aura intensified, and his eyes flickered frosty. He increasingly felt a sense of dejavu towards the giant bear¡¯s suppressive aura and the lingering fluctuations. And then it hit him ¨C a worm! The image of a worm and Senior Wu surfaced in his mind. Although Senior Wu and the worm weren¡¯t particularly strong, their menacing aura and the fluctuations they sent out were strikingly similar to those of the giant bear. This bear¡­its body had been possessed! Meng Chong roared in rage and declared coldly, ¡°I do not care what you are, but today, you will die!¡± At this moment, he was seething. His battle with Senior Wu earlier had nearly cost him his life, and inexplicably, Wu had meant to kill him. Did the bear in front of him have the same intent? ¡°Do you think, considering your animalistic instinct and superior physique, that you have the upper hand?¡± Meng Chong sensed the bear¡¯s intention to close the distance and leverage its brute strength in close-quarter combat, aiming to suppress him. Kaboom! At that instant, Meng Chong radiated a golden glow. ¡°Test me in a physical brawl, in close combat, I fear no one! Meng Chong¡¯s body glowed like a golden statue as he unleashed the full potential of his power. In front of the astonished gaze of the giant bear, Meng Chong¡¯s body magically expanded, and his clothes instantly tore apart, leaving him bare. He was bathed in a golden glow, his robust muscles displaying raw strength. His eyes were full of rage and his bald head gleamed. Meng Chong roared, his fists clenched and towering over the bear. The moment he unleashed the three-zhang-golden body technique, the situation had reversed ¨C he was now taller, burlier, and fiercer than the giant bear. The petrified giant bear trembled before him, its eyes filled with panic but interlaced with ferocity. ¡°Come, let¡¯s have a hand-to-hand combat!¡± Meng Chong sneered. His single punch set off a whirlwind, hitting down with a deafening sound. Roar! The giant bear let out its first roar. With all four limbs on the ground, it launched itself at Meng Chong. Meng Chong tensed; he sensed that the faint fluctuation had disappeared from the bear¡¯s body as if it was hiding somewhere. A trace of danger! But Meng Chong was not afraid; having executed the three-zhang-golden body, he was invincible now. Chapter 349 Inside the canyon, the snow was swirling around, a ten-foot golden dwarf, was violently battling a snow bear. In just a blink of an eye, it sent the snow bear flying. Zi Yun, who was some distance away, had already become dumbfounded. Did Meng Chong transform into a fierce dwarf? What kind of cultivation technique is this, what kind of secret technique, it s unheard of! That gigantic bear doesn¡¯t seem to be a match for Meng Chong at the moment, The bear roared angrily and bit Meng Chong¡¯s arm. However, it couldn¡¯t even leave a teeth mark. Instead, it almost shattered its teeth. ¡°Die!¡± Meng Chong landed a punch on the bear¡¯s head. At this moment, the intimidating presence returned, it was so fierce that it rolled towards him, like a knife trying to pierce into his thoughts. ¡°Hmph!¡± Meng Chong snorted, an overwhelming sword intent was emerging all around him along with the true intent of wind and thunder. At this moment, the movement of his master perfoming the God-killing strike came to his mind. With the continuous striking presence and wave, he gradually had some enlightenment, as if he understood the vibration of the God-killing strike. At this moment, blended with the coldness of the valley, overwhelming sword intent and the true intent of wind and thunder were emerging. A light flashed in Meng Chong¡¯s head. He felt like he had an epiphany! But also, like he was just slightly off. The intimidating presence weakened, the invisible waves are about to retreat. At this moment, Meng Chong weakened his true intent of wind and thunder, pretending to barely withstand the attack. The sword intent started to faint. Bang! At this moment, the intimidating presence and wave suddenly intensified. Meng Chong continued to have insights, however his face showed a desperate resistance as if he could not hold on any longer. At a certain moment, the wave of the God-killing strike became clear in his mind, woven together with the intent of coldness to the bone and the invincible sword intent. This slash, it seemed like it could penetrate the consciousness and exterminate the spirit! ¡°Let¡¯s call it the God Ending Slash!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes suddenly popped, and he laughed horribly, ¡°No matter what you are made of, I will completely annihilate you today. It¡¯s okay to kill another since I¡¯ve already killed one before!¡± He raised his hand, the treasured sword that had flown away earlier, just as if obeying a summons, ferociously flew over and landed in Meng Chong¡¯s hand. ¡°If I don¡¯t want to discard the sword, who dare to take it from me? What the hell are you? But since you tried to fight with brute force as a beast, I¡¯ll grant you that wish!¡± With a sword in hand, at this moment, the overwhelming sword intent of domination rose up, as if a single sword could repress the world! The intimidating presence and waves suddenly retreated, as if they were frightened. ¡°Can you escape?¡± Meng Chong looked at the body of the snow bear. The intimidating presence and the wave were always hidden inside it, seemingly existing in the flesh of the snow bear. ¡°Die!¡± A sword fell. There was no damage to the body of the snow bear, but a chilliness to the bone and an unmatched sword intent emerged, like the potential of thunder, slashing into the body of the snow bear. God Ending Slash! Phew! The intimidating presence instantly vanished, the wave dispersed, faintly, Meng Chong saw a shallow wave appeared on the bear¡¯s dead body, the wave rippled under the God Ending Slash, constantly shattering and collapsing. And the outline of this wave seemed to be a person. ¡°Finally liberated, the Yu Ling is on the hidden bag¡­¡± A sigh of relief was heard, filled with relief and liberation. Phew! Everything fell into silence. Meng Chong stood with sword in hand, looking at the fallen bear, silent for a long time. Zi Yun came trotting over, looking at Meng Chong who still looked like a dwarf, and who was still undressed at this moment, her face turned rosy. ¡°Meng Chong, you¡¯re looking so strong!¡± She approached Meng Chong and stretched out her little hands to touch him. Meng Chong¡¯s expression changed, he hastily removed the golden transformation, returning to his real identity. But he felt awkward immediately, his clothes were already in ruins, he was naked now. ¡°Do you have clothes? I need to borrow some. Meng Chong asked, with a dark face, looking at Zi Yun who was extending her hands. Zi Yun looked disappointed. She took out a pink shirt from the hidden bag and said, ¡°This is the only one that fits you. It is woven from the silk of the Yun Huan Silkworms. Even if you turn into a dwarf, it won¡¯t break.¡± Meng Chong snatched the clothes, didn¡¯t care if it was a woman¡¯s outfit anymore, and put it on directly. ¡°When we go back this time, we should go to the Tianbao Pavilion and buy clothes made of Yun Huan silkworms!¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. ¡°The Yu Ling you are looking for, it is on the hidden bag. I don¡¯t know if the hidden bag is on the bear.¡± Meng Chong came to the snow bear¡¯s body, bent down and began to search. ¡°Did you find your hidden bag here?¡± Meng Chong asked curiously. Although Zi Yun is the princess of Ziyun Country, and a top talent, it is not necessarily possible for her to get a bag. After all, her strength is ultimately a bit weak. ¡°Yes!¡± Zi Yun nodded. Meng Chong understood. Zi Yun¡¯s hidden bag was left by the strong who once besieged the Demon Lord. He was excited. The people who surrounded and killed the Demon Lord were not just one or two. If they all had a bag, there would be several, right? Of course, it didn¡¯t eliminate the possibility that some hidden bags were destroyed in the battle. After turning around the snow bear¡¯s body, he didn¡¯t find the hidden bag, so he continued to go deeper into the canyon. The deeper he went into the canyon, the scarier the traces of battle left behind. Each pit and gully showed how fierce the battle was. Meng Chong thought of the sigh of relief. What kind of strong person was this, even their consciousness lingered. Chapter 350 Moreover, it inhabited the body of a polar bear. The deeper they went, the more Spiritual Medicine they found, with the sixth-grade Spiritual Medicine being the most abundant, although there were also some 5th-grade varieties present. Ahead in a large pit, there was no snow, just a layer of solid ice covering the bottom. Beneath the ice, one could see a body that had been cut in half. Meng Chong punched out, shattering the ice layer. Looking at the withered corpse, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. The corpse was dry, as if all its vital essence had been drained out by a single cut. The face was now unrecognizable. Under the tattered clothes, there was a small, gray pouch that resembled a toad! A storage bag! Meng Chong was delighted. He took off the storage bag. When he opened it, he found not much inside, just a few bottles and jars, some Spirit Crystals, and a jade token. ¡°What a pity!¡± Meng Chong sighed. These powerful warriors who came to assassinate the Demon Lord must have known the high risks and consequently, had not brought any valuable items with them. They only had some medicines and Spirit Crystals. He took out the jade token and handed it to Zi Yun: ¡°Is this the Yu Ling you¡¯re looking for?¡± Zi Yun took a look, shook her head and said: ¡°This is not the Yu Ling I¡¯m looking for. You keep it. This thing might be useful when entering the Gate of Lingyu.¡± Meng Chong took back the jade token and placed the storage bag around his waist. They continued deeper into the canyon. Along the way, they saw several completely shattered corpses, all incredibly withered and broken. Even the storage bags seemed to have been destroyed. Meng Chong secretly lamented the loss. Eventually, they came across another corpse, which seemed to be that of a woman? ¡°This person died quite horribly!¡± Meng Chong was taken aback. The corpse had been cut open from bottom to top. Whoever did this did it on purpose. He took the storage bag off the corpse and looked inside. There was a jade token, some jars, and some Spirit Crystals. Nothing more. It seems that all the warriors¡¯ weapons were destroyed in the battle. ¡°What a huge haul!¡± Meng Chong was ecstatic. It was worth the trip. He got two storage bags. Also, the storage bags carried by these warriors were of a superior type, made from a higher level toad. The interior space was large enough to fit the body of the polar bear. ¡°Seeing the storage bag, I will forgo other rewards.¡± Meng Chong said cheerfully at Zi Yun. ¡°Then I¡¯m much obliged!¡± Zi Yun was very cheerful about it. By the time they reached the end of the canyon, Meng Chong had amassed a total of three storage bags. Meng Chong thought to himself, the storage bags, which were so precious in the Inner Domain, no longer seemed so rare after acquiring three all at once. At the end of the canyon, against the cliff, a corpse was pinned to the wall with a cone-shaped object stuck in its head. The faint violet robe was distinctly eye-catching. Zi Yun jogged over to the corpse, knelt before it with reverence, knocked her head a few times, and then began searching through the corpse¡¯s belongings, finding a storage bag. Inside was a violet jade token. ¡°I found it!¡± Zi Yun was ecstatic, solemnly putting away the storage bag. She then handed the original storage bag to Meng Chong, saying: ¡°Meng Chong, I can¡¯t thank you enough. If it weren¡¯t for your escort, I don¡¯t know when I would have been able to get here. ¡°This is your reward as promised, there are Spiritual Medicines and Spirit Tickets inside.¡± Meng Chong, without any hesitation, accepted the storage bag, looked at the corpse in violet robe and asked, ¡°Is this your ancestor?¡± Zi Yun shook her head: ¡°No, but he left behind some things. With his jade token, I can enter the Gate of Ling Domain without any restrictions. ¡°Meng Chong, come with me when the time comes.¡± Meng Chong shook his head: ¡°We¡¯ll see. You seem to know quite a lot about the Gate of Ling Domain, don¡¯t you?¡± Zi Yun smiled: ¡°By a stroke of luck, I got hold of some things. The storage bag I gave you has a small booklet in it. After reading that, you¡¯ll know some hidden secrets.¡± Meng Chong opened the storage bag Zi Yun gave him. Indeed, there was a small booklet inside, but he didn¡¯t take it out to look at it right away. Zi Yun was digging a hole, apparently intending to bury the corpse in the purple robe. Meng Chong raised his fist and plunged it straight into the ground, creating a big hole. ¡°Meng Chong, you¡¯re such a great person!¡± With excitement, Zi Yun leaped up, extending her arms as if wanting to throw them around his neck. Meng Chong quickly reached out and grabbed her, flinging Zi Yun in front of the purple-robed corpse. ¡°Hmm!¡± Zi Yun hummed twice and moved the purple-robed corpse into the hole for burial. Meng Chong surveyed the gorge, the more he looked, the more he felt something special about this place, but he just couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. This journey had come to an end. The gains were significant! ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zi Yun spoke after burying the corpse. The pair left the ravine, returned to the snow bear¡¯s body. Meng Chong took out a storage bag, poured True Yuan into it, opened the mouth of the bag, and stowed the corpse of the snow bear inside. The massive corpse of the snow bear, when put into the storage bag, made the bag bulge slightly, staying quite small still. Meng Chong sighed, feeling that this storage bag was truly a must-have item for traversing the martial arts world! He also put away the long spear. It was the only weapon left in the demon hunting battlefield. Just as they left the valley, a ripple suddenly came from the side of the valley with a hum. Meng Chong looked at a peak that, at this moment, seemed to be covered by a layer of waves. The ripple distorted, making the peak look as if it was about to disappear. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possibly the opening of the Gate of Lingyu,¡± Zi Yun said with a change in her expression. Following this, she muttered to herself, ¡°That¡¯s impossible, the Gate of Lingyu isn¡¯t supposed to open now!¡± ¡°What will happen if the Gate of Lingyu opens?¡± Meng Chong asked as he opened the storage bag given by Zi Yun and pulled out the little booklet. ¡°Lingyu, is rumored to be the origin of Inner Realm Martial Arts, the real world of martial arts, while the Inner Domain is just barren. The Gate of Lingyu serves as the portal between the Inner Domain and Lingyu. ¡°Only when the Gate of Lingyu opens can one enter Lingyu, and only the mighty ones of Lingyu can enter the Inner Domain. ¡°The Inner Domain can¡¯t open the Gate of Lingyu, only Lingyu can do that. The Demon Lord initially escaped from Lingyu to the Inner Domain.¡± Zi Yun said gravely. Meng Chong, meanwhile, had already started reading the small booklet. This little booklet was left by a strong individual who had once entered the Inner Domain from Lingyu. It seemed intended to leave some inheritance for the man in the purple robe in the valley. Zi Yun stumbled upon it. In the booklet, the conditions in the valley were depicted, along with a brief introduction to the demon hunting battle and some related introductions to Lingyu, including the purpose of Yu Ling. The more Meng Chong read, the more serious his face became, and a sense of yearning also emerged. The Inner Domain was too small, the vast Martial Arts world was truly Lingyu. ¡°Lingyu!¡± Meng Chong looked at the rippling peak, feeling thrilled within his heart, he said, ¡°I will not leave for now, but watch to see what strong individuals come out from the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°Is it really like inside here, that any strong individual who comes from Lingyu to the Inner Domain can sweep through the Inner Domain uncontested bring it under their control. ¡°Are they truly lofty, treating the people of the Inner Domain like servants, like pigs and dogs!¡± In the booklet, there are stories about how people from the Inner Domain who enter Lingyu would be directly captured to serve as slaves, as pigs and dogs. In the eyes of major powers in Lingyu, people from the Inner Domain are like pigs and dogs! Even the high-ranking great grandmasters of the Inner Domain, after entering Lingyu, either kneel and serve as slaves to get a status in Lingyu, or are killed or driven back to the Inner Domain. People from the Inner Domain, in Lingyu, are treated like pigs and dogs! In the Inner Domain, the mighty ones who control powerful forces, enter the Lingyu and suffer such inhumane treatment, naturally they can¡¯t tolerate such humiliation. Thus, those who entered Lingyu were often killed off, and the people who followed had to reluctantly become slaves. Only the ones holding the Yu Ling were regarded as humans. If their talents were not lacking, they could be taken in by the power where the Yu Ling came from, becoming members of that power in Lingyu. Before the matter of the Demon Lord, Yu Ling in the Inner Domain was a treasure contested by the strong. Now, nearly all the strong ones who knew about Yu Ling are gone. That¡¯s why Zi Yun came here to get Yu Ling. The Gate of Lingyu in the Inner Domain is a secret known to very few people. Especially after the Demon Lord¡¯s incident, the strong ones from Lingyu erased the record of the Gate of Lingyu. This is also why the present peak Great Grandmasters of the Inner Domain hardly know about the existence of the Gate of Lingyu.. Chapter 351 Meng Chong sat directly on the ground in a cross-legged position, waiting for the Gate of Lingyu to open. After some thought, Zi Yun sat down next to him. ¡°Why are you sitting so close to me?¡± Meng Chong frowned, moving his body away as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m cold!¡± Zi Yun continued to move closer. ¡°Meng Chong, don¡¯t be rash and provoke the Spirit Realm Powerhouse. If they have hostile intentions, produce the Yu Ling.¡± Meng Chong knitted his brows.¡±1 know what I¡¯m doing!¡± The water before the peak in the distance continued to ripple, gradually revealing the outline of a portal. It seemed as if a colossal gateway was about to open. At the Tianbao Pavilion, the man with the purple crown changed his form and went to the top of the pavilion¡¯s peak, looking at the water portal in the distance with a grave expression. ¡°The Gate of Lingyu, is about to open? Why now? Could it be because of Su Lingxiu?¡± With this thought, the man in the purple crown showed a serious look, revealing his hesitation. ¡°Should 1 pay a visit to Canglan Island?¡± He was unsure of who the person on Canglan Island was exactly. ¡°Forget it, this isn¡¯t a place 1 should be meddling in.¡± He gave a sigh, then returned into the Tianbao Pavilion. While Meng Chong cultivated, he also waited for the Gate of Lingyu to open. There was no apparent danger in the Tomb of the Celestials. Xu Yan enforced Sudden Wind Sword Intent around himself and Du Yuying as they marched into the tomb. There were no unusual incidents along the way. Only at the last portal leading into the tomb chamber did they feel something. A faint fluctuation, a residual consciousness of a celestial martial artist? However, the lingering mental consciousness was very weak and lacked thought, more like a remnant brand. After Du Yuying drew near, the faint mental consciousness fluctuated, and the tomb chamber door opened. As the door to the tomb chamber opened, the mental consciousness dissipated immediately. ¡°Used to verify identity?¡± Xu Yan mused. The interior of the tomb chamber was spacious, with a pool in the center, filled with rich spiritual energy, which veiled the whole tomb chamber in a misty fog. A Spiritual Medicine, as clear as a lotus leaf, floated in the pool. Its faint fragrance was spreading, and at the center of the leaf was a drop of bloody liquid. It looked like a drop of essence blood! Du Yuying looked at the essence blood on the leaf in the pool, and inexplicably felt a longing, wanting to merge this drop of blood into her body. ¡°Young Master Xu, that¡¯s what 1 need. Once it¡¯s integrated into my body, it will solve my problem.¡± She whispered. ¡°There should be no danger here.¡± The Sudden Wind Sword Intent had already swept through the tomb chamber. If there were any remnants of mental consciousness, he would have noticed immediately. ¡°Young Master Xu, I don¡¯t need the Spiritual Medicine in the pool. I will gift it to you for cultivation. The pool is rich in spiritual energy, so it¡¯s an excellent spot for cultivation.¡± As Du Yuying disrobed, she spoke softly. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were indifferent, unimpressed. He nodded, ¡°Forget the Spiritual Medicine, it may not be suitable for me. But I can practice in the pool.¡± Du Yuying, in her thin undergarments, revealed most of her skin, creamy as jade, stunningly beautiful. Her face turned rosy as she gave Xu Yan a quick glance to find him staring at the pool, as if the pool was more attractive than her. Completely unaffected by her beauty. Feeling a bit disappointed, she also admired him. Worthy of being Young Master Xu. A steadfast heart and handsome appearance. As she stepped into the pool, she reached out and gently absorbed the drop of blood on the leaf into the palm of her hand. The blood seemed to contain some kind of spirit. Under the nourishment of the pool and the Spirit Medicine, it seemed to have transformed into a drop of spirit blood. The essence blood seeped slowly from her palm into her skin. At this moment, Du Yuying¡¯s flawless skin blushed, making her look even more enticing. Ba-bump, ba-bump! Du Yuying felt her heartbeat speed up. A warm flow circulated in her body, as if rounding up, and some unknown defects seemed to be getting corrected. Waves of spiritual energy in the pool were infusing into her body. A sense of fatigue swept over her, Du Yuying¡¯s eyelids felt heavy, and she wanted to fall into a deep sleep. She struggled to lift her head and looked at Xu Yan who was standing by the pool, watching her transformation. At this moment, she felt at peace, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. Xu Yan looked at Du Yuying in the pool and could tell she was in a state of transformation, it seemed the flaws in her body were being corrected. Confirmed that there was no danger, he strode into the pool. He sat on the other side, and the spiritual fog in the tomb chamber, like a whirlpool, poured into his body. The spiritual energy in the pool continuously infiltrated into his body. Xu Yan found that the pool¡¯s spiritual energy seemed endless, irregardless of how much he absorbed, it never ceased. ¡°Could there be a Spirit Crystal mine beneath the pool?¡± Xu Yan was surprised. This Tomb of the Celestials should have some other gains, he was in no rush to seek them. Instead, he began to settle himself down and took this opportunity to start cultivating. After transforming into a Mountain River Spiritual Body, terrifying amounts of spiritual energy continued to pour into his body, rapidly condensing into True Yuan. ¡°This time, breaking through to the Slight Achievement of the Mystic Universe level should not be a problem.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. As time passed, the spiritual fog in the burial chamber had dissipated, all absorbed by Xu Yan. But the spiritual energy in the pool kept springing forth without showing signs of drying out.. Chapter 352 Xu Yan increasingly felt that the pool was built on top of a vein of Spirit Crystal. Considering this place is a tomb of a Refining God Heavenly Man, having a vein of Spirit Crystal isn¡¯t all that surprising. At one moment, he felt a surge in his aura and made a minor breakthrough in the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°I¡¯ve reached the minor accomplishment stage in the Tongxuan Realm. The major accomplishment stage is still some distance away, but even without any cultivation in this pool, advancing to the major accomplishment stage shouldn¡¯t be too far off.¡± Xu Yan got out of the pool. Du Yuying¡¯s body¡¯s flaws had been completely repaired, and her aura had strengthened. She had become a Grandmaster! Shifting his gaze around the tomb room, after the spiritual fog had dispersed, Xu Yan¡¯s line of sight was uninhibited. He noticed that at the back of this pool, an area of the stone wall of the tomb had been excavated. In the cavity rested a coffin. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, why place the coffin inside this hollowed-out hole in the wall instead of directly in the tomb? ¡°Young Master Xu!¡± Du Yuying had awoken. Her eyes were filled with excitement. Her physical problems had been resolved, her strength increased significantly, and more importantly, she felt that her talent had also greatly improved. After getting out of the pool and evaporating the water from her body by cultivating, she put her clothes back on. ¡°Who does this tomb belong to?¡± Xu Yan asked as he walked towards the coffin. He was of course very curious about the Refining God Heavenly Man. ¡°He may be my ancestor, but I¡¯m not sure. I only know that this place was left by my ancestor to repair physical defects, but not much else. There seems to be some secret he hadn¡¯t passed down to later generations.¡± Du Yuying quietly replied. ¡°There should also be another important thing here, though I¡¯m not quite sure of its purpose.¡± After some thought, Du Yuying added. ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Yan asked curiously. ¡°It¡¯s a jade command, a jade token!¡± While speaking, the two arrived at the cavity. The coffin was pitch black and it was unclear what material it was made from. On the surface of the coffin were rows of small characters that seemed to be written in fresh blood. ¡°Here lies the Blood Demon! Whether it¡¯s kindness or resentment, it ends here. Born in obscurity and buried in the wilderness.¡± In front of the inscription, laying on the cover of the coffin, was a jade token. ¡°Blood Demon?¡± Xu Yan picked up the jade token and handed it to Du Yuying, surprised, he said: ¡°Your ancestor, was he the Blood Demon?¡± Du Yuying stowed the jade token and shook her head: ¡°No, it shouldn¡¯t be. I believe the Blood Demon was buried by my ancestor.¡± She paused before adding: ¡°To be precise, the Blood Demon should have been buried by my ancestral grandmother.¡± Xu Yan looked at the cavity and noticed that on the walls of the cavity, some drawings depicted what seemed to be the course of a person¡¯s life. Clearly, the drawings depicted the life of the Blood Demon! This place was the tomb of a Refining God Heavenly Man, there was no doubt that the Blood Demon was a Refining God Heavenly Man. Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but be curious about the life of this Refining God Heavenly Man and closely inspected the drawings on the wall. The first drawing showed a woman in a small village giving birth to a baby¡­ As he looked over each drawing, Xu Yan started to understand the life of the Blood Demon and couldn¡¯t help but feel moved. A bastard of a large family, not being recognized, and facing all kinds of humiliation. He entered a sect to cultivate martial arts but was also humiliated there. Latter on, he was saved by a woman. He fell in love with her, but she was in love with someone else¡­ Amid all this, he killed the man she loved. Devastated by grief and desiring revenge for her beloved, she drove a sword into her own chest, but then seemed to have a change of heart and discarded the sword before leaving. Heavily injured, the Blood Demon was pursued and subsequently disappeared. Xu Yan saw one drawing of the woman kneeling on the ground being insulted by a group of people. The people seemed to be the family of her beloved, blaming her for freeing the Blood Demon, and accusing her of having an illicit relationship with him. A little girl stepped forward to protect her. In the next scene, the little girl was being oppressed by a crowd. The woman stepped forward, deciding to commit suicide to resolve all the grievances. At this moment, the Blood Demon appeared. The Blood Demon was attacked. He held the woman¡¯s dead body and retreated, the little girl seemed to insult the Blood Demon while aiding his escape. In another scene, the little girl was mistaken for the woman by the mentally disturbed Blood Demon and was pinned to the ground¡­ In the last few paintings, cities were depicted one by one, each littered with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, while one person stood in the midst, brandishing a blade. Many sects were eradicated, by a group of blood-thirsty people committed massacres everywhere, consuming essences and blood to strengthen themselves. In the second-to-last painting, a group of powerful beings retaliated, slaughtering the blood-thirsty horde and besieging the Blood Demon, who managed to escape through a gateway. The final painting showed a scene inside a mountain, a girl from the past, landing a blow that punctured the Blood Demon¡¯s skull¡­ ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Xu Yan suddenly looked puzzled. The mountain in the final painting seemingly was none other than the Endless Mountain! ¡°Blood Demon? Could it be the Demonic Cult¡¯s Master?¡± The disappearance of the Demonic Cult¡¯s Master now made sense; he was killed, and he himself was the Blood Demon-not a native of the Inner Domain! ¡°It is said that my great-grandmother was severely injured before, and it was my great-grandfather who saved her, and later they became a couple¡­¡± Yuying spoke softly. ¡°Your great-grandmother, she was a Martial Arts Heavenly Man. Your great-grandfather, he¡­¡± Xu Yan stopped himself before he could finish speaking. ¡°Perhaps, it was to repay a favor.¡± After some thought, Yuying continued, ¡°The great-grandmother I spoke of isn¡¯t from the Prince Du residence. My lineage belongs more towards my mother¡¯s lineage, just like my mother, her ancestry is passed down through females, and all their children have been daughters, most likely due to the strong Heavenly Man bloodline.¡± Xu Yan nodded, he had finished reviewing the life of the Blood Demon which made him sigh. Just as it was written on the coffin, born humble, interred in this wilderness ¨C it was his resting place. Coming out of the recess, Xu Yan noticed some drawings and lines of text on the top of the outside tomb chamber. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The painting on top of the tomb chamber was of a large mountain adorned with pavilions, towers, lakes, and waterside pavilions¡ªquite the picturesque view. A woman was standing in the middle of the waterside pavilion, appearing to reminisce about something. Next to the mountain, three characters were etched: Taimiao Sect! After Yuying took out her jade plaque, she indeed saw the words ¡®Taimiao carved on it. ¡°Taimiao Yu Ling?¡± It slipped out of her mouth. ¡°The bounds of the Ling Domain, the three realms of the Heavenly Man?¡± A look of ecstasy crossed Xu Yan¡¯s face. Next to the frescoes, lines of text introduced the concept of Martial Arts Heavenly Man. ¡°The Heavenly Man is divided into three realms, each realm being a heaven in its own right; First: the gathering of divine, Second: the oneness of divine, Third: the refining of divine¡­ The First is generically known as the Lesser Heavenly Man; The Second is initially deemed the Greater Heavenly Man; The Third is popularly referred to as the Refining God Heavenly Man¡­ ¡°The gathering of divine entails perceiving one¡¯s divine essence and focusing it in unity; the oneness of divine involves merging the divine with one¡¯s soul, to form a symbiotic relation; the Refining of divine is essentially refining one¡¯s divine soul¡­ ¡°As long as the Divine Soul survives, it can find refuge in another body¡­¡± The lines of text on the stone wall did not pass down any Cultivation Technique but merely reintroduced the concept of Martial Arts Heavenly Man. The Martial Arts Heavenly Man is divided into three realms, commonly referred to as the Lesser Heavenly Man, the Greater Heavenly Man, and the Refining God Heavenly Man. The Refining God Heavenly Man is the cultivation of the Divine Soul. As long as the Divine Soul survives, it can live on inside another body. Upon reading this, a thought sprang to Xu Yan¡¯s mind. He remembered Meng Chong¡¯s predicament and the encounter with Senior Wu! His master once mentioned something about body snatching! Given everything he had learned, it could indeed be the case that Refining God Heavenly Man resided in another body? ¡°The Blood Demon! That is to say, the Demon Master!¡± At that moment, Xu Yan felt a jolt of shock. Initially, the Blood Demon hadn¡¯t been entirely eradicated, but a part of his Divine Soul managed to escape. For reasons unknown, it ultimately chose to reside in Senior Wu¡¯s body. Furthermore, his Divine Soul was incredibly weak. When Meng Chong drew his sword, and his Sword Soul awakened, comprehending the Sword Intent, it completely obliterated the remaining soul of the Blood Demon! In the final painting of the recess, the Blood Demon was slain in the Endless Mountain, and later, when Senior Wu ventured into the Endless Mountain, that led to the subsequent alteration in Wu Country. Xu Yan believed that his speculation should be the truth. Continuing to read the introduction about the Three Realms of Heavenly Man, he realized that even though no Cultivation Techniques were transmitted, just the introduction of the Three Realms of Heavenly Man had its value. ¡°The first realm of Heavenly Man is to sense one¡¯s divine essence and concentrate on gathering it¡­ The realm of Divine Intent, conceptually, is on par with the first realm of Heavenly Man. However, the realm of Divine Intent involves cultivation of Martial Arts Divine Intent- transforming the intent of heaven and earth into one¡¯s Divine Intent¡­¡± Xu Yan muttered to himself internally. In the first realm of Heavenly Man, one needs to sense their divine essence and concentrate on gathering it. The strength of your divine essence determines the strength of the first Heavenly Man realm. The realm of Divine Intent involves cultivation of Martial Arts Divine Intent- transforming the Intent of Heaven and Earth; My Intent is Heaven¡¯s Intent, my Form is Heaven¡¯s Form¡­ The realm of Divine Intent outstrips the first realm of Heavenly Man by a large margin. ¡°The strength of the first realm of Heavenly Man, my Sword Intent alone, could resist. Its divine essence is after all limited. However, Martial Arts Divine Intent gathers the Intent of Heaven and Earth; wherever the Divine Intent reaches, it becomes the Will of Heaven. This is not something that the first realm of Heavenly Man could compare to.¡± A sense of enlightenment dawned on Xu Yan. The Three Realms of Heavenly Man, the truly powerful one, is the third realm of the Refining God Heavenly Man. The First and Second Realm are merely the foundational cultivation of the Heavenly Man realm. Only the Refining God Heavenly Man could truly claim the title of Heavenly Man! Chapter 353 Xu Yan continued to look at the introductions on the celestial realm¡¯s three states written on the stone wall. Even though the cultivation of Martial Artist¡¯s Celestial realm was different from the Divine Intent State, he could draw lessons from it. Perhaps, it could provide an opportunity for him to fully comprehend the cultivation technique of the Divine Intent State. ¡°The first state is gathering divine energy¡­ condensing and gathering it; the key is to feel one¡¯s divine energy¡­¡± Xu Yan suddenly remembered. When he destroyed a treasure in Yinlou Pavilion, there was Stone You Grass in a cave in the cliff. When he approached the Stone You Grass, he felt some exhilaration. The effect of the Stone You Grass was to nourish the spirit. ¡°That Peak Great Grandmaster nurtured the Stone You Grass and used it to sense his divine energy, to condense his divine energy¡­¡± Perhaps, the half-step Celestial Beings in the Inner Domain have all condensed their divine energy in a similar manner. They relied on external objects and were deficient in the cultivation techniques of Celestial Beings. Furthermore, the Inner Domain had specific limitations, preventing one from completely breaking through the Martial Arts Celestial State. At the half-step stage, while one can feel and condense one¡¯s divine energy, one is unable to gather it. This is why the aura of the half-step Celestial Beings appears less solid and substantial, and instead seems rather vague. After understanding the underlying reason, Xu Yan¡¯s pupils brightened. He seemed to have a glimmer of understanding. A light flashed in his mind and the cultivation techniques of the Divine Intent State began to emerge clearly. ¡°Miss Du, I¡¯ve had some insights. You may leave me now.¡± Xu Yan sat cross-legged, seizing this revelation to begin understanding the Cultivation Technique of the Divine Intent State. Seeing this, Du Yuying quietly backed away a few steps. She sat on the floor and silently watched Xu Yan who was absorbed in thought. Her heart pounded, and her face occasionally blushed, lost in thought. As the information about the three states of the Celestial Beings surfaced in Xu Yan¡¯s mind, the Divine Intent State¡¯s Cultivation Technique also manifested. ¡°To gather divine energy, you need to sense your divine energy. While the Martial Arts Divine Intent lies in my heart, in my Sword Intent, and in my understanding of the Tongxuan Realm¡­ Condensing the Martial Arts Divine Intent, I have understood, but what is the will of heaven and earth? How can it be refined into divine intent?¡± ¡°The universe is vast, while humans are minute. Synchronizing with the universe allows one to comprehend its changes. Sword Intent transforms into mountains and rivers, encapsulating the universe within¡­ My will is the will of the heavens, and the will of the heavens lies within my heart.¡± During Xu Yan¡¯s comprehension, the Divine Intent State¡¯s martial arts method gradually became clearer. How to condense the Martial Arts Divine Intent, how to turn the universe¡¯s will into one¡¯s own, that is, how to open the mud pill palace and nourish the Soul Pedestal, all these points gradually became clearer. Moving from the Tongxuan Realm to the Divine Intent State is a great leap. The foundation of cultivation in Divine Intent State primarily relies on opening the mud pill palace and nurturing the Soul Pedestal. Once the pill palace opens, one¡¯s soul will converge at the Soul Pedestal in the mud pill palace. Condensing the Martial Arts Divine Intent, transforming the will of Heaven and Earth, condensing it into a single, Divine Intent! Where there is divine intent, there is the will of Heaven! The will of Heaven cannot be disobeyed! The strength of the Divine Intent State transcends the domain of imposing divine might, far beyond what a minor Celestial Being¡¯s divine might can compare to. The clearer Xu Yan¡¯s comprehension of martial arts was, the deeper he sighed about the Divine Intent State¡¯s mysteries. With a single thought, enemies would be obliterated into ashes. Du Yuying kept staring at Xu Yan, the more captivated she became the more Xu Yan seemed to be enveloped in a layer of Spiritual Brilliance. Seems like he was¡­ enlightened? This word popped up in her mind. Understanding the martial arts method of the Divine Intent State is not a matter of a day or two. Xu Yan was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his breath was profound, and Spiritual Energy was gathering around him. Sometimes Sword Intent would emerge, sometimes with a slow breeze around him. He was wholly immersed in martial arts enlightenment. By the time Xu Yan emerged from his thoughts, he took a deep breath, his heart full of excitement. He had already understood the cultivation method of the Divine Intent State. He had already understood the Cultivation Technique fully. He was just waiting for the completion of the Tongxuan Realm. After accumulating his foundational strength, he could open the mud pill palace, nourish the Soul Pedestal, condense the Martial Arts Divine Intent, and breakthrough to the Divine Intent Realm in one go. ¡°It¡¯s close. It won¡¯t be too far off!¡± Xu Yan murmured to himself. Breakthrough to the perfect state in the Tongxuan Realm within a year? Then spend half a year to accumulate foundational strength, and when breaking through to Divine Intent State, further refine and transform himself. This cultivation speed is extremely fast. ¡°Perhaps, it will not even take me a year.¡± Xu Yan was full of yearning. The Divine Intent State is a significant upgrade. Only after stepping into the Divine Intent State can one truly show the mysteries of the Sword Intent. The Heart Sword Realm, he should also think about how to break through the Heart Sword Realm. To transform all things in the universe into a sword! What a formidable Sword Dao state. ¡°The Divine Intent State, condensing the Martial Arts Divine Intent, my intent is the intent of Heaven. Can divine intent transform everything into a sword? I should also take some time to consolidate my understanding of the sword Dao and comprehend how to breakthrough the Heart Sword Realm.¡± Xu Yan thought to himself. ¡°We are done here, Miss Du. Let¡¯s go.¡± Xu Yan stood up and said. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Du Yuying seemed lost in thought. There was a slight hint of confusion in her eyes and her face was flushed. She replied hurriedly in a low voice. They reaped many rewards at the tomb of Celestial Being. Du Yuying perfected her deficiencies, while Xu Yan broke through the minor achievement stage of Tongxuan Realm and understood more about the three states of Celestial Beings. He even understood the cultivation method of the Divine Intent State. Upon leaving the tomb of Celestial Being. Xu Yan waved his hand, completely sealing the tomb¡¯s entrance. This place returned to normal, a barren hill in the wilderness, and outsiders would find it hard to believe that a renowned Martial Artists Celestial Being had been buried here! In the Ling Domain, he was known as the Blood Demon, killing countless people. In the Inner Domain, he was the Demon Lord of the Demon Sect, with a tremendous demonic aura. Born humble, buried in the wilderness, that was indeed his final resting place. Xu Yan and Du Yuying left the tomb of the Celestial Being and came out of the deserted mountains to walk among the forests. This was the region of the Yan Country. Chapter 354 ¡°Miss Du, let me escort you back to the Seven-star Study Palace.¡± Xu Yan spoke. ¡°Thank you, Young Master Xu!¡± Du Yuying was overjoyed. ¡°I beg you, please spare my granddaughter!¡± Suddenly, a voice pleading for mercy echoed from ahead. Xu Yan frowned, and the two sped up their pace, quickly reaching the source of the voice. In their sight were two women cloaked in sheer gauze, their delicate bodies faintly visible beneath the thin fabric. And an old man was protecting a young girl behind him. The young girl, around fifteen or sixteen, was petite and delicate. Her face, usually beautiful, now showed a look of bewilderment. The old man was actually a Grandmaster martial artist. But those two women in gauze, they were Great Grandmasters! ¡°It¡¯s an honor for your granddaughter to be offered to our Mistress of Ice. Given the desirable qualities of your granddaughter, the Mistress will likely enjoy her company for several days. For her sake, I will spare your life. Now get out!¡± One of the women waved her hand, sending the old man flying away. With a quick grab, she caught the young girl in her hand. ¡°Grandpa!¡± The young girl turned ghostly white in fear. The old man got up, glaring angrily at them, ready to fight the Great Grandmasters with his life. Your Mistress of Ice has killed countless innocent girls. If my granddaughter falls into her hands, there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll survive. I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡± The old man was filled with grief and anger. The Mistress of the Ice Lake, every year, countless young girls were abducted and taken to her icy tower. None had ever survived. She was a demon! He never imagined that his own granddaughter would be targeted. ¡°If you wish to die, I shall oblige!¡± The woman in gauze looked at the old man with contempt. A mere Grandmaster martial artist was nothing to her, a Great Grandmaster. He was a simple flick of her wrist away from death! She struck with palm, instantly releasing an ice-cold power that swept over everything. The old man roared in anger. He knew he had no chance of surviving, but he didn¡¯t hesitate, charging them despite the inevitable deadly outcome. Xu Yan waved his hand and with a thump, he dissolved the woman¡¯s attack. ¡°Release her!¡± He was not one to interfere in others¡¯ affairs, but seeing the old man¡¯s love for his granddaughter, and his willingness to give his life to protect her, touched him. For a moment, he thought of his own mother. She had indulged and loved him in the same way, allowing him to travel far and wide in search of mentors. The two women in gauze looked surprised, and shifted their eyes to Xu Yan and Du Yuying, their faces lighting up. Young man, if you wish to save her, you can come with us to meet the Mistress of Ice.¡± This young man was handsome and powerful, exactly what the Mistress needed! Recently, she had taken two handsome boys under her wing. Though they were Grandmasters, she wasn¡¯t satisfied as they were not strong enough to withstand her torments, and besides, they weren¡¯t particularly handsome. But this young man right here, he was just perfect! She would be thrilled to have him. ¡°Okay!¡± Xu Yan nodded. The so-called Mistress of Ice seemed like a vile character. She was definitely causing harm. Might as well kill her while he¡¯s at it. The woman in gauze threw the young girl back to the old man coldly stating, ¡°You should thank this young man.¡± The old man caught his granddaughter, tears of gratitude flowing down his cheeks. He kneeled with his granddaughter, asking ¡°May I know the name of our savior?¡± ¡°Xu Yan.¡± The old man stuttered, ¡°Xu Yan?¡± The God of Swords, Xu Yan? He swallowed hard. At first, he thought the young man who was taken to meet the Mistress was as good as dead. Now, it was Xu Yan? Young Master Xu, be careful of the Ice Mistress, she is extremely dangerous.¡± The old man warned solemnly. ¡°Oh? How is she dangerous?¡± Xu Yan was curious. He had never heard of this powerful figure before, the Mistress of Ice. He turned his questioning gaze towards Du Yuying. But Du Yuying shook her head, she had no idea as well. Just as the old man was about to say something, the two women in gauze shot him a cold glare. ¡°Speak another word, and we¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Young Master Xu, please be careful.¡± The old man didn¡¯t dare to say more. He made his granddaughter bow a few times in thanks, then took her and left. ¡°Xu Yan, huh? Even if the Mistress of Ice is more powerful, she can¡¯t be a match for him, can she?¡± The old man pondered. The two envoys of the Ice Mistress brought Xu Yan back with them. They must be stupidly sending the Mistress to her death. ¡°Fortunate that they are unaware of Xu Yan¡¯s fame.¡± A feeling of relief swept over the old man. The Ice Tower Envoy, whenever she appears, is only to capture young girls. After seizing a human, she would return to the ice tower and remain indifferent to the issues of the martial arts world, never showing concern. Because of this, Xu Yan had introduced himself, but the others didn¡¯t realize they were in the presence of a killer. ¡°Sir, please.¡± The two veiled women lead Xu Yan and Du Yuying, taking them somewhere. Xu Yan remained unperturbed. With his current strength, even if he had to face the Little Celestial, he could kill him. The Sudden Wind Sword Intent was difficult to resist for a Little Celestial gathering the power of divine spirits. How much stronger could the Ice Master be? He was just a half-step Celestial after all. Naturally, Du Yuying wasn¡¯t afraid either. She had great confidence in Xu Yan¡¯s ability. The two veiled women, on the other hand, were overjoyed. If they were to bring back such a handsome Young Master, the Ice Master would surely be thrilled. Moreover, not just a Young Master, but also a stunning beauty that incites jealousy just by looking at her. The Ice Master would also be very pleased. What a pity, such a beauty would be played to death by the Ice Master. Atop the lake stood an ice tower. The Ice Lady heaved a sigh, and kicked the shrivelled man who was lying on her, seemingly drained of his essence, flying away. ¡°Quite useless, and a little ugly too.¡± The Ice Lady sighed. ¡°Ice Master, a handsome young man has arrived, along with a beauty.¡± A joyful voice rang out. The Ice Lady looked up, and her eyes lit up. What a handsome young man, what a striking woman. A smile emerged in her eyes, revealing faint wrinkles at the comers of her eyes. At the north of the wilderness, the door of ripples in front of a towering peak was gradually solidifying. The outline of the door was becoming more and more distinct, as if it was about to open. ¡°The Gate of Lingyu is about to open.¡± Several figures stood on the soaring peak where Tianbao Pavilion was located. The man in the purple crown had a complicated look on his face. ¡°Pavilion Master, why is the Gate of Lingyu opening? Should we take this opportunity to enter?¡± One, with fiery eyes, asked. ¡°If you want to seize the opportunity to enter, you can, but¡­¡± The man in the purple crown paused, and then said, ¡°You¡¯d either obediently be a slave, looked down on like a pig or dog, or you will die!¡± The man looked somewhat solemn, saying, ¡°Pavilion Master, is it really so?¡± He was obviously somewhat skeptical of Pavilion Master¡¯s words. ¡°When people from the Inner Domain enter the Lingyu, that¡¯s what happens. I just hope that this time the Gate of Lingyu is not opening to find me.¡± The man in the purple crown sighed. ¡°Why?¡± The others looked at the Pavilion Master in confusion. ¡°Here, I am high and mighty, enjoying respect. But if they come for me, then I would become a slave, taking orders. If it¡¯s a reward, then of course I should be happy, but if it¡¯s a punishment¡­¡± The man in the purple crown didn¡¯t continue. The others also fell silent. Tianbao Pavilion and Lingyu have a certain origin, but the contact has not been frequent since the Devil¡¯s Incident. Only the Pavilion Master knew the inside story. Boom! The Gate of Lingyu was fully revealed. The giant gate stood tall, and the towering peak that used to be there seemed to have disappeared, as if it was taken into the Gate of Lingyu. The door, rippling like water, was gradually opening to both sides. Meng Chong stood up, his hand on the hilt of his sword, looking seriously at the huge gate in the distance. ¡°Meng Chong, or should we hide and watch?¡± Zi Yun was a bit nervous. Although they had the Yu Ling in hand, it wasn¡¯t necessarily truly safe. What if the one who came was an enemy of the Yu Ling¡¯s forces? Would they kill them on the spot? ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Meng Chong looked calm, saying, ¡°We are just observing from here, having not provoked them. If they still want to kill, let¡¯s see if they can withstand my God-killing Slash!¡± Zi Yun thought it made sense. They were just observing from afar. Would they be killed just for that? Aren¡¯t they allowed even a glance? Boom! The Gate of Lingyu slowly opened, revealing a narrow gap. Hum! Ripples spread out like a spring breeze brushing over the earth. The heavy snow around the giant gate melted instantly, as if it had vanished into thin air. The rich Spiritual Energy, and the vibrant Heavenly Earth Lingji, all gushed out from the gap in the door. A figure stepped out from the Gate of Lingyu, something seemingly in his palm. After stepping into the Inner Domain, a bead seemed to shoot from his hand, flying in a certain direction. He took a step, his figure following immediately behind the bead, his speed so fast that he disappeared in the blink of an eye. As of now, the opened Gate of Lingyu, slowly closed again, but did not disappear. Chapter 355 A Martial Artist in the Sky descended from the Gate of Lingyu, without a pause, he headed directly to a certain location, seemingly in search for a certain target. At Tianbao Pavilion, the man with a purple crown breathed a sigh of relief. Watching the figure disappearing into the horizon, he sighed, ¡°It seems he went to find that girl, Su Lingxiu!¡± ¡°Pavilion Master, what about Su Lingxiu¡­¡± Someone curiously asked. The man with the purple crown shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it, either. It¡¯s rumored that the opening of the Gate of Lingyu is connected with Su Lingxiu, and people will simply appear from the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°Capturing Su Lingxiu is considered an accomplishment and could lead to being take into Lingyu. ¡°Such a pity though, once entering Lingyu, one is no better than pigs and dogs.¡± The man with the purple crown chuckled at himself, looked at the distant Gate of Lingyu, and said calmly, ¡°Those who wish to enter Lingyu may try, whether to be high above others in the Inner Domain or to become pigs and dogs in Lingyu depends on one¡¯s own choice.¡± Several Half-Step Sky realm powerhouses were in a dilemma. Was it so terrible to enter Lingyu, where they would be reduced to pigs and dogs? Was it really so tragic? For a while, no one tried to go to the Gate of Lingyu, everyone trusted the words of the Pavilion Master. Meng Chong watched the figure disappear into the sky, and his brows furrowed. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s see where he is going!¡± Zi Yun, who was about to say something to dissuade Meng Chong, immediately jumped up instead, leaned on Meng Chong¡¯s back, and said, ¡°You¡¯re faster, take me with you.¡± Meng Chong leapt into the air, chasing in the direction where the Spirit Realm Powerhouse disappeared. He couldn¡¯t help but admire the speed of the Martial Artist in the Sky, truly fast! At the top of the Ice Tower, Xu Yan saw a man who was completely drained, withered, and lifeless. Then he turned to the woman in an ungraceful pose sitting on the chair, looking at him excitedly, he couldn¡¯t help but frown, feeling disgusted. Du Yuying¡¯s face turned red, then white, as she hastily looked away. ¡°Come here, young man,¡± The Ice Mistress beckoned him with her finger, grinning seductively. She seemed young, with soft white skin, but after days of indulgence without replenishing her essence, fine wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. ¡°You old hag, don¡¯t you feel disgusted?¡± Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t put up with her, he said with a disgusted expression on his face. Old hag? The Ice Tower quieted down immediately. The Ice Mistress¡¯s face darkened, her legs closed tightly together, and a murderous intent slowly appeared in her eyes. Why did she consume the essence of young girls? Wasn¡¯t it to maintain her youth and beauty? Now, being called an old hag in public, was like a stab to her heart, revealing her ugly side! The two veiled maidens who had brought Xu Yan back turned pale with rage, shouted, ¡°Impudent!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Xu Yan frowned and slapped them away. Bang! The spiritual energy between the heaven and the earth condensed into a giant wave and with a deafening bang, the two veiled women were killed instantly! To Xu Yan, a grandmaster was nothing but a flick of his fingers. ¡°You deserve to die!¡± The Ice Mistress suddenly stood up, murder in her eyes. Her cold aura filled the air, bringing with it a chill wind at the top of the Ice Tower. ¡°You old hag, you¡¯ve killed quite a few people? There¡¯s something odd about your aura.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes narrowed. He detected an unusual aura from her, a mix of different energies that didn¡¯t belong to the Ice Mistress. These energies seemed to be weakening. Thinking of the girls he rescued, who were captured and offered to this old woman, and the old man who said that all captured girls had died. Xu Yan sensed the mixed aura from the Ice Mistress and thought of the Demon Cult¡¯s killing cultivation technique that devours the blood of Martial Artists, enhancing oneself by turning it into one¡¯s own power. If one had just devoured the blood of a martial artist and had not fully absorbed it, a mixed aura would appear. ¡°You pretty boy, I initially wanted to keep you alive for a few more days, but since you don¡¯t know how to appreciate it and are seeking your own death, there¡¯s no need for you to stay. ¡°And the beautiful young lady next to you, oh, so beautiful. I want to drain her slowly in front of you and let her die painfully!¡± The Ice Mistress¡¯s voice was chilling. A wave of pressure emerged, surging forth, suppressing everything beneath. She reached out to grab Du Yuying. Even though Xu Yan attacked and killed her two grandmasters, the Ice Mistress wasn¡¯t too worried. She was in the Half-Step Sky Realm. She already felt her divine self and had a certain level of divine consolidation. Although she hadn¡¯t broken through the Martial Artist in the Sky realm, she was still far superior to a peak grandmaster, or even a newcomer in the Half-Step Sky realm who was just beginning to feel their divine self. Among the Half-Step Sky Martial Artists in the entire Inner Domain, only the Demon Child could definitely suppress her. The Ice Mistress was convinced that although Xu Yan appeared young, he must not be young and must have mastered some secret technique that maintains his youthful appearance. The Half-Step Sky Realm pressure crashed down. In the Ice Mistress¡¯s opinion, Xu Yan must be intimidated and could only exert two or three tenths of his power. He could only watch her grab Du Yuying. Then, in front of him, she would slowly torture the girl to death! Bang! But just as she raised her hand to grab Du Yuying, her face suddenly changed. A great power roared out, directly crushing her divine power. Immediately afterwards, a golden dragon roared and swooped down from the sky to kill her. Chapter 356 ¡°You!¡± Ice Maiden¡¯s complexion drastically changed. She raised her hand to release a palm strike, and a deep blue, icy storm, with her as its epicenter, swept through the surroundings. As she put all her strength into this attack, her previously fair and delicate skin quickly aged. The beautiful Ice Maiden had now transformed into an old woman. ¡°You deserve to die, you must die!¡± Ice Maiden roared in fury. ¡°I have consumed the essence of thousands of young girls to maintain my youthful beauty, and you¡¯ve destroyed it all. To get it back, I¡¯ll need to consume the essence of thousands more!¡± Ice Maiden was furious, her intent to kill apparent. Now that she had already turned into an old woman, she had nothing to hold back. A deep blue light emerged, transforming into shards of ice, filling the air with a chilling aura. She pushed the power bestowed upon her as a Half-Step Heavenly Being to its absolute limit. Xu Yan¡¯s power, although beyond her expectations, still didn¡¯t intimidate her. She was confident that she would be the ultimate victor! At this moment, Xu Yan was filled with rage. She had consumed the essence of thousands of young girls? ¡°Die!¡± Roar! The Golden Dragon roared, its aura overwhelming, as it concentrated its fury. Its eyes shone with a ferocious light, its power rapidly increasing as it swooped down, bearing down upon the Ice Maiden. ¡°Who are you?¡± Ice Maiden was utterly terrified, feeling her scalp tingle as an intense sense of danger enveloped her. What kind of cultivation technique does this Golden Dragon represent? ¡°Your killer, Xu Yan!¡± With all her might, Ice Maiden tried to defend against the Descending Dragon Palm. She felt a vague sense of familiarity with the name Xu Yan, as if she had heard it before. She hadn¡¯t paid attention to the affairs of the martial arts world in a long time, so even if she had heard of Xu Yan, she hadn¡¯t taken it to heart. After all, as far as Ice Maiden was concerned, she reigned supreme in the Inner Domain, and no one dared to offend her. Boom! The Descending Dragon Palm destroyed the deep-blue vortex, shattered all her defenses, and in Ice Maiden¡¯s terrified gaze, the Golden Dragon swept her body away. Compared to the giant Golden Dragon, her body seemed incredibly tiny. Thud! Even the might of a Half-Step Heavenly Being completely disintegrated under this strike! Having made strides in advancing to the Tongxuan Realm, Xu Yan had strengthened tremendously. Half-Step Heavenly Beings were no longer his equals. Killing them was effortless. Even if it¡¯s a low-level Heavenly Being, Xu Yan was confident he could defeat it with his sword, let alone a mere Half-Step Heavenly Being. With Ice Maiden¡¯s death, all the remaining people in the Ice Tower were terrified and trembling. ¡°Spare us, we were forced to do it.¡± Among the pleading women in thin veils, the two most powerful ones had already reached the rank of Great Grandmaster. These people were Ice Maiden¡¯s minions, responsible for abducting young girls to feed to Ice Maiden. They were truly deserving of death. Xu Yan launched an attack without mercy, killing them all! The Ice Tower was hereby eradicated! ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can find. There may be treasures in this Ice Tower, we shouldn¡¯t waste it.¡± Xu Yan had a smile on his face. There should be at least some treasures in the base of a Half-Step Heavenly Man. Now that everyone had been killed, it would be a waste not to ransack the place. Just as he was about to loot the Ice Tower, Xu Yan suddenly looked towards the distant horizon, his expression changing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Du Yuying was taken aback and followed Xu Yan¡¯s gaze towards the horizon, asking. Boom! A figure suddenly descended. The figure was overwhelmingly powerful, with an air of authority that suggested he viewed everyone as insignificant. Du Yuying¡¯s face turned pale. Who is this powerful being? He was far stronger than the ¡°Ice Lord¡± whom Xu Yan had just killed. Xu Yan¡¯s face was serious. A Martial Arts Heavenly Being! A real Martial Arts Heavenly Being, albeit a minor one who¡¯s just in the Gathering Spirit phase! When did the Inner Domain have a Martial Arts Heavenly Being? Was he the old woman¡¯s savior? The descending Martial Arts Heavenly Being looked like he was in his middle ages, with a clean-shaven face and a gloomy look in his eyes. There was a faint scar on his forehead. In front of him, a white bead was spinning around. Jiao Ming looked at the ¡°Mother Bead¡± of the Mother and Child Beads, which stayed above the Ice Tower. The ¡°Child Bead¡± had shattered here, so the person who had completed the task should be inside the Ice Tower. He cast his gaze downward, and there were only two people in the entire Ice Tower. His eyes lingered on Du Yuying for a moment. This woman was not the one he was looking for. He was slightly surprised to find such a beautiful woman in the Inner Domain. Without expressing any emotion, Jiao Ming looked at Xu Yan from above, asking indifferently, ¡°Where is the person?¡± Looking at the white bead, Xu Yan remembered that during his fight with the Ice Maiden, she didn¡¯t have time or the opportunity to ask for help. Therefore, this minor Heavenly Being did not come to help. Who was he looking for? Everyone in the Ice Tower had been killed, so Xu Yan naturally had no idea who the man was looking for. ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Xu Yan responded calmly. Jiao Ming¡¯s face darkened, his gaze cold and chilling, said dismissively, ¡°A creature like pigs and dogs, how dare you question me?¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was infuriated. He was already annoyed by the opposing side¡¯s superior demeanor. Now, he was labeled as something akin to pigs and dogs? What¡¯s so great about being a Martial Arts Heavenly Man? ¡°Who are you calling ¡®pigs and dogs¡¯?¡± Xu Yan replied coldly. ¡°The pigs and dogs are¡­¡± Jiao Ming¡¯s aura fluctuated dramatically as he answered angrily, soon realizing he had made a faux pas! ¡°Insolence!¡± Jiao Ming was enraged, how dare a man from the Inner Domain, who was no better than a pig or a dog, play tricks on him? Didn¡¯t he understand the might of the Heavenly Man cannot be defied? ¡°Kneel!¡± Jiao Ming shouted angrily, if he wasn¡¯t searching for Su Lingxiu, he would have obliterated the man in an instant. Boom! The Heavenly Man¡¯s might abruptly descended. ¡°The might of a Lesser Heavenly Man, truly remarkable indeed, far surpassing that of the Half-step Heavenly Man!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart shuddered, the might of a Half-step Heavenly Man was frail and empty, like a giant rock pressing down, while the might of a Lesser Heavenly Man was akin to a huge mountain bearing down. Hum! Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Intent surged outwards, effectively repelling the might, without the slightest influence from the Heavenly Man¡¯s might. He waved his hand, teleporting Du Yuying far away from the ice tower with the help of a golden dragon. Du Yuying¡¯s heart raced with anxiety, the strength of the newly arrived powerhouse was too terrifying. However, she was helpless due to her lack of strength, it was already a great help to Xu Yan if she didn¡¯t become a burden. Therefore, after being sent away from the ice tower by the golden dragon, she continued to retreat without stopping. Jiao Ming was taken aback, why was his Heavenly Man¡¯s might unable to suppress his opponent? Moreover, what kind of power was it? It somewhat resembled the might, but it was not, it seemed to carry an unknown exquisite nature and intent to kill. ¡°If you were a Refining God Heavenly Man, I, Xu Yan, would have run away without a word!¡± Xu Yan ascended step by step, standing at the same level as Jiao Ming. ¡°A mere Lesser Heavenly Man ¨C how bold, to be so arrogant! Today, I shall slaughter you just like I would a pig or a dog!¡± He drew his sword out of its sheath. ¡°Presumptuous, today I will make you understand the might of a Heavenly Man!¡± Jiao Ming was livid in his heart. When did the people from the Inner Domain become so powerful? Damn it! Boom! He swung his fist, starlight burst forth, like falling stars, fists embodying the force of destruction. Roaar! Xu Yan¡¯s expression remained cool, his opening move was the Mountain and River Sword Dao! At the same time, two rays of sword light shot out, aiming straight for Jiao Ming. Within the cycle of life and death, the entire battlefield was encased. Being a Lesser Heavenly Man was no small feat, Xu Yan dared not take it lightly. If he didn¡¯t make a move, since he had already his move, he was naturally going to thoroughly annihilate his opponent, leaving him no chance of escape. He must grind him to dust! Jiao Ming was startled, what kind of Sword Dao was this? ¡°These pigs and dogs from the Inner Domain couldn¡¯t possibly have such a mighty power. Could he be from the Ling Domain? Is he secretly protecting Su Lingxiu?¡± wondered Jiao Ming with a cold heart. He executed his double fist technique, allowing the starlight to rotate around him, he didn¡¯t dare to be careless at this moment. ¡°He is not a Heavenly Realm martial artist, his aura is unusual, and he is not a peak Great Grandmaster?¡± The longer the confrontation, the more puzzled Jiao Ming was. Whether it was the Sword Dao or the opponent¡¯s martial power, both seemed indiscriminate, neither a Heavenly Man nor a Great Grandmaster. The martial arts he seemed to cultivate was not the martial arts Jiao Ming knew. Xu Yan looked serious, the Lesser Heavenly Man in front of him was very strong, his fist technique was extraordinary, and starlight circulated. Each strand of starlight was a brutal attack. ¡°A Fist Technique of the Ling Domain?¡± Thought Xu Yan. In the Inner Domain, such a cultivation technique didn¡¯t exist. ¡°Remember, your killer, Swords God Xu Yan, will slaughter you like pigs and dogs with just three strikes of the sword!¡± Xu Yan said coldly. ¡°Presumptuous, let¡¯s see how you kill me within three strikes!¡± Jiao Ming laughed coldly. He admitted that Xu Yan was strong and not much weaker than him. However, claiming to kill himself with just three strikes of the sword was absolute madness. Unless Xu Yan was a Refining God Heavenly Man! Hum! Suddenly, Xu Yan slashed down with his sword, the Mountain and River Sword Dao manifested with a gentle breeze. Jiao Ming sneered, starlight instantly fell like stars, the power of destruction surged, intending to complete obliterate the mountain and river, to overcome his opponent. Chapter 357 To Jiao Ming, Xu van¡¯s strength was indeed surprising, yet the idea that Xu Van could kill him with three swords was sheer lunacy. After all, Jiao Ming had been cultivating a powerful fist technique from his faction. Its power was formidable, with each punch surrounded by a sea of starlight, resembling falling stars, containing within them, the power of destruction. Though he was only a beginner in this technique, and his destructive power was not at its strongest, he believed that destroying the illusory scene created by Xu Yan would pose no problem whatsoever. In the Lesser Heavenly Realm, Jiao Ming might not have been the strongest, but he was definitely not the weakest either. With full confidence, he unleashed a punch, one strong enough to destroy the illusory image. Then he planned to seize this opportunity to launch a powerful offensive to suppress his opponent! Whooosh! A light breeze brushed past Jiao Ming. He was taken aback. Where did this wind come from? How could it ignore his punch and gently touch him? All of a sudden, he felt a severe pain in his head, his divine power was swaying, his consciousness sinking into darkness and his mind spinning. This breeze was not brushing past his physical body, but was entering into his consciousness, blowing directly at his divine essence! The breeze was gentle, yet in an instant, it transformed into a sharp and deadly force, seeming as if it wanted to strangle his spiritual consciousness! Thud! Jiao Ming¡¯s body staggered, the radiance in his fist dimming, and he seemed to be on the brink of collapse. ¡°This is not good!¡± Jiao Ming was horrified. What kind of cultivation technique was this, that it could directly attack his divine body? In the Lesser Heavenly Realm, the practitioners are at the stage of gathering their divine essence. Although they possess immense divine power, the divine body is extremely illusory and frail at this stage. Only when one becomes a Refining God Heavenly Man, is a divine soul fully condensed. It¡¯s rumored that only Refining God Heavenly Men possess the means to directly attack one¡¯s spiritual consciousness. At that time, the divine soul can exist independently, naturally affording them such abilities. However, Xu Yan was not a Refining God Heavenly Man. So, why did he possess the means to directly attack the spiritual consciousness? Jiao Ming didn¡¯t have time to ponder over the reason, as he felt his consciousness being enveloped by darkness, his spirit shaking, as if it was being tom apart bit by bit. Danger! A crisis of life and death! Rooooar! All of a sudden, Jiao Ming let out a furious roar, his aura explosively flaring, his fists desperately striking out, forming a powerful defensive force around his body. Meanwhile, he activated his ability to gather divine essence, tried to condense his rapidly scattering consciousness, and attempted to escape from the cloud of darkness blanketing his mind. He made a move, intending to retreat. Hum! Two sword wheels are bearing down on him, bringing along with them an intense sense of impending crisis. Thud! His attack, all his starlight, was bit by bit being broken down. Jiao Ming sensed a condensing sword light, and he punched out powerfully, seeking to defend against this extremely dangerous attack. However, just as he punched out. The originally fierce sword light, had in that instant transformed into a continuous, unending flow, changing from offense to defense. Similarly, the sword light, which initially didn¡¯t seem to contain any danger, abruptly became a lethal threat! Thud! His defense shattered, Jiao Ming turned pale with astonishment. The severe headache had not ceased, and his consciousness was still groggy. His reaction speed had decreased, but Jiao Ming being a Martial Artist, even in such an unfavourable situation, managed to cast a life-saving technique amidst the crisis. Boom! A radiant glow burst forth from Jiao Ming, forming a protective shield around him. This was due to his activation of his technique to gather divine essence at the most critical point. This made his consciousness clear up slightly, and he decided to burn part of his power to produce a shield. This flawless, all-round defense would allow him to temporarily evade this deadly blow! He didn¡¯t even care about the expenditure, and was even willing to risk damaging his foundation. If he hesitated even slightly, he might end up losing his life here. Jiao Ming frantically activated his Gathering Divine Essence Technique, attempting to restore his clarity of consciousness, and recondense his ¡¯ shattered spiritual consciousness. Hum! In his consciousness, he saw the appearance of a sword light. The gentle breeze emerged once more. At that moment, Jiao Ming¡¯s face changed drastically. His consciousness, which had just started to recover, was suddenly tom apart again, as if ravaged by a violent wind. His mind was in chaos, his consciousness in disorder, despite his remaining bit of clarity, he crazily activated his Gathering Divine Essence Technique, hoping to recondense his spiritual consciousness. He wanted to flee, to evade all this danger. But it was all too late. In the clash between two strong cultivators, victory and defeat were often decided in the blink of an eye. He heard Xu Yan¡¯s voice. ¡°Third sword, it¡¯ll be your end!¡± Hum! Mountains and rivers appeared, transforming into a divine punishment-like thunderbolt, dropping down from the heavens! Thud! Xu Yan sighed in his heart, indeed, being a Martial Artist, even after executing two Swords of Sudden Wind Sword Intent on him, he still did not eradicate his spiritual consciousness completely. The third slash, the Thunderclap Sword, dropped! Thud! Jiao Ming¡¯s body was cleaved in two, his wounds charred black and spreading. A small pouch, like a toad¡¯s bag, fell out. Xu Yan reached out, pulling the storage pouch into his hand. Jiao Ming¡¯s burned body crumbled, dispersing like ashes in the wind. At the same spot, faint traces of spiritual consciousness fluctuation were left behind. Upon touching the breeze, they evaporated into nothingness. From making his appearance to turning into flying ashes, it was all a matter of a short moment. From the moment Jiao Ming looked down on everything, proclaiming Xu Yan and others as beings comparable to pigs and dogs, his fate was already sealed. Having slain a Martial Artist, Xu Yan remained exceptionally serene. He didn¡¯t even bother to inquire about this Martial Artist¡¯s name or reason for coming to the Ice Tower. ¡°My Sudden Wind Sword Intent is not strong enough yet, needs more work. I¡¯ll strive to make it so that next time; one strike is enough to annihilate a Lesser Heavenly Realm practitioner¡¯s divine body.¡± Chapter 358 Xu Yan was sighing in his heart. A figure appeared on the horizon, approaching fast, like a bolt of furious lightning crossing the sky. Meng Chong! ¡°Junior brother, why have you come?¡± Xu Yan inquired with surprise. Moreover, the direction from which Meng Chong had come seemed to coincide with that of the celestial martial artist. Meng Chong wore a shocked expression. He had followed the celestial martial artist, out of curiosity about his purpose for coming into the Inner Domain. But to his surprise! The man was gone. Killed by his eldest senior brother. Zi Yun¡¯s face was filled with astonished excitement. That was a celestial martial artist, yet he had died just like that? She looked at Xu Yan as if he were a creature of tales and legends. ¡°You came here because of that celestial martial artist?¡± Xu Yan asked with raised eyebrows. ¡°Elder brother, what was that celestial martial artist¡¯s purpose coming here?¡± Meng Chong¡¯s curiosity was now aimed at why that celestial man might have become enemies with his eldest senior brother. ¡°I don¡¯t know either, possibly looking for someone?¡± Xu Yan shrugged, expressing some dissatisfaction. ¡°That celestial guy, acting all high and mighty, looking down on others as if they were dogs and pigs. Just three strokes and he was dead. His strength was nothing too spectacular.¡± ZiYun:¡­ The high and mighty celestial martial artist, dead after just three strokes? ¡°Junior brother, do you have any idea about his background?¡± Xu Yan inquired. Meng Chong reported everything about his trip to the North, the matters of the Ling Domain, and the opening of the Gate of Lingyu, to Xu Yan without reservation. ¡°A demon lord?¡± Xu Yan was puzzled for a moment then explained, ¡°Miss Du and I went to the tomb of that celestial being, who is called the Blood Demon in Ling Domain. ¡°Moreover, I suspect that the individual who had stolen Senior Wu¡¯s body and was killed by you, junior brother, was the demon lord!¡± Meng Chong was stunned. After the brothers shared their stories, they could preliminarily confirm that the soul in the worm that Meng Chong had initially killed was indeed the demon lord! Eventually, their conversation returned to the Gate of the Lingyu. ¡°Ling Domain huh, I will go, but not now.¡± Xu Yan calmly declared. He had to stabilize Dahua before going to Ling Domain. Meng Chong nodded in agreement. They had to go to the Ling Domain. Finally, their conversation returned to the celestial martial artist. Now that the man was dead, it was impossible to investigate what he had intended to do in the Inner Domain. Xu Yan opened Jiao Ming¡¯s bag and found it filled with Spiritual Medicines and Spirit Crystals. Then, he pulled out a pair of sharp, frosty gauntlets, which was obviously the dead martial artist¡¯s weapon. The man had been too arrogant and Xu Yan¡¯s power overwhelming. He hadn¡¯t even had time to draw his weapon. Xu Yan examined the gauntlets and recognized their value right away¡ªthese were the weapons of a celestial martial artist. He handed the gauntlets over to Meng Chong. ¡°Junior brother, they are yours.¡± The gauntlets were of no use to him but seemed perfectly suited for Meng Chong. ¡°Thank you, elder brother.¡± Meng Chong thanked him excitely. Xu Yan then retrieved a jade identification plaque from the bag. ¡°Jiao Ming of Shui Xing Palace?¡± Shui Xing Palace must be the faction to which Jiao Ming belonged. ¡°No wonder his strength was so mediocre; turns out he¡¯s just some poor devil!¡± Xu Yan remarked with some disdain. Despite the fact that there were several fifth-grade Spiritual Medicines in the bag, it seemed scant for a celestial martial artist. Otherwise, he is just a pauper, right? Well, that matter was taken care of, and it was about time to return to Canglan Island. The frost palace had been completely ruined in the battle. Even if it had stored some Spiritual Medicines, they would all be long destroyed by now. As the battle ended, Du Yuying, whose heart had been racing the whole time, finally relaxed. Xu Yan, truly invincible! Even the celestial martial artist had been slayed. ¡°I¡¯ll escort Miss Du back to the Seven-Star Study Palace, what about you, junior brother?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go along with you, elder brother.¡± Meng Chong turned back, addressing Zi Yun, ¡°You can do whatever you like.¡± Zi Yun huffed, then confusedly asked, ¡°Meng Chong, I¡¯m going to come find you, and we can enter the Gate of Lingyu together, how about that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not certain of when I¡¯ll enter the Gate of Lingyu. The path you and I are on may not necessarily be the same.¡± Meng Chong shook his head. ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m definitely going to come find you.¡± Zi Yun asserted in a determined voice. ¡°Suit yourself!¡± Meng Chong didn¡¯t bother to respond. After Zi Yun left, having obtained what she needed, she needed to settle herself down, increasing her strength, and she had some other matters to attend to. Xu Yan escorted Du Yuying back to the Seven-Star Study Palace, with Meng Chong accompanying them. The opening of the Gate of Lingyu signified a new era. Will there be a second or third warrior, like Jiao Ming, the Martial Arts Celestial Being, who would emerge from the Gate of Lingyu? And given Jiao Ming¡¯s demise, would the Shui Xing Palace send another powerful figure? On Canglan Island. Li Xuan led a leisurely life. No feedback had been received from Meng Chong after he vanquished the snow bear and killed the remnant soul of the Celestial Being. Xu Yan carried on placidly, encountering nothing special in the Tomb of Celestial Beings. Apparently, there wasn¡¯t danger there. Hoof! The past couple of days, the island has been filled with roaring sounds. The noises came from within the Red Cat. The gigantic Red Cat lay sleeping on the ground, occasionally emitting thunder-like sounds and a faint aura. It was on the verge of transforming into a great demon. Li Xuan was overjoyed as his randomly captured Red Cat was close to its transformation into a great demon. ¡°What kind of response will I get when the Red Cat truly transforms into a great demon?¡± Li Xuan was filled with anticipation. ¡°Master, is the Red Cat about to transform into a great demon?¡± Su Lingxiu asked excitedly. ¡°Soon.¡± Li Xuan answered, nodding. ¡°Will the Red Cat be able to shrink in size after transforming into a great demon?¡± Su Lingxiu asked, full of hopes. The current Red Cat was enormous, its paw alone being almost larger than her body. ¡°It depends on how much it can understand.¡± Li Xuan naturally couldn¡¯t give a precise answer. Whether the Red Cat could freely shrink in size after its transformation into a great demon, he had no idea. On Canglan Island, everyone was keeping an eye on the Red Cat¡¯s transformation. The Red Cat that lay on the ground was growing larger each day, looking like a small mountain. Its aura was becoming stronger, filling people with awe. ¡°That must be the demonic qi, right?¡± Li Xuan contemplated. ¡°Once Red Cat transforms into a great demon, its strength will be comparable to the peak Great Grandmaster. Given its powerful physical body and mountain-like size, the Red Cat will be invincible among the standard peak Great Grandmasters.¡± Li Xuan assessed the Red Cat¡¯s power. Bam! That day, the thick golden chain around the Red Cat¡¯s neck snapped due to its growing size. Shi¡¯er looked worried. Although he had intentionally enlarged the golden chain, it was still shattered. The Red Cat was growing far too quickly. ¡°Time to forge a new chain.¡± A disappointed Shi¡¯er started preparing a new golden chain. He wished he could slap himself for allowing the Red Cat to develop a liking for wearing chains. For several days, Li Xuan had stopped sailing on the vast river, instead staying on Canglan Island, waiting for the Red Cat¡¯s transformation and to prevent any unexpected situations. Suddenly, a golden light appeared. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has attained enlightenment through the Divine Intent State martial arts technique you composed. You have reached the Divine Intent State.¡± Boom! Li Xuan was surprised. Xu Yan had achieved enlightenment of the Divine Intent Technique faster than he had expected. Rumbling! At that moment, Li Xuan felt a significant transformation within himself. The Niwan Palace was activated, and the Soul Pedestal appeared. On top of the Soul Pedestal, the concentrated Martial Arts Divine Intent embodied the laws of heaven and earth and transformed into Divine Intent. The Divine Intent covered the whole of Canglan Island, and he could control every grass and tree. Under the Divine Intent¡¯s influence, everything seemed to change on the island. In a moment, a tiny insect on Canglan Island turned to ashes. Everyone on the island was exposed under the Divine Intent. Their cultivation progress, the strength of their True Qi, the strength of their bones, etc., were all shown. He had a total understanding of everything on Canglan Island. The Red Cat, which was in the process of transformation, possessed an enormous power hidden within it under the Divine Intent. Was that the power of a great demon? The acupoint on the Red Cat¡¯s head, where he often pointed with his bamboo cane, was opening and emitting a profound aura, initiating the aperture of intelligence. An acupoint on the Red Cat¡¯s chest was opening and continually expanding. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed into it, harbouring something profound. On the Red Cat¡¯s abdomen, an acupoint was opening, containing something profound which seemed capable of devouring everything. There was also an acupoint opening on its back¡­ The acupoints on the Red Cat¡¯s body responded to each other and formed a cycle. Some of these acupoints were the ones he had instructed, and were also indicated under the great demon method. Where his Divine Intent reached, nothing could hide. At that moment, Li Xuan profoundly experienced what it meant when, ¡°my intent is the intent of heaven and earth!¡± The Niwan Palace was continuously expanding and activating, the Soul Pedestal was becoming more solid, misted in a profound radiance, and the figure of Divine Intent was situated above the Soul Pedestal. The figure of Divine Intent was similar to him, yet it seemed capable of resonating with any terrains or circumstances of heaven and earth. ¡°My form is the form of heaven and earth!¡± He had broken through to the fourth stage of martial arts, the Divine Intent State! Chapter 359 The speed of breaking into the Divine Intent State was faster than Li Xuan had anticipated. At this moment, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t hide his excitement. As the pioneer of his own Martial Arts journey, he had quickly grasped the Cultivation Technique of the Divine Intent State in such a short span of time. ¡°The power and profundity of the Divine Intent State are stronger than I imagined. Wherever my divine intent reaches, there is no resistance, and within the range of my divine intent, I am as indisputable as Fate!¡± If thousands of peak Great Grandmasters were invading at this moment, Li Xuan would just sit still and with a simple thought, he could make all of them kneel down! Such authority could never be achieved by a Martial Arts practitioner in pursuit of heavenly perfection. ¡°What is my Golden Finger?¡± According to his previous speculation, after opening the Niwan Palace, nourishing the Soul Pedestal, and cultivating the Martial Arts Intent, he should be able to see the Golden Finger. Li Xuan was overjoyed, withdrew his divine intent covering Canglan Island, and entered the Niwan Palace and the Soul Pedestal in consciousness. At this moment, he saw it excitedly, the object emitting the golden light¨Cits true presence. In the Niwan Palace, on top of the Soul Pedestal, and above the form of the divine intent, there was a golden book glowing with golden light¨Cthe Daoist Golden Book. The form of divine intent suddenly moved, as if opening its eyes and looking at the golden book! In this instant, an enlightenment rose in Li Xuan¡¯s mind. The Daoist Golden Book! This was his Golden Finger. The divine intent poured into the Daoist Golden Book, with golden light surging, and a page of the Daoist Golden Book was flipped open. Although flipping the book with his current divine intent was somewhat laborious, he could eventually flip it open to view. As the Daoist Golden Book opened, information about the book also emerged. ¡°Great, I can finally use the Golden Finger to aid in creating Martial Arts.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. The Daoist Golden Book can assist him in creating Martial Arts Techniques. After inputting the created Technique, he can see how perfect the Technique is, how well it can be connected with higher and lower realms, and the difficulty of understanding it, etc. With the assistance of the Daoist Golden Book, after inputting the created Technique, he can view the necessary information, then perfect it bit by bit, allowing the Technique to be successfully cultivated. The Daoist Golden Book had already recorded the Martial Arts he created. Li Xuan viewed the information of the Technique created blindly, which had not yet been figured out. Martial Arts Technique of Qi and Blood Realm: Perfection Level of Technique: Extremely Low. Difficulty in Cultivating: Extremely High. Difficulty in Enlightenment: Extremely High. Technique Enlightener: Xu Yan. Upon seeing the extremely low perfection level of the Martial Arts Technique of Qi and Blood Realm recorded in the Daoist Golden Book, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corners of his mouth. The low perfection level of the Technique was acknowledged by Li Xuan. After all, when he first started, he was truly creating it blindly, without even a complete theoretical framework. Due to the low level of perfection of the Technique, the difficulty in cultivating is naturally high, and the difficulty in understanding it is also inevitably high. Even so, Xu Yan was still able to understand and cultivate this Technique. ¡°My disciple is really a monster!¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. Whenever anyone else tried, they would definitely fail to comprehend it. Once the Technique was comprehended, it has been improved. The requirements for cultivation naturally reduce considerably and it can be widely spread. Martial Arts Technique of Innate Realm: Perfection Level of Technique: Above Average. Difficulty in Cultivating: High. Difficulty in Enlightenment: High. The Cultivation Technique of Innate Realm had been carefully created by him, especially with the purpose of achieving a smooth connection with the Qi and Blood Realm, hence he had spent a lot of time and thought on it. As a result, the Daoist Golden Book gave it an ¡®Above Average¡¯ rating in terms of perfection and connection between realms. Even so, the difficulty in cultivation was still rated high. Li Xuan looked at the subsequent Techniques. The Martial Arts Technique of the Tongxuan Realm, the level of perfection, connection between realms, and the difficulty in cultivation and comprehension, were similar to those of the Innate Realm. However, the latest Technique of Divine Intent Realm was a bit different. Martial Arts Technique of Divine Intent Realm: Perfection Level of Technique: High. Difficulty in Cultivating: High. Difficulty in Enlightenment: Above Average. Seeing that the Daoist Golden Book rated the difficulty of comprehension of the Technique of the Divine Intent Realm as ¡®Above Average¡¯, Li Xuan was a bit surprised. ¡°Is the Technique of Divine Intent Realm really that easy to understand? Is that why Xu Yan was able to comprehend the Technique in such a short time? ¡°Could it be that the Daoist Golden Book¡¯s rating is based on the standard of Xu Yan?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but suspect. Maybe because Xu Yan comprehended the Technique of Divine Intent Realm so quickly that the Daoist Golden Book had given the rating of difficulty in comprehension as ¡®Above Average¡¯. In other words, as long as the difficulty in comprehension of the Technique I created is ¡®Above Average¡¯, Xu Yan will definitely be able to comprehend it quickly.¡± Li Xuan pondered. With the Daoist Golden Book, he now had a reference for whether the Techniques he created could be comprehended. Creating subsequent Martial Arts realms would be much easier. More attempts and corrections might be needed to finally achieve the desired Martial Arts Technique. Li Xuan then viewed the Body Martial Arts. The Great Sun Golden Bell Technique: Perfection Level: Low. Difficulty in Cultivating: High. Difficulty in Enlightenment: High. Technique Enlightener: Meng Chong. The start of the Body Martial Arts, the perfection level for the Great Sun Golden Bell Technique, was not extremely low, but the Daoist Golden Book gave a low rating. Both the difficulty in cultivation and enlightenment were rated high. ¡°Meng Chong is also a monster. It is not easy to comprehend it.¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. He felt sorry for his disciples. They were already able to comprehend it. The Great Sun Golden Body Technique: Perfection Level: Above Average. Difficulty in Cultivating: High. Difficulty in Enlightenment: High.. Chapter 360 The Cultivation Technique of the Great Solar Golden Body, received an above-average evaluation for its perfection. ¡°An above-average perfection of the Cultivation Technique ensures its comprehension.¡± Li Xuan thought. He then examined the Alchemical Martial Arts. The evaluation received was comparable to that of the Physical Martial Arts. The comprehensibility of alchemy, though it was not given a very high evaluation, was rated highly. Li Xuan now had a general understanding of the Daoist Golden Book¡¯s evaluation of the Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques. They were divided into extremely low, low, slightly above low, medium, above medium, high, quite high, and extremely high. Li Xuan also checked the evaluations of Sword Dao, Daoist Magic, and The Eight Diagrams. After reading, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in admiration, ¡°My disciple is indeed a monstrous talent.¡± ¡°Truly worthy of being the pioneer of Martial Arts by your master.¡± Looking at the Daoist Golden Book on his Soul Pedestal, Li Xuan began to ponder on how to develop the next stage of the Physical Martial Arts Cultivation Technique. Meng Chong had already reached the Tongxuan Realm. It was time to develop the advanced cultivation technique of the Great Solar Golden Body. If Meng Chong were also to comprehend it, then his Physical Martial Arts would be promoted to the Divine Intent State, drastically increasing his strength. ¡°How about the Cultivation Technique of the Great Demon?¡± Li Xuan suddenly remembered that he had created the Cultivation Technique of the Great Demon, and Red Cat was currently undergoing transformation. With a thought, the Daoist Golden Book opened again, and he saw the table of contents within. The categories listed were Pure Martial Arts, Physical Martial Arts, Alchemical Martial Arts, Sword Dao, Daoist Magic, etc. ¡°Is there no Great Demon Martial Arts? Could it be that as a beast or demon, I can¡¯t get any feedback?¡± Li Xuan furrowed his brows, noting that the Daoist Golden Book did not record the Great Demon Martial Arts. ¡°No, the book only records the Martial Arts 1 have comprehended. Although Red Cat is in the process of transformation, it hasn¡¯t completed the final step.¡± With this thought, Li Xuan flipped a page in the Daoist Golden Book and wrote the Method of the Dao on a blank page. As he wrote down the Cultivation Technique of the Great Demon, the Daoist Golden Book gave its evaluation. Great Demon Martial Arts: Perfection of Cultivation Technique: High. Cultivation Difficulty: Above Medium. Comprehension Difficulty: Above Medium. To Li Xuan¡¯s surprise, the perfection of the Great Demon Martial Arts was rated as high! ¡°Could it be due to the acupoints? I have developed all of Red Cat¡¯s acupoints.¡± Having developed the acupoints and imitating the intent of the Great Solar Golden Body, the effectiveness of the Great Demon Martial Arts received a high evaluation. ¡°With an above medium cultivation and comprehension difficulty, it¡¯s not easy for Red Cat to cultivate this. No wonder I thought it had high intelligence at first glance.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. 1 he golden finger of the Daoist Golden Book was really useful, an excellent tool for creating Martial Arts. ¡°It¡¯s time to consider the next Martial Arts technique.¡± Li Xuan had some thoughts. Write down the ideas for the Martial Arts technique into the Daoist Golden Book. Use the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book to make corrections until the satisfactory Martial Arts Cultivation Technique is obtained. ¡°Even if the Martial Arts techniques I create can be comprehended by myself, they still require dedicated practice. It¡¯s too exhausting. So, it¡¯s better to let the disciple practice, directly reflecting the Cultivation Realm. This is the right way.¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart, realising his cultivating might not be as efficient as his disciple¡¯s. Therefore, he only took charge of creating the Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques. The hard work of comprehension and practice was entirely handed over to the disciple. Just when he was about to write down some Martial Arts thoughts into the Daoist Golden Book to test the book¡¯s feedback, Li Xuan suddenly felt a heaviness in his consciousness, a feeling of exhaustion. The consumption of his divine intent was significant. He was in a hurry to stop looking at the Daoist Golden Book, retracted his consciousness, and slightly squinted his eyes to operate the Divine Intent State Cultivation Technique to restore his expended divine spirit. ¡°Browsing the Daoist Golden Book requires the consumption of divine intent. With my current strength, each use won¡¯t last long.¡± Li Xuan exhaled. In addition to providing feedback on Martial Arts techniques, the golden finger of the Daoist Golden Book probably had other uses. But with his low realm, he couldn¡¯t detect or use them. With his current strength, he couldn¡¯t browse the Daoist Golden Book for a long time, let alone explore its other uses. The consumption of divine intent was significant, and a rare fatigue could be seen in his eyes. After drinking a cup of Cloud Mist Spiritual Tea, Li Xuan lay down on a chair to rest. ¡°As I have reached the Divine Intent State, I should consider creating a kind of Elixir that can restore divine intent and Primordial Spirit.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. He thought of the Stone Secluded Grass, which had such effects. But for now, he only had one strand of it. The Inner Domain is indeed a bit barren. Grade Five Spiritual Medicines are too scarce.¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. He thought of the Ling Domain and wondered at what level of strength he currently was in the Ling Domain. When one¡¯s strength is too weak, there¡¯s no guarantee of safety in the Ling Domain, it¡¯s better to wait until my strength improves a bit.¡± Li Xuan mumbled to himself. Due to the significant consumption of divine intent and mental fatigue, Li Xuan fell asleep on the chair. Ever since becoming a Martial Artist, he had not had such a sleep. Upon waking up, Li Xuan felt refreshed and his divine intent had returned to its peak, and he could use the Daoist Golden Book again. ¡°Can¡¯t consume too much, must keep some in reserve.¡± Li Xuan thought. If the consumption of divine intent is too large, and an enemy appears, wouldn¡¯t he be in a disadvantageous situation? ¡°What kind of new Martial Arts should I create? Where should I start with the Cultivation Technique?¡± Li Xuan was pondering. ¡°For now, let¡¯s not create a new Martial Arts. Let¡¯s create the Cultivation Technique that Meng Chong will practice next.¡± Just as he was about to open the Daoist Golden Book to start creating the next stage of the Great Solar Golden Body Cultivation Technique.. Chapter 361 Suddenly, the Daoist Golden Book opened, revealing a golden glow. At the same time, information surfaced on the Golden Book and was conveyed. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has killed a martial artist of the Divine Soul realm, and your Sudden Wind Sword Intent has been enhanced, with your God-Soul killing experience increasing.¡± Gulp! Li Xuan was somewhat bewildered. He had thought that Meng Chong would encounter the martial artist, but it turned out to be Xu Yan. What¡¯s more, he even killed the martial artist! ¡°Was it in the tomb of the Gods?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s brow twitched. ¡°A martial artist in the Divine Soul realm? Is this the realm above that of the Great Grandmaster? A complete martial artist shouldn¡¯t appear in the tomb of the Gods.¡± Li Xuan speculated inwardly. Martial artists can also be stronger or weaker, and there should be differences in the realms as well. The Divine Soul realm should be the one above the Great Grandmaster, and in the weaker class among the martial artists. ¡°He has killed a God.¡± Li Xuan sighed in amazement. As a master, he has not yet killed a god, but his disciple Xu Yan has taken one step ahead and slayed the martial artist under his sword. ¡°Xu Yan, who has achieved a small accomplishment in the Tongxuan Realm, has already killed a martial artist. This martial artist was too weak.¡± Li Xuan understood in his heart that after Xu Yan had grasped the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, killing the martial artist was the inevitable result. He is now in the Divine Intent State, and once he displays the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, he can easily annihilate the spiritual consciousness of the martial artist. Of course, this is aimed at the martial artist of the Divine Soul realm. If it¡¯s a stronger martial artist, with the strength of the Divine Intent State, he may not necessarily be able to easily kill the other party. He still has too little understanding of martial artists. ¡°I¡¯ll know what happened when Xu Yan comes back.¡± Li Xuan didn¡¯t continue to think deeply, and was about to write some martial arts ideas into the Daoist Golden Book to get feedback and evaluation, then create new martial arts. Suddenly, his expression froze. He swiftly took out an ancient book. He studied this ¡°Book of Tai Cang¡± almost every day and always focused on the first page. He was gradually having some insights. From these patterns, he seemed to see a kind of ¡°momentum¡±, or a mysterious geographical environment. ¡°The Book of Tai Cang is not simple. 1 don¡¯t know why it would appear in the royal treasury of Wu Country. Could it be the treasure¡¯s self-concealment? ¡°No matter what the reason, this book is extraordinary. If I write these patterns into the Daoist Golden Book, can 1 get the information 1 want?¡± With this thought, Li Xuan was eager to try. With a thought, the Daoist Golden Book opened on his Soul Pedestal. Li Xuan took a deep breath. The first page texture of Tai Cang ancient book, he already knew it by heart. But when it came to how to draw the first pattern, he was paused. Undeniably bewildered, although he had memorized the pattern, when he wanted to draw it, he felt a sense of dilemma. Every time he thought about drawing from this pattern, he felt that this pattern was not the beginning pattern, and another pattern was the real beginning. But when he wanted to change another pattern as the starting point, he felt that another pattern was the beginning. The patterns seemed to be constantly changing. The more it was like this, the more extraordinary the patterns on Tai Cang¡¯s ancient book were. Li Xuan opened the ancient book and stared at the patterns. He steadfastly chose a pattern and wrote it into the Daoist Golden Book according to this pattern. ¡°Hiss!¡± Li Xuan gasped. Just entering the pattern drained his divine intent rapidly. ¡°Don¡¯t rush, write slowly, it doesn¡¯t matter if it takes a long time.¡± Li Xuan wrote the patterns into the Daoist Golden Book slowly, very slowly, while operating the Divine Intent State cultivation technique to recover the consumed divine intent. After writing about a third of the patterns, despite having slowed down, Li Xuan still felt tired and couldn¡¯t keep going. So he had to stop writing the patterns into the book. At this moment, the Daoist Golden Book exuded a faint glow, and the pages actually revealed information about the patterns.. Chapter 362 Li Xuan had expended a considerable amount of his divine intent, taking a great deal of time to painstakingly inscribe only one-third of the patterns into the Daoist Golden Book. As he ceased to inscribe, the Golden Book began to feedback. Heaven and Earth Laws (Incomplete): Completeness: Understanding Difficulty: Upon seeing the feedback from the golden book, Li Xuan was immediately taken aback. The Heaven and Earth Laws? In the Daoist golden book, the completeness and understanding difficulty of the Heaven and Earth Laws were blank, without any rating. Li Xuan took a deep breath, the Daoist Golden Book didn¡¯t give a rating because these Heaven and Earth Laws were not created by him. Hence, the Daoist Golden Book only gave feedback on the patterns, without a rating. Li Xuan withdrew his divine intent from the Daoist golden book, his eyes filled with astonishment as he looked at the Tai Cang ancient book in his hands. The patterns drawn on it were the Heaven and Earth Laws? No wonder they were so profound and incomprehensible! Given his low level of cultivation, how could he understand? This also explained why the patterns always seemed to be changing. ¡°This is truly a supreme treasure!¡± Li Xuan was filled with astonishment. The Tai Cang ancient book contained drawings of the Heaven and Earth Laws; if one were to comprehend them, it would likely lead to the profound origin of heaven and earth! Since obtaining the ancient book, he had always been studying the first page s patterns and occasionally gained some insights. Each time he meticulously studied, he would feel peaceful. Now that he knew these patterns were of the Heaven and Earth Laws, he understood that the patterns contained outlines of landscapes, environments, and so on. The Heaven and Earth Laws naturally encompassed everything in the universe. The ancient book was able to contain the Heaven and Earth Laws, implying that the hide it was made of was no ordinary beast hide but probably one from a tremendously powerful creature. ¡°Tai Cang.¡± Looking at the words ¡°Tai Cang¡± on the ancient book, Li Xuan suddenly had an epiphany. Whether it was the borderlands, the Inner Domain, or even the Ling Domain, they were all part of the Tai Cang world, the world he resided in was known as Tai Cang Heaven and Earth. ¡°This Book of Tai Cang records the laws of Tai Cang Heaven and Earth; who wrote it, is unknown, and such a treasure, whether it was naturally so obscure or intentionally hidden. ¡°All clues indicate that the martial arts strength of the Tai Cang domain was definitely powerful. It might have declined due to some reasons.¡± ¡°Inner Domain, Ling Domain¡­ the Gate of Lingyu, is both the portal from the Inner Domain to the Ling Domain and the portal for the Ling Domain to enter the Inner Domain, it separates the two domains.¡± ¡°Is this the natural state of the Tai Cang boundary, or was it artificially manipulated?¡± Thoughts and questions flooded Li Xuan¡¯s mind. ¡°Heaven and Earth Laws, if I can fully comprehend them, could I not control them? What kind of realm, what incredible powerhouse could manage to do this?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the Book of Tai Cang. Once his divine intent recovered, Li Xuan once again opened the Daoist Golden Book, inscribing the first pattern of the Book of Tai Cang into the Daoist Golden Book, obtaining all the information about the first page of the Book of Tai Cang. After inscribing a third of it previously, the Daoist Golden Book had provided feedback on the incomplete Heaven and Earth Laws. If he inscribed the whole pattern, would this mean it was the complete Heaven and Earth Laws? If the first page was the Heaven and Earth Laws, what were the patterns on following pages? As inscribing exhausted his divine intent power, Li Xuan had to do it slowly and rest after each session to recover his divine intent. On the Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book was opened, and Li Xuan¡¯s divine intent appeared to extend a hand, moving on the Golden Book as if drawing something. After three days, Li Xuan finally finished inscribing all the patterns from the first page into the Daoist Golden Book. As he ceased the inscription, the Daoist Golden Book emanated a golden light. Heaven and Earth Laws (Partial): Completeness: Understanding Difficulty: Looking at the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book, Li Xuan exhaled a breath of relief. The first page was a part of the complete Heaven and Earth Laws, did this mean the patterns in the rest of the Book of Tai Cang were also Heaven and Earth Laws? ¡°I have a book of Heaven and Earth Laws in my hands, I must use it. I can start by creating a new martial art based on it.¡± Li Xuan was overcome with excitement. The mystery of the Book of Tai Cang was finally unravelled. However, the Heaven and Earth Laws were too profound. Even though he had reached the Divine Intent State, he still couldn¡¯t fully grasp their secrets. But with the Daoist Golden Book, he could create some things. ¡°There are Pure Martial Arts, Physical Martial Arts, and Pill Medical Martial Arts. I have even created some medicinal pills, now I only lack Martial Arts related to Artifact Refining.¡± ¡°The Way of the Artificer? How to refine artifacts? 1 need to incorporate the Heaven and Earth Laws into this, merely refining artifacts isn¡¯t enough.¡± ¡°Apart from Artifact Refining, 1 also lack manifestations and prohibitions¡­¡± Li Xuan fell into deep thought. Artifact Refining, manifestations, prohibitions¡­ these are what I currently lack, but how to create them? Even though the Inner domain has Forging Masters who forge precious artifacts, which is a form of Artifact Refining, it isn¡¯t a powerful martial art. As for manifestations and prohibitions, I¡¯ve never heard of them in the Inner Domain. Whether or not the Ling Domain has them is unknown, at least for now, the Inner Domain doesn¡¯t have them. As for military formations, the military formations in the Inner Domain are quite ordinary. They are far inferior to the formation methods in his memory. ¡°The Beast Martial Arts can be considered the fourth type of martial arts, these are not meant for human practice, but for beasts. Once Red Cat completes its metamorphosis, this martial art will appear.¡± Li Xuan pondered, ¡°Artifice Formation Martial Arts? Formation Artifice Martial Arts? They sound too ordinary. And simply refining artifacts can¡¯t exhibit greatness, yet the Heaven and Earth Laws can be applied to formation methods.. Chapter 363 ¡°No, it can also be used in artifact refining, such as the crafting of storage bags, storage rings, etc., and apart from the materials, the laws of heaven and earth can also be leveraged. ¡°However, utilizing the laws of heaven and earth is advanced, how can they be incorporated and even be useful at a low cultivation level?¡± The more Li Xuan deliberated, the more he felt a headache. Artifact refining, if not merged with the formation, seemed not powerful enough; and if merged with the formation system, however, the two seemed not of the same class. After pondering for a long time without any clue, Li Xuan sighed inwardly and shifted his attention to the Book of Tai Cang and flipped to the second page. He decided to memorize all the patterns in the Book of Tai Cang. Although it was a bit difficult and he could only remember the forms of the patterns but not their true mysteries, once his realm improved and he could touch the laws of heaven and earth, he would naturally understand their mysteries. The patterns on the second page gave him some different insights from before. He seemed to see a game board, but also a trap formed by heaven and earth. In his trance, Li Xuan seemed to see some changes in the patterns. ¡°Game board, formation¡­¡± Li Xuan mumbled a few words, and a bright idea flashed in his mind. ¡°Qimen Dunjia.¡± At this moment, Li Xuan thought of Qimen Dunjia, with its four thousand three hundred and twenty formations¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve got it! The new martial arts!¡± Li Xuan became excited. He finally found the way to use the laws of heaven and earth and create new martial arts. ¡°Whether it¡¯s refining artifacts or setting up formations, treat yourself as the board, the formation; use artifacts as aids¡­ Refining artifacts, setting formations, and the universal game board of heaven and earth. ¡°To use all things as formations, to use heaven and earth as the game board¡ª The Martial Arts of Qimen!¡± Li Xuan was extremely excited inside. He finally determined the direction of the new martial arts, as well as its name. The Martial Arts of Qimen! Including artifact refining, formation setting, and so on. ¡°The Martial Arts of Qimen, using what is unorthodox, manipulating great situations, setting up strange formations¡­ Since it is Qimen, it cannot go the conventional way, and the martial arts of refining skin, bones, and organs can all be abandoned. ¡°Furthermore, my fourth disciple will certainly not be without any martial arts foundation, so he has to abandon the inherent path and take the road less traveled. ¡°To use artifact as one¡¯s body? Or, to integrate the artifact into oneself? Or, to integrate the artifact into one¡¯s body, which can be replaced and upgraded¡­ ¡°To set up formations with artifacts, to take the large game board of heaven and earth as the framework¡­ Every step setting the trap, every move a potential kill?¡± Thinking along this line, Li Xuan became more excited, as if he had opened a new door and saw a different landscape. ¡°Martial arts do not necessarily have to be practiced step by step and focus solely on self-cultivation. They can cultivate other things, which can in turn nourish oneself, taking the unorthodox path. ¡°Different paths lead to the same destination, there must be a time of convergence, but the initial stage can be different. ¡°That¡¯s it, The Martial Arts of Qimen!¡± After he determined the name of the new martial arts, as well as the way and direction of creation, Li Xuan got excited and started to prepare to create the new martial arts. ¡°To create The Martial Arts of Qimen, it will take quite some time. Although the Daoist Golden Book can assist and correct it little by little until obtaining a satisfactory martial arts technique. ¡°But the use of Daoist Golden Book requires the consumption of divine intent. The time I can use each day is limited, and I don¡¯t even know where to find the disciples to practice The Martial Arts of Qimen yet.¡± Li Xuan took a deep breath. The Martial Arts of Qimen should be brought forward onto his agenda and gradually perfected over time. However, it¡¯s not the most urgent matter now. After all, he hasn¡¯t found a suitable disciple yet. Those who want to practice The Martial Arts of Qimen must have promising comprehension, and also need to be exceptionally perceptive to artifact refining, as well as terrain and strategic situations. This is the innate talent required for formations and strategic situations of The Martial Arts of Qimen. Among the three disciples, Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu are not suitable for The Martial Arts of Qimen and they are unable to cultivate it. As for Xu Yan, he is indeed a cultivation prodigy, but he is engaged in the purest martial arts, the true Martial Arts. Moreover, his martial arts foundation is already set. There is no reason to let him practice The Martial Arts of Qimen as well. ¡°Since I don¡¯t have a fourth disciple yet, I will work on The Martial Arts of Qimen, but I should first create the method for the next stage of Meng Chong¡¯s physical martial arts training.¡± Li Xuan made up his mind. At this stage, his main focus would be on Meng Chong¡¯s physical martial arts. To create the method for the subsequent training of the Indestructible Golden Body. Meng Chong has already reached the Tongxuan Realm, it¡¯s time to pass on the subsequent martial arts techniques to him. Li Xuan put away the Book of Tai Cang, withdrew his divine intent from the Daoist Golden Book, started to replenish the depleted power of his divine intent, and contemplated the follow-up issues in cultivating the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. ¡°Martial Arts of the physical body should maintain their uniqueness, only then can they exhibit great power,¡± he thought. Above Tongxuan Realm is the Divine Intent State, where one cultivates divine intent, and refines the intent of Heaven and Earth for oneself. Opening the Niwan Palace and nurturing the Soul Pedestal. The physical body Martial Arts, after all, emphasizes the physical body. ¡°The Martial Arts of the body also need to open the Niwan Palace, but unlike true Martial Arts, the Niwan Palace of the physical body doctrine lies in the body¡¯s divine hiding place¡­.¡± Li Xuan had already reached the Divine Intent State as a martial artist, and his physical body martial arts had reached the Tongxuan realm. Having reached the great achievement stage of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day, he quickly found the direction for subsequent cultivation. After all, it was not about creating a totally new martial art, and with the foundation already laid, it was relatively easy to develop the subsequent Cultivation Techniques. Moreover, with the assistance of the Daoist Golden Book, he could record the Cultivation Techniques, and then adjust them little by little according to the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book, improving them to perfection. ¡°The Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day could be divided into two stages of cultivation, corresponding to the Innate Realm and the Tongxuan Realm. The follow-up Cultivation Techniques could also be designed in this way. ¡°The direction for the cultivation of the physical body Martial Arts was generally determined. The Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day would progress to the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day!¡± Once the path was clear, Li Xuan decided on the name for the next stage after the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day! An advanced version of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. ¡°The Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day would be divided into three stages, each stage corresponding to a level. The first level corresponds to the Divine Intent State, the second and third levels correspond to the stages above the Divine Intent State¡­.¡± Although, the martial arts beyond the Divine Intent State, he had yet to determine. However, this did not hinder his development of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day technique. With the assistance of the Daoist Golden Book, he could completely create the technique, improve the techniques to perfection, and ensure there would be no obstacles in the transitions between the cultivation stages, thus advancing smoothly. ¡°The first level of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day naturally involves the cultivation of divine intent. The divine intent of the physical body is different from that of authentic martial arts¡ªit lies within the physical body. ¡°If the physical body¡¯s defense is not broken, then the divine intent cannot be harmed. ¡°But, if the physical body is harmed and there is no method to attack the divine intent, then again, the divine intent cannot be harmed¡­.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s thought became more and more active. The first level of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day naturally involves the cultivation of divine intent and the intent of Heaven and Earth. The divine intent of the physical body does not lie on the Soul Pedestal, but within the body¡¯s orifices. ¡°The Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day can transform into a small giant three feet tall. Likewise, the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day should have its own mysteries. ¡°Indestructible Divine Armor? Let¡¯s do that. The moment it is activated, the body¡¯s substance will condense into the Indestructible Divine Armor.¡± As Li Xuan thought more about it, his mind became broader and broader. The theoretical framework of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day was being built up little by little, perfecting itself. Once the theory was complete, he would write it into the Daoist Golden Book, receive feedback, and make corrections bit by bit based on that feedback. His goal was to achieve the highest degree of perfection in the Cultivation Technique. The difficulty in cultivation would also decrease. The difficulty in comprehension was the same. In this way, he would not have to worry about his disciples being unable to comprehend it. ¡°Creating Martial Arts Techniques is truly mentally exhausting. Those who created Martial Arts are all exceptional individuals, I wonder how the first person who cultivated strong Martial Arts managed to do so.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. As the Martial Ancestor of the Dahua, he had a deep understanding of how difficult it was to create Martial Arts. He was only able to cultivate the Martial Arts he had created because of his disciples. While Li Xuan was creating the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day Cultivation Technique, in the Seven-star Study Palace, Xu Yan and Meng Chong were looking shocked. Did Master single-handedly surmount the world? The inner domain arrayed their strongest Great Grandmasters aiming to pressurize Canglan Island, furthermore forming the Heavenly Alliance intending to bring down the Martial Arts Heavenly Being. Despite this, their Master did not suppress them by his realm, but with his Tongxuan Realm, he swept away all opposition, suppressing the world. Now in the Inner Realm Martial Arts world, it was said that the Heavenly Alliance was an evil force, whereas the Martial Arts Heavenly Being was upright and wise, suppressing the Heavenly Alliance, restoring peace to the Inner Realm and purity to the Martial Arts world! ¡°Master is truly the invincible in his realm!¡± Xu Yan exclaimed in profound admiration. He thought about it and realized that he didn¡¯t have the ability to do what his Master did; with a single move, his Master overpowered many strong opponents. Moreover, the Master did not use any god-destroying martial arts techniques! Chapter 364 Inside the Seven-star Study Palace, Xu Yan and his two senior¡¯s faces bore expressions of shock. In all the time they had left the Canglan Island, could such a major event have happened? Directly affecting the Inner Domain situation. ¡°Our master is just too strong, if I could attain even one tenth of his power at the same level, 1 would be overflowing with pride.¡± Xu Yan sighed in shame. Master had low expectations for him, desiring only that he could attain half of his master¡¯s strength at the same level, he believed that would satisfy the old man. However, Xu Yan felt a deep shame in his heart. Let alone half, he didn¡¯t even have one tenth of his master¡¯s strength at the same level. ¡°No wonder, initially, the master was unwilling to take me as a disciple as I couldn¡¯t meet his basic requirements.¡± Only at this moment did Xu Yan deeply understand why his master was reluctant to accept him as a disciple. Even though, he was quite talented. However, he was ultimately unable to meet the master¡¯s lowest expectations. ¡°It was my sincere heart for martial arts that moved the master to accept me as a disciple and leave his seclusion, roaming freely in the world, experiencing life. ¡°I absolutely cannot let master down, I must constantly improve my strength!¡± Xu Yan thought determinedly. Meng Chong also felt deeply ashamed, he did not even have half of the master¡¯s strength at the same level. The opposite Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu had slight spasms at the corners of their lips, what was with this pair of brothers? ¡°Scholar Xu, the storm has passed, you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Bai Yun Kong advised. ¡°You don¡¯t understand!¡± Xu Yan shook his head and sighed: ¡°The expectations master has for me are actually very low, but I couldn¡¯t meet those expectations.¡± Bai Yun Kong curiously asked, ¡°What are the esteemed master¡¯s expectations?¡± ¡°The master said if I could have half of the strength he had at my level, he would be content, but 1 don¡¯t even have one tenth of his strength at the same level!¡± Xu Yan shook his head and sighed, his face full of guilt. Meng Chong nodded in agreement, ¡°The eldest brother is right.¡± Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu were both utterly flabbergasted, their hearts taking millions of points of explosive damage, they barely restrained themselves from cursing. You two are already incredibly strong, killing those at the same level as easily as crushing an ant. Yet you don¡¯t even possess one tenth of your master¡¯s strength at the same level? Shit! When I was at the same level, 1 already surpassed the master. Are our masters just garbage? Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu were at a loss for their emotions in the moment. The conversation became quiet all at once. ¡°The Gate of Ling Domain has opened, a Martial Arts Heavenly Man appeared.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Xu Yan spoke that the silence was broken. ¡°I already know of this.¡± Bai Yun Kong¡¯s expression became incredibly serious, he spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Upon the opening of the Gate of Ling Domain, it will bring either a blessing or a curse, we don¡¯t know yet. A Martial Arts Heavenly Man entered the Inner Domain, what are his intentions? ¡°Whether it brings disaster to the Inner Domain, we don¡¯t know. We must be extra careful in order to avoid inviting danger.¡± Pang Yu nodded and said, ¡°The Gate of Ling Domain has opened more than once, the Demon Lord came from there, causing havoc in the Inner Domain, and the Demon Sect is still a force to be reckoned with. The cultivation techniques of the murder sect still wreak havoc to this day.¡± After sighing, he said: ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that this Martial Arts Heavenly Man isn¡¯t like the Demon Lord.¡± He then turned to Xu Yan and said, ¡°Friend Xu, be cautious in your actions in the future to avoid provoking the Martial Arts Heavenly Man!¡± Xu Yan laughed and said, ¡°You guys don¡¯t need to be so nervous, it¡¯s just a Martial Arts Heavenly Man, it¡¯s not a serious matter.¡± Upon hearing this, Bai Yun Kong grew solemn and said, ¡°Friend Xu, 1 know you are powerful, but a Martial Arts Heavenly Man is not a joke. In his eyes, a half-step Heavenly Man is no more than a cripple, the gap is immeasurable!¡± Xu Yan waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s really not that serious, he¡¯s not a strong Heavenly Man, there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± Inside, Bai Yun Kong couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Xu Yan was after all young and energetic, with unparalleled strength. Having slain half-step Heavenly Men, he probably deemed himself invincible, right? Yet he was young and arrogant and somewhat inflated. ¡°Friend Xu, heed my advice, try not to provoke that Martial Arts Heavenly Man. Even though your master is very strong, there¡¯s no need to cause him unnecessary trouble, right?¡± Bai Yun Kong advised. Xu Yan put on an innocent face: ¡°I didn¡¯t provoke him, he provoked me. The matter really is not that serious, I have already killed him.¡± Killed¡­killed?! Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu¡¯s eyes bulged, almost popping out. A Martial Arts Heavenly Man, a supreme and powerful existence. And he was killed by Xu Yan? ¡°Friend Xu, what did you say?¡± Pang Yu even started to doubt his own hearing. Xu Yan rolled his eyes, it was just killing a minor Heavenly Man, why make such a fuss? It¡¯s not a Refining God Heavenly Man! ¡°I killed him, and it just took me three hits.¡± Xu Yan took out Jiao Ming¡¯s storage bag, his face full of contempt and disdain: ¡°This guy is poor, there is no treasure inside, only a few Grade 5 Spiritual Medicines are of some value ¡­¡± Bai Yun Kong looked up to the sky, his mind going blank. The rumored Martial Arts Heavenly Man who had just entered the Inner Domain, was killed by Xu Yan? In addition, Xu Yan looked very contemptuous and disappointed with the other party; he was a poor dead guy¡­ Pang Yu grabbed his hair, he didn¡¯t even know what he was feeling at the moment. After a long time¡­ Bai Yun Kong took a deep breath and asked seriously, ¡°Friend Xu, how did you provoke¡­ no, how did he provoke you?¡± That Martial Arts Heavenly Man, upon entering the Inner Domain, couldn¡¯t have been targeting Xu Yan, could he? Chapter 365 Xu Yan furrowed his brow, resentfully saying, ¡°Who knows what¡¯s going on with him? I killed that evil Ice Lord in the Ice Tower, and then he appeared. ¡°The first thing he does is ask where people are. Who knows who he¡¯s asking about? ¡°I just asked him one question, and he disdains and insults me, calling me all sorts of swine-like things. ¡°That I can¡¯t bear, so I killed him.¡± Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu mourned for a while for that unknown martial artist powerhouse. That guy was really asking for trouble, getting on Xu Yan¡¯s bad side. At this moment, they both felt a bit desolate inside. They had trained all their lives and considered themselves top tier within the Inner Domain prior to Xu Yan¡¯s appearance. They had few opponents. After Xu Yan appeared, they realised that their abilities were nothing at all. They suddenly felt inexplicably sad. How old is Xu Yan? He¡¯s killed a martial artist powerhouse with just three blows. If Xu Yan says it was three blows, it must be true. In contrast, forget killing the powerhouse, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to handle one of his fingers, right? The gap ¡­ thinking about it makes them feel hopeless! ¡°The Seven-Star Study Palace has a long history. 1 came here to understand more about the Ling Domain.¡± Xu Yan speaks. This is his main purpose for coming to the Seven-Star Study Palace. Meng Chong nods at the side. The Gate of Lingyu has appeared. Eventually, one day, they will go to the Ling Domain. With the increase in strength, they realise the Inner Domain is too small. ¡°You have to ask Old Pang about it. Some of the palace¡¯s knowledge about the Ling Domain was erased. Only the line of martial artists scholars have passed on some by word of mouth.¡± Bai Yun Kong shakes his head. After pondering for a moment, he adds, ¡°The purpose of the Seven-Star Study Palace was not spontaneously created. Although the founder of the palace came from a humble background, he acquired the opportunity of Ling Domain. ¡°Every secret passed down from each Palace Master, involves the founder going to the Ling Domain. Back in the day, every time the Gate of Lingyu opened, the Seven-Star Study Palace had a quota to enter the Ling Domain. ¡°But since the Demon Master¡¯s incident, the Gate of Lingyu closed, unable to access the Ling Domain. There was also no quota.¡± Having said this, Bai Yun Kong sighs. Since it is all already said, might as well tell the full story. ¡°The secret passed down by the Palace Master of the Seven-Star Study Palace implies that after a ten thousand years of demon hunting, the Gate of Lingyu will reopen again and give the Study Palace access to the Ling Domain. ¡°This is the core secret of the Seven-Star Study Palace. Besides me, no one else knows.¡± Bai Yun Kong spoke solemnly. ¡°Is this true?¡± Pang Yu looks surprised. ¡°It¡¯s been almost ten thousand years since the demon hunting, right? Considering this, it¡¯s incredible that the Demon Boys are still alive.¡± Pang Yu marvels. Those of the Demon Boys¡¯ generation have all died of old age. The past is buried as these people died. ¡°The Demon Master is truly extraordinary!¡± Pang Yu sincerely marvels. The long lives of the Demon Boys are undoubtedly tied to the Demon Master. Otherwise, for a semi-divine being, it is impossible to live for ten thousand years under normal circumstances! The Demon Master again! Xu Yan and Meng Chong exchange looks, with some admiration in their hearts. The Demon Master is indeed extraordinary. If it weren¡¯t for Meng Chong¡¯s unfortunate fate, the Demon Master might have risen again. Xu Yan, who has seen the mural detailing the Demon Master¡¯s life, knows that the Demon Master has risen and fallen more than once. Every time he was defeated, he always rose again. ¡°The closing of the Gate of Lingyu and erasing the records, was probably to prevent the Demon Master.¡± Xu Yan guesses in his heart. Following up, Pang Yu also tells Xu Yan everything he knows about the Ling Domain. ¡°People from the Inner Domain have a hard time in the Ling Domain. It¡¯s rumoured that unless you obtain the power of Ling Domain, you will become a slave once you enter. ¡°Even if you have the power, you can¡¯t guarantee becoming one of them, becoming a disciple. You can still become a slave. ¡°The Ling Domain is very domineering!¡± Pang Yu sighs and remarks, ¡°The news of the Gate of Lingyu is spreading, and so many people want to enter the Ling Domain, but they don¡¯t know that while they are revered in the Inner Domain, they will become slaves in the Ling Domain.¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong were both silent. Ling Domain powerhouses act like this to martial artists of the Inner Domain. Thinking of Jiao Ming¡¯s arrogant attitude and statements like ¡°you pigs and dogs,¡± Xu Yan is sure that Pang Yu¡¯s words are true. ¡°Heh! These Ling Domain powerhouses are asking for a beating. Let¡¯s see how arrogant they are when I enter the Ling Domain. I will trample these arrogant guys into the dust!¡± Xu Yan said with a cold laugh. As for the Ling Domain power that Pang Yu mentioned, it must be the Yu Ling. The Seven-Star Study Palace used to have the Yu Ling and a quota. Xu Yan doesn¡¯t know which force in the Ling Domain the Seven-Star Study Palace was connected to. Even if they enter with the Yu Ling and become a disciple of the affiliated force, their treatment would still not be as good as that of the Ling Domain¡¯s native disciples. They might even face inequality and oppression. This is inevitable. Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu glance at each other. They don¡¯t doubt Xu Yan¡¯s words. If he enters the Ling Domain, those who want to make him a slave will truly be unlucky. Xu Yan has now gained the power to kill a divine being. How powerful will he be in a while? ¡°If we, the martial artists of the Inner Domain, want to hold our heads high, it¡¯s all up to Xu Yan.¡± An idea popped into both of their heads.. Chapter 366 ¡°Friend Xu, as a martial artist scholar of our Seven-star Study Palace, you are entitled to access the scholars¡¯ library and browse through the collection of books. You might gain some insights,¡± said Pang Yu. ¡°I appreciate it immensely,¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement as he gratefully responded with a fist and palm salute. Being a Martial Arts Scholar was the core of the Seven-star Study Palace. The books treasured in the scholars¡¯ library would certainly cover a more broad knowledge and reveal more secret martial techniques. ¡°Can my junior brother also enter?¡± Xu Yan asked. Pang Yu glanced at Meng Chong. This brash young man was somewhat weaker than Xu Yan, but aside from Xu Yan, there was no other candidate that could match him. ¡°The rules of the Seven-star Study Palace can¡¯t be violated. If Little Friend Meng wants to enter, he just needs to hold the title of a Martial Arts Scholar,¡± Pang Yu answered gravely. ¡°No problem!¡± Meng Chong agreed without hesitation. Then he looked straight at Pang Yu: ¡°How many Spirit Crystals can one earn with the title of Martial Arts Scholar in a year? My demand isn¡¯t too high, it can be a bit less than my senior brother.¡± The corners of Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu¡¯s mouths twitched; they truly were disciples of the same master! ¡°No problem!¡± Pang Yu assented willingly. If Xu Yan and Meng Chong held titles in the Seven-star Study Palace, the Palace would be the one benefiting and gaining prestige from them. Paying them a small amount of Spirit Crystals every year was only fair. If someday these two made a great show of their talents in the Ling Domain, the reputation of the Seven-star Study Palace would become even more resplendent. At worst, when inviting more disciples to join in the future, they could earn the Spirit Crystals back from the wealthy families of the students! Under Pang Yu¡¯s guidance, Xu Yan and Meng Chong stepped into the core area of Seven-star Study Palace, the Scholars¡¯ Library. In the library, a group of Martial Arts Scholars was busy reading and writing, studying martial arts, with dark circles under their eyes. A few of them were even attempting to cultivate the martial techniques they had just figured out. Xu Yan and Meng Chong twitched their mouths at this scene. They were surrounded by a group of martial arts fanatics. They wondered where the Seven-Star Study Palace found so many martial arts obsessives. When the group of Martial Arts Scholars saw Xu Yan, they immediately crowded all around him. ¡°Teacher Xu, long time no see. 1 have a question about the martial arts of Dahua¡­¡± ¡°Teacher Xu, you look even more handsome. I¡¯ve just figured out a new martial technique based on the Dahua martial arts. What do you think of it?¡± ¡°Oh, Teacher Xu, 1 see you in my dreams every night¡­¡± Xu Yan gawked at the group of Martial Arts Scholars, all of them with dark circles under their eyes, each trying to get a word in. Especially that female Martial Arts Scholar who claimed to dream about him every night. Her beauty was definitely above average, yet the faint dark circles under her eyes and her messy hair detracted from her image. ¡°Silence!¡± Old Pang roared firmly. ¡°Old Pang, why so fierce? You¡¯re just a coward. You¡¯re too scared to even try the new martial technique 1 created recently!¡± ¡°Indeed, a chicken without any spirit of martial arts exploration!¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your strong capabilities, I would seriously consider kicking you out.¡± To his dismay, when Pang Yu spoke, several white-haired Martial Arts Scholars jeered at him in a cacophony of voices. The Martial Arts Scholar who called Pang Yu a coward seemed to be recovering from a recently sustained injury, with one of his legs slightly twisted and a withered arm being treated with Healing Medicine. Pang Yu¡¯s face darkened, his aura surging forth as though ready to suppress the entire scene. ¡°Let¡¯s leave, seeing old Pang puts me in a bad mood.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s disperse, disperse¡­¡± The group of Martial Arts Scholars shouted, scattering in all directions, each going about their own businesses.. Chapter 367 Pang Yu withdrew his aura, a touch of embarrassment on his face as he said, ¡°Friend Xu, Little Friend Meng, they are just like that, don¡¯t take their words too much to heart. ¡°That lunatic, he just developed a secret technique a few days ago from cultivation research, and nearly incapacitated himself. It really broke my heart worrying for them. ¡°They¡¯re too reckless, it¡¯s absolutely outrageous!¡± Xu Yan looked around at the Martial Arts scholars, several of them limping and still nursing injuries¡ªpresumably results of accidents from experimenting with their own Martial Arts techniques. ¡°They are all commendable warriors!¡± Xu Yan sighed. He had come to somewhat admire these fellows now, daring to personally try out Martial Arts techniques they randomly researched. Not seeking others to test the cultivation techniques they researched but doing it themselves instead; this mindset deserved recognition. Xu Yan even suspected that if he was to fabricate a Cultivation Technique, they would probably begin practising it immediately without any questions. ¡°The Martial Arts techniques they research have all been developed from an array of martial cultivation methods. Because they have a basis, they undertake the cultivation, not randomly invented out of thin air. ¡°If it was an arbitrarily invented Cultivation Technique, there would be no one in this world who would cultivate it, much less successfully cultivate it.¡± Xu Yan chuckled silently to himself. Who would cultivate a randomly composed Cultivation Technique? And it would be impossible for it to be cultivated. The library of the scholars¡¯ pavilion contained fewer books than the classics pavilion, but they were all core secrets, involving a wider range of martial arts, more secret techniques, and particularly included the insights and block diagrams of generations of martial arts scholars. Xu Yan and Meng Chong flipped through the books in the pavilion, deepening their understanding of Inner Domain Martial Arts, learning from others¡¯ experiences and corroborating their own learning. Perhaps they could gam some inspiration through this process. A secret meeting was held in the Dahua cabinet room. Guo Yunshan sat at the top of the room. Though his strength was not strong, none of the elders in the cabinet present dared to violate his authority. Even the martial artists from the Inner Domain who joined the cabinet, while unfamiliar with Guo Yunshan¡¯s background, knew enough to be aware that crossing him, given his position in Dahua, would have serious consequences. Dahua might appear weak, but Canglan Island, Dahua¡¯s backer, could keep the entire Inner Domain in check. The number of people cultivating Dahua martial arts was growing, and it had been proven that Dahua martial art was stronger than the original martial art of the Inner Domain. It was rumored that the cabinet had already obtained the method for Grandmasters to transition to Dahua Martial Arts. This was not a simple method for condensing True Qi but a complete transition into Dahua Martial Arts. Among the Dahua royal guards, some Grandmaster Martial Artists had begun to transition to Dahua Martial Arts. Sitting at the head, Guo Yunshan looked at the cabinet members and was filled with emotion. He never thought that one day he would sit in such a high position. Under usual circumstances, he would not participate in the cabinet meetings on major issues. He spent more time cultivating to improve his own strength. He knew well, in the world of Martial Artists, the strong ruled. Even though he had attained such a high position relying on his grandson Xu Yan, he himself can¡¯t fall too far behind in strength. Today¡¯s meeting was significant, so he was here. A few men, their faces covered with hoods and voices altered, attended the cabinet meeting. These men were all subverted by Dahua and were some of the most important courtiers in the Great Yue State. No one knew who they were, it was not yet time to reveal their identities. Only a few people were aware of everyone¡¯s identity. The meeting was about the plans for Dahua to replace the Great Yue State and annex it, and how to proceed smoothly with this operation. ¡°Although the royal family of the Great Yue State has suffered heavy losses, the Heavenly Armor Guard and Heavenly Imperial Guard remain strong, hence it won¡¯t be easy to overthrow the Yue royal family.¡± A man wearing a hood said it in a deep voice. ¡°Exactly, the Yue royal family should not be underestimated. Although we can control most of the prefecture cities and armies in the Great Yue State, the core power is still held by the royal family.¡± ¡°We need a strong person or force to suppress the Yue royal family in order to smoothly replace the Great Yue.¡± A few people wearing hoods shared their opinions. After a discussion, all eyes turned towards Guo Yunshan. He would have the final say on how to proceed. Only he could reach out to the true powerhouse of Dahua. Before Guo Yunshan could speak, a man walked in, holding a folding fan and smiling broadly. ¡°There will naturally be strongmen. You don¡¯t have to worry, just proceed according to the plan.¡± Kou Ruozhi wore a broad smile on his face. He had planned the rebellion with Emperor Qi and the Emperor of Wu, including how to subvert the ministers of the Great Yue State, he, and the two Emperors had planned these moves. After the grand meeting of the Dahua cabinet ended, the ministers of the Great Yue State who had quietly arrived also left quietly. In the royal palace of the Great Yue State, inside the Imperial Study. The Great Yue Emperor felt a little heavy-hearted. While appears to have calmed down with no looming crisis, it was precisely because of this that he felt a crisis was brewing. Among the five vassal kings, Prince Zheng unexpectedly showed signs of rebelling and declaring independence from the Great Yue State, which surprised the Great Yue Emperor. Among the five vassals, Prince Du was the strongest and the most likely to break away from the Yue State. Hence, he was the one being suppressed. The crisis in the Du Prince¡¯s mansion was related to the backstage manipulation by the royal family. Unexpectedly, Prince Zheng, who had always been loyal and obedient to the royal family, was about to rebel and claim independence. If Prince Zheng succeeds, the other four vassal kings too might have ulterior motives leading to their separation from the Great Yue State.. Chapter 368 The repercussions of this event were not merely the independence of a feudal prince, it was much more than that! It signified that the power of the Great Yue nation was in decline, which would inevitably incite certain noble families to act. If not handled well, the Great Yue nation could fall apart completely. ¡°Issue an order, Heavenly Clothes Guards, Divine Halberd army, suppress Prince Zheng¡¯s mansion, order the Four Princes¡¯ mansions to assist, the jurisdiction of Prince Zheng¡¯s mansion will be divided according to their merits¡­¡± The Great Yue Emperor spoke in a deep voice. It was necessary to suppress Prince Zheng¡¯s mansion with thunderous vigor. Once any sign of weakness was shown, people with different intentions would take actions! Since the last major action of the Great Yue nation, aiming to suppress the Chang Qing Pavilion, this was another display of power, this time against Prince Zheng¡¯s mansion among the five feudal princes¡¯ mansions. For a time, the Great Yue nation was in turmoil. That day, Li Xuan exhaled a breath, finally completing the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. He showed the feedback on the Daoist Golden Book: Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day: Perfection of cultivation technique: Upper-middle. Realm transition: High. Practicing difficulty: High. Comprehending difficulty: Upper-middle. Cultivation technique perfection, as expected had reached an upper-middle assessment, pretty much perfect. Realm transitions were coherent, having received a high assessment, which was a pleasant surprise. Despite practice difficulty being high, comprehension difficulty was upper-middle. ¡°Not bad, the comprehension difficulty has successfully dropped to upper-middle, Meng Chong¡¯s talent isn¡¯t bad, comprehending wouldn¡¯t be a problem, while the practice difficulty is high, once comprehended, practicing wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Li Xuan revealed a smile. Being able to use the Golden Finger to compile martial arts cultivation techniques really made it so much easier. Once the cultivation technique was compiled, he just had to wait until it was comprehended and practiced, only then would it be truly perfected, and could then be widely disseminated. The requirements for practice would become normal martial arts requirements. Of course, the requirements for talent in martial arts practice were always present, to cultivate to a higher realm, one¡¯s talent could not be lacking. This was true for Inner Realm Martial Arts, and naturally, it wouldn¡¯t be an exception for Dahua martial arts. Many people practice martial arts, but what is the proportion of Grandmaster martial artists? What¡¯s the Great Grandmaster proportion? As you can see, the further you proceed in martial arts, the higher the requirement for talent becomes, the strength of martial artists presents a pyramid shape, the smaller the number of stronger practitioners. I should compile the methods of cultivation after the Divine Intent State all at once and pass them on to Xu Yan. ¡°As long as I reduce the comprehension difficulty of the cultivation technique to upper-middle, with Xu Yan¡¯s monstrous talent, he should be able to comprehend across realms.¡±¡± Li Xuan became more and more excited about the idea. As long as Xu Yan comprehends the cultivation technique, Li Xuan can gain feedback from that realm. The higher the realm, the greater the chance for him to tremendously surpass his disciple¡¯s realm. Otherwise, there would always be a period of time where he and his disciple would be in the same realm. Even if his strength was a hundred times stronger, he was still in the same realm as his disciple and not surpassing him. To obtain a martial arts realm that always surpasses his disciple¡¯s, he would have to compile the cultivation technique of his succeeding martial arts realm in advance and let Xu Yan comprehend it. ¡°I need to think carefully about how to compile after the Divine Intent State while maintaining its power.¡± Li Xuan was meditating in his heart. As for the mysterious martial arts, it was not urgent, the fourth disciple¡¯s shadow isn¡¯t even here, and after compiling it, he still needs to find a suitable disciple to comprehend and practice. The top priority is to improve his own strength. How strong the martial arts of the Ling domain are not yet known, and with the current Divine Intent State strength, he may not be able to sweep invincibly. As long as he can¡¯t sweep invincibly, Li Xuan feels insecure, the image of a superior person might suddenly be ruined. So, improving his own strength is the top priority. Xu Yan and Meng Chong returned. ¡°Master!¡± The two saluted respectfully. ¡°Big brother, second brother, you¡¯re back.¡± Su Lingxiu excitedly trotted over. Next, Xu Yan and Meng Chong each told their experiences. Upon learning that the jagged knife Meng Chong brought back was the Blood Spirit Knife of the Magic Lord, it was confirmed that Meng Chong¡¯s previous kill was indeed the remnants of the Magic Lord¡¯s soul. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh in his heart, the Magic Lord was really unlucky. Originally, he was about to make a great comeback, but he had targeted Meng Chong, and now he was completely dead. Li Xuan also learned about the Three Realms of Heaven and Man from Xu Yan. Xu Yan still feels indignant when talking about the ascended martial artist he killed. He didn¡¯t provoke the man, but the man insulted him like a pig or a dog as soon as he opened his mouth. Who else should die if not him?! Li Xuan secretly clicked his tongue, thinking that the small ascended person was indeed unlucky to have encountered Xu Yan. It was one thing to act high and mighty, but to add insult to injury, his death was not unjust at all! After Meng Chong and Xu Yan returned, they both started to summarize their gains and accumulate their foundations. The opening of the Gate of Lingyu gave them a sense of urgency. Especially after killing an ascended martial artist. Who knows if the forces he belonged to will send a powerhouse for revenge After learning about the opening of the Gate of Lingyu, Zhou Ying was in a mixed state of gains and losses for several days. It probably had something to do with Su Lingxiu¡¯s background, and Li Xuan didn¡¯t ask further. Su Lingxiu began to feel the pressure and started preparing for a breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm. Xu Yan was guiding her on key points of breaking into the Tongxuan Realm. One day, while Meng Chong was practicing, Kou Ruozhi found him with a sycophantic smile. ¡°Great Hero Meng, I have a favor to ask of you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Meng Chong asked with a furrowed brow. ¡°It¡¯s about Dahua. We are preparing to replace the Dayue Kingdom and establish Dahua. Everything is ready. We just lack a powerful figure to suppress the royal family of the Dayue Kingdom. ¡°As you know, during the siege of Canglan Island, the royal family of the Dayue Kingdom contributed greatly from behind the scenes. We can¡¯t let them off easily. ¡°Although Young Master Xu is stronger, however¡­¡± Kou Ruozhi gave a a sheepish smile, he felt afraid whenever he saw Xu Yan. It seemed more appropriate to find Meng Chong. Besides, Meng Chong was alone, tall and strong, with an overwhelming force. His image was more intimidating. Moreover, it was more in line with the image of a Great Wasteland Warrior, a figure of imposing might. Meng Chong pondered for a moment and nodded, ¡°All right, you¡¯re talking about the royal family of the Dayue Kingdom, let me go suppress them now.¡± Since the Dayue royal family had been the power behind the scenes during the siege of Canglan Island, it was time to settle the score, they should not be spared easily. Dahua replacing Dayue was a good thing. The Spirit Realm Powerhouses, who were way above others in the Inner Realm, were mostly disdainful. Although he was from the border wilderness, strictly speaking, he was in the Inner Realm. Ever since the fall of the dynasty, people in the Inner Realm had been disunited. It was about time to unify the Inner Realm. Dahua would replace it. And Dahua Martial Arts practiced in the Inner Realm would not be restricted. One day, the strength of the Inner Realm Martial Arts will overshadow the Spirit Realm, and the powerhouses of the Spirit Realm will no longer be able to be high and mighty. ¡°Thankyou, Great Hero Meng!¡± Kou Ruozhi was overjoyed. That day, Meng Chong and Kou Ruozhi left Canglan Island to head for the capital of the Dayue Kingdom. A significant event that would greatly influence the situation in the Inner Realm was about to begin. Li Xuan sighed in his heart, ¡°There is no Inner Domain anymore, only Dahua.¡± But whether it¡¯s the Inner Domain or Dahua, it¡¯s just a region in the Great Blue Sky and Earth. Su Lingxiu began preparing to enter Tongxuan Realm. As a Green Wood Spiritual Body, she would not undergo any transformation during breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm. But once she breaks through, she would be able to perform the Alchemy technique in the void. Li Xuan walked leisurely to Red Cat. Shi¡¯er, with a worried face, was pulling a big gold chain, climbing onto Red Cat, ready to put the chain around Red Cat¡¯s neck. This was the third gold chain he had switched to. At first, he wanted to wait until after Red Cat¡¯s transformation to prepare a gold chain for it, but Red Cat didn¡¯t agree. He insisted that Shi¡¯er replace its chain. It seemed to think that practicing with a gold chain around its neck would make it easier. Shi¡¯er seriously suspected that Red Cat was taking revenge on him! The Red Cat, the size of a small mountain, occasionally resounds with the sound of thunder inside its body. The strong pressure from its demonic aura sometimes revealed itself. ¡°The first great demon has quite some luck and opportunities. Judging from the current trend, the Red Cat, after transformation, should be on par with a beginner of the Tongxuan Realm.¡± Li Xuan roughly judged the Red Cat¡¯s strength. Normally, after transforming into a great demon, the strength should be comparable to the Innate Realm. But Red Cat is the first great demon, the pioneer of Great Demon Martial arts, it¡¯s only reasonable to start with a stronger strength. Not to mention, it has eaten so many pills and accumulated a lot. Red Cat opened its eyes. Although Li Xuan seemed small compared to its huge body, not even as big as one of its eyes, Red Cat felt uneasy. It was afraid of being cooked! The person it feared the most on Canglan Island was Xu Yan, followed by Li Xuan. After all, even if the master said he would cook it, it mostly seemed to be a threat. Xu Yan was different. If he said he would cook it, he would definitely do it. And the aura from Xu Yan somehow made it feel scared. Chapter 369 Li Xuan watched Shi¡¯er hanging a gold chain around Red Cat¡¯s neck, his lips twitched. What a disaster! He once said that he understood some methods of taming beasts. After taming Red Cat for a while, now Red Cat is most likely taking his revenge, right? Li Xuan didn¡¯t care about these things. Red Cat and Shi¡¯er cared for each other. They would tease Shi¡¯er a little, but they wouldn¡¯t really hurt him. ¡°Red Cat, with your huge size, you are suitable for heavy labor!¡± Li Xuan shook his head and said. Red Cat snorted twice, looking somewhat depressed. With its massive size, it would definitely need to carry lots of stuff during future moves. ¡°Big Monster, it¡¯s good to be tiny and hide your traces, so you need to understand that well.¡± Li Xuan pointed out to Red Cat. Red Cat nodded, indicating that it understood. Its nod knocked Shi¡¯er, who hung a gold chain around its neck, off. Thud! Watching the unprepared Shi¡¯er fall to the ground, Li Xuan pretended not to see it. Shi¡¯er and Red Cat were like a pair of arch nemeses. ¡°Red Cat!¡± Shi¡¯er¡¯s face turned green. Red Cat had a face full of innocence. ¡°Master, Red Cat is so big, just like a small mountain. If we stew it, we could eat it for a long time, right?¡± Xu Yan came over, murmuring in his mouth. Red Cat got scared and trembled, lowered its head, stuck its tongue out, and had a pleasing look on its face. ¡°You¡¯re really timid, I won¡¯t really stew you!¡± Xu Yan laughed heartily. Red Cat was wagging its tail, panting, behaving like a dog, and desperately trying to please Xu Yan. Li Xuan was speechless. This Red Cat really was a little too timid. On Canglan Island, everything was peaceful, and Red Cat was in the final stage of its transformation. Su Lingxiu had already started breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, who practiced the Dan medicine Martial Arts that you compiled, has broken through to the Tongxuan Realm. Your Dan medicine Martial Arts has reached the Tongxuan realm, and your strength is a hundred times that of the same realm.¡± Above the Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book opened, and golden light emerged. Dan medicine Martial Arts had also been elevated to the completion of the Tongxuan Realm. The strength was further enhanced. After consolidating her aftermath of the breakthrough, Su Lingxiu continued to comprehend the charm of Tongxuan. Xu Yan was also practicing Sword Dao, especially improving the power of Sudden Wind Sword Intent. Outside Canglan Island, a big event that shook the Inner Domain suddenly happened. Seventy percent of the prefecture cities of the Great Yue Kingdom suddenly rose in rebellion! The Heavenly Guard and Divine Halberd Army were trapped in Prince Zheng¡¯s palace. The moment Prince Zheng¡¯s palace was annihilated, the other four feudal lords, led by Prince Du, suddenly took action. The Heavenly Guard and the Divine Halberd Army were trapped. The Emperor of the Great Yue was furious, sending the Heavenly Imperial Guard and the royal high priest Great Grandmaster to suppress the four feudal lord palaces. Even if the royal family of the Great Yue was weak, its foundation was still not to be underestimated. However, at this moment, all the counties of the Great Yue suddenly rebelled! The noble families of the Great Yue declared that they would no longer support the Royal family of the Great Yue. The courtiers of the capital rebelled one after another, leading their strong men to attack the palace. What angered the Emperor of the Great Yue even more was that there were even traitors rebelling within the palace! At this moment, the royal family of the Great Yue was undoubtedly in a stage of power vacuum. The Great Yue was able to become the leader of the three great nations in the Inner Domain. Its strength and foundation were naturally not to be underestimated. Although it was caught off guard, and most of its elites had been sent out. And more than half of the heavy ministers in the capital rebelled, but the foundation of the royal family of the Great Yue was revealed at this moment. Above the court, there were many courtiers who were loyal to the royal family of the Great Yue. They now led the strong ones to help, and one by one, the high priests came out from the palace. The momentum of the peak Great Grandmaster was surging, and there was even an old prince with a powerful pressure, surpassing the peak Great Grandmaster, and approaching the Half-step Heavenly Man. Except for unexpected circumstances, this old prince will soon become a great powerhouse of the royal family of the Great Yue, a Half-step Heavenly Man. The rebels, who were in high spirits, were instantly suppressed and began to fall into the wind, ready to be suppressed at any time. At this moment, a beam of saber light came across, domineering and unparalleled, and the old prince, who was almost a half-step Heavenly Man, was lulled with one slash! The saber light did not stop, and after killing the old prince, it continued to kill two peak Great Grandmaster high priests! The Emperor of the Great Yue, who had a winning ticket, changed his face at this moment. ¡°Meng Chong!¡± His heart sank to the bottom. The scene he most feared ultimately had happened. Meng Chong¡¯s appearance meant that behind this rebellion, was the guidance of the Chang Qing Pavilion, or that the Great Wilds was in charge! The Great Wilds was going to replace it! ¡°Kill!¡± A general of the Great Yue Kingdom roared and swung the Long Spear in his hand, suddenly turning around and lulling the Emperor of the Great Yue. ¡°The incompetent Emperor of the Great Yue, it¡¯s time to abdicate, the Great Yue is rotten, the Great Wilds shall take over!¡± ¡°Return to the correct path of heaven and earth, the Great Wilds shall take over!¡± In the shouts of a group of ministers who originally belonged to the Great Yue, the royal family of the Great Yue was defeated step by step, and the original ministers, seeing the situation taking a turn for the worse, joined the rebel army one after another. This day, the Inner Domain was shaken. The Great Yue, which had been established for thousands of years and had a deep foundation, was the strongest of the three major countries. It fell apart. The Great Wilds was officially established! From today onwards, there will no longer be a Great Yue among the three great nations of the Inner Domain, only the Great Wilds! And the slogan of ¡°Returning to the Correct Path of Heaven and Earth, The Great Wilds Shall Take Over¡± was also spread. Practitioners of the Martial Arts of the Great Wilds all expressed their support! For a time, all major forces in the Inner Domain were looking towards the Yan Kingdom and the Purple Cloud Kingdom. The Great Wilds was flourishing, and there was a great potential for a unified Inner Domain as in the ancient days. After replacing the Great Yue, the Great Wilds did not take any further actions, but consolidated and stabilized the Great Wilds, appeased the hearts of the people of the Great Wilds, and spread the Martial Arts of the Great Wilds to the Great Wilds free of charge.. Chapter 370 The technique of transformation had also started being transmitted to the Grandmasters and Martial Artists who pledged allegiance to Dahua. The great powers within the Greater Yue Empire¡¯s boundaries, one after another, pledged allegiance to Dahua and voluntarily went to Dahua to register their Sects in the roster. The name of the Two Emperors of Dahua had also been spread. Of course, the Dahua Cabinet was the real place in charge of Dahua¡¯s affairs. Although the cabinet elders needed to be appointed by the Two Emperors, it was only a procedural step. Many major forces knew that the Inner Realm was about to undergo a major change. They also started to think about how their own forces should be passed on. As for Inner Realm Martial Arts, it had been determined that it would stop halfway to Heavenly Man. If one wants to break through to Martial Arts Heavenly Man, they need to enter the Ling Domain. However, what the Ling Domain is like, no one knows. The strong of the Inner Realm, accustomed to the treatment of the powerful, became the bottom of the Inner Realm when they went there, and they even had to struggle hard to obtain the cultivation technique of Martial Arts Heavenly Man. For the strong of the Inner Realm, the gap was too great. However, Dahua Martial Arts had no such restrictions and could directly cultivate to a realm equivalent to Martial Arts Heavenly Man. This was quite attractive. All major forces in the Inner Realm were considering their own way out, while also paying attention to the movements of the Yan Kingdom and the Purple Cloud Kingdom. The chaos outside did not affect Canglan Island. Meng Chong had returned. ¡°You have trained a thousand newcomers in Dahua Martial Arts that you created, earning you a Thousand Martial God Shadows.¡± The Daoist Golden Book opened, and golden light emerged. A thousand Martial God Shadows! Li Xuan was not surprised, as this was all within his expectations. Now Dahua Martial Artists were undergoing explosive growth, partly due to those who had switched over from Inner Realm Martial Arts. A thousand Martial God Shadows combined possess the power of Tongxuan. In the coming period, the number of God Shadows will rapidly increase, growing more and more, as the switch to Dahua Martial Arts has become the trend. Especially in the Dahua area, almost everyone is switching to Martial Arts. The amount of medicine required for this is naturally enormous. As a result, the alchemy room was expanded again and again, and many alchemy apprentices were also recruited. The number of alchemy rooms on Canglan Island has reduced, leaving only elite alchemy apprentices of Chang Qing Pavilion, who are all being trained to become alchemy masters. All have certain Alchemy Martial Arts talent. Su Lingxiu had begun to pass on the Alchemy Martial Arts to them, and a part of them, who lack medical talent, focus on Alchemy. ¡°For every three who switch their path to Martial Arts, only then will a God Shadow be obtained. Is this because the Dahua Martial Arts they cultivate are not pure enough?¡± Li Xuan noticed a problem. Inner Realm Martial Artists convert to Dahua Martial Arts, and for every three successful conversions, an additional God Shadow is added. For every five Grandmaster Martial Artists who convert to Dahua Martial Arts, only then will he gain an additional God Shadow. This should be due to the fact that the Martial Artists who switch do not cultivate purely. Despite this, there are so many Martial Artists in the Inner Realm. Even if only one God Shadow is provided for every hundred conversions to Dahua Martial Arts, the entire Inner Martial Arts field would offer an extremely large quantity of Martial God Shadows. Around Canglan Island, the occasional small boat drifts on the Cang River, seemingly without people in sight. These are Li Xuan¡¯s God Shadows, floating along in the boats for fun. To put it bluntly, even the most skilled martial artists specializing in stealth and concealment would not be able to sneak onto Canglan Island. They would be discovered by Li Xuan¡¯s God Shadows before they could even get close. On top of the mountain peaks of Canglan Island, Li Xuan played with the Jade Ruyi in one hand while looking into the vast Cang River with the other. Meng Chong stood respectfully and excited behind him. ¡°You have already broken through to the Tongxuan Realm. The cultivation of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day has no obstacles, and achieving perfection is just a matter of time.¡± Li Xuan said slowly. Meng Chong listened attentively. The master was going to transmit the technique to him after the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. ¡°The art of the Physical Body Martial Arts lies above the physical body. The mysteries of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day, I believe you¡¯ve already realized. You should also have a measure of how powerful the Three Foot Golden Body is.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s voice was gentle. ¡°The mysteries of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day, I still have some shortcomings in understanding. I¡¯m continuously researching, delving into the method of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day, and strengthening my own strength, especially the use of the Three-foot Golden Body.¡± Meng Chong said respectfully. ¡°Well done! The Martial Path is endless, and one should always have the heart of exploration, the heart of pursuing the true essence.¡± Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Meng Chong¡¯s progress in strength, especially in the use of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day, and the strengthening of his strength, he held completely in his hands. After all, Meng Chong¡¯s strengthening of his Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day would also be reflected back to him. ¡°Today, I will pass onto you the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day!¡± Li Xuan turned around, his expression solemn as he looked at his Disciple. ¡°Disciple will diligently cultivate and will understand this as soon as possible.¡± Meng Chong bowed excitedly. ¡°Above the Tongxuan Realm is the Divine Intent State. Although the physical martial arts also condense Divine Intent, they are different from the pure Martial Arts. The Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day has three levels. The first level corresponds to the Divine Intent State. When successfully practiced, the mystic first level of the Indestructible Golden Body will be achieved ¨C the Undying Divine Armor!¡± The Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day consists of three levels, the first level corresponds to the Divine Intent State. Once successfully practised, the mystic first level of the Indestructible Golden Body will be achieved, the Undying Divine Armor! The Undying Divine Armor protects both the physical body and mental consciousness, providing all-round defense. Furthermore, even if the Divine Armor is instantly broken by someone, it does not mean that the physical body is defenseless. In fact, it is still extremely robust. It¡¯s equivalent to an additional layer of defense outside the body. If anyone wants to damage the Indestructible Golden Body, in addition to breaking the Undying Divine Armor, they also need to have the power to pierce the physical body. As long as they are unable to shatter the Divine Armor and the physical body in a single strike, they will not be able to harm the Indestructible Golden Body. Moreover, any damages to the Divine Armor can be restored instantly, continuing to defend from all sides. Unless the Indestructible Golden Body is entirely shattered in a single strike, the Undying Divine Armor will not disappear. This is the definition of ¡®Indestructible¡¯.¡± ¡°The Undying Divine Armor, although primarily serves as personal defense, is not limited to defensive capabilities. There are mysteries within it that you will explore on your own after you have cultivated the Indestructible Golden Body.¡± Li Xuan did not strictly limit the Undying Divine Armor to defense only. Instead, he left some room for Meng Chong to explore independently, possibly uncovering other useful aspects of the Undying Divine Armor. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong was extremely excited. Just by the name ¡®Indestructible Golden Body¡¯, it sounds incredibly strong. ¡°Listen well, the methods of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day, all three levels are as follows¡­¡± Li Xuan slowly recited the meticulously prepared cultivation technique of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day, transmitting it all to Meng Chong. If he could understand all three levels in one go, he could directly ascend to the third level of the Indestructible Golden Body. With such power, even a Refining God Heavenly Man could be killed by a single punch! Of course, Li Xuan did not believe that Meng Chong could understand all three levels in one go. However, once he breaks through the first level of the Indestructible Golden Body, the remaining two levels of the cultivation technique should be understood quickly. After passing on the cultivation technique of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day to Meng Chong, Li Xuan sat in his chair, pondering over the realm and cultivation technique of martial arts after the Divine Intent State. The Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day is powerfully robust, truly revealing the might of the physical martial arts. Once Meng Chong breaks through, his strength will approach that of Xu Yan. Although Xu Yan¡¯s martial arts are pure, it does not mean that his physical body isn¡¯t strong. His Jade Bone Foundation, Spiritual Bone, and Spiritual Body are extraordinary. Li Xuan glanced at his own Sword Intent, recently, his Sword Intent had been growing and changing continually. All of this meant that Xu Yan had gained new insights. His power had increased significantly in such a short time. Moreover, the Three-fold Mountain and River Sword Intent was no longer the same as at the beginning. It was fiercely aggressive and could destroy anything! The Sudden Wind Sword Intent was also improving, and coupled with the Mountain and River Sword Intent, the destructive power was even stronger, a single sword could obliterate both body and soul! ¡°Xu Yan has fully understood the sword heart, and it seems that he is enlightening himself on how to cultivate the Heart Sword Realm. Once he understands it, my realm of the Sword Dao will break through the Heart Sword Realm.¡± Li Xuan was extremely excited. The Heart Sword Realm, where meeting the mountains they become the sword, meeting the water it becomes the sword, all things in heaven and earth can become a sword! How extremely powerful and mysterious is this Sword Dao! ¡°Meng Chong¡¯s cultivation of the Blade Dao has fallen behind a bit, I should prompt him.¡± Li Xuan contemplated. While Xu Yan¡¯s sword Dao was continually improving, Meng Chong¡¯s progress was rather lackluster. Currently, he has only made minor achievements in Blade Soul. He still has a long way to go before reaching the Hidden Blade Realm. Even if he cannot cultivate to the Hidden Blade Realm, he should at least understand how to cultivate to the Hidden Blade Realm. Li Xuan decided to use the Daoist Golden Book to further perfect the Hidden Blade Realm, reducing its difficulty to comprehend, and striving for Meng Chong to understand it sooner. Boom! Suddenly, a sound of thunder sounded on Canglan Island, causing a slight tremor. Crackle! Some trees shattered instantaneously, and a powerful pressure emerged.. Chapter 371 The sudden changes on the Canglan Island alarmed everyone. Zhou Ying, Shi er, and other weaker members felt a powerful coercion, their hearts filling with fear and their faces paling in shock. ¡°What happened? Do we have enemies coming again?¡± Mother Xu asked in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. No enemy would dare to come to Canglan Island.¡± Xu Junhe shook his head. Everyone hastily exited their houses. Boom! The roaring sound rang out again, causing Canglan Island to tremble slightly and the coercion to grow stronger. Everybody looked in the direction of the noise in surprise. Pieces of the Spiritual Fruit Forest on Canglan Island were reduced to debris and dust hung in the air. That was where Red Cat slept! ¡°Red Cat!¡± The voice of Xu Yan could be heard. Inside the Spiritual Fruit Forest, Red Cat stood up, its body massive like a small hill, with overwhelming sorcery and imposing aura causing a thunderous sound to echo within its body. With a mere shake, the Spirit Fruit trees around it would turn into dust. ¡°Go to Cang River!¡± Xu Yan commanded reluctantly. This Spiritual Fruit Forest was one of the core assets of Canglan Island. His mother loved these Spirit Fruits and losing even one would result in a significant loss. Red Cat¡¯s sudden transformation destroyed more than a dozen trees in the blink of an eye. With an overwhelming aura and power, Red Cat roared and flicked its tail, turning another Spirit Fruit tree into dust. It didn¡¯t want to complete its final transformation in the Cang River. ¡°Your transformation is too disruptive here. Do you want to strip Canglan Island bare?¡± Xu Yan reproached it with a deep voice. Roar! Although Red Cat was a bit afraid of Xu Yan, it felt that as it was soon to be a large monster, it should overcome its fear. An esteemed monster should not be so timid! ¡°So you want to be punished?¡± Xu Yan glared. Red Cat, feeling its impending transformation into a great monster, gained audacity and even started to defy him. So what if it turns into a big monster? Would it dare to revolt? Xu Yan descended instantly, causing Red Cat to tremble, but it managed to stand firm. Although its four legs were trembling, it firmly refused to lie down! It was a tiger soon to be a big monster! Li Xuan sat in his chair, looking at the defiant Red Cat, twitching his mouth. Did it think that by becoming a big monster, it could contend with Xu Yan? If it was afraid of Xu Yan, it should lie down obediently. Why be stubborn? Shaking his head, Li Xuan didn¡¯t bother with Red Cat. If it truly chose to transform on Canglan Island, at least seven or eight out of ten of the trees in the Spiritual Fruit Forest would be ruined. The Spiritual Fruit Forest was Mother Xu¡¯s favorite place and the Spirit Fruits were her favorite food. Xu Yan was obedient to his mother. Therefore, Red Cat was being stubborn at the Spiritual Fruit Forest and asking for trouble. It had only had to choose a different place and Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t have cared. Compared to Red Cat¡¯s massive size, Xu Yan seemed rather small. However, when he descended, he gave off a force of ten thousand pounds, causing Red Cat, whose legs were already weak, to collapse. It still refused to submit, growling in an attempt to struggle. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re really asking for it.¡± Xu Yan grabbed the skin at the back of Red Cat¡¯s neck and swung it up into the air with a deafening roar. He then sent it flying into the Cang River. Looking like a mountain crashing into the Cang River, a sound like a roaring boom echoed out, causing a huge pillar of water to shoot up into the sky. The moment it landed in the water, Red Cat realized its mistake. It was terrified thinking back on the Spirit Fruit trees it had destroyed. Those were Mother Xu¡¯s favorite Spirit Fruits. Would it be punished after its transformation into a big monster? The more it thought, the more frightened Red Cat became, obediently staying in the Cang River and beginning its final transformation. Boom! Every time the roar sounded, a wave would rise in the Cang River. Above the Cang River, the enormous tiger, like a small hill, radiated powerful and dreadful energy, frightening everyone around. Although all vessels on the river stayed far away from the region around Canglan Island, the transformation of Red Cat was so disruptive that it drew attention from all around especially because of its mountain-like size. Boom! With every tremor, Red Cat¡¯s body shook, it expanded a little more, and its size grew even bigger. Li Xuan stood on a peak on Canglan Island, watching Red Cat¡¯s transformation in the Cang River, feeling excited. The first big monster was born, and the Monster Martial Arts was about to emerge. ¡°What will the Daoist Golden Book reflect now?¡± The Monster Martial Arts belonged to the beast type of Martial Arts, not suitable for humans, so the reflection from the Daoist Golden Book would probably not be the cultivation of Monster Martial Arts. On Canglan Island, everyone watched Red Cat¡¯s transformation. Boom! At one moment, Red Cat¡¯s body suddenly inflated and let out a deep growl. A beam of light emerged from its body. Boom! At this moment, Red Cat leapt into the air, suspended halfway up in the air. The overwhelming monster power, the powerful aura spreading around, its eyes shining menacingly, its body covered in a layer of monster light. It raised a paw and pressed it downwards. Boom! The water of Cang River was instantly pushed down. Red Cat roared excitedly and began to roam around in the Cang River, scaring all the nearby ships into hurriedly docking ashore. This was horrifying! The massive tiger, the size of a small mountain, running wild on the Cang River was too intimidating. Even the greatest Grandmaster wouldn¡¯t possess such terrifying power, right? ¡°Your pet Red Cat has successfully cultivated the Great Monster Martial Art you created. You obtain Great Monster Mastery + some Sorcery.¡± At the moment when Red Cat transformed into a Big Monster, on the Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book opened and golden light emerged. Great Monster Mastery! Indeed, the Daoist Golden Book did not reflect the cultivation of Great Monster Martial Art.. Chapter 372 ¡°Is this the Great Sorcery of Monster Control?¡± Li Xuan looked at the mysterious light seal hovering above the Soul Pedestal, suffused with a mystical aura. Within the seal, he could vaguely see the shadow of the Red Cat. The Great Sorcery of Monster Control allowed one to govern and control all mighty monsters, even draw upon their power, using them for their own purposes. This Sorcery of Monster Control indeed has the taste of divine skills. Even from a distance, it allows one to summon the mighty monsters, and while it¡¯s just the power of these monsters, it possesses nearly eight to nine-tenths of their strength. ¡°Commanding tens of thousands of monsters to fight for one person, just the thought of it is thrilling.¡± ¡°Moreover, the monsters summoned possess the original consciousness of the monsters. If they are not too far away, they can directly summon the body of the monster.¡± Li Xuan was excited. The use of the Great Sorcery of Monster Control was wide-ranging, not just limited to controlling monsters and their power. Moreover, it could overlay the power of these monsters on oneself, transforming oneself as if they had become a great monster themselves. In addition to the Great Sorcery of Monster Control, the Daoist Golden Book also provided some Sorcery Techniques. As the name suggests, it¡¯s the method of transforming beasts into demons. That is, directly instilling the martial arts of monstrous beasts into the consciousness of common beasts, making them as if they have a natural inheritance. In this way, it is easier for the beasts to understand and cultivate the martial arts of monsters, and easier to comprehend the law of monsters. However, not all beasts can be turned into monsters with these Sorcery Techniques. Just like humans, if one¡¯s innate ability is too poor, they cannot cultivate into a martial artist, let alone hope to enter the door of martial arts. The situation is even more severe for beasts. Even if the Sorcery Techniques instill the martial arts of monsters into their consciousness, they still may not be able to cultivate into monsters. Therefore, if one wants to convert a beast into a monster, they should select beasts with relatively high intelligence and sharp instincts to have a higher success rate of transformation. Li Xuan thought of the Mountain-devouring Toad. This creature was a spiritual beast, somewhat different from the monstrous beasts. ¡°There are spiritual beasts in Ling Domain, and these spiritual beasts have high intelligence, which means a higher success rate of transformation.¡± The spiritual beasts in this world don¡¯t seem to have a method of cultivation. They grow primarily through bloodline growth. When a spiritual beast reaches a certain level, it is almost at its peak. Those that can break through this limit are extremely rare, and these spiritual beasts are the kings among them. ¡°Spiritual beasts generally have superior innate talents. If they practice the law of monstrous beasts, it is common for them to break through the limits of their own bloodline,¡± Li Xuan thought. He even suspected that the Red Cat might possess a spiritual beast¡¯s bloodline. Otherwise, why is this large cat¡¯s intellect far higher than other Red-eye Tigers? Being noticed by me at a glance and brought back, it was indeed its good fortune,¡± Li Xuan chuckled. The Red Cat, being the first monstrous beast, was far ahead of other spiritual beasts, even those with more potent bloodline after cultivation couldn¡¯t catch up with it. The Red Cat was excited for a while, then suddenly remembered that it seemed to have angered Xu Yan. It was immediately panicked in its heart. Although it had become a monstrous beast, it was clearly no match for Xu Yan. With flickering eyes, it recalled that when it transformed, it had destroyed the Spiritual Fruit Tree, and the reason Xu Yan was angry was because the Spiritual Fruit Forest was Mother Xu¡¯s favorite place. Spiritual Fruits were Mother Xu¡¯s favorite fruit. It was because of this that Xu Yan was angry and wanted to beat it. With a flash of inspiration, the Red Cat suddenly had an idea. While rushing towards Canglan Island, its body size continually shrunk. By the time it returned to Canglan Island, its size had returned to that of a normal Red-eyed Tiger. However, its body size was still shrinking. As soon as it arrived back on Canglan Island, Red Cat¡¯s hair almost stood on end. A powerful aura was locking onto it, ready to pin it down and beat it at any time! Its heart was in a panic. It was looking around frantically when it finally saw the figure of Mother Xu. It ran towards her crazily. Meanwhile, that Sword Intent was already hovering above its head, ready to strike at any time. By the time it reached Mother Xu, its size had shrunk to that of an ordinary cat. ¡°Meow, meow, meow¡­¡± It opened its mouth and began to meow. It lay down at Mother Xu¡¯s feet, acting cute. Li Xuan:¡­ The Red Cat was so afraid of Xu Yan that in order to avoid a beating, it turned into a small cat to please Mother Xu. It must be said that the Red Cat had successfully avoided the beating with this maneuver. Mother Xu was overjoyed to see the cute look on Red Cat¡¯s face. She immediately started to pet it and Red Cat lay there enjoying it, acting more cute. The news that Red Cat had transformed into a monstrous beast, as large as a mountain, naturally spread throughout the Inner Domain. Many powerful beings were shocked. That senior on Canglan Island was truly unfathomable. Even a pet had become so powerful. On Canglan Island, peace was restored. Xu Yan, Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu were all cultivating diligently, while Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying were doing the same. While everyone on Canglan Island is dedicating themselves to training, aside from Mother Xu. Seeing this, Mother Xu also put in a bit more effort. She trained for an hour and a half each day. In the northern desolate lands, the Gate of Lingyu remained visible with ripples flowing across it. That day, a peak Great Grandmaster happened upon it. Overcome with excitement, he rushed up to it, unleashing all his strength, and finally pushed the Gate of Lingyu open to step inside. Elsewhere, a multitude from the Tianbao Pavilion, who were all half-step divine practitioners, quietly observed. This was the first peak Great Grandmaster from the Inner Domain to enter the Gate of Lingyu. Half an hour later. A crack in the Gate of Lingyu opened, and several chunks of dismembered bodies were tossed out. A contemptuous voice was faintly heard: ¡°Such pigs and dogs, it¡¯s even dirty for me to kill them!¡± The Gate of Lingyu closed once again. Originally, a few of the half-step divine practitioners from the Tianbao Pavilion who harboured thoughts of entering the Lingyu, felt their hearts sink. They dared not entertain the idea anymore. The Pavilion Master was right. When the martial artists of the Inner Domain enter, they are regarded as slaves, as pigs and dogs. The strong ones in Lingyu loom high above, looking down upon the martial artists of the Inner Domain. For a moment, they were filled with a mixture of anger but mostly helplessness and despair. ¡°The Dahua Martial Arts?¡± At this moment, the thought or pursuing Dahua Martial Arts surfaced in their minds. Training in the Inner Domain wouldn¡¯t be restricted, and they could continue on indefinitely. If everyone in the Inner Domain started practicing Dahua Martial Arts, there was bound to be one day when they would be as powerful as the divine practitioners of the martial arts. At that time, could the martial artists from Lingyu still condescend to them, still show them disdain? ¡°Pavilion Master, let¡¯s inform others that the Gate of the Lingyu has appeared. Let them enter and understand the plight of the martial artists in the Inner Domain, and only then will they be able to make the right choice.¡± A half-step divine practitioner stated solemnly. They couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of anger after being disdained and trampled upon by others, as individuals from the Inner Domain. ¡°Agreed!¡± The man with the purple crown nodded. In the Inner Domain, a martial arts sect was currently debating whether to continue training in the Inner Realm martial arts, or let the young disciples switch to Dahua martial arts. Their sect¡¯s legacy was complete and could be directly cultivated to the peak Grandmaster realm. But as for Dahua martial arts, at present, there¡¯s only the Innate Realm. Plus, one must venture to the vast wilderness to acquire the cultivation techniques of the Innate Realm. The sect¡¯s old ancestor was a peak grandmaster, almost a half-step divine practitioner. He survived because he didn¡¯t participate in the Heaven s Defiance Alliance due to his intensive cultivation during the seclusion. Being old, he naturally became more stubborn. He disagreed with converting to Dahua martial arts. They shouldn¡¯t abandon their sect¡¯s legacy. Since the old ancestor has spoken, naturally, all voices advocating for Dahua martial arts were suppressed. That day, the old man received a message and was elated. He immediately left the sect, leaving behind the words,¡±I¡¯ll definitely achieve divine status.¡± At the gate of Lingyu in the northern barren lands. A dozen peak Grandmasters gathered. Most were elderly, but they were also the old ancestors of their respective groups, their words held great weight. ¡°This time, will anybody survive and return?¡± A Tianbao Pavilion powerhouse inquired. ¡°They¡¯re too old, without potential. They don¡¯t even qualify to be servants. Killing them would be dirtying their hands. Some of them will survive.¡± The man with the purple crown indifferently answered. Boom! I he Gate of Lingyu opened, and a dozen old men entered. Less than half an hour later, all of them were thrown out of the Gate of Lingyu. They all hit the ground hard. Three of them were already lifeless. I he rest were pale, their breaths erratic making them seem even older. lhey muttered, ¡°Pigs and dogs? Do we amount to pigs or dogs? Do we not even qualify to be servants?¡± In the Inner Domain, they exist like old ancestors. Yet once they ventured through the Gate of Lingyu, they were worse off than pigs and dogs?! How could they tolerate such disdain and humiliation from others? Fury gradually ignited in their eyes. lhe bastards from Lingyu are too aggressive!¡± That day, the old ancestor, upon returning to his sect, underwent a drastic change of attitude, and firmly supported the switch to Dahua martial arts.. Chapter 373 The top-notch forces within the Inner Domain, their key figures, and the peak Great Grandmaster, after a trip outside, suddenly and resolutely decided for their junior disciples, to switch to Wilderness Martial Arts. The entire Inner Domain was faintly undergoing some changes. As if a large hand behind the scenes was driving the direction of all this. Until one day, Seven-star Study Palace suddenly announced a change in name; henceforth in the Inner Domain, there would be no more Seven-Star Study Palace, only Wilderness Martial Arts Academy! The status of the Seven-Star Study Palace in the Inner Domain martial art circle goes without saying, suddenly changing to Wilderness Martial Arts Academy was akin to a massive stone thrown into calm water. Yet, those who knew the inside story all expressed their support. For a while, voices advocating that the Inner Domain should be renamed as Dahua gradually emerged. Understandably, Yan Kingdom and Zi Yun Kingdom were under immense pressure. Still, Dahua remained still, as if seizing Da Yue Kingdom was enough to satisfy them. The chaos from the outside world couldn¡¯t affect Canglan Island. Red Cat, like a chubby cat, trotted over to Su Lingxiu to act cute and asked for some medicinal rewards. Su Lingxiu gave it a little fondle and offered it a vial of medicinal pills. Shi¡¯er had a troubled face recently because Red Cat put forward an utterly unreasonable request. Red Cat wanted a large gold chain, elongated or shortened as needed, so that it could still hang around its neck even when it revealed its colossal true form. The gold chain would also shrink when it reduced its body size. Isn¡¯t it difficult? Shi¡¯er was so furious he was thundering, and Red Cat was exacting revenge! Red Cat believed its request was reasonable, so every now and then it would demand a gold chain from Shi er, and if Shi er didn¡¯t produce one, it would press Shi¡¯er into the mud with a single paw. Li Xuan was sitting on a chair, his hands holding the Book of Tai Cang, disinclined to bother with the dispute between Shi¡¯er and Red Cat. Without pressure, where would motivation come from? Shi¡¯er began to desperately cultivate, hoping to improve his strength, and then press down and beat up Red Cat, even though he realized he had virtually no chance. However, his determination to cultivate diligently was commendable. Above the Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book was flipping open, Li Xuan was writing a martial art cultivation technique. A Divine Intent State method was coming together, Xu Yan wasn¡¯t far from the perfection of Tongxuan Realm. Suddenly, the Daoist Golden Book radiated golden light. ¡°Your disciple, Su Lingxiu, has deduced the embryonic form of the next level of Alchemy Technique. You have gained the second edition of Alchemy Technique.¡± Su Lingxiu had always been studying the Alchemy Technique, and finally, made a breakthrough. Li Xuan revealed a smile, the second edition of Alchemy Technique. The art of Alchemy was more complete, the techniques of martial arts combined with Alchemy were more numerous, sharper. Especially the Golden Needle Deliverance method was already very profound. ¡°Give the second edition of Alchemy Technique to Su Lingxiu, shorten her time to perfect it, and research the third edition Alchemy Technique sooner.¡± Smiling, Li Xuan called out Su Lingxiu. ¡°You have been in Tongxuan for some time and should have more or less mastered the Void Alchemy Technique. You have also nearly mastered the Alchemy Techniques. Today your master is teaching you a new Alchemy Technique. You must thoroughly comprehend and research it.¡± Excited, Su Lingxiu nodded and said, ¡°Yes, master, I will diligently research.¡± Li Xuan passed the second edition of Alchemy Technique to Su Lingxiu. After receiving the second edition of Alchemy Technique, Su Lingxiu had an epiphany, and the things she didn¡¯t understand while studying seemed to become clear. In her mind, bright light flashed as if she had found the direction for her to continue studying Alchemy Techniques. Su Lingxiu continued to study Alchemy Technique while practicing Void Alchemy Technique, and at the same time making preparations for the medicinal pills needed for Tongxuan realm. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were once again studying The Eight Diagrams. The Life and Death Sword Wheel and the Sudden Wind Sword Intent were deduced from The Eight Diagrams, which were one of the ways to enhance their strength, Meng Chong was also studying to improve his knife technique. Time passed during the tranquility, and half a year flew by. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, breakthrough into the Tongxuan Realm, your Divine Intent State has increased to the early stage.¡± Xu Yan had a breakthrough into the Tongxuan Realm. Within half a month of Xu Yan breaking into the Tongxuan Realm, Meng Chong also made a breakthrough. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has a breakthrough to the early Tongxuan Realm; your Great Sun Golden Body is consummate (Tongxuan Realm).¡± Their strengths had thus improved. In the next three months, Xu Yan and Meng Chong both continuously deduced new martial arts from The Eight Diagrams, and their strengths had been continuously surging. Su Lingxiu also got her wish, she deduced a method called Daze, and finally, aside from Sudden Wind Divine Needle, she had a sharp, lethal martial art. ¡°The method is nearly done; it¡¯s time to pass it to Xu Yan.¡± Li Xuan exhaled a breath, the Divine Intent State method had finally been gradually finished. It was time to pass it to Xu Yan, when Xu Yan comprehends it, his realm would continue to improve further. Canglan Island was peaceful, like a world outside. The Inner Domain, on the other hand, was far from peaceful. The matter of the Gate to Lingyu was spreading among Great Grandmasters. The fact that martial artists from the Inner Domain entering the Gate to Lingyu would be looked down upon and humiliated also became widely known. Of course, at the beginning, there were Grandmasters who didn¡¯t believe it. After they entered, either they died or were thrown out. There were even Great Grandmasters who, in order to become martial God, willingly knelt down and begged to enter Lingyu and obtain the technique of martial God. As a result, naturally, they were met with mockery, garbage talent was not worthy of the techniques of Gods. Once, dozens of Great Grandmasters joined forces and broke into the gate of Lingyu together, but they all ended up dying, their corpses thrown out. Now, you can imagine the rage in the hearts of the Inner Domain Great Grandmasters. Yet when they thought of the senior on Canglan Island who didn¡¯t bully people with his realm, compared with the God of Lingyu realm, the latter was nothing but garbage! Chapter 374 For a moment, there was an upsurge of admiration for the sage on Canglan Island. Although the Gate of Lingyu did not disappear, it was no longer opening. According to people inside, they were annoyed to death by a bunch of pigs and dogs! Ling Domain. The Shui Xing Palace was one of the Spirit Sects of Ling Domain. Even though it was not as good as those first-class Spirit Sects, it still held top-tier power within its own territory. In an elegant pavilion, a gorgeous woman frowned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on with Jiao Ming? It¡¯s been so long, and he hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± ¡°Madam, perhaps Jiao Ming was delayed by the fun he had in the Inner Domain.¡± The words came from a maid. ¡°Hmph! The Inner Domain is poverty-stricken, full of lowly people like pigs and dogs. What fun could it offer? Jiao Ming is far too inefficient in handling things. I will have to discipline him when he returns.¡± The beautiful woman voiced her dissatisfaction. In her words, contempt for the Inner Domain was evident. ¡°Madam, you¡¯re right!¡± The maid nodded in agreement. After a moment of hesitation, she added, ¡°Madam, if the young master finds out that you ordered Jiao Ming to kidnap someone from the Inner Domain, what will we do?¡± The beautiful woman snorted coldly and said, ¡°Where on earth did he die? Even if he knows, what can he do? Is he going to kill me for a bastard in the Inner Domain? ¡°He can¡¯t resist the charms of others, that¡¯s one thing, but he actually went to a place like the Inner Domain, where people are no better than pigs and dogs, and fathered a bastard child.¡± ¡°It¡¯s humiliating. The fact that I, Tang Jinyan, can¡¯t control my husband has already become a joke to others.¡± ¡°If people know that my husband fathered a bastard in a place like the Inner Domain, how can I show my face in public?¡± The more Tang Jinyan spoke, the angrier she became. ¡°But what if the young master does care about that person, Madam? And what if this person is exceptionally gifted? If the Mu family finds out, they might¡­¡± The maid still expressed some worries. ¡°Care? What right does he have to care? I¡¯m his wife! Doesn¡¯t he care about me? As for talent, who could be talented in a place like the Inner Domain, where people are no better than pigs and dogs! It¡¯s just a stain on the bloodline of the Mu family. If the Mu family elders find out, they might kill this bastard to avoid shame.¡± Tang Jinyan laughed coldly. ¡°That bastard Jiao Ming enjoys playing in such lowly places, does he? Let Ping¡¯er go to the Inner Domain, bring the person back, and tell Jiao Ming that if he doesn¡¯t come back immediately, he will have to stay in those lowly places forever.¡± Tang Jinyan said angrily. ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± The maid replied. The Gate of Lingyu, between two large mountains, there was a huge palace erected in front of it. Two middle-aged men were guarding the Gate of Lingyu. Two figures descended from the sky, entered the palace, and replaced those who were originally in charge of guarding the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°The Gate of Lingyu has been open for nearly a year now. The pigs and dogs from the Inner Domain have either been killed or thrown back. Will the Gate of Lingyu be closed yet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not yet time for the Gate of Lingyu to open properly and let those from the Inner Domain who hold the Yu Ling come in.¡± The Martial Artist who came to replace them spoke with furrowed brows. ¡°Jiao Ming from Shui Xing Palace went to the Inner Domain and hasn¡¯t returned yet. According to the rules, we need to wait for him to return before we can completely close the Gate of Lingyu.¡± The original guard shared his thought. Once the handover was completed, one Martial Artist sighed, ¡°The Blood Demon has been dead for so long that not even ashes remain. How could he rise again? Isn¡¯t this overcautious?¡± Plus, that person from the Taimiao Sect has been to the Inner Domain and already killed the Blood Demon, burying him in the wilderness.¡± Another Martial Artist sighed, ¡°How terrifying the Blood Demon¡¯s disaster was! Even the Refining God Heavenly Man was frightened. You know, the Blood Demon revived three times. Didn¡¯t we think we had completely destroyed him too?¡± ¡°And yet, what happened? He resurrected again, and the Blood Disaster swept through the Inner Domain again.¡± For a moment, the four fell silent. The Blood Demon was an inescapable figure in the history of Spiritual Realm Martial arts. A true notorious murderer who killed countless people and sacrificed millions of Martial Artists. Three falls and three rises. Even the lofty Refining God Heavenly Man, more than one or two of them died at his hand. In the last battle, the Blood Demon escaped into the Inner Domain, with a group of powerful Martial Artist trailing behind him to track him down. None of them returned! The second time, powerful Martial Artists entered the Inner Domain, erasing all records and existence of the Gate of Lingyu within it. Even though that person from the Taimiao Sect entered Ling Domain, killed the Blood Demon, still, no one dared to take it lightly. The complete closure of the Gate of Lingyu, and the thoughts of the Refining God Heavenly Man are nothing more than to cut off the possibility of the Blood Demon returning to Ling Domain. The martial arts of the Inner Domain had a limit after all. Even if Blood Demon sacrificed the Inner Domain, he would not be able to restore his peak strength. When the time was ripe, they could again enter the Inner Domain, which provided an opportunity to completely kill the Blood Demon in the Inner Region. According to the time estimation, the Gate of Lingyu was close to the time when it could be reopened, and the intelligence planted in the Inner Domain showed the Blood Demon had disappeared. With such a long time passed and no sign of him, he might indeed be dead. ¡°Twenty years ago, that playboy from the Mu Family, stayed in the Inner Region for many years, apparently seeking traces of the Blood Demon, but found nothing. The Blood Demon should be completely dead.¡± A Martial Artist spoke in a solemn voice. He then thoughtfully continued, ¡°Jiao Ming is from the Water Star Palace. The wife of the playboy from Mu Family is the young lady of the Water Star Palace. Jiao Ming went to the Inner Region¡­¡± Another person interrupted him, laughing, ¡°These things, have nothing to do with us. We¡¯re merely obeying the orders of the Spiritual Sects, staking out here at the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°Knowing too much is not a good thing, looking after too many affairs is even worse, you must just stick to your own business.¡± The rest of them nodded in agreement. Just then, a charming figure appeared. ¡°Open the gate to the Ling Domain.¡± A woman in a pink dress was making a charming face. Her beautiful face was slightly blushed. The Martial Artist watching over the Gate of Lingyu became apprehensive and dared not look too closely. He hurriedly opened the Gate of Lingyu. After the woman entered the Gate of Lingyu, one of them asked suspiciously: ¡°Is she the one from the Water Star Palace?¡± ¡°Yes, her name is Ping¡¯er, it is said that¡­¡± Lowering his voice, he said, ¡°Supposedly, she is promiscuous, always seducing young men and her coquettish nature never faltered.¡± ¡°Regrettably, my skin is rough, or it would be nice to have some fun with her.¡± One of them touched his face, sighing. The rest nodded in agreement. Ping¡¯er was known for her beauty, and it was rumored that she knew many seductive tricks. The Gate of Lingyu opened again. The strong ones from the Tianbao Pavilion became anxious. Why was there another one coming in? That was a woman. Ping¡¯er walked out of the Gate of Lingyu, looked around, and frowned slightly, displaying some disgust. ¡°A place of inferior people, the spiritual energy is indeed thin.¡± She muttered. Coming to the Inner Region, she was supposed to look for someone, but she did not know where he was. Jiao Ming, that bastard, came to the Inner Region and didn¡¯t return for so long. Was the inferior land so attractive? Or was he infatuated with the beauty of this inferior land?¡± Ping¡¯er cursed. ¡°In an inferior land, even if there are women with decent looks, how beautiful can they be? No matter how beautiful, they are but inferior people.¡± She was somewhat irritable. If not for the inefficiency of Jiao Ming, why would she have to visit the Inner Region? Suddenly, she looked up and moved towards a peak in the distance. The faces of the strong ones at the Tianbao Pavilion immediately changed. ¡°Pavilion Master, she¡¯s heading this way!¡± The man with the purple crown also had an uncertain expression on his face. Holding a jade pendant in his hand and bowing slightly, he conveyed a message: ¡°You should all be respectful.¡± The strong ones of Tianbao Pavilion shivered. They knew that the strong ones of Ling Domain would kill at the slightest disagreement. They truly regarded Inner Realm Martial Artists as beasts. They hurriedly bowed and waited for her arrival. Ping¡¯er gracefully approached them, looked at the postures of the strong ones from Tianbao Pavilion, and revealed a satisfied smile. Inferior people indeed, at least they know their place. All right, then I won¡¯t punish you.¡± Ping er then spoke, ¡°Who was the one who entered when the Gate of Lingyu was opened?¡± Jiao Ming was a Martial Arts Celestial. Being in the Inner Region for so long, he must have caused quite a stir. Every force in the Inner Region should know his whereabouts. ¡°To answer the Celestial¡¯s question, we do not know where the senior is. There has been no news from him since he entered the Inner Region,¡± replied the man in the purple crown respectfully. ¡°Huh?¡± Ping¡¯er frowned, her gaze somewhat icy as she stared at the man with the purple crown. ¡°Celestial, every word I say is true, I dare not lie!¡± The man with the purple crown was sweating profusely and hastily spoke up. Chapter 375 Yuan and Divine Skills_i Ping¡¯er¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, no news of Jiao Ming since he entered the Inner Domain? Jiao Ming was a Martial Arts Heavenly Man, and given Jiao Ming¡¯s temper, he must have been extremely arrogant, never one for subtlety. ¡°So he entered the Inner Domain, and there¡¯s really no news of him?¡± Ping¡¯er asked in a deep voice. ¡°To answer the Heavenly Man, indeed, there is no news at all, when that Master came out of the Gate of Lingyu initially, I was right here, expecting news of a Heavenly Man appearing in the Inner Domain. ¡°But in the end, there was no whisper about that Master.¡± The man with the purple crown respectfully responded. ¡°You are here, how would you know, he hadn¡¯t shown any signs? Ping¡¯er asked with a furrowed brow. ¡°To answer the Master, I am the Pavilion Master of Tianbao Pavilion, the most well-informed power concerning Inner Domain affairs.¡± The man with the purple crown hurriedly replied. ¡°The Tianbao Pavilion?¡± Ping¡¯er repeated softly, as if she recalled something, and then nodded. ¡°Where did he go?¡± The man with the purple crown pointed in the direction Jiao Ming had gone, saying, ¡°The Master went in that direction.¡± Without any delay, Ping¡¯er moved and went following the direction Jiao Ming had left in. The Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s crowd of powerful figures, who had been holding their breaths so far, heaved a sigh of relief, yet found their backs drenched with cold sweat at this moment. Since being half a step away from becoming a Heavenly Man, they had always been in a position of power, never in such a plight. When had they ever been in a situation where their lives hung by someone else¡¯s thought? At this moment, they felt bitter and powerless, yet also filled with unwillingness and resentment. Ping¡¯er, frowning, Jiao Ming had entered the Inner Domain and acted incredibly low-key? This wasn¡¯t his character, could it be that he was protecting that bastard? ¡°No, Jiao Ming would never protect a bastard, could it be that he was so well entertained that he didn¡¯t go anywhere else in the Inner Domain and only indulged in pleasure?¡± Ping¡¯er felt this was very likely to be the case. She never thought that Jiao Ming might have died. Jiao Ming was a Martial Arts Heavenly Man, and once entered the Inner Domain, he was an invincible presence, who could even sweep across the Inner Domain. Who could kill him? Even if he encountered an ambush, even if he couldn¡¯t fight it off, with his strength, he could escape. ¡°Jiao Ming, you shameless lout, enjoying yourself while I have to come to this lowly place to find you and capture the bastard. When we get back, I¡¯m certainly going to have Miss severely punish you and strip you of your position of authority!¡± The more Ping¡¯er thought about it, the angrier she got. At Canglan Island, atop a mountain, Li Xuan stood with his hands behind him, overlooking the extensive Cang River. Xu Yan respectfully stood to one side. The time was ripe, and Li Xuan decided to pass on to Xu Yan the Martial Arts technique above the Divine Intent State. ¡°Disciple, you have already reached the maturity of Mystical Achievement, and have also conceived the Divine Intent State technique. The opening of the Gate of Lingyu, I believe you must be restless to enter Lingyu, to forge ahead in that even more extensive Martial Arts realm.¡± Li Xuan had the demeanor of a strict tutor. ¡°The Ling Domain is too unknown, before I go, I will make adequate preparations and not rush forward.¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. His delay in going to the Ling Domain was not entirely due to his current lack of strength nor his fear of the numerous powerhouses in the Ling Domain, but his concern for the safety of his parents and family after he left. Dahua had not yet unified the Inner Domain, and his parents and family were still weak, and his master couldn¡¯t possibly always protect them. This was the main reason why Xu Yan had not yet entered the Ling Domain. Li Xuan was also aware of this, yet Xu Junhe was already a small success in the Innate Realm, but in the Inner Domain, even this strength was still not enough. ¡°Today, your teacher will pass on to you the Martial Arts of Divine Intent State and above, you should also consider it carefully. When you someday enter the Ling Domain, you won¡¯t be stagnant because of Martial Arts techniques. Li Xuan nodded and then began his instructions. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan was ecstatic. Although he had not yet broken through the Divine Intent State, he had already understood how to cultivate and how to break through the Divine Intent State, just waiting for Mystical Achievement to be complete and after settling himself, he could break through. Once he entered the Divine Intent State, even though he might not be as strong as a Refining God Heavenly Man, he would not be afraid to face a Fusion Great Heavenly man. ¡°The Divine Intent State is the condensation of the intention of heaven and earth, the condensation of the Divine Intent of Martial Arts, the form of Divine Intent, the foundation of the Primordial Spirit; this is the foundation of the Martial Arts Primordial Spirit; above the Divine Intent State, is known as the Divine Origin Realm!¡± Li Xuan solemnly stated. The Divine Identity State lays above the Divine Origin Realm! Now, Li Xuan looked at the Daoist Golden Book, the Divine Origin Realm Martial Arts technique he had created. Divine Origin Realm Martial Arts Technique: Technique completeness: High. Realm Connectivity: High. Training difficulty: Medium to high, Conceptual difficulty: Medium to high. This was the Martial Arts technique that Li Xuan had created, with the highest completeness of the technique and the highest realm connectivity; it also had the lowest training and conceptual difficulty. Li Xuan believed that with such a high completeness of the Divine Origin Realm technique, such a high realm connectivity, and only a medium-high training and conceptual difficulty, Xu Yan should be able to understand it soon. Perhaps he could conceive of the Divine Origin Realm Martial Arts technique before breaking through the Divine Intent State. As such, his Martial Arts realm will continue to remain superior to his disciple¡¯s! ¡°Divine Origin refers to the beginning of the Primordial Spirit, the subtlety of the Divine Intent¡­ Divine Intent condensed into True Yuan, transforming True Yuan into Divine Origin; ¡°With Divine Origin containing Divine Intent, Divine Intent as the basis of cognition, able to sustain itself outside the body, displaying profound mysteries¡­¡± Li Xuan began to explain the Divine Origin Realm Martial Arts technique with a solemn expression. The Divine Origin Realm, is a metamorphosis of True Yuan, transforming into Divine Origin, merging with Divine Intent, one of the strongest aspects of the Divine Origin Realm, is the ability to form a Divine Origin Avatar! The Divine Origin can exist outside the body, and within a certain range of the main body, it can act in place of the main body, for instance, probing into dangerous places. Chapter 376 Even if the Divine Origin embodiment perishes, it only results in a minor loss of Divine Origin and Divine Intent, much like the usual depletion during battles. It can be restored at any time. In addition, the Divine Origin embodiment possesses a fascinating feature: infused into an object, it can serve as a protective amulet for others. Whenever danger arises, the Divine Origin embodiment will manifest itself, warding off danger and annihilating enemies. One can also actively stimulate the Divine Origin embodiment. However, while objects with Divine Origin embodiment do possess some level of consciousness and combat instincts, they don¡¯t have real thinking ability or adaptability. Their actions depend entirely on their combat instincts. The strength of the Divine incarnation is related to the amount of Divine Origin separated ¡ª the more Divine Origin is separated, the stronger the incarnation naturally is. This is the mystery of the Divine Origin Realm. Xu Yan looked excited. If he could break through to the Divine Origin Realm, he would be able to leave a Divine Origin embodiment that would protect his parents and family members. With a Divine Origin embodiment, his family will be safe in the Inner Domain; no one could pose a threat to them. After Li Xuan finished explaining the Divine Origin Realm Martial Arts Cultivation Technique, he looked at his excited disciple. He was also looking forward to Xu Yan comprehending the cultivation technique. Thus, he would possess the Divine Yuan Power. The profound nature of the Divine Origin embodiment was inspired by Li Xuan¡¯s Thousand Martial Divine Shadow. The Thousand Martial Divine Shadow can be considered as a kind of clone. However, it¡¯s not a true clone, as it can only be utilized within a certain range of the original body. Moreover, it cannot be stored inside an object to provide protection to others. Li Xuan recalled the web novels he read in his previous life. Those from powerful forces liked to create clones as protective charms for their beloved successors. Since he had created a martial arts cultivation technique, he could not leave out this ability; he must develop it. The Three Realms of Heavenly Man didn¡¯t seem to possess this capability. This further highlights the strength and profoundness of his martial arts. Since the subject of Divine Origin embodiment was mentioned, Li Xuan seriously asked, ¡°Disciple, do you know why your Master doesn¡¯t give you a protective clone?¡± ¡°Master fears that if this disciple relies on the protective clone, he may become reckless and dismiss dangers, losing a martial artist¡¯s fundamental nature of being humble and prudent. ¡°You¡¯re worried that I might act recklessly, knowingly courting danger and stirring up trouble with enemies stronger than myself without attempting to hide. ¡°You¡¯re afraid I might become a greenhouse flower, blessed with talent but lacking martial arts training, and ultimately unable to go far.¡± After being momentarily stunned, Xu Yan was deeply moved upon realizing the high hopes his master had for him and reverently responded. Li Xuan was smiling, nodding in satisfaction. What a good disciple! He didn¡¯t even need to make up excuses; his disciple had figured everything out on his own. This was his prized disciple, if he had such a method, why would he hesitate to prepare it for his disciple? It¡¯s simply that he doesn¡¯t have it! ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction, ¡°The fact that you can understand your Master¡¯s good intentions makes me very pleased.¡± After teaching Xu Yan the Divine Origin Realm Martial Arts Cultivation Technique, Li Xuan did not immediately teach him the martial arts skill of the next realm, instead letting Xu Yan to absorb and digest the Divine Origin Realm¡¯s techniques. Xu Yan looked excited, pondering the Divine Origin Realm¡¯s techniques. The Divine Intent State¡¯s technique emerged in his mind and connected with that of the Divine Origin Realm. He seemed to have some insights. However, he still fell short of fully comprehending the Divine Origin Realm¡¯s technique. ¡°You have already comprehended the Divine Intent State Martial Arts Techniques, which forms the basis for comprehending the Divine Origin Realm¡¯s techniques. Reflect on them carefully and you will naturally understand the Divine Origin Realm Martial Arts Techniques.¡± Li Xuan didn¡¯t speak until he felt that Xu Yan had adequately absorbed the material. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. ¡°Hmm, I will now teach you the martial arts technique above Divine Origin.¡± Li Xuan affirmed. ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Xu Yan was incredibly excited. The Divine Origin Realm was already so powerful, so just how profound would the martial arts technique above it be? ¡°Above Divine Origin, it¡¯s called Divine Skill!¡± Li Xuan declared solemnly. The realm above the Divine Origin Realm is the Divine Skill Realm! Li Xuan looked at the Daoist Golden Book for feedback on the evaluation of the Divine Skill Martial Arts Technique. Divine Skill Martial Arts Technique: Cultivation Technique Completion: Above Average. Realm-Connecting Degree: High. Cultivation Difficulty: High. Comprehension Difficulty: Above average. He expended a great deal of effort, yet was never able to increase the proficiency level of the cultivation technique to a high degree. However, considering that Xu Yan was even able to comprehend and practice cultivation techniques with exceedingly low assessments, cultivating above average-rated techniques would not be too difficult. The only issue was that the comprehension would require more time. ¡°Later martial artists should all be grateful to Xu Yan. If not for him comprehending and perfecting the cultivation techniques, enabling their widespread practice, where would those who came after him learn these techniques?¡± Li Xuan mused inwardly. Although he was the Martial Ancestor, the true pioneer of martial arts was his senior disciple, Xu Yan! ¡°The Divine Skill Realm holders, they wield divine powers, have undying Primordial Spirits, and can abandon their physical bodies without dying¡­¡± Li Xuan began to elaborate on the laws of the Divine Skill Realm in a low voice. The Divine Skill Realm is where the Divine Yuan merges with the Divine Intent to be refined into the Martial Arts Primordial Spirit, and the Divine Skills are then innate. Martial Artists who break through to the Divine Skill Realm will acquire the Martial Arts Divine Skills, of which there are myriad, each one unique. Upon reaching the Divine Skill Realm, you can already train the Martial Arts Divine Skills outside of the Primordial Spirit and Divine Skills that are formed. You can convert your own martial arts cultivation technique into Divine Skills. The Primordial Spirit can exist independently of the body and can even regenerate the physical body. As long as the Primordial Spirit is not extinguished, one will not die! ¡°The Primordial Spirit is true, taking the form of the body. When one thought of the Divine Skill manifests, the Heaven and Earth move. The mysteries of the Primordial Spirit cannot be explained in a few words. You have to comprehend it yourself, understand your own Primordial Spirit.¡± ¡°The strength of Divine Skills will become naturally clear to you once you comprehend them.¡± ¡°Divine Intent, Divine Yuan, and Divine Skills can also be referred to as the three realms of Divine Skills.¡± Li Xuan said calmly, looking at Xu Yan who was deep in thought. ¡°Teacher, I understand. I will definitely take more time to comprehend and understand the subtlety of the cultivation technique.¡± Xu Yan nodded seriously. Divine Skill Realm! Abandoning the physical body without perishing, the Primordial Spirit is undying, and Divine Skills emerge naturally. Xu Yan thought of the Refining God Heavenly Man in the Three States of Heaven and Man. The strength of the Refining God Heavenly Man is briefly introduced in the Tomb of the Heavenly Man. Although it is not detailed, one can understand the approximate strength of the Refining God Heavenly Man. ¡°The Refining God Heavenly Man just refines the Divine Soul, without any mention of Divine Skills, and the Divine Soul of the Refining God Heavenly Man seems quite weak and fragile.¡± In the Tomb of the Heavenly Man, the introduction to the Three States of the Heavenly Man states that the true Heavenly Man with strong strength is the Refining God Heavenly Man! The Lesser and the Greater Heavenly Man seem to only be the foundation of the Heavenly Man Realm, preparations for achieving the Refining God Heavenly Man. The Divine Skill Realm is where one condenses and transforms into the Martial Arts Primordial Spirit. The strength of the Primordial Spirit is not comparable to the Divine Soul of the Refining God Heavenly Man. After all, the Primordial Spirit is born from the transformation of the Divine Yuan and the Divine Intent. The Divine Yuan can exist independently from the body and can be refined into a body. Naturally, the Primordial Spirit is stronger! The Divine Soul of the Refining God Heavenly Man does not possess such robust power. ¡°If I break through to the Divine Origin Realm, I should be able to kill the Refining God Heavenly Man!¡± Xu Yan murmured in his heart. ¡°The Divine Skill Realm, the Martial Arts Divine Skill? For my sword dao, I should also cultivate the Sword Dao Divine Skill. I wonder if the Heart Sword Realm, which can turn everything into a sword, can be transformed into a Divine Skill? ¡°Life-Death Sword Wheel, my comprehension is still insufficient. This sword dao should be the foundation of the Sword Dao Divine Skill!¡± Xu Yan gradually understood. Once Li Xuan had passed on the Martial Dao¡¯s techniques of the Divine Intent Realm and above to Xu Yan, he turned and left. Whether it¡¯s the Divine Origin Realm or the Divine Skill Realm, he has given careful thought to both, linking them together in a seamless continuity. The Three States of Heaven and Man, especially the final state of Refining God Heavenly Man, involve cultivating a Divine Soul. Their power is absolutely not weak. However, Divine Skills are stronger. After all, the cultivation of the Martial Arts Primordial Spirit is stronger than the Divine Soul cultivated by the Refining God Heavenly Man. ¡°Starting from the Divine Intent State, I¡¯ve gradually moved away from the martial arts of Taicang. The strength of the Divine Skill Realm far surpasses that of the Refining God Heavenly Man. Who can resist the emergence of Divine Skills?¡± A smile graced Li Xuan¡¯s face. In martial arts cultivation, it remains inevitable to deal with aspects like the Primordial Spirit and the Divine Soul, resulting in the paths converging. However, the gap between the same cultivation of Divine Soul and Primordial Spirit still remains large. ¡°Infusing the intent of Heaven and Earth into oneself and refining it into the base of the Primordial Spirit is much stronger than feeling and gathering the Divine in oneself, using one¡¯s own Divine as the base.¡± ¡°After the Heavenly Man in Taicang Martial Dao, what realm is there?¡± Li Xuan knew that the martial arts of this world were not referred to as the Inner Realm Martial Arts or the Ling Domain Martial Arts, but the Tai Cang Martial Dao. He possessed the Book of Tai Cang, which recorded the Heaven and Earth Laws of Tai Cang, and with the assistance of the Daoist Golden Book, the martial arts he created naturally far surpassed the Tai Cang Martial Dao. Chapter 377 After imparting Martial Arts Law of the Divine Origin Realm and Divine Skill Realm to Xu Yan, Li Xuan proceeded to instruct Su Lingxiu, enhancing her Dao of Medical Martial Arts with more profound mystique. All three of his disciples have now been taught the cultivation techniques of three realms or more. Xu Yan, having understood the Martial Arts of the Divine Intent State, was yet to comprehend the primary level of Meng Chong¡¯s Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. As for Su Lingxiu, she just needed to follow a routine cultivation. Xu Yan could explain to her the Divine Intent State cultivation technique he had comprehended. When she fully understands it, she can start preparing for a breakthrough. The overall cultivation direction of Medical Martial Arts is broadly similar to pure martial arts, with only some differences in focus. When Su Lingxiu researched elixirs higher than the Divine Intent State, especially those involving the Primordial Spirit, she encountered more profound principles. Moreover, the spiritual medicines required were also scarce. She had far too few spiritual medicines. Apart from the Shiyou Grass, only the medicines that Xu Yan had brought back in Jiao Ming¡¯s storage bag were left. Having some free time, Li Xuan guided the cultivation of the others on Canglan Island. Besides claiming to drill Shi¡¯er¡¯s martial arts foundation daily, Red Cat merely transformed into a big fat cat that would beg for elixirs in front of Su Lingxiu by acting cute. When it got fewer elixirs than expected, Red Cat would run to Mother Xu to act cute and amuse her. When Mother Xu was cheerful, she would feed it Spiritual Medicine¡­ Li Xuan shook his head. The Red Cat was becoming more and more cunning. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were deepening their understanding and practicing their cultivation techniques. Meng Chong was focusing on understanding the Way of the Blade. ¡°It¡¯s time to create the Eccentric Martial Arts.¡± Li Xuan thought in his mind. New Martial Arts needed to be developed. With the Heaven and Earth Laws of the Book of Tai Cang as a foundation, it wasn¡¯t easy to develop the eccentric means of Artifact Refining, formations, and the setting of traps. However, at least there was some reference material. ¡°Eccentric Martial Arts lies in being eccentric and in the subtlety of the sword following its unusual course¡­¡± In Li Xuan¡¯s mind, images of the Dragon Vein of Heaven and Earth, large regional layout, and restrictive formations, began to emerge. Sitting in a chair, he opened the Daoist Golden Book with his mind and started to write down the basic cultivation techniques of Eccentric Martial Arts, receiving feedback from the Daoist Golden Book. He wrote and extracted what he needed, and then began to write one Heaven and Earth Law into the book. For the Heaven and Earth Law on the first page of the Book of Tai Cang, he was already able to write it proficiently. However, he was not yet so proficient for the Laws from the second page onwards. It was enough for him to compile the early stages and cultivation techniques of Eccentric Martial Arts. ¡°I have been in the Inner Domain for so long, and I haven¡¯t traveled much. Maybe it¡¯s time for a trip, perhaps I might find a suitable new disciple?¡± In stillness, thoughts spurred action, and Li Xuan decided to travel within the Inner Domain. Before heading to the Ling Domain, it¡¯s only prudent to explore the Inner Domain; otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it be a wasted trip? Moreover, once the Eccentric Martial Arts were developed, it would be necessary to find a suitable disciple to comprehend them. With the vastness of the Inner Domain, perhaps there could be someone suitable? With Xu Yan and Meng Chong at Canglan Island, even if a martial artist of heaven and human realm were to attack, they would find no return path. The strength of the minor heavenly beings was just that. Without the advantage of Heavenly Dignity, how powerful could they be? Upon deciding this, Li Xuan was initially planning to depart riding on Red Cat. However, he found that the Fat Tiger was sprawling at Mother Xu¡¯s feet, acting cute and flattering, not a bit of a Majestic Demon¡¯s dignity was left. Forget it, riding this Big Cat would attract too much attention.¡± Li Xuan dismissed the idea. With one step, he left Canglan Island. Atop a mountain peak, Xu Yan saw his master casually twirling the Jade Ruyi in one hand while the other was tucked behind his back. He paced leisurely on top of the Cang River. Master had gone for a worldly stroll. ¡°I must strive to improve my strength as soon as possible. I cannot let my master continue to bear the burden of protecting my parents and family.¡± The look in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes was profusely determined. ¡°Heart Sword Realm, where everything serves as the sword, and the Divine Intent State, where the Divine Intent reaches, is the will of the heavens¡­ Divine Origin, Divine Skill ¡± During his contemplation, Xu Yan gradually understood something. He felt that he was about to understand how to cultivate to the Heart Sword Realm. Meng Chong was concentrating on mastering the Way of the Blade. The Blade Soul was growing, and the long blade lying horizontally on his knee was slightly trembling as though resonating with him. Clearly it was just a blade, without spiritual intelligence or spirituality, but it could resonate with him, entering a mysterious state. His Blade Intent circulated, his once staunch Blade Intent seemed to become as light and flexible as wind. At Sword Master Cliff, Xie Lingfeng was cultivating sword techniques. After receiving Li Xuan¡¯s guidance, he understood that he was trying to illuminate the Sword Heart in one step, directly stepping into the door of Sword Dao, and comprehending the Sword Intent, which would be difficult. It may require a very long time. However, cultivating sword techniques as the foundation to step into the door of Sword Dao was much easier. It¡¯s like breaking through one realm after another. Moreover, once the sword techniques are cultivated, although they are not as strong as Sword Intent, his strength will also see a tremendous increase. Zi Yun, his peer and talented rival, had unexpectedly taken a step ahead and broken through to the Grandmaster Realm. The Grandmasters of Sword Master Cliff had also begun to cultivate sword techniques day and night. This was a new level of Sword Dao for Sword Master Cliff. And Xie Tianheng, the Sword Master, fell into contemplation after hearing Xie Lingfeng¡¯s explanation of Sword Dao. ¡°Sword Heart Illumination? Sword Intent?¡± Xie Tianheng stood at the top of Sword Master Cliff, overlooking the sea of clouds. His expression was calm, devoid of any frustration or sense of defeat. The person who could be the first to comprehend the Way of the Sword Techniques wouldn¡¯t be easily discouraged. ¡°Does the Ling Domain have this Sword Dao?¡± Xie Tianheng mumbled to himself. Probably not, even the Way of the Sword Techniques was not there! Chapter 378 It was because of this that Xie Tianheng was so arrogant, with no regard for the people of this world. After all, he had carved a path in the Sword Dao unlike any seen before! It was only after their journey to Canglan Island that they realized their insignificance. He had not even stepped foot onto the path of the Sword Dao! Xie Tianheng pulled out a pink jade bracelet, gazing at it silently as memories flashed through his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, ¡°I, Xie Tianheng, bow to no one in this life. If 1 said I would come to find you, then I will!¡± He put away the bracelet, turned to look at where Xie Lingfeng was, eyes filled with affection. Although his son was not as accomplished as him, he was still a top-tier prodigy in the Sword Dao. ¡°A clear understanding of the sword¡¯s heart, Sword Intent, 1 must comprehend it!¡± Xie Tianheng¡¯s gaze was firm. If his son figured it out and he did not, wouldn¡¯t he be embarrassed? Li Xuan roamed the Inner Domain, admiring the local customs and experiencing the scenes of strife in the martial world. He was on the lookout for suitable candidates to become his disciple. At the same time, he was developing his own mysterious system of martial arts. ¡°I¡¯ll pay a visit to Sword Master Cliff.¡± He thought of Xie Tianheng, and wondered if he had been defeated. It could not be denied that Xie Tianheng¡¯s talent was truly formidable, having managed to grasp Sword Force. Starting with Sword Force as a base to step into the Sword Dao and understand Sword Intent perfectly completes the entire practice of Sword Dao. From practising swordplay, Sword Force, understanding the heart of the sword, to comprehending Sword Intent¡­ All of it had been perfected. ¡°1¡¯11 give Xie Tianheng a few pointers. Consider it as a reward for his contribution in completing the entire training system of Sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan realized that the Sword Dao system he initially created was overly mysterious, with a high starting point. It lacked a solid foundation and a complete system. Even though Xu Yan had achieved enlightenment, the barriers to entry for the Sword Dao were still high. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s talents were certainly not lacking, but he was still unable to understand Sword Intent after such a long time. After all, Xu Yan was not your average genius. With Xie Tianheng¡¯s Sword Force, he could fill in the gaps of the Sword Dao system, greatly lowering the entry barrier to the Sword Dao. Talents like Xie Lingfeng or those slightly inferior could now smoothly train and step onto the path of the Sword Dao. Even though it still required talent, at least the entry barrier had been lowered. Moreover, even if one couldn¡¯t grasp Sword Intent, having Sword Force was enough to be a formidable fighter. This would enhance the overall strength of Sword Dao practitioners. ¡°Where is Sword Master Cliff?¡± Li Xuan pondered for a moment, deciding to ask someone. Following the path Jiao Ming had taken, Ping¡¯er carried on, occasionally meeting seclusion Sects, whom she would ask enquiries, ruthlessly massacring any who showed disrespect. Indeed, she was merciless and without any pity, slaughtering them as if they were pigs or dogs. ¡°Jiao Ming, that bastard!¡± Ping¡¯er was filled with rage. ¡°Who and where is the person my mistress wants me to capture?¡± Ping¡¯er furrowed her brows. Initially, when the orders were sent out for her to capture someone in the Inner Domain, she thought it would be easy to find Jiao Ming. It seemed like a simple task. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t ask who they were supposed to capture or what the person¡¯s name was. Moreover, she left before the person could finish their message, heading directly for the Inner Domain. Ping¡¯er regretted a bit. If she knew who she was looking for, it would be easier to find them. ¡°It¡¯s hard to find a good-looking, slightly stronger man in such a low-class place. 1 can feel my anger boiling over.¡± ¡°1 can¡¯t take it anymore. I need someone to vent my frustrations on.¡± Ping¡¯er¡¯s face turned a shade of crimson. She looked around, ready to find a city and see if there were any men with decent strength and good looks. ¡°Such low-class places are indeed low-class. It¡¯s suffocating. Even if I¡¯m getting involved with some pig or dog, I need to vent.¡± Ping¡¯er clenched her teeth. She decided that after finding Jiao Ming, she¡¯d exaggerate what happened so that her Mistress would severely punish him! If it wasn¡¯t for him, why would she need to vent on someone as lowly as a pig or a dog? ¡°The people in the major forces are usually strong. What are the major forces in the Inner Domain? I¡¯ll ask someone and go to the major forces to find a somewhat handsome low-class person. That way, it¡¯ll be easier to bear.¡± After having this thought, Ping¡¯er set off to ask people about the whereabouts of major force Sects nearby. Having asked about the location of Sword Master Cliff, Li Xuan leisurely headed towards it, taking his time and enjoying the journey. He wasn¡¯t far from the Sword Master Cliff. Li Xuan stood on a hill, gazing into the distance at a peak sticking diagonally into the ground like a sword¡ª it was the Sword Lord cliff! ¡°This inner region¡¯s scenery is truly diverse and colourful.¡± Midway in his awe, his brows suddenly raised. A graceful figure descended from the sky, landing on the summit. Ping¡¯er originally planned to go to Sword Lord Cliff, but on the way, she saw a young man standing on the hill, exceptionally handsome with a distinctive aura, such that even in the Spiritual Realm, was hard to come across. ¡°In such an inferior place, there exists such a man?¡± At this moment, Ping¡¯er felt her heart fluttering. ¡°He¡¯s the one!¡± Ping¡¯er brightened up, instantaneously appearing in front of Li Xuan. Moreover, she circled around Li Xuan, the more she analyzed him, the more excited she became, the more satisfied she looked. Li Xuan frowned, looking at the flushed woman who seemed to have consumed an aphrodisiac, exuberating an incredibly flirtatious aura. Although she was beautiful and seductive, she was overly frivolous and flirty, causing him to scrunch up his brows. ¡°A celestial martial artist from the Spiritual Realm? Is this a natural trait or the result of cultivation technique?¡± Li Xuan contemplated. As for the lively woman¡¯s intentions, he hardly cared. One slap was all it took to kill her, he didn¡¯t hold her in regard. ¡°A celestial being from the Spiritual Realm, what brings you to the Inner Domain? 1 could ask her to get more insights into the Spiritual Realm.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. Meanwhile, Ping¡¯er had already taken a round around him, standing before him with an arrogant demeanor, and said, ¡°In such an inferior place, to find such a handsome man is quite rare. ¡°What a pity, no matter how good the shell looks in this inferior place, it¡¯s no better than pigs and dogs, just a better-looking pig or dog. ¡°Come on, today I¡¯ll do you an honor, letting you enjoy the peak of worldly pleasure and use my body. ¡°Kneel and show gratitude quickly. This always is the blessing you¡¯ve been seeking in your three lives¡­.¡± Boom! Ping¡¯er was suddenly horrified, her celestial majesty erupted, her body¡¯s momentum surged. However, in that instant, she felt as if overwhelmed by a boundless will, instantly suppressing her. It was as if defying the will of heaven was fruitless, there was no chance of retaliation! Thud! Her body exploded, turning into flying ash and dissipated. Until her death, she was unable to understand why she encountered such a terrifying powerhouse in the Inner Domain. ¡°All, 1 was a bit impulsive.¡± After he slapped Ping¡¯er to death, Li Xuan sighed. He now finally understood why Xu Yan would draw his sword to kill a martial artist deity. It was simply because their face was too disgusting. Especially the haughty attitude, constantly referring to others as pigs and dogs while derogating everyone else, who wouldn¡¯t want to kill? Especially since this woman¡¯s provocative manner already made him uncomfortable and nauseous, yet she continued with her arrogance as if bestowing grace, desiring his body! If not her, who else deserves to die! After killing with a slap, Li Xuan regretted. Originally, he planned to ask her purpose, how many celestial beings had entered the Inner Domain. Also, to probe a bit into the situation of the Spiritual Realm. However, he was disgusted and couldn¡¯t hold back his hand, and ended up killing her! ¡°Forget it, if any more martial artist deities enter the Inner Domain, I¡¯d know soon enough. All the deities from the Spiritual Realm, are they all like this? H It seems the rumors are true, the powerhouses of the Spiritual Realm look down on the inhabitants of the Inner Domain, even regarding them as pigs and dogs. ¡°If a martial artist from the Inner Domain enters the Spiritual Realm, they¡¯re unlikely to be treated well. Where does this sense of superiority come from?¡± Li Xuan shook his head, not quite understanding why these powerhouses from the Spiritual Realm despised the martial artists of the Inner Domain so much? Their sense of superiority was far too outrageous. ¡°Looking at this, the Spiritual Realm must have strict hierarchy.¡± Getting an idea from a small clue, the Spiritual Realm must have a strict hierarchy. The plight of the lower martial artists would be worse compared to the ones in the Inner Domain! After killing Ping¡¯er, Li Xuan headed towards Sword Lord Cliff. As for the woman¡¯s purpose of entering the Inner Domain, with her dead, it was impossible to learn why. ii So this is Sword Lord Cliff.¡± Ascending the stairs, Li Xuan watched the disciples practicing on Sword Lord Cliff, thinking to himself, living up to its reputation as one of the top forces in this Inner Domain. The talents of these disciples weren¡¯t bad, their strength surpassed the disciples from other forces.. Chapter 379 Xie Tianheng was contemplating Sword Dao, yet understanding the clarity that comes at the heart of Sword Dao was somewhat profound. He learned about it from Xie Lingfeng, but since Xie Lingfeng himself had not fully comprehended it, he naturally couldn¡¯t articulate the key points of the clarity at heart of Sword Dao. Therefore, even though Xie Tianheng knew about the heart¡¯s clarity in Sword Dao and Xie Lingfeng had shared all that he knew, the comprehension was not something that could be easily achieved. He couldn¡¯t find a starting point! He could not help but feel vexed. ¡°Should I consult the elder?¡± Xie Tianheng thought in his heart. The elder was highly respected and wise. If he were to seek guidance, the elder would undoubtedly be willing to advise him. However, when Xie Tianheng remembered his initial arrogance and hubris, challenging superior swordsmen, he felt embarrassed and somewhat ashamed. Xie Tianheng felt his face was too thin. He could only sigh in his heart and continue to ponder and enlighten himself. ¡°Understanding the heart of the sword initially requires purifying the state of mind, free from external disturbances, having no other thoughts, only the sword ¡­ You are not lacking in talent for Sword Dao, you¡¯ve trained many sword techniques, and could comprehend the power of the sword¡¯s momentum, you are quite experienced. ¡°Immerse yourself in the state of mind when you were comprehending the power of the sword¡¯s momentum, explicitly understand this meaning, and the clarity of the heart of the sword is not far away.¡± Suddenly, a voice rang in his ear. Xie Tianheng was startled. Someone had approached him, and he was completely unaware! Immediately, he was elated. Didn¡¯t this voice belong to the elder? He raised his head quickly and indeed saw the elder standing not far away, gazing at the surging sea of clouds! ¡°Thank you, elder, for showing me the way!¡± Xie Tianheng quickly and respectfully gave his salutations. ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded, continuing his advice to Xie Tianheng. Xie Tianheng was thrilled. He felt a vague comprehension and confidently decided that after a period of retreat, he would surely understand the heart¡¯ clarity of the Sword Dao. ¡°Elder, do you have any instructions for coming here?¡± After his excitement, Xie Tianheng respectfully asked. ¡°Just strolling around, I have nothing to command.¡± Li Xuan shook his head. ¡°If the elder has any instructions, Xie Tianheng will go through fire and water to fulfill them!¡± Xie Tianheng reassuringly said. ¡°I appreciate it!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Having given his advice to Xie Tianheng, Li Xuan didn¡¯t stay long at the cliff of the Sword Master. He descended the mountain to his next destination, the Seven-star Study Palace, now called Wilderness Martial Arts Academy! He was leisurely enjoying the scenery along the route and observing the customs of various places in the Inner Domain. Occasionally he passed some small villages and found several teenagers practicing and refining their skin. He was in good spirits and gave some guidance. One day, before arriving at Wilderness Martial Arts Academy, the Daoist Golden Book on the Soul Pedestal suddenly opened, and a golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has comprehended the methodology of the Heart Sword realm, you have broken through the Heart Sword Realm!¡± In an instant, Li Xuan felt his Sword Dao was undergoing earth-shaking changes. Heart Sword Realm! All things can become the sword! He took a step forward, and weeds floated up, transforming into a sharp sword of destruction, like a massive stream of swords sweeping out, puncturing the small hill in front instantly! ¡°I¡¯ve entered the Heart Sword Realm!¡± Li Xuan was excited. Xu Yan had finally realized the training path of the Sword Dao¡¯s second realm, the Heart Sword Realm. He believed that once Xu Yan broke through the Divine Intent State, his sword realm would also break through the Heart Sword Realm. ¡°This is what powerful Sword Dao is really about!¡± Li Xuan was very satisfied with the Sword Dao he had created. ¡°The third realm of Sword Dao should also be taught to Xu Yan when the time is right.¡± Li Xuan made up his mind. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has achieved perfection in understanding the Heart of the Sword, and your Heart Sword Realm has improved.¡± Xu Yan had perfected his understanding of the Heart of the Sword. His Sword Dao realm improved further. ¡°His strength is getting stronger every day!¡± Li Xuan was amazed. Xu Yan¡¯s strength was improving at every moment. He continued his journey to the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy. Just as he arrived at Seven-Star City, the Daoist Golden Book opened again. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has fully cultivated his Sword Spirit, and your Sword Spirit has been improved, touching the realm of Hidden Sword.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s Sword Dao also saw a breakthrough. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, the perfection of Dominant Sword Intent, your Sword Intent improved, reached the second tier.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s Sword Intent broke through as well. ¡°Meng Chong should be close to understanding the first level of the Indestructible Golden Body of the big day, right?¡± Li Xuan was filled with anticipation. After entering the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy, he was very inconspicuous and didn¡¯t attract anyone¡¯s attention. Even Bai Yun Kong and others were unaware of his presence. ¡°This is the former Seven-star Study Palace, dedicated to teaching martial arts.¡± Li Xuan looked at the instructors teaching the Dahua Martial Arts Academy students and nodded in approval. After teaching the students, the instructors themselves were also studying and practicing at Dahua Martial Arts Academy. Now most of the instructors have shifted to Dahua Martial Arts. However, the method for a Great Grandmaster to shift to the Tongxuan method had not been explored yet, and the strength at the Tongxuan Realm was stronger than the Great Grandmaster. This caused the Great Grandmaster to be unable to shift to Tongxuan. They had to transition after Innate, then breakthrough to Tongxuan. However, the peak Great Grandmaster did meet the criteria for transitioning, but the transitioning method was not perfected. Neither Xu Yan nor Su Lingxiu placed much attention on this matter. Moreover, the Tongxuan method has not been shared yet. Li Xuan stayed at Wilderness Martial Arts Academy, spending his days either giving advice to instructors or students on their practice. He finally had the feeling of being a Martial Master and imparting teachings. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, has broken through the complete Tongxuan realm, your Realm of Divine Intent has improved.¡± Half a month later. Chapter 380 Xu Yan had fully achieved a breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, broke through the Tongxuan realm and fully mastered it. Your Vajra Body¡¯s power has doubled.¡± Only a few days after Xu Yan broke through, Meng Chong also broke through. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, made a minor achievement in breaking through the Tongxuan Realm. You managed to fully master the Tongxuan Realm in medical martial arts, resulting in further improvement.¡± Su Lingxiu also made a minor breakthrough in the Tongxuan Realm. Li Xuan continued to guide the trainees and students in the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy. Anyone who received his guidance saw their power skyrocket. He also met Du Yuying and her maid Cui¡¯er. Every now and then, he could hear the lovely maid mentioning Young Master Xu¡­ ¡°This woman¡¯s talent is not bad, bloodline is quite unique, and she possesses a special physique.¡± Li Xuan quietly acknowledged Du Yuying, already a Great Grandmaster. Ever since entering the Tomb of Heavenly Men and remedying her physical defects, her talent improved even more and she quickly broke through in power. Li Xuan harboured some regrets in the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy since he had not found a suitable disciple. ¡°It¡¯s time to go back.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. As Xu Yan had already fully achieved the Tongxuan Realm, it was almost time for him to prepare to advance to the Divine Intent State, transforming once again, if he didn¡¯t accumulate enough foundation. However, Xu Yan would definitely not choose to break through at this point. He would continue to build up his own foundation in order to transform and elevate when he broke through to the Divine Intent State. ¡°Now that Xu Yan is already a Spiritual Body, would his next transformation possibly transcend a Spiritual Body?¡± Li Xuan was looking forward to it. The higher the realm, the longer it takes to accumulate one¡¯s foundation. If you want to accumulate a foundation faster, then consuming Spiritual Medicine is essential. Su Lingxiu was likely already refining elixirs. Only, the quality of the spiritual medicines in the Inner Domain is ultimately inferior. Li Xuan left the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy, continued to travel and relax as he returned to Canglan Island. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has comprehended the second layer of sword intent, and you have fully mastered the second layer of sword intent.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s sword intent has made a breakthrough. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the savage northern land and check it out. The Gate of the Ling Domain is there.¡± Li Xuan thought of the Gate of the Ling Domain. Ever since he casually slapped that frivolous Martial Arts Heavenly Man to death last time, he had not heard of any more Martial Arts Heavenly Men appearing in the Inner Domain. It seemed that apart from that one, there were no other Martial Arts Heavenly Men in the Inner Domain. ¡°After all, in their eyes, this place is low and inferior, akin to the dwelling of pigs and dogs. Accustomed to a haughty existence, naturally no powerhouse would come to the Inner Domain.¡± Li Xuan understood a bit more. Both the Martial Arts Heavenly Man killed by Xu Yan and the one that he himself killed had come to the Inner Domain on missions, right? As for what the missions were, none of it mattered anymore. The men are all dead! Li Xuan then headed towards that desolate northern land. ¡°The spiritual energy in the Ling domain probably can¡¯t be compared to the Inner Domain. Due to this, they look down upon the Inner Domain.¡± While there is nature¡¯s spiritual energy in the border wilderness, the Heavenly Earth Lingji has faded and the Grand Azure Martial Dao cannot be practiced there. And in the Inner Domain, although spiritual energy exists, and the Heavenly Earth Lingji is present, compared to the Ling Domain, there is probably a huge gap- ¡°Training in the Ling Domain would be easier and simpler. If Xu Yan wants to quickly accumulate his foundation and prepare for the transformation to break through the Divine Intent State, he probably has to go to the Ling Domain.¡± Although training in the Inner Domain does not affect practice, the speed of accumulating foundation is much slower than in the Ling Domain. This is inevitable. The desolate northern land is covered in vast stretches of snow. A huge portal, which reminds one of rippling water, stands between the heavens and the earth. The portal is closed. On Mount Tianbao Pavilion, the man with the purple crown and other higher ups are looking at each other. Things are not looking right! The previous Martial Arts Heavenly Man who entered, just disappeared without a trace. No news of him was received. The Martial Arts Heavenly Man who came after him was that seductive woman. Initially, there were news of her creating havoc. She seemed debauched and the last time news was received, she seemed to be looking for handsome but powerful men! Then, there was absolutely no news. It was as if she evaporated from the face of the earth! That was a Martial Arts Heavenly Man. Look at the Inner Domain, who can match her? And, if fighting with a Martial Arts Heavenly Man, there would definitely be a huge commotion. Even if she was killed, there would not be such silence. Unless, someone killed her in just a few moves! ¡°Canglan Island!¡± The man with the purple crown and others thought of this name. Apart from the mysterious entity on Canglan Island, no one has such capabilities. But, both Martial Arts Heavenly Men did not go to Canglan Island. Their directions of travel had nothing to do with Canglan Island, and the location where the female Heavenly Man had last been seen was much too distant from the Island. Moreover, all signs indicated that the individual on Canglan Island does not seem to have left the island. ¡°That predecessor is of high virtue, with unfathomable strength. He never deceived others by flaunting his cultivation levels. As the Heavenly Man of Martial Arts has not offended Canglan Island, he would naturally not take action,¡± someone quietly suggested. The others nodded in agreement. That predecessor never oppressed others with his cultivation level. He was truly a virtuous sage whose cultivation level could only be looked up to. The man with the purple crown agreed with this claim. ¡°What do you think happened to those two Heavenly Men? Wiry have they disappeared?¡± Could there still be a valuable place in the Inner Domain worth the Heavenly Man¡¯s exploration? Besides, even if they were exploring a treasure land, it¡¯s been so long, they should¡¯ve come back by now. There shouldn¡¯t be no trace of them as if they vanished into thin air. The only plausible explanation was that they had been killed! Could there be a second powerhouse hidden in the Inner Domain other than on Canglan Island? ¡°Could it be the Demon Lord?¡± Someone commented seriously. The purple-crowned man shook his head: ¡°Impossible, the Demon Lord should be dead.¡± Back then, that person went into the Inner Domain to kill the Demon Lord who was not at his peak. How could the Demon Lord possibly withstand that person? Without a doubt, he had to be dead! ¡°Then there¡¯s only one possibility left!¡± Someone took a deep breath and uttered two words: ¡°Xu Yan!¡± Everyone suddenly became silent, they were shocked. It hadn¡¯t been that long and yet, Xu Yan had killed a Heavenly Man. Besides Xu Yan, not a second entity capable of killing a Heavenly Man could be found in the entire Inner Domain. Meng Chong, although extremely strong, still fell slightly short. ¡°It¡¯s plausible!¡± The man with the purple crown earnestly agreed. The enchanting lady, who vanished earlier, was looking for a handsome and powerful man. As Xu Yan was both handsome and powerful, it was feared that she ran into him and was then killed by him! ¡°Xu Yan should be entering the Spirit Realm. I¡¯m curious to see if those fellas in the Spirit Realm will continue to be so arrogant!¡± A man gleamed with expectation. The strong men in the Gate of Lingyu had been excessively bullying others. It was time someone taught them a lesson. If they also treated Xu Yan in such a manner, their fate would be utter annihilation leaving not even ashes behind! Li Xuan walked on the land of the north, he saw a large gate swirling like water ripples from a distance. ¡°Are those the strong individuals from Tianbao Pavilion?¡± Li Xuan looked at the individuals on the mountains around the Tianbao Pavilion. He used his divine intent to cover his surroundings, making him invisible to others. Upon arriving at the Gate of Lingyu, Li Xuan stared at the large gate that resembled rippling water, ¡°A gate formed by the Heaven and Earth Laws, is it naturally formed by the Taicang Laws of Heaven and Earth or is it man-made?¡± Li Xuan was now familiar with the Heaven and Earth Laws, especially the Taicang Laws of Heaven and Earth. After exploring the Gate of Lingyu with his divine intent, he discovered that the colossal gate was formed by the convergence of the Heaven and Earth Law¡¯s power. If it were man-made, the person able to isolate the Spirit Realm from the Inner Domain would have to be incredibly powerful. ¡°Even those at the Divine Skill Realm can¡¯t achieve that, and it¡¯s even more impossible for a Refining God Heavenly Man,¡± Li Xuan pondered. What exactly happened to Taicang¡¯s Heaven and Earth, which, with a single gate, connected the Inner Domain with the Spirit Realm, as if dividing the world into different regions. He withdrew his divine intent, he did not intend to push the gate yet. Although he had reached the Divine Intent State and could kill a small Heavenly Man with a single slap, his strength was still somewhat lacking. The Spirit Realm housed Refining God Heavenly Men, those of such formidable existence. There were even entities surpassing the Refining God Heavenly Men. Now it wasn¡¯t the time to enter the Spirit Realm. ¡°Hmm, something¡¯s peculiar over there,¡± Li Xuan suddenly found something unusual between two mountains not far off. With a slight move, he arrived at the entrance of the valley. ¡°This place¡­ Is it the Demonic Hunting Battlefield Meng Chong mentioned?¡± The Demonic Hunting Battlefield was the place where the Demon Lord was trapped and slaughtered by a group of Spirit Realm powerhouses when he fled to the Inner Domain many years ago. Li Xuan stepped into the valley. ¡°This place¡­ appears to be a naturally occurring formation? Or perhaps, it¡¯s a peculiar place formed by the convergence of nature¡¯s forces.¡± Li Xuan walked in the valley, the more he observed, the more unexpected delight he found. ¡°The formation design from mysterious martial arts tactics can be studied from this point. I could transcribe the local terrain into the document as a sort of trap or formation and as a reference for mysterious martial arts formation inference.¡± As Li Xuan thought this, his divine sense spread throughout the area and recorded the terrain of the Demonic Hunting Battlefield. He drew a pattern and incorporated it into his mysterious Martial Arts tactics. Chapter 381 Transmission Array Diagram i Li Xuan sketched the terrain and topography of the Demon Hunting Battlefield, the unique aspects of the natural Heaven and Earth Array, into a diagram, and integrated it into the Uncanny Martial Arts. He then extracted some of the Heaven and Earth Laws from the first page of the Book of Tai Cang and incorporated them into the diagram, creating a genuine Heaven and Earth Array. Or rather, a Grand Plan of Heaven and Earth. As the laws of Heaven and Earth infused, the array became more complete, and the diagram looked mystically profound. ¡°I have drawn some of the strange terrains of the Inner Domain into a diagram, and then infused it with the laws of Heaven and Earth, making a diagram of the array. With the array diagram, the understanding of the Uncanny Martial Arts should become easier.¡± A light flashed through Li Xuan¡¯s mind, and an idea sprang up. The strangest terrains of the Inner Domain are mostly in the northern wilderness. After leaving the Demon Hunting Battlefield, Li Xuan looked at the high peaks of the northern wilderness, like the boundary of the Inner Domain. The presence of the Gate to Lingyu in this place suggested that these peaks had some special characteristics. Were they boundary mountains? Li Xuan strode amongst the high peaks of the northern wilderness, drawing each terrain and topography into diagrams. He would wait until he returned, then incorporate the laws of Heaven and Earth into them, step by step as well as possible, to compose an array diagram. Once the array diagram was completed, the creation of the Uncanny Martial Arts would also be nearly complete. Once he had overcome the initial challenges, the creation of the subsequent Uncanny Martial Arts would be relatively easier, as he would have a direction for cultivation. After visiting the northern wilderness, Li Xuan looked at the peaks and wondered curiously, what would be on the other side of the peak? So he climbed the mountain and overcame a peak. Standing at the summit, the frosty wind howled, and it was bitterly cold; even a Great Grandmaster could not stay long. From the top of the peak, it seemed that beyond the mountains, there was a vast expanse of cloud and fog. With one step, he moved past the peak and entered into the cloud and fog. Li Xuan spread his Divine Intent across the surroundings, his brow knitted in a frown. All he could see was fog, but at one point it quickly cleared, and he found himself on top of a small hill. There were no frosty winds or snow here, only verdant vegetation and the chirping of birds and insects. ¡°Something¡¯s not right!¡± Li Xuan took a deep breath. He had flown from the peak, and even though it was just a moment, he shouldn¡¯t have traveled more than ten miles from the peak. Turning around, he could vaguely see the peaks jutting into the sky, which were located in the northern wilderness. This place was far away from the peak and had far exceeded the ten miles distance. ¡°It¡¯s like I have been transported away.¡± Li Xuan raised his eyebrows, suddenly intrigued. The peaks of the northern wilderness, belonging to the boundary of the Inner Domain, were the edge of that domain. Crossing the peaks was like being transported to a place far away from the peaks. Was this due to a man-made transport array? Or did the laws of Heaven and Earth cause it? Li Xuan inclined towards the latter. Moving swiftly, he headed towards the peak, and in no time, he returned to the northern wilderness. Once again, traversing the peak, he still ended up in a place far away from the mountain range. Even with his full focus and Divine Intent covering the surroundings, he still couldn¡¯t catch the change. Standing on the summit once more, this time Li Xuan started walking down the peak, step by step. As he descended past midway of the mountain, Li Xuan noticed a change. It seemed as though the terrain at the bottom of the mountain was subtly shifting. This shift couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye. ¡°The laws of Heaven and Earth are circulating here!¡± Li Xuan took a deep breath. He suddenly had a hunch. It seemed there might be an issue with the Heaven and Earth laws of Tai Cang, and this place was where the issue lay, causing the force of the Heaven and Earth laws to leak and form a transportation force. This could transport anyone to a distant place in an instant. ¡°Even though I haven¡¯t reached the Divine Intent State, but since my Divine Intent is meant to refine the Intent of Heaven and Earth, my Divine Intent is able to sense these seepages of the Heaven and Earth laws.¡± Realization dawned on Li Xuan. Even if one had reached the Refining God Heavenly Man realm, they might not have been able to see the leak of the Heaven and Earth laws. The reason he could sense it was related to the Divine Intent of the Divine Intent State and the refining of the Intent of Heaven and Earth. This was the only reason he could observe the force of the Heaven and Earth laws. Another important factor was that he had long studied the Heaven and Earth laws on the first page of the Book of Tai Cang and had memorized them. This was also a reason why he could sense the force of the Heaven and Earth laws. Most likely, the absence of either one of these factors would make this impossible. To prove his conjecture, Li Xuan took one step at a time down the mountain, silently observing the changing force of the Heaven and Earth laws. Those subtle changes unfolded in his Divine Intent. ¡°A few more steps forward, and I¡¯ll trigger the teleportation!¡± Li Xuan¡¯s eyes lit up. He strode forward, stepping into the range that he had observed. At that moment, he took one step and naturally, without any abruptness, he found himself outside the mountain peak. ¡°If I can draw the terrain below this mountain and the subtle changes into an array diagram, could I comprehend the transportation array?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s heart was filled with thrill. He acted on his thoughts, returning to the mountain peak, taking one step at a time down again, with Divine Intent covering everything, capturing those tiny changes. However, capturing these tiny changes that involved the Heaven and Earth laws was quite challenging. Fortunately, Li Xuan had memorized the patterns on the first page of the Book of Tai Cang, providing him a foundation. All he needed to do was spend more time capturing these subtle changes. Instead of rushing back to Canglan Island, Li Xuan traveled back and forth between the mountain peaks numerous times, recording the tiny changes and continually drawing them into diagrams. ¡°I must complete this array diagram. The Uncanny Martial Arts is nearly finalized, I just need to find a suitable disciple to comprehend it.¡± Li Xuan was filled with excitement.. Chapter 382 Transmission Array Diagram_2 Painting an array diagram may be challenging, but finding an appropriate disciple is the hardest part. Natural-born geniuses, after all, are a rarity. And quirky martial arts, whether in formations, planning, or artifact refining, all require great aptitude. People¡¯s aptitudes vary. For example, Meng Chong¡¯s talents are better suited to physical martial arts, while Su Lingxiu¡¯s talents are better suited to pill medicine¡­ ¡°If I can¡¯t find one in the Inner Domain, I¡¯ll look in the Spirit Realm. I should be able to find a suitable disciple eventually.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. Once again, he returns to the mountain peak. Seventy percent of the array diagram has been painted. A dozen or so more trips back and forth should complete it. Suddenly. Upon the Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book opens, and golden light rushes forth. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has comprehended the first level of your creation, the indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day, you have broken through the Indestructible Golden Body!¡± Meng Chong has finally understood the first level of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. Li Xuan was overjoyed as his strength increased once more. At this moment, as he breaks through the Indestructible Golden Body, Li Xuan finally realizes its might. In the blink of an eye, an undying divine armor appears, making him look like a celestial god descending on earth! ¡°Even if I stood still, a small Heavenly Man wouldn¡¯t be able to harm a single hair on my body!¡± Li Xuan looked at himself, his body covered in armor and exuding divine awe, feeling a thrill of excitement. With a thought, his figure suddenly inflated, turning into a giant six zhang high. Clad in Undying Divine Armor, with the six zhang Indestructible Golden Body, he truly was like a god descending to earth, invincible in battle! ¡°This Yunhuan silkworm silk clothing is truly good, it withstood becoming a giant of six zhang.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s clothes had long since been made of Yunhuan silkworm silk. As soon as he transformed into the six zhang Golden Body, the Yunhuan silkworm silk did not break, and his clothes did not tear. They still fit his body perfectly. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh at how good the clothes made of Yunhuan silkworm silk were. Stowing away his Undying Golden Body technique, Li Xuan descends the mountain again to finish drawing the array diagram as quickly as possible and then return to Canglan Island. He has been out for so long, and Xu Yan has already broken through to the complete Tongxuan Realm. However, he still hasn¡¯t broken through to the Divine Intent State. It¡¯s clear that he hasn¡¯t completed foundation building yet. He can¡¯t guarantee that he¡¯ll be able to sublimate and transform his body during the breakthrough. That¡¯s precisely why he¡¯s suppressing his realm and not breaking through. After going back and forth a dozen or so times, Li Xuan excitedly looked at a mysterious pattern. ¡°This is a teleportation array diagram. Although it¡¯s elementary and a bit simple, if it¡¯s comprehended and laid out, teleportation should be no problem. ¡± Once teleportation arrays appear, they will greatly change the world of martial arts. Even if the distance is far away, just open the teleportation array, and you can arrive in an instant. ¡°The quirky martial arts have also been created. It¡¯s time to go back. Li Xuan took one last look at the Gate of Lingyu, then turned around and left, returning to Canglan Island. ¡°Where did the master go?¡± Su Lingxiu looked at the chair where his figure was no longer present. ¡°Meow meow.¡± The Red Cat ran over, squatted on the ground, and called out cutely. ¡°Red Cat, there¡¯s no medicine for you today!¡± Su Lingxiu glared at the Red Cat. She felt rather helpless. After all, the Red Cat was a formidable demon. How did it end up acting like an ordinary cat? But it can¡¯t be denied, the chubby Red Cat was indeed very cute when you looked at it. The Red Cat walked away, wagging its tail, and went to Mother Xu. Since there were no pills here with Su Lingxiu, Mother Xu would definitely have some. Xu Junhe looked at his wife helplessly, ¡°Madam, you used to practice for an hour and a half a day. Why have you shortened it? Now you only practice for an hour?¡± Mother Xu held a few pills in her hand, waiting for the Red Cat to come over. She said lazily, ¡°Husband, an hour is not short. By practicing like this every day, my realm will still improve, won¡¯t it? ¡°Although it¡¯s slow, it¡¯s steady. Fighting and killing don¡¯t suit me. Besides, no matter how hard I practice, I¡¯ll never catch up with you and Yan¡¯er. -With you and Yaner here, 1 won¡¯t be in danger. Plus, we have the Red Cat. It¡¯s very powerful.¡± As she spoke, she saw the Red Cat trot over. She immediately smiled, ¡°Here comes the Red Cat. Come and eat quickly. Don¡¯t starve yourself. If you lose weight, it won¡¯t be good!¡± Mother Xu rubbed the Red Cat¡¯s head and stuffed a pill into its mouth. Xu junhe was speechless. He glanced at the Red Cat, which came to mooch off pills every day, wishing he could kick it away. However, he was no match for it. Moreover, Mother Xu protected it. She really treated this formidable demon like a cat. ¡°A noble demon, so shameless to mooch off food and drink!¡± Xu Junhe said with a dark face. Red Cat couldn¡¯t be bothered and focused mainly on freeloading and mooching for food. After eating so many elixirs recently, its strength had improved. Could it be expected to hunt for its own food? That would be so tiring. Red Cat wasn¡¯t a foolish creature. Didn¡¯t it know how to live comfortably? It lay down on the ground, belly up, begging for mercy like a domestic cat. Xu Junhe could not stand it anymore and left with a dark expression on his face. Up on the mountains, Meng Chong and Xu Yan were discussing about martial arts and mutually verifying their theories. ¡°The accumulation at Tongxuan Realm is too slow, lacking spiritual nourishment.¡± Xu Yan sighed. Although he has reached the pinnacle of Tongxuan Realm for a while, his core strength accumulation has not reached its peak yet. He had taken elixirs. However, these spiritual herbs were of slightly lower grade and not suited to enhancing his core strength. Even when refined into elixirs, results were insufficient. If he continued accumulating at this speed, it would take a considerable amount of time to gather enough. ¡°If my physical martial arts reached the peak of Tongxuan realm, the accumulation of enough foundation would also be slow.¡± Meng Chong also sighed. ¡°Senior brother, are you thinking of going to the Ling Domain?¡± Meng Chong asked in a deep voice. The Ling Domain, a new world for Martial Arts; where Refining God Heavenly Men and high-grade spiritual beings lived, made the accumulation of core strength easier. After going to the Ling Domain, you would probably accumulate enough very quickly. -Yes, but my parents and family in the Inner Domain are still at a lower strength level. I can¡¯t rely on master for everything.¡± Xu Yan nodded his head. He could now break through to the Divine Intent State, but he wasn¡¯t content with this. Each realm was a chance to transform and promote oneself, so he needed to accumulate his foundation, preparing for the evolution upon his breakthrough. Only in this way could he go further on the Martial Arts path and surpass those geniuses of the ancient times! Only this way could he hope to enhance his strength to about 50% of his master¡¯s at the same level. ¡°Senior brother, it will be a while before I go to the Ling Domain. As long as I am on Canglan Island, everything will be alright. Even if attacked by a heavenly man, I can kill him!¡± Meng Chong confidently stated. ¡°After you go to the Ling Domain, senior brother, you should be able to break through soon. It won¡¯t be too late for me to go there then.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was somewhat moved. ¡°Thank you, junior brother. After master returns, I will go to the Ling Domain.¡± Xu Yan took a deep breath, solemnly nodded his head. Only by going to the Ling Domain could he accumulate his foundation more quickly, break through to the Divine Intent State sooner and be on his way to the Divine Origin Realm. Once he broke into the Divine Origin Realm, he could leave a God Origin Avatar behind for his parents. In this way, their safety would be guaranteed. Even if the Inner Domain was chaotic, his God Origin Avatar would be able to handle it easily! -There are countless powerhouse in Ling Domain and they are not friendly to us martial artists of the Inner Domain. However, if we use the Yu Ling, it seems we can avoid some trouble.¡± Meng Chong thought about it and opened his mouth to say. ¡°The Yu Ling is nothing more than a means for a power to recruit subordinates. There is no need to be bound by it when going to the Ling Domain. As for the people guarding the Gate of Lingyu, they¡¯re not worth considering.¡± Xu Yan shook his head. ¡°Right you are senior brother. Be careful on the way to Ling Domain. As long as we don¡¯t encounter a Refining God Heavenly Man, there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± The Refining God Heavenly Men in the Ling Domain were truly formidable. Although inferior to the Minor and Major Heavenly Men, there would be no problem evading them. The Refining God Heavenly Men were the top-notch existences in the Ling Domain and wouldn¡¯t be guarding the Gate of Lingyu. The chances of encountering them were quite low. Li Xuan came back and relaxed in his familiar chair. ¡°Master, you¡¯re back!¡± Su Lingxiu excitedly ran over and brewed a pot of Spiritual Tea for her master. Red Cat also ran over. Its master was back, and it wouldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity to seem affectionate, in case it upset the master. This wouldn¡¯t be a good situation! ¡°Meow!¡± Red Cat rubbed against Li Xuan¡¯s calf, looking very affectionate and behaved. Li Xuan twitched at the corner of his mouth, this fat tiger was becoming more and more cunning and less and less like a large demon, even enjoying acting cute! ¡°Red Cat, you are actually a tiger, a large demon¡­ Oh well, just focus on improving your strength.¡± He wanted to correct Red Cat¡¯s behavior to bring out more dignity of a large demon. However, seeing its strength improve quite quickly, he didn¡¯t bother to say anything else.. Chapter 383 Seeing the apparent displeasure of his master, Red Cat gave a sudden shake of his body, revealing a majestic demon-like aura, growling, and presenting himself in a valiant manner. It signified that he had not been slacking off, but instead, been diligently cultivating. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong approached and paid their respectful greetings. Li Xuan nodded, saying, ¡°You want to go to Ling Domain, right?¡± He realized that Xu Yan wanted to enter the Gate of Lingyu to accumulate personal resources in the Ling Domain, hoping to breakthrough to Divine Intent State as soon as possible. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan responded respectfully. Li Xuan, sipping his tea, did not speak but was deep in thought. The Ling Domain, the pinnacle of Martial Arts, was incomparable to the Inner Domain. Even a Refining God Heavenly Man might not necessarily be the strongest there. Xu Yan had achieved perfection in comprehending the profound, and his Sword Dao and Sword Intent had greatly improved. Especially, his Sudden Wind Sword Intent, which was capable of slaughtering Divine Souls. For a Martial Artist, it was an irresistible deadly move. For this reason, even though Xu Yan had only achieved perfection in comprehending the profound, he had no problem in slaughtering minor heavenly men. Even if he encountered a significant heavenly man, it wouldn¡¯t mean he had no chance of fighting back. Significant heavenly people belonged to the phase of soul unification. Their spirit consciousness was much stronger and could resist the Sudden Wind Sword Intent to a certain extent. However, they would still be affected and their strength impeded. At Xu Yan¡¯s current stage, it was temporarily impossible for his Sudden Wind Sword Intent to significantly improve and possess stronger slaughter power. Therefore, Xu Yan¡¯s current strength could kill minor heavenly men and even some garbage significant heavenly men. If he were to come across strong individuals among significant heavenly men, he might not have the upper hand. Nevertheless, if Xu Yan wished to escape, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But what if he encountered an ambush? Li Xuan originally thought that after Xu Yan broke through the Divine Intent State and then entered the Ling Domain, he could face more dangers. But now he thought, ¡°The way of Martial Artists is never smooth sailing. Xu Yan has great talent, luck, and strength. Being in the Ling Domain for adventures would help him grow faster. ¡°Just like when he first entered the Inner Domain, his strength rapidly increased.¡± Once Li Xuan understood this, he thought entering the Ling Domain to accumulate resources and experience would not waste too much time. By exploring and adventuring through the Ling Domain, Xu Yan would quickly accumulate enough power to break through the Divine Intent State. ¡°There are many spirit realm powerhouses in the Ling Domain. Encountering strong enemies and running away is inevitable, but it¡¯s not safe just to rely on speed. The key is to know how to hide yourself.¡± ¡°I almost forgot, the technique of controlling and hiding oneself can avoid detection by powerful individuals. In case of danger, it can help one to escape.¡± Li Xuan suddenly remembered that he had overlooked the technique of controlling breath and hiding one¡¯s form. This was indispensable in the martial arts world. It could often turn peril into safety and help one escape. It was an essential technique in dealing with powerful enemies and powerful forces hunting you down. ¡°The Ling Domain, for your current strength, does pose some dangers. Provoking powerful forces is commonplace, but every powerhouse has risen by stepping on others and flipping powerful forces. ¡°Those are stepping stones, but facing powerful forces, if one is careless, it could lead to irreparable calamity.¡± Li Xuan put down his tea cup and began speaking with serious expression. ¡°My disciples, you should have some experience adventuring in the martial arts world. Heaven¡¯s chosen ones do not fight for momentary victory or defeat. One should retreat when needs to, dodge when he should, act according to circumstances, and take advantage of one¡¯s strengths. ¡°While I have taught you the law of martial arts, the art of killing, what I have not taught you is how to hide oneself to avoid powerful enemies. Today, I will teach you the way of controlling one¡¯s breath and hiding one¡¯s form.¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu were overjoyed. Befoie this, Li Xuan had not prepared the way of controlling breath and hiding oneself. Now he had to come up with it on the spot. At this moment, he already had a few key sentences springing to mind. ¡°Listen carefully. Whether it is controlling breath or hiding oneself, all are embodied in this technique. Make sure you strive hard to comprehend it.¡± Li Xuan spoke with a serious tone. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan and his brother and sister disciples responded respectfully. ¡°Blend with the light, become one with the dust, mingle with the material, merge into the void; dwell within heaven and earth, yet heaven and earth know me not!¡± Li Xuan said in a deep voice. ¡°Blend with the light, become one with the dust¡­¡± Xu Yan felt a shock in his heart, and he repeated the words subconsciously, feeling that these few sentences were containing profound mystery. Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu also fell into deep thought. ¡°Go and comprehend it. When you comprehend some essence of it and can control breath and hide your form, then you can go to Ling Domain.¡± Li Xuan waved his hand. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan and the others bowed and left. Sitting on the mountain peak, Xu Yan murmured to himself, ¡°Blend with the light, become one with the dust, mingle with the material, merge into the void; dwell within heaven and earth, yet heaven and earth know me not?¡± The more he contemplated, the more profound it seemed. To dwell within heaven and earth and yet, for heaven and earth to not know of one¡¯s existence- What an incredible method of concealing oneself! Li Xuan took a deep breath. After passing on the way of controlling breath and hiding one¡¯s form to Xu Yan and the others, he opened the Daoist Golden Book and wrote the key sentences into it. He received feedback information from the Daoist Golden Book. The key sentences were a bit mysterious, but given Xu Yan¡¯s prodigious talent, there was no worry that he wouldn¡¯t be able to comprehend anything from it. Once Xu Yan comprehended it, Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu could also practice it. He didn¡¯t demand Xu Yan to master the technique of hiding his form and reaching a state where he could dwell within heaven and earth without being detected by heaven and earth. It was enough to be able to control one¡¯s breath and hide one¡¯s form to dodge the detection of powerful individuals. If he reached the level of being undetectable even by the Heaven and Earth Laws, the technique of hiding would be too horrific. Given Xu Yan¡¯s current strength, it was impossible to comprehend this level. The technique of controlling breath and hiding one¡¯s form: Completeness of the technique: High. Difficulty in cultivating: High. Difficulty in understanding and enlightenment: Extremely High! Chapter 384 Looking at the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book, Li Xuan was somewhat surprised. The completeness of the cultivation technique was high? ¡°Harmonize with the light, participate in the dust?¡± Li Xuan pondered on it. And the cultivation difficulty was also high. The comprehension difficulty had reached the highest evaluation, extremely high! Li Xuan wasn¡¯t surprised about this as it was a profound concept, so the comprehension difficulty was naturally at an extreme level. But he had faith in Xu Yan. I should compose another technique to conceal our presence. It might not be needed by Xu Yan, but people like Shi¡¯er can certainly use it. Even if Xu Yan would comprehend it, the cultivation difficulty would still be high. ¡°The talents of people like Shi¡¯er probably wouldn¡¯t be enough to cultivate it.¡± Thinking this, Li Xuan began to rack his brains to compose a conceal presence technique. Composing a concealment technique wasn¡¯t too challenging for Li Xuan at this point. Of course, the concealment technique he would compose wouldn¡¯t be too advanced, but it should be enough for people like Shi¡¯er. After controlling External Qi Mastery and Innate Realm True Qi, he already had a basic understanding of how to compose an easy cultivation technique to conceal presence. ¡°Although it¡¯s lacking a bit, at least it can help to conceal one¡¯s presence. Unable to cultivate the concealment technique comprehended by Xu Yan, this cultivation method for concealment is enough.¡± Li Xuan looked at the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book. Concealment Method: Technique Completeness: High. Cultivation Difficulty: Low. Understanding Difficulty: Moderate. Li Xuan nodded satisfactorily and kept the technique for now, without spreading it out instantly. If Xu Yan couldn¡¯t comprehend it for a long time, he would pass this method of concealment to him. Given Xu Yan¡¯s talents, a single glance should be enough to grasp it. The mysterious martial arts have been composed for now, it¡¯s time to find someone suitable to comprehend them.¡± Li Xuan looked at the composed mysterious martial arts. Mysterious Martial Arts: Technique Completeness: Above average. Cultivation Difficulty: High. Comprehension Difficulty: High. The feedback from the Daoist Golden Book was that the completeness of the technique was just above average, and the requirements for cultivation and comprehension difficulties were not low. This was within Li Xuan¡¯s expectations. After all, the mysterious martial arts involve artifact refining, formations, prohibitions and more, encompassing many aspects. Naturally, the talent requirements for cultivators were also higher. Moreover, the emphasis on talent was critical. This also meant that mysterious martial arts can¡¯t be widely spread like pure martial arts and physical martial arts. The talents required for cultivating mysterious martial arts are relatively rare. Of course, if the entire mysterious martial arts were divided and only one part were to be cultivated, the talent requirement would be lower. However, doing so results in far weaker strength. And the premise to cultivate any one of these parts is that someone has comprehended mysterious martial arts, allowing for the dividing of artifact refining, formations and the like for independent cultivation. Otherwise, it¡¯s all just talk. ¡®Finding a disciple may be difficult, persons with such talent might not necessarily cross paths with me, so other methods to preliminary screen are needed.¡± Li Xuan contemplated. Since the mysterious martial arts technique was already composed, naturally there was a need to find disciples to cultivate it. ¡°One of the core aspects of mysterious martial arts is formations. If someone has a talent for it, naturally there would be conditions for comprehending it. Inner Domain doesn¡¯t have any formations. ¡°In Canglan Island, naturally occurring large formations are formed due to the leakage of the Heaven and Earth Laws¡¯ power. ¡°So if someone can comprehend the array diagram, it means that they have the talent to cultivate mysterious martial arts.¡± Li Xuan suddenly had an idea. Then, from among the few array diagrams composed, he selected a relatively simple one with a lower comprehension difficulty. ¡°Spread this array diagram, whoever comprehends it can get the opportunity!¡± The disciples don¡¯t necessarily need to be found personally. Moreover, those with extraordinary talent may not necessarily be encountered. It would be better to spread the array diagram, and if someone can understand some of it, it naturally means they have the talent. After the test, they can be accepted as disciples and taught the mysterious martial arts. ¡°Since the full diagram is challenging to understand, I should only draw out one third of it. If one can¡¯t understand even a third of it, let alone comprehend what¡¯s there in the complete diagram.¡± Li Xuan had an idea. So, he took out a piece of paper and drew out one third of the simplest array diagram. The array diagram looked like a peculiar landscape, yet seemed to contain some profound principle, like a trap, yet not a trap, intricate and profound. ¡°Shi¡¯er.¡± After finishing the drawing, Li Xuan called out. ¡°Master, do you have any orders?¡± Shi¡¯er excitedly ran over. Finally, he had a task of his own. With a task from his master, Red Cat wouldn¡¯t dare to bother him at this time. ¡°Take this array diagram, have it copied, and sent to Dahua and the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy. Whoever can comprehend it will have a great opportunity.¡± Li Xuan handed the array diagram to Shi¡¯er. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Shi¡¯er was shocked. Whoever could comprehend it would have a great opportunity? He looked at the diagram, each line analyzed carefully and meticulously. After a while, he looked up with a baffled expression on his face. At first glance, it seemed profound. On the second glance, the diagram seemed messy and unorganized. After watching it for a while, he couldn¡¯t remember the diagram at all. Shi¡¯er wore a look of shame, ¡°I am too untalented to understand it!¡± He took the diagram to be copied and sent to Dahua and the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy. Red Cat ran over. ¡°Red Cat, can you understand it? If you can, the master will give you a great opportunity. You can¡¯t miss it. I hope you understand my good intentions.¡± Red Cat looked at him suspiciously. Was Shi¡¯er really so kind? In his mind, he remembered the time when he was whipped for his own good¡­ Looking at the diagram in Shi¡¯er¡¯s hand, Red Cat became confused. ¡°So, it¡¯s profound isn¡¯t it? This is a great opportunity. If you can comprehend it, it will be extraordinary!¡± Shi¡¯er encouraged Red Cat to remember the diagram and spend more time understanding it. If Red Cat¡¯s mind was filled with comprehending the diagram, he would have no energy left to bother him. After the diagram was copied, Shi¡¯er instructed someone to send it to Dahua and the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy. It was indeed a great opportunity. Of course, he didn¡¯t disclose that the diagram was from the senior on Canglan Island. He only spread the word that if someone could understand it, they would have a great opportunity and ascend to a higher level. If someone managed to understand it, they could send a message back. After Li Xuan drew the diagram and let people comprehend it, all he could do was wait for news. Comprehending this one-third of the diagram was only the first challenge. Subsequent challenges would need to be passed before someone could become his fourth disciple. ¡°I wonder if there are people in the Inner Domain with the talent for practicing secret martial arts.¡± Li Xuan sighed. If he couldn¡¯t find it in the Inner Domain, he would have to pin his hopes on the Ling Domain. Gazing at Xu Yan who was practicing concealment technique, Li Xuan was hopeful that Xu Yan would be able to comprehend it. Days passed by. Li Xuan saw that the number of his divine soldiers was increasing, which meant the number of Great Wasteland Warriors in the Inner Domain was rising. The speed at which the divine soldiers increased was getting faster and faster. ¡°It¡¯s not far from amassing ten thousand divine soldiers.¡± Shui Xing Palace. Tang Jinyan¡¯s complexion turned red with anger, ¡°Jiao Ming has been gone for so long and still hasn¡¯t returned. Ping¡¯er has also been gone for such a while and has not returned yet. ¡°What are they doing in the lowly lands?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but be angry. They were completely ignoring the assignments she had given them. The maidservant hesitated and said, ¡°Miss, Jiao Ming is usually efficient in carrying out his tasks. If he still hasn¡¯t returned, could something in the Inner Domain have attracted him? ¡°Or maybe he has encountered danger?¡± Tang Jinyan laughed coldly and said, ¡°Danger? Could there be any warriors in the lower lands who can threaten him, a little deity? And what about Ping¡¯er? Why hasn¡¯t she returned yet?¡± The maid resigned and said, ¡°I hadn¡¯t finished speaking and Ping¡¯er had already set off to the Inner Domain. She doesn¡¯t even know who to catch. Maybe she hasn¡¯t found Jiao Ming yet? ¡°However, Ping¡¯er can be quite reckless at times. Perhaps there might be handsome men in the Inner Domain attracting her, which is why she hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± Seeing her mistress was incredibly angry, the maid softly suggested, ¡°Miss, should we ask Grandma Jing to check the Inner Domain?¡± Grandma Jing was a powerful person who had attained the God realm. Tang Jinyan took a deep breath, calming down a little and shook her head, ¡°If Grandma Jing goes, it will attract too much attention. Let¡¯s wait for now. Once Jiao Ming and Ping¡¯er return, they must be severely punished. Otherwise, who will respect me!¡± ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± The maid nodded. Chapter 385 Inside the ShuiXing Palace, Tang Jinyan was irate. Jiao Ming and Ping1 er had not yet returned, nor brought anyone back with them. She swore in her heart that she would severely punish them upon their return. Otherwise, where would her authority be? However, she was completely unaware that Jiao Ming and Ping er were already dead. Yuzhou. One of the eighteen states within the Ling Domain. Zheng Country is the largest dynasty in Yuzhou. Although their power in Yuzhou is not the strongest, it¡¯s the Zheng royal family who guards the Gate of Lingyu. Due to this special task, Zheng Country is not governed by any Spirit Sect. Instead, it is directly controlled by several transcendent Spirit Sects of the Ling Domain. And because of this, despite not being the most powerful in Yuzhou, no other forces or Spirit Sects dare to topple the Zheng dynasty. Of course, the Zheng royal family is very discerning. As long as it does not go against their principles, they will accommodate the demands of the Spirit Sects. They keep a low profile, seemingly only caring about the task of the Gate of Lingyu. They only obey the tasks imposed by the few transcendent Spirit Sects. Naturally, aside from a few transcendent Spirit Sects, no other Spirit Sects dare to impose tasks on the Zheng royal family. This privilege belongs exclusively to the transcendent Spirit Sects. Any force daring to do that would effectively be challenging the majesty of the transcendent Spirit Sects. Just wait to be eliminated. The opening of the Gate of Lingyu in Zheng Country did not attract much attention. Half of Yuzhou¡¯s martial arts circles were attracted to a particular treasure site. The rumor was that it was the tomb of Qingtianjiao! Qingtianjiao, a formidable beast from the Ling Clan, once had a reputation that resonated far and wide. Where it died, no one knew. Recent reports suggested that the tomb of Qingtianjiao was located within the territory of Zheng Country. The tomb seems to foster a third-grade spiritual plant, Bi Jiao Tree, and rumors even suggested the presence of a second-grade spiritual plant, Long Jing Fruit. For a moment, various factions focused their attention on the tomb of Qingtianjiao, eager to obtain the treasures within. After some disputes, under the coordination of the Zheng royal family, all parties reached an agreement that only the young martial artists were allowed to enter the tomb of Qingtianjiao. There were no restrictions on age or power. Although in name, it did not limit the bottom layer martial artists from entering, these martial artists did not possess the power to enter, and even if they did, they would be eliminated immediately. This was almost universally acknowledged in the Ling Domain. Each time a major event like this occurred, many of the martial artists belonging to low-level forces would tacitly decline to participate. Because once they entered, they would be targeted for elimination by the high- status martial artists of the Spirit Sects, who wouldn¡¯t give the poor any chance to compete for treasures. Qingtianjiao¡¯s tomb was surrounded by a layer of poisonous miasma. It was not yet time to enter, and the young elites from various Zheng Country forces were eagerly waiting to demonstrate their prowess and gain fame in Yuzhou. There were even elites searching for lower-class martial artists to use as cannon fodder. The Dai Family of Zheng Country, though only a secondary noble family. However, in this generation, Dai Yingying, the granddaughter of the current family head, had excellent talent. Her birth with a treasure body had brought much glory to the Dai family. Moreover, Dai Yingying was engaged to the Second Prince of the Zheng royal family, connecting the Dai Family with the transcendent Spirit Sect indirectly, despite many convolutions. Even so, the Dai Family was extremely honored, and their aspirations had risen somewhat, given they had a slight connection with the transcendent Spirit Sect. The other secondary noble families and secondary Spirit Sects were extremely envious, always greeting them with smiles. Even though the Dai family currently had no apparent connection with the transcendent Spirit Sect, who knew? Their marriage alliance with the Zheng royal family might someday bring them closer to the transcendent Spirit Sect. The world is always full of surprises. Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, it cannot be stopped. There had been occasions when some low-ranking families or Spirit Sects lucked out, climbed up, and soared high, dominating one territory. Dai Yingying was a highly talented and pampered princess due to her status as the Second Prince¡¯s future wife. As a result, she developed a haughty nature. Especially towards the lower-class martial artists, she was immensely condescending and filled with contempt. Dai Yingying also participated in the treasure hunt at Qingtianjiao s tomb, intending to enter it. At that moment, she was looking for lower-class martial artists to serve as cannon fodder, causing grievance and resentment. There were rumors of Loose Cultivators who were so enraged they were ready to sacrifice their life for the dignity of the lower-class martial artists. After the rumors began to circulate, the Dai Family hastily dispatched clan elders to protect Dai Yingying and offered Spirit Crystals as payment to the bottom layer martial artists they had recruited. Only then, the situation gradually calmed down. Of course, the Dai Family¡¯s powerhouses were looking for that Loose Cultivator. Only by killing him could they feel at ease. Furthermore, those lower-class martial artists who dared to threaten their noble family, they were simply tired of living! Dai Yingying was very angry. She heard that the Gate of Lingyu had opened and wanted to use the lower-class people from the Inner Domain as cannon fodder. Once she thought of it, Dai Yingying headed immediately towards the Gate of Lingyu. On Canglan Island, Xu Yan was immersed in his cultivation and understanding of the Cultivation Technique. What surprised Li Xuan was that Xu Yan had yet to comprehend the way of concealing his presence. Instead, he had gained an understanding of the martial arts of the Divine Origin Realm before he had even broken through to the Divine Intent State. What a pleasant surprise! ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has understood the Divine Origin Realm martial arts technique you compiled. You have broken through to the Divine Origin Realm.¡± At the top of the Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book opened, and golden light emerged. At that moment, Li Xuan felt as if he was undergoing a metamorphosis. He squinted his eyes as he carefully experienced the mysteries of the Divine Origin Realm. With a thought, he split a portion of his Divine Origin, turning it into a Divine Origin Avatar. Chapter 386 A figure identical to him stepped out from his body and disappeared from the spot, without attracting anyone¡¯s notice. Above the Cang River, the Divine Yuan Avatar strolled. ¡°So, this is the Divine Yuan Avatar, truly mysterious. If one explores dangerous areas, there is no need for the real body to enter. In this way, even if danger arises, it won¡¯t threaten the real body.¡± Li Xuan felt excitement in his heart. The Divine Origin Realm he created himself was incredibly mysterious, leaving the Grand Azure Martial Dao far behind. The Divine Yuan Avatar, within a certain range of the true body, thinks and perceives just like the original. Li Xuan might be sitting on a chair in Canglan Island, But his consciousness is connected to the Divine Yuan Avatar. The Divine Yuan Avatar continued to walk, slowly leaving Canglan Island. Li Xuan wanted to test how far the Divine Yuan Avatar could be before the consciousness connection is lost with the real body. Once the consciousness connection with the real body is lost, the Divine Yuan Avatar retains only some abilities and combat instincts given by the real body, losing its autonomy and thinking. This was quite rigid and not flexible enough. Of course, once he breaks through the Divine Skills Realm and the Primordial Spirit condenses out, after a strand of the Primordial Spirit is infused into the Divine Yuan Avatar, it won¡¯t be so rigid anymore. ¡°Twenty li.¡± About twenty li away, Li Xuan felt his perception of the things the Divine Yuan Avatar saw slowly becoming blurry in his consciousness, indicating he had reached the limit. In an instant, the Divine Yuan Avatar disappeared from the original place, transformed into Divine Yuan, and returned to his body in the blink of an eye. ¡°Twenty li, it¡¯s enough.¡± He had only just entered the Divine Origin Realm. With the increase in his strength, the distance will be greater. ¡°What if I merge the Thousand Martial Shadows into the Divine Yuan Avatar?¡± A thought suddenly arose in Li Xuan¡¯s heart. A figure walked out, and the Divine Yuan Avatar merged into the Divine Shadow. At this moment, Li Xuan noticed a change. The Thousand Martial Shadows seemed to have no significant changes and remained as illusory as a shadow. But after merging with the Divine Yuan Avatar, their strength has noticeably increased. And it also gained some power of the Divine Origin Realm. ¡°The more Divine Shadows, the more Divine Yuan Avatars I can separate, meaning my avatars are more numerous and stronger, and if exploring dangerous places, the two can merge. If danger arises, I can sacrifice the Divine Shadows to protect the Avatar.¡± Li Xuan felt excited in his heart, discovering the powerful aspect of using the Thousand Martial Shadows and the Divine Yuan Avatar in combination. ¡°Now that I¡¯m in the Divine Origin Realm, I¡¯m not afraid of the Refining God Heavenly Man with the strength I have now!¡± Li Xuan instantly felt a lot safer. Even if the Refining God Heavenly Man attacked, he wouldn¡¯t be worried. The power of Divine Origin Realm was stronger than he had anticipated. With the power of Divine Yuan, coupled with the God-exterminating Blade and the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to kill the Refining God Heavenly Man, would it? Li Xuan looked up at the summit of Canglan Island, where Xu Yan continued to cultivate and comprehend Martial Arts. In his heart, he couldn¡¯t help but to anticipate Xu Yan comprehending the Divine Skill Realm. Once the Divine Skill Realm is broken through, the Refining God Heavenly Man stands no chance at all, and it will be an easy task to defeat him. Once the Divine Skills come out, who can resist? ¡°I can¡¯t comprehend the Divine Skills Realm for now, but it might be possible after breaking through to the Divine Intent State.¡± Li Xuan secretly shook his head, no matter how talented Xu Yan was, it was impossible for him to comprehend the martial arts of the Divine Skill Realm while in the Tongxuan Realm. The Divine Skills Realm was too mysterious after all. Being able to comprehend the Divine Origin Realm Cultivation Technique before breaking through to the Divine Intent State was already monstrously talented. ¡°The method to hide aura and form has not yet been comprehended. Should I teach this method to Xu Yan?¡± Li Xuan was deep in thought. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit longer. This aura hiding method is not quite good enough after all.¡± Li Xuan decided to wait a bit longer. Xu Yan was able to comprehend the Martial Dao of the Divine Origin Realm, and he should be able to understand some aspects of the art of hiding aura and form. One day, as Li Xuan was studying the second page of the Book of Tai Cang, he was deep into his research, trying to remember all the Heaven and Earth Laws on the page. ¡°Where¡¯s Red Cat?¡± He suddenly remembered that Red Cat had been quiet these past days, usually, under the pretense of ¡°for your own good,¡± it would be helping Shi¡¯er hone his martial arts. Whether it was pestering Shi¡¯er, begging Su Lingxiu for medicinal pills, being cute in front of Mother Xu, or being affectionate around himself. He released his divine intent to look at Red Cat and was somewhat startled to see it staring at a third of the array diagram, seemingly pondering something. Red Cat even had a pen in its paw, implored Mother Xu to teach it how to write and read! It wanted to be a cultured meow¡ª no, a cultured tiger! ¡°If you truly comprehend something, that would be an unexpected joy.¡± Li Xuan chuckled wryly, sure that it must have been Shi¡¯er who, annoyed by the cat¡¯s pestering, decided to distract Red Cat with an array diagram. Mother Xu was happily teaching Red Cat to read, and while looking at the fragmentary array diagram, she curiously asked, ¡°Red Cat, have you understood anything?¡± Red Cat shook her head. Holding a pen in her tiny paw, she scribbled on the paper: ¡°I know too few characters, that¡¯s why I can¡¯t comprehend the true meaning.¡± Li Xuan watched with amusement. Seeing Red Cat, now the size of a common cat, hold a pen and write was pretty cute and likable. Indeed, Mother Xu was also amused. She was rubbing Red Cat¡¯s chubby head while stuffing pills into her mouth. Red Cat was very happy eating. Since Red Cat was interested in the array diagram, Li Xuan had the idea that perhaps Red Cat really could make some gains, and further develop the Martial Dao of great demons. He decided to draw the complete array diagram. ¡°Red Cat, here is the complete array diagram. Ponder over it carefully. You are a great demon, and if you can comprehend some of it, incorporating the wonders of the array diagram into yourself, you will be blessed.¡± Li Xuan shoved the array diagram into Red Cat¡¯s hands, patting her head as he did so. As Red Cat looked at the array diagram, her head swelled the more she looked at it. She had been instructed by her master, so she couldn¡¯t refuse to study it. She had a feeling she had been fooled by Shi¡¯er. She took the array diagram and left, continuing to learn and recognize words, and at the same time, to grind Shi¡¯er¡¯s Martial Arts. Li Xuan sat in a chair, savouring his Spiritual Tea and reading the Book of Tai Cang, constantly memorizing the Heaven and Earth Law patterns on the second page. The patterns on the second page were more difficult to remember and more mysterious than those on the first page, obviously involving deeper levels of the Heaven and Earth Laws. ¡°The array diagram has been out for a while now, but surprisingly, no one has understood anything.¡± Li Xuan sighed. It seemed impossible to find a disciple who would cultivate the strange Martial Dao in the near future. Suddenly! The Daoist Golden Book on his Soul Pedestal flipped open, and golden light gushed out. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has successfully derived Harmonizing with Light and Dust technique from your hiding method, completing it!¡± Xu Yan had finally comprehended it. Harmonizing with Light and Dust technique! Li Xuan smiled; his foremost disciple never let him down. Even if it was a highly difficult cultivation technique, he could still comprehend it! Looking up, Xu Yan, sitting on the mountain top, appeared different. If he hadn¡¯t completed the Harmonizing with Light and Dust technique, one would probably overlook him at a single glance, as if he was simply a rock. Li Xuan¡¯s divine sense spread out, and he smiled. Xu Yan sat there, as if integrated with the grass, the stones, and the surroundings, void of any presence of a Martial Artist. His aura was one with grass and stones. This was the Harmonizing with Light and Dust technique! Li Xuan retracted his divine sense, slightly smiling as he continued studying the Heaven and Earth Laws in the Book of Tai Cang. Xu Yan was ready to go to the Ling Domain! With this Harmonizing with Light and Dust technique in hand, he could easily avoid any pursuers, even if he provoked a powerful force and was hunted down. ¡°Master, this hiding technique is too mysterious, too profound, I can¡¯t make head or tail of it. How should I comprehend it?¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s hair was a mess, as she gripped Li Xuan¡¯s shoulder with a gloomy face. Li Xuan gave a wry smile. After all, Su Lingxiu¡¯s talent was not meant for this, it was understandable that she had a hard time comprehending. Even if Meng Chong wanted to comprehend it, he would probably take a long time, and the hiding technique he would comprehend would probably be weaker than Xu Yan¡¯s. ¡°Study this hiding technique for a bit. It¡¯s quite ordinary.¡± Li Xuan smiled and transmitted the hiding technique he had compiled to Su Lingxiu. To comprehend this hiding technique was not difficult. With Su Lingxiu¡¯s talent, she understood it soon enough. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has comprehended your hiding technique. You have mastered the hiding technique.¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s aura was withdrawn, she seemed common to the eye. Even her temperament had become ordinary, not drawing any attention. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve learned it!¡± Su Lingxiu squinted her eyes. She jogged off, saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to test senior brother, to see if he can detect my presence.¡± Li Xuan shook his head. As Xu Yan had comprehended the Harmonizing with Light and Dust technique, Su Lingxiu and Meng Chong no longer needed to continue trying to comprehend it. After all, even if they did comprehend it, it would be inferior to Xu Yan¡¯s. There was no need to waste their time and energy. Chapter 387 Su Lingxiu held her breath, cautiously moving towards Meng Chong, but before she could get close, Meng Chong turned his head, surprised, ¡°Junior sister, have you comprehended the art of concealing breath?¡± Su Lingxiu¡¯s face fell, ¡°My master taught me, but this camouflage technique is too common; you discovered me from so far away.¡± Meng Chong laughed, ¡°Junior sister, I have grasped the intent of the knife, and awakened the soul of the knife. Your concealment technique couldn¡¯t escape my notice, but it might not be noticeable by other martial artists.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to find the eldest senior brother.¡± Su Lingxiu headed towards the summit. ¡°Oh? Where is the eldest senior brother?¡± Looking around confusedly, the eldest senior brother is usually here, comprehending martial arts. Why isn¡¯t he here? She passed Xu Yan, her gaze swept over him, but she simply disregarded him, unconsciously thinking that it was just a rock. After circling the summit two or three times and passing by Xu Yan twice, she still didn¡¯t notice him. ¡°Master, master, the eldest senior brother has left.¡± Su Lingxiu hurriedly ran to Li Xuan. With a worried face, ¡°The pills I prepared, eldest senior brother didn¡¯t take them, why did he leave without saying a word, Master, do you know where my elder senior brother has gone?¡± She subconsciously thought that Xu Yan had entered the Gate of Lingyu. She was slightly disappointed that she hadn¡¯t yet given the pills she made especially for entering the Gate of Lingyu to the eldest senior brother. Li Xuan forced a smile, ¡°Your eldest senior brother is on the mountain.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not there, Master, I just went looking.¡± Su Lingxiu shook her head. ¡°You look carefully, try looking again.¡± Li Xuan chuckled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go look again.¡± Su Lingxiu blinked, and ran back up the mountain. This time, she searched intently, overlooking no stone and even circling every tree, but she still didn¡¯t notice the presence of her eldest senior brother. ¡°Master, I looked over every stone and even looked at the trees, I didn¡¯t see the eldest senior brother.¡± Su Lingxiu ran back to report. How could you find him when you even disregarded him as a stone? Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but admire inwardly; the technique of merging with the world that Xu Yan had comprehended was truly extraordinary. Su Lingxiu¡¯s achieved the small success stage of the Tongxuan Realm, but she was far inferior to Xu Yan and finding him was simply impossible! ¡°Why would the master deceive you, look carefully again?¡± Li Xuan spoke with a smile. Su Lingxiu pondered. She started running again, reaching Meng Chong, ¡°Second senior brother, master said that eldest senior brother is on the mountain, but I¡¯ve searched several times and can¡¯t find him. Can you help me look?¡± MengChongwas confused, then stood up, ¡°Alright!¡± The two reached the peak, and Su Lingxiu looked around, ¡°Second senior brother, can you see the eldest senior brother?¡± Meng Chong hesitated, ¡°No.¡± After a round on the peak, ¡°Are you sure master said that elder senior brother is on the mountain?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what master said.¡± Su Lingxiu nodded in frustration. Meng Chong stood in place, examining each plant and tree on the peak closely, utilizing the intent of the knife around the peak, leaving no stone unturned. However, he still failed to discover anything. He gasped, shocked at heart, has eldest senior brother gained enlightenment? This art of concealment and invisibility, is truly magical. Existing within the earth and skies, yet the earth and skies remain oblivious; if it¡¯s reached such a stage that even he can¡¯t find it, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising, considering the eldest senior brother is superior in abilities. Li Xuan kept his eyes on the peak. Meng Chong used the intent of the knife to investigate the peak; although his method was correct, Xu Yan was the one he was dealing with, whose abilities were superior and the intent of the sword far exceeded his own. The third level of Xu Yan¡¯s sword intent blended into the environment, replacing it with his sword intent. Meng Chong¡¯s knife intent was weaker than his sword intent, hence naturally he failed to find the clues hidden in it. Furthermore, at present, both Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu had stepped into Xu Yan¡¯s sword intent field. Despite Meng Chong getting a vague feeling that something was off, he still failed to identify the hidden danger within. ¡°If this was a surprise attack or an assassination, unless one is significantly stronger, it would be completely unavoidable.¡± Li Xuan thought, ¡°If Xu Yan attempted to launch a surprise attack, even someone stronger than him wouldn¡¯t be able to evade it.¡± At the peak of the mountain, Xu Yan withdrew his sword intent and revealed his figure. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Su Lingxiu widened her eyes in surprise, ¡°Eldest senior brother, have you been here the whole time?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xu Yan nodded with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice you at all.¡± Su Lingxiu was shocked. She had come back and forth several times. She had reconnoitered several times and yet, she had ignored it the entire time. ¡°Eldest senior brother, have you achieved enlightenment?¡± Meng Chong asked excitedly. Xu Yan shook his head and then nodded, ¡°I have comprehended some of it, but I haven¡¯t fully grasped the true meaning yet.¡± ¡°Eldest senior brother, teach me quickly.¡± Su Lingxiu requested excitedly. ¡°Sure!¡± Xu Yan taught Su Lingxiu and Meng Chong the merging-with-the-world technique. ¡°It¡¯s too profound. No wonder the master said that he taught me too rudimentary a technique of concealment.¡± Su Lingxiu gasped. For the technique of merging-with-the-world, she needed some time to comprehend it. Now that Xu Yan had comprehended the merging-with-the-world technique, it was time for him to go to the Ling Domain. A few days later. Xu Yan was ready to go to the Ling Domain. Li Xuan and the group were preparing to send him to the land of Cangbei, to the Gate of Lingyu. Suddenly, a figure rushed in. It was Meng Shushu, unseen for a long time. ¡°Damn, you¡¯ve been gone for so long. You didn¡¯t run away to escape debt, did you?¡± Chapter 388 Meng Chong looked at the dusty Meng Shushu, speaking with surprise. ¡°Of course not, I found a treasure spot and spent some time in there.¡± Meng Shushu looked at the crowd, his heart shocked. He had just come out of the treasure spot when he heard about a series of changes in the inner domain. The magnitude of the changes made him feel as if the world had turned upside down. The powerful Dayue Kingdom had vanished, replaced by Dahua. ¡°Treasure spot?¡± Meng Chong¡¯s eyes brightened. Holding Meng Shushu¡¯s shoulders, he laughed and asked, ¡°Is it ours? Did you get a lot?¡± As for the hiding pouches that Meng Shushu owed him, he did not care much anymore, having already acquired such pouches and no longer lacked for money. ¡°A lot!¡± Meng Shushu nodded excitedly. From his bosom, he carefully took out five hiding pouches that looked somewhat ancient. ¡°Look, these hiding pouches are larger than ordinary ones. They can store more things.¡± Meng Shushu grinned widely, overjoyed. His harvest this time was huge, including an ancient relic. ¡°This one¡¯s for you, and this one¡¯s for Senior Brother Xu.¡± Meng Shushu stuffed two hiding pouches into the hands of Meng Chong and Xu Yan respectively. Of the remaining three hiding pouches, he gave one to Su Lingxiu. ¡°Inside,¡± he said, ¡°are the gains from my trip, at least sixth-grade spiritual medicine, I seem to have found a fourth-grade spiritual medicine!¡± Xu Yan and the others were shocked. What treasure spot did Meng Shushu go to that he gained so much? Even a fourth-grade spiritual medicine that has never appeared in the inner domain was discovered? Next, Meng Shushu mysteriously and excitedly said, ¡°Do you know? My biggest gain this time is not the spiritual medicine, not the hiding pouches, but this!¡± He took out an ancient book made of some kind of beast skin from a hiding pouch. ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± Meng Chong raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. ¡°Celestial Cultivation Technique!¡± Meng Shushu solemnly said, ¡°Above the Great Grandmaster, a complete Cultivation Technique for a Martial Arts Celestial!¡± He looked at Xu Yan and the others. Awaiting to see all of their shocked faces. In the end, everyone¡¯s expressions remained calm. They seemed unimpressed, as if the Celestial Cultivation Technique was not as valuable as the spiritual medicine. ¡°This is a Celestial Cultivation Technique, aren¡¯t you excited?¡± Meng Shushu was somewhat confused. Xu Yan raised his hand and patted his shoulder, ¡°Celestial, yeah, I know, I¡¯ve killed one already, so it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Meng Shushu:¡­ Killed he already killed one? Meng Shushu was stunned, swallowing hard, ¡°Senior Brother Xu, are you joking?¡± ¡°When I say I killed, I mean I killed. I never joke. I¡¯m preparing to go to the Ling Domain, the Gate of Lingyu has already appeared, didn¡¯t you know?¡± Xu Yan chuckled out loud. Meng Shushu was taken aback, the Gate of Lingyu, appeared? He subconsciously looked at Su Lingxiu. ¡°Do you know something?¡± Upon hearing the Gate of Lingyu, Meng Shushu subconsciously looked at Su Lingxiu. His action aroused suspicion, as if he knew something. Su Lingxiu furrowed her eyebrows and asked. ¡°All? I just want you to check if it¡¯s a fourth-grade spiritual medicine. Does the Celestial Cultivation Technique not compare to it?¡± Meng Shushu grumbled. He tried to change the subject, ¡°I saw the Gate of Lingyu in some treasure spot, but I don¡¯t know much about it.¡± Meng Chong clapped his shoulder and said, ¡°You seem to know a lot of things. Don¡¯t hide it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, I don¡¯t know anything!¡± Meng Shushu shook his head fervently. ¡°Forget it, Second Senior Brother.¡± Su Lingxiu shook her head as there was no need to pressure Meng Shushu to speak. She remembered that her grandfather and Meng Shushu¡¯s grandfather were close friends, and both had died because of the Yinlou Pavilion. It was not surprising that Meng Shushu knew something, or even about her background. But, since Meng Shushu didn¡¯t speak, there was no need to force. As for her background, Su Lingxiu had let go and only cared about improving her strength. If there were any enemies, she would kill them. Meng Shushu breathed a sigh of relief and awkwardly said with the ancient book in hand, ¡°Is the Celestial Technique really worthless?¡± Xu Yan beckoned and took the book. He skimmed through it and then said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing of great value here. To break through to the Heavenly Being in martial arts, one must enter the Ling Domain. It¡¯s impossible to cultivate to the Heavenly Being level in the Inner Domain.¡± ¡°Now in the Inner Domain, the Dahua martial arts dominate, but you can still learn more about the cultivation of Heavenly Beings by looking at this.¡± This Heavenly Being cultivation technique surprisingly covers all three realms of Heavenly Beings. Upon hearing this, Meng Shushu couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed. ¡°Clanmate, where did you find this? In a Heavenly Being¡¯s tomb?¡± Meng Chong looked through the Heavenly Being¡¯s cultivation technique and asked curiously. ¡°I accidentally stumbled into it. It¡¯s an ancient relic buried underground, it seems to be a sect. There weren¡¯t many remains left, but I found this cultivation technique in one of the storage pouches.¡± Meng Shushu revealed where he found the treasure. After Meng Chong had finished reading it, he handed it to Su Lingxiu, and then patted Meng Shushu on his shoulder, ¡°Clanmate, you should switch to cultivating Dahua martial arts, otherwise, you would need to enter the Ling Domain to breakthrough, and the Ling Domain¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but it seemed like Meng Shushu understood.¡± ¡°I get it!¡± Meng Shushu took a deep breath and nodded seriously. In the end, the Heavenly Being cultivation technique found its way into Li Xuan¡¯s hands. Meng Shushu¡¯s sudden return had delayed them a bit, but soon they were ready to embark on their journey to the northern wilderness. In the northern wilderness, there was the Gate of Lingyu. Li Xuan and his group arrived. ¡°Master, your disciple is going to the Ling Domain!¡± Xu Yan took a deep breath, looked at his master, and spoke respectfully. ¡°Hmm,¡± Li Xuan nodded his head. ¡°So this is the Gate of Ling Domain.¡± Su Lingxiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Meng Shushu looked at the Gate of Ling Domain with a complex expression on his face, a flash of nostalgia mingling with a sense of loss and sorrow. Xu Yan strode forward, moving toward the Gate of Ling Domain. Atop the peak of Tianbao Pavilion, a group of powerful individuals from Tianbao Pavilion watched silently. ¡°Xu Yan is about to enter the Ling Domain!¡± ¡°What do you all think will happen to Xu Yan once he enters the Ling Domain?¡± ¡°With his exceptional talent, once he enters the Ling Domain, he will definitely be taken in by some power.¡± the violet-crowned man sighed. ¡°Not necessarily, Xu Yan has a proud disposition, and the senior is unfathomable. He will most likely not join any other groups. Although being in the Ling Domain will naturally afford him some benefits.¡± Rare talents like theirs were always given more privileges no matter where they were. The stronger the talents, especially those of humble origins, the more major powers tended to recruit and train them as strong enforcers. The Gate to the Ling Domain, with its ripples undulating, remained tightly closed. Xu Yan arrived in front of the Gate of Ling Domain, and a surge of force erupted from him, causing the water-like door to become turbulent. The Ling Domain. Inside the grand hall located in front of the Gate of the Ling Domain, two soul-gathering Heavenly Beings martial artists tasked with guarding the gate were seated on either side, silently cultivating. Guarding the Gate of Ling Domain is largely an idle job. Since the incident with the Blood Demon, the Gate of Ling Domain has not been opened as frequently as before. The number of times it has been opened till now can be counted on one hand. Even fewer have been the people who entered the Inner Domain. The most recent opening was due to Jiao Ming and Ping¡¯er of the Shui Xing Palace. If not for these two individuals who are yet to return from the Inner Domain, they would have wanted to completely close the Gate of Ling Domain right away. As for allowing martial artists from the Inner Domain to come in, they have never considered it, and the Spirit Sect of the Ling Domain has not brought up the matter of Inner Domain martial artists coming to the Ling Domain. It seems that they intend to completely close off the ascent path from that inferior land. They seem to believe they no longer need the possibly talented individuals that may still be there. Suddenly, with a hum, the two pillars inside the Great Hall began to vibrate, and a layer of water-like force was undulating on the pillars. A faint glow was shining on the pillars. ¡°Oh? Has either Jiao Ming or that unruly girl returned?¡± From the fluctuations in the pillars, it could be inferred that the person trying to open the Gate of Ling Domain was not a weakling and couldn¡¯t be compared to those martial artists from the Inner Domain. ¡°Let¡¯s open it. Once these two return, we can completely close the Gate of Ling Domain.¡± The other individual spoke. He lifted his hand and a surge of power was channeled into the pillar, causing the pillar to slowly turn. The Gate of Ling Domain opened. Xu Yan turned back to take one last look at his Master and the others. After inhaling deeply, he resolutely stepped into the Gate of Ling Domain. In a flash, a clone of divine essence from Li Xuan followed Xu Yan into the Gate of Ling Domain. Upon entering the Gate of Ling Domain, they saw the Gate of Ling Domain situated between two mountains, with a gigantic palace standing in front of them. The divine essence clone intended to move forward through the palace but suddenly, with the closing of the Gate of Ling Domain, its connection with its main body significantly weakened. Chapter 389 The vision seen by the Divine Incarnation became blurred in Li Xuan¡¯s mind, as if the connection was about to be lost. Li Xuan had a thought and the Divine Incarnation, which was originally going to pass through the palace, immediately retreated back in front of the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°The closing of the Gate of Lingyu significantly shortens the distance connected to the Divine Incarnation.¡± Ling Domain and Inner Domain seem to be two different worlds. The closing of the Gate of Lingyu means the Divine Incarnation¡¯s control range has been reduced, which is within reason. If he wants to enter the palace, Li Xuan himself must get closer to the Gate of Lingyu to shorten the distance with the Divine Incarnation. In front of the Gate of Lingyu, the Divine Incarnation merged into a nearby stone and fell silent. Leaving a Divine Incarnation in the Ling Domain for contingencies, such as the ability to open the Gate of Lingyu, makes sense. After all, the Gate of Lingyu can only be opened in the Ling Domain. If it were to be completely closed, wouldn¡¯t that make it impossible to enter the Ling Domain? ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Li Xuan turned around and left, returning to Canglan Island. Ling Domain. Xu Yan walked out of the Gate of Lingyu, immediately perking up, surprise etched on his face. ¡°The spiritual energy of the Ling Domain is so abundant, more than three times that of the Inner Domain.¡± He is a Mountain River Spiritual Body, with an extraordinary sensitivity to spiritual energy. As soon as he entered the Ling Domain, he felt nature¡¯s spiritual energy flowing into his body. ¡°Also, the Heavenly Earth Lingji is more active.¡± Xu Yan had some enlightenment. The inability to break through to the martial arts cultivator in the Inner Domain was not due to a lack of spiritual energy, after all there is spiritual energy, there are spirit crystals, it¡¯s impossible that the lack of spiritual energy leads to inability to break through. Which Peak Great Grandmaster lacks spirit crystals? Aren¡¯t there enough spiritual energies if we pile up the spirit crystals? Therefore, the fundamental reason for the inability to break through to the martial arts cultivator in the Inner Domain, in addition to the cultivation techniques, is the inactivity of the Heavenly Earth Lingji! ¡°The border region is unable to cultivate into a martial artist because the Heavenly Earth Lingji has vanished, causing the spiritual energy to become violent and the living beings unable to guide nature¡¯s spiritual energy.¡± ¡°And in the Inner Domain, the inability to break through to the martial arts cultivator is due to the lack of activity in the Heavenly Earth Lingji.¡± The martial arts cultivation in the Inner Domain and Ling Domain are closely related to the Heavenly Earth Lingji; the strength of the Heavenly Earth Lingji determines the breakthrough to the martial arts cultivation! ¡°My Master¡¯s martial arts are truly powerful.¡± Xu Yan exclaimed in his heart. Without the Heavenly Earth Lingji, cultivation could still proceed, it would not be limited. He continued walking away from the Gate of Lingyu, he had to pass through the grand hall. In the grand hall, the two martial artists guarding the Gate of Lingyu were waiting to see if Jiao Ming or Ping¡¯er had returned, or if the two had returned together. Suddenly, a charming figure hurriedly ran into the hall. ¡°Quickly open the Gate of Lingyu for me, I need to go to the lower regions to catch some worthless individuals for exploration.¡± Dai Yingying hurriedly ran into the grand hall shouting this. Following not far behind her was an old woman. ¡°So it¡¯s Miss Dai.¡± One of the guarding martial artists said, after a moment¡¯s hesitation. Dai Yingying, the genius of the Dai family, born with a precious body, was the pearl in the palm of the Dai family, adored by all. Not long ago, she had stirred up a public outrage by capturing lower-level martial artists for the exploration of the tomb of the Qingtian Jiao. As a result, a loose cultivator threatened to kill her. The powerful members of the Dai family got scared and started to compensate the captured lower-level martial artists with spirit crystals under the guise of voluntary employment and sent people to hunt down that loose cultivator. Dai Yingying had quieted down somewhat. Unexpectedly, she was preparing to catch people from the Inner Domain as cannon fodder again. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me!¡± Dai Yingying looked up and replied. ¡°For the lesser people of the Inner Domain to be appreciated by me and serve as scouts for me, it¡¯s their honor.¡± The two martial artists guarding the gate did not find anything wrong with this statement. ¡°Miss Dai is right. Just now the Gate of Lingyu opened, it should be someone from the Shui Xing Palace who has returned. Please wait a moment, I will open the Gate of Lingyu again to let Miss Dai in.¡± one of the martial artists said with a hearty laugh. Both of them were from Zheng Country, and Dai Yingying was the fiancee of the Second Prince of Zheng Country. As a future princess, her status was quite extraordinary. Just then, a young figure walked in from the door leading to the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°Eh!¡± Dai Yingying¡¯s eyes glowed. This young man was quite handsome. ¡°Who are you?¡± The bewilderment on the face of the guard was visible. Looking out the Great Hall¡¯s door, he saw the figure of neither Jiao Ming nor Ping¡¯er, but only the lone youth. A person from the Inner Domain? He was surprised. The shift in the Gate of Lingyu that just occurred was caused by someone powerful, far beyond what a martial artist from the Inner Domain could do. Could it be that Ping¡¯er knocked on the gate and let this young man come in? The woman from Shui Xing Palace was notoriously promiscuous. If she saw such a handsome young man, would she not be tempted? ¡°Was it Ping¡¯er who sent you in?¡± The guarding martial artist asked with a furrowed brow. ¡°Who is Ping¡¯er? I don¡¯t know her!¡± Xu Yan glanced at the people in the hall. The two guards were junior Martial Artists, not much stronger than Jiao Ming. A young girl was a Peak Great Grandmaster. For someone her age, she was undoubtedly a genius. The old woman was the strongest one, a late-stage junior Martial Artist. With no intention of staying in the grand hall, Xu Yan continued to walk out, ignoring these irrelevant people. ¡°Are you a martial artist from the Inner Domain?¡± The martial artist guard asked, his face growing darker. ¡°Do you have an issue with that?¡± Xu Yan glanced at him sideways and continued to walk away. The two guards looked at each other with darkened expressions, surprise evident on their faces. How could there be such a powerful martial artist in the Inner Domain? Could it be¡­? A terrifying thought emerged in their minds. Blood Demon! For a time, they didn¡¯t dare to act rashly, they could only watch Xu Yan leave. They didn¡¯t dare act like before and try to handle martial artists coming from the Inner Domain. Chapter 390 If it really is the Blood Demon, and if the two of them make a move, the unlucky one would only be me! ¡°is it the Blood Demon? Wasn¡¯t he killed by the one from Taimiao Sect? And besides, so much time has passed, we have never heard about him. How could there be sudden news?¡± ¡°Could it be possible that the Blood Demon has assumed a new identity, acting low-key so that we haven¡¯t heard of him? It isn¡¯t the first time the Blood Demon has risen after a setback.¡± ¡°Impossible, the Blood Demon is not a low-key person, he is arrogant and trained in the lethal Cultivation Technique¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not entirely impossible, after all, the Blood Demon has been cornered and attacked several times. Who knows if his modus operand! might have changed?¡± The two martial artists who were guarding exchanged their theories telepathically. The more they talked, the more anxious they became. The Blood Demon has risen again? is the Ling Domain about to be engulfed in a violent storm of bloodshed once more? Dai Yingying glanced at Xu Yan who had left, and hastily asked: ¡°Is he a martial artist from the Inner Domain?¡± ¡°Yes, he isn¡¯t someone who entered from the Ling Domain. He is undoubtedly a martial artist from the Inner Domain!¡± One of the defenders nodded. He was about to warn Dai Yingying not to provoke the stranger. Yet Dai Yingying turned and chased after him, the old woman following closely behind. The two martial artists guarding each exchanged a glance, and very tacitly sat down cross-legged to begin cultivating. If he is indeed the Blood Demon, they could not afford to provoke him. If they were implicated, it would definitely lead to their deaths. If he isn¡¯t the Blood Demon, then even if Dai Yingying kills him, it would just be another kill. ¡°Halt!¡± Xu Yan had just left the main hall. He was unfamiliar with the Ling Domain and thinking about how he ought to act next. From behind, a voice came. ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Yan held his sword before his chest and turned to lookback. He thought of his first encounter with Du Yuying upon entering the Inner Domain. ¡°Are you a martial artist from the Inner Domain?¡± Dai Yingying raised her head, looking arrogantly as she asked. ¡°Yes, what can I do for you?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly, finding the girl¡¯s attitude a bit distasteful. ¡°I fancy you. Come with me. If you can survive, you, a nobody, will have a massive opportunity. I¡¯ll make a special case and let you serve in my Dai Family!¡± Dai Yingying spoke from on high. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes narrowed in thought. He remembered Jiao Ming who spoke in the same tone, yet was reduced to dust by him. Should he turn her to dust as well? Xu Yan looked at Dai Yingying and then at the old woman beside her. She was guarded by a late-stage Small Heavenly martial artist, which indicated she had quite a background. ¡°I just came to the Ling Domain to build up my foundation and break through the Divine Intent State, there¡¯s no need for me to court trouble.¡± Thinking about it this way, Xu Yan decided to ignore her. He turned and walked away. He made a mental note of her for now. If he met her again after breaking through the Divine Intent State, and she was still aloof and condescending, he would scatter her ashes. Seeing that Xu Yan simply turned and walked away, completely ignoring her, Dai Yingying, who had always been used to being held above others, could not bear it. Especially considering he was from the lower region of the Inner Domain. ¡°How dare you disregard me? I originally intended to take you to the Azure Sky Crocodile Tomb, to map it out. If you were fortunate enough to survive, I would grant you an opportunity. Since you¡¯re so bold, don¡¯t blame me for giving you a lesson!¡± An aggravated Dai Yingying directly took a whip from her storage bag. ¡°You¡¯re just a creature no better than pigs or dogs from the lower region. I found your appearance acceptable and, making an exception, intended to take you to the Azure Sky Crocodile Tomb to scout it out. Giving you an opportunity, yet you dare to ignore me, watch this!¡± Dai Yingying, who was always imperious, cracked her whip, and with a ¡°pah¡± sound, a loop formed as she swung it towards Xu Yan¡¯s neck. This whip had taught countless disobedient lower-ranking martial artists a lesson and even killed a few. With perfect skill, it was heading directly towards Xu Yan¡¯s neck, ready to pull him over and give him a beating! Xu Yan clearly did not want to cause trouble. But now, not only did she insult him by calling him a creature no better than pigs or dogs, but she also raised her hand, wanting to whip him. He was immediately enraged. This girl wants to die, so he¡¯ll oblige her! ¡°Azure Sky Crocodile Tomb? Could it be a treasure land?¡± He was intrigued by the Azure Sky Crocodile Tomb mentioned by Dai Yingying. Raising his hand, he grabbed the whip that was lashing at him, jerked it back forcefully, causing Dai Yingying to let out a cry of surprise and she flew towards him. ¡°How dare you!¡± The old woman was furious. She made her move and charged towards Xu Yan. She was confident that with her late-stage Small Heavenly power, Xu Yan would be eliminated before he could harm the lady! Xu Yan did not even glance at her, not even drawing his sword, he simply raised his hand and slapped out. A golden dragon roared out. The dragon¡¯s might, accompanied by a slight breeze, pounced towards the old woman. Sudden Wind Sword Intent! Buzz! The old woman suddenly felt a severe pain in her consciousness, as if a weak candle flame, extinguished by a strong wind, and darkness engulfed her sight as she lost consciousness. The golden dragon roared, instantly annihilating the old woman¡¯s attack, and with the momentum, the old woman, whose divine soul¡¯s consciousness had been obliterated, was blown to ashes! At this moment, Dai Yingying¡¯s neck was already in Xu Yan¡¯s palm. ¡°Save¡­¡± Dai Yingying was just about to call for help when she realized that the old woman had already turned into flying ashes! Her face turned pale as she looked at Xu Yan in horror, how is this lowly person from the Inner Domain so strong? No! They definitely didn¡¯t come from the Inner Domain, those two bastards deceived her! ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, if you do, you won¡¯t survive, I am Dai Yingying, the young lady of the Dai Family, my fiance is the Second Prince of Zheng Country¡­¡± At this moment, Dai Yingying could only resort to threats by displaying her background. As she was speaking, suddenly she became proud again. It seemed that she had suddenly realized how frightening her background was. If he killed her, he would undoubtedly die, so he definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to touch her. ¡°Quickly, let me go. If you let me go, we will write off this incident, otherwise if you hurt me, you will have to face the pursuit of the Dai Family and the royal family of Zheng Country!¡± She hasn¡¯t completely lost her mind yet. She made a concession; if he let her go, the matter would be over. Of course, in her heart, she was thinking that once she escaped, she must kill this man, and torture him to death! Suddenly, the hand on her neck tightened, causing her face to turn red. She twisted her body, but she couldn¡¯t struggle, all her strength seemed to have disappeared. At this moment, she was terrified. Xu Yan slightly loosened his grip, and said: ¡°The Green Dragon Tomb, what is it, where is it?¡± ¡°I¡­IT1 say, I¡¯ll say, The Green Dragon Tomb is in Zheng Country¡­¡± Dai Yingying hurriedly spilled everything about the Green Dragon Tomb in detail. ¡°Where in Ling Domain are we now? Brief me.¡± Xu Yan asked again. Dai Yingying looked at him suspiciously, could he really be a martial artist from the Inner Domain? But how could such a horrifying strength come from such a lowly place? ¡°This is Yuzhou, one of the Eighteen States in the Ling Domain, where Zheng Country is situated¡­¡± Dai Yingying introduced with a trembling voice. Xu Yan didn¡¯t expect her to provide much information, he just wanted to get a general idea of where he was in the Ling Domain. ¡°Quickly let me go, otherwise, my Dai Family and the royal family of Zheng Country will not let you off.¡± Dai Yingying bragged about the power of the Dai Family and Zheng Country. There was a renewed arrogance in her eyes as she spoke threateningly. Xu Yan, expressionless, took her storage bag from her, and then let her go. Dai Yingying hurriedly ran towards the grand hall, cursing angrily as she went; ¡°You lowly creature, no better than a pig or a dog, just you wait!¡± Xu Yan slapped out with his backhand, then he stepped away. Boom! Dai Yingying had turned into flying ashes and disappeared. Xu Yan leapt into the air, heading towards the location of the Green Dragon Tomb. ¡°Just after entering Ling Domain, I encountered such a treasure opening up. The Green Abyss Tree, Dragon Eye Fruit, these are all good things, suitable for accumulating cultivation base, and can help in transforming myself when I breakthrough next time.¡± ¡°If there is Dragon Meat within, it would be just right for my junior disciple brother to nurture his body, accumulate his physical foundation, and increase his chances for breaking through the Immortal Golden Body realm.¡± He was determined to acquire this Green Dragon Tomb. Only martial artists below thirty could enter, and he was eligible. As for the unwritten rule that loose cultivators should not participate, Xu Yan simply ignored it. Dai Yingying, this woman was domineering and arrogant. Since she wanted to find her own death, he would fulfil her wish. As for the Dai Family and royal family of Zheng Country behind her, Xu Yan did not care much about it. With the Canglan Dust Technique, it would not be a problem to evade their pursuit. Only the guards at the Gate of Lingyu had seen him. And when necessary, he could change his appearance. The reason why he didn¡¯t kill the guards at the Gate of Lingyu was mainly because they did not offend him and did not come to Dai Yingying¡¯s rescue. Xu Yan was not the kind who kills indiscriminately since they did not offend him. Inside the grand hall, the two guards were sweating coldly. This young man, he could very likely be the Blood Demon! Fortunately, they did not make a move, otherwise they would have died, even their ashes would not be left! Chapter 391 Dai Yingying was used to being overbearing and sought her own death, and so she died this time. ¡°Should we report this? Could it be that the Blood Demon has returned?¡± The guardian on the left asked in a deep voice. ¡°Whether he is the Blood Demon is just our speculation. Besides, even if he is the Blood Demon, he probably no longer practices the killing techniques. You should know that the one from Mount Taimountain has entered the Inner Domain. ¡°Twenty years ago, Mu Family¡¯s prodigal son also entered the Inner Domain. If the Blood Demon is indeed alive, what do you think?¡± The guardian on the right spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Hiss!¡± The guardian on the left widened his eyes in surprise, and said, ¡°Are you saying that if the Blood Demon is indeed alive and no longer practices the killing technique, then behind this¡­¡± The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. There was much more to this situation than met the eye! The guardian on the right continued, ¡°Even if it¡¯s not like this, if you and I let the Blood Demon return, although it¡¯s not our fault, do you think that those high-and-mighty Refining God Heavenly Men would spare us?¡± ¡°We¡¯re doomed for sure! ¡°Just like us, even though we know that those Grandmaster Martial Artists might not have made a mistake, but in our frustration, we might still kill them on a whim. ¡°And aren¡¯t we the same in the eyes of those Refining God Heavenly Men?¡± The guardian on the left tightened his face. Both of them came from humble backgrounds, belonging to the imperial guards of the Zheng Country, charged with guarding one of the gates to the Ling Domain. Compared to those heavenly beings from Spirit Sects, the gap in their status was huge. The scare that the Blood Demon had given to the many powerful beings of the Ling Domain was considerable. ¡°To speak would mean death, to stay silent might also lead to death. But if we speak up now, we wouldn¡¯t live for many more days, whereas if we keep it a secret until the truth is exposed, we might be able to live a little longer. ¡°Besides, with more time, who knows what might change? After all, the two from the Shui Xing Palace have entered the Inner Domain but have yet to return.¡± The guardian on the right continued. ¡°Right, we¡¯ll keep quiet!¡± The guardian on the left drew a long breath, and solemnly nodded. ¡°How do we handle Dai Yingying¡¯s death?¡± He asked with a frown. ¡°We¡¯ve seen her. She came once and thought that the lower-level beings from the Inner Domain were too useless for exploration, so she left again. As for where she died, how would we know? ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a Loose Cultivator Heavenly Man who vowed to kill her? Let¡¯s just assume that he did it.¡± The guardian on the right replied calmly. Dai Yingying and her Dao ¨C protecting Heavenly Men were all dead, nothing left of their bodies. Besides the two of them and the murderer, no one else knew. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± The guardian on the left nodded solemnly. The two continued their cultivation, acting as if nothing had happened. The gate to the Ling Domain also remained unopened. However, the two of them had a tacit understanding in their hearts: if someone from the Inner Domain were to come in the future, they must avoid wanton harsh treatment. What if it has something to do with the Blood Demon? Wouldn¡¯t that be like seeking your own death, just like Dai Yingying? At the same time, they were cursing Jiao Ming and Ping¡¯er in their hearts. Having entered the Inner Domain, they were not returning. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that these two were from the Spirit Sects, they would definitely close the Gate of Ling Domain, and let them stay in the Inner Domain indefinitely! After Xu Yan entered the Ling Domain, Li Xuan and his party returned to Canglan Island. Just after leaving the northern wilderness, Li Xuan saw the Daoist Golden Book open, and golden light poured out. ¡°Your disciple has annihilated a lesser heavenly man with a palm strike, increasing your combat experience!¡± Li Xuan:¡­ He just entered the Ling Domain and already killed a lesser heavenly man? Won¡¯t this cause any trouble? Li Xuan recalled how Xu Yan had entered the Inner Domain, and how he had started killing Grandmasters before long. The similarity of the situation worried him. ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to go around killing lesser heavenly men every now and then, is it?¡± Li Xuan suddenly felt a headache. ¡°Having cultivated the ¡®Dust with Light¡¯ technique, even if Refining God Heavenly Men chase him, he¡¯ll be able to escape. There¡¯s no big problem.¡± Xu Yan was no longer a rookie in the world of martial arts; his experience was quite rich. In addition, Xu Yan wasn¡¯t a stubborn person; if he can¡¯t win, he¡¯ll run away immediately. The group returned to Canglan Island. Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu both continued their cultivation, becoming more diligent in hopes of entering the Ling Domain earlier next time. And Mother Xu, this time, was determined and began to diligently cultivate. So as not to be a burden to her precious son. Now she was practicing an unheard-of two hours a day! Shi¡¯er and Zhou Ying were also working hard on their cultivation and had successively broken through to the Early Innate Stage and the Late Innate Stage, respectively. Xu Junhe¡¯s strength had also increased to the Late Innate Realm. Li Xuan also took some time to give him some pointers. Ling Domain, Yuzhou, Zheng Country. The biggest event in the entire Zheng Country was naturally the discovery of the Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s Tomb. Spirit Sects and noble families were sending their younger generations to enter the Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s Tomb to obtain treasures therein. Inside the Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s Tomb, apart from the Jade Jiao Tree and Dragon Eye Fruit, there must be other treasures, and there might even be the Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s lifetime hoard. As a member of the Spirit Beast Clan, the Azure Sky Jiao once roamed the Eighteen States, swallowing Refining God Heavenly Men, and was extremely powerful. It¡¯s rumored that it wanted to transform into a legendary True Dragon, but it seemed to have failed in the end and its whereabouts were unknown. No one knew where it had fallen. In the Lingyu Martial Way World, there had been rumors that the Azure Sky Jiao, had built a grand tomb for itself before its death. But it was always impossible to verify. Now that the Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s Tomb was discovered, all the major Spirit Sects and noble families in the Yuzhou Martial Way World were paying attention. Even the first Spirit Sect in Yuzhou, Yu Gods Sect, had sent its prodigies here. There were even rumors that the Spirit Beast Clan also intended to participate, but Yuzhou was not within the scope of the Spirit Beast Clan¡¯s influence. If they were to participate, it would be dangerous for them. For human clan martial artists, spirit beasts were also considered treasures. Chapter 392 For example, the storage bags are made using the Swallow Mountain Toads, which belong to the class of spiritual beasts. However, their ranks are mostly low and they multiply quickly. They are even fed and kept by Spirit Sects and prestigious families. This ensures a sufficient supply of storage bags. In Zheng Country, in front of the Black Cloud Swamp, numerous prodigies from Spirit Sects and prestigious families have congregated, each occupying a strategic position, waiting to enter the Blue Sky Serpent Tomb. Every martial artist who can come here is a prodigy under the age of thirty. Aside from a handful of teenagers, the weakest among the rest are all in the early stage of the Little Heavenly Man. Breaking through to the Martial Arts Heavenly Man¡¯s Spiritual Gathering state before the age of thirty makes one a prodigy in the Ling Domain. Unless something unexpected occurs, such individuals are all Great Heavenly Man martial artists in the future. However, not all prodigies can achieve the status of a Refining God Heavenly Man. The Black Cloud Swamp is densely covered in tiny black poisonous grass. As the wind rustles across it, the grass sways like drifting black clouds. The entire swamp is shrouded in black mist, and one can barely make out a large mountain standing in the center of the swamp. That¡¯s the Black Rock Mountain, made up entirely of black rock containing intense poison. It is rumored to have turned black from being permeated by toxic miasma over many years. The Blue Sky Serpent Tomb lies within the Black Rock Mountain. The toxic miasma of the Black Cloud Swamp is pervasive. Even for the Great Heavenly Man martial artist, staying for long periods of time is not feasible. The miasma corrodes the powers of martial artists so every second inside is a drain on their energy. The miasma is starting to thin out. According to records, the poisonous miasma of the Black Cloud Swamp disappears and reappears over a cycle of ten days each year. These ten days present an opportunity to enter the Blue Sky Serpent Tomb. Ever since the discovery of the Blue Sky Serpent Tomb, many have speculated that the formation of the Black Cloud Swamp was due to the manipulation left by the Blue Sky Serpent. According to records, the Blue Sky Serpent possesses immense strength and, inside its body, carries a venom sac. This powerful venom technique it has cultivated could even poison a Refining God Heavenly Man to death! It is indeed terrifying! Several figures drop from the sky, landing somewhere in Black Cloud Swamp. This spot is elevated ground, closer to the Black Cloud Swamp, and the poisonous miasma does not reach here. It¡¯s a strategically advantageous location. ¡°That¡¯s the people from the Dai Family.¡± Upon seeing the figures, some martial artists whispered amongst themselves. ¡°The Dai Family is going to rise to prominence. They might have the opportunity to become one of the top families in Yuzhou.¡± Someone exclaimed with a sigh. The Dai Family, among the second-tier noble families in Yuzhou, had a prodigy in this generation, Dai Yingying, who also had ties with the royal family of Zheng Country. This meant that the Dai Family had a glimmer of hope to align with the Transcendent Spirit Sect. The Zheng Royal Family, due to their duty to guard the Gate of Lingyu, directly followed orders from several Transcendent Spirit Sects. Even though their power in Yuzhou wasn¡¯t the strongest, none dare to offend them. Many second and third-tier noble houses and Spirit Sects wanted to marry into the Zheng Royal Family, but the royal family had high standards and wouldn¡¯t easily form marital alliances with other forces. Dai Yingying was born with a precious body that caused countless prodigies to envy her. The Zheng Royal Family also favored her, so the Dai Family successfully formed a marital alliance with them. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Yingying arrived yet?¡± Dai Jun looked around and asked with a frown. ¡°Our young miss said she was going to the lower echelons of the Inner Domain to capture some people to scout the path.¡± A servant next to him replied. ¡°The martial artists in the lower echelons have poor strength. What use is capturing them?¡± Dai Jun shook his head. ¡°Has that guy who vowed to kill Yingying been found yet?¡± ¡°His trail has been found, and he is currently being hunted down. He won¡¯t live much longer.¡± Upon hearing this, Dai Jun nodded. His gaze swept over the Black Cloud Swamp. Through the pervasive miasma, he could faintly see the high mountain. In front of the Black Cloud Swamp, there was a huge rock at a location closest to the swamp, yet untouched by the miasma. This was one of the best positions along the border of the swamp. None of the Spirit Sects and noble families present occupied this rock, as if conceding it belonged to a certain force. In the Ling Domain, hierarchy is rigid. Whenever there¡¯s a grand event, if it¡¯s known that a top-tier Spirit Sect or noble family is participating, lower- ranking forces will tacitly leave the positions appropriate to the upper-ranked attendees vacant. None would dare to occupy such spots just because they arrived early. Otherwise, they would inevitably invite trouble. This has become an unwritten rule in the Ling Domain. This is why this huge rock, despite its prime location and flat surface, was not occupied by any other force. Having learned about the Blue Sky Serpent Tomb from Dai Yingying, Xu Yan immediately decided to participate in exploring it, as it was a treasure spot he couldn¡¯t afford to miss. If all went well, he could quickly accumulate enough reosurces to break through to the Divine Intent state. The Ling Domain really is wealthy!¡± After checking Dai Yingying¡¯s storage bag, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The lowest grade spiritual medicine inside was six-class, with several four- class ones. As for the bottles and jars filled with medicine made from spiritual medicine, they seemed like a prodigious waste in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes, even though the spiritual medicines used were of a high grade. However, their effects were far inferior to the elixir pills he carried with him. It seemed like the Ling Domain also had something similar to Spirit Tickets, but they weren¡¯t issued by a single establishment, but by several. Xu Yan found three different kinds of Spirit Tickets in Dai Yingying¡¯s storage bag. There weren¡¯t many Spirit Tickets; they were vastly outnumbered by the Spirit Crystals. ¡°The Spirit Crystals from Ling Domain are significantly better than those from the Inner Domain. The amount of Spiritual Energy they contain is much higher.¡± Xu Yan clicked his tongue repeatedly in admiration. Just one of these Spirit Crystals was equivalent to the Spiritual Energy contained in five or six of the Inner Domain¡¯s Spirit Crystals. ¡°Carrying tens of thousands of Spirit Crystals on her person, she truly was a little rich girl. Too bad that she chose a path leading straight to her death. If she had been as generous as Miss Du, she might not have died.¡± Xu Yan shook his head. ¡°Up ahead is the Black Cloud Swamp.¡± From afar, he could see a large black expanse ahead, which must be the Black Cloud Swamp ¨C the location of the Green Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s tomb that Dai Yingying had spoken of. ¡°These poisonous miasmas are quite formidable.¡± Upon arriving at the Black Cloud Swamp, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue. Even with his current strength, spending a day and night inside would deplete more than half of his True Yuan energy. No wonder martial artists from the Ling Domain were all waiting for the miasma to dissipate before entering the Green Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s tomb. Xu Yan looked around. With the exception of a few young men and women, everyone else was nearly thirty years old and the weakest among them were at the initial stage of Minor Heavenly Man. The strongest among them was a young man wearing a blue robe, in the late stage of the Minor Heavenly Man realm. He was alone, occupying a prime spot. Upon seeing the unoccupied giant rock, Xu Yan immediately settled on it. This was the spot he wanted. As for the rules, Xu Yan wasn¡¯t aware of any. His understanding of the Ling Domain was limited, Dai Yingying had provided some introduction, but it was too brief. Moreover, she wouldn¡¯t have shared everything with him. As soon as Xu Yan arrived, it caught the attention of the on-site martial artists. Seeing that he had occupied the giant rock, they were all taken aback. ¡°Is he an extraordinary talent from a top Spirit Sect or a noble family?¡± ¡°Looking at his attire, I don¡¯t recall seeing such a noble family or Spirit Sect in Yuzhou.¡± ¡°Could he be a lone cultivator?¡± ¡°Nonsense, would a lone cultivator dare to occupy that spot?¡± The assembled martial artists couldn¡¯t help but voice their doubts. The noble families and Spirit Sects in the world of the Spiritual Realm Martial Arts each have their own clothing symbols, making it easy to identify where they come from. To the various forces in Yuzhou, the clothing symbols of each other are well- known. However, Xu Yan, despite his decent attire, wore no symbols of any Spirit Sect or noble family suggesting that he was a lone cultivator. At such a grand event, no promising talent from any force would fail to wear the garments of their own sect. There had been incidents of lone cultivators pretending to be members of noble houses or Spirit Sects, but those lone cultivators had been reduced to ashes. There were very few in Yuzhou who dared to impost as a member of a noble family or Spirit Sect. ¡°Perhaps he is from a force outside of Yuzhou?¡± Some martial artists voiced their suspicions. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it, he doesn¡¯t have any symbols of a noble family or Spirit Sect on him; he really does look like a lone cultivator.¡± ¡°Is there a possibility that he just didn¡¯t wear his own family¡¯s clothing?¡± ¡°Such a grand event, with many gathered households. Who wouldn¡¯t wear their family¡¯s clothing? First, it can intimidate smaller forces. Second, even if they were to die, others would know who they belonged to, allowing the strong ones from their forces to take revenge¡­¡± The other martial artists agreed upon hearing this. So, was this guy really a lone cultivator? Since when did Zheng Country produce such a brazen loner? For a moment, all the promising talents from the major forces showed their schadenfreude. The piece of boulder was assumed to be the Shen Family¡¯s spot, one of Yuzhou¡¯s top families. A lone cultivator daring to occupy the spot of a top-tier family? They must be tired of living. Moreover, this youngster¡¯s strength seems to be only at the Great Grandmaster stage? With such cultivation, daring to participate in the exploration of the Green Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s tomb was equivalent to seeking death, wasn¡¯t it? Chapter 393 Xu Yan was unaware of the rules of the Ling Domain. Seeing the giant stone unoccupied, he immediately claimed it for his own. For him, the rule of ¡®first come, first serve1 applied. He arrived first, thus this place was his. As for rules? Those are for the weak to heed. Though he might not be very powerful in the Ling Domain, none of those present in the Black Cloud Swamp could match him. He was the most powerful one here, hence seizing this prime spot was perfectly reasonable! Looking at the poisonous fog swirling around the Black Cloud Swamp, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but ponder. ¡°I have the Detoxification Pills and Protective Pills made by my junior sister, Su Lingxiu. They should be able to resist this poisonous mist. Should I step into the Azure-Sky Flood Dragon Tomb ahead of time?¡± This poison fog seemed intense, capable of corroding True Yuan. Inside the poisonous fog, one had to constantly expend True Yuan to resist it, unable to stay too long. Besides, if danger strikes amidst the poisonous fog, it would be too hectic to manage both the poison and the danger, rendering it impossible to fully utilize one¡¯s strength. This was why all the major forces were waiting for the poisonous fog to dissipate before entering the Azure-Sky Flood Dragon Tomb. But Xu Yan had Su Lingxiu¡¯s Detoxification Pills and Protective Pills. He could resist the poisonous fog without consuming True Yuan, and could go all out in case of a danger. ¡°I mustn¡¯t be reckless, having just entered the Ling Domain. I am yet to understand the threats these valuable lands may hold. It¡¯s better to wait,¡± Xu Yan mulled it over and gave up his plan to enter the Azure-Sky Flood Dragon Tomb ahead of time. He looked towards the prodigies from various major forces within the Ling Domain. Almost every one of them was accompanied by several peak-level Great Grandmasters. The faces of these martial artists were pale. A desperate look. If his guess was correct, these were martial artists that Dai Yingying had mentioned, sent to probe the way ahead. ¡°The Azure-Sky Flood Dragon Tomb must possess some dangers, the deadliest of which should be the poisonous fog, hence why people are sent to probe the way ahead. ¡°By joining these people, I can avoid unnecessary troubles. After all, no one here can overtake me!¡± After contemplating, Xu Yan sat down on the giant stone and continued to comprehend martial arts. It wasn¡¯t that he was overconfident, but even if everyone present joined forces, they would not be able to do anything to him! A day later. The toxic fog of the Black Cloud Swamp had faded somewhat more. In another three to five days, the poisonous fog would temporarily disperse. It would then be the right time to enter the Azure-Sky Flood Dragon Tomb. Two figures flew in. The leading person was a round-faced, slightly chubby young man, and the other was his attendant. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Great geniuses from various forces in the Black Cloud Swamp immediately perked up and looked towards Xu Yan, who was sitting cross-legged on the stone. They revealed their gloating expressions. Many looked at him as if he was a dead man. Shen Haizhou from the premier family Shen Family of Yuzhou, the rising genius who came to the Azure-Sky Flood Dragon Tomb this time! The giant stone was supposed to be the Shen Family¡¯s reserved spot! With his servant, Shen Haizhou arrogantly approached. In the entire Black Cloud Swamp, no force except the Jade God Sect could rival Shen Family! Here, he was above everyone else. Flying towards the spot that everyone assumed belonged to the Shen family, he abruptly paused. Someone was sitting cross-legged on the giant stone. ¡°Who is this person from a Spirit Sect or noble family? Is he stronger than my Shen Family?¡± Shen Haizhou was stunned. He dared to occupy the spot that initially belonged to him. The forces the person belonged to must definitely be stronger than Shen Family. Otherwise, this person was breaking the rules, lacking respect! However, the young man on the giant stone seemed to be a loose cultivator, and his strength didn¡¯t seem impressive. His eyebrows furrowed and a displeased look crept onto his face. A mere loose cultivator dared to occupy a spot originally designated to a premier family? This was a death wish! ¡°Does a loose cultivator have such audacity?¡± Shen Haizhou¡¯s cautious nature kept him from suppressing it with force right away. ¡°Young Master, let me kill him. He dares to tarnish the perfect spot of young master!¡± The attendant beside him said angrily. ¡°Expel him first. No need to kill,¡± Shen Haizhou considered for a moment before giving his instructions. ¡°Youngmaster¡­ Yes, sir!¡± The attendant wanted to say something, but recalling his young master¡¯s cautious nature, he decided to obey the command. The two descended from the sky and landed on the giant stone. Xu Yan, engrossed in comprehending martial arts, frowned. ¡°There¡¯s someone already here!¡± ¡°Kid, this place belongs to my Shen Family. You¡¯ve broken the rules. Get lost and find another place,¡± the Shen Family attendant said in a cold voice. At the same time, his aura surged, exerting the pressure of a celestial martial artist on him. A mid-stage martial artist of the Celestial Man realm! Xu Yan lifted his head to look at the counterpart and said coldly, ¡°Is the Shen Family¡¯s name carved here? In a place free of ownership, the rule of ¡®first come, first serve¡¯ applies. I came first, so this place is naturally mine! ¡°Those who do not want to die, leave now! Otherwise, don¡¯t blame me for not being merciful!¡± As the opponent intended to oppress him with an aura, Xu Yan naturally wouldn¡¯t hold back either. The Shen Family attendant was immediately infuriated. He looked at Xu Yan¡¯s attire, definitely a loose cultivator, and yet so arrogant. If they didn¡¯t suppress him severely, where would the dignity of the Shen Family, a premier family, stand? ¡°Young man, dare to challenge the power of premier families, do you know your place? Die!¡± The concept of expulsion and caution were long thrown out of the attendant¡¯s mind. He raised his hand and lashed out. A claw imprint came crashing down, aiming for Xu Yan. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes turned cold. These martial artists of the Ling Domain were truly arrogant and rampant. He also realized that in the Ling Domain, where strict hierarchies prevailed, noble families and Spirit Sects looked down on loose cultivators. It was clear how difficult it was for loose cultivators and other bottom-level martial artists in the Ling Domain. ¡°If you¡¯re seeking death, I¡¯ll grant it!¡± Since this man was trying to kill him, Xu Yan would make no considerations for the forces behind his opponent. Chapter 394 Sitting cross-legged on the boulder, Xu Yan didn¡¯t even bother to stand, he was too contemptuous to even draw his sword, and with a raise of his hand, he attacked! Boom! The Mountain and River Sword Intent carried with it the Sudden Wind Sword Intent and so it cleaved. As Shen Haizhou and another landed on the boulder, all glory-ridden forces, including the youngster from the Jade Spirit Sect, turned towards them. In their eyes, Xu Yan was doomed. He was sure to be suppressed and killed with a thunderous method, demonstrating the power of the first-class Shen Family. ¡°There are always some self-important, incredibly arrogant Loose Cultivators who seek their own death!¡± Dai Jun shook his head. For instance, the Heavenly Man Loose Cultivator who, not long ago, threatened to kill his sister, Dai Yingying, considered his own power strong enough to challenge the Dai Family. What awaits him is the wrath of the Dai Family¡¯s thunderstorm! He is surely doomed to die! The young man in front of him was no different. Perhaps fresh out of training, feeling strong enough, he was so arrogant, thinking he could ignore the families of this world and the Spirit Sects. Such matters occur almost every day in Yuzhou, and without exception, all end in death! Just as expected, Shen Haizhou couldn¡¯t be bothered to act himself but let his follower do the work instead. On the boulder, as Xu Yan raised his hand for an attack, the face of Shen Haizhou¡¯s follower changed drastically. With a low growl, a yellow light emerged from his body. However, suddenly, he only felt a pain in his consciousness, and his vision went dark. His strength leaked out suddenly, and a terrifying force struck him. Death had arrived! Squelch! Shen¡¯s follower didn¡¯t even have the time to cry out pitifully as his body shattered, turned into ashes, and was dispersed by the wind! Gulp! Dai Jun, the closest one, swallowed nervously, his face turning pale in shock. Dead?! Moreover, not a trace of his body was left behind! At the edge of the Black Cloud Marsh, all the lofty geniuses were horrified, looking at the boy who quietly sat cross-legged on the boulder. Throughout he never stood up. With a casual wave of his hand, he killed Shen¡¯s follower! That was a martial artist in the mid-stage of the Lesser Heavenly Man realm. Even if his strength was slightly weak, he was still a Lesser Heavenly Man martial artist! What shocked the heavenly prodigies was not the strength of Shen¡¯s follower, but the boy who dared to kill the Shen family¡¯s follower. Right in front of Shen Haizhou, the young master of the Shen family! The Shen family was a top-ranking family in Yuzhou, with no less than three Refining God Heavenly Men stationed there! Not to mention a solitary cultivator, even second-rate families and Spirit Sects wouldn¡¯t dare to kill a Shen family follower over a minor conflict, especially in front of the young master of the Shen family. ¡°This is a direct challenge to the Shen family¡¯s dignity!¡± Many people thought to themselves. At the moment Xu Yan made his move, Shen Haizhou¡¯s face suddenly changed. By the time he was retreating to the edge of the boulder, his follower was already dead! He didn¡¯t even leave ashes behind! As Xu Yan¡¯s indifferent gaze landed on him, Shen Haizhou had a sudden sense of impending death. Although, the strength of his follower is not up to par with his. However, the opponent had killed him with a casual swipe of his hand; killing him wouldn¡¯t take much more time. ¡°Calm down, calm down, brother, you have to be calm, don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± Shen Haizhou hurriedly blurted out. A forced smile more painful than a tear was squeezed out of his plump round face. ¡°He was your man?¡± Xu Yan responded coldly. ¡°Actually, I barely know him. I recruited him as a follower halfway through our journey. Who knew that he would try to please me and commit such an outrageous act? He deserved to die, but it has nothing to do with me!¡± Shen Haizhou hurriedly tried to clear his name. Dai Jun and all other power-conceited talents watched Shen Haizhou with their mouths agape, their faces suddenly flushed. This outstanding representative of the Shen family was such a serious disgrace to the families of the world! He was scared so thoroughly! Xu Yan lifted his hand and said, ¡°But he was your follower, wasn¡¯t he? He disturbed my peaceful cultivation, there should be some explanation, right?¡± Shen Haizhou¡¯s face turned pale, he was trembling with fear. He wiped the cold sweat off his face and hurriedly waved his hands, ¡°Brother, you must stay calm, do stay calm. It was my follower¡¯s fault, I will certainly give you an answer. I, Shen Haizhou, am always kind to others and I never oppress Loose Cultivators. ¡°I will compensate you, I will compensate you, what do you think, brother?¡± Other talents, including Dai Jun, felt that Shen Haizhou had lost their face. It was shameful to be associated with him. Scared of a loose cultivator? ¡°Compensation? How do you intend to compensate?¡± Looking at Shen Haizhou, who was both submissively kneeling and flustered, devoid of the arrogance and wildness of the aristocratic young master, who was so pragmatic and willing to compensate¡ªwithout showing any hostility just now¡ªXu Yan was momentarily at a loss for words and did not feel the urge to kill. ¡°How about a bottle of my Shen family¡¯s Mind Gathering Pills?¡± Shen Haizhou carefully suggested. All the talents took a sharp breath. Shen family¡¯s Mind Gathering Pills are well- known in Yuzhou. They are not easy to make, and a bottle of Mind Gathering Pills is not cheap. Let alone a bottle, countless Loose Cultivators would consider it a great honor to obtain just one or two Mind Gathering Pills in their lifetime. Dai Jun couldn¡¯t help himself any longer, he said, ¡°Mind Gathering Pills aren¡¯t easy to get. The Shen family has Refining God Heavenly Men, you really have to think about it.¡± Shen Haizhou was such a disgrace. Xu Yan smiled indifferently, disdainful, ¡°Mind Gathering Pills, what a piece of junk, it just wastes spiritual medicine. This compensation is not acceptable!¡± Then he turned his head to look at Dai Jun, giving a cold smile, ¡°Refining God Heavenly Man, who would they scare? You don¡¯t have a say in this, let your Refining God Heavenly Man come!¡± His tone was indescribably arrogant. The talents, including Dai Jun, were taken aback. He¡¯s not afraid of a Refining God Heavenly Man? A person his age has such a strong power, can a Loose Cultivator have such strength at this young age? And he¡¯s not afraid of a Refining God Heavenly Man at all. Could it be that he¡¯s from a top-ranking Spirit Sect? Not wearing any Sect attire, does he disdain them? Chapter 395 Thinking of this possibility, Dai Jun hastily shut up. Xu Yan smiled blandly. He knew his advantages ¨C youth and massive strength. These people couldn¡¯t find out his Loose Cultivator identity so quickly. They would naturally suspect that he came from a great power, because at this time, one needed to be dominant and wild! ¡°Hand over the storage bag!¡± Xu Yan said, directing this to Shen Haizhou. This was the pride of a powerful family, undoubtedly very wealthy. ¡°Brother, this storage bag¡­I¡­ alright brother, here you go!¡± Shen Haizhou, with an indecisive face, saw Xu Yan¡¯s expression darken. He hastily handed over the storage bag. ¡°What, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not convinced?¡± Xu Yan took the storage bag and slipped it into his sleeve casually. With raised eyebrows, he remarked at Shen Haizhou, who wore an extremely indecisive look. ¡°I am, I am, don¡¯t misunderstand brother!¡± Shen Haizhou put on a hasty smile, not daring to delay any longer. He scrambled away from the boulder. He immediately arrived at the spot occupied by Dai Jun. ¡°Scram, this place belongs to me!¡± Shen Haizhou said in a cold, stern voice. What the heck! Dai Jun was so angry his face turned green. This coward, actually daring to bully him? ¡°Young Master Shen, this spot was given to Dai family¡­¡± Shen Haizhou¡¯s face darkened as he exhibited the manner of a noble young master. He angrily yelled, ¡°Your Dai family is just a second-rate family, where do you get the guts to show off in front of my Shen family?¡± ¡°Do you even have a sense of hierarchy in your eyes anymore? What, do you think my Shen family¡¯s ancestor isn¡¯t imposing enough?¡± What the hell!! Dai Jun was so furious he almost exploded. You, Shen Haizhou, why didn¡¯t you show off your power earlier? The other scions of powerful forces were also dumbfounded. So, he is a bully who preys on the weak, huh? ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go!¡± Dai Jun left, his face dark and teeth clenched in anger. A second-rate family naturally wouldn¡¯t dare to offend a first-rate family. Even if the Dai family was allied to the Zheng Royal family, they wouldn¡¯t dare to provoke the Shen family at this point! After all, the Shen family was a long-established first-rate family in Yuzhou, its foundation far surpassing that of any ordinary first-rate family. Dai Jun left with his attendant. But Shen Haizhou reached out and grabbed one attendant by the shoulder, ¡°Hand over your storage bag!¡± He had lost his own storage bag. If he made a discovery in the Qingtian Jiao Tomb, what would he carry it in? The attendant from the Dai family turned green at this demand. Without any further explanation, Shen Haizhou simply took the storage bag and stuffed it into his own clothing. ¡°Shen Haizhou, you¡¯re going too far!¡± Dai Jun was so furious his eyes turned red. Shen Haizhou¡¯s plump face revealed a look of arrogance as he coldly said, ¡°What, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not convinced?¡± What the hell! Dai Jun was close to exploding with rage. He glared at Shen Haizhou with gritted teeth but ultimately didn¡¯t dare to make a move. Moreover, he might not even be Shen Haizhou¡¯s match! ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He left with his attendant. The talents of the Black Cloud Swamp were staring at Shen Haizhou with their mouths agape. This jerk, where was the demeanor of a major family¡¯s young master? One moment he was submissive and didn¡¯t dare to show off his power, the next he was bullying Dai Jun! Xu Yan watched Shen Haizhou bully Dai Jun. He was taken aback and also realized the importance of status and hierarchy in the Ling Domain. Shen¡¯s family was a first-rate one, while the Dai family had many members. If a fight started, Shen Haizhou might not benefit. Even if he fought back, unless he forced a complete break and provoked a life-or-death confrontation, Shen Haizhou wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about him occupying the place. And yet, Dai Jun had to give the place up reluctantly. This revealed the strict pecking order of the Ling Domain. Unless it became a matter of life and death, the hierarchy rules would be adhered to in public.. Chapter 396 Seeing Xu Yan¡¯s gaze turn towards him, Shen Haizhou hurriedly put on a smile. ¡°This bastard Dai Jun, he actually dared to threaten you, my brother, using the prestige of our family¡¯s Refining God Ancestor. It¡¯s simply outrageous.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just stand by and watch. I must teach him a lesson.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s mouth twitched at the corner and he turned his head to continue studying martial arts. After this incident, all the prodigies in the Black Marsh Swamp started to secretly observe Xu Yan, this mysterious youth. His power was unquestionable, he was very strong. Guessing, was he the prodigy of a powerful Spirit Sect or just a Loose Cultivator? It¡¯s not that Loose Cultivators don¡¯t have prodigies. However, in Yuzhou it was unheard of for such a young prodigy to emerge. Could it be that he is a prodigy who is a loose cultivator from another state? Such a prodigious Loose Cultivator was usually sought after by powerful forces. Apart from a small number of very proud Loose Cultivators, most would join the powerful forces based on their talent. After all, it¡¯s good to lean on a big tree for shade. And then they would be able to jump from the bottom martial artist rank and achieve a rise in status in one fell swoop. The prodigies present began to suspect whether Xu Yan was one of these prodigies. Because of his outstanding talent, he was recruited by a powerful force. Only that, there was still some pride in his bones, which might be why even in such a grand event, he didn¡¯t wear the signifying clothes of his sect. Otherwise, even the proudest Loose Cultivator would not dare to be fearless in the face of the might of a first-class family¡¯s Refining God Heavenly Man. Shen Haizhou sat on the ground, looking at Xu Yan on the boulder with a face full of unease and conflict, occasionally showing a pain in his heart. The loss this time was quite big! His treasures, accumulated over a long period of time, were all gone! With Shen Haizhou¡¯s retreat, the tumult ended and he occupied Dai Jun¡¯s spot. The other prodigies of powerful forces felt Shen Haizhou was humiliated, but after all, it was not their faces that were lost. Moreover, Xu Yan was powerful and seemed to be a top-tier Spirit Sect disciple. Therefore, until it was confirmed that he was indeed a Loose Cultivator, none of the prodigies would take rash action. Dai Jun watched Shen Haizhou with a dark face, gnashing his teeth, secretly vowing to reclaim this spot once his Dai Family established a relationship with the Transcendent Spirit Sect. Then he thought of his sister, how come she hasn¡¯t arrived yet? The entrance Wuhan Mausoleum is only three to five days away. ¡°Could it be, they have given up on entering the Wuhan Mausoleum?¡± Dai Jun wondered. Three days later, the toxic miasma in the Black Cloud Swamp became fainter, and the Black Rock Mountain in the center of the marsh became clearly visible. Everyone was shaken and prepared to enter Wuhan Mausoleum and compete for the treasures inside. Xu Yan finished studying martial arts and furrowed his brows slightly. Shen Haizhou kept looking at him, his face was full of conflict and pain. Something told him he had suffered a great loss. ¡°Did his storage pouch contain rare treasures?¡± Xu Yan thought. He was overjoyed and immediately took out Shen Haizhou¡¯s storage pouch. When he opened it and looked inside, he couldn¡¯t help feeling surprised. True to his status as the young master of a first-class family, he probably had over a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals. There were several stacks of something that looked like Spirit Bills. There were dozens of five-rank Spiritual Medicine plants, hundreds of six-rank ones. Four-rank Spiritual Medicine plants were also gained, alongside numerous bottles and jars. In two of the jars were what should be the Gathering Spirit Pills he mentioned. Seeing these bottles and jars, Xu Yan felt a pain. How many Spiritual Medicine plants had been wasted! Besides, in the storage bag there was also a long knife, a set of armor, both of high quality, which seemed to have exceeded the rank of treasures. What specially drew Xu Yan¡¯s attention, was a purple wooden box inside. It seemed the item inside was particularly precious. Xu Yan¡¯s spirits lifted. Was this the item that caused Shen Haizhou to feel pain? He couldn¡¯t help but grow curious. He took out the purple box. The purple wooden box, made of some unknown wood, had a faint, delicate fragrance, and was carved with pictures of two seductive dancing women. He lifted the lid of the box slightly and was taken aback. The first thing he saw were purple, pink, white, semi-transparent¡­ female intimate clothing? His face gradually grew strange. He opened the box fully and moved aside the colorful little clothes, and underneath, he found booklets and scrolls of pictures. He picked up a booklet and opened it. What he saw was a picture of a man and a woman closely entwined together, each moment described next to it. He put it down and picked up another one. Xu Yan¡¯s expression became even stranger. The booklets were all erotic literature with accompanying pictures. He unrolled a scroll, and there were pictures of naked women, elegantly beautiful, with every hair meticulously detailed. Each scroll depicted several different women in an array of postures. He opened another scroll, and once again there were pictures of women in all manners of poses. Every woman was beautiful and enchanting, some were charming, some were adorable, some were innocent¡­ Xu Yan¡¯s face looked strange. He did not continue to look further, but closed the box and look towards Shen Haizhou, who had a pained and conflicted expression. Xu Yan fell into contemplation. What pained him was probably not the Spirit Crystals or the Spiritual Medicines, but the items in this box! Seeing Xu Yan look over, Shen Haizhou hastily put on a smile. His slightly chubby face made as much effort as possible to look honest. Xu Yan lifted the wood box and said, ¡°What on earth is in here?¡± Feigning to throw it into the Black Cloud Swamp, Shen Haizhou was instantly alarmed, springing up and saying, ¡°Brother, wait, wait! These are my treasures!¡± Ignoring the danger, he hurriedly approached the huge rock, rubbing his hands and putting on an obsequious smile and said, ¡°Brother, if you don¡¯t want it, give it back to me. It took me a lot of time to get these things..¡± Chapter 397 ¡°Very important?¡± Xu Yan raised his eyebrows questioningly. ¡°Yes, very important!¡± Shen Haizhou hastily nodded. ¡°But this is what you¡¯ve compensated me with, it belongs to me now¡­¡± Xu Yan calmly stated. ¡°I¡¯ll buy, I¡¯ll buy!¡± Shen Haizhou quickly interjected. An amusement flickered across Xu Yan¡¯s face. ¡°How much do you think it¡¯s worth then?¡± This put Shen Haizhou in a tough spot. If he offered too low a ransom, it would feel like insulting his own collection. Wouldn¡¯t it also be considered an insult by the other party? If he offered too high, it would invariably sting. After a moment¡¯s thought, he gritted his teeth and held up one finger. ¡°Deal, a million Spirit Crystals then!¡± Xu Yan immediately agreed. ¡°No, not that, I meant¡­¡± Shen Haizhou was dumbstruck. I meant ten thousand Spirit Crystals, you just blurted out a million Spirit Crystals? Could this thing really be that valuable in your eyes? ¡°What, you didn¡¯t mean one million Spirit Crystals? If this thing isn¡¯t worth a million Spirit Crystals, then what¡¯s the use of having it? Do I look like I am short of Spirit Crystals?¡± Xu Yan frowned, sounding displeased. ¡°It is, it is!¡± Shen Haizhou gritted his teeth. After all, he was the eldest son of the distinguished Shen family. A mere million Spirit Crystals was nothing much. Moreover, he had put a lot of effort into collecting these treasures. If they were destroyed, he didn¡¯t know how much time and effort it would take to collect them again. Xu Yan patted the box, a smile playing on his lips. ¡°Then hand over the money.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have that many Spirit Crystals right now.¡± Shen Haizhou¡¯s face was a picture of embarrassment. ¡°Then I guess I should just throw it away.¡± Xu Yan motioned as if he was about to throw the box into the Black Cloud Swamp. ¡°I have money, I have money, just give me a moment.¡± Shen Haizhou quickly spoke up again. Then, he rushed over to Dai Jun. ¡°Lend me a million Spirit Crystals.¡± Dai Jun turned green, fuming in rage, ¡°No, I¡¯m not lending!¡± ¡°Hmph, lending to you is a privilege. It¡¯s an honor for a second-rate family like yours to lend money to a first-rate family like mine. Do you, Dai Jun, want to give up the honor of the Dai family?¡± Shen Haizhou arrogantly retorted. Dai Jun was so angry that he felt like he was about to explode. He gritted his teeth: ¡°No. Not lending!¡± With Shen Haizhou¡¯ s attitude, would he even pay back the money if he borrowed it? Shen Haizhou sneered, ¡°You, Dai Jun, dare disrespect my family¡¯s Refining God Heavenly Man, that is a grave disrespect. You, a second-rate family member, how could you dare talk about my first-tier family¡¯s Refining God Heavenly Man and defy our norms!¡± ¡± If you refuse to lend, get ready to bear the crime of disrespecting the Refining God Heavenly Man of a first-tier family!¡± Dai Jun glared angrily at Shen Haizhou, gritting his teeth: ¡°Shen Haizhou, don¡¯t push your luck. When have I ever disrespected the Refining God Heavenly Man? Your behavior is what is truly staining your family¡¯s reputation!¡± ¡°Enough talk! Either lend me the money or I¡¯ll go to the royal family of Zheng country and tell them how the Dai family disregards the social order, despises top-tier families, acts arrogantly, and assembles followers to bully Seahouse Zhou¡­¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll lend it!¡± Dai Jun¡¯s face changed repeatedly, gritting his teeth and finally saying. This Shen Haizhou, he really is shameless! He was really afraid that Shen Haizhou would stir up trouble, causing changes in marriage alliance negotiations between his Dai family and the royal family of the Zheng country. Dai Jun, gritting his teeth, took out all the Spirit Crystals and Spirit Tickets carried by both his followers and himself. He could only barely make up one million Spirit Crystals. ¡°Write a promissory note!¡± Dai Jun demanded with a stony face. ¡°Are you degrading me, Shen Haizhou? I¡¯m the eldest son of a first-tier family. I am a person of my word. By questioning me, you¡¯re questioning the Shen Family¡¯s reputation. Who gave you such audacity?¡± Yet Shen Haizhou jumped to his feet, shouting angrily at him. Damn it! Dai Jun was seething so much he wanted to tear Shen Haizhou into pieces. Shen Haizhou returned cheerily, trading back his precious collections from Xu Yan¡¯s hands. As for the one million Spirit Crystals? It wasn¡¯t his money, so he wasn¡¯t hurt at all. As for the matter of repaying, he put it out of his mind. Did he, the esteemed eldest son of a first-tier family, ever default on a debt without proof? He must be getting tired of his life! With the dissipation of the poisonous miasma of the Black Cloud Swamp, Black Rock Mountain became clearly visible. Standing in the center of the swamp, the massive black mountain seemed as if it was built from ink. ¡°Go!¡± The arrogants from all forces ordered the Martial Artists searching the pathway to advance to Black Rock Mountain. It was in anticipation when all the trail-blazing Martial Artists reached Black Rock Mountain safely, without any mishap, then everyone followed, soaring through the sky and flying toward Black Rock Mountain. Xu Yan proceeded, leisurely and steadily, neither the first nor the last. Black Rock Mountain was as black as ink, a more prominent chunk of boulder was at its waist. ¡°Open the tomb entrance.¡± An arrogant commanded. The pathfinding Martial Artists took out their weapons and exploded with momentum, attacking the protruding black stone. Boom! Shattered stones flew all over, a layer of black dust billowing in the air. Some of those shattered stones shot towards two of the pathfinding Martial Artists, who promptly blocked the flying shards. At first, they paid no mind, assuming that the force behind flying shards was limited and could be easily repelled. However, with a sizzling sound, the broken stones seemed to corrode their powers, closing in instantly. They were caught off guard, and there wasn¡¯t enough time to dodge. Boom! They released all their strength in an attempt to form a defense. Sizzle! Yet, the shards were akin to red hot irons thrust into grease, instantly piercing the defense and hitting their bodies. ¡°Ah!¡± Piercing screams echoed as both Martial Artists dropped to the ground. ¡°Help me!¡± The locations on their bodies shot by the shards were pitch black and rapidly spreading. What was even more terrifying was that after falling to the ground, a sizzling sound was heard. Their clothes were getting corroded; and soon, their skin was exposed. Upon contact with the black stone, their entire backs turned black instantly and continued to spread throughout their bodies. Within just a dozen breaths, the two Martial Artists had turned into a black- charred state, their breathes faint, unable to utter a word. ¡°Black RockMountain is lethal all together, be careful not to touch it.¡± A chill filled the hearts of the arrogants. The trail-blazing Martial Artists have now become very cautious, dealing with the flying shards diligently. One misstep, and the same fate would befall on them as the two Martial Artists. Shattered stones whirled around, black dust filling the air. With a loud explosion! The boulder disappeared, revealing a circular entrance. The gaping circular entrance of about the height of a man, appeared as though it was used by a gigantic snake. The arrogants were delighted, this seemed to be the tomb of Qing Tianjiao indeed. ¡°Enter!¡± The pathfinding Martial Artists, one after the other, leapt off the ground to avoid touching the walls and headed into the cave. The arrogants followed suit, carefully entering one by one. ¡°Brother, after you!¡± Shen Haizhou said, grinning. ¡°You first.¡± Xu Yan was not in a rush and replied. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Shen Haizhou stepped into the entrance and Xu Yan entered last. As they delved deeper, the cave grew as dark as ink, and even the Martial Artists could only proceed relying on their senses. One of the men at the front of the pathfinding group took out a Luminous Pearl. A hint of light flickered in the darkness. Continuing ahead, the man at the front holding the Luminous Pearl suddenly collapsed.a plop! Those following behind were taken aback. Under the illumination of the Luminous Pearl, the fallen man was seen lifeless, his face pale. Unknown to them, he had unknowingly been poisoned. ¡°We can¡¯t use the Luminous Pearl, it provokes the poison!¡± The third Martial Artist whispered with a sinking voice. He looked terrified. Through the light emitted from the Luminous Pearl, he saw strands of a black substance that seemed to follow the light and rush into the man¡¯s body. ¡°Keep moving!¡± A heavenly man behind them commanded in a heavy voice. The exploratory Martial Artists continued to move forward, leaving behind a single pitch-black corpse. The cave was drenched in darkness, and nobody dared to use the Luminous Pearl to light the way. They relied only on the Martial Artists¡¯ extraordinary vision and acute senses to keep moving forward one step at a time. Xu Yan was at the very end. He had taken the Detoxification Pill, had an Antipoison Pill in his mouth, and after a quick assessment, he concluded that these toxins, albeit fierce, could still countered by the Detoxification Pill and the Antipoison Pill. With this in mind, he felt reassured. A snake about the length of a man, crystal-clear as jade, with a small bump on its head, crawled to the bottom of Black Rock Mountain and came to the entrance of the cave. A pair of eyes emitted a coldness. With the hissing of its tongue, it murmured softly, ¡°This belongs to me, nobody can covet it. I am the descendant of Qing Tianjiao, I have the blood lineage of Jiao. ¡°Once I obtain the body of the Jiao dragon within, my blood lineage will purify further, and I will be able to break through to the fifth level!¡± The crystal-clear snake moved towards the cave, and as it entered the pitch- black cave, the initial jade-like body gradually darkened, turning black, and disappeared into the darkness. Chapter 398 The path within the cave was dark, narrow and long. The deeper they went, the more a sense of pressure built up. Everyone was on high alert, quietly channeling their power within to protect themselves, ready for any sudden crisis that might occur. The path tilted downward. By estimation, they seemed to have reached the swampy area now. Suddenly, a dim light appeared ahead. A wave of relief swept over the group, especially the lead martial artist. Invigorated, they quickened their pace. The light got brighter as they emerged from the passage and entered a tomb decorated like a starlit sky. ¡°Moonlight stones, so many moonlight stones!¡± ¡°Legend has it that the Sky Azure Dragon is fond of moonlight stones. This place could really be its tomb!¡± Many young prodigies were getting excited. The moonlight stone, which the light resembled moonlight, is one of the lighting items used in the Ling Domain. Although moonlight stones are produced in the Azure Sea of Yuzhou, they are rare in Yuzhou. Therefore, few people in Yuzhou use moonlight stones. As soon as Xu Yan entered the tomb, he heightened his alert. Subtly, within a ten-foot radius around him, a Sword Intent was already in place. The Sword Intent blended into the surroundings of the tomb, making it difficult for others to detect. Around him, a tiny wind circled, the Sudden Wind Sword Intent was also deployed. In the center of the massive tomb, there lay a gigantic dragon. In front of the dragon was a shrub approximately half a foot tall, with branches spiraling like a dragon and leaves of emerald green. The Azure Dragon Tree! On both sides of the sleeping dragon, a thin layer of brown vines grew, on which small fruits were grown. The Dragon Eye Fruit! ¡± It¡¯ s the Azure Dragon Tree!¡± The young prodigies¡¯ eyes sparkled. ¡°Dragon Eye Fruit!¡± Sure enough, this was the tomb of the Sky Azure Dragon, otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be an Azure Dragon Tree and Dragon Eye Fruits. These were tier- three and tier-two spiritual medicines in Ling Domain. Though not the rarest, their scarcity contributed to their value. The Azure Dragon Tree was rumored to strengthen the body. Even a mature martial artist could double their physical strength with it. And the Dragon Eye Fruit could fortify a divine soul, making the divine soul even more resilient. Once one breaks through to become a Refining God Heavenly Man, the condensed divine soul would be even stronger. There were also rumors that the Dragon Eye Fruit could increase the success rate of breaking through to become a Refining God Heavenly Man. Exactly for these reasons, and because these things were of no use to a Refining God Heavenly Man, it was agreed to let the young prodigies of different factions explore this place and compete with each other. The quantity of the Dragon Eye Fruit was considerable, but there was only one Azure Dragon Tree. For a while, the atmosphere became tense among the prodigies. Xu Yan appeared calm. He didn¡¯t rush to collect the spiritual medicines. He was simply being cautious. Even if he was the most powerful one here, he preferred to let others explore first. Gazing at the giant dragon, he realized that it looked like the coffin of the Sky Azure Dragon. However, the shape of the dragon was not perfect and bore some differences from the true form of a True Dragon. Of course, he had never seen a real True Dragon before, it was just a feeling because this dragon didn¡¯t have the sense of majesty that a True Dragon should have. His Descending Dragon Palm had already grasped the meaning of a dragon¡¯s majesty. All of a sudden, Xu Yan¡¯s gaze solidified. He stared at the entrance of the tomb. Just now, something seemed to have entered! Because it hadn¡¯t entered his Sword Intent¡¯s range, he didn¡¯t know exactly what it was. ¡°What a powerful stealth technique.¡± Xu Yan grew cautious, his Sword Intent expanded a bit. ¡°The Azure Dragon Tree is mine, and I want three Dragon Eye Fruits.¡± The young man from the Jade Spirit Sect declared indifferently. His eyes landed on Shen Haizhou and then shifted to Xu Yan. ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections.¡± Shen Haizhou replied nonchalantly. The rest of the prodigies remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement. The Jade Spirit Sect, Yuzhou¡¯s number one Spirit Sect, had both the background and the strength to make such a claim. ¡°You, go dig up the Azure Dragon Tree.¡± The young man instructed a martial artist. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Although the martial artist was not directly under the young man¡¯s command, he dared not to disobey. Such was the prestige of Yuzhou¡¯s number one Spirit Sect. He approached cautiously, no abnormality or danger appeared, and he sighed with relief, preparing to dig up the Azure Dragon Tree. Suddenly, Xu Yan¡¯s face tensed, but he didn¡¯t speak or act. Swish! In a corner of the tomb, there seemed to be a flash of sword light, and in an instant, it breezed by the martial artist who was digging up the Azure Dragon Tree! Thud! The martial artist dropped dead! ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°Who did that?¡± The young prodigies all changed their expression sceptically. Boom! The atmosphere swelled, weapons at hand, alert towards all directions, each of them keeping their distance from each other. The young man from the Jade Spirit Sect had a gloomy look on his face, a faint silver light circulating around him, a long, narrow knife in his hand emitting a cold light. ¡± Who attacked? Is this a provocation to my Jade Spirit Sect?¡± The light was too swift, it disappeared in a blink. Everyone had relaxed their guard before and didn¡¯t notice what the light was. It seemed like a sword light? ¡°Do you care to explain?¡± The Jade Spirit Sect¡¯s young man looked at Xu Yan ominously. Among the crowd, the only ones with this kind of strength were him, Xu Yan, and Shen Haizhou, and Xu Yan was the only one who practiced Sword Dao. He was the most suspicious. Xu Yan looked at him coldly, his eyes fell on his long knife, thoughtfully, ¡°So this is the spiritual artifact unique to Ling Domain? Indeed, it is much stronger than precious artifacts.¡± Chapter 399 ¡°I have no interest in low-handed deeds like attacking people in secret.¡± He responded coldly, continuing to watch the blue-green Jiao tree. The attack just now, like a flash of sword¡¯s light, was extremely fast, vanishing in a flash. ¡°Was it a dart?¡± Xu Yan pondered in his heart. The young master of the Jade Spirit Sect looked grimly towards another ? pathfinder Martial Artist, ordering, ¡°Go, dig up the blue-green Jiao tree. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The Martial Artist was trembling in fear, alert, prepared to deal with an attack at any moment. The young master of the Jade Spirit Sect¡¯s eyes were locked on Xu Yan. The same was true for the rest. They suspected it was Xu Yan who had taken action. The Martial Artist arrived at the base of the blue-green Jiao tree, glanced sideways at Xu Yan who seemed not to move, sighed with relief, but still dared not let his guard down, carefully prepared to dig the blue-green Jiao tree. Suddenly, a ray of light flickered. Thuk! The Martial Artist was instantly pierced through, fell dead on the spot. ¡°Who is it, sneaking around and not daring to show themselves? The young master of the Jade Spirit Sect was furious. Xu Yan didn¡¯t fight back, which means there¡¯s another powerful opponent. This time, Xu Yan saw clearly what the flash of light was. It was a snake! ¡°A spiritual beast?¡± This was his first time seeing a Spiritual Beast, but the snake¡¯s strength surprisingly matched his own! Especially its speed and stealth abilities. When it attacked, its whole body was crystal clear, like a slash of a sword, but after the attack, it immediately changed color and blended into the darkness. The young master of the Jade Spirit Sect, holding his Spirit Sword, stepped toward the blue-green Jiao tree, coldly said, ¡°I would like to see how you will stop me!¡± Standing in front of the Jiao tree, he did not stoop to dig, otherwise he would be exposed and put in danger. ¡°Come here, dig up the tree!¡± He turned his head and said to a pathfinder Martial Artist. ¡°1,1¡­¡± The Martial Artist turned pale and hesitated. Thuk! The genius who had invited him suddenly took action, killing him on the spot, and coldly said, ¡°Disobeying the order of the Spirit Sect, deserves to be executed!¡± He pointed to another person and said, ¡°You, go dig the tree! The Martial Artist turned pale and, trembling, approached the blue-green Jiao tree. Seeing the young master of the Jade Spirit Sect standing guard by his side, he breathed a sigh of relief. He bent down, preparing to dig up the blue-green Jiao tree. Suddenly, the light flickered again! The young master of the Jade Spirit Sect was prepared, he flashed his cold eyes and slashed with his sword. However, the light suddenly took a turn, evading his slash, and with a ¡®thuk¡¯, pierced the body of the Martial Artist who was about to dig the tree, disappearing again. ¡°It¡¯s the spiritual beast clan!¡± At this moment the young master of the Jade Spirit Sect shouted sternly. ¡°How dare this beast be so brazen?¡± ¡°Kill this beast first, then negotiate who gets the treasure!¡± All geniuses were suddenly outraged. They all prepared to attack the Spiritual Beast. ¡°Be careful, this is a fourth-order Spiritual Beast, likely a late-stage fourth- order spiritual beast.¡± Dai Jun spoke solemnly. A fourth-order Spiritual Beast, equivalent to a Small Celestial in the Divine Soul Realm of a Martial Artist! Once these geniuses realized it was a Spiritual Beast, they scattered, with several guarding the entrance to prevent the beast from escaping. The mausoleum was large, though the beast¡¯s concealment was strong, it was now exposed and could be quickly found and encircled. Suddenly, the light flickered again. This time, it was not killing someone, but shooting towards a moonlight stone. Thuk! That moonlight stone disappeared. ¡°Stop it quickly!¡± All the geniuses were enraged, each taking a shot, but because they were afraid of damaging the treasures in the mausoleum, they all tried to be as restrained as possible to avoid causing a wider impact. The little snake moved swiftly, avoiding their strikes, flashing around in the mausoleum, and with each flicker, a moonlight stone disappeared. Gradually, the light in the mausoleum started to dim. ¡°Die!¡± The young master of the Jade Spirit Sect seized the opportunity, fiercely struck out with his sword, and with a bang, the light was flown away. All the geniuses were attacking-simultaneously towards that light. At this moment, Xu Yan had reached the blue-green Jiao tree. He took out a shovel, started digging, and left the geniuses engaged in attacking the little snake. At this moment, the tomb chamber had darkened, especially near the Azure Serpent Tree. All the prodigies were focusing on the snake, totally ignoring Xu Yan who was extracting the tree. After extracting the Azure Serpent Tree and sealing it with the Spiritual Medicine, Xu Yan put it into his storage bag. He had learned the technique of sealing with Spiritual Medicine from Meng Shushu. Glancing back, he saw that the prodigies were still surrounded and attacking the small snake. Angry shouts were heard, and the snake moved very fast, causing injuries if care was not taken. And as long as there was an opportunity, a moonstone would disappear. Xu Yan guessed the snake¡¯s intention ¨C once the tomb chamber was completely immersed in darkness, it would be the snake¡¯s hunting time. After extracting the Azure Serpent Tree, he began to pluck the Dragon Eye Fruit. Xu Yan watched the people crouching on the ground, meticulously plucking the Dragon Eye Fruit in silence. Shen Haizhou looked a little embarrassed. ¡°This is yours, brother, all yours!¡± The harvested Dragon Eye fruit was handed into Xu Yan¡¯s hand, as he slowly retreated by moving his buttocks. ¡°Pluck together, hurry up.¡± Xu Yan said after putting the Dragon Eye Fruit into his storage bag. The tomb chamber was getting darker and it would be easy for accidents to happen when plucking the Dragon Eye Fruit. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Shen Haizhou hurriedly nodded his head. So, the two of them started plucking the Dragon Eye Fruit together. The battle had become more intense, and the tomb chamber was becoming darker. ¡°Brother, all fruits have been plucked and are here!¡± Finally, when the Dragon Eye Fruit had been harvested, Shen Haizhou passed it to Xu Yan. ¡°I¡¯m not tyrannical, just give me ninety percent of the Dragon Eye Fruit you have plucked.¡± Xu Yan said seriously. Shen Haizhou cursed inwardly, isn¡¯t this tyrannical? ¡°Brother, you¡¯re so generous, treating someone you¡¯ve never met before with such kindness. Thank you, thank you very much!¡± An expression of gratitude appeared on Shen Haizhou¡¯s face. Leaving only a few Dragon Eye Fruits, the rest were all put into Xu Yan¡¯s storage bag. At this moment, the sound of fighting suddenly stopped. The tomb chamber was very dark now. Only one huge moonstone remained at the top of the tomb chamber, shedding light to illuminate the inside. Dai Jun and others were dazed at the moment. While they were fighting the spiritual beast, Xu Yan had been secretly collecting Spiritual Medicine? And Shen Haizhou, adding shame to his family name as always! The little snake with blood leaking from its mouth, despite its extreme speed in the battle, managing to evade ninety-nine percent of the attacks, was injured. Right now, its small eyes wide open, white flames surged on its body. ¡°I will kill you, I will kill you for digging my spiritual medicine!¡± Boom! The little snake instantly transformed into a thirty-foot serpent. Its body was translucent and covered in white flames. It raised its head and glared furiously. ¡°It¡¯s a Crystal Serpent!¡± Shen Haizhou exclaimed in surprise. Dai Jun and others were also glaring at Xu Yan, ¡°Hand over the spiritual medicine, or don¡¯t blame us for¡­¡± Xu Yan ignored them and looked at the Crystal Serpent in surprise, ¡°It can talk?¡± Even Red Cat, a great demon, couldn¡¯t talk. ¡°Usually, spiritual beasts can¡¯t speak human language, only sixth-grade spiritual beasts can conduct soul communication. However, this Crystal Serpent is special, it can speak human language. Shen Haizhou explained, while carefully retreating. ¡°Die!¡± The Crystal Serpent was furious. Its body grew larger again and roared down like a giant whip. Xu Yan was about to make a move, but his expression suddenly changed, and he vanished in a flash. In an instant, he had already changed his position. Shift and Change Position! Boom! The Crystal Serpent¡¯s massive tail fiercely smashed where Xu Yan was standing, shaking the entire tomb chamber. Rubble flew all over the place, and a cloud of black dust rose, filling the tomb chamber. ¡®?Don¡¯t think about monopolizing the spiritual medicine, hand it over!¡± The young man from the Spirit Sect and others shouted in anger, attacking Xu Yan all together. Xu Yan¡¯s figure flashed again, instantly changing his position, while the Crystal Serpent attacked again. A shadow, slinking along the wall of the tomb chamber, shifted slowly. His eyes were fixed on the huge dragon coiled in the center. Small beads of sweat trickled down from his forehead. Shen Haizhou swallowed, his heart slightly trembling. In the moment when the Crystal Serpent attacked, he saw the curled up dragon wobble slightly. Was that the force of a Divine Soul? Could it be that the Azure Sky Serpent was not dead? Thinking of this possibility, his legs became a little weak. Taking the chance when the Crystal Serpent and the prodigies were attacking Xu Yan, he slowly moved, not alerting anyone, and quietly stood near the entrance. However, he didn¡¯t leave immediately. If he was watching the chaos in the tomb chamber, watching Xu Yan changing positions with his bizarre movement technique, he would be amazed. This brother¡¯s strength was truly powerful. Whoosh! Xu Yan changed his position again and came before the coiled dragon, as the fury driven Crystal Serpent strike came down once more. Chapter 400 Dragon_i Xu Yan blinked, shifting his position in front of the giant dragon. It seemed this move was well within the Jade Crystal Serpent¡¯s calculations. So, with an angered strike, the serpent¡¯s enormous tail¡ªburning with white flames¡ª swept down like a bolt of thunder. However, to its astonishment, Xu Yan once again evaded at the very last moment. Bang! The Jade Crystal Serpent tried to retract its attack, but it was too late. Its large tail still hit the giant dragon. Boom! The tomb trembled. The giant dragon that had been coiled around was shattered with a single blow. In the moment of shattering, a wave of Divine Soul fluctuation echoed out. Indistinctly, it seemed like a roar was heard. At this moment, the prideful young martial artists from the Spirit Sect, including the young man from Yu Shen Sect, were all terrified. The shattered head of the giant dragon revealed an entrance with ripples pulsating from it. The roar also came from there. Splat! The moonlight stone at the top of the crypt fell amidst the vibrations and shot towards the entrance like a star falling to earth. As the moonlight stone fell, its glow illuminated the entrance and the pitch- black cave. Crack! The moonlight stone fell into the cave, lighting up a section where a enormous head with a protruding horn on its forehead could just be made out. Faint Divine Soul fluctuations emanated from the cave. ¡°Is that Azure Sky Flood Dragon?¡± A martial artist exclaimed in surprise and horror. At this moment, the crypt was utterly dark, and the Jade Crystal Serpent had shrunk and disappeared into the shadows. Xu Yan frowned a little. He had detected faint Divine Soul fluctuations just now, allowing him to avoid the attack by Jade Crystal Serpent. After dodging attacks several times in succession and noticing that the fluctuations in the Divine Soul weren¡¯t pursuing him but were always lingering above the giant dragon, he managed to trick the serpent into shattering the dragon. ¡°Go in!¡± Suddenly, a young man from the Spirit Sect grabbed a scout and threw him into the hole. ¡°No!¡± The scout screamed in fright, unable to halt his fall ¨C he was only a peak grandmaster after all. Thud! Everyone looked through the entrance. Illuminated by the light of the moonlight stone, the scout slowly rose from the ground, directly under the giant head. ¡°It¡¯s dead, it¡¯s already dead!¡± The voice of the scout echoed. ¡°You all, go down.¡± The young man from the Spirit Sect wrinkled his brow, driving all the remaining scouts into the hole. ¡°Lords, the Azure Sky Flood Dragon is dead!¡± Voices from the scouts echoed up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, in!¡± The young man from the Spirit Sect moved, stepping into the hole and descending into the cave. Xu Yan had already harvested all the Jade Flood Fruit on Bi Jiao Tree. The talented martial artists were seething with rage, but they could do nothing. All the gifted martial artists entered the cave one by one. Xu Yan stood still, his gaze fixed on a moving shadow that disappeared into the darkness. Looking down from the entrance, the cave was now fairly lit as each of the martial artists present took out their sources of illumination. Although they could not fully see the Azure Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s body, they could clearly see its enormous head. After contemplating for a moment, Xu Yan too entered the cave. The body of the Azure Sky Flood Dragon was intact. If Meng Chong could acquire its flesh and blood essence, he could quickly amass the foundation of his flesh, breaking through to the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. As soon as Xu Yan entered, the young man from the Spirit Sect and all the other youths glared at him furiously. ¡°You have already harvested all the spirit medicines above, none down here belong to you. If you dare to seize, we will kill you!¡± The young man from the Spirit Sect said coldly. Xu Yan just glanced at everyone present, revealing a trace of disdain, and retorted, ¡°Weaklings are not qualified to talk nonsense!¡± ¡°You!¡± The young man from the Spirit Sect and the others were furious. However, Xu Yan completely ignored them, taking in the surroundings of the cave. A huge blue-back, white-belly flood dragon was coiled inside the cave. It was surrounded by greenish-grey sand, and several dozen spiritual medicines were growing around it. These spiritual medicines emitted a faint, chilly air that circled around the flood dragon¡¯s corpse. The medicinal power of the spirit plants was also nurturing the dragon¡¯s corpse. ¡°Spirit medicine of the first grade?¡± Xu Yan was astonished in his heart. He didn¡¯t recognize these spiritual medicines, but he could discern that they were all first-grade spiritual medicines! The young man from the Spirit Sect and the others all took a deep breath, observing the cave. Now was not the time for conflict. ¡°Is this Azure Relic Sand?¡± The young man from the Spirit Sect changed his expression as he looked at the green sand under and around the flood dragon¡¯s corpse. ¡°The Azure Relic Sand that can preserve a corpse from decay and possess a spectral force?¡± Dai Jun exclaimed in surprise. The amount of Azure Relic Sand here was enormous, piled up thick. What he couldn¡¯t figure out was, why the spectral force of the Azure Relic Sand seemed to be extremely weak. Had it been absorbed by the flood dragon¡¯s corpse because too much time had passed, or was it because the corpse needed to absorb the spectral force to be preserved? Although the young man from the Spirit Sect was from the top Spirit Sect in Yuzhou and had seen many spiritual treasures, he knew more about them than anyone else in the room. ¡°Spirit Underworld Flower of the first grade, Poison Soul Grass, Earth Yin Vine¡­¡± The young man from the Spirit Sect, as he looked at the spirit medicines and spiritual materials around, spoke with a look of astonishment, ¡°Initially, the spirit underworld flower and the earth yin vine must have been of a higher grade. Their grades fell because they lost so much medicinal power¡­¡± Chapter 401 The young man from Jade God Sect grew more and more astonished by the second. Truly befitting of the Azure Sky Flood Dragon, obtaining so many rare spirit objects for its burial!¡± Dai Jun exclaimed in awe. The other prodigies nodded in agreement. Even though it had been dead for a long time, just the mere corpse gave them a great feeling of oppression, a dangerous sensation lurking in their hearts. It was indeed the one who gobbled up Refining God Heavenly Men¡¯s sixth ¨C order peak spiritual beast. Xu Yan observed the Azure Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s corpse closely, noticing that something wasn¡¯t quite right. The faint Divine Soul fluctuation must be coming from the Flood Dragon¡¯s corpse. How could a dead Flood Dragon still emit a Divine Soul fluctuation? Moreover, the Beechy Sand, Underworld Flowers, and Ground Yin Vines, all their medicinal power had been drained. Particularly the Beechy Sand, its Yin- Yu force had almost completely disappeared. It seemed like it had been absorbed by the corpse. The massive Flood Dragon lay coiled there, its head slightly raised and the solitary horn had turned black. Its eyes tightly shut, devoid of any signs of life. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Out of the blue, Xu Yan¡¯s pupils contracted. He suddenly realized what was amiss! The scales of the Azure Sky Flood Dragon were sprouting fine hairs, spreading over its entire corpse, seemingly grown after death. In that moment, Xu Yan remembered a particular evil creature mentioned in an old book he had come across. Corpse Eater! ¡°Did the Azure Sky Flood Dragon become a Corpse Eater?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s heart trembled with shock. ¡°No, looking at the arrangement here, could it be that the Azure Sky Flood Dragon was preparing to transform into a Corpse Eater?¡± In that moment, Xu Yan felt his scalp tingling with horror. An Azure Sky Flood Dragon of the Refining God Heavenly Man level, if it turned into a Corpse Eater, how terrifying would that be? His gaze suddenly landed on two claws emerging from the dragon¡¯s white belly! ¡°They just came out!¡± At that instant, Xu Yan was secretly astonished. The Azure Sky Flood Dragon is either not dead, or it really has transformed into a Corpse Eater as he had guessed! All of a sudden, a ray of light shot into the cave and headed straight for the Flood Dragon¡¯s corpse. ¡°Stop it!¡± The young man from the Jade God Sect swung his sword, attempting to stop the Jade Crystal Snake. However, seizing the moment, the Jade Crystal Snake lunged forward with such speed that the Jade God Sect¡¯s men were too late to react. Thud! The Jade Crystal Snake instantly landed on the Azure Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s head, hissing furiously, ¡°This is mine, all mine, you thieves!¡± Raising its head, it swiftly burrowed into the dragon¡¯s nostrils. Voom! A ripple spread out. Xu Yan sprang into action, swiftly rushing out of the cave¡¯s entrance. A feeling of oppression suddenly surged as the Jade Crystal Snake drilled into the Azure Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s nostrils. ¡°Run!¡± The prodigies inside the cave also sensed something was amiss. Achoo! Following a thunderous sneeze, the coiled Azure Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s head shook, ejecting the Jade Crystal Snake with a sneeze. The tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open. Roar! It glared at the crowd of prodigies with a fierce gaze, and in a sudden movement, opened its gaping mouth, lunging towards a prodigy. The cave entrance was too narrow to allow them to escape all at once, causing commotion among the prodigies. The young men of Jade God Sect and Dai Jun, were near the entrance and managed to flee first. The dragon¡¯s ghastly teeth exhaled a puff of gray smoke, a putrid and decayed smell flooding the air. The victim¡¯s face contorted with fear as he grabbed a nearby martial artist and flung him into the dragon¡¯s gaping mouth. Squelch! The Azure Sky Flood Dragon shut its mouth, instantly devouring the martial artist. Just awaken, the dragon appeared dazed. However, after a single bite of flesh and blood, it seemed to be invigorated, its eyes shining with bloodlust. It appeared to have come back to its senses. ¡°Attack!¡± The prodigies were panic-stricken and launched their attacks. The cave entrance collapsed with a loud boom. They began fleeing in all directions! Was the Azure Sky Flood Dragon actually alive?! Roar! Another roar echoed, the dragon¡¯s massive body stirred, causing the entire grave chamber to collapse and Black Rock Mountain to quake. Outside, the Black Cloud Swamp was boiling, poison mist gushed out. ¡°Too terrifying, run for it!¡± Outside Black Rock Mountain, Shen Haizhou became pale with fright. He was the only one who hadn¡¯t entered the cave. Sensing something wasn¡¯t right, he was the first to make his escape. He too had perceived the faint Divine Soul fluctuation. Moving swiftly, he made a hasty retreat. The Black Cloud Swamp was in turmoil, Black Rock Mountain shook, poison mist once again filled the surrounds. Bang! Suddenly, Black Rock Mountain completely collapsed. A gigantic Azure Sky Flood Dragon, cyan with a white belly, shot into the sky and hovered mid-air. A dozen figures desperately fled towards the outskirts of the Black Cloud Swamp. Voom! Out of the blue, an imposing Divine Soul pressure descended. The fugitives were suddenly rooted to the spot, feeling as though they were being crushed by a mountain. Shen Haizhou had already retreated quite a distance, almost out of the range of the Black Cloud Swamp. Looking back, he saw black fog engulfing all four directions. The Black Cloud Swamp was bubbling and producing large bubbles. Clouds of foul aura, tendrils of poisonous mist, were all converging towards the Azure Sky Flood Dragon. ¡°The Azure Sky Flood Dragon didn¡¯t die? How is that possible!¡± Shen Haizhou was utterly shocked. The Azure Sky Flood Dragon was famed too long ago, even a sixth-order peak spiritual beast couldn¡¯t possibly have lived till now! ¡°Something¡¯s not right!¡± Shen Haizhou was terrified. The poisonous mist and foul aura were gathering towards the Azure Sky Flood Dragon. It seemed like the Flood Dragon was absorbing these poisonous gases and foul energies. Chapter 402 ¡°Black Cloud Swamp, was set up by Azure Sky Flood Dragon.¡± The entire Black Cloud Swamp, and Black Rock Mountain were all creations of Azure Sky Flood Dragon, it was to ensure their survival? ¡°That brother, he¡¯s not dead, is he?¡± Shen Haizhou had already arrived at the edge of Black Cloud Swamp, lamenting in his heart. The location of Black Rock Mountain, the original Black Rock Mountain, had already collapsed. Streams of poisonous gas were constantly being absorbed into the body of the Azure Sky Flood Dragon. Not far away, a group of gifted individuals became rigid, as if they were under the pressure of a mountain, their consciousness becoming heavy. Divine Soul Suppression! This was a powerful ability possessed by a Refining God Heavenly Man. As for the Azure Sky Flood Dragon, a tier six peak spiritual beast, its divine might was naturally very strong. The young man from the Jade God Sect was flushing, endlessly exerting his Cultivation Technique, at some point he finally reached out and drew a dagger from his storage bag. Hum! With all his strength, he continually channeled the power he could muster into the dagger. The dagger emitted a faint glow, at a certain moment he incited the dagger to strike. Flash! A ray of light burst forth in front of him, a sharp blade light burst out, the dagger unexpectedly shattered. As it shattered, it erupted with a chilling blade light. Puff! The young man from Jade God Sect felt his body lighten, escaping the feeling of suppression by a mountain, after spitting out a mouthful of blood, he frantically fled. Roar! The Azure Sky Flood Dragon let out a roar, opening its mouth and spewing out a black beam, shooting towards the youth of Jade God Sect. With this offensive move, the might of its Divine Soul slackened slightly. Taking this opportunity, Dai Jun grabbed one of the gifted individuals next to him, and while the latter had not had a chance to resist, he threw him towards Azure Sky Flood Dragon. At the same time, he seized this opportunity to escape frantically. ¡°Dai Jun, I¡­¡± The gifted individual was both shocked and furious. Puff! A huge mouth smelling of stench and rot bit down hard, swallowing him. Bang! The escaping youth of Jade God Sect, turned back and swung his blade, his long knife instantly shattered, bursting out with a powerful attack, blocking the black beam for a moment. His body, however, plunged instantly into the Black Cloud Swamp. Wait until the black light disappears, then rush out of the swamp. There was a hissing noise, and he hurriedly took off all his clothes and stuffed Spiritual Medicine into his mouth. Blood trickled from the corner of Dai Jun¡¯s mouth. A black ray shot from behind him. He resisted with all his might, but the black ray still pierced through his shoulder. In an instant, half of his body turned grey. He stuffed Spiritual Medicine into his mouth while stumbling along the edge of the Black Cloud Swamp and escaped. Puff! Suddenly, a knife pierced through his chest from behind. Dai Jun turned his head and saw a plump face with a very kind smile. ¡°You¡­ I lent you money!¡± Shen Haizhou actually took advantage of others in danger! ¡°Brother Dai, you are a righteous man. You lent me money to buy back my treasures, so seeing you in such pain, I couldn¡¯t bear to watch. I came to end your pain.¡± Shen Haizhou let out a sigh. Dai Jun¡¯s face distorted with anger. ¡°Trust me, there¡¯s no saving you. The poisoning is too deep, half your body is black. Better to seek an early release.¡± Shen Haizhou looked serious. ¡°Shen Haizhou, I %&% you¡­¡± Dai Jun burst into his last swear word of his life. Looking at the body lying on the ground, Shen Haizhou sighed, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you believe me? I was really looking out for you. Azure Sky Flood Dragon has turned into a corpse ghoul, you¡¯ve been poisoned by it, and you¡¯re going to become a corpse puppet.¡± With a flash of the blade, Dai Jun¡¯s body was crushed completely. Chapter 403 The Azure Sky Jiao, has turned into a Corpse Aberration. The once-renowned Azure Sky Jiao, unwilling to die just like that, surprisingly wanted to turn his posthumous self into a Corpse Aberration. His wish came true. But it did not entirely come true. Because although he has indeed turned into a Corpse Aberration and woken up, the Corpse Aberration version of Azure Sky Jiao is not the Azure Sky Jiao he used to be. The power of his Divine Soul is no longer as formidable as it used to be. The consciousness he had, has not woken up. In his Divine Soul, only a few instinctual consciousnesses remained, such as devouring miasma or flesh and blood. The flesh and blood of martial artists have a great attraction for him, seemingly the finest delicacies in the world. Perhaps he woke up too early, he hadn¡¯t finished his final transformation, so the reassembly of his Divine Soul left his previous consciousness unabridged. The azure back and white belly of Azure Sky Jiao, with fine fur growing between the scales, suggests that its transformation is not fully complete. Otherwise, there shouldn¡¯t be such fur on its body, and part of the former consciousness, even if it can¡¯t all wake up, should have revived. The Azure Sky Jiao of today is a Corpse Aberration, not the Azure Sky Jiao of the past. The overwhelming power of his Divine Soul suppressed the remaining arrogants. The miasma and foulness were continually infusing into the Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s body. The youth of the Jade God Sect fled. The remaining arrogants, despite their utmost efforts, still couldn¡¯t break free from the divine force¡¯s tyranny. ¡°The Corpse Aberration! Azure Sky Jiao has transformed into a Corpse Aberration!¡± A heaven¡¯s chosen turned pale in horror. The Corpse Aberration is an extremely rare wicked beast even in the Ling Domain. It is usually born in certain special places and transforms into a Corpse Aberration after a long period. Ordinary Corpse Aberrations are not powerful. In the history of Spiritual Realm Martial Arts, there has never been a Corpse Aberration comparable in power to a Refining God Heavenly Man. Once a Corpse Aberration is born, it possesses an instinct for blood, as it will attack and devour the blood of martial artists and spiritual beasts, and they are quickly killed by martial artists, so their chances of growing up are minimal. In the history of Ling Domain, the most influential Corpse Aberration only stood in the early stage of the Heavenly Man. Azure Sky Jiao is feared to be the most powerful Corpse Aberration recorded in history. What¡¯s even more terrifying is that Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s transformation into a Corpse Aberration is not accidental. If it foresees its own resurrection as a Corpse Aberration in its lifetime. Relive a lifetime! How did Azure Sky Jiao know how to transform into a Corpse Aberration? What in Ling Domain persists these methods? The heavenly chosen at present are as white as death. The powerful forces behind them would never dream that Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s grave was deliberately laid out by Azure Sky Jiao to transform him into a Corpse Aberration. The appearance of the cemetery also means that the transformation into a Corpse Aberration is about to complete. Azure Sky Jiao is about to resurrect and live a second life as a Corpse Aberration. However, due to their intrusion, his final transformation was disturbed. Therefore, while Azure Sky Jiao turned into a Corpse Aberration, his basic consciousness did not resurrect. Azure Sky Jiao hovered in mid-air, his eyes viciously red, and the desire for blood filled his eyes. He stared at the remaining heavenly chosen and opened his mouth wide. Xu Yan stood in the near distance to Azure Sky Jiao, with a slight breeze swirling around him, unaffected by the pressure of Divine Soul. ¡°Divine Soul is incomplete or weak and can suppress those lesser heavenly men, but when facing greater heavenly men, I¡¯m afraid it wouldn¡¯t be able to suppress them. ¡°Does Azure Sky Jiao still have any uses after transforming into a Corpse Aberration?¡± Xu Yan fell into deep thought. He chose not to leave because he was eyeing Azure Sky Jiao. Meng Chong is a physical martial artist. The essence of Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s flesh and blood would be of great help to Meng Chong¡¯s body accumulation. The current problem is, does Azure Sky Jiao still have any use after turning into a Corpse Aberration? ¡°The brother¡¯s Martial Arts body is more robust than a spiritual beast¡¯s body. Although Azure Sky Jiao became a Corpse Aberration, perhaps, it could also be used? ¡°Harboring a body full of poison could nourish the golden body¡¯s acupoint, or even unexpectedly, have another mystery?¡± Having thought so, Xu Yan decided to take down Azure Sky Jiao. Even if it eventually proves useless, there¡¯s no loss. Since he had encountered it, how could he let go? The sword is drawn out of its sheath. A sword falls! Mountains and rivers appeared, collapsing into thunder, and striking down loudly! Thunderclap Sword! Azure Sky Jiao made a low roar. The huge mouth initially poised to devour heavens chosen forcefully spat out a dark glint. Boom! The dark glint and thunderclap collided. The dark glint shattered, but the Thunderclap Sword weakened. At this time, the power of Divine Soul had already been broken by Xu Yan¡¯s sword. The few remaining heavenly chosen seemed to be reborn, hastily fleeing away. Xu Yan did not take action to save the lives of others but to stop Azure Sky Jiao from continuing to devour miasma and filth. Preventing it from continually increasing in strength, and also preventing too much miasma and foul air from accumulating inside, rendering itself useless. The blood-red eyes of Azure Sky Jiao were staring at Xu Yan; with a roar, a surge of black flame swelled, and the miasma condensed into liquid in an instant. Raising its two claws, it rushed over to kill. Hum! The Wheel of Life and Death Sword appeared, spinning left and right to kill. Xu Yan¡¯s figure moved, and with a shift and replacement, he was already standing above Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s head, stabbing down with a sword! Azure Sky Jiao¡¯s original consciousness did not resurrect. However, it used to be brutal and powerful, so the instinctive sense of combat still persists. His body twisted, and another dark glint spat out. Simultaneously, the power of Divine Soul was continuously suppressing it. Hum! The Sudden Wind Sword Intent rolled up a gentle breeze, clashed with the power of the Divine Soul, and for a while, they remained at an impasse! ¡°The power of Divine Soul of the Refining God Heavenly Man is indeed extraordinary. Even with my current Sudden Wind Sword Intent, I can¡¯t harm his Divine Soul.¡± Xu Yan sighed inwardly. Chapter 404 As expected, it was already enough to be able to resist the power of the Divine Soul! The Sword Dao of mountains-and-rivers was invoked, the Wheel of Life and Death shining brilliantly, constantly grinding towards the Azure Dragon Eel, their battle was intense. ¡°Hiss! So powerful!¡± Outside the Black Cloud Marsh, Shen Haizhou was incredibly shocked. Xu Yan wiped out his attendant with a flick of his hand. Although he knew Xu Yan was strong, he never expected him to be able to fight toe-to-toe with the Azure Dragon Eel without falling behind. ¡°How does he resist the divine power of the Azure Dragon Eel?¡± The power of the Divine Soul suppresses directly. Those below the rank of Refining God Heavenly Man can hardly resist this power! Even the already enlightened greater heavenly man is no exception. Yet, Xu Yan seems unaffected by the divine power of the Azure Dragon Eel? ¡°Could it be, is this young man a Refining God Heavenly Man?¡± Almost immediately, Shen Haizhou negated this assumption. He could not sense any fluctuation of the Divine Soul from Xu Yan. The few arrogant youths who managed to escape alive at this moment were still in a terrified state, watching the grand battle in the sky above the Black Rock Mountain. They were not only astonished, but extremely fortunate as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go, quickly return and inform the elders. The Azure Dragon Eel has transformed into a ghoul.¡± This expedition to the tomb of the Azure Dragon Eel had taken such a drastic turn. Of those who participated, less than ten survived. The rest were all dead! Some died in the mouth of the Azure Dragon Eel during the chaos of the Black Rock Mountain collapse, while others were killed by the surprise attack of the Jade Crystal Snake. The transformation of the Azure Dragon Eel into a ghoul was undoubtedly a significant event that had shaken the world of martial arts. In particular, this was most likely a final strategy planned by the Azure Dragon Eel before its death. How did it acquire this transformation method? Did it come up with it on its own? Xu Yan swung his sword again and again, but the Azure Dragon Eel, being incredibly powerful, had a strong defense thanks to its scaled armor. It was impossible to kill it in a short time. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before more powerful beings will arrive. I must kill it quickly!¡± Xu Yan furrowed his eyebrows. However, the Azure Dragon Eel¡¯s fighting consciousness was not weak, and its power was immense. It was not much weaker than him. Thus, killing it in a short time would be a daunting task. Roar! The Azure Dragon Eel roared and hovered in the mid-air, its scarlet eyes staring at Xu Yan. The horn on its head suddenly radiated a beam of azure light. Somewhat vaguely, a surging might emanated. Xu Yan pondered for a moment and patted his forehead, ¡°The Azure Dragon Eel is a dragon. The Descending Dragon Palm can suppress dragons; surely it would be easy to suppress an eel?¡± With that thought in mind, Xu Yan immediately put away the divine sword and struck out with his palm. Roar! The Golden Giant Dragon suddenly charged out, looking like a true dragon descending upon the world, its might was immense and its eyes were full of majesty. ¡°A¡­ a real dragon?¡± Only Shen Haizhou was left spectating the battle and he was petrified at this point. The Golden Giant Dragon descended abruptly. Even though he was far away, he could vaguely sense an overwhelming might. The Golden Giant Dragon swooped down, aiming for the Azure Dragon Eel. At this moment, the Azure Dragon Eel¡¯s body started to shake. It was growling lowly, continually backing down. The light on its horn had faded away. Fear and submission could be seen in its scarlet eyes. The Golden Giant Dragon swooped down and seized the Azure Dragon Eel. The supreme, overbearing power of the Descending Dragon Palm, as well as the immense dragon might, were washing over the Azure Dragon Eel. Roar! The Azure Dragon Eel was struggling, attempting to break free. Xu Yan showed a look of delight. The Descending Dragon Palm was true to its name, it could bring down dragons. Therefore, bringing down an eel should be as easy as pie. He struck out with another palm. The second Golden Giant Dragon burst out, diving towards the Azure Dragon Eel. Under the suppression of the dragon might, the Azure Dragon Eel¡¯s struggle started to weaken. Its already frail Divine Soul was shaking, it seemed that due to fear, it had become unstable. The two Golden Giant Dragons had seized the Azure Dragon Eel. One of the dragons was slowly merging into the body of the Azure Dragon Eel. Xu Yan suddenly realized that his Descending Dragon Palm was extremely righteous and was the nemesis of all things unholy and filthy. The Azure Dragon Eel had transformed into a ghoul and was considered a kind of unclean creature. Its body was filled with poisonous miasma and filth, which the Descending Dragon Palm should be able to purge. Therefore, Xu Yan tried to merge the Golden Giant Dragon into the body of the Azure Dragon Eel, even using the power of the Descending Dragon Palm to temporarily control the body of the Azure Dragon Eel. Roar! The consciousness of the Green Sky Jiao seemed to be aware of the danger. It struggled crazily, and the power it erupted was not weak, preventing the Golden Giant Dragon from continuing its integration into its body, even under the pressure of the dragon. As Xu Yan slapped out another palm, the third Golden Giant Dragon flew over, opening its dragon mouth, and directly biting the head of the Green Sky Jiao in its mouth with a dragon chant. The struggle of the Green Sky Jiao weakened, as a golden dragon continuously melted into its body. However, the Divine Soul of the Green Sky Jiao began to struggle, but, it became weak under the pressure of the dragon. Xu Yan moved, and slashed out with his sword. The sword was silent, only the soft wind was audible. Whoosh! Like a wind blowing a candle, it hit the Divine Soul of the Green Sky Jiao and the soul began to shake violently, just like a flickering candle. Xu Yan struck out one sword after another, releasing seven swords in one breath, exercising the Sudden Wind Sword Intent to its limit. Splash! At some moment, the Divine Soul of the Green Sky Jiao, like a candle flame, suddenly extinguished in the midst of the shaking. The dead body of the Green Sky Jiao also ceased in its struggles. Xu Yan struck out another sword, and the breeze slowly swept in all directions. All the residual Divine Soul fluctuations were completely annihilated! At this time, the power of the Descending Dragon Palm had also seeped into the body of the Green Sky Jiao. Through the Descending Dragon Palm, Xu Yan sensed the condition inside the Green Sky Jiao¡¯s body. He couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. The body of the Green Sky Jiao contained a huge power, nearly half of which had turned into a dark force. The other half, however, was pure spiritual beast power. ¡°Did it revert to a spiritual beast after dying? No, no, it turned into a spiritual beast corpse, not a sinister corpse!¡± Xu Yan sighed in his heart, the name of the Green Sky Jiao was not unfounded. He had arranged so many things for his death, but unfortunately, man¡¯s calculations are not as good as Heaven¡¯s. In the end, an accident occurred, and he still couldn¡¯t complete the last step, remaining a sinister corpse. This was not because everyone entered the tomb of the Green Sky Jiao and disrupted the layout, but because the spiritual objects the Green Sky Jiao had buried for its transformation were not enough. Perhaps, the Green Sky Jiao had not anticipated that it had exhausted everything and still failed to complete this step of transformation. The triple Descending Dragon Palm power had seeped into the corpse of the Green Sky Jiao, and at this moment was purging its corpse energy and cleansing its impurities. Strands of black gas were being expelled from the body of the Green Sky Jiao. Xu Yan continuously slapped out several Golden Giant Dragons, integrating them into the body of the Green Sky Jiao, as the Descending Dragon Palm power was not small. Outside the Black Marsh, Shen Haizhou was shocked. Were the Golden Giant Dragons sent out by Xu Yan? ¡°A True Dragon is about to emerge from the Ling Domain. My brother is too strong. I must think of a way to maintain our brotherhood bond.¡± Shen Haizhou was lost in thought. How to maintain a good relationship? Money! Xu Yan¡¯s True Yuan was quickly consumed, and it was not until one-third was used up that the corpse energy inside the body of the Green Sky Jiao was completely purged. ¡°Even with my considerable True Yuan, I have already consumed one-third.¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but sigh, this corpse energy was really hard to remove. If it weren¡¯t for the Descending Dragon Palm power being extremely yang and extremely firm, countering the corpse energy, it would not have been able to be removed at all. With the expulsion of the corpse energy, the soft hair between the scales of the Green Sky Jiao corpse had disappeared. At this moment, it looked like a freshly dead Jiao corpse! Xu Yan tried to operate the Descending Dragon Palm, and the corpse of the Green Sky Jiao moved with the palm, stirring up a burst of dragon might. Both eyes were shining with light. ¡°What a pleasant surprise, I can actually control the Jiao corpse with the Descending Dragon Palm!¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed. ¡°There are too many Jiao corpses, and they can¡¯t fit in the storage bag.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s headache returned. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try, let¡¯s see if it can be reduced.¡± Xu Yan operated the Descending Dragon Palm and began to shrink, and the Green Sky Jiao¡¯s corpse also shrank along with it. Through the Descending Dragon Palm¡¯s sense, Xu Yan found that the Green Sky Jiao¡¯s corpse seemed to have undergone some changes due to the nourishment of the long years and once changing into a corpse. The Green Sky Jiao¡¯s body has shrunken to almost one zhang and could no longer continue to shrink. But that was enough, a large storage bag could contain it. Xu Yan took out a storage bag, stimulated it with True Yuan, opened the bag¡¯s mouth, and put the Green Sky Jiao corpse inside. Chapter 405 After storing away the corpse of the green sky maelstrom, Xu Yan looked at the black clouded swamp bubbling with poison, as well as the collapsed black rock mountain. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he turned and entered the collapsed mountain. There should be high-grade spiritual medicine there. Some remnants should remain. However, after some exploration, Xu Yan discovered that the remaining treasures within Black Rock Mountain had already been thoroughly looted. He thought of the crystal snake. Since there were no more treasures, Xu Yan didn¡¯t linger, and promptly left the Black Cloud Swamp. News of the corruption of the Green Sky Maelstrom¡¯s tomb would soon spread, and even the Refining God Heavenly Man might descend. His current strength was no match for a Refining God Heavenly Man. Shen Haizhou also turned to leave at this moment. While pondering his next move, the corpse of the Green Sky Maelstrom was already in his hands. He had obtained both the Blue Maelstrom Tree and Dragon¡¯s Eye Fruit. However, he was still somewhat short of accumulating enough foundation to break through to the Divine Intent State. Xu Yan considered, the next step should be to further understand the Spirit Realm, and learn about Yuzhou. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the city and see if there are any shops selling spiritual objects. I still have some Spirit Crystals, and I will try to gather all the spiritual objects needed to cultivate myself as soon as possible.¡± It may seem wasteful that the spiritual medicine hadn¡¯t been made into pills and was swallowed directly. However, in order to accumulate enough resources to break through to the Divine Intent State in the Spirit Realm as soon as possible, Xu Yan didn¡¯t care much about this little wastage. As long as he had enough Spirit Crystals, he could always buy Spiritual Medicine. ¡°There are no pills in the Spirit Realm. If my junior sister comes to the Spirit Realm and the Chang Qing Pavilion develops here, it will accumulate quickly.¡± The Spirit Realm truly is a place of cultivation. The fifth-grade spiritual medicine that is rare in the Inner Domain is just a middle to low-grade spiritual medicine in the Spirit Realm. The gap between the Inner Domain and the Spirit Realm is indeed quite large. No wonder the Spirit Realm Powerhouses look down upon the Inner Domain, considering it to be a place of inferiority. As soon as he entered the Spirit Realm, right after he learned about the tomb of the Green Sky Maelstrom from Dai Yingying, he rushed over straight away, afraid he would miss the chance to enter. Therefore, he hadn¡¯t been to any town in Zheng Country before. Now that the incident with the Green Sky Maelstrom¡¯s tomb was over, and the fact that the Green Sky Maelstrom had turned into a corpse would certainly cause a sensation. The actions of various forces associated with the powerful heavenly geniuses could only be grasped by going to the city. ¡°Since I have taken the Green Sky Maelstrom, I might get targeted, and I should hide myself to avoid being discovered.¡± Xu Yan pondered. ¡°My skill of merging with the world can avoid attention from the powerful. As long as I hide properly, even a Refining God Heavenly Man can be evaded.¡± As he looked up, the surroundings were a desolate landscape. The tomb of the Green Sky Maelstrom was located in a desolate area. After Xu Yan left the Gate of Lingyu, he followed the direction indicated by Dai Yingying and came all the way to his destination¨Cthe Black Cloud Swamp. He hadn¡¯t seen any city along the way. At this moment, Xu Yan was unsure which direction to head towards to enter a city. ¡°I was careless, I should¡¯ve asked Shen Haizhou earlier.¡± Xu Yan was slightly annoyed. After some thought, he chose a direction and prepared to go. All of a sudden! A beam of light shot out! The speed was so swift that it was like a sword, closing the distance on him in an instant. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes turned cold as he unleashed a powerful aura, sending out waves of dragon might. A giant, golden dragon head blasted out from him. His eyes sparkling, he glared fiercely at the incoming light! ¡°I could tame even a dragon, and easily subdue a Green Sky Maelstrom. How dare an insignificant snake act recklessly!¡± Xu Yan sneered in his heart. The approaching Crystal Snake suddenly became soft midway through its journey; the entire snake was trembling. The mighty power radiating from him incited fear in it, a fear that came from deep within its bloodline, from its very soul. The entire snake became weak, unable to muster any strength at all. Xu Yan caught hold of the crystal snake by its neck with one grab. The snake¡¯s mouth was wide open, its forked tongue lolling out. The next moment, it was about to be choked to death! The crystal snake was frightened out of its wits, blurting out in a hurry: ¡°I¡¯m here to bring treasure!¡± Xu Yan, who was about to choke the snake to death, loosened his grip slightly upon hearing that it was there to deliver treasure. He stretched out two fingers, kneading the little bulge on its head. ¡°To deliver a treasure, you should have said so earlier!¡± The crystal snake nearly burst into tears; it had had a narrow escape! Thankfully it reacted quickly. If it had been any slower, it would have been choked to death by now! ¡°Where¡¯s the treasure?¡± Xu Yan asked, releasing his hold on the crystal snake¡¯s neck. But his dragon might was still suppressing it. The crystal snake opened its mouth and spat out a storage bag. Xu Yan opened the storage bag and saw that it was filled with the spiritual medicine from the Green Sky Maelstrom¡¯s tomb. After tucking the storage bag away, just as the Crystal Snake was about to heave a sigh of relief, Xu Yan grabbed it by the neck again. ¡°The Green Sky Maelstrom was captured by me and I am the victor, these are rightfully mine. Seeing that you returned my rightful possessions, I will forget about your theft. ¡°However, your attack against me in the tomb is a crime you cannot erase.¡± One thing at a time, the crystal snake¡¯s attack on him in the tomb could not be ignored. ¡°The treasures I mentioned were not these!¡± The snake, its mouth forced open and its forked tongue sticking out from being choked again, hastily retorted. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s more treasure?¡± Xu Yan let go slightly and looked at it leisurely, ¡°If you¡¯re lying to me, I will make snake soup out of you!¡± ¡°No, no!¡± The crystal snake wagged its tail, and flickered its forked tongue, completely submissive. ¡°Where¡¯s the treasure?¡± Xu Yan asked, squinting his eyes. ¡°The¡­ the treasure isn¡¯t on me¡­ Oops!¡± The snake¡¯s neck was grabbed again by a hand, which almost choked it to death. Chapter 406 ¡°That¡¯s a special treasure, a special treasure that cannot be carried¡­¡± The entire Jade Crystal Snake didn¡¯t look good. ¡°What kind of special treasure?¡± Xu Yan let go of its neck again. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough!¡± The Jade Crystal Snake started coughing violently, sticking out its snake tongue, feeling a sense of discomfort in its throat. ¡°It¡¯s the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi!¡± Fearing Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t understand and would choke it again, it quickly explained, ¡°Earth Spirit Dragon Qi, rumored to have been born from the great river of spirit veins, has exceeded the level of first-rank spirit items, reputedly even of divine grade, and possibly even a divine object!¡± Upon hearing this, Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up. If it truly is the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi, he could utilize it to accumulate sufficient foundation. During his breakthrough to the Divine Intent State, he would surely be able to transform and ascend successfully. ¡°Why would you tell me about such a treasure?¡± Xu Yan wrapped his hand around the Jade Crystal Snake¡¯s neck again, indifferently saying, ¡°Could it be a trap?¡± The entire Jade Crystal Snake was numbed. Can he stop choking it? ¡°Listen to me, listen!¡± Xu Yan let go of his grip again, saying, ¡°Go on.¡± With its snake tongue sticking out and panting, the Jade Crystal Snake protested, ¡°Can you stop choking me!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Xu Yan nodded agreeing to this. The Jade Crystal Snake was stunned. Xu Yan had agreed so easily? ¡°It¡¯s like this, the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi is elusive and hard to catch. Aspects of my strength make it extremely challenging for me to obtain the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi.¡± Xu Yan suddenly reached out to grab it, but this time he didn¡¯t choke its neck¡ªinstead, he caught its tail and shook it. The Jade Crystal Snake felt dizzy, as though its bones were about to rattle apart. ¡°You really had ulterior motives! You wanted to use me to help you get the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi, keep dreaming!¡± Xu Yan laughed coldly. This snake had attacked him before, he had to take revenge. ¡°No¡­ No, let me finish!¡± The Jade Crystal Snake felt dazed, sensing its bones shifting and its entire body seemed about to fall apart. Xu Yan loosened his grip saying, ¡°Alright, speak.¡± The Jade Crystal Snake shook its head, somewhat suspicious that Xu Yan was seeking revenge for its previous attack in the tomb. ¡°Next time, just choke my neck.¡± The Jade Crystal Snake figured that having its neck choked rather than tail shook was more comfortable. ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Yan nodded, obliging. The Jade Crystal Snake:¡­ ¡°It¡¯s like this, I have Azure Sky Flood Dragon bloodline. It might not be Azure Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s, but that¡¯s not important as long as you know I have the bloodline of a flood dragon. ¡°Currently, I¡¯m in the late stage of the fourth rank, but I¡¯ve nearly peaked, unable to advance further. I need to purify the bloodline to break through to the fifth rank. ¡°The Azure Sky Flood Dragon is key to my pure bloodline. I intend to get some essence blood of Azure Sky Flood Dragon from you. As an exchange, I will help you obtain the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi.¡± The Jade Crystal Snake revealed its motive. Xu Yan pondered over this, then clutched the Jade Crystal Snake¡¯s neck again, ¡°Just for the essence blood of the Azure Sky Flood Dragon?¡± The Jade Crystal Snake didn¡¯t struggle anymore, let him choke if he wants. It had gotten used to it. ¡°Apart from the Azure Sky Flood Dragon essence blood, it¡¯s also about your Golden Dragon. This dragon might allow me to metamorphosize into a dragon!¡± The Jade Crystal Snake praised sincerely. Xu Yan let go of its neck, not sure whether the dragon power could help the Jade Crystal Snake transform, but since it was trying to get on his good side, he could use this to his advantage. ¡°You¡¯re a local snake of Yuzhou, right?¡± Xu Yan asked. ¡°Sort of.¡± The Jade Crystal Snake nodded, then said, ¡°My name¡¯s Yu Xiaolong.¡± ¡°My dream is to eventually transform into a legendary true dragon.¡± Yu Xiaolong said, lifting up its head. It was a snake with big dreams! ¡°Since you¡¯re a local, it would be easy for you to guide us. Take me to where the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi is, and we can quickly get out of this place.¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°No problem, let¡¯s get going.¡± Yu Xiaolong pointed to a direction. Xu Yan immediately followed the direction indicated. Along the way, he curiously asked, ¡°You can¡¯t advance further? Don¡¯t you know how to cultivate?¡± ¡°Spirit Beasts depend entirely on their bloodline. They cultivate their bloodlines, and once a bloodline has peaked, it can¡¯t go further. We don¡¯t have a cultivation method like you martial artists.¡± Yu Xiaolong looked at him enviously. Xu Yan patted its head, saying, ¡°Follow me, work hard, and if you perform well, I will let the Red Cat teach you the Ways of the Great Demon. This is much stronger than relying on improving your bloodline. You can cultivate and improve your power like a martial artist.¡± ¡°The Ways of the Great Demon? We spiritual beasts can also practice like martial artists instead of relying solely on our bloodline?¡± Yu Xiaolong¡¯s face was full of shock. ¡°Of course, would I lie to you? So work hard.¡± Xu Yan encouraged. ¡°How can you talk? Spiritual beasts, they can¡¯t talk, right?¡± Xu Yan asked what puzzled him the most. Spiritual beasts can communicate with humans using the power of their Divine Souls only once they condense it, that is, when they reach the sixth rank. But before this, they can¡¯t speak human language. ¡°I learned.¡± Yu Xiaolong explained, ¡°When I was a kid, I was almost eaten by a stinky bird, a very beautiful sister saved me, and I lived with her for a long time, she taught me how to speak.¡± ¡°Over time, after I broke through the fourth rank, I could speak.¡± Yu Xiaolong spoke, opening his mouth to show his vocal cords in his throat, saying, ¡°This is what my sister helped me with when I was learning to talk, this way I can make sounds.¡± Xu Yan was surprised, ¡°So you¡¯re a pet snake!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a pet snake!¡± Yu Xiaolong retorted, standing upright. Then he sagged and said, ¡°That sister, I don¡¯t know where she went, I couldn¡¯t find her, I wanted to thank her, but I couldn¡¯t!¡± On the way, Xu Yan learned more about the Ling Domain, Yuzhou, Zheng Country, etc., from Yu Xiaolong. He also gained a deeper understanding of spiritual beasts. Some spiritual beasts can be taught to speak. Of course, these kind of spiritual beasts are rare, and most spiritual beasts are proud and disdain human language. The spiritual dragon energy is extremely far from the Black Cloud Swamp, located at the edge of Yuzhou within the vast mountains. ¡­ The Celestial Battle ended with the fall of numerous celestial warriors, and the once famous Celestial Ao turned into a corpse monster. When the news spread, it shocked the martial world of Yuzhou. All the celestial warriors who returned were seriously injured except for Shen Haizhou. Dai Jun is dead! The Dai Family was shocked, even family patriarch Dai Sheng came out personally to inquire about the matter. What they cared about was not Dai Jun, but Dai Yingying! After learning that Dai Yingying did not go to the Celestial Ao Tomb, they let out a sigh of relief. However, just a few days later. The Dai Family was furious, all their warriors went out to pursue and kill the Loose Cultivator! Dai Yingying, is dead! After losing contact with Dai Yingying, the Dai Family, after some time of searching, determined that Dai Yingying was dead! And their primary murder suspect was naturally the Loose Cultivator who had vowed he¡¯d deal with them. The Royal Family of Zheng also sent out pursuers. No matter what, Dai Yingying was the fianc¨¦e of the Second Prince, the future queen. Two figures stepped into the sky above the Black Cloud Swamp, their aura as if merging with heaven and earth. Their Divine Soul power scanned every inch, searching bit by bit. Refining God Heavenly Men! ¡°Green Celestial Ao is not here, the young man who fought with Green Celestial Ao has also left, his aura has gone in this direction.¡± One of the Refining God Heavenly Men said in a deep voice. ¡°How the Green Celestial Ao turned into a corpse monster, what method was used, this is very important.¡± Another Refining God Heavenly Man then spoke. Following the remaining aura, the two Refining God Heavenly Men pursued the trail. However, in less than half a day, they stopped. The aura had disappeared. In a small village in Qiu Mountain County of Zheng Country. A burly man opened the door of a house¡¯s courtyard. The people inside heard the sound and came out alertly. When they saw that the visitor was the burly man, they let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Brother Meng, why are you here?¡± Wen Yong stepped forward to greet him, asking curiously. Huang Meng looked Wen Yong up and down, expressing disbelief, ¡°Little Yong, did you really go and kill Dai Yingying? How did you do it?¡± ¡°What?¡± Wen Yong swallowed, cold sweat appeared on his forehead, ¡°I didn¡¯t kill Dai Yingying!¡± Huang Meng looked doubtful, ¡°Really didn¡¯t kill? Now the Dai Family is crazily hunting you down everywhere, even the Royal Family of Zheng has sent people out. ¡°Little Yong, that¡¯s a bit impulsive. Now our All Ages Alliance can¡¯t conflict with the Spirit Sect and noble families yet, even so, your courage deserves praise.¡± Wen Yong turned pale, and stammered, ¡°Dai Yingying is dead? They all suspect that I did it?¡± Chapter 407 ¡°So, you truly didn¡¯t kill her?¡± Seeing Wen Yong¡¯s distressed expression, Huang Meng couldn¡¯t help but ask in a deep voice. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, I was just angry and recklessly threatened her, I didn¡¯t dare to kill her. Besides, her protector is much stronger than me!¡± Wen Yong was on the verge of crying. He regretted his rash actions, he should not have made those threats in anger. Who could have known that Dai Yingying would actually be murdered, and now he couldn¡¯t clear his name. Huang Meng took a deep breath, saying, ¡°Could it have been done by the other brothers in our alliance? But they wouldn¡¯t do it without informing us!¡± With a sad face, Wen Yong said, ¡°It must be those despicable and cunning people from the Spirit Sect or noble families who are trying to frame me.¡± ¡°Little Yong, run. Leave Yuzhou. I will arrange a place for you in an external state of our alliance. Once the All Ages Alliance is officially established, we need not fear the second-rate Dai Family anymore.¡± Huang Meng said in a deep voice. ¡°Alright, I will flee now!¡± Wen Yong¡¯s face turned pale, knowing that sooner or later, the Dai Family would hunt him down in Zheng Country, let alone in Yuzhou. The Dai Family had spared no effort to hunt down the killer and had put up a substantial reward. The royal family of Zheng Country also issued a bounty. For a while, the Zheng Country martial arts community was in a state of panic, countless independent cultivators were trembling in fear, afraid of being implicated for no reason. And the real murderer, Xu Yan, was by then already far away from the territory of Zheng Country. The location blessed by divine dragon energy was miles away from Zheng Country. While he was journeying, Xu Yan was learning about the situation in Zheng Country and Yuzhou, and how many Spirit Sects and noble families there were. The Gate of Lingyu was located in Zheng Country, Yuzhou. If the Chang Qing Pavilion wanted to migrate to the Ling Domain, it would inevitably need to settle in Yuzhou, and therefore it was essential to familiarise oneself beforehand. There were significant differences in the power structures between the Ling Domain and the Inner Domain. In the Ling Domain, the Spirit Sects and noble families were the main governing forces. The royal families and nations were subsidiary forces of the Spirit Sects or noble families, established to govern their territories. In the entire Ling Domain, a strict hierarchy of supremacy and subordination was maintained, even among the Spirit Sects and the noble families. The third-rate Spirit Sects had to follow this hierarchy when meeting with second-rate and first-rate ones, placing themselves behind the superior sects, never overstepping their bounds. Of course, if there were deep-seated hatred and opposition between them, this rule would not be observed, unless there was a stronger Spirit Sect or noble family present, in which case the rule would need to be followed outwardly. Yuzhou was controlled by three major Spirit Sects, five major noble families, and eighteen medium and small noble families and sects. In total, there were six kingdoms. Zheng Country was the only one that was not controlled by any Yuzhou Spirit Sects or noble families but instead, was governed by several transcendent Spirit Sects. The task of guarding the Gate of Lingyu was an exclusive privilege granted by these transcendent Spirit Sects. The Jade God Sect was the first sect of Yuzhou and also the only sect of the Ling Domain first class in Yuzhou. Apart from the Jade God Sect, none of the other Yuzhou Spirit Sects and noble families possessed strength and depth that matched a first-class Spirit Sect of the Ling Domain. They could only be considered as first-class Spirit Sects and noble families within Yuzhou. Xu Yan gradually understood Yuzhou and some common knowledge about the Ling Domain from Yu Xiaolong. For example, the Ling Domain did not have a unified currency. The currencies circulating in the martial arts world were issued by several transcendent Spirit Sects, and they could be used anywhere in the Eighteen States of the Ling Domain. ¡°Take this Great Zhou Spirit bill, for example. It¡¯s issued by the Great Zhou State, the only kingdom in the Ling Domain that is comparable in power to a transcendent Spirit Sect. The Great Zhou State is the only self-governing kingdom in the Ling Domain,¡± Yu Xiaolong explained to Xu Yan. It was puzzled, wondering why Xu Yan knew so little about the basic facts of the Ling Domain. Perhaps he is a novice independent cultivator? But still, why is his power so astonishingly great! The fact that the Great Zhou State could remain independent and not be subjected to the rule of the Spirit Sect or noble families, and yet was as powerful as a transcendent Spirit Sect, showed the extraordinary power of the Great Zhou Imperial Family. ¡°The land we are in now belongs to the Mo Family of Yuzhou, which is the number one noble family here,¡± said Yu Xiaolong, pointing to a city in the distance. ¡°Let¡¯s go into the city and have a look around.¡± Xu Yan decided to visit the shops in the city and look for any valuable items that might be worth buying. ¡°I¡¯d better hide.¡± Yu Xiaolong wrapped itself around Xu Yan¡¯s wrist and hid under his sleeve. Qinglin City, one of the six cities belonging to the Mo Family, the top-ranked family in Yuzhou. The city walls were embedded with scale-like structures, from which it derived its name. The Mo Family, being a first-class noble family in Yuzhou, didn¡¯t establish any kingdom to rule over a territory but instead built the Mo Family City to govern their own territories directly. Being one of the six major cities of the Mo Family, Qinglin City had a peak-Level Miraculous-Being warrior stationed there. At that moment, in the Thunder Cloud Pavillion of Qinglin City, several martial artists were holding a portrait as they announced a bounty. ¡°Whoever provides information about this person will be rewarded with a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, or one Pill of Spirit Gathering!¡± they declared. The group of martial artists was taken aback. A hundred thousands Spirit Crystals, or a Pill of Spirit Gathering? The Thunder Cloud Pavilion was a shop in Qinglin City established by several transcendent Spirit Sects. It was packed with martial artists every day, and any independent cultivator with a bit of strength or wealth would visit this place. People looked at the portrait of a young man holding a sword, handsome and with an extraordinary demeanor. ¡°May I ask, sir, what has this young man done?¡± A curious martial artist queried. From the way he inquired, it was clear that he was an independent cultivator. The martial artist holding the portrait looked at him with an indifferent expression and coldly said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t, just provide the clues and claim the reward.¡± Someone in the crowd asked, ¡°What would be the reward if we manage to capture this person ourselves?¡± Seeing who had posed the question, the martial artist holding the portrait smiled and said, ¡°If you capture this person, the reward will be five Pills of Spirit Gathering, or an equivalent prize.¡± Chapter 408 Among the Loose Cultivators present, some were internally livid, remarking on the difference of attitudes towards those who were not Loose Cultivators. This was truly excessive! However, most loose cultivators had long been accustomed to such differential treatments. Some even believed that this was the norm. ¡°The Gathering God Pill, is it from the Shen Family, or¡­¡± The person continued to ask. The fact that he was able to ask this question indicated his relatively high status within the Spirit Sect and the noble families. Otherwise, he would not know the difference between the Gathering God Pill of the Shen Family and that from other Spirit Sects and noble families. In Yuzhou, the Gathering God Pill of the Shen Family ranked first. ¡°It¡¯s the Gathering God Pill of the Jade God Sect and Su Family.¡± The Su family is one of the top five premier noble families in Yuzhou. The Jade God Sect, on the other hand, is the number one Spirit Sect in Yuzhou. The martial artists present were taken aback, questioning what the youngster had done to warrant a bounty by these two powerful forces. ¡°Did they order his capture alive, or doesn¡¯t it matter whether he¡¯s dead or alive?¡± ¡°Capture alive. Additionally, according to the intelligence, this person¡¯s power is at least at the Junior Heavenly Man stage.¡± Martial artists going in and out of the Thundercloud Pavilion were all aware that the Jade God Sect and the Su family were on the hunt for a young man. This young man was rumoured to be at least of the Junior Heavenly Man stage in power. Giving such an ostentatious bounty for a young man without providing specific information indicated that the youngster must undoubtedly be a Loose Cultivator. In a mansion in Qinglin City, several Loose Cultivators met. ¡°Does anyone know who the Jade God Sect and the Su family have put a bounty on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t heard of such a promising Loose Cultivator in Yuzhou.¡± ¡°If such a promising figure emerged among us Loose Cultivators, he mustn¡¯t fall into the hands of the Spirit Sects or noble families. We must find his whereabouts as quickly as possible and keep it a secret.¡± ¡°Exactly, this person can indeed become a promising figure in our All Ages Alliance. We need to find him and bring him into our All Ages Alliance to confront the Spirit Sects and noble families.¡± After a brief discussion, the Loose Cultivators set off in search of the youngster¡¯s trail. Outside Qinglin City, some buildings were nestled deep inside a mountain. Wen Yong was pale, suffering from severe injuries. He barely escaped death and evaded a family elder from the Dai Family to hide here. ¡°Wen Yong, you need to leave here as fast as you can, and we will try to stall the Dai Family¡¯s pursuit!¡± A middle-aged man sternly pointed at a map. ¡°Understood, I will leave immediately!¡± Wen Yong nodded, about to turn and leave when a figure hurriedly approached. ¡°Hall Master, the Jade God Sect and the Su family have put a bounty on a Loose Cultivator prodigy. The alliance has already arranged for people to look for this young man.¡± The man placed a portrait on the table. The Hall Master squinted his eyes, saying, ¡°A prodigy from among us Loose Cultivators?¡± ¡°Yes, strength is at least of Junior Heavenly Man stage, according to the information given by the Jade God Sect and the Su family.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Such a prodigy must be brought into our All Ages Alliance. We are in urgent need of a prodigy.¡± The Hall Master said joyfully. ¡°But, Hall Master, both the Jade God Sect and the Su family have put a bounty on him. Rumor has it that an Elder Heavenly Man has been dispatched.¡± The man stated gravely. ¡°The more attention he draws from the Spirit Sects and noble families, the more it proves that he is indeed a prodigy. As a Loose Cultivator, he will inevitably seek protection from our All Ages Alliance if he is being hunted by the Spirit Sects and noble families.¡± ¡°Find his whereabouts as quickly as possible. If necessary, I will personally intervene and hold off the Elder Heavenly Man from the Jade God Sect or Su family.¡± The Hall Master said earnestly. ¡°Yes, Hall Master!¡± The man left in a hurry. Wen Yong took a glance at the portrait of the youngster, sighing internally that another prodigy was to join their alliance. He, Wen Yong, was also regarded as a prodigy among the Loose Cultivators. However, his circumstances were rather perilous at the moment due to a fallout with the Dai Family. If it was merely threats, the Dai Family would only send a Junior Heavenly Man at most, or an Elder Heavenly Man at the strongest, to hunt him down. But now Dai Yingying is dead, and the Dai Family has concluded that he is the murderer. Even the Refining God Heavenly Man Patriarch of the Dai family has decided to personally end his life. Wen Yong didn¡¯t know if he had any chance of escaping Yuzhou. After all, he was a marked man for death by the Refining God Heavenly Man! If it wasn¡¯t for the alliance helping him escape, he would have been dead by now and wouldn¡¯t have survived this long. However, the All Ages Alliance was not ready to reveal itself and more of its power just for his sake. Wen Yong hurriedly left, embarking on his journey of escape. As for Xu Yan, who was about to be hired by the Jade God Sect and the Su family, he had no clue. He was on his way to Qinglin City, preparing to explore the city. On the route to Qinglin City, martial artists were coming and going. Suddenly, one from the city stopped abruptly, recognizing the young man¡ªwasn¡¯t he the one with a bounty on his head from the Yu Shen Sect and the Su Family? He was overjoyed and immediately circled back discreetly to Qinglin City. ¡°Indeed, the metropolis of Ling Domain is remarkable.¡± Xu Yan gazed at Qinglin City and couldn¡¯t help but marvel¡ªit was truly one of the top six cities of the premier families. When he first entered the Inner Domain from the borderlands, he was struck by the splendid and imposing cities. Even a remote small county city was equivalent to the capital of a borderland country. Now, seeing the metropolis in the Ling Domain, Xu Yan¡¯s horizons expanded once again. The cities in Ling Domain are incomparable to those in the Inner Domain. At the massive city gates of Qinglin City, the guards were all peak Great Grandmasters, charging entrance fees from loose cultivators. ¡°Grandmasters are everywhere, even Great Grandmasters are common, and first-rank martial artists are at the bottom among them, almost ordinary in Ling Domain.¡± Xu Yan watched the martial artists at the city gate, deep in thought. The gap in the Inner Domain is too vast! Grandmasters in the Inner Domain are among the strong. But in Ling Domain, they¡¯re almost ubiquitous, as common as third-rank or first-rank martial artists in the Inner Domain. Xu Yan was not surprised by this. After all, the spiritual energy in Ling Domain is denser, and the Heavenly Earth Lingji is more active ¨C making it easier to cultivate. In such a world, people¡¯s innate gifts are naturally higher. What¡¯s more, with the active Heavenly Earth Lingji, practicing martial arts becomes easier. Just as Xu Yan was preparing to enter the city, a man suddenly approached him and murmured, ¡°Young man, you dare to enter the city? Follow me quickly. If we don¡¯t leave now, it¡¯ll be too late.¡± Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been put up for bounty, come with me quickly!¡± The man replied in a hurry. A bounty on his head? Xu Yan frowned, was it because of the affair with the Qing Tian Jiao Tomb? As he followed the man, Xu Yan asked, ¡°Who are you and why tell me about the bounty? Which power has put a bounty on me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a loose cultivator who couldn¡¯t stand Spirit Sects and noble families planning to sabotage the destiny of other loose cultivators, so I decided to warn you.¡± The man led Xu Yan towards a certain place outside of Qinglin City, continuing, ¡°The ones who put a bounty on you are the Yu Shen Sect and the Su Family. You should know what it means when the Spirit Sect and a noble family put a bounty on you, right?¡± With a serious look on his face, the man continued, ¡°However, I do know a place that can help save your life.¡± A flash of cold light passed in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes. So the Yu Shen Sect and the Su Family put a bounty on him? ¡°Just wait till my breakthrough, and you¡¯ll pay for this.¡± He said to himself coldly. ¡°You¡¯re just a loose cultivator. How can you help me evade the bounty from the Yu Shen Sect and the Su Family?¡± Xu Yan was somewhat curious. Of course, he kept his guard up and prepared to strike at any moment, killing the man if necessary. ¡°This is a secret. After following me and meeting someone, you¡¯ll know.¡± The man then continued, ¡°You can be at ease, young man. I certainly don¡¯t mean to harm you. If we loose cultivators continue to kill each other, we¡¯ll be enslaved by the Spirit Sect and noble families for generations.¡± Suddenly, Xu Yan stopped in his tracks. ¡°Young man, what¡¯s wrong?¡± The man was taken aback. Turning around, Xu Yan casually said, ¡°Those who put a bounty on me are coming. You can leave now if you don¡¯t want to get involved.¡± The man¡¯s expression changed. He looked up to see two figures racing towards them. ¡°Run, young man!¡± The man said hastily. Standing still, Xu Yan replied, ¡°Run? They are minor Heavenly Martial Artists. I¡¯d like to see why they have put a bounty on me.¡± The man¡¯s face was anxious. Seeing that he couldn¡¯t persuade Xu Yan, he had no choice but to leave hastily. ¡°You should come with us.¡± The two minor Heavenly Martial Artists looked down at Xu Yan and spoke arrogantly. As deacons of Yu Shen Sect, the top Spirit Sect in Yuzhou, and a premier family, the Su Family, they were accustomed to being haughty and superior. Xu Yan looked at their clothes, which bore the emblems of the warriors from the Yu Shen Sect and the Su Family. With a cold smile, he said, ¡°Are you here to invite me, or to boss me around? If you¡¯re here to invite me, be polite. If you think you can command me, then get ready to die!¡± ¡°Impudent!¡± A Yu Shen Sect deacon shouted furiously, ¡°Just a low-ranking martial artist, a mere loose cultivator, don¡¯t think that just because you have a little strength, you can ignore the rules. What crime did you commit?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s face turned icy. He raised his sword without hesitation, striking straight and true. Chapter 409 The Spirit Sect of Yuzhou is the number one sect in Yuzhou and the head of the three great spirit sects, while the Su Family is one of the five great families. There is no force in Yuzhou that dared to offend these two powers at the same time. As a loose cultivator faced with martial artists from these two great forces, they dare not offend them in the slightest. Even if they were oppressed, they had to swallow their anger silently. A slight rebellion, or even a move, would inevitably result in death! As far as the deacon of the Spirit Sect and the Su Family were concerned, although Xu Yan did have some strength, what they represented were the Spirit Sect and the Su Family. How dare a loose cultivator defy them? Who would have thought, Xu Yan actually made a move directly! He didn¡¯t consider their backing forces at all! ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± The deacon of the Spirit Sect was furious, raising his hand to kill Xu Yan. He is a martial artist in the late stage of a junior heavenly man! The deacon of the Su Family had a cold look in his eyes, suddenly making a move, punching out, and a huge fist imprint was like a small mountain crashing down! Although Xu Yan was only at the peak of the Profound Realm, he has accumulated a foundation for a while, and his strength is increasing every day. Moreover, his Sudden Wind Sword Intent is extremely powerful. Buzz! The Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers emerged and enveloped right away, and the slight breeze suddenly became fierce, blowing through the mountains and rivers! The deacon of the Spirit Sect suddenly felt a shock in his consciousness, as if a gust of wind was blowing through his mental consciousness. A sense of tearing came. ¡°Ah!¡± He couldn¡¯t help screaming, his attack was momentarily halted. The sudden pain caught him off guard. His strength didn¡¯t get to manifest when the sword light was already dropping! In a duel of the strong, life and death is just a matter of moments! Phew! The deacon of the Spirit Sect was beheaded in an instant. As for the huge fist imprint, it was just bombing down at this moment. Xu Yan¡¯s figure moved, he instantly changed his position and was already by the side of the Su Family¡¯s deacon. Changed position! Another sword dropped once more. The deacon of the Spirit Sect was suddenly beheaded, causing the Su Family deacon to be horrified. He even couldn¡¯t understand why he couldn¡¯t even block a single sword and was killed in one shot! At this moment, he felt a strong sense of danger. ¡°I am a member of the Su Family. Do you dare kill me?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but roar in fierce exasperation. ¡°To kill you, why should I consider your background?¡± Xu Yan smiled coldly, and a sword dropped, like the Thunderbolt Sword was a divine punishment. Boom! The deacon of the Su family punched out and simultaneously moved to evade. At this moment, his mental consciousness was suddenly blown like a gust of wind, almost torn apart, the intense pain made his eyeballs nearly pop out! ¡°What is this cultivation technique?¡± The deacon of the Su Family was horrified! This was not the divine soul oppression of the Refining God Heavenly Man, but seemed to be a strange martial arts technique, directly tearing his mental consciousness. It was only now that he understood why the deacon of the Spirit Sect was killed! The attack of the Su Family¡¯s deacon became disordered and collapsed due to the intense pain in his mental consciousness. The figure who was about to escape also came to an abrupt stop. At the critical moment, the deacon of the Su family desperately activated the Gathering Spirit Technique, hoping to remove the tearing of his mental consciousness and resist the strange wind attack. But, the Thunderbolt Sword was already dropping down! ¡°The Su Family won¡¯t let you go!¡± The deacon of the Su Family emitted a final roar of anger as he was dying. Phew! After beheading the deacons of the Spirit Sect and the Su Family, Xu Yan reached out and captured their storage bags, the sword intent spreading and directly turning the people into ash! Yu Xiaolong poked his head out of his sleeve and exclaimed in shock, ¡°You killed the deacons of the Spirit Sect and the Su Family? This is going to be a big deal, the Spirit Sect and the Su Family won¡¯t let you go!¡± It has been a long time in Yuzhou since a loose cultivator dared to kill people from the three sects and five families. ¡°So, I killed them. How about the Spirit Sect and the Su Family?¡± Xu Yan was not concerned. ¡°You will be hunted down, run quickly, or it will be too late to escape.¡± Yu Xiaolong said in a somewhat flustered tone. ¡°If it goes wrong, a Refining God Heavenly Man will come after you!¡± Xu Yan was calm, saying, ¡°So what about the Refining God Heavenly Man?¡± He indeed was not the opponent of the Refining God Heavenly Man, but With Light, Dust, and Dharmakaya, he could avoid detection. As long as he was careful, the Refining God Heavenly Man might not be able to find him. ¡°Hurry up and run. A Refining God Heavenly Man will not take action easily, but a high-level heavenly man will definitely take action.¡± Yu Xiaolong said solemnly. ¡°Just a high-level heavenly person. It¡¯s not a big problem.¡± Xu Yan contemplated for a while. The threat of a high-level heavenly person wasn¡¯t too great to him. But he couldn¡¯t care less. What if he wasn¡¯t afraid, but then three or five of them came to kill him? It was impossible to go to Qinglin City now. Xu Yan also had a bit of urgency in his heart and had to accumulate enough foundation as quickly as possible to break through to the Divine Intent State. As long as he broke through to the Divine Intent State, he would be invincible from everyone below the Refining God Heavenly Man! Even if facing a Refining God Heavenly Man, he could escape under the other party¡¯s eyes without using With Light, Dust, and Dharmakaya to hide himself! The Divine Intent State is a huge improvement. ¡°Let¡¯s go, find the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi!¡± Xu Yan took off into the sky, heading for the vast mountains at the edge of Yuzhou, where the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi was located. ¡­ ¡°Hall Master, the deacons of the Spirit Sect and the Su Family have come to hunt down that heaven-spun talent!¡± In the local branch of the All Ages Alliance, the man who reminded Xu Yan hurriedly came to report. ¡°I¡¯m going immediately!¡± The Hall Master¡¯s face changed and he immediately grabbed the man, soaring into the air and disappearing in a flash. ¡°We¡¯re a step too late, that heaven-spun talent might have been captured,¡± The middle-aged man sighed. The Hall Master¡¯s gaze fixed as he observed the battlefield. Judging from the remainders of the battle, the fight ended quickly and it wasn¡¯t intense. Chapter 410 He furrowed his brow, saying, ¡°Go to Qinglin City and gather information. Find out why the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family want that young man. What is their objective?¡± ¡°Yes, Hall Master!¡± The middle-aged man hurriedly left. The bounty for Xu Yan was still in effect in the Thundercloud Pavilion in Qinglin City. However, it was rumored that a martial artist had provided information about the youth and had received the bounty. The Deacons of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family had already set off to capture him. The martial artists at Thundercloud Pavilion couldn¡¯t help but envy him. Not only had the loose cultivator received the reward, but he had also won the favor of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family. If he was admired by the deacons, he might even have the chance to join the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family. Even being a low-level affiliate martial artist under a Spirit Sect or clan was still stronger than being a loose cultivator. The middle-aged man entered Thundercloud Pavilion and quietly exchanged information with several martial artists from the All Ages Alliance. Surprisingly, he found no news of the young man being captured. Had it not been announced, or was the young man not caught? The bounty was still active, which indicated that the Deacons of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family hadn¡¯t returned yet. Or they had caught the man elsewhere and hadn¡¯t had time to cancel the bounty? A day later. Two older men appeared in Thundercloud Pavilion, followed by a few martial artists brimming with murderous aura. All the martial artists in the Thundercloud Pavilion felt a chill in their hearts. They were Refining God Heavenly Men! What¡¯s more, they were from both the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family. The several people following behind were their guards, responsible for chasing and killing enemy martial artists. The middle-aged man¡¯s heart skipped a beat. A shocking thought came to mind. Had the Deacons of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family been killed by the young man? He was so young, yet he could kill the deacons of a Spirit Sect and a clan? It¡¯s important to know that the cultivation techniques of a Spirit Sect and a clan were stronger than those of a loose cultivator. Therefore, their martial artists were usually stronger. Of course, there were some powerful loose cultivators who could match those from a Spirit Sect and a clan in the same cultivation realm, but there weren¡¯t many of them. Moreover, those who got such opportunities usually had more powerful cultivation techniques. ¡°Whoever provides information leading to this man will be rewarded with one million Spirit Crystals and a bottle of Soul Concentration Pills. Whoever captures this man will also receive a bottle of Soul Concentration Pills and a lower-grade Spiritual Artifact,¡± said the Elder of the Jade Spirit Sect in a deep voice. All the martial artists in Thundercloud Pavilion were immediately stirred up. ¡°Whoever provides clues and helps catch this man can become an outer guard of the Su Family.¡± The Su family elder added, causing the loose cultivators to be instantly excited, for that was a chance for them to break away from being loose cultivators and become martial artists of a clan! In an instant, numerous loose cultivators left immediately to find Xu Yan. The news spread quickly and within less than a day, it was all over Yuzhou. The Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family were jointly hunting a loose cultivator. It shook Yuzhou¡¯s martial arts world. This was far more shocking than the Dai Family¡¯s manhunt of Wen Yong. The Jade Spirit Sect was the first sect in Yuzhou, leading among the three sects. The Su Family was one of the five major clans. Their joint manhunt of a loose cultivator was incredibly rare in the history of Yuzhou¡¯s martial arts world! After all, the Dai Family was nothing more than a second-rate clan! Various forces in Yuzhou began to investigate the identity of Xu Yan and tried to figure out the reasons for the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family manhunt. Shortly thereafter, many forces along with some well-informed loose cultivators found out the cause! Qing Sky Tomb! The youth had fought the Qing Sky Tomb Dragon, which had turned into a monster, but then the Qing Sky Tomb Dragon disappeared, and the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family were searching for it. The deacon who went to capture the young man was killed! Everyone knew he was must have been killed by the young man. It was because of this that the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family were enraged and issued a bounty! ¡°So that¡¯s the reason!¡± The Hall Master of the All Ages Alliance branch revealed a sudden realization. ¡°Look for his whereabouts. We need more of these ambitious talents, who dare to offend the Spirit Sects and clans, in our All Ages Alliance!¡± ¡°Yes, Hall Master!¡± The All Ages Alliance was in action, looking for traces of Xu Yan. Meanwhile, no one yet knew Xu Yan¡¯s true identity. In a city, Shen Haizhou was muttering to himself, ¡°This brother is indeed fierce. He doesn¡¯t hesitate to kill people from the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family. He is indeed the one who tamed the Qing Sky Tomb Dragon. ¡°This is a perfect opportunity. If I can help him escape, wouldn¡¯t that make us good friends?¡± Shen Haizhou was thrilled. He hurriedly activated the Shen Family¡¯s intelligence system to join the search for Xu Yan. ¡°If nothing goes wrong, this brother will likely try to escape Yuzhou, probably via the Yuzhou Mang Mountain.¡± Shen Haizhou made a mental judgement. The obscure Mang Mountain on the outskirts of Yuzhou was a route many escaping loose cultivators took. Once inside the Mang Mountain, they could use its terrain to escape the pursuers. The chances of escaping Yuzhou were much higher. Although the loose cultivators knew that the Spirit Sects and clans would focus their search on the Mang Mountain, escape through other places was extremely difficult. Only on the Mang Mountain could there be a chance. Besides, stretching thousands of miles wide, Mang Mountain is too vast to be completely guarded by Spirit Sect and aristocratic families. On his way to the Mang Mountain, Shen Haizhou was thrilled, thinking, ¡°I¡¯ve a feeling that this man must be ferocious, just like the Blood Demon from the past!¡± Xu Yan kept moving towards the Mang Mountain. ¡°I feel like things might get tricky. The Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family might be blocking your way on the Mang Mountain!¡± Yu Xiaolong asserted with a worried tone. ¡°How would they know I¡¯d be heading towards the Mang Mountain?¡± Xu Yan asked with a furrowed brow. ¡°The Mang Mountain is a known hideaway for loose cultivators to escape from the Spirit Sect and aristocratic families. Any loose cultivators who had offended them would make their escape from Mang Mountain and away from Yuzhou.¡± Yu Xiaolong furthered with a helpless tone. Xu Yan narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Where on Mang Mountain could I find the Earthly Dragon Qi without being discovered?¡± ¡°Mang Mountain is vast. It won¡¯t be easily discovered. As long as you can enter Mang Mountain, the problem is not that significant.¡± Yu Xiaolong in a deep voice. ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to enter the Mang Mountain.¡± Xu Yan affirmed confidently. Suddenly, his expression changed as he turned his head towards a distance. Over there, a martial artist held a scroll in his hand, looking at him and then down at the scroll. ¡°Quick, kill him!¡± Yu Xiaolong cried out in haste. Without a word, Xu Yan had already lashed out his sword. He moved, appearing before the man abruptly. Thump! The martial artist was instantly killed. Looking at his attire, he seemed to be a martial artist from third-rate aristocratic family. Xu Yan snatched the scroll. The person in the painting was handsome and stood with a sword clutched to his chest. ¡°Pretty good, Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family, I will remember you!¡± Xu Yan voiced coldly. True Yuan surged, turning the scroll into flying ashes immediately. Xu Yan pondered for a bit. He can¡¯t continue to move around so openly and flying mid-air, it¡¯s too easy to be spotted. Coming down from mid-air, Xu Yan changed his outfit, activating his True Yuan. His facial muscles twitched slightly, changing his appearance. ¡°Your face-changing trick won¡¯t fool anybody,¡± Yu Xiaolong warned. ¡°As long as no one scrutinizes it, they won¡¯t discover it.¡± Xu Yan responded with a light smile. As long as people didn¡¯t get close to scrutinize him, they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that he had changed his appearance. Following it, he used the technique ¡°Like Dust in the Light¡±, blending his aura with the surrounding. To Yu Xiaolong¡¯s surprise, it coiled around Xu Yan¡¯s wrist, only feeling a slight change in his aura, and didn¡¯t delve into it any further. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we have to reach Mang Mountain as soon as possible.¡± A sense of urgency flitted across Xu Yan¡¯s heart. Being at the Tongxuan Realm was just too weak. Now being chased and targeted by the Jade Spirit Sect and Su Family, he had to break through the Divine Intent State as soon as possible. Only by breaking through the Divine Intent State could he boost his confidence for handling the manhunt by both powers. Moreover, after breaking through the Divine Intent State, Sudden Wind Sword Intent would transform and become stronger. Even if it is the Divine Soul of a Refining God Heavenly Man, it is not necessarily indestructible! Divine Intent State is a barrier. By breaking through it, some mysterious martial techniques could truly demonstrate their power. Walking through the mountains and forests, Xu Yan maintained a swift pace. Whoosh! In mid-air, a heavenly man martial artist passed while searching. Xu Yan had applied ¡°Like Dust in the Light¡± technique, blending into the environment unnoticed. As far as the Heavenly Man¡¯s senses were concerned, Xu Yan was merely a tree trunk by the tree. In the following few days, Heavenly Men chased by, one after the other. ¡°Not bad, Jade Spirit Sect and Su Family. Sending one Heavenly Man after another, they really value me, Xu Yan.¡± Xu Yan exclaimed. Is it necessary to make such a big fuss just because I killed two deacons? ¡°Perhaps, it is not because of the people I killed, but for the Blue Sky Crocodile.¡± Xu Yan pondered. Continuing on to Mang Mountain, there were a growing number of martial artists scouting the area. Considering this, Xu Yan had to head towards the wilderness and to the mountains and dense woods. He also understood why loose cultivators all chose to escape Yuzhou from the Mang Mountain. It was simply due to the route to the Mang Mountain being full of mountains and dense forests, which were good hiding spots. Suddenly, Xu Yan¡¯s complexion changed. He stretched his hand into his sleeve and seizing Yu Xiaolong¡¯s neck they instantly hid in a cluster of thorny bushes. Chapter 411 Hidden within the thorns and weeds, Xu Yan exerted the technique of merging with the light and dust to the extreme ¨C both thorns and weeds concealed his body. His breath mingled with the thorns and weeds, becoming one. The Yu Xiaolong wrapped around Xu Yan¡¯s wrist was being choked so hard by him that its eyes were about to bulge out. It subconsciously wanted to twist its body, but suddenly stiffened. A subconscious instinct told it that if it twisted its body, it might be choked to death! An old man in mid-air came from a distance, his Divine Soul scanning all directions, sparing not even a blade of grass! The thorny bushes were thoroughly checked. After confirming that the person he was looking for was not there, he quickly exited the scene. Refining God Heavenly Man! Xu Yan¡¯s expression was serious. There was a Refining God Heavenly Man coming after him. Had the Blue Sky Python received such attention? ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s associated with the Blue Sky Python setting up its own death to become a post-mortem creature. Could it be possible that these Refining God Heavenly Men also want to become post-mortem creatures after they die?¡± Xu Yan contemplated in his heart. Even the powerful Blue Sky Python had not been completely successful. How many of these Refining God Heavenly Men could succeed? In the end, they would probably end up as the blood-thirsty and brutal post-mortem creatures. Of course, whether these Refining God Heavenly Men had such intentions was still unknown. Xu Yan lay down in the thorny bushes without moving, not getting up and leaving immediately. Less than half an hour later, the power of the Divine Soul swept over him again. The Refining God Heavenly Man who had left just a while back had reappeared. The figure paused mid-air for a brief moment before continuing its inspection in a particular direction. Only when the night fell and the Refining God Heavenly Man didn¡¯t reappear, did Xu Yan emerge from the grass, briefly identified the direction, and hurriedly left the spot. At the same time, he released his grip on Yu Xiaolong¡¯s neck. ¡°Cough, cough¡­You almost choked me to death!¡± Yu Xiaolong hissed with its snake tongue. ¡°You don¡¯t need to doubt me. If you are found out, I won¡¯t be able to escape death either. Being a spiritual beast and having the blood of the python, how could they let me go if I¡¯m with you?¡± Yu Xiaolong was very frustrated. Was there no trust at all? Xu Yan calmly replied, ¡°Better to be safe than sorry!¡± ¡°You are my hope for achieving my dream, I would never harm you. You must believe me.¡± Yu Xiaolong poked its head out, looking extremely wronged. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it later. The appearance of the Refining God Heavenly Man is something we need to guard against.¡± There was a serious expression on Xu Yan¡¯s face. Upon hearing the words, Yu Xiaolong¡¯s expression became more intense. It said, ¡°Given that Jade God Sect and Su Family have dispatched a Refining God Heavenly Man, could the person you killed be of great importance?¡± Immediately after, it dismissed that possibility, ¡°No way, it was just two ordinary Deacons. The favoured talents are here for Blue Sky Python?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Improbable. The fact that Blue Sky Python transformed into a post-mortem creature would not result in a Refining God Heavenly Man personally stepping in to capture you. Those Refining God Heavenly Men reason from high above. There are many strong Heavenly Men within the Sects, there is no need for them to take the field personally.¡± Yu Xiaolong denied it. ¡°But the fact is, Refining God Heavenly Man has appeared!¡± Xu Yan spoke in a deep voice. Yu Xiaolong fell silent. Although its mind was filled with doubts, the appearance of the Refining God Heavenly Man was undeniably real. ¡°How far are we from the place where the Dragon Qi of the Earth Spirit is?¡± Xu Yan asked solemnly. ¡°Very far.¡± Yu Xiaolong flicked its tongue and responded, ¡°We now only have one path to take. Although this path is hidden, it¡¯s not easy to tread and may harbour some dangers.¡± ¡°How dangerous?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re unfortunate, the danger we come across may be equivalent to facing four or five spiritual beasts at the middle or later stages of the Lesser Heavenly Man stage, and there might even be toxic gases¡­ ¡± ¡°These are not considered dangers as long as we can avoid the Refining God Heavenly Man.¡± ¡°Alright. You go from here, a hundred miles away, beneath a big mountain, there is a deep pool, a hidden stream inside it leads to an underground passage stretching thousands of miles¡­ It was drilled out by a powerful spiritual beast, very concealed and should be unknown to others.¡± Upon hearing these words, Xu Yan did not hesitate and quickly reached the deep pool mentioned by Yu Xiaolong. He dived into the water and entered the underground passage. The passage was dark, with Moonlight Stones embedded in the walls at intervals. Looking at the shape and traces of the passage, it seemed to have been dug out by a snake-like creature. ¡°Be careful. Some of the spiritual beasts that live underground may be lurking or occasionally there may be toxic gases emanating.¡± Yu Xiaolong reminded him. A Sword Intent surfaced on Xu Yan¡¯s body, enveloping his entire body as he swiftly advanced. Wen Yong leaned against the damp dark rock wall, gasping heavily. Blood was seeping from the corner of his mouth and his face was pale. He was shivering as he took out a few pills from his pouch and stuffed them into his mouth. ¡°Who on earth killed Dai Yingying? Isn¡¯t this mouldy luck supposed to trap me?¡± Wen Yong¡¯s eyes were moist, he regretted his hasty actions. He really shouldn¡¯t have threatened in a fit of anger. Dai Yingying was too bullying, which provoked his righteous indignation, and he didn¡¯t hold back in the heat of the moment. Being hunted down by the Dai Family was within his expectations. After all, high-profile families wouldn¡¯t tolerate a threat from a Loose Cultivator. But Wen Yong wasn¡¯t too worried about this. After all, he was part of the All Ages Alliance, and for the Dai Family to kill him wouldn¡¯t be easy. Moreover, he could simply fake his own death if things got too dangerous. The All Ages Alliance had prepared him with these strategies. What he didn¡¯t expect was that Dai Yingying was killed and he became the first suspected murderer! The Dai Family also believed that he was the one who killed Dai Yingying. Not only did the Heavenly Men appear, but even the elder Refining God Heavenly Man of the Dai Family made a personal move. ¡°I was almost caught!¡± Wen Yong¡¯s face displayed a look of close escape. ¡°Why are Jade God Sect and Su Family pursuing this person?¡± Chapter 412 Wen Yong pulls out a portrait with a puzzled look. On his flight, a loose cultivator almost mistook him for the wanted man. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, striking and killing his pursuer, and snatching away this portrait. ¡°This guy is in even deeper trouble than I am. I¡¯m only being pursued by the Dai family, whereas you¡¯re hunted by the Jade God Sect and Su family. I hope you manage to escape.¡± Looking at the youth in the portrait, Wen Yong feels a kinship with a fellow being in the same predicament. Staring into the dark tunnel, Wen Yong¡¯s determination solidified, ¡°Dai family, I, Wen Yong, will come back for you.¡± His face is grim, this tunnel extends for thousands of miles and hides many dangers. And since he is injured, his power only remains at fifty to sixty percent. Whether he could successfully escape through this tunnel now depends on luck. ¡°Cough cough!¡± Wen Yong coughed, the sound echoing throughout the tunnel. He got up leaning on a knife, crushed the portrait in his hand, and looked into the dark tunnel, his eyes unwavering, face solemn. ¡°I, Wen Yong, will not die here.¡± Upon successfully entering this tunnel, his chance of survival increased to eighty percent. This tunnel was something he discovered amidst the remains of a martial artist who had passed away. This tunnel was his only hope for escaping this time. Otherwise, hoping to escape the chase of the Refining God Heavenly Man would be almost impossible. Wen Yong held himself alert, moving forward one step at a time. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this tunnel was hidden?¡± Xu Yan, watching the figure of Wen Yong in front, asked through a sound transmission. Yu Xiaolong also looked puzzled, saying, ¡°That¡¯s odd, I just discovered this tunnel by chance. How could he know about it? ¡°And look at his pitiful state, it¡¯s like he¡¯s on the run. ¡°Is he another loose cultivator who offended the Spirit Sect or some powerful family?¡± Xu Yan silently followed behind Wen Yong. This man posed no danger, and his strength wasn¡¯t impressive- only a mid-level Heavenly Man. ¡°We¡¯re both on the run, but my trouble¡¯s much bigger than his. Even the Refining God Heavenly Man is after me.¡± Xu Yan sighed in his heart. Since he¡¯d encountered someone travelling the same path who was weaker than him and heavily injured, having a travelling companion on this long, deep, and dark tunnel journey could be a good thing. Thus, he stepped forward and smacked Wen Yong¡¯s shoulder. Wen Yong was almost scared out of his wits as an unexpected hand landed on his shoulder. Could it be a Refining God Heavenly Man from the Dai family? ¡°Dai family, I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡± Wen Yong roared in defiance, his aura surging, he exerted his full strength, slashing his knife backwards. Bang! His attack was easily blocked, and a voice rang out, ¡°Brother, are you fleeing?¡± Wen Yong was taken aback, under the dim light, he saw the figure behind him was a youth who seemed vaguely familiar. ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± For a moment, Wen Yong began to cough, with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The sudden exertion had worsened his injuries. ¡°Who are you?¡± Collecting his senses, Wen Yong¡¯s face darkened, the unnoticeable pat on his shoulder was a show of the real difference in their strengths, indicating he shouldn¡¯t attempt anything dangerous. ¡°A person pursued by the Spirit Sect and noble families.¡± Xu Yan replied with a smile. ¡°Is it you?¡± Wen Yong suddenly remembered the youth from the portrait. ¡°You recognize me?¡± Xu Yan raised an eyebrow. ¡°The portrait!¡± Wen Yong whispered, his face turning even paler as he wiped the blood from his mouth. ¡°Brother, your injuries seem real serious.¡± Xu Yan pondered, wondering whether he should give him a healing pill. However, they weren¡¯t familiar with each other, the pills were precious, and while the man was seriously injured, his life was not in immediate danger. So, he gave up the idea of giving him a healing pill. Then, the two of them journeyed together through the tunnel. Despite both being hunted, they kept an eye on each other, staying cautious. ¡°Brother Wen, why are you being pursued?¡± Xu Yan asked curiously. Upon mentioning this, Wen Yong¡¯s face showed injustice, as if he¡¯d found someone to confide in, ¡°You know about the Dai family¡¯s beloved child, right? She is dead! ¡°Everyone thinks I killed her, but I didn¡¯t. I was just angry and said some reckless things. Who knew she would actually get killed? Now everyone thinks I¡¯m the killer. ¡°Even my friends don¡¯t believe me!¡± Xu Yan patted his shoulder to comfort him, saying: ¡°I can see why you¡¯re being pursued. Killing a beloved child of a prestigious family is a serious offense. Brother Wen, it¡¯s lucky that you¡¯ve made it this far.¡± ¡°But she wasn¡¯t just any beloved child, she was Dai Yingying of the Dai Family, the betrothed of the Second Prince of Zheng Country. Everyone thinks it was me who killed her, but it wasn¡¯t.¡± Wen Yong looked badly wronged as he grabbed Xu Yan¡¯s arm, ¡°You have to believe me, I didn¡¯t kill Dai Yingying!¡± Xu Yan was somewhat stunned. Dai Yingying? Wasn¡¯t she the one he himself killed? How did it become Wen Yong¡¯s deed? Now he remembered. This unfortunate guy once made a tough vow, declaring that he would kill Dai Yingying even if it cost him his life, for the sake of the lower-level Loose Cultivators. It was because of this that he got the blame! Gripping Wen Yong¡¯s shoulder seriously, Xu Yan sincerely said, ¡°Brother Wen, I trust you. There¡¯s no way you could have killed Dai Yingying. Even if no one else in this world believes you, I do!¡± Overwhelmed with emotion, Wen Yong was on the verge of tears. Finally, there was someone who believed him! ¡°Thank you, thank you, Brother Xu. You¡¯re the only one who believes in me!¡± A true friend indeed! At that moment, Wen Yong felt he had found a true companion, one he could trust with his life! ¡°Of course, Brother Wen, you are an honest man. I don¡¯t believe you would ever lie!¡± Xu Yan said earnestly. He had been the one to kill Dai Yingying, and Wen Yong ended up taking the blame. He indeed owed him an apology. As such, Xu Yan took out a small bottle, intending to give some Healing Pills to Wen Yong. ¡°Brother Xu, you are my first and greatest friend in this life!¡± Wen Yong declared solemnly. Xu Yan patted his shoulder, sighing sympathetically, ¡°Brother Wen, you truly have a kind and genuine heart. I can see that your injuries are grave. Here is some Healing Medicine that can help you recover swiftly!¡± He then poured two Healing Pills into his palm. ¡°Thank you, Brother Xu!¡± Wen Yong picked up one pill and immediately put it in his mouth. The pill dissolved as soon as he put it in his mouth, spreading a warm sensation throughout his body. His injuries remarkably started to heal slowly. ¡°What¡­ what is this!¡± Wen Yong widened his eyes in astonishment, ¡°What kind of Healing Medicine is this? It works like a miracle!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary pill. You should keep a few on hand for emergencies.¡± Xu Yan put some Healing Pills in a jade bottle and handed it to Wen Yong.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t accept it, these are too valuable!¡± Wen Yong shook his head. The miraculous effect of this Healing Medicine must have made it quite expensive. They were both Loose Cultivators, and it couldn¡¯t have been easy for Xu Yan to get this miraculous Healing Medicine. ¡°Brother Wen, don¡¯t be polite. Just keep it!¡± Xu Yan insisted and handed the pills to Wen Yong. ¡°But¡­¡± Wen Yong, steeling himself, ¡°Brother Xu has been incredibly generous, giving me precious Healing Medicine, and has shown such trust and understanding in me. How can I not reciprocate?¡± With this thought, Wen Yong said earnestly, ¡°I have no way to repay you for your kindness, Brother Xu. At the end of this tunnel, there is a hidden place with a Mine of Spirit Jade. Let me give it to you!¡± ¡°Mine of Spirit Jade?¡± Yu Xiaolong poked his head out from Xu Yan¡¯s sleeve and excitedly asked. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Wen Yong was startled. A Tier 4 spirit beast? Xu Yan patted Yu Xiaolong¡¯s head and said, ¡°This little snake is my tame pet, don¡¯t worry, Brother Wen.¡± Wen Yong heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°How do you know there¡¯s a Mine of Spirit Jade at the end of the tunnel? Even I don¡¯t know!¡± Yu Xiaolong was curious. ¡°I found the record on the body of a fallen Martial Artist.¡± Wen Yong didn¡¯t hide anything. ¡°The Spirit Jade is too valuable!¡± Xu Yan shook his head. ¡°However valuable it is, it can¡¯t compare to the friendship between me and Brother Xu. I hereby gift this treasure to you, Brother Xu!¡± Wen Yong spoke solemnly. ¡°Well¡­ thank you, Brother Wen!¡± Xu Yan expressed his gratitude. ¡°Brother Xu, no need to be too polite. The Refining God Heavenly Man of the Dai Family is after me. Whether I can escape Yuzhou is uncertain. Even if I do escape Yuzhou, whether I can evade the assassins is still unknown. ¡°That being the case, if I keep the treasure, it would just be wasted!¡± Wen Yong expressed his remorse and sadness. Xu Yan finally understood that the Refining God Heavenly Man he¡¯d encountered hadn¡¯t been there to assassinate him, but to chase after Wen Yong on behalf of the Dai Family. He felt a little uncomfortable. He was the one who killed Dai Yingying, and yet Wen Yong took the blame. For a moment, he was too embarrassed to tell Wen Yong the whole truth. Even if he did tell Wen Yong the truth, it wouldn¡¯t change the fact that Wen Yong was being hunted. Even if the Dai Family knew the truth, with their domineering attitude as a noble family, they would not allow Wen Yong to live. ¡°Brother Wen, I have a technique to hide my presence, which could be helpful to you.¡± Since Wen Yong was giving him the Spirit Jade, Xu Yan decided to teach him a technique for hiding his whereabouts in order to help him escape danger. Chapter 413 The Harmony with Light and Dust technique, mysterious and extraordinary, once concealed, the divine soul¡¯s power of a Refining God Heavenly Man could not locate it. If Wen Yong cultivates the Harmony with Light and Dust technique, his chances of surviving would greatly increase. However, to Xu Yan¡¯s regret, after passing on a little of the Harmony with Light and Dust technique, Wen Yong was confused and did not know how to cultivate it. At this moment, Xu Yan realized that the martial arts he had cultivated were different from Wen Yong¡¯s, and the Spiritual Realm Martial Arts might not be able to cultivate the Harmony with Light and Dust technique. Thus, Xu Yan did not pass on the remaining Harmony with Light and Dust technique, but pondered whether to transmit a simplified version of the technique to Wen Yong. While not as strong as the complete technique, it was still an extremely strong method of concealment. If used properly, one could possibly evade the divine soul¡¯s power of a Refining God Heavenly Man with the help of the mountain forests and thorny paths. Wen Yong looked embarrassed, ¡°Brother Xu¡¯s martial arts techniques are profound. I am too ignorant to understand them.¡± ¡°No problem, I have a simpler concealment technique that I will pass on to Brother Wen,¡± Xu said. After pondering for some time, Xu Yan came up with the simplified version of the Harmony with Light and Dust technique. If Wen Yong couldn¡¯t cultivate it this way, there would be nothing he could do. ¡°Thank you, Brother Xu!¡± Wen Yong gratefully said. The two moved together in the tunnel, with Xu Yan teaching Wen Yong the concealment technique. As it was a simplified version, it was relatively easy to understand. After three days, Wen Yong finally understood it. He was so excited. With this concealment technique, he was confident he could escape from Yuzhou and evade the Dai¡¯s pursuit. The tunnel was thousands of miles long, and the two of them did not dare to take any chances. After all, it was dug by some spirit beast. Although the spirit beast that dug this tunnel might have died, other spirit beasts could be lurking inside. In the dark tunnel, a sudden hissing sound could be heard. A dozen unknown spiritual beasts, shaped like earthworms but as big as buckets, suddenly came out. Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Intent surged out and killed these spiritual beasts in a twinkling of an eye. The rest of their journey was not calm. At one point in the tunnel, a thick poisonous fog rolled in but Xu Yan had an antidote pill, so they made it through safely. There were several scares along the way, but they eventually reached the end of the tunnel, where the Spirit Jade was located. Wen Yong took a deep breath, looked around inside the tunnel, and finally found a dozen small stones protruding from a rock wall. ¡°According to the records, the Spirit Jade is hidden here!¡± Wen Yong hit the protruding stones into the rock wall one by one. With a powerful push, the rock wall moved, and a strong spiritual energy gushed out. It carried a refreshing aroma. ¡°Brother Xu, we will meet again. If you would like to contact me, try finding the All Ages Alliance.¡± Wen Yong said solemnly. ¡°The All Ages Alliance?¡± Xu Yan was somewhat puzzled, having never heard of this power before. ¡°It¡¯s a union created by the Loose Cultivators but has not yet been established.¡± Wen Yong said in a deep voice before telling Xu Yan about a secret base of the All Ages Alliance in Zheng Country. Xu Yan patted Wen Yong on the shoulder. The latter trusted him so much that he even told him about the secret base of the All Ages Alliance and gifted him the Spirit Jade. He felt slightly guilty in his heart and sighed, saying, ¡°Bro, actually I killed Dai Yingying.¡± Wen Yong¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Brother Xu, you¡­¡± ¡°When I first arrived in Yuzhou, I ran into Dai Yingying who wanted to capture people to explore the Green Sky Crocodile¡¯s Tomb. She even wanted to use me as a slave, so I killed her. Of course, I didn¡¯t know that you had threatened her at the time!¡± Xu Yan said with a straight face. He didn¡¯t deliberately want Wen Yong to take the blame. Wen Yong opened his mouth to speak but was speechless. No wonder Xu Yan trusted him. It turned out that he was actually the murderer! For a moment, Wen Yong¡¯s feelings were mixed. However, he also believed that Xu Yan did not intentionally let him take the blame. After living together for these few days, he felt that Xu Yan didn¡¯t know much about the Spiritual Realm and did not have the difficult situation of a Loose Cultivator in the Spiritual Realm. He must be a young genius who was new and had little understanding of the Spiritual Realm Martial Way World. ¡°Since the Dai Family believes that I killed her, then let¡¯s say I did it. Only you and I know that you really killed her!¡± Wen Yong took a deep breath. Even if the truth were to leak out, his situation would not change. The Dai Family would definitely kill him, no more than having an additional Xu Yan hunted down. If that¡¯s the case, he might as well bear the blame! After all, he was already bearing it. Xu Yan laughed, ¡°It¡¯s not important. The Dai Family can¡¯t kill me. However, since Brother Wen has been bearing the name of a murderer for so long, he should not carry it for nothing.¡± Then he took out a storage pouch. This was Dai Yingying¡¯s storage bag. ¡°This belonged to Dai Yingying. I will give it to Brother Wen!¡± Wen Yong did not stand on ceremony, accepted the storage bag, raised his hands and said, ¡°Brother Xu, we will meet again!¡± ¡°Take care, Brother Wen!¡± Xu Yan responded with a salute. Feeling relieved, Wen Yong turned around and left leisurely, his figure disappearing into the end of the tunnel. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that he will surrender to the Dai Family, and lead them to catch you, the real murderer?¡± Yu Xiaolong asked doubtfully. ¡°He won¡¯t. I¡¯m good at judging people.¡± Xu Yan smiled. In his heart, he added, ¡°Even if Wen Yong did this, I could escape at any time, and Wen Yong would be seeking his own death.¡± ¡°Wen Yong is a righteous man. He hates the Spirit Sects and the noble families, and understands that even if he surrendered and gave me up, he would still end up dead.¡± Chapter 414 Xu Yan stepped into the place where the Earth Spirit Jade was located. The Divine Intent State was already within reach. Yu Xiaolong looked puzzled at the tunnel around him, always feeling that the tunnel seemed to have undergone some changes, yet he couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what had changed. Xu Yan¡¯s sword intent, representative of the mountains and rivers, has already encompassed this section of the tunnel. Fresh and rich spiritual energy came to face hime. Xu Yan waved his hand to close the open rock wall, looked forward, and in a small stone recess, there was a pool of jade marrow as bright white as slurry! In the small Earth Spirit Jade marrow pool, there suddenly appeared a pale yellow gas in the form of a python. It circled around the pool, sometimes diving into the jade marrow pool, and sometimes hovering in the small stone cave. ¡°Earth Spirit Dragon Qi? How come it¡¯s here?¡± Yu Xiaolong exclaimed in surprise. ¡°This is the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi?¡± Xu Yan was overjoyed. He could feel the extraordinariness of the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi. If absorbed, it could immediately accumulate enough foundation. ¡°Indeed, this is the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi!¡± Yu Xiaolong excitedly came out of Xu Yan¡¯s wrist. ¡°How come it¡¯s here? Could it be that a second Earth Spirit Dragon Qi has emerged from Mang Mountain?¡± Xu Yan approached the Earth Spirit Jade, his sword intent had already spread throughout the stone cave. The Earth Spirit Dragon Qi, seemingly startled, darted out, pounced on the rock wall, and tried to flee. ¡°Don¡¯t let the Dragon Qi escape!¡± Yu Xiaolong transformed into a ray of light, pounced on it, opened his mouth at the same time, intending to suck in the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi. However, an image of mountains and rivers materialized, with the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi encircling the middle. The mountains-rivers image suddenly retracted, bringing along the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi into Xu Yan¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯m going to practice now, you guard the surroundings.¡± Xu Yan took a deep breath and sat cross-legged in front of the Earth Spirit Jade and said. Yu Xiaolong swallowed his saliva, shrank to the entrance of the stone cave, coiling up there without moving. Xu Yan was too powerful. He effortlessly captured the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi, and what is that image of mountains and rivers exactly? With the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi entering his body, Xu Yan began refining it, nurturing himself, accumulating foundation, and preparing for the breakthrough and transformation into the Divine Intent State. As soon as the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi entered his body, it became mild, just like spiritual energy, and was refined bit by bit. It¡¯s a spirit item surpassing first-rate objects. The characteristic of the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi is to escape upon encountering living beings. It does not possess spiritual wisdom or consciousness. ¡­ Inner Realm, Canglan Island. Li Xuan sat in his chair, continuing to study the Book of Tai Cang, while also trying to perfect the martial arts of the strange door as much as possible. What disappointed him was that the array diagram had been circulated for quite a long time, and yet no one had understood anything from it. ¡°Is it limited by the Inner Realm Martial Arts, unable to find talented individuals?¡± Li Xuan frowned. Xu Junhe and others are all practicing diligently. Red Cat was learning to recognize and write words, while also observing the array diagram. Su Lingxiu was practicing alchemy of the void and comprehending the Dan Medical Martial Code, especially the law of Divine Intent State. Meng Chong continued to practice, striving to break through to the perfection of Tongxuan as soon as possible. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has killed a Refining God Heavenly Man Martial Artist, and your battle experience has increased.¡± The Daoist Golden Book opened, and golden light emerged. Li Xuan: ¡­ Killed a Refining God again? What¡¯s up with Xu Yan? As soon as he entered the Ling Domain, he killed a Refining God Heavenly Man, and now he has killed another one? Following this trend, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be long before he provokes a Refining God Heavenly Man, right? Li Xuan suddenly felt some pressure. ¡°The Divine Origin Realm is still a little weak!¡± Although, with his current strength, killing a Refining God Heavenly Man should not be a problem. However, Refining God Heavenly Men also have different strengths. If he encounters a top-notch Refining God Heavenly Man, whether he can kill it is an unknown number. ¡°I hope Xu Yan will understand the Divine Skill Realm technique as soon as possible. Only with the Divine Skill Realm, will he truly feel confident!¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. Once one reaches the Divine Skill Realm, killing a Refining God is as easy as killing an ant, which is normal. In this way, even if Xu Yan provokes many major forces and is chased by a group of Refining God Heavenly Men, he, as a master, can suppress it. Once a Divine Skill emerges, suppressing a group of Refining God Heavenly Men should not be a problem, right? ¡°Strange Door Martial Arts, where do I find my fourth disciple?¡± Li Xuan sighed. If he can comprehend the Strange Door Martial Arts, mastering the law of arrays, he can set up a large array and bury any number of Refining God Heavenly Men that come. ¡°The Martial Arts of Strange Doors imbue artifact refining, formation, prohibition and so forth. Some array diagrams have been created. Why not utilize some spare time to compile a comprehensive manual on the Dao of Formation?¡± Li Xuan suddenly had an idea. Since a fourth pupil had not yet been found, it would be prudent to use spare time compiling the diagrams into a full manual on the Dao of Formation. Deciding to act on it immediately, Li Xuan began working on the manual. Dahua was developing rapidly, having completely replaced the former state of Yue. Guo Rongshan looked at the elderly guest who came to visit and couldn¡¯t help but feel startled inside; this man was incredibly powerful. ¡°What business brings you here, sir?¡± Guo Rongshan asked with his composed expression. ¡°Elder Guo, I¡¯m here to join Dahua and serve as a minister in the inner cabinet, willing to follow your command.¡± The visitor spoke solemnly. Guo Rongshan¡¯s brows twitched slightly; wanting to serve in Dahua¡¯s inner cabinet and willing to take orders from him, the grand elder, signified a high status in Dahua. It could also mean throwing a powerful force under his command. So far, there were no ministry posts in the Dahua inner cabinet and Guo Rongshan was perplexed about their objectives. ¡°I will need to consider your proposal,¡± Guo Rongshan replied. The visitor nodded, saying, ¡°Elder Guo, I¡¯m a Half-step Heavenly Man fully capable of taking on the role of a minister. Dahua needs strong power, and so do you, Elder Guo!¡± Guo Rongshan was taken aback. Although Half-step Heavenly Man was easily vanquished by his own grandson, this did not imply weakness of being a Half-step Heavenly Man. In the current Inner Domain, aside from Canglan Island, a Half-step Heavenly Man was still among the top tiers of strength. ¡°I will carefully consider your proposal,¡± Guo Rongshan nodded. What he did not expect was that in the ensuing days, several potent beings came to become part of Dahua¡¯s inner cabinet. All without exception were Half-step Heavenly Man powerhouses. Moreover, these were long-hidden patriarchal figures of top-tier factions. This matter was so enormous that Guo Rongshan could not make a decision on his own. He sent a message to Canglan Island to ask his son-in-law Xu Junhe. Xu Junhe, too, could not make up his mind, so he sought Li Xuan¡¯s advice. ¡°They can serve as ministers in the inner cabinet, as long as they abide by the ministry¡¯s rules. Moreover, if someone stronger appears, they will have to step down. ¡°At that point, we can give them the honor of retiring from their post.¡± Li Xuan pondered and then said. He, to a certain extent, understood the intentions of these powerful beings. The bottom line was that with no promising future for the Martial Arts in the Inner Domain, if they entered the Ling Domain, they would become inferiors. As otherworldly patriarchs who were used to being on top, they couldn¡¯t handle such humiliation. If they didn¡¯t have another path to choose, for the sake of Martial Arts, they would force themselves to endure, and even becoming servants would not be out of the question. However, Dart Martial Arts provided them with a second choice. As a result, they opted for Dahua and, looking at the trend, they seemed to completely change the Inner Domain into Dahua, freeing it from the tyranny of the Ling Domain! Li Xuan dispatched a portion of his divine origin into a Spirit Jade, which he gave to Guo Rongshan as a protective charm. In the presence of this Divine Origin Jade card, these Half-step Heavenly Men would have to behave themselves. He passed on a message to Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu to enter Dahua¡¯s Inner Cabinet as ministers to maintain a balance of resources. As such, the Inner Domain was undergoing significant changes. Li Xuan noted that the silhouettes of the Thousand Warriors were increasing, and they weren¡¯t far from ten thousand in number. He contemplated deeply. It was time to deliberate on how peak Great Grandmasters and Half-step Heavenly Men should change their cultivation from Inner Realm Martial Arts to Dahua Martial Arts. At present, Grandmasters required medicinal assistance which had some limitations in their cultivation change process. If they didn¡¯t need medicinal help, Li Xuan believed that the number of Dahua Martial Artists in the Innate state would significantly increase, rapidly improving the strength of the Inner Realm¡¯s Martial Arts. ¡°Once Dahua replaces the Inner Domain, I should optimize the cultivation change method.¡± Li Xuan made up his mind. With the Daoist Golden Book at hand, optimizing the cultivation change method would not be challenging. Given the existing Cultivation Technique, it would not be too hard to comprehend. He continued to work on the Dao of Formation Manual, having compiled eighteen formations already. Li Xuan was still studying the second page of the Book of Tai Cang. The Heaven and Earth Laws were ultimately mysterious. To gain something worthwhile, it required time and diligence. With the establishment of Dahua¡¯s inner cabinet ministry, Guo Rongshan sat at the head of the room. He looked at the Half-step Heavenly Men, holding a Jade Plaque in his possession. At this moment, while a trace of qi and blood seeped into the Jade Plaque, an unseen, all-encompassing, and imposing might began to spread. ¡°I hope everyone will honor the rules of the ministry!¡± Guo Rongshan looked sternly at the Half-step Heavenly Men. All the Half-step Heavenly Men present felt a tightening in their spirits as if a massive mountain was hanging over their consciousness, threatening to strike them down at any moment! Chapter 415 In the northern wilderness, at the headquarters of Tianbao Pavilion, a man with a purple crown gathers with several of Tianbao Pavilion¡¯s elites. ¡°Xu Yan has been in Ling Domain for some time now, I wonder how he is doing?¡± One person opens the conversation. ¡°Xu Yan entering the Inner Domain, is inevitably different from us.¡± The man in the purple crown shakes his head. ¡°So, what is it like in the Inner Domain? Some old fellas have joined the Dahua Pavilion and become offerings for Dahua.¡± ¡°This is the second way other than entering Ling Domain, who would willingly become a servant?¡± ¡°What should we do then?¡± For a moment, the elites in Tianbao Pavilion fall into silence. Tianbao Pavilion, unlike other forces in the Inner Domain, is controlled by the man with a purple crown. He is supported by the forces of the Ling Domain to monitor the demon lord. Whether the forces of Ling Domain have decided to abandon Tianbao Pavilion is uncertain. However, Tianbao Pavilion cannot join Dahua as that would risk attracting trouble. ¡°Tianbao Pavilion is Tianbao Pavilion, and the Inner Domain has become Dahua. You all are considered citizens of Dahua, it¡¯s normal to become a part of the Dahua Pavilion. ¡°Moreover, this does not violate the rules of Tianbao Pavilion. You should join the Dahua Pavilion in your own names.¡± The man with the purple crown declared solemnly His status, after all, is unlike the others, barring him from joining Dahua. Except if Dahua becomes powerful enough to withstand the force of Ling Domain. ¡°Let¡¯s proceed then!¡± The elites of the Tianbao Pavilion, who are demi-gods, all nod in agreement. As high-ranking officials of Tianbao Pavilion, they would never willingly become servants. Since they have a choice, naturally they would choose this other path. With the demi-gods of Tianbao Pavilion secretly joining the Dahua Pavilion, the power dynamics in the Inner Domain once again shift. Among the Dahua Pavilion, the elites gather to discuss the future of the Inner Domain. These people are at the pinnacle of Inner Realm Martial Arts. The winds of change in the Inner Realm are in their hands. ¡°Since we¡¯re serving Dahua, the Inner Domain should be left in the past.¡± One of the offerings said. ¡°That¡¯s right, the Inner Domain should be a thing of the past, and Dahua Martial Arts should be the correct path.¡± Soon after, a shocking development occurred in the Inner Domain. The Kingdom of Yan announces its incorporation into Dahua, with Emperor Yan becoming the third emperor of Dahua. The descendants of the Yan royal family now have the rights to compete for the title of the next Emperor of Dahua. The Kingdom of Yan, as of this day, will be governed by the Dahua Pavilion. With this, only the Kingdom of Zi Yun remains among the three major countries of the Inner Domain. Attention from all over the world is now focused on the Zi Yun royal family, with even the martial artists of Zi Yun concerned about the prospect of their country merging into Dahua. Inside the royal palace of Zi Yun: The Emperor of Zi Yun is filled with anger, ¡°Has that young Emperor Yan lost his mind?? Dahua is weak, how can it compare to Ling Domain?¡± He takes a deep breath and asks solemnly: ¡°Have we found my treacherous daughter?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, we have some leads. Prince Su is on his way to find Princess Zi Yun.¡± ¡°Very good, with Prince Su seeking her, let her see what the bloodline of Ling Domain truly is. Marrying Prince Su is her blessing.¡± The Emperor of Zi Yun said excitedly. ¡°The opening of the Gate of Lingyu isn¡¯t far off. With Prince Su, who carries the Lingyu bloodline, we will be able to enter Lingyu and avoid becoming mere servants. ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Inner Domain or Dahua, both are savage lands. Only the Ling Domain is the true ground for Martial Arts!¡± Excitement fills the Emperor of Zi Yun¡¯s eyes. Suddenly, a figure rushes in frantically. ¡°Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!¡± The Emperor of Zi Yun¡¯s eyes harden, his voice deep. ¡°Has Dahua launched an attack?¡± The first thing that came to his mind was Dahua attacking Zi Yun. His gaze intense, but he remains calm. With Prince Su who carries the Lingyu bloodline, we should be able to keep the powers of Dahua at bay.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­ it¡¯s Prince Su¡­ he¡¯s dead!¡± The person¡¯s face was pale, and their voice shook. ¡°What?¡± The Emperor of Zi Yun paled with shock. ¡°Who killed him, who could kill him?¡± That was the person he was relying on to enter Lingyu, and now he¡¯s dead? ¡°It was¡­ Princess Zi Yun!¡± The person¡¯s voice trembles as he speaks. Stunned, the Emperor of Zi Yun¡¯s face turns frosty. His eyes flash with rage, ¡°That insolent girl, how dare she?! Where is Prince Su?¡± ¡°He went to kill Princess Zi Yun.¡± ¡°Send my command, capture that traitorous girl and bring her back. Announce to the world that Zi Yun is no longer a princess in my Zi Yun Kingdom!¡± The Emperor of Zi Yun¡¯s voice was trembling. Anger reached its peak, and he was on the verge of going mad. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± News suddenly spread throughout the Inner Domain. The Emperor of Zi Yun announced that he had severed all father-daughter relationships with Zi Yun and stripped her of her title as Princess. He also issued a warrant for her arrest, offering a high reward. For a while, the major powers of the Inner Domain were stunned. Zi Yun, who was once one of the youngest grandmasters in the Inner Domain. Such a prodigy, was just abandoned by the Kingdom of Zi Yun? Furthermore, a reward was put on her head? Has the Emperor of Zi Yun gone mad? On Canglan Island, Li Xuan let out a breath. The first book of Formation Dao was finally completely organized. ¡°A total of 36 formations, with 9 major formations, this should suffice for now.¡± After finishing organizing the array diagram, which included the integration of the mystical pattern of Heaven and Earth, Li Xuan had organized a total of 36 diagrams, including nine major formations. Transmitting Formation is one of the nine major formations. ¡°Small formations are easy to understand, but major formations are more difficult, they really involve Heaven and Earth Laws and require exceptional talent.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. The path of Qimen Martial Arts requires extraordinary talent. Otherwise one cannot incorporate refining artifacts, formations, and prohibitions. Qimen Martial Arts emphasizes ¡°peculiarity¡± and ¡°unorthodoxy¡±. Chapter 416 What¡¯s needed are talents who are particularly proficient in this aspect. ¡°Let¡¯s hope the four disciples can find them smoothly.¡± Li Xuan sighed. The array diagram has been spread out already. But so far, no one has been able to discern anything from it. It seems that finding the right disciple really is a matter of fate and opportunity. ¡°If none can be found in the Inner Domain, then we should look in the Ling Domain. The vast Ling Domain, with its thriving martial arts, should certainly have the talents we need.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. The array diagram canon is already organized. If someone can understand the large array from this, Li Xuan would be willing to take them in as registered disciples for studying the array path. However, so far, there isn¡¯t anyone who has been able to comprehend anything from the array diagram. Li Xuan looked at the Red Cat, which has always been learning words, practicing writing, and, of course, unceasingly studying the array diagram. But as of now, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any progress. ¡°Although Red Cat is a great demon with intelligence, how is it possible for it to comprehend the array diagram?¡± Li Xuan laughed bitterly to himself. Su Lingxiu and Meng Chong are possibilities, but for now, they are busy improving their own strength. In order for them to break through to the Divine Intent State as soon as possible, Li Xuan did not let them ponder over the array diagram, so as not to distract them from their cultivation. Above the flowing river, a figure suddenly shot up from beneath the water, creating a splash, then quickly advancing towards Canglan Island. ¡°Despicable person, you deserve to die! Where can you escape?¡± Another figure rushed after from the sky ¨C an old man, currently with blood-red eyes, looking completely insane, radiating the power of a Half-step Heavenly Being throughout all directions. It¡¯s a Half-step Heavenly Person! Zi Yun¡¯s face turned pale as she frantically escaped towards Canglan Island, her speed swift, terrified of the oppressive power of the Half-step Heavenly Person. Zi Yun, who had already reached the peak of a Great Grandmaster, was extremely fast, but she was ultimately not as fast as a Half-step Heavenly Person. Fortunately, Canglan Island was already within sight. Before the old man¡¯s Half-step Heavenly Being¡¯s oppressive power could reach her, Zi Yun, in disarray, rushed onto Canglan Island. ¡°Despicable woman, you dared to kill my son. I will tear you into a thousand pieces!¡± The old man¡¯s crazed fury propelled him towards Canglan Island, his Half-step Heavenly Being¡¯s power fully unleashed. Li Xuan glanced up for a brief moment before continuing to scrutinize the Book of Tai Cang. Clang! A saber light descended from the mountain. ¡°Those who dare trespass upon Canglan Island, die!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s cold voice echoed. Spurt! Before the oppressive power of the Half-step Heavenly Being could touch Canglan Island, it was shattered by the saber¡¯s light, and the old man¡¯s body dissipated into ashes under the saber¡¯s light. Zi Yun, looking defeated, collapsed onto the ground, but a smile appeared on her face. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Meng Chong appeared next to Zi Yun, frowning slightly. At the moment, Zi Yun was heavily injured and looked very dishevelled. ¡°I came to escape!¡± Zi Yun laughed happily. ¡°Who did you provoke?¡± Meng Chong took out some elixirs and fed them to her. ¡°A bastard who sees himself as a superior being, acting haughty and arrogant, had the audacity to covet me, so I killed him.¡± Zi Yun laughed heartily. Meng Chong raised an eyebrow, becoming somewhat curious, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°He calls himself a bloodline of the Ling Domain, possesses an ancestral jade token, and is bound to enter the Ling Domain. Yet, he considered himself superior and had a Half-step Heavenly Person as a protector.¡± ¡°It was the person that my father wanted me to marry. That bastard found me, so full of himself, claiming that marrying him was my good fortune thrice over.¡± ¡°He even wanted me to serve him. Annoyed, I killed him.¡± ¡°I escaped when his protector was unaware. In the end, I escaped to here.¡± Zi Yun sneered. Meng Chong was surprised, ¡°Bloodline of the Ling Domain?¡± ¡°It should be the descendants left behind by people of the Ling Domain when the gate of Ling Domain was opened.¡± Zi Yun stood up, posing coquettishly in front of Meng Chong, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been expelled by my father, our ties cut off, I have no home now. I¡¯ve come to depend on you.¡± Meng Chong frowned, ¡°You also have a jade token, your dad¡­¡± Zi Yun sneered once again, ¡°He¡¯s just a bastard. If he knew I had a jade token, he would have locked me up, taken the jade token for himself, or even killed me.¡± He¡¯s already sent people after me. There¡¯s nothing more to say.¡± ¡°Fine then, you can stay here on Canglan Island.¡± Meng Chong nodded in response. As for Zi Yun¡¯s problems, he didn¡¯t care in the slightest. The state of Zi Yun was only temporary. She wouldn¡¯t be able to resist for much longer. The situation in the Great Wilderness was unstoppable, and schemes of those powerful beings, even Ming Chong knew about. A little Zi Yun state wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the general trend! ¡°The time to open the gate to the Ling Domain and enter with the jade token isn¡¯t far away. Will you go in with me?¡± Zi Yun asked. ¡°You seek your own destiny, I will go to Ling Domain, we¡¯ll meet again someday!¡± Meng Chong thought for a moment before he spoke. After saving Ji Yun, Meng Chong continued his cultivation. ¡°Greetings to senior!¡± Zi Yun respectfully greeted Li Xuan. ¡°Hm.¡± Li Xuan nodded, allowing Zi Yun to act freely. Zi Yun was talented and she liked Meng Chong. As to whether she could become his disciple, it totally depended on their own fate. As their master, he wouldn¡¯t interfere. Canglan Island wasn¡¯t disturbed by Zi Yun¡¯s arrival. As for the powerful people of Ziyun Nation coming to kill, they dared not step foot on Canglan Island. Moreover, the situation in Ziyun Nation was not good either. The momentum of Dahua was unstoppable. Underneath the push of many powerful forces, the news about Ling Domain gradually spread in the Inner Domain. In Ling Domain, people from the Inner Domain were viewed like slaves, pigs, or dogs! Under the push of the strong and major forces, all martial artists in the Inner Domain felt suffocated. Ling Domain was too oppressive, making everyone want to stand up for the Inner Domain! The Inner Domain was not a vassal of the Ling Domain, not a place to select slaves! Thus, the Inner Domain was no longer the Inner Domain, but Dahua, which was the orthodox of heaven and earth! The name Inner Domain was gradually abandoned, and instead, the concept of Dahua was deeply rooted in people¡¯s hearts. Under the joint-force drive of many powerful figures and top major forces, the momentum of Dahua was irresistible! Ziyun Nation was already on the verge of collapse, even some ministers directly defected and pledged loyalty to Dahua. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong, the perfect Indestructible Golden Body of the big day, your Indestructible Golden Body of the big day has been improved.¡± Meng Chong¡¯s Indestructible Golden Body of the big day was complete. Next, he would accumulate the power to prepare to break through the Indestructible Golden Body of the big day. Not long after Meng Chong broke through. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, who fully understands the law of the Divine Intent State of Martial Arts, your Alchemy Martial Arts breaking through the Divine Intent State.¡± Li Xuan showed a smile. Alchemy Martial Arts had elevated to the Divine Intent State. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, who broke through the perfect state of Tongxuan, your Alchemy Martial Arts has improved.¡± Su Lingxiu had achieved perfection in Tongxuan State. ¡°Xu Yan is also about to break through, right?¡± Li Xuan pondered. Xu Yan had already killed several young heavenly beings, he didn¡¯t know why. Was it to compete for treasures? ¡°Where to find a fourth disciple¡­¡± Li Xuan also thought of the strange martial arts, but there was no suitable person to comprehend it, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache. ¡°Why not let her try?¡± Li Xuan thought of Zi Yun. She was one of the youngest grandmasters in the Inner Domain, and her talent seemed to be stronger than Xie Lingfeng¡¯s. So, he took out a well-drawn array diagram and called Zi Yun over. ¡°You may try to comprehend this. If you understand something, you may have an opportunity.¡± ¡°Yes, senior!¡± Zi Yun was excited. Picking up the array diagram, she was confused. She felt it was mysterious, but she couldn¡¯t find a clue. ¡°It¡¯s too profound, I need to comprehend carefully.¡± Zi Yun began to study the array diagram. As time passed, Li Xuan became somewhat disappointed, because Zi Yun hadn¡¯t figured out anything. It seemed that she didn¡¯t have the talent for the array. Mother Xu was finally ready to break through to the Innate State. Since Xu Yan went to the Ling Domain, her cultivation practice had become much more diligent. She would cultivate for two and a half hours at most a day, and two hours at least. Of course, she might have slacked off in between, but overall, she had become much more diligent. Now, she was finally ready to break through to the Innate State. On Canglan Island now, the weakest were those who had reached the peak of the Qi-blood State, they were alchemy apprentices. Pharmacist Pan had reached the small success stage of Innate State, and he had learned the basic alchemy techniques. He could now independently refine the Qi-blood pills and Qi-nurturing pills, which were low-grade pills. Xu Junhe reached the peak of Innate State, Zhou Ying also reached the peak of Innate State, but both of them had encountered bottlenecks, and they couldn¡¯t break through to the Tongxuan State in a short time. For Mother Xu to break through to the Innate State, it was a matter of course. Of course, her strength could not be expected to be too strong. She only had the Cultivation Realm, but had not learned any martial skills. According to Xu Junhe and his son Xu Yan, it was enough for Mother Xu to enjoy her life, they never expected her to get involved in fights and killings. One day, Li Xuan felt that he had almost memorized the second page of the Book of Tai Cang, and he was ready to write it into the Daoist Golden Book, pondering on a higher level of large array. The Daoist Golden Book on his Soul Pedestal suddenly opened, and golden light burst out. Chapter 417 Seeing the Daoist Golden Book open, Li Xuan was taken aback. Meng Chong had just made a breakthrough and was accumulating his foundation, so he would not be able to break through to the Indestructible Golden Body of the big day in a short time. Su Lingxiu had also made a breakthrough not long ago. The feedback from the Daoist Golden Book must be from Xu Yan. Had he made a breakthrough, or had he slain another Heavenly Martial Artist? ¡°Xie Tianheng, the Swordsman whom you instructed, has successfully practiced your Sword Dao you developed, achieving entry-level clarity of Sword Heart. Your Heart Sword Realm has been improved.¡± Unexpectedly, the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book was not from Xu Yan, but from Xie Tianheng! He had attained clarity in his Sword Heart! Li Xuan was startled. Xie Tianheng had surprisingly become the second individual to achieve clarity of Sword Heart in the Sword Dao that he developed. Of course, this was due to his guidance that prompted Xie Tianheng¡¯s breakthrough. However, it proved that Xie Tianheng possessed extraordinary talent in Sword Dao. He was slightly superior to Xie Lingfeng. Of course, it was also related to Xie Tianheng¡¯s accumulation. After all, Xie Lingfeng was younger and his accumulation in Sword Dao was far inferior to his father, Xie Tianheng. ¡°No wonder he can comprehend sword moves, he does have remarkable talent!¡± Li Xuan exclaimed. The Way of the Sword has made up for the lacking component in his Sword Dao, making it more widespread and reducing the talent requirements for Sword Dao cultivation. ¡°He has already achieved clarity in his Sword Heart. Xie Tianheng has already comprehended the Sword Moves long ago. He¡¯s not too far from comprehending Sword Intent.¡± Li Xuan was curious about what kind of Sword Intent Xie Tianheng would comprehend. ¡°Xie Tianheng should be arriving at Canglan Island soon, right?¡± Li Xuan was looking forward to Xie Tianheng¡¯s arrival. Since Xie Tianheng had made a breakthrough, Xie Lingfeng shouldn¡¯t be far behind. Just as Li Xuan was about to write the patterns on the second page of the Tai Cang Book into the Daoist Golden Book and attempt to create a higher level array diagram based on the second page¡¯s Heaven and Earth Laws, suddenly, the Daoist Golden Book emitted golden light once again. ¡°Did Xie Lingfeng make a breakthrough?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s first thought was whether Xie Lingfeng had made a breakthrough, attaining clarity in his Sword Heart. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, who has condensed the Intent of Heaven and Earth into his own, has condensed the True Intent of Martial Arts, breakthrough in the Divine Intent State. Your Divine Intent is boosted a hundred times.¡± Li Xuan was stunned. Xu Yan had broken through to the Divine Intent State. Moreover, the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book was a hundredfold increase in his Divine Intent. In this instant, Li Xuan sensed his Divine Intent transforming, with a hundredfold increase, and the coverage of his Divine Intent was boosted by a hundred times! The expansion of his Divine Intent meant a significant increase in strength. The Divine Souls of weaker Refining God Heavenly Men would be suppressed by a mere thought of his! The Sword Intent, Knife Intent, and others have greatly increased along with the enhancement of his Divine Intent. Li Xuan was incredibly excited. With his Divine Intent increasing by a hundred times, it meant that he could expand his use of the Daoist Golden Book significantly, making it more beneficial for him to perfect various Cultivation Techniques with the Daoist Golden Book. For instance, the Dahua Martial Arts lacked some Martial Skills and secret techniques. Today, the Great Wasteland Warriors mostly use the Martial Skills and secret techniques of the Inner Realm Martial Arts. Now, he could develop some Martial Skills and secret techniques. The Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques practiced by his three disciples, Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu, were too profound and difficult for ordinary Martial Artists to cultivate, requiring a high degree of talent. It was time to develop some more widely accessible cultivation techniques. The Daoist Golden Book emitted a surge of golden light once again. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has broken through to the Divine Intent State and transformed into Mountain and River Divine Bone. You have received the Innate Divine Bone.¡± As expected, Xu Yan, who has fulfilled his accumulation, transformed during his breakthrough. Mountain and River Divine Bone! Following the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book, Li Xuan was shocked. This Innate Divine Bone was truly extraordinary, surpassing the Spiritual Bone, it even had a kind of divine aura in it. ¡°With Xu Yan now possessing the Divine Bone and Spiritual Body, he is even stronger. Under the Refining God Heavenly Man, no one can match him.¡± With Xu Yan¡¯s current strength, even if he provokes a Refining God Heavenly Man, he will be able to evade them. ¡°The Spiritual Realm Martial Arts is flourishing, Su Lingxiu is of the Spiritual Realm bloodline, born with a special constitution. It seems that there must be individuals with special constitutions among the outstanding talents of the Spiritual Realm.¡± Those with such special constitutions and talents were not to be underestimated in terms of strength. Of course, within the same realm, Xu Yan still overwhelmingly crushes his opponents. If they exceed a major realm, whether Xu Yan can easily crush them remains an unknown variable. Powerful Refining God Heavenly Men must be those outstanding talents with special constitutions, and their strength is not comparable to ordinary Refining God Heavenly Men. So, Xu Yan¡¯s current strength is still not strong enough. Only by breaking through to the Divine Origin Realm can he truly have the strength to not fear any Refining God Heavenly Men. ¡°He¡¯s reached the Divine Intent State, he should be close to comprehending the techniques of the Divine Skill Realm, right?¡± Li Xuan was ecstatic in his heart. The Divine Skills Realm, it¡¯s a realm he developed that¡¯s incredibly powerful. Once the Divine Skill is unleashed, it is able to easily topple Refining God Heavenly Men. However, the Divine Skill Realm is profound, and what kind of Divine Skill will be mastered during the breakthrough is still an unknown. Since Xu Yan had broken through to the Divine Intent State, according to his estimate, it shouldn¡¯t be long before Xu Yan returns. ¡°I need to start preparing cultivation techniques for after the Divine Skill.¡± Li Xuan was lost in thought. Although the Divine Skill is powerful, it is not the end of Martial Arts. He needed to develop the cultivation techniques and Martial Arts for the realms beyond it. However, there was no rush for now. The realm after the Divine Skill required careful consideration. Li Xuan wrote the Heaven and Earth Laws on the second page of the Tai Cang Book into the Daoist Golden Book. He was developing a higher level array diagram, but it was not easy. Chapter 418 ¡°It¡¯s time to compile a set of Great Wasteland martial arts scriptures.¡± Li Xuan decided to compile a variety of martial arts and secret techniques from the Great Wasteland martial arts. The martial arts scholars on Canglan Island had already studied some of these, but they hadn¡¯t yet broken away from the framework of the Inner Realm martial arts. What Li Xuan needed to write, however, were the martial arts techniques specific to the Great Wasteland. With his strength in the Divine Origin Realm, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult for him to compile martial arts techniques below the Mystery Realm, especially with the help of the Daoist Golden Book. As for martial arts and secret techniques above the Mystery Realm, there was no rush. After all, the realm of the Great Wasteland warriors was only at the Innate level. Furthermore, the martial arts and secret techniques he compiled could also be used by practitioners below the Mystery Realm. After spending several days, Li Xuan finally managed to initially compile the Great Wasteland martial arts scriptures. They included movement techniques, the use of Blood Qi, secret techniques of Blood Qi, the use of True Qi, secret techniques of True Qi, the use of True Yuan and its secret techniques. The content was quite extensive. There were a total of several dozen martial arts techniques and secret techniques. Li Xuan handed this Great Wasteland martial arts scripture to Peng Yuan and asked him to study it. Once these martial arts scholars understood it, they could use it as a basis to research techniques unique to the Great Wasteland martial arts, rather than adhering to the framework of the Inner Realm Martial Arts. Peng Yuan and the others were extremely excited and began to study and research day and night. The Great Wasteland martial arts scripture was not too hard to comprehend. Peng Yuan and the other martial arts scholars were naturally talented and fully dedicated to their martial arts research, so there was no fear that they would not be able to comprehend it. After doing this, Li Xuan became worried about finding his fourth disciple again. ¡°It seems I have no choice but to search for my disciple in the Lingyu.¡± Li Xuan sighed. He took out the Book of Tai Cang and began to study the Heaven and Earth Laws on the third page. The Heaven and Earth Laws on the third page were even more complex and difficult to remember, even with his hundredfold increase in spiritual power. But the stronger his spiritual power, the more Li Xuan felt the mysterious changes contained in the patterns of the Book of Tai Cang. Above his soul pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book opened, and golden light emerged. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has killed a Great Heavenly Man warrior, which has improved your Sword Intent.¡± Li Xuan was stunned. Xu Yan had just broken through not long ago and he was already killing Great Heavenly Man warriors? Could it be that Xu Yan was being hunted down? Had he provoked some great force? Since Xu Yan killed the first Great Heavenly Man, and in the following days, killed three more, Li Xuan was almost certain that Xu Yan had probably provoked some force in Lingyu. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s provoked a Refining God Heavenly Man?¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself. Then, one day, the Purple Cloud Kingdom collapsed. The Purple Cloud Emperor was nowhere to be found. Strong figures of the Purple Cloud Royal Family declared that the Purple Cloud Kingdom had been absorbed into the Great Wasteland, and thus, the Inner Realm was completely replaced by the Great Wasteland. A new era truly descended upon the Inner Domain. Xie Tianheng came to Canglan Island. After achieving a clear understanding of his Sword Heart, he hadn¡¯t been able to understand the Sword Intent. ¡°Xie Tianheng pays his respects to the elder!¡± Xie Tianheng was no longer arrogant or overbearing, at least not in front of Li Xuan. ¡°Not bad, your understanding of the Sword Heart in such a short time shows you have great talent in Sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Tianheng thanks Elder for his guidance. Without Elder¡¯s instruction, the understanding of Sword Heart would never have been realized. Once entered the path of Sword Dao, you will understand its profoundness. ¡°Junior Xie Tianheng, from today onwards, is Elder¡¯s Sword Dao apprentice!¡± Xie Tianheng answered respectfully. He has spent his entire life studying the Sword Dao and loves it deeply. After understanding the momentum of the Sword Dao, he considered himself the number one person in Sword Dao throughout the ages. Only after breaking through to the level of ¡®Understanding the Sword¡¯s Heart¡¯, and truly stepping into the door of Sword Dao, did he realize that he was nothing more than a frog in the well! Since Xie Tianheng wished to enter his door and be his Sword Dao apprentice, Li Xuan didn¡¯t mind. He was just an apprentice of Sword Dao, not a disciple. Xie Tianheng¡¯s Sword Intent supplemented Li Xuan¡¯s Sword Dao, making him a reasonable choice for his Sword Dao disciple. ¡°So you are confused about the comprehension of Sword Intent?¡± Li Xuan asked. ¡°Yes, I seek guidance from Elder!¡± Xie Tianheng said, looking hopeful. ¡°Sword Intent can be the intention of your heart, the intention of the sword, or the intention of the sword technique. This ¡®intention¡¯ is profound and can only be self-understood. But I can give you some pointers. ¡°You can comprehend Sword Intent based on your understanding of Sword Momentum. ¡°You can also understand Sword Intent based on a sword technique you are proficient in¡­¡± Li Xuan was already prepared and began to guide him. ¡°Thank you, Senior!¡± After bowing respectfully, Xie Tianheng left to return to the Sword Sovereign Cliff to comprehend the Sword Intent. ¡°What Sword Intent can Xie Tianheng comprehend? Can I get feedback every time a martial artist cultivating my Sword Dao comprehends the Sword Intent?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but anticipate it. Sword Intent isn¡¯t easy to comprehend. The required talent is not low, every martial artist who cultivates the Sword Dao he created, if they comprehend Sword Intent, they can generally give him feedback. In this way, the Sword Intent he will master in the future will be more and more numerous. The Sword Dao has already spread, what about the Dao of the Knife? Li Xuan glanced at Meng Chong and shook his head, let¡¯s see how it goes with the Dao of the Knife. Meng Chong hasn¡¯t comprehended more Knife Intent, for him, continuously improving and perfecting Knife Intent, and pushing the Dao of the Knife to the extreme, is his talent. ¡°Since there are Sword Intent, Knife Intent, there should naturally be Fist Intent, War Intent. This is a kind of realm in martial arts, unique to the Dahua Martial Arts. ¡°Only those who can step into the realm are the true geniuses of the Dahua Martial Arts. ¡°It¡¯s time to perfect the realm, which is a standard feature for geniuses, and Fist Intent, War Intent, etc., should all have a direction for comprehension. ¡°Just like Sword Dao, you can start from the position of the sword and then comprehend Sword Intent. ¡°There are different levels of realms, even Sword Intent, what Xie Tianheng comprehended, certainly wouldn¡¯t be as good as Xu Yan¡¯s. ¡°And Xu Yan and Meng Chong, they are the pinnacle of the realm.¡± Li Xuan had more ideas for the improvement of Dahua Martial Arts. ¡°Dan Medical Martial Arts is not easy to comprehend, but the enduring vitality of the Dan Medical martial artist and the sharp consciousness needed for alchemy can be comparable to realms. ¡°Su Lingxiu, this little girl, as a pioneer of Dan Medical Martial Arts, should comprehend some special strengths that belong to Dan Medical martial artist.¡± Li Xuan thought of Dan Medical Martial Arts. Dan Medical martial artists are not known for their combat prowess, so they lack some spiritual experience in the realm. However, the enduring vitality of the Dan Medical martial artist and the sharp consciousness and focus needed for alchemy can make up for the lack of understanding of the realm. Li Xuan studied the third page of the Book of Tai Cang while slowly creating a higher-level array diagram, and took the time to study the theory of the realm in Dahua Martial Arts. After the Inner Domain was officially replaced by Dahua, the development of Dahua Martial Arts has been rapid. Li Xuan could see that the number of his Thousand Martial Spirit Shadows was rapidly increasing, and the martial skills they mastered had also changed somewhat. ¡°For every ten thousand martial artists practicing your martial arts, you will receive Ten Thousand Martial Spirit Shadow!¡± The number of Dahua martial artists had exceeded ten thousand. Li Xuan was curious, if the number of Spirit Shadows kept increasing, would they evolve? ¡°It¡¯s been some time since Xu Yan has killed a heavenly martial artist, he should be about to return, right?¡± Li Xuan also thought of his first disciple Xu Yan. The Daoist Golden Book hadn¡¯t given any feedback about Xu Yan killing heavenly martial artists for some days now. ¡­ In the Wushuang Pavilion, Yun Miaomiao, dressed in plain clothes, leaned against the window, looking at the sky in the direction where Canglan Island was located. ¡°That rascal Xu Yan has already entered Lingyu, I wonder how he is doing, I hope he hasn¡¯t been caught and made a slave.¡± the Wushuang Great Grandmaster said with a laugh. ¡°Master!¡± Yun Miaomiao gave her a glance. ¡°My dear disciple, when the time of the Yu Ling comes and you enter Lingyu, you can take Xu Yan away and make him your little slave, then you can be with him every day, right?¡± Wushuang Great Grandmaster suggested with a smile. ¡°Master, don¡¯t have such ideas, otherwise you¡¯ll die miserably. Xu Yan is not an ordinary person, he went to Lingyu as an unmatchable genius.¡± Yun Miaomiao seriously said. ¡°I get it.¡± Wushuang Great Grandmaster rolled her eyes. ¡°Inner Domain, it¡¯s history now, it¡¯s Dahua now.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but sigh. In such a short time, there were such drastic changes. ¡°I have a feeling that there will be a showdown between Dahua and Lingyu.¡± Wushuang Great Grandmaster said solemnly. ¡°It has nothing to do with us, I hold the Taimiao Yu Ling, becoming a person of the Taimiao Sect, I won¡¯t participate in these disputes.¡± Yun Miaomiao said, then added, ¡°I wonder if the Ancestor Grandmother is still alive.¡± ¡°She should be alive, right?¡± Wushuang Great Grandmaster answered uncertainly. ¡°According to the inheritance of our lineage, the Ancestor Grandmother was severely injured by the Demon Lord back then and was saved by the Ancestor. As a result, she left behind the Yu Ling. When the Gate of Lingyu opens, you can enter with the Yu Ling and become a disciple of the Taimiao Sect. ¡°The cultivation techniques we practice were also passed down by the Ancestor Grandmother.¡± Wushuang Great Grandmaster recalled the secret of the inheritance. Chapter 419 Inside the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy, Du Yuying was staring out of the window as if she was thinking about someone. Cui¡¯er walked in. ¡°Miss, once we go to the Ling Domain, will we no longer see Young Master Xu?¡± Du Yuying turned her head, looked at her, and softly said: ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, Miss, when will you and Young Master Xu be together?¡± Expectation filled Cui¡¯er¡¯s face. With a slightly blushing face, she thought that if her mistress got together with Young Master Xu, she could finally become a companion maid. Du Yuying sighed faintly, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± She was considering whether to pay a visit to Canglan Island and deepen her relationship with Mother Xu. ¡­ Ling Domain, Yuzhou, Mang Mountain. A silhouette rushed out from Mang Mountain at an incredible speed, as fast as a flash of lightning, disappearing into the skyline in the blink of an eye. Following this silhouette, another figure also leaped out from Mang Mountain with an equally swift speed. Its Divine Soul power was fully displayed, intimidating all in its path. Refining God Heavenly Man! Xu Yan inwardly sighed on the unpredictability of life. He killed Dai Yingying, but Wen Yong was the one blamed. The Dai Family didn¡¯t come after him, the real murderer. But what he didn¡¯t expect was that he would still get involved with the Dai Family! No, it was the Dai Family that were picking a fight with him. After absorbing the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi and accumulating enough foundation, Xu Yan successfully broke through to the Divine Intent State, even transforming into a Mountain and River Divine Bone, resulting in a massive increase in his strength. Upon entering the Divine Intent state, one steps onto the path toward becoming an Enlightened Martial Artist. The strength of a Refining God Heavenly Man lies in its Divine Soul, and under the coverage of the Divine Soul¡¯s power, insects and ants are within their control. However, Xu Yan was not certain whether the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi he found was the one Yu Xiaolong had mentioned. Therefore, after Xu Yan broke through to the Divine Intent State and consolidated his realm, he kept the remaining Earth Spirit Jade Marrow and prepared to search for the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi that Yu Xiaolong had found. If there was another Earth Spirit Dragon Qi that he could collect and bring back to the Inner Domain, both Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu had enough foundation to complete the transformation after breaking through. As for the pursuit by the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family, Xu Yan was completely unconcerned. His confidence had greatly increased after breaking through to the Divine Intent State, capable of slaying even a Great Heavenly Martial Artist. Even when facing a Refining God Heavenly Man, he might be able to challenge them. If he couldn¡¯t win, he could still retreat easily. While traveling through Mang Mountain, following the guidance of Yu Xiaolong looking for the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi, he didn¡¯t find it, but he did encounter a Great Heavenly Human Elder from the Dai Family. With the death of Dai Yingying, the blame was on Wen Yong, Xu Yan didn¡¯t care when he encountered the others. After all, they didn¡¯t know that he was the actual murderer. However, when the Elder from the Dai Family discovered that Xu Yan was a hunted person by the Jade Spirit Sect and Su Family, he couldn¡¯t resist the opportunity to capture Xu Yan and hand him over to the two forces in exchange for their help in capturing Wen Yong. Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It seemed he was destined to be an enemy of the Dai family. Since the other party was being aggressive, wanting to capture him for the Jade Spirit Sect and Su Family, Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t be polite. He had just broken into the Divine Intent State, so he decided to use the Elder from the Dai Family to test the power of his new state. He immediately slashed out with his sword, covering the landscape. His Sudden Wind Sword Intent was as ferocious as a raging wind, harassing the other party¡¯s mental consciousness in an instant. After breaking through to the Divine Intent state, Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Intent also had transformed, becoming stronger. The Elder from the Dai Family was shocked, feeling as though his consciousness was immediately blurred, as if being oppressed by a huge mountain, even experiencing an irrepressible sense of Heavenly will. He roared in anger, the might of the Great Heavenly Human Ruin bursting forth in defiance of the heavy pressure like a mountain, the sensation of Heavenly Intent. However, he then felt an intense wind assaulting his mental consciousness. A sensation of tearing pain in his consciousness caused him to feel as if he lost control of his consciousness and physical body in a split second. By the time he regained some clarity, the radiant sword had already overwhelmed him. Xu Yan had killed the Great Heavenly Human Martial Artist from the Dai Family with a single sword strike, getting a clearer judgement of his own strength. His Divine Intent could suppress the Lesser Heavenly Human, but it couldn¡¯t suppress the Greater Heavenly Human completely. However, it could suppress the mental consciousness of the Greater Heavenly Human, preventing them from fully utilizing their strength. From this, he inferred that his current Divine Intent was somewhat weaker than the Divine Soul power of a Refining God Heavenly Man, and he might not be able to resist the Divine Soul power of a Refining God Heavenly Man fully. However, if he released the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, he could indeed clash with the Divine Soul power of a Refining God Heavenly Man. The strength of a Refining God Heavenly Man also didn¡¯t rely solely on their Divine Soul power. ¡°I am invincible below the Refining God Heavenly Man!¡± Xu Yan exhaled a breath and had a clear judgement of his strength in the Ling Domain. ¡°I wonder how strong the geniuses in the Transcendent Spirit Sect of the Ling Domain are? I¡¯m confident that I can suppress those within the same realm. If someone is one major realm stronger than me, can I also defeat the genius of the Transcendent Spirit Sect?¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but grow curious. For an instant, he had the desire to confront the geniuses of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. Of course, the Transcendent Spirit Sect was high above the rest, and even their geniuses were no exceptions. They might not come to the land of Yuzhou. After killing Dai Family¡¯s Great Heavenly Human, Xu Yan continued the search for the Earth Spirit Dragon Qi. Unexpectedly, he encountered another Great Heavenly Human of the Dai Family. Moreover, this person turned out to be Dai Yingying¡¯s father, the contemporary head of the Dai Family, Dai Yiping! Power of a late-stage Great Heavenly Human! From the moment Dai Yiping made his move, Xu Yan knew that the people of the Dai Family were seeking their own death. Since that was the case, he would grant them that wish! Therefore, he killed Dai Yiping. Chapter 420 Even though Dai Yiping was much stronger than that elder, it took just a few swings of Xu Yan¡¯s sword to utterly eradicate him, leaving no trace. After killing Dai Yiping, he astonishingly encountered an elder of the Jade God Sect and an elder from the Su family hunting him, of course, he killed them all. The end result was that Dai Sheng, the Dai family¡¯s Refining God Heavenly Man, learned of his son¡¯s killing and lost his mind on the spot. The news of Xu Yan killing Dai Yiping quickly surfaced. Facing the Refining God Heavenly Man, Xu Yan showed absolutely no fear. He clashed with him a few times and, discovering that he was no match, he immediately escaped. Dai Sheng pursued him feverishly. Yu Xiaolong coiled around Xu Yan¡¯s wrist, looking somewhat regretful at that moment, questioning why it had followed Xu Yan in the first place. In just a short while, he was already being targeted by a Refining God Heavenly Man! ¡°There¡¯s a city over there. Let¡¯s hide in it.¡± Yu Xiaolong hurriedly suggested. It knew that Xu Yan¡¯s concealment techniques were profound. If he hid in the city, even the Refining God Heavenly Man would have a hard time finding him. Xu Yan sneered, ¡°Since I stepped into the martial arts world, I, Xu Yan, have never been hunted down. Dai Sheng, mark my words, I¡¯ll kill you sooner or later!¡± Glancing back at the rapidly approaching Dai Sheng, Xu Yan completely disregarded the city¡¯s no-fly rule and directly entered the city. His speed was extremely fast, so much so that the City Lord and his guards didn¡¯t have time to react before Xu Yan had disappeared from sight. Boom! An overwhelming aura descended! All the martial artists in the city felt as if they were being crushed by a mountain. Everyone looked up in shock. Refining God Heavenly Man! A Refining God Heavenly Man showed up, everyone¡¯s face tightened, and they held their breath. The City Lord¡¯s face changed drastically, and he couldn¡¯t help but step forward. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet you, senior. Can you enlighten me on the reason for your visit?¡± Dai Sheng¡¯s eyes were blood red, filled with killing intent. Despite using his Divine Soul¡¯s power to search over and over, he didn¡¯t find any trace of Xu Yan. ¡°I am Dai Sheng. I come bearing a kill order!¡± The City Lord¡¯s heart shuddered. Dai Sheng, the Refining God Heavenly Man from the Dai family? Although the Dai family was only a second-rate clan, Dai Sheng was a Refining God Heavenly Man ¡ª a being of the highest standing. Even as a City Lord from a first-rate clan, he had to tread carefully around him. ¡°May I ask who Senior Dai wants to kill?¡± The City Lord¡¯s thoughts turned to the figure that had just entered the city. He was too fast, disappearing among the crowd with a flicker. The city¡¯s guards who were heavenly martial artists could not react in time. Dai Sheng circled around the city, using his Divine Soul¡¯s power to carefully search, but he failed to find Xu Yan¡¯s trace. A foreboding chill filled his gaze. His most cherished granddaughter, Dai Yingying, the one with hopes of leading the Dai family to greater heights, had been killed. His son was dead too. At that moment, Dai Sheng¡¯s heart was filled with killing intent. ¡°Everyone in the city, one by one, must leave. Empty the city. Those who don¡¯t comply, die!¡± Dai Sheng commanded coldly. His commanding aura overpowered the martial artists in the city, turning all their faces pale. The City Lord¡¯s face changed multiple times. Realizing that Dai Sheng was on the verge of going mad, he had to obey, afraid that in his fury, Dai Sheng could kill him. After all, he was not a core member of his clan, and Dai Sheng was a Refining God Heavenly Man. After the matter, some kind of compensation would likely bring the matter to a close. His backers would not wage a war with a Refining God Heavenly Man over him, a mere City Lord. ¡°Everyone, leave the city in order!¡± The City Lord immediately ordered. All the martial artists in the city were already eager to escape. The pressure was so terrifying that they were nearly unable to breathe. Under the maintenance of order by the city guards, one by one, they scattered and fled the city. Dai Sheng¡¯s Divine Soul power covered the city gate. None of the fleeing martial artists could escape his scrutiny. Xu Yan had already changed into new clothes and had changed his aura, mimicking the aura of a Ling Domain martial artist. At that moment, he frowned. If he used True Yuan to change his appearance at such a close range, he feared he couldn¡¯t hide from Dai Sheng¡¯s search. But if he didn¡¯t alter his appearance and just mixed in with the crowd, he was somewhat uncertain if he could deceive Dai Sheng. If discovered, he would have to rely on his speed to escape again. ¡°What should we do?¡± Yu Xiaolong¡¯s face bore worried look. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. If it comes to it, I¡¯ll just flee. He can¡¯t catch up to me with my speed!¡± Xu Yan appeared calm. ¡°Step aside! Get out of my sight, don¡¯t block my way!¡± Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd. A chubby boy, followed by several attendants, arrogantly shoved the other martial artists aside, swaggering towards the city gate. ¡°Move! Don¡¯t block my path. Can¡¯t you see your place?!¡± Shen Haizhou cursed and shoved the martial artists preparing to exit the city, creating chaos. ¡°What are you looking at you schmuck? Are you looking for a death wish?¡± Halfway through, Shen Haizhou turned back and punched and kicked the martial artists behind him. All at once, the martial artists in the city felt such rage that their faces turned red, but at the sight of the uniforms of those men, they became weak-kneed. They were people from the Shen family! Xu Yan¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he quietly slipped into the crowd and mixed in with the disordered martial artists surrounding Shen Haizhou. He didn¡¯t know if it was intentional or not, but the clothes worn by Shen Haizhou¡¯s attendants were the same color as Xu Yan¡¯s clothes. Also, some of them were clearly Loose Cultivators, not really his attendants. Shen Haizhou arrogantly forced his way through the crowd while his ¡®attendants¡¯ also increased in number. Some other martial artists joined the chaos around him, making the whole scene even more chaotic. ¡°We should be good now, right?¡± Shen Haizhou¡¯s eyes rolled around. Then, amidst the throng of martial artists, he swaggered towards the city gate in a sea of commotion. They were cursing, arrogant, and utterly chaotic. Chapter 421 ¡°Scram! What the hell, daring to block my way!¡± Shen Haizhou seized a loose cultivator and threw him straight towards the city gate, instantly causing the previously orderly line to descend into chaos. Dai Sheng looked over, his godlike soul power fluctuating, appearing ready to explode in rage at any moment. But Shen Haizhou was not at all scared. He puffed out his chest, revealing the embroidered symbol on his clothing and loudly said, ¡°My father, Shen Wang! Dai elder, what are you planning to do?¡± Dai Sheng was furious! ¡°Get the hell out of here, or don¡¯t blame me for teaching you a lesson!¡± Shen Haizhou casually grabbed an attendant and threw him out as if to vent his anger, ¡°Heard what the Dai elder said? Scram now!¡± One after another, the attendants were grabbed and thrown by him, and so were some loose cultivators, once again causing utter chaos. ¡°Shen Haizhou!¡± Dai Sheng roared angrily. Shen Haizhou shrank his neck, but again straightened his waist and said, ¡°My father Shen Wang! My ancestor Shen Tai!¡± Damn! Dai Sheng was on the verge of a breakdown. What a piece of shit this guy was. When all is said and done, he really can¡¯t do anything to Shen Haizhou. Shen Wang is the head of the Shen family, a Refining God Heavenly Man with power even a bit stronger than his. As for Shen Tai, he is also a Refining God Heavenly Man of the Shen family with even more power, and notably protective of his descendants! Shen Haizhou cursed as he rushed towards the city gate, grabbing the attendants and throwing them out, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Dai elder telling us to scram, move it faster!¡± Xu Yan was mixed in with Shen Haizhou¡¯s followers. He couldn¡¯t help but suspect that Shen Haizhou was doing this on purpose to create an opportunity for him to get out of the city. A hand grabbed him. The moment it touched Xu Yan¡¯s clothes, his body started flying horizontally as if thrown out by someone. Shen Haizhou continued swearing, grabbing one person after another to throw outside, and in a short while, he had already left the city. Dai Sheng¡¯s soul power was constantly searching, even for the attendants thrown out by Shen Haizhou. However, when Xu Yan was thrown out and flying horizontally, his face was downwards, avoiding his gaze, and his advanced technique made his aura merge with the other attendants. Dai Sheng¡¯s soul power didn¡¯t detect anything at all, and Xu Yan had safely left the city and quickly escaped with a group of martial artists. Having successfully avoided Dai Sheng¡¯s search, Xu Yan changed clothes and started returning to Zheng Country. Having already made a breakthrough and since he had gathered enough Spirit Jade on him, it was time to return to the Inner Domain. Yet, having been pursued by Dai Sheng all the way, he was somewhat disgruntled. He couldn¡¯t swallow this indignation. After a brief hesitation, he decided to find Shen Haizhou, the chubby boy, to inquire about where the Dai family was. While Dai Sheng was out, he planned to take down the Dai Family! Shen Haizhou left the city cursing. He was thrilled, he had once again gained favor with a certain brother. This was a true dragon, bound to fly high in the sky, unstoppable! One day later. ¡°Brother Shen, we meet again.¡± Xu Yan appeared before Shen Haizhou. ¡°Long time no see, brother!¡± Shen Haizhou never mentioned the city¡¯s incident. ¡°I am The Sword God, Xu Yan, coming to inquire about something.¡± Xu Yan said with a bow. ¡°Anything Shen Haizhou knows, he¡¯s sure to tell all!¡± Shen Haizhou patted his chest. ¡°Where is the Dai family¡¯s base, who are their powerful characters, and apart from Dai Sheng, are there any other Refining God Heavenly People?¡± Xu Yan asked straightforwardly. Shen Haizhou was shocked. What does this mean? Are you going to take down the Dai family¡¯s base? Chapter 422 Shen Haizhou felt his scalp tingle with fear. Xu Yan had just barely escaped from Dai Sheng, a Refining God Heavenly Man, and now he was planning to take down the Dai Family stronghold? Anyone who managed to escape from a Refining God Heavenly Man would undoubtedly keep a low profile, hiding and fearing that their whereabouts would be discovered. Yet, here was Xu Yan, planning to take down the Dai Family stronghold! What incredible bravery! Shen Haizhou was taken aback. Xu Yan was so audacious ¨C the Dai family was a reputable family, even though they were only a second-tier one! Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Brother Xu, the Dai family is a reputable family,¡± said Shen Haizhou, breaking out in cold sweat. ¡°So what? If someone offends me, they must pay the price. I, Xu Yan, will never put up with it. If Dai Sheng wants to kill me, I will take down his stronghold,¡± Xu Yan said matter-of-factly. Yu Xiaolong was frightened. Xu Yan was really planning to destroy the Dai family stronghold? ¡°Calm down, calm down. Don¡¯t be impulsive!¡± Yu Xiaolong¡¯s whole body was trembling. He found that ever since he started following Xu Yan, his life had become increasingly thrilling. They had just been chased by a Refining God Heavenly Man, and now they were planning to annihilate a reputable family? ¡°Shut up, I know what I¡¯m doing!¡± Xu Yan glared at Yu Xiaolong. Shen Haizhou swallowed, ¡°Brother Xu, are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Xu Yan nodded, his face breaking into a cold smile. ¡°While Dai Sheng is away, I will take down his stronghold. Tell me, where is the Dai Family stronghold and do they have any other Refining God Heavenly Man?¡± Shen Haizhou too, grew serious, ¡°The Dai Family is a second-tier reputable family in Yuzhou. Officially, they only have Dai Sheng as a Refining God Heavenly Man, but in reality, they must have two.¡± ¡°The other Refining God Heavenly Man must be guarding the Dai Family¡¯s treasury. Even if weaker than Dai Sheng, they would not be too far behind him,¡± he added. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°The Dai Family treasury?¡± Imagine how many treasures a family¡¯s treasury would house. Shen Haizhou¡¯s forehead broke out in cold sweat again as he hurriedly said, ¡°Brother Xu, don¡¯t be impulsive. The Dai Family¡¯s treasury does contain treasures, but it¡¯s guarded by a Refining God Heavenly Man.¡± Xu Yan pondered. With a Refining God Heavenly Man guarding it, taking down the Dai Family would be difficult. Of course, it wasn¡¯t impossible. He would stand no chance in a fair fight against a Refining God Heavenly Man, but what about a sneak attack? ¡°While treading the path of Martial Arts, one must know when to advance and when to retreat. Do not act blindly, do not be obstinate¡­¡± Xu Yan already had a plan in mind. As his master had taught him, he couldn¡¯t be a rash brute. He needed to understand when to advance and when to retreat, and make the best use of his strengths. ¡°Explain to me in detail about the Dai Family. Why are you so certain that they have another Refining God Heavenly Man?¡± Xu Yan asked seriously. Shen Haizhou took a deep breath. Xu Yan seemed to have made up his mind to take down the Dai Family stronghold. Even though he didn¡¯t know where Xu Yan got his confidence from, if Xu Yan dared to do it, it meant he had some assurance. ¡°The Dai Family is a second-tier reputable family in Yuzhou. The criteria for a second-tier reputable family of a region is that they have one Refining God Mid-level powerhouse, or two Refining God Early-Level powerhouses. This is the definition of a second-tier reputable family. ¡°Dai Sheng is a Refining God at the peak of the early level and has yet to break through to the mid-level. The Dai Family being a second-tier family means that there is another Refining God Heavenly Man.¡± ¡°These are matters known only to the Spirit Sects and reputable families. Loose cultivators from the outside world are oblivious to the categorisation of the Spirit Sects and reputable families,¡± Shen Haizhou began explaining to Xu Yan. The rankings of the Spirit Sects and reputable families weren¡¯t assigned arbitrarily; they were related to their strength and heritage. Firstly, to be considered a reputable family, the lineage must span over ten thousand years. This is the bare minimum. For a third-tier reputable family, there must be at least one Refining God Early-Level powerhouse. For a second-tier reputable family, there must be either one Refining God Mid-level powerhouse or two Refining God Early-Level powerhouses. For a first-tier reputable family, there must be at least one Refining God Mid-level powerhouse, with the number of Refining God Heavenly Men not less than five. Otherwise, even if the number of Refining God Heavenly Men exceeds five, if there is no Refining God Mid-level powerhouse, it can only be considered a second-tier reputable family. This was the bare minimum. ¡°The Dai Family is one of the weaker families in the second-tier, having two Refining God Heavenly Men should be their limit,¡± Shen Haizhou said seriously. Xu Yan raised his eyebrows, so this was how the Spirit Sects and reputable families were categorised. ¡°What about the Jade God Sect? How strong are they?¡± The strongest group Xu Yan had offended so far was the Jade God Sect, the famous top sect of Yuzhou. ¡°The Jade God Sect is the best in Yuzhou and a truly top-tier Spirit Sect of the Ling Domain, although they are on the weaker side. However, in Yuzhou, they are the strongest. ¡°The rankings and requirements I mentioned earlier pertain to a single region. As for the requirements for a top-tier force in the Ling Domain, they must have at least one Refining God Late-Level powerhouse and more than two Refining God Mid-level ones. ¡°Throughout Yuzhou, only the Jade God Sect has a Refining God Late-Level powerhouse, that¡¯s why they are the top sect in Yuzhou and the only top-tier Spirit Sect in Yuzhou that is part of the Ling Domain,¡± Shen Haizhou explained seriously. Now that he¡¯d begun talking about the divisions between Spirit Sects and reputable families, Shen Haizhou decided to provide Xu Yan with a more detailed explanation. Even within the top-tier, there could sometimes be a significant gap in strength. To be considered a top-tier force in the Ling Domain, a sect must have at least one Refining God Late-Level powerhouse. This was the bare minimum. Certain powerful top-tier families and Spirit Sects even had five or six Refining God Late-Level powerhouses, which was not unheard of. And the ultra-top-tier Spirit Sects and families had at least one Refining God Peak-level powerhouse. As for the Transcendent Spirit Sect, it was an existence that could only be looked up to. Its depth was unfathomable and there were only a few such sects throughout the entire Ling Domain. Chapter 423 ¡°Refining God Heavenly Man, a breakthrough within a single small realm, is extremely difficult. Countless Refining God Heavenly Men can only stop at the initial phase of this process. ¡°Many great martial artists are halted in front of the Refining God gate, unable to take that step, unable to condense their Divine Soul. ¡°Many celestial prodigies are stuck at being great Heavenly Men, or even only in the early or middle stages of Refining God¡­ ¡°Those who can break through the later stages of Refining God are truly the pinnacle of the Ling Domain.¡± Shen Haizhou sighed with emotion. Though he was confident in his talent, he didn¡¯t dare to claim that he would definitely become a Refining God Heavenly Man in the future. Xu Yan finally got a more detailed understanding of these Spirit Sects and ancient clans. It was undeniable that as an heir of a noble family, Shen Haizhou had a deeper understanding of such families and sects than Yu Xiaolong, a common serpent. ¡°Yuzhou seems not to be powerful?¡± Xu Yan voiced in surprise. The Jade Spirit Sect, although it is an elite sect within the Ling Domain, is the one with the lowest threshold. ¡°Yuzhou is relatively remote, and reportedly an ancient calamity resulted in Yuzhou¡¯s decline,¡± Shen Haizhou explained. ¡°Where is the Dai Family¡¯s lair? Introduce it to me. I want to destroy it while Dai Sheng hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± Xu Yan said seriously. Shen Haizhou was rather astonished. After all that he had explained, Xu Yan still wanted to take on the Dai Family? Without any fear of the Dai Family¡¯s power? ¡°I don¡¯t have a detailed understanding of the Dai Family. Their ancestral lands are within the borders of Zheng Country, here¡­ In this generation, besides Dai Yingying and Dai Jun, there are a few others.¡± ¡°But their talents are all rather ordinary¡­¡± Shen Haizhou drew a map on the ground, introducing the location of the Dai Family, even indicating the general location of the Dai Family treasury. And he described the few members of the younger generation of the Dai Family, their appearances and general personalities. Xu Yan eyed Shen Haizhou doubtfully. While he claimed to know little about the Dai Family, he provided such detailed information on the Dai family¡¯s ancestral land and even knew quite a lot about the current generation. Shen Haizhou chuckled awkwardly. He had once borrowed from Dai Jun, but ultimately it was Dai Jun who had died at his hands, which led him to gather information about the Dai Family. ¡°That¡¯s all I know,¡± Shen Haizhou finally said. Xu Yan nodded and looked at Shen Haizhou, ¡°Brother Shen, do me a favor. Keep Dai Sheng wandering outside for a bit longer so he won¡¯t be returning to the Dai Family soon.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Shen Haizhou agreed, nodding. ¡°Brother Xu, are you confident?¡± Shen Haizhou couldn¡¯t help asking. The Dai Family had a Refining God Heavenly Man guarding them, after all. ¡°No major issues will come up.¡± Xu Yan nodded in confirmation. ¡°Then, I wish Brother Xu success!¡± Shen Haizhou salutes with a fist. ¡°Thanks!¡± Xu Yan returned the gesture and left in an instant. ¡°Yuzhou is about to experience tumultuous times. What will happen to the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family if the Dai Family is wiped out?¡± Shen Haizhou murmured to himself. The Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family would undoubtedly try everything to eliminate the threat that was Xu Yan. Keeping Dai Sheng away wasn¡¯t difficult. Shen Haizhou had his people spread false information on the whereabouts of Wen Yong, and even Xu Yan to Dai Sheng. Meanwhile, Dai Sheng was madly searching everywhere for Xu Yan and Wen Yong. The eminent Dai Family¡¯s Refining God Heavenly Man could not even deal with two loose cultivators. Where could he put his face? What about the dignity of the Dai Family? ¡­ Dai State was the territory ruled by the Dai Family. The ancestral land of the Dai family was also located here. Recently, ill fortune seemed to befall the Dai Family. The highly regarded Dai Yingying had been killed, Dai Jun was also dead. Even the current family head, Dai Yiping, had died in the wilderness and more embarrassingly by the hands of a loose cultivator. It was a great humiliation indeed! Dai Yang was Dai Yingying¡¯s cousin. His talent was not outstanding, and even in his thirties, he had not broken through the realm of a minor Heavenly Man. That day, Dai Yang returned from the outside with his head down, his mood gloomy and fraught. The Dai Family¡¯s guards and elders were not in doubt. The family had suffered a great calamity, and the descendants had indeed lost some of their sharpness and had become somber. Wandering aimlessly, Dai Yang finally arrived at the ancestral shrine of the Dai Family. ¡°Dai Yang, what are you doing here, look spirited! This is our treasury, a heavy land where no one is allowed to enter without permission!¡± The patriarch at the gate frowned and berated. ¡°I know.¡± Dai Yang answered dully and turned to leave. ¡°This place is close to the treasury and suits an ambush. Let¡¯s start here.¡± Xu Yan, disguised as Dai Yang, slowly buried himself underground behind a large tree outside the ancestral shrine, his breath completely hidden. ¡°I only get one chance with the sword. I must severely damage him with one strike to have a chance to kill him!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were serious. His Sword Intent was quietly condensing. He was continuously refining Sudden Wind Sword Intent. To kill a Refining God Heavenly Man, his strength lay in relying on the Sudden Wind Sword Intent to tear apart the opponent¡¯s Divine Soul. ¡°Just about ready.¡± Xu Yan thought silently. A divine intent pervaded out and suddenly, a giant serpent with a blue back and a white belly, let out a low growl. It appeared in the sky above the ancestral land of the Dai Family. Thud! The martial artists of the Dai Family were taken aback, their faces turned pale with shock as if a mountain was surging towards them. Those under Small Heavenly Man-level, instantly collapsed to the ground. Only the Great Heavenly Man elders had the strength to resist this overwhelming power. Even so, they were utterly shocked. A green heaven serpent corpse, attacking the Dai Family? Boom! At this moment, from the direction of the ancestor temple, a surge of Divine Soul power emerged. The figure of an elder instantly appeared, rushing towards the Green Heaven Serpent. ¡°Green Heaven Serpent, since you¡¯re here, don¡¯t plan on leaving. Let¡¯s see how you ended up becoming a corpse.¡± The Green Heaven Serpent erupted with overwhelming power, charging towards the elder. However, under the palm of the elder, it was instantly knocked down from mid-air, breaking a large tree. Roar! The Green Heaven Serpent fell to the ground, roaring angrily with its head raised, struggling to get up. The elder descended from the sky, somewhat excited. The missing Green Heaven Serpent had blundered into the Dai Family. Was this a compensation for the loss suffered by the Dai Family? ¡°Beast, stop struggling!¡± The elder was incredibly excited, he came to the Green Heaven Serpent, striking out fiercely, intending to fully suppress and capture the Green Heaven Serpent. Buzz! Suddenly, a strong sense of danger emerged. Behind him, a sharp sword light flashed! ¡°Not good!¡± The elder looked terrified, the power of his Divine Soul was about to burst, and at the same time, his body moved, trying to dodge the attack. However, he had been totally unprepared before. Meanwhile, Xu Yan¡¯s sudden Wind Sword Intent was as wild as the wind, instantly cutting into his Divine Soul. At that moment, the elder could only feel as if his Divine Soul was being battered by a hurricane, like a candle in the wind, crazily flickering. Fine cracks had begun to appear on the elder¡¯s Divine Soul, ready to collapse at any time! ¡°Ah!¡± The elder let out a poignant scream! The intense pain of the soul was unbearable. In an instant, all his contingency plans came to a halt. Even as his subconscious frantically told him that he must dodge immediately, he must escape instantly, the intense pain of his Divine Soul prevented him from responding in time. Life and death hang on a thread! Xu Yan¡¯s prepared sword had slashed into the opponent¡¯s Divine Soul. Although it was not enough to tear his soul apart, it was enough to damage the unprepared elder and his Divine Soul. The intense pain of his Divine Soul would inevitably make the opponent¡¯s movements stagnant. All contingency measures would pause for an instant. This moment was his opportunity! Boom! The Phenomenon of Mountains and Rivers collapsed instantly, transforming into a thunderous sword. It seemed as if in the collapsing mountains and rivers, the people were wielding a thunderous sword to strike. Spurt! The elder¡¯s body was split into two! Without the physical body, the Divine Soul became elusive, as if it had lost its support. Xu Yan¡¯s body surged with light, the endless Sword Intent, the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, the Mountain River Sword Intent, and the real meaning of Descending Dragon Palm, all surged out together! Spurt! The soul was torn apart and began to crumble and disappear. ¡°Who are you?!¡± The elder¡¯s soul let out a resentful and furious howl. ¡°Your killer!¡± Xu Yan struck furiously, not giving the opponent any chance. Grind the bones to dust and erase the soul! Finally, the elder was dead! Turned into ashes! Only then did Xu Yan heave a sigh of relief. He raised his hand to seize the storage pouch dropped by the elder¡¯s corpse. The Descending Dragon Palm controlled the Green Heaven Serpent¡¯s corpse¡¯s shrinkage and also put it into the storage pouch. At this moment, he looked at the elders of the Dai Family who had been stunned and terrified. He swung his sword and cut over. ¡°Today, I step on noble families and slay the Refining God Heavenly Man!¡± Xu Yan coldly said. Boom! After killing several Great Heavenly Men with one sword, Xu Yan didn¡¯t chase after the others scrambling to escape. Instead, he proceeded to the Dai Family¡¯s treasury. As they say, time is money. No point wasting it on the flabbergasted elders of the Dai Family. Xu Yan broke into the Dai Family¡¯s treasury. Without taking time to examine it closely, he just collected all the storage bags he could see and started shoving items into them from the treasury. He didn¡¯t even bother to check what the items were, just swept them up frenziedly, and then fled. Time to head back to the Inner Domain! Dai Sheng must be going insane. Yuzhou would be shaken by this. Chapter 424 The Dai Family was plunged into utter chaos as the clan elders desperately fled for their lives. The remaining warriors of the Dai Family were also running frantically, not daring to stop for a moment. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined they¡¯d experience a day like this, a day when people would come to their doorstep to kill them ¨C even their revered patriarch who had reached the cultivation level of Refining God was dead! In this moment, treasures stored in the secret vaults, the dignity of their prominent family, the family¡¯s reputation, all were forgotten. Every single one of them regretted not having trained their movement technique well enough, cursing their excruciatingly slow speed. When the corpse of the Qingtian Jiao appeared, they were shocked and terrified but they did not consider escaping because they had a ¡°Refining God¡± power to protect them. As expected, their Refining God patriarch had suppressed the Qingtian Jiao. Then! The terrifying young man killed their Refining God patriarch with just a couple of slashes of his sword. And in the blink of an eye, he had butchered several of their grand elders! The remaining elders, scared out of their wits, disappeared in an instant. The entire Dai Family was in disarray. Peripheral warriors of the Dai Family, guards, servants and the like, all were stunned as they watched the high and mighty seniors and young masters of the Dai Family run like madmen. They also took to their heels and ran. Before long, the entire Dai Family house was in chaos. ¡°Run, the calamity of clan destruction is upon us!¡± ¡°Run! The Dai Family is finished!¡± ¡°Child, run, hide! The Dai Family is done for!¡± Cries and screams echoed throughout the household, spreading more and more panic. The calamity of clan destruction was looming right before their eyes. Subsequently, more and more people started to escape. As for Xu Yan, after he had raided the treasure vault of the Dai family, he left without even bothering to look for other treasure vaults. Having ambushed and killed the Dai Family¡¯s Refining God Heavenly Man, he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against Dai Sheng if he returned! Therefore, he hurriedly slipped away while Dai Sheng had not yet returned. The treasures from one vault were more than enough. The anger from being chased by Dai Sheng was also more or less vented. This time, he made a great gain! Although he was hunted down once, he ended up taking down the Dai Family. As he parted, Xu Yan¡¯s sword light swept across everything, and as he swooped by, his surroundings instantly transformed into ruins. Had not almost all the inhabitants of the Dai Family fled, numerous people would have been slaughtered. Whoosh! With a flash in the sky, Xu Yan left gracefully. Yu Xiaolong, who was wrapped around Xu Yan¡¯s wrist, was completely flabbergasted. Xu Yan had spoken of taking the Dai Family down, which scared it tremendously, but Xu Yan had actually done it! He killed a Refining God Heavenly Man! Despite the hairy situation, isn¡¯t a Refining God Heavenly Man not someone you could just ambush? However, Xu Yan had done it. Yu Xiaolong now began to question if the martial arts Xu Yan was practicing were somewhat different. While not a Refining God Heavenly Man, he possessed a Divine Soul power similar to a Refining God Heavenly Man, and even seemed to be more mysterious and special than the Divine Soul power. Yu Xiaolong could not comprehend its sophistication. ¡°You¡¯ve destroyed the Dai Family and killed their Refining God Heavenly Man. I¡¯m sure Dai Sheng must be mad. The Jade God Sect and Su Family might possibly deploy Refining God Heavenly Men to squelch you!¡± Yu Xiaolong said worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s a small matter. They won¡¯t be able to chase me. Once I break through, I¡¯ll annihilate them and their treasures will become my cultivation resources.¡± Xu Yan said unconcernedly. The harvest this time was enormous. He had taken over one of the Dai Family¡¯s treasure vaults, and there were so many treasures that he didn¡¯t even have time to count them. However, the mere twenty-plus storage bags that were stashed in the vault were very telling. Let alone the vast troves of scriptures, Spiritual Artifacts, and other items in the large vault, which filled all the storage bags he was carrying. If he hadn¡¯t killed so many people and gotten so many storage bags, he wouldn¡¯t have enough to carry everything. ¡°My junior brothers and sisters will no longer lack treasures to accumulate their foundations, and my junior sister will not lack Spiritual Medicine for Alchemy anymore.¡± Xu Yan was thrilled. Nothing could accumulate foundations faster than raiding the vault of a noble family. Once he returns to Inner Domain this time, he won¡¯t be in a hurry to come back to Ling Domain anymore since he has enough gathered from the Ling Domain. His parents¡¯ and the others¡¯ cultivation will also rapidly improve. After Xu Yan put a substantial distance between him and the Dai Family, he put on his carefully chosen clothes, activated his True Yuan, changed his facial features, and even grew a few scruffs of beard on his chin. Even his physique changed to become more burly and robust. He had changed everything from his physique to his appearance and aura. To return to the Inner Domain, he had to pass through the Gate of Lingyu. Therefore, he concealed his identity to avoid being tracked, especially since there are gatekeepers at the Gate of Lingyu. The Jade God Sect and the Su Family had been chasing him for such a long time without revealing that he came from the Inner Domain. Either the keepers of the Gate of Lingyu did not participate in these disputes or they had some restrictions. Or maybe they were isolated from the outside world news. No matter what the reason, the fact that the keepers of the Gate of Lingyu hadn¡¯t revealed that he came from the Inner Domain was a good thing. But when returning to the Inner Domain, he had no intention of using his real identity. He was going to fake the identity of a Spiritual Sect Warrior. Regarding what Spiritual Sect Warrior, it wouldn¡¯t matter; the realm of the Ling Domain is so vast that the gatekeeper cannot possibly know about all the forces. All he needed to do was put on clothes bearing the insignia of the Spiritual Sect. This was also revealed by Shen Haizhou, about the difference between Spiritual Sect raiment and that of a noble family. Other Loose Cultivators who didn¡¯t understand this trick, would find it very difficult to impersonate a disciple of a Spiritual Sect or a noble family. Of course, there were instances of Loose Cultivators impersonating as such, but all of those Cultivators ended up terribly in the end. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Loose Cultivators would never dare to impersonate the disciples of a Spiritual Sect or a noble family. Chapter 425 Xu Yan swaggered his way towards the Gate of Lingyu, ready to return to the Inner Domain. As for the turbulence in the Dai family and Dai Sheng¡¯s fury, he didn¡¯t care. Wen Yong had long since fled Yuzhou. ¡­ Dai Sheng was on his way somewhere when a message arrived that Xu Yan was there. Suddenly, his expression changed. He reached up and shattered a bead! The Mother and Child Beads! Moreover, the message conveyed when this bead was shattered was that the Dai family was in crisis! Dai Sheng¡¯s expression turned pale. The Dai family in danger? Who would attack the Dai family? He couldn¡¯t figure it out. Who would attack the Dai family at a time like this? Right now, he had no intention of seeking revenge on Xu Yan. He dashed towards the Dai family residence in a frenzy. All along, Dai Sheng had never thought that Xu Yan was the one who attacked the Dai family. In his view, though Xu Yan was powerful, he couldn¡¯t bring the Dai family into crisis. In the family, there was a Refining God Heavenly Man keeping watch. Dai Sheng raced back to the Dai family, while some well-informed forces now knew that the Dai family had been raided, and half their territory had been destroyed. Shen Haizhou, who had been watching the Dai family¡¯s every move, was stumped. ¡°Too fierce!¡± From the current news, the Refining God Heavenly Man of the Dai family was dead! Killed by Xu Yan! Shen Haizhou¡¯s face was covered in cold sweat. The Refining God Heavenly Man, just died like that? He thought that no matter how Xu Yan ambushed and attacked, at most it would only hurt the Refining God Heavenly Man. He even wondered if he had overrated Xu Yan. In the end, Xu Yan directly killed the man! ¡°Refining God Heavenly Man, how long has it been since a Refining God Heavenly Man fell in Yuzhou? And the first one to fall was killed in an underdog victory! ¡°Will Jade God Sect and Su Family be able to sit still?¡± Shen Haizhou wiped his sweat and set off to return to his clan¡¯s territory. He must not let Dai Sheng know that it was he who secretly leaked information to Xu Yan. Otherwise, Dai Sheng might go crazy. Regardless of his status as the eldest son of the Shen family, he would kill him! Even if he didn¡¯t kill him, he would go crazy demanding compensation from the Shen family. At that time, the Shen family would have only two choices: one, to compensate and pacify the dispute; two, to kill Dai Sheng! Either way, it would cause a series of changes in the situation. For his own safety, Shen Haizhou decided to lay low in his clan territory for a while until he was certain that no information had been leaked, and then he would go out and have fun! Dai Sheng returned to see the family¡¯s land scarred and half-destroyed. All the family treasures were gone. His uncle, the Refining God Heavenly Man who was stationed in the family¡¯s treasure vault, had also been killed. With bloodshot eyes, Dai Sheng roared, ¡°Who did it? Where is the enemy?¡± When Dai Sheng returned, the elders of the Dai family found their backbone. They began to weep and return. ¡°It was the Azure Sky Flood Dragon! No, it was that boy!¡± ¡°He killed our uncle, and he killed several elders.¡± ¡°Our Dai family has suffered greatly, and from now on, we will have to descend from our second-rate noble status!¡± With only Dai Sheng left as the Refining God Heavenly Man, the Dai family fell from the second-rate to the third-rate. Unless, Dai Sheng can break through to the middle stage of the Refining God Heavenly Man. The strength of a noble family also affects the cultivation resources and power of speech. All the Dai family elders mournfully told Dai Sheng everything. ¡°Ah!¡± Dai Sheng was about to explode with anger. It was that boy! How dare he, to wipe out the Dai family? Moreover, he even ambushed and killed his own uncle? Dai Sheng was about to go mad. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I will grind him to dust!¡± With that, he was ready to turn around and find Xu Yan. He had to kill him! ¡°Uncle, you can¡¯t leave! What if he comes back to kill us when you¡¯re gone?¡± ¡°Yes, indeed, you can¡¯t leave!¡± All the elders quickly tried to persuade him. If Dai Sheng left and the killer came back, how would they live? Dai Sheng, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks. He was panting heavily, and his eyes were blood-red. There was no reason for what the elders said. If that hateful boy came back while he was away, the Dai family would be finished! ¡°Notify the Jade God Sect and the Su family! The man they¡¯re hunting is very dangerous!¡± Dai Sheng gritted his teeth and said. This incident would inevitably be taken seriously once it got out. The Jade God Sect and the Su family would try their best to nip the danger in the bud! The news of the Dai family¡¯s attack and the fall of a Refining God Heavenly Man spread throughout Yuzhou in a short time. The entire Yuzhou martial arts world was shaken! The Refining God Heavenly Man fell! When was the last time a Refining God Heavenly Man fell in Yuzhou? Many years ago, right? And the martial artist who attacked the Dai family and killed a Refining God Heavenly Man was the boy from the Azure Sky Flood Dragon Tomb, who was hunted by the Jade God Sect and the Su family. The eyes of the martial arts world all gathered on the Jade God Sect and the Su family. All the Refining God powerhouses of the Jade God Sect, with grave expressions, gathered. They had thought it was just a loose cultivator, but the boy was so fierce that he killed a Refining God Heavenly Man from the Dai family. Even though he achieved it through ambush, it shows his means and power. He absolutely cannot be allowed to grow up. ¡°This boy must die, otherwise he will become a major problem!¡± The Sect Master of the Jade God Sect spoke gravely. ¡°Contact the Su family. Let¡¯s find this boy together and issue a death order. It doesn¡¯t matter what it takes. We have to kill him!¡± All of the Jade God Sect powerhouses wore extremely serious expressions. The same scene was playing out in the Su family. Ever since the Blood Demon incident, the Spirit sects and noble families have never underestimated potentially threatening Loose Cultivators. They do everything they can to obliterate them completely, then they can breathe a sigh of relief. Chapter 426 The Blood Demon of yesteryear was allowed to grow in strength and cause great disaster due to the arrogance of the Spirit Sect clans, who failed to kill it in its infancy. The reason for the relative weakness of Yuzhou lies in its historical encounter with the Blood Demon. A great battle in Yuzhou resulted in the annihilation of the once mighty and ancient Spirit Sect clans! The entire martial arts realm in Yuzhou was left terrified, leading them to open the Gate of Lingyu and allow the Blood Demon to escape into the Inner Domain. Now, the emergence of Xu Yan has cast a shadow over the Yuzhou Spirit Sect and the Su Family, who fear a repeat of the calamity caused by the Blood Demon. In a certain mountain range in Yuzhou¡­ The Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance was hidden here. ¡°Alliance Hierarch, this Loose Cultivator talent is too powerful, just what our All Ages Alliance needs,¡± an All Ages Alliance martial artist excitedly spoke up. The Alliance Hierarch of the Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance was a middle-aged man, lean and scholarly in appearance. ¡°Order all members of the Yuzhou All Ages Alliance to do everything possible to locate this genius before Yuzhou Spirit Sect and the Su Family do,¡± the Alliance Hierarch said with grave determination. ¡°If necessary, I will take action personally!¡± ¡°Yes, Alliance Hierarch!¡± The members of the All Ages Alliance were exultant at this news. An individual so young had already upset the Dai Family and taken down a Refining God Heavenly Man. Even if it was a result of an ambush, it was still remarkable and unprecedented! They were all reminded of the creature that once sent chills down the spine of every Spirit Sect and clan. Blood Demon! The lord of the Blood Demon Way! ¡°Our All Ages Alliance will not tread the same path as the Blood Demon. We are destined to succeed, carving out a place for all Loose Cultivators in the world, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Spirit Sect and clans,¡± the Alliance Hierarch resolved with an unwavering gaze. The responses from the Yuzhou Spirit Sect and the Su Family, as well as the uproar in the Yuzhou martial arts sector, were of no concern to Xu Yan. At this moment, he was on his way to the location of the Gate of Lingyu. He was preparing to return to the Inner Domain. He was not far from the location of the Gate of Lingyu. However, he suddenly furrowed his brow. An old woman in the distance was staring at him. A martial artist in the middle stage of the Heavenly Man. The old woman was Grandma Jing from the Shui Xing Palace. After Jiao Ming and Ping¡¯er had not returned for a while, Tang Jinyan, agitated and suspicious, could not help but wonder¡­ Did something unexpected happen? Was it her unfaithful husband who had left some measures to protect his illegitimate child? Or perhaps Jiao Ming and Ping¡¯er met with some accident on their way to the Inner Domain? Unable to wait any longer, Tang Jinyan instructed Grandma Jing to make a trip to the Inner Domain to fetch the illegitimate child. As Grandma Jing was on her way to the Gate of Lingyu, she suddenly frowned, her gaze falling on the man headed in the same direction. Did he also plan to go to the Inner Domain? Her eyes fell on the insignia on his clothes, trying to discern which Spirit Sect he came from. Grandma Jing frowned. She did not recognize the emblem. Which Spirit Sect did it represent? It seemed coarse. A Loose Cultivator daring to impersonate a member of a Spirit Sect? Grandma Jing hailed from the Shui Xing Palace, and even though they were a second-tier Spirit Sect in the Lingyu, their positioning was not comparable to Yuzhou¡¯s. Despite lacking a Refining God in its later stages to preside over it, the other Refining God martial artists were more numerous and powerful than those of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect. As an elderly Heavenly Man martial artist who had widely traveled the martial arts realm, Grandma Jing had encountered individuals impersonating members of the Spirit Sect before. Anyone else may not have detected the discrepancy upon cursory examination, but Grandma Jing had a discerning eye. Thus, even though Xu Yan had done a convincing job of fabricating the insignia on his clothes, she was able to identify it as a fake with a single glance! Chapter 427 Xu Yan noticed Grandma Jing¡¯s strange look, she frowned slightly. Could she have figured out that he was faking his Spirit Sect identity? ¡°There are many people in Ling Domain¡¯s Spirit Sect, could she possibly recognize them all? Or, is it that my Spirit Sect attire is not authentic enough?¡± Xu Yan was silently pondering. The guardian of the Gate of Lingyu wasn¡¯t very powerful, so as soon as he revealed a little bit of his strong aura, others would not dare to observe him openly, let alone scrutinize the Spirit Sect emblem on his clothes. Therefore, Xu Yan was confident that he could deceive them easily without being discovered. Unexpectedly, he ran into Grandma Jing halfway, and she seemed to have a unique discerning eye. While he was considering whether to avoid Grandma Jing, and then change into another outfit to go to the Gate of Lingyu, Grandma Jing spoke coldly. ¡°Which insignificant Loose Cultivator has the audacity to impersonate a member of the Spirit Sect, your crime is punishable by death!¡± Being a Spiritual Sect Warrior, and with a high-ranking status in the Shui Xing Palace, Grandma Jing could not ignore encountering a Loose Cultivator impersonating a member of the Spirit Sect. Furthermore, she noticed that Xu Yan was not very strong so she decided to punish this audacious Loose Cultivator impersonating the Spirit Sect on the spot. With one hand, she lifted her cane and stabbed towards Xu Yan. The power of a Heavenly Man Martial Artist was undoubtedly displayed. The jade dragon wrapped around Xu Yan¡¯s wrist was dumbfounded. Could this old lady be weary of her long life? Xu Yan smiled. He had just been considering avoiding this old woman, changing into another outfit, and then going to the Gate of Lingyu. But it looks like he no longer needed to. Since she was looking for a way to end her long life, he would grant her wish! At the same time, Xu Yan once again deeply realized how high and mighty the Martial Artists from the Spirit Sect and Aristocratic Families were, and how they utterly despise Loose Cultivators from their very core. ¡°The likes of Brother Shen, the Young Master of an Aristocratic Family, is indeed far too rare!¡± This comparison made Shen Haizhou look like a good person among the Aristocratic Families. ¡°If you¡¯re seeking death, I¡¯ll oblige!¡± Xu Yan was too lazy to even draw his sword. He simply extended his middle and index fingers and slashed forward ¨C a surge of Sword Intent emerged, enveloping all around. Grandma Jing was terrified, ¡°You¡­ ¡± Boom! She experienced a tearing sense of pain as though her spiritual consciousness was being ripped apart. Everything turned pitch black and she became enveloped by the sword light. Grandma Jing was dead. She died quicker than Jiao Ming and Ping¡¯er ¨C she was killed even before reaching the Gate of Lingyu. Xu Yan took the storage pouch she left behind, opened it for a look, and saw a jade badge inside. ¡°Shui Xing Palace?¡± This old woman and Jiao Ming were from the same Spirit Sect. ¡°It seems like she was also planning to go to the Inner Domain. Was it because Jiao Ming had been missing for too long, and she was planning to investigate? But what could a Martial Artist from The Shui Xing Palace be doing in the Inner Domain?¡± Xu Yan was filled with doubts. What level of Spirit Sect does Shui Xing Palace belong to? He planned to ask Shen Haizhou about it when he returned to the Ling Domain. After storing away the storage pouch, Xu Yan headed towards the Gate of Lingyu. ¡­ In the grand hall preceding the Gate of Lingyu, two guards sat cross-legged as if they were diligently practicing cultivation. In reality, they were communicating with each other using a voice transmission technique. ¡°Old Ke, what are your thoughts on the Dai Family¡¯s situation?¡± asked the guard on the right side via voice transmission. Even though they were guarding the Gate of Lingyu, they remained privy to major news from Yuzhou¡¯s Martial Arts world. Guard Ke on the left side responded grimly, ¡°The Dai Family is probably finished, and even the Divine Jade Sect and Su Family may also be in danger.¡± He added seriously, ¡°Old Nie, regardless of whether he is the Blood Demon or someone from the Inner Domain, we absolutely can¡¯t let others know that we let him in.¡± ¡°Even if we don¡¯t consider the Transcendent Spirit Sect, even the Divine Jade Sect and Su Family will not spare us!¡± Guard Nie nodded in agreement. No matter what, all they could do was to act ignorant, ensuring that no information is leaked. Otherwise, the Heavenly Men Refining Gods would vent their anger on them, and not even he would let them off. The two of them discussed and decided, then returned to silently cultivating. Guarding the Gate of Lingyu was an easy task, the strife in Yuzhou¡¯s Martial Arts world wouldn¡¯t affect here. Whoever wanted to enter the Inner Domain just needed the gate to be opened. ¡°According to the agreements set by those lofty Spirit Sects, it¡¯s almost time, right? I wonder if there are still bearers of the Yu Ling entering Lingyu from the Inner Domain,¡± asked Guard Nie. ¡°After this time, they¡¯ll probably close the Gate of Lingyu completely. If the Inner Domain wants to enter Lingyu again, who knows how many years they¡¯ll have to wait.¡± Guard Ke nodded. ¡°Why would they completely close the Gate of Lingyu? Is it because they fear the Blood Demon?¡± asked Nie. ¡°I don¡¯t know, perhaps they feel that the Inner Domain is a lowly place with limited talents and no need to pay much attention. Maybe they want to keep both domains separately, without interfering with each other. It¡¯s also possible that they don¡¯t want Lingyu to interfere with Inner Domain. ¡°Back when the Blood Demon hadn¡¯t entered the Inner Domain, there were quite a few warriors from Lingyu who would enter the Inner Domain to flaunt their power and authority. Some people even went there to find beauties for pleasure.¡± ¡°Perhaps, for the lowly places of the Inner Domain, this might also be a good thing.¡± The two of them fell silent. Suddenly, a figure walked into the hall. The expressions of Ke and Nie, the two guards, changed abruptly. They swiftly rose to their feet and respectfully said, ¡°Senior, we greet you!¡± The visitor was at least in the Heavenly Man realm. And he was a strong warrior of a certain Spirit Sect. The two guards didn¡¯t dare to look directly at him and hastily lowered their heads a little. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m going to the Inner Domain for a trip,¡± Xu Yan said indifferently. ¡°Yes, Senior!¡± the two guards replied hurriedly, opening the Gate of Lingyu without any delay. Xu Yan looked towards the two pillars in the hall, which started glowing and rotating a bit, and a slit began to open in the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°So this is how the Gate of Lingyu opens.¡± After memorizing the method of opening the Gate of Lingyu, Xu Yan remained silent, stepped across the grand hall, walked towards the Gate of Lingyu and returned to the Inner Domain! Chapter 428 The two Guardians¡¯ minds were shaking. What was this Spirit Sect elder doing in the Inner Domain? ¡°We should focus on our duties, mind our own business, and not spread rumors. If anyone asks, we should reveal all except him. We should not hide who has entered the Inner Domain!¡± Guardian Ke said in a deep voice. Guardian Nie solemnly nodded in agreement. ¡­ On Canglan Island, Li Xuan theoretically perfected the Great Wasteland Martial arts, which involved the comprehension and cultivation of meanings, by constructing its framework. Among his three disciples, only Su Lingxiu had not grasped the meaning. Although her specialty in Alchemy and Martial arts wasn¡¯t in this area, Li Xuan still hoped that Su Lingxiu would comprehend this, and grasp the uniqueness of Alchemy and Martial arts. So, he made time to teach Su Lingxiu the theories related to meanings, asking her to combine it with the theories of Alchemy and Martial arts, and thus comprehend the meanings unique to Alchemy and Martial arts. After instructing Su Lingxiu, Li Xuan continued to ponder how to further perfect his innovative Martial arts. The Qimen Martial arts were already outlined, and only lacked practice from disciples. Should he also contemplate the fifth system of Martial arts? He had to start preparing for the Martial arts realm above the Divine Skill Realm, outlining the theoretical boundary and framework in advance. ¡°The path of Martial arts is hard.¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. Even though he had the Daoist Golden Book for guidance, the process of perfecting Martial arts was not easy. While Su Lingxiu was cultivating, preparing for her breakthrough in Tongxuan Realm, she was also contemplating the meanings. The meanings unique to Alchemy and Martial arts? ¡°Alchemy requires fire. Fire refines impurities and extracts the essence¡­¡± When Su Lingxiu was pondering, the first thing she thought of was Dan Fire. Her True Yuan was full of life, yet it could be transformed into a Dan Fire to produce elixirs. This was one of the unique aspects of Alchemy and Martial artists. Whew! Dan Fire surfaced on her hand. Su Lingxiu stared at the Dan Fire and fell into deep thought. Canglan Island was calm. Nonetheless, the Great Wasteland Martial Arts was thriving. The number of Great Wasteland Warriors was increasing every day, and the method for the Grandmasters to convert to the Innate skill, as Li Xuan had instructed Peng Yuan a couple of days ago, had been perfected. Even without relying on elixirs, they could convert. But the process would be slow, and the Heavenly-Earth bridge after conversion would be weak. They would need more time to strengthen it. But it was a significant advancement nonetheless. This method of conversion had been spread throughout the world of Great Wasteland Martial arts. Nowadays, Grandmasters are converting to Martial arts, but for the Great Grandmasters, it was quite a hardship. They could only rely on elixirs for conversion, and after conversion, they would only reach the Innate Realm, not the Tongxuan Realm. Methods for reaching the Tongxuan Realm had not yet been spread. Of course, not all Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters chose to convert. A large portion remained cautious, or due to limitations in their innate talents and other reasons, chose to give up conversion. Meng Chong had already reached the perfect level of Tongxuan Realm, and was accumulating a solid foundation to prepare for breaking through to the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day. However, the grade of Spiritual Medicine in the Inner Domain was too low. Even if it was refined into elixirs, the speed of accumulating a foundation was not fast. At this pace, it would probably take one to two years to accumulate a solid foundation strong enough for the transformation and advancement during the breakthrough. Meng Chong was not in a hurry. He was the invincible existence in the Inner Domain. Red Cat was learning to read every day. It wanted to become a cultured tiger. It was also studying the array diagram every day. Although it couldn¡¯t understand what was in the diagram, it could feel the mystery of it. It stayed with Mother Xu every day. Naturally, Mother Xu also became familiar with the array diagram. Her curiosity aroused, she would also study it when she was free. After breaking through to the Innate Realm, her lifespan greatly increased. Mother Xu, who had no ambition for Martial arts, reduced her training time even more, practicing only for an hour a day. She even occasionally took one or two-day breaks between sessions. Xu Junhe still couldn¡¯t break through the bottleneck and enter the Tongxuan Realm. He was still accumulating in the perfect level of the Innate Realm. It was the same for Zhou Ying and Shi¡¯er. Meng Shushu reached the perfect level of the Innate Realm after converting to Martial arts, but he still didn¡¯t find the opportunity to break through. Li Xuan was not surprised by this, as this was the normal state of a Martial artist¡¯s cultivation. Profound talents like Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu were rare. More often, even after reaching the complete level of a certain realm, many Martial artists cannot break through to the next realm. They might even be stuck at the same realm forever, unable to break through. This was the case for both the Great Wasteland Martial Arts and the Grand Azure Martial Dao. Many top-tier martial artists stagnate at their current stage, unable to break through the Grandmaster level. And then, numerous Grandmaster fighters find themselves unable to push on further, incapable of attaining the status of Great Grandmaster. Similarly, numerous practitioners of Dahua Martial Arts find themselves constrained at the Energy-Blood Boundary. However, martial artists operating at the Energy-Blood Boundary of Dahua Martial Arts wield greater strength and longevity, making Dahua Martial Arts much more appealing than the Grand Azure Martial Dao. ¡°In the cultivation of martial arts, one needs talent, understanding, and opportunities to make a path to the pinnacle!¡± Li Xuan reflected to himself. Xu Yan lacks nothing in terms of talent and comprehension, indeed he excels in both areas. As for the chance, it is already presented to him as he successfully cultivates to become his disciple, consistently makes his way in the martial arts world by surmounting countless obstacles and presents an unstoppable growth. Therefore, Xu Yan meets all the necessary requirements to challenge the pinnacle of Martial Arts! ¡°Who could be the one to seize the opportunity within the Qimen Arts?¡± Li Xuan wondered to himself. Su Lingxiu lessened her focus on alchemy training, immersing herself more within the understanding of the artistic conception, in hopes of understanding a distinctive state of mind unique to the pill and medicine martial artist. Having studied the Pill Fire for a while without any breakthroughs, she then shifted her focus on the combination of alchemy and medicine. ¡°The core of a pill and medicine martial artist lies in the pill and the medicine. Regardless of whether it¡¯s the pill or medicine, there¡¯s a need to understand thoroughly the properties and efficacy of spiritual medicines, so as to conjure up suitable medicine¡­ ¡°But how should one understand the properties and efficacy of unfamiliar spiritual medicines in this world that is filled with countless spiritual medicines and matter?¡± Su Lingxiu suddenly had an insight. Picking up a spiritual medicine, she began to explore it in detail. Li Xuan has been delving into the third page of the Book of Tai Cang while occasionally guiding the cultivation of Xu Junhe and the others. He has long given up on finding a fourth disciple in the Inner Domain. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has comprehended the Mystical Hearkening Intent, and yours, Li Xuan, has thus accomplished a new understanding.¡± All of a sudden, the Daoist Golden Book flipped open, emitting a brilliant golden light. Li Xuan was instantly overjoyed; Su Lingxiu has finally gained an understanding of the special trait unique to pill and medicine martial artists himself. Mystical Hearkening Intent! It is a unique state of mind, and can also be regarded as a type of gift. The Mystical Hearkening Intent is not for battle, but for understanding the characteristics and efficacy of all matters in the world ¨C determining what kind of efficacy this spiritual medicine possesses, how to understand its medicinal properties, how to properly mix and match, and so on. As long as one achieves a clear understanding of the Mystical Hearkening Intent, any unfamiliar spiritual matter can be easily understood in terms of its characteristics and efficacy, enabling this spiritual matter to be utilized in the best possible way. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has deciphered the prototype of the third layer of the Pill and Medicine Martial Art, and you have thus gained the third layer of the Pill and Medicine Martial Arts.¡± Upon the comprehension of Mystical Hearkening Intent, her innate talent was triggered, thereby deciphering the prototype of the third layer of the Pill and Medicine Martial Art, and Li Xuan immediately gained the complete third layer of the Pill and Medicine Martial Art. The third layer of the Pill and Medicine Martial Art provides a more proficient use of alchemy, application of medicine, lethality of the medicine martial arts and various medical prescriptions ¨C all are more extensive, refined, and powerful. ¡°The way of the pill and medicine martial arts becomes stronger and stronger, and the utilization of the pill also becomes more potent.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. Su Lingxiu¡¯s talent in the elucidation of pill and medicine martial arts is indeed stupendous. She deciphered the Mystical Hearkening Intent so quickly and used it to perceive the prototype of the third layer of the Pill and Medicine Martial Art. Now that he has mastered the third layer of the Pill and Medicine Martial Art, it¡¯s time to pass the complete form onto Su Lingxiu. As for how many layers the Pill and Medicine Martial Art ultimately has, Li Xuan has no idea. Perhaps Su Lingxiu will continue to comprehend it for herself? Upon the completion of Su Lingxiu¡¯s cultivation, Li Xuan called her over. ¡°You have made another step forward in the comprehension of the Pill and Medicine Martial Arts. Today, I will pass down to you a higher level of the pill and medicine way. With your comprehension of Mystical Hearkening Intent, you will have the chance to promote and excel in the Pill and Medicine Martial Arts.¡± With a respectful demeanor, Su Lingxiu responded, ¡°Yes, master!¡± Inside, she marveled at everything being under her master¡¯s assessment. Just as she gleaned the Mystical Hearkening Intent, her master already knew about it. Just as she began to perceive the next stage of the Pill and Medicine Martial Art, her master had already discerned it. ¡°The realm of the master is so high, it can only be looked up at!¡± Li Xuan handed over the third layer of the Pill and Medicine Martial Art to Su Lingxiu for her to continue to comprehend and delve deep into the subtlety of the Pill and Medicine Martial Arts. After Su Lingxiu comprehended the Mystical Hearkening Intent, she immediately selected spiritual medicines, combined them into a more effective medicine prescription and proceeded to refine it. She was on the verge of perfection in the Tongxuan realm. Chapter 429 ¡°I wonder how Xu Yan is doing in the Ling Domain, he just killed a major heavenly man, will he be pursued by the Refining God Heavenly Man?¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself while studying the third page of the Book of Tai Cang. He hadn¡¯t received feedback from Xu Yan for some days. ¡°He¡¯s already crossed into the Divine Intent State, he must be heading back to the Inner Domain soon, right?¡± Li Xuan speculated that one reason Xu Yan hadn¡¯t returned to the Inner Domain could be that he was accumulating treasures in the Ling Domain to bring back. The Daoist Golden Book opened, filling the space with radiant golden light. ¡°Your Sword Dao disciple Xie Tianheng has realized the Flying Rainbow Sword Intent, signifying your mastery of it.¡± Li Xuan paused, surprised. Xie Tianheng had understood Sword Intent. Flying Rainbow Sword Intent! The sword, swift as flying a rainbow, fast, and invisible. ¡°Flying Rainbow Sword Intent eh? It seems to stem from Flyinh Rainbow Swordsmanship of the Sword Master¡¯s Cliff. This Sword Intent is not weak, fast and invisible, bleak as autumn.¡± A faint rainbow light emerged from Li Xuan, and then promptly faded away. ¡°Now I have four types of Sword Intents.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s Mountain River Sword Intent, Sudden Wind Sword Intent, and Extinguishing Sword Intents, in addition to the Flying Rainbow Sword Intent. If Xie Lingfeng also comprehends another Sword Intent, then he will have five Sword Intents! ¡°Not bad, my strength has increased, and my Sword Dao has leveled up, the usable Sword Intents have also increased.¡± Direct feedback from Xu Yan about two Sword Intent varieties ¨C Mountain River and Sudden Wind- while Extinguishing Intent was solely his own. Flying Rainbow Sword Intent was the weakest. Sudden Wind Intent was powerful against the Divine Soul, making it the hardest to defend against. Mountain River Intent was all-encompassing and had incremented to the third level, transforming into a corner of the universe, merging with the environment, making it tricky to notice. Li Xuan was in high spirits and decided to take a leisurely boat ride and do some fishing on the river Cang. He had not been so laid-back for a while. Thus, with one motion, he stowed away the Book of Tai Cang, embarked on the boat floating above the river Cang, holding a fishing rod, casting the line into the river, letting the boat drift with the current. Meng Chong stood at the pinnacle of Canglan Island, looking at his master who was leisurely fishing on a tiny boat in the middle of the river Cang, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh at his master has achieved such an advanced state, returning to simplicity and becoming almost like a Taoist sage. ¡°The sense of ease that pervades Master, makes him seem like a common man, devoid of the air of a powerful one. This could perhaps be what Master refers to as the way of nature?¡± Following his heart, free from all constraints, transcendent, and detached from the world. This is a real master! Li Xuan floated in the river, at peace, caught a fish, immediately lifted his hand, lit up a Dan fire, sprinkled some seasonings, and started eating contentedly. Enjoying his carefree time. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, has achieved the complete Tongxuan Realm, your Medical Dao Martial Arts have leveled up.¡± Su Lingxiu had perfectly entered the Tongxuan Realm. However, like Meng Chong, she was not in a hurry to continue breaking through, but was consolidating her personal resources, intending to transform and sublimate her body when breaking through the Divine Intent State. She was a Qingmu Spiritual Body, regardless of how much foundation she had accumulated when she entered Tongxuan, she couldn¡¯t transform and evolve again. But breaking through the Divine Intent State did present an opportunity. Upon Li Xuan¡¯s return from the boat trip, he was thoroughly refreshed. As he sat in a chair, drinking Spiritual Tea and eating the Spirit Cake prepared by Su Lingxiu, he was completely carefree. As soon as he took out the Book of Tai Cang and flipped to the third page, on top of the Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book opened, with golden light emerging. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, has killed a Refining God Heavenly Man, you received a God Annihilation Skill!¡± Li Xuan was immediately taken aback. ¡°He killed a Refining God Heavenly Man?¡± Does this disciple want to be so fierce? This is barely breaking into the state of Divine Intent, but he killed the Refining God Heavenly Man? ¡°At the entry-level of Divine Intent State, even if Xu Yan has transformed into Mountain River Divine Bone, it¡¯s impossible for him to kill a Refining God Heavenly Man¡­ Did he do it sneakily?¡± Li Xuan made a quick conjecture. With Xu Yan¡¯s Unseen In Plain Sight skill, the skill is wonderfully cunning. If he hid and attacked stealthily, using his Sudden Wind Sword Intent, which specialises in killing Divine Souls, it¡¯s not unusual to assassinate the Refining God Heavenly Man when they are unprepared. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, has killed a major heavenly man, your God Annihilation experience has been raised.¡± ¡­ There are positive feedbacks from a few successive major heavenly men kills. ¡°Did Xu Yan wipe out a whole faction?¡± Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. According to the current feedback, Xu Yan probably made an enemy in Ling Domain¡ªor some faction made an enemy of Xu Yan, therefore, after Xu Yan¡¯s break through, he used his advantage to ambush their Refining God Heavenly Man, and then attacked their headquarters! The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Li Xuan took a deep breath to calm his excited heart. This time Xu Yan had ambushed a Refining God Heavenly Man, and Daoist Golden Book had feedback a God Annihilation Skill, a powerful Cultivation Technique that is almost godly like. One move, and the opponent¡¯s physical body and Divine soul collapse. Furthermore, the God Annihilation Skill can amplify thrice the strength in an instant when used. A move tripling the power, almost godly like a powerful Cultivation Technique. ¡°Using this with One-Hit Kill, the power would be incredible!¡± Li Xuan was excited. His strength rose again. With God Annihilation Skill, killing Refining God Heavenly Man would be like squashing a grasshopper. Of course, as to whether he can readily squash an elite Refining God Heavenly Man, Li Xuan was temporarily unsure. After all, if a Refining God Heavenly Man who possesses a Spiritual Body, precisely how much power does he possess was still unknown. Even so, Li Xuan believed that with his existing strength, he could kill him. If unable to do this, to kill with one stroke, it would tarnish his impeccable wise man image. ¡°One-Hit Kill, Sudden Wind Sword Intent, Extinguishing Sword Art, God Annihilation Skill, Extinguishing Sword Intent¡­ Merging all into one strike, even if it is a Refining God Heavenly Man who possesses a Spiritual Body, they could be turned to ashes, right?¡± With this thought, Li Xuan felt immediately at ease. Chapter 430 No Refining God Heavenly Man can withstand his blow! Unless he grants them a chance to live! ¡°Xu Yan has dismantled a power and slain a Refining God Heavenly Man, he should be returning to the Inner Domain soon, right?¡± Li Xuan thought with excitement. ¡°A realm above the Divine Skills should also be established.¡± Upon his return, Xu Yan will definitely consolidate himself, and comprehend the gains from his journey in the Ling Domain, undoubtedly his strength will elevate further. He might even decipher the cultivation technique of the Divine Skill Realm. Therefore, he should start preparing for a martial arts technique beyond the Divine Skills. While the bizarre martial arts technique has been developed and the array diagram is ready, without a suitable apprentice, it can only be put on hold for now. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has slain a Heavenly Man, your experience with the God Obliteration technique has increased.¡± Li Xuan: ¡­ He just acquired the God Obliteration technique a short while ago, he has never applied it, yet he feels as if he had used it hundreds of times, and his experience has grown. ¡°There are quite a few Heavenly Men in the Ling Domain Martial Arts, but why do I feel that Xu Yan randomly encounters them all the time, and they tend to bear grudges?¡± Li Xuan was somewhat speechless. Since Xu Yan entered the Ling Domain, how many martial arts Heavenly Men has he killed? In the Inner Domain, they are legendary powerhouses, lofty and superior. They, whom many half-step Heavenly People once looked up to and wished to become, ended up encountering Xu Yan. They were slaughtered like grasshoppers, one after another. He even assassinated a Refining God Heavenly Man. In the Ling domain, they were truly considered powerful! ¡­ In the northern barren lands, the Gate of Lingyu opened. Ever since Xu Yan entered the Gate of Lingyu, it hadn¡¯t been opened again. Now that the Gate of Lingyu was open once more, all the powerhouses at the peak where Tianbao Pavilion was located were on high alert, fearing that the strong man who came from Lingyu was aligned with Tianbao Pavilion. ¡°What is he doing in the Inner Domain?¡± ¡°As long as he¡¯s not coming to our Tianbao Pavilion, don¡¯t concern yourself with the rest. The one on Canglan Island will handle it.¡± Seeing the person emerging from the Gate of Lingyu leave directly, the man with the purple crown let out a sigh of relief. As the Pavilion Master, he had grown accustomed to his exalted position. If the man had come to Tianbao Pavilion, as a servant, he would have had to greet him kneeling. What worried him most was if the man found his service lacking and killed him with one slap. How aggrieved he would be! The Gate of Lingyu closed again. Meanwhile, Xu Yan was excited. His trip to the Ling Domain yielded great rewards. He could now settle in the Inner Domain for a while. Coming back from the Ling Domain, he was strangely unaccustomed for a moment. The spiritual energy in the Inner Domain was far inferior to that in Ling Domain. Moreover, the Spirit Mechanism of heaven and earth was much less active than in the Ling Domain. This disparity was like being in a bustling metropolis one moment and in an old, rundown village the next. With such a huge disparity, it¡¯s no wonder that the martial artists of Ling Domain looked down on the Inner Domain, referring to it as an inferior place. ¡°You¡¯re from the Inner Domain?¡± Yu Xiaolong poked his head out from his sleeve, astounded. ¡°What, is there a problem?¡± Xu Yan asked, frowning. ¡°The spiritual energy of the Inner Domain is thin, the Spirit Mechanism of heaven and earth isn¡¯t very active, how did you cultivate to be so strong?¡± Yu Xiaolong was horrified. The Inner Domain was widely known as an inferior place. Even though there were prodigies, these prodigies, trapped in the Inner Domain, could only reach a limited level of strength, unable to break through to become martial arts Heavenly Men for their entire lives. Only by entering the Ling Domain could they continue to upgrade themselves. He could never have imagined that Xu Yan, who came from the Inner Domain, easily crushed all the prodigies of Yuzhou in the Ling Domain. ¡°The spiritual energy in the Inner Domain is just thin, which just slows down cultivation. That¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Xu Yan said indifferently. The cultivation of Dahua martial arts was not dependent on the activity of the Spirit Mechanism of heaven and earth; a thin spiritual energy just slowed down the cultivation process a bit. With time, strength would continue to improve. ¡°This is not just about thin spiritual energy; in the Inner Domain, it¡¯s impossible to break through to the state of Martial Arts Heavenly Men.¡± Yu Xiaolong opened his mouth, sounding serious. ¡°Then don¡¯t cultivate the Inner Domain Martial Arts.¡± Xu Yan said it lightly. ¡°You seem to know a lot about the Inner Domain?¡± Xu Yan then asked. ¡°Who in the Inner Domain doesn¡¯t know about the Spirit Realm? The martial artists from the Spirit Sect and the various families dismiss the Inner Domain as a lower-class place. Not to mention the fact that when the Blood Demon escaped into the Inner Domain, the entire Spirit Realm knew about it.¡± Yu Xiaolong explained. Xu Yan nodded. He had already learned about the incident with the Blood Demon in the Tomb of the Heavenly Man. ¡°So, you practice Inner Realm Martial Arts?¡± Yu Xiaolong cautiously asked. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Is there any other martial art in the Inner Domain?¡± Yu Xiaolong was taken aback. He had previously guessed that the martial arts Xu Yan was practicing might be different. ¡°There wasn¡¯t before, but there is now.¡± Xu Yan reverted back to his normal appearance and headed towards Canglan Island. ¡°You¡¯re a spirit beast, trapped by your bloodline. Once you get back to Canglan Island, you can ask Red Cat about the Great Demon Technique. If you cultivate this technique, you¡¯ll break free from the confines of your bloodline, just like martial artists.¡± Xu Yan smiled as he said this. A surge of anticipation flashed in Yu Xiaolong¡¯s heart for the Great Demon Technique that Xu Yan mentioned. Could there really be a technique in the world that spiritual beasts can cultivate? Yu Xiaolong did not ask further. Now that he was in the Inner Domain, he would naturally understand the reason. He even wondered if knowing too much would be a good thing. One thing he was sure of, he couldn¡¯t leave Xu Yan. ¡°My opportunity is here. This is my chance to make my dreams come true. I must seize it. Whether I can transform into a True Dragon will depend on this opportunity.¡± Yu Xiaolong thought, excited. As usual on Canglan Island. Meng Chong was cultivating at the peak, accumulating his foundation, while Zi Yun would sometimes run over to ask him about martial arts. Su Lingxiu was researching the integration of alchemy and martial arts. Her skill in alchemy was becoming more proficient. She hardly used the Alchemy Furnace when refining medicine anymore. Occasionally, she would take the time to give guidance to Pharmacist Pan and a few alchemy apprentices. Three of the alchemy apprentices had just mastered the basics of alchemy and could independently refine the commonly used medicinal pills required in the Inner Domain. This way, even if she leaves for the Spirit Realm, she doesn¡¯t have to worry about any issues with Chang Qing Pavilion¡¯s medicine production. Xu Junhe, Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu were all earnestly trying to overcome their bottleneck in preparation for breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm. While progress had been made, there was still a long way to go before they could truly break through. The most leisurely person on the island wasn¡¯t Li Xuan. He was pondering over the martial arts beyond the Divine Skills, even considering creating one. Despite appearing leisurely, he was exhausting his spiritual energy daily using the Daoist Golden Book. The most leisurely person was Mother Xu. Besides teaching Red Cat how to read and write, she had nothing else to do. Teaching Red Cat became her favorite pastime. ¡°Trying to create a Divine Skill without reaching the Divine Skill Realm is quite challenging.¡± Li Xuan collected his mindscape from the Daoist Golden Book and sighed. Suddenly, he looked towards the external part of Canglan Island. Xu Yan is back! ¡°Eldest brother, you¡¯re back!¡± Meng Chong said, brimming with joy. ¡°Yan¡¯er is back?¡± While teaching Red Cat how to read, Mother Xu lit up. She immediately picked up Red Cat by the tail and ran out of the room. Like a chubby orange, Red Cat was lifted by its tail, a baffled expression on its face. With Xu Yan¡¯s return, Canglan Island became lively. After all, Xu Yan was the first person to return from the Spirit Realm. Everyone was curious about what the Spirit Realm was like. Mother Xu finally remembered the Red Cat in her hand and hurriedly put it down. Red Cat crouched at her feet, looking curiously at Xu Yan, waiting for him to recount his experiences in the Spirit Realm. In addition, its eyes occasionally darted towards Xu Yan¡¯s sleeve, sensing a certain aura that was neither that of a Great Demon nor an ordinary beast. Spirit beast! After some warm greetings and having paid his respects to his parents and master, it occurred to Xu Yan to pull out Yu Xiaolong from his sleeve. ¡°This is Yu Xiaolong, a spirit beast Jade Crystal Snake!¡± Yu Xiaolong scanned everyone on Canglan Island. Its gaze swept over Li Xuan, who was sitting in the chair, and feelings of shock surged within it. Xu Yan¡¯s master was inscrutable. And the bald, rugged man exuded an overwhelming aura, making it scared. As for Su Lingxiu, she seemed quite gentle and emitted an aura of agility that made it feel a sense of closeness. The rest of them were rather weak. Even this cat was somewhat unusual. However, it couldn¡¯t figure out what was so special about it. Could this be the Red Cat that Xu Yan spoke of? Chapter 431 ¡°So this is a spirit beast?¡± Everyone was curious about the spirit beast, scrutinizing Yu Xiaolong, making the Red Cat even more curious, inching closer with wide-open eyes. Perhaps acting as a cat for such a long time gave it a cat-like curiosity, which includes a few cat-like traits, causing it to lift its paw and pat Yu Xiaolong¡¯s head. Yu Xiaolong was caught off guard. How insolent was this cat¡¯s paw? It quickly grew bigger, hissing with its eyes locked onto the Red Cat, it said, ¡°Scram, you dumb cat!¡± The Red Cat widened its eyes in surprise, was this snake able to talk? It started clawing out the words on the ground: ¡°Even such a stupid snake can speak?¡± Yu Xiaolong was a bit confused, it could speak human language, but it didn¡¯t know too many characters¡­ The Red Cat immediately revealed a look of contempt, scratching on the ground, ¡°Just a snake illiterate, can¡¯t even recognize characters!¡± ¡°Illiterate?¡± Yu Xiaolong recognized these two words and lifted its head, turning to Xu Yan asking, ¡°Is it insulting me?¡± Both Xu Yan and the spectators were amused and eager to see the showdown between the tiger and the snake, curious to see if the level four spirit beast Yu Xiaolong or the newly transformed Red Cat was stronger. ¡°You could say that.¡± Xu Yan nodded in agreement. ¡°Get lost!¡± Yu Xiaolong was instantly enraged. With a swift flick of its tail, it struck the Red Cat, causing it to stumble unexpectedly. Caught off guard, the Red Cat aggressively pounced forward, raising its paws for a series of rapid attacks, its speed so fast that only traces of its paws could be seen. Yu Xiaolong was stunned after being smacked around. Li Xuan looked on with amusement as if watching a cat chase a snake. The Red Cat was agile and quick, featuring several swift swipes at Yu Xiaolong. ¡°You insolent cat!¡± Yu Xiaolong was enraged, considering that Xu Yan and others didn¡¯t intervene, they must be testing its abilities, right? The Red Cat, huh? A mere cat, daring to challenge it, even if it¡¯s a powerful beast? As Yu Xiaolong, it possessed the bloodline of the dragons! One day, it would transform into a dragon, ascending into the sky! Huff! Its spirit beast¡¯s aura erupted, as Yu Xiaolong instantaneously returned to its original form turning into a giant snake, over ten meters long, raising its head, hissing, condescendingly looking down upon the Red Cat. At that moment, the Red Cat appeared so tiny beneath its massive body, easily swallowed with one bite. The Red Cat responded with a roar, it didn¡¯t back down, it suddenly grew into a dazzling giant tiger that was even taller than Yu Xiaolong, their massive bodies comparable to small mountains. The Red Cat¡¯s demonic power was unveiled, its dominating aura, the king of all beasts was unleashed. Its tiger eyes stared down upon Yu Xiaolong, who had its head raised high. Yu Xiaolong was taken aback, looked back at Xu Yan, and questioned in confusion, ¡°Isn¡¯t it supposed to be a cat?¡± ¡°Close enough.¡± Xu Yan thought for a moment and responded. Normally, the Red Cat was just that, a cat, not too long ago it was brought over by his mother by its tail. So, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that the Red Cat was indeed a cat. It was a very sensible cat, knew how to please people. Otherwise, given its massive form as a powerful beast, his mother couldn¡¯t possibly have lifted it. It willingly allowed itself to be carried. Thunk! The Red Cat launched an attack, as Yu Xiaolong refused to back off, transforming into a flash of light and disappearing on the spot, and shooting towards the Red Cat. It had always boasted of its speed. Despite being agile and quick, the Red Cat was unveiling its power as a large demon for the first time. Opening its mouth, it let out a gust of demonic power, forcing Yu Xiaolong to dodge anxiously. Together, the cat and snake danced in the air, opting for a sky battle above Canglan Island. Since its transformation into a large demon, Red Cat¡¯s strength had been on a constant rise, especially its powerful demonic body that was almost comparable with Meng Chong¡¯s Golden Body. Demonic power swirled in the sky and demonic power rippled. The Red Cat swung its claws, creating waves of demonic claws, its body flipping and dodging, and occasionally letting out bursts of demonic power. More so, it seemed to control the wind as it encircled its body, appearing as if it could fly. Its tail was akin to an iron whip, breaking through Yu Xiaolong¡¯s guard and with a sudden flick of its tail, transformed into a hundred meters long tail, sending Yu Xiaolong flying with a single snap. Thus began the showdown between the spirit beast and the large demon. Li Xuan quietly watched, as did Xu Yan and the others. The attacks released by Yu Xiaolong appeared somewhat monotonous. Its tail couldn¡¯t overtake the Red Cat, and it seemed to lack an advantage when it attempted to use its speed that was like a flash of sword light. Moreover, the Red Cat¡¯s physical body was too robust. It was impossible for Yu Xiaolong to severely damage it with just one hit. The Red Cat¡¯s twin claws created paw prints, leaping around, with traces of Fist Techniques in its movements. Under their discerning eyes, they could feel the accumulation of demonic power in a few points within the Red Cat¡¯s body, seemingly ready to release its might any time. That was the Red Cat¡¯s destructive technique as a large demon. The hunting technique of the king among tigers was transforming and upgrading into the killing technique of the large demon. Just as Yu Xiaolong once again increased its size, its body shining with a luminescent glow, the protrusion on its head unleashing brilliant rays of light about a meter long. The Red Cat roared softly, a red light surged through its body, it slightly leaned forward and suddenly lunged forward. Yu Xiaolong¡¯s head that was releasing radiant lights raised a slash. The pouncing Red Cat suddenly projected a phantom image of a fierce tiger. The phantom tiger swiped its paws, creating a loud rumbling noise as it clashed with the light that was slashed by Yu Xiaolong. The energies of their attacks scattered at the same time. However, the real body of the Red Cat, under the cover of the phantom tiger, quickly pounced onto Yu Xiaolong from the side, sending the unsuspecting Yu Xiaolong flying with a powerful punch. Chapter 432 Roar! With its mouth wide open, Red Cat spouted a torrent of demonic power, blasting Yu Xiaolong directly into the River Cang. The winner was decided! Red Cat returned with a smug look, looking like it hadn¡¯t shamed Canglan Island. ¡°The strength of Red Cat has grown so strong.¡± Su Lingxiu sighed in awe. Even though her own power was still superior to Red Cat¡¯s, subduing it had become more challenging. Shi¡¯er was even more upset. Despite his effort, he couldn¡¯t keep up with Red Cat¡¯s rapid growth. In future, he must flatter Red Cat, otherwise life would become unbearable. ¡°In terms of cultivation level, Red Cat should be lower than that snake, right?¡± Xu Yan pondered thoughtfully. Li Xuan nodded, Red Cat is indeed at the Tongxuan Realm. However, the big beast had been consuming medicinal pills every day. Starting from consuming waste pills, this was its quick route for advancement. It wouldn¡¯t suffer from indigestion from consuming too many pills. The method that it practiced was unique among big beasts. It revolved around opening the acupoints of big beasts and constantly evolving, even hiding big beast techniques within the acupoints. Being the first beast of its kind, Red Cat possessed a special destiny, thus naturally its strength was superior. Being able to defeat Yu Xiaolong was not unusual. Yu Xiaolong¡¯s offensive methods were related to his spirit beast and therefore fairly routine. Red Cat, on the other hand, had various demon techniques. It even manifested fist techniques through its claws. Yu Xiaolong flew back from the River Cang, shrinking his body size and looked at Red Cat incredulously. He had not expected to lose against this fat cat. Moreover, Red Cat¡¯s methods even showed an outline of martial arts. Are these the so-called demonic techniques Xu Yan spoke of? The confrontation between Red Cat and Yu Xiaolong was just a light amusement, eventually ending in laughter. Next, Xu Yan started to pull out all the items from his storage bag. He had relocated an entire treasure vault from the Dai Family which he hadn¡¯t had time to sort through. Xu Yan began to recount his experiences in the Ling Domain. The main points were the Qing Tian Jiao¡¯s tomb. He also brought out the corpse of Qing Tian Jiao, causing everyone to be overwhelmed by the massive size of the sea monster. Concerning the matter about being pursued by the Jade God Sect and Su Family, Xu Yan omitted it because he didn¡¯t want his parents to worry. However, he did tell them about looting the treasure vault of the Dai Family. ¡°Junior brother and sister should now have plenty of spiritual items to accumulate foundational resources.¡± Xu Yan distributed out the hoarded items from the Dai Family¡¯s vault, exciting everyone as they began to inventory the loot. ¡°This is a spiritual medicine, first-grade spiritual medicine.¡± ¡°So many second-grade spiritual medicines?¡± ¡°This¡ª¡ªIs this the spiritual artifact from Ling Domain?¡± Undeniably, the household treasure vault was loaded with not just a few first-grade spiritual medicines, but also abundant five and six-grade spiritual medicines. ¡°Master, this is spiritual tea from the Ling Domain. You should try it.¡± During the inventory of the Dai Family¡¯s treasure, they discovered a big jar of Spiritual tea. Upon a glance, one could tell this wasn¡¯t ordinary spiritual tea. It was at least third-grade tea. ¡°Good, good, much appreciated!¡± Li Xuan had a beaming smile. Xu Yan¡¯s trip to the Ling Domain was extremely fruitful. With the tremendous treasures he returned with, Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu would no longer lack resources to build their foundation, enabling them to break through to the Divine Intent State faster. Similarly, Xu Junhe and the others could, with the help of the higher-grade medicinal pills, break through to the Tongxuan Realm. For the next few days, Canglan Island was extremely lively. Many spiritual herbs were piled up and given to Su Lingxiu to organize. There were so many herbs and understanding their usage and effects could only be left to her. For Su Lingxiu, there were so many types of herbs, most of which she did not recognize. Fortunately, she had the insight of her genius mind. She could discern the effects and characteristics of each type of spiritual herb, categorize them accordingly and record each of their uses. She could also concoct various miraculous pill formulas with them. For example, pills that restore Divine Intent or enhance Divine Intent, both necessary for attaining the Divine Intent state. Organizing the spiritual herbs took some time, but Su Lingxiu was busy and happy. After Xu Yan reunited with his parents, the master and disciples stood on top of Canglan Island. It was there that Xu Yan narrated all the experiences of his journey to the Ling Domain, including the pursuit from the Jade God Sect and the Su Family. ¡°The Jade God Sect and the Su Family, how outrageous they are! Once we reach the Ling Domain, let¡¯s settle the score with them.¡± Meng Chong voiced indignantly. ¡°So it is, the Ling Domain is indeed strict in its hierarchy, with the names of Spirit Sects and world families looming over.¡± Su Lingxiu exclaimed. The plan to establish Chang Qing Pavilion in the Ling Domain would need to be postponed. Otherwise, it might lure the covetousness of the Spirit Sect and the worldly families, and even catch the eye of Transcendent Spirit Sect. ¡°Every Martial Artist who stands at the apex of Martial Arts has made it to the top by stepping on countless stepping stones; whether it¡¯s the Inner Domain or the Ling Domain, in the end, it all boils down to survival of the strongest. ¡°It¡¯s just that the hierarchy in the Ling Domain is more strictly enforced.¡± Li Xuan stated indifferently. The three people, Xu Yan, silently nodded their heads, acknowledging their master¡¯s reasoning. Isn¡¯t the life of the lower-tier martial artists in the Inner Domain very tough as well? Of course, the Inner Domain hasn¡¯t reached the extreme of the Ling Domain in terms of its rigid hierarchical class system. In the Inner Domain, any loose cultivator with sufficient strength can sit on an equal level with the formidable entities of the major forces without any superior-inferior differences. But in the Ling Domain, even a Refining God Heavenly Man who is a loose cultivator can¡¯t sit on par with the Heavenly Men of the Spirit Sect and the worldly families, and they can still feel being looked down by the two. ¡°Master, can the spiritual beasts cultivate demonic Martial Arts?¡± Xu Yan asked. ¡°Theoretically, they can.¡± Li Xuan nodded his head and said, ¡°That snake indeed has some talent, if it cultivates the path of demonic Martial Arts and metamorphosis into a Jiao, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Whether it can become a True Dragon, all depends on itself.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s leave it to ponder for a while, and when it¡¯s accustomed with the Red Cat, we¡¯ll decide further.¡± Xu Yan nodded and replied. Since Xu Yan has said so, Li Xuan didn¡¯t use any sorcery to inculcate the path of demonic Martial Arts to Yu Xiaolong, and decided to let the snake adapt itself to its new surroundings first. In the following days on Canglan Island, Xu Yan was immersed in his self-revelations following his breakthrough, aimed at improving his strength and summarizing his experience of killing the Refining God Heavenly Man. Meanwhile, he guided Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu on how to transform and enhance themselves during the breakthrough of the Divine Intent State, fulfilling his duty as the Big Brother. In between this, Xu Yan occasionally guided Red Cat¡¯s cultivation path as well. Demotic Martial Arts is still a part of Martial Arts, and Xu Yan truly is a pathfinder in the field of Martial Arts. He is a talented monster with an extreme level of comprehension. After mastering the path of demonic Martial Arts, he was naturally able to give some guidance to Red Cat. As for Yu Xiaolong, it was currently disheartened and lying somewhere, doubting its existence in the world. Xu Yan watched Red Cat contemplating the array diagram for a while, and his face reflected deep thoughts. ¡°Have you realized something?¡± Li Xuan was a bit expectant. There were no doubts that his apprentice was the most abnormal. Though his talent may not concentrate on the Martial Arts of Qimen, the array path was a system of Qimen¡¯s Martial Arts, and it seemed that Xu Yan might have reaped something from it? ¡°I have some insights, but I need some time to consolidate and figure them out.¡± Xu Yan responded after giving it some thought. Li Xuan nodded, without asking anything further. As Xu Yan said he had some insights, it was certain that he would get something out of it after consolidation. Seeing this, Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu also delved into the array diagram for several days. Presumably, they too had some insights, right? Xu Yan continued to deepen his understanding of his Martial Arts path. Even though there¡¯s still a considerable gap until his breakthrough of the Divine Intent State Preliminary stage, his strength was evolving every day. Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu, with their continuous accumulation and consolidation of resources, showed signs of improvement in their strength. Even the Red Cat was no exception. One day, while having dinner with his mother, Xu Yan saw Red Cat laying next to Mother Xu like a chubby orange cat, with an array diagram and some written words in front of it. After giving it some thought, Xu Yan spoke, ¡°Red Cat, trying to conceive insights from this array diagram is pointless. You can¡¯t figure anything out. Your talent is just like this. ¡°If you want to gain something, why not engrave the array diagram in one of your acupoints? If you are successful, maybe then you could understand something.¡± Red Cat was startled and immediately began to contemplate Xu Yan¡¯s suggestion. Xu Yan thought for a bit and then added, ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t need to replicate the entire array diagram as it is. Follow your inspiration, engrave the possible array patterns, and ignore the rest. ¡°Once all the possible array patterns are engraved in the acupoints, then take some time to connect them for an array diagram.¡± Upon hearing Xu Yan¡¯s words, Red Cat cheered up, made two meow sounds to express its gratitude. After placing the guiding steps for Red Cat, whether it would be successful or not, depends entirely on its own talent. Xu Yan saw that his own mother had truly begun to treat the Red Cat like a domestic cat, and moreover because Red Cat had become very fond of his mother, he decided to guide it a little more. Chapter 433 Li Xuan is sipping the spiritual tea that Xu Yan plundered from the Dai Family. He feels invigorated after drinking it. No wonder the Dai Family treasures this spiritual tea in their treasury, it is of high quality and nurtures the divine soul. Even though the effect is minimal, it rejuvenates the drinker. If a Great Grandmaster drinks this tea, they would slowly break through the half-step realm to the spiritual gathering stage. Xu Yan is sitting at the top of the mountain, deepening his martial arts. His strength is increasing daily, and at certain moments, his environment seems to be filled with glimmers of sword light. The glimmers of sword light are arranged in some sort of pattern or sequence. Li Xuan is secretly delighted, ¡°Is Xu Yan on the verge of comprehending a sword array?¡± If the demonic Xu Yan manages to decipher a sword array from the array diagram, Li Xuan would not be overly surprised. Su Lingxiu begins to produce elixirs. The elixirs needed for Xu Junhe, Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu to breakthrough into the Tongxuan Realm are mainly refined from third-grade spiritual medicines. Kou Ruozhi has also recently achieved a complete breakthrough in the Innate Realm. However, he is still somewhat away from the Tongxuan Realm and needs more time to cultivate. Among the apprentices in alchemy, two have already broken through to the Innate Realm. The rest are all at the peak level of vitality. The cultivation progress isn¡¯t slow, considering that they are using elixirs as aids. Among the martial arts scholars, there are also those preparing to break through into the Tongxuan Realm. Canglan Island¡¯s strength is rapidly improving, with the exception of Mother Xu. Li Xuan is pondering over the laws of heaven and earth on the third page of the Tai Cang Book, while exploring the martial arts realms beyond the Divine Skill Realm. ¡°After cultivating divine skills and creating a Primordial Spirit, divine skills are born. Beyond Divine Skills, lies the understanding of the laws of Heaven and Earth, the great power of heaven and earth. How can I use the laws of Heaven and Earth and harness the big power of Heaven and Earth?¡± Li Xuan is lost in deep thought. ¡°Martial Arts should transcend the constraints of heaven and earth. Although it uses the laws and power of heaven and earth, it must not be bound by these laws. ¡°Be able to use the law, but not be limited by the law.¡± Li Xuan has some ideas. The state above divine skills is gradually becoming clear. Time passes quietly. Meng Chong¡¯s foundational strength is not far from perfection, which also means that his breakthrough into the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day is approaching. The same is true for Su Lingxiu. Zi Yun has already surpassed the realm of the Great Grandmaster. Instead of embarking on further breakthroughs, she occasionally seeks Meng Chong¡¯s advice on martial arts. Despite their different martial arts paths, Meng Chong effortlessly provides guidance. Yu Xiaolong has finally started to interact with the Red Cat, intending to learn its demon techniques. To this end, it has started to try to appeal to Mother Xu, although she doesn¡¯t seem to like snakes much. However, because it¡¯s her son¡¯s pet snake, she reluctantly allows Red Cat and Yu Xiaolong to interact. On the peak of Canglan Island, Xu Yan is sitting quietly, seeming to have become one with heaven and earth, even his physical form is changing. His light-concealing technique has improved further, so even when he changes his appearance, no one can tell. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has mastered the light-concealing technique, elevating it to the realm of True Form Technique.¡± The Daoist Golden Book opens, golden light emanating from it. True Form Technique, everything is real! Li Xuan sighed in admiration. This True Form Technique is truly powerful. If one¡¯s aura merges with a stone, one becomes a stone, as real as it can be. Even a Refining God Heavenly Man, or an even stronger martial artist, could not notice anything, nor decipher any differences. Xu Yan continues to immerse himself in cultivation. Sword Intent appears around his body, putting him into a mysterious state. One day, while Li Xuan was memorizing the laws of heaven and earth on the third page of the Tai Cang Book, intending to write it into the Daoist Golden Book as a reference for his future martial arts creations, he suddenly looked up at the peak of the mountain. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Xu Yan was about to have a breakthrough in his Sword Dao. Meng Chong, who was perfecting his foundational strength, suddenly looked at the peak in surprise, at the place where the senior brother was. Su Lingxiu also looked up in response. Gradually, everyone on Canglan Island looked towards the peak. Some were surprised, while others were confused. ¡°When did the mountain top get a sword?¡± ¡°I remember there being a tree there, right?¡±Someone asked in confusion. ¡°Shi¡¯er, do you see that as a sword?¡± Zhou Ying looked at the peak with furrowed brows and asked. She recalled something like a big tree being there, right? ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a sword. It might have been put up recently?¡± Shi¡¯er nodded, but doubt lingered. Why would someone erect a sword there? The weaker one¡¯s strength, the more likely they are to see it as a sword! But in Meng Chong¡¯s eyes, it was both a tree and a sword! The Sword Intent was crystallized within, releasing a fierce sword light, yet it was a big tree! In that moment, Meng Chong had a revelation. ¡°Has Brother mastered the Heart Sword Realm? Is this the Heart Sword Realm? Everything in the world can be a sword, if there¡¯s a mountain, the mountain is a sword, if there¡¯s a river, the river is a sword¡­ The second realm of the Dao, the Hidden Sword Realm, shares similarities with the Heart Sword Realm; the sword is hidden in heaven and earth, where in heaven and earth is not a sword? What in heaven and earth could not be a sword¡­¡± As Meng Chong observed the tree, his mind was filled with sudden inspirations, and comprehensions surfaced. At this moment, his sword spirit reached perfection, and he had a hint of how to cultivate and comprehend the Hidden Sword Realm. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has perfected the sword spirit, and comprehended the direction to cultivate the Hidden Sword Realm, you breakthrough to the Hidden Sword Realm.¡± Li Xuan glanced up at Meng Chong with a delighted heart. ¡°So this is the Hidden Sword Realm.¡± The sword intent is concealed, the sword edge is not revealed, motion creates a cleave that can split heaven and earth! Chapter 434 My strength has increased again. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, has broken through to the second realm of Sword Dao, Heart Sword Realm, you have achieved full mastery of Heart Sword Realm.¡± Xu Yan has broken through to Heart Sword Realm. In an instant, on the mountaintop, small grasses shoot up one by one, cutting into the Cangjiang River. The Cangjiang River stopped flowing! At this very moment, everyone on Canglan Island knew that Xu Yan had made a breakthrough again. The tiny weeds, like sharp swords, caused the Cangjiang River to stop flowing! What profound Sword Dao this is! Su Lingxiu watched with bright eyes, the trees transformed into swords, and the grass also transformed into swords, as if everything in the world could become a sword. The Sword Dao of the great senior brother is indeed profound and powerful. ¡°Everything can become a sword, and I am cultivating Alchemy Martial Arts¡­¡± In this moment, Su Lingxiu had a sudden realization. She carefully pondered this idea and a surge of Dan-fire burst forth from her body. Li Xuan turned his head to look, and was immediately overjoyed. Xu Yan broke through the Heart Sword Realm, not only did Meng Chong gain insight, but Su Lingxiu also gained insight. It seems she is about to master a new mood? ¡°Meng Chong has a high talent, so does Su Lingxiu. It¡¯s natural that she could gain insight when Xu Yan broke through to Heart Sword Realm.¡± Li Xuan thought in his heart. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, has comprehended Dan flame, you have achieved full mastery of Dan flame.¡± Dan flame, the intent of fire, makes alchemy quicker, the success rate higher, the alchemy more pure, the grade higher, and even the alchemy will show Danyun. Moreover, its power is extraordinary, far beyond ordinary flames. When Xu Yan broke through the Heart Sword Realm, both Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu had realizations. This was an unexpected gain. Yu Xiaolong was shocked. Xu Yan¡¯s strength had increased even more. ¡°With his current strength, he might not surely lose even if he faces the ordinary Refining God Heavenly Man head-on, not to mention a sneak attack¡­¡± The more he thought about it, the more shocked he became. The speed of Xu Yan¡¯s strength increase is too fast. Maybe it won¡¯t be long before ordinary Refining God Heavenly Man will not be Xu Yan¡¯s match. ¡°I must learn the method of the great demon, this is my opportunity, I cannot miss it!!¡±! Yu Xiaolong was firm in his eyes. He looked at the Red Cat, this fat tiger that loves to eat should be easy to trick, right? I still have some reserves on me. I should be able to exchange some for the demon cultivation method. Yu Xiaolong fell into deep thought. Xu Yan had broken through to the second realm of Sword Dao, the Heart Sword Realm. ¡°The third realm of Sword Dao should also be written out.¡± Li Xuan felt a bit of pressure in his heart. The martial arts realm above the Divine Skill Realm has just been outlined, and it hasn¡¯t been fully created yet, the third realm of Sword Dao also needs to be put on the agenda. Although there was pressure in his heart, Li Xuan was full of motivation. The improvement in strength is the greatest joy in the world. Shortly after Xu Yan broke through to the second realm of Sword Dao, the Heart Sword realm, Descending Dragon Palm also followed suit and broke through. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan, has broken through the fifth level of Descending Dragon Palm, you have achieved full mastery of the fifth level of Descending Dragon Palm.¡± At the fifth level of Descending Dragon Palm, the genuine dragon might is stronger, the dragon-shaped palm power is almost identical to that of a real dragon, vivid and lifelike, just like a real dragon. Moreover, it vaguely possesses a vast power. The dragon-shaped palm power of the fifth level of Descending Dragon Palm seems to have the ability to rise above the clouds and penetrate the fog, able to fight on water. Li Xuan felt that the birth of the Golden Dragon Divine Skill might not be far off. Once he reaches the Divine Skill realm, the Golden Giant Dragon created by Descending Dragon Palm might possess divine skills and be equivalent to a true dragon. On Sword Mastery Cliff. Xie Lingfeng sat cross-legged, silently contemplating. The words Xu Yan pointed out to him all rose up in his mind. At a certain moment, a bright light flashed in his mind and he entered an inexplicably profound state. He was a little frustrated in his heart. He came into contact with the true Sword Dao earlier and began understanding it earlier, but the result was his dad was the first to have a clear understanding of Sword Dao and even understood Sword Intent. He even started doubting his own talent. Xie Lingfeng, who was in the middle of contemplating Sword Dao, had all the sword moves he had learned flashed in his mind at a certain moment. In an instant, the flaws and weaknesses in the sword moves were all cleary visible. The Sword Dao in his eyes seemed so trivial. He had a clear understanding of Sword Dao! On Canglan Island, Li Xuan was contemplating the third realm of Sword Dao. The Daoist Golden Book opened. ¡°Xie Lingfeng, who is cultivating your Sword Dao, has broken through to clear understanding of Sword Dao. Your understanding of Heart Sword Realm has been promoted.¡± Xie Lingfeng had a clear understanding of Sword Dao. ¡°The comprehension of Sword Intent won¡¯t be too far off.¡± Li Xuan looked forward to seeing what kind of Sword Intent Xie Lingfeng could comprehend. A few days later, Xie Lingfeng arrived. Although he had gained insight into the heart of the sword and stepped into the realm of Sword Dao, his comprehension of Sword Intent was still lacking. He came to seek guidance from his senior. As a result, he discovered that Xu Yan had returned from the Ling Domain, and he was thrilled. ¡°Congratulations to Brother Xie on entering the Sword Dao!¡± Xu Yan said with a smile. ¡°I still have some way to go. Understanding Sword Intent is difficult!¡± Xie Lingfeng sighed. ¡°Sword Intent is not difficult to comprehend. Brother Xie, you already have the foundation. Once you find the right direction, you can grasp the Sword Intent quickly.¡± Xu Yan patted his shoulder and said. Xie Lingfeng was speechless. From Xu Yan¡¯s perspective, comprehending Sword Intent seemed to be a piece of cake. ¡°But I haven¡¯t found the direction to understand Sword Intent.¡± Xie Lingfeng said gloomily. Xu Yan pointed at the Cang River and said, ¡°See this vast, unceasing river. Does your Swordsmanship resemble this? You can take this as a direction to understand its intent.¡± Xie Lingfeng startled, staring at the Cang River, lost in his thoughts. Gradually, he seemed to have some enlightenment, as if he had found the direction to understand Sword Intent. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Brother Xu.¡± Xie Lingfeng found a place to sit cross-legged and began to comprehend. Under Xu Yan¡¯s guidance, Xie Lingfeng quickly found the direction. A Sword Aura gradually emerged from him, like a surging river, unceasing. The Sword Aura gradually solidified and began to transform. The sound of the flowing, endless river resonated from Xie Lingfeng. The Sword Intent emerged, surrounding him like a great river. Gradually, the great river differentiated into small rivers. The small rivers intertwined and transformed back into a great river. ¡°Your practice in Sword Dao, Xie Lingfeng, has comprehended the Sword Intent of Ten Thousand Rivers. Your Sword Intent of Ten Thousand Rivers has been realized.¡± Li Xuan looked up and nodded. The Sword Dao had gained another person who understood Sword Intent. Not long after comprehending Sword Intent, Xie Lingfeng was preparing to break through to the Tongxuan Realm. He had already perfected the Innate Realm but had paused for a while to enter the Sword Dao. Xie Lingfeng¡¯s talent was stronger than Xu Junhe and others. He had not encountered bottlenecks in the Innate Realm. After Xu Yan taught him the law of the Tongxuan Realm, Xie Lingfeng began his breakthrough. When Xie Lingfeng broke through to the Tongxuan Realm, the Daoist Golden Book did not respond, which was expected by Li Xuan. After all, Li Xuan was already in Divine Origin Realm, and Xie Lingfeng was mere_steps=¡±true¡±ly breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm. Besides, Xie Lingfeng was not his disciple, so it was normal for the Daoist Golden Book not to respond. In the Divine Shadow of Martial Arts, a shadow had Sword Intent and could exhibit Sword Intent of Ten Thousand Rivers. This was considered as feedback from Xie Lingfeng, the Great Wasteland Warrior. After Xie Lingfeng¡¯s breakthrough, Xu Junhe and others also began to attempt breaking through to the Tongxuan Realm. Once Xu Junhe, Meng Shushu, Shi¡¯er, and Zhou Ying broke through to the Tongxuan Realm, several Martial Artists followed suit and broke through to the Tongxuan Realm. Once one stepped into the Tongxuan Realm, they had the strength comparable to a peak Great Grandmaster. They had already reached the pinnacle of Martial Arts in the Inner Domain. After all, presently in the Inner Domain, there weren¡¯t many Half Step Heavenly figures. Xu Yan started teaching Martial Arts to Xu Junhe and others and even tried to guide them into understanding Intent. However, due to the limitations of their natural talents, comprehending Intent in a short time was a formidable challenge. But after the breaking through to Tongxuan, they had gained enough strength for self-defense. Xu Yan took time to visit the Dahua Cabinet, guiding Guo Rongshan and others in Martial Arts and delivering some Alchemy pills processed by Su Lingxiu. These would ensure that they could cultivate to the Tongxuan Realm. ¡°It¡¯s about time to go to the Ling Domain.¡± Li Xuan sighed. After Xu Junhe and others¡¯ breakthrough, they could leave a divine Origin Avatar Talisman behind in case of emergency. They could then go to the Ling Domain confidently. Xu Yan was already looking forward to returning to the Ling Domain, to fight in the boundless Martial Arts world of the Ling Domain, and to confront the prodigies of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. As for Li Xuan, he couldn¡¯t wait to go to the Ling Domain to find his fourth disciple, who would cultivate the mysterious Martial Arts. One day, Meng Chong radiated golden light. He had perfected his foundation, and was ready to break through the Indestructible Golden Body of the big day, metamorphosing and refining his body during the breakthrough. Li Xuan showed a look of anticipation, ¡°What Divine Bone will Meng Chong transform into during the breakthrough?¡± Those with Divine Bone Spiritual Bodies had a special constitution, which made their strength stronger and their Martial Arts journey smoother. Even in the Ling Domain, it would be difficult to find prodigies with such a special constitution, wouldn¡¯t it? Ling Domain. In the capital of Zheng Country, within the Imperial Palace. Emperor Zheng led a group of members of the royal family, as well as several ministers of Zheng Country, and they bowed on the ground, paying respectful salutations. ¡°Greetings, esteemed ancestor!¡± Chapter 435 In the palace of Zheng Country, Emperor Zheng led a group of royal powerhouses, accompanied by several significant ministers from Zheng Country, kneeling humbly on the ground. In front of them, two figures sat in chairs. A man and a woman. The man had a pale face adorned with a long beard, wore a purple robe, and carried an implicit intimidating aura. The woman was a beautiful matron clothed in a light green dress. Her hair was done up in a bun, and she showed a light indifference, refraining from casual speech or laughter. ¡°With the Gate of Lingyu opening, inform the Inner Domain. Those holding a Yu Ling can enter Lingyu and proceed to the Spirit Sect and noble family to which the Yu Ling belongs. Zheng Country is responsible for escorting those who hold the Jade order to the respective powers to which they belong.¡± The man gave his instructions in a flat tone. ¡°Understood!¡± Emperor Zheng and the others were taken aback. According to the initial rules, it wasn¡¯t yet time for the Gate of Lingyu to open and allow those holding Jade orders to enter the Ling domain. Why was it pushed ahead? Was it because the Gate of Lingyu had already opened? Upon thinking of this possibility, Emperor Zheng broke into a cold sweat and knelt on the ground, ¡°Reporting to the Transcendent Spirit Sect, the Gate of Lingyu has been opened, and the people from the Shui Xing Palace have entered the Inner Domain.¡± The man glanced at him indifferently, ¡°Just follow the rules. There¡¯s no need to report!¡± ¡°Yes, Transcendent Spirit Sect!¡± Emperor Zheng sighed in relief. Following the set rules, the Spirit Sect and noble Martial Artists were allowed to open the Gate of Lingyu to enter the Inner Domain. Emperor Zheng and others bowed out to start selecting hands to arrange for the opening of the Gate of Lingyu and to escort those holding Jade orders into Lingyu. After nearly ten thousand years, the Gate of Lingyu was opening in its true sense again. The Martial Artists of the Inner Domain who held the Jade order were entering Lingyu, heading towards their respective forces. There was no room for negligence. The responsibility of the royal family of Zheng Country was precisely this. If anything went wrong, Zheng Country would be finished. Of course, as long as they fulfilled their duty, they would not be punished even if they were incapable of protecting the holders of the Jade order against any assaults. The Transcendent Spirit Sect would naturally hold the assailants accountable. However, if Zheng Country disregarded its duties and deliberately neglected matters, it would be a severe crime! Generally, the important Jade order holders would have their respective forces escorting them. Zheng Country¡¯s escort would not be needed. However, the current situation was different, and whether there were any Jade order holders in the Inner Domain remained unknown. ¡°Yarong, I never thought that the Taomiu Mountain would send you here. How is your honored teacher?¡± the man asked the beautiful matron. ¡°King Qing, that¡¯s kind of you. My teacher is very well!¡± Yarong responded in a plain tone. King Qing, a formidable figure who ascended in the royal family of the Great Zhou State in recent decades. Despite his age of over a hundred years, he was an expert in the later stage of the Spiritual Energy Refining process. His future ascension to the apex of Spiritual Energy Refining seemed beyond doubt. Xiang Qing appeared accustomed to Yarong¡¯s indifferent attitude and continued his inquiry, ¡°Back when your honored teacher entered the Inner Domain and slaughtered the Blood Demon, did he eliminate the Blood Demon completely?¡± ¡°The Blood Demon is dead. My teacher personally laid it to rest.¡± ¡°The Blood Demon is cunning and has resurrected thrice. Despite your teacher¡¯s unsurpassed strength and the weakened state of the Blood Demon, the relationship between your teacher and the Blood Demon is¡­¡± Xiang Qing mused aloud. ¡°Shut up!¡± Yarong suddenly told him coldly. Xiang Qing sighed and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be angry; you should know that my grandfather, the previous King Qing, was killed by the Blood Demon in the Inner Domain. ¡°My father was mediocre and failed to inherit the title of King Qing. It took me a lot of hardship to inherit the King Qing title. To me, the Blood Demon embodies deep hatred and great vengeance. ¡°Even though I trust your teacher, the cunning Blood Demon worries me the most. I fear your teacher¡¯s soft heart.¡± Yarong looked at him coldly and said, ¡°My teacher has long forsaken feelings of love and hatred. By killing the Blood Demon, he severed worldly desires and mental obstruction, and broke free from fetters¡­¡± Xiang Qing was startled, looking at Yarong and inhaling deeply, he asked, ¡°Has your teacher already achieved that?¡± Yarong turned her head away, ignoring him. Inside the Gate of Lingyu, in the main hall, the two presiding members were shocked and hurriedly paid their respects, ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty!¡± Emperor Zheng had actually come in person. Could it be that they had confirmed that the young man was the Blood Demon and the emperor had come to interrogate? For a moment, the two presiding members were filled with trepidation. ¡°Open the Gate of Lingyu, notify the Inner Domain. Those with a Jade order can enter Lingyu for a duration of one month.¡± Emperor Zheng commanded in a low voice. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± The two presiding members breathed a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, they were confused. Why was the opening of the Gate of Lingyu brought forward? The Gate of Lingyu was opened, and this time it was not just a crack, but a complete opening. At the same time, an old man following Emperor Zheng stepped through the Gate of Lingyu and entered the Inner Domain. ¡­ Boom! In the northern wilderness, a radiance shone, and all the strong members of Tianbao Pavilion were instantly alarmed. They all stood atop the mountain, gazing towards the location of the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°This is¡­ the complete opening of the Gate of Lingyu?¡± The man with the purple crown exclaimed in shock. After a while, a giant portal shimmered and stood between heaven and earth. Rich Spiritual Energy flowed from the large gate into the Inner Domain, making the Spiritual Energy density instantly double within a hundred miles of the Gate of Lingyu. The Heavenly Earth Lingji in that hundred-mile radius became more active as well. An old man walked out from the Gate of Lingyu, frowning slightly as if he disdained the thin Spiritual Energy in the Inner Domain. He looked up towards Tianbao Pavilion. With one step, he reached the summit of Tianbao Pavilion. Seeing this, the man with the purple crown started trembling in fright, falling to the ground with a thud. ¡°Greetings, Your Excellency!¡± The rest of the powerful beings at Tianbao Pavilion also fell to their knees in a flurry, wishing they could bury their heads in the mud, fearing that displeasing this powerhouse, who was the backbone of Tianbao Pavilion, would lead to their demise! Chapter 436 The old man looked down at the man with the purple crown, speaking indifferently, ¡°Announce to the inner domain, anyone who holds the Jade Order, may enter the Ling Domain for a period of one month.¡± ¡°Yes, lord!¡± The man in the purple crown was shaken to the core, hastily replying respectfully. He was greatly shocked. Why would they suddenly open the Gate of Lingyu, allowing those who hold the Jade Order to enter? What is a Jade Order? At this moment, the man with the purple crown realized he seemed to have missed this crucial message. If he had held a Jade Order back then, would his circumstances have been different? After issuing his decree, the old man, apparently disgusted by the thin spiritual energy in the inner domain, turned and went back to the Gate of Lingyu. Only after the old man had entered the Gate of Lingyu did the man with the purple crown and others dare to stand and hurriedly disseminate the news around the Inner Domain via the Tianbao Pavilion. As for what the Jade Order was, those who understood, would naturally understand, right? ¡­ On Canglan Island, Meng Chong was preparing for a breakthrough. Two beautiful women of transcendent beauty appeared outside the island. ¡°Young Master Xu.¡± Yun Miaomiao looked at Xu Yan, smiling gently in his direction. ¡°Miss Yun, what brings you here?¡± Xu Yan was as straightforward as ever. ¡°Of course, there is an important matter.¡± While Yun Miaomiao was talking to Xu Yan, Wushuang, the Great Grandmaster, frequently glanced toward Li Xuan, Xu Yan¡¯s master, who looked so young and handsome. Li Xuan raised his head, took a look at the beautifully adorned woman before him. If not for his clear state of mind, untroubled by outside distractions, he might have been affected by her beauty and charm. ¡°Wushuang greets senior.¡± Seeing Li Xuan looking her way, Wushuang hurriedly greeted him. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded and looked away from her. Nevertheless, Wushuang stepped closer to him. She was effusing a seductive aura at all times, and respectfully asked, ¡°Senior, I have a question about martial arts, could you please enlighten me?¡± Yun Miaomiao, who was having a conversation with Xu Yan, looked embarrassed. What on earth was her master doing? Could it be that she actually intended to seduce Xu Yan¡¯s master? That was too shameful! ¡°What important matter has occurred?¡± Xu Yan ignored Wushuang¡¯s little movements, as someone of his master¡¯s status, wouldn¡¯t even bother to acknowledge her petty tricks. Indeed, Li Xuan barely glanced at Wushuang. His gaze slightly shifted upwards, glimpsing at the snowy curves shown when she leaned forward, unintentionally or not. ¡°The rounded jade peaks, full of grandeur!¡± He sighed silently. His exterior was still tranquil and indifferent, not affected by her beauty. He spoke lightly: ¡°Seduction can be regarded as a trick of the heart. It can disturb one¡¯s state of mind, ambition¡­ If used properly, it can defeat enemies, but if used wrongly, it can cause one¡¯s own downfall.¡± Wushuang¡¯s face turned red immediately, and she said awkwardly, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, senior.¡± However, she had thick skin and was extremely curious about Li Xuan, therefore, she naturally routed herself beside Li Xuan, simultaneously pouring tea for him and respectfully saying, ¡°Senior is indeed a great man, I would be grateful for further guidance.¡± Yun Miaomiao glanced at her master and chose to ignore her. Her master should know where to draw the line, right? Gazing at Xu Yan solemnly, she announced, ¡°The Gate of Lingyu has been opened.¡± ¡°The Gate of Lingyu has already been opened, I know that.¡± Xu Yan was unimpressed. He had already come back from a journey to Ling Domain. ¡°This time, it has been completely opened. Moreover, an announcement has already been sent out to the entire Inner Domain ¨C all holders of the Jade Order can enter the Ling Domain for a duration of a month!¡± Yun Miaomiao relayed gravely. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Xu Yan was enlightened. He thought about Du Yuying ¨C now that the Gate of Lingyu had opened, Du Yuying should be entering the Ling Domain, right? ¡°Miss Du holds the Taimiao Jade Order and the Taimiao Sect is one of the Transcendent Spirit Sects.¡± Xu Yan had already gathered basic information about the major Transcendent Spirit Sects during his time in the Ling Domain. The Taimiao Sect was one of them. Du Yuying held the Taimiao Jade Order, and possessed the bloodline of the Celestials. This bloodline came from the powerhouses of the Taimiao Sect. She wouldn¡¯t be of a low status once she entered the Ling Domain. ¡°Miss Yun, do you want the Jade Order?¡± Xu Yan asked. Yun Miaomiao had helped him refine his state of mind, and since he had a few Jade Orders, if Yun Miaomiao needed one, he was willing to give her one, in order to return the favour of her previous assistance. ¡°I have a Jade Order.¡± Yun Miaomiao shook her head, her face filled with anticipation, ¡°Young Master Xu, are you planning to enter Ling Domain? How about entering the Ling Domain with me?¡± Just as Xu Yan was about to politely refuse, he suddenly looked up toward the outside of the island where two beautiful figures were approaching. Du Yuying and Cui¡¯er. ¡°Young Master Xu!¡± Du Yuying greeted him with a beaming smile. ¡°Young Master Xu!¡± Upon seeing Xu Yan, Cui¡¯er blushed and greeted sweetly. Yun Miaomiao¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at Du Yuying, a hint of surprise written across her face. It had been a while since they had last seen each other; Du Yuying had changed a lot, she now appeared heroic and stunningly beautiful. ¡°Miss Du, are you here for the Gate of Lingyu as well?¡± Yun Miaomiao squinted as she asked. ¡°And what about Miss Yun herself?¡± The corners of Du Yuying¡¯s lips lifted slightly into a smile. Xu Yan observed the two women and seemed to be deep in thought before finally speaking: ¡°Both ladies plan to enter the Ling Domain. This place adheres strictly to a hierarchical system, and we are all from the Inner Domain. If possible, we should help each other so as to establish a strong foothold in the Ling Domain.¡± Although both women held a Jade Command, they were, after all, people from the Inner Domain. Even if the Jade Command in the hand of Du Yuying was the Supreme Jade Command, it might not necessarily save her from discrimination within the Taimiao Sect, despite her identity as a member of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. ¡°Young Master Xu is right!¡± Du Yuying¡¯s words conveyed her agreement. Yun Miaomiao seemed a bit taken aback. As if she had realized something, she revealed a smile, ¡°Miaomiao will listen to Young Master Xu!¡± Cui¡¯er glared at Yun Miaomiao, sighing with a huff. Li Xuan was giving some advice to Wushuang. Occasionally, he threw Xu Yan and the two women a curious glance. He inwardly praised, his disciple was indeed formidable. ¡°Senior, the Gate of Lingyu is opening soon, those holding a Jade Command can enter. I wonder what Senior thinks of this?¡± Wushuang asked curiously. ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Inner Domain or Ling Domain, they are but corners of the world, I don¡¯t hold any particular views.¡± Li Xuan replied indifferently. Wushuang was taken aback. To senior Li Xuan, the Inner Domain and the Ling Domain were just insignificant corners of the world. Within his eyes, the Ling Domain was probably nothing more than a remote place, wasn¡¯t it? The news that the Gate of Lingyu would open to those who possessed a Jade Command had spread all over the Dahua lands. Many major forces were speculating on what the Jade Command could be. Some powers were doing everything possible to find the Jade Command and dig up information related to it. As for those who already possessed the Jade Command, they kept their silence. In the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy, Bai Yun Kong was frowning. ¡°By my calculations, it shouldn¡¯t be time yet.¡± ¡°Has it begun earlier? Does our academy still have Jade Commands?¡± Pang Yu asked. Bai Yun Kong held out his hand, and three Jade Commands appeared. ¡°Should we give these to Xu Yan and Meng Chong, and then choose one more person?¡± Pang Yu pondered before he asked. ¡°Xu Yan and Meng Chong should not need them.¡± Bai Yun Kong let out a sigh, put away the Jade Commands and said, ¡°The Seven-star Study Palace is now a thing of the past, these Jade Commands are no longer useful.¡± ¡°Moreover, the situation in the Ling Domain remains uncertain.¡± Pang Yu fell silent. Whether the force connecting the Seven-star Study Palace and Ling Domain still existed, and what had happened to the palace¡¯s ancestors, was all still unknown. The last time someone had visited, they revealed that the force affiliated with the Study Palace in the Ling Domain hadn¡¯t been doing well. ¡°Xu Yan has gone to the Ling Domain. If he returns, he might be able to tell us whether the Ling Domain¡¯s power, which is affiliated with the academy, still exists.¡± Bai Yun Kong said heavily. ¡°Meng Chong should be going to the Ling Domain, ask him.¡± Pang Yu suggested. ¡°Indeed!¡± Bai Yun Kong nodded and the two set off for Canglan Island. In the northern wilderness, martial artists were starting to appear, all of them headed for the Gate of Lingyu. Although they didn¡¯t have Jade Commands, it was a rare opportunity to visit the Ling Domain. None of them have switched to studying the Wilderness Martial Arts before. Now they were contemplating: Does the Wilderness Martial Arts truly hold a brighter future? Even if the Wilderness Martial Arts were stronger, wouldn¡¯t it be even better if they could practice in the Ling Domain? ¡°Do you have a Jade Command?¡± Inside the Gate of Lingyu stood two guards who, seeing the approaching martial artists, asked in a deep voice. ¡°We¡­we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°So without the Jade Command, we aren¡¯t allowed to go in?¡± The crowd of martial artists all spoke up, drawing courage from their numbers. ¡°Those without Jade Commands shall not enter!¡± Boom! The aura of the Heavenly Martial Artist exploded, directly intimidating the crowd of martial artists. ¡°Disperse! If you gather to cause trouble again, you shall be killed without mercy!¡± One of the guards declared coldly. In that moment, the faces of the martial artists wanting to enter the Ling Domain turned pale. They felt their consciousness was being crushed by a giant mountain, causing their bodies to stiffen. Was this the might of a Heavenly Martial Artist? ¡°The Gate of Lingyu is open. I do not wish to commit a massacre, but if you refuse to cooperate, do not blame me for being ruthless!¡± One of the guards said coldly. Chapter 437 In front of the Gate of Lingyu, a group of martial artists¡¯ faces turned pale and they felt suppressed and reluctant, yet, they were helpless. Some martial artists turned around and left, their faces resolved. They made up their minds to cultivate the Martial Arts of Dahua. In just a few days, martial artists started to gather in front of the Gate of Lingyu in the northern region. When they tried to forcibly storm into the Gate of Lingyu and were directly slain, all martial artists realized that without the Yuling, it was impossible to enter Lingyu. If they tried to force their way in, they would undoubtedly meet their end! Within Lingyu, in the Great Hall, Emperor Zheng and a few of his important ministers personally managed the matters of the Gate of Lingyu. However, several days had passed, and not a single Yuling holder appeared. ¡°Your Majesty, after the blood demon incident in the Inner Domain, I fear there might be no more Yuling holders. Some might not even know about the existence of the Yuling,¡± a minister said in a low voice. ¡°Whether or not the Inner Domain has Yuling holders, the one-month period must not have any flaws.¡± Emperor Zheng said solemnly. The ministers nodded¡ªthe instruction was from the Sect Leader, and they dared not take it lightly. In front of the Gate of Lingyu, a figure timidly walked over. ¡°Do you have the Yuling?¡± The guard asked in a deep voice. ¡°Y-Yes, I do!¡± The person took out a Yuling. The guard looked at it, his brows slightly furrowed. He hadn¡¯t heard of such a Yuling¡¯s faction, but the Yuling was indeed genuine. He waved his hand and let the person enter. The person heaved a sigh of relief, excitedly stepping into the Gate of Lingyu. The martial artists who had been keeping an eye on the Gate of Lingyu couldn¡¯t help but frown. So it was true that there were Yuling holders in the Inner Domain? A few days later, another person arrived at the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°Isn¡¯t that King Zi Yun?¡± The powerful individuals watching the Gate of Lingyu expressed their surprise. Zi Yun¡¯s kingdom had disintegrated, and King Zi Yun had seemingly disappeared. Unexpectedly, he held a Yuling? The guard glanced at Zi Yun and then at the Yuling in his hand, looking slightly taken aback. A Yuling of the Su family? King Zi Yun was extremely nervous. He had found this Yuling in the place where Prince Su was killed. It seemed to be a symbol of identity. With the opening of the Gate of Lingyu, he had guessed that this might be a Yuling. However, he wasn¡¯t of the Su family, so he was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to enter Lingyu. ¡°Go in,¡± the guard said coldly, waving King Zi Yun in. His old age and lack of strength made him mediocre in Lingyu. Even with a Yuling, becoming part of the Su family would only make him a servant. He wasn¡¯t worth a second thought. Let alone now, even in the past, only prodigies with Yuling would receive attention. If their talent was too low, they could only serve as odd-job men after entering. On Canglan Island. Yun Miaomiao, Du Yuying, and Zi Yun interacted with each other. All three women intended to enter Lingyu. They already had a rough idea about the situation in Lingyu from Xu Yan. It was a place with strict hierarchical distinctions. Fortunately, all three women held Yulings from the Transcendent Spirit Sect. Zi Yun held King Qing¡¯s Yuling from Great Zhou State! The Yuling in Yun Miaomiao¡¯s hand was from the same Spirit Sect as Du Yuying¡¯s¡ªthe Taimiao Yuling. Moreover, according to the records on the Yuling, they seemed to be from the same person! Although the three women wanted Xu Yan and Meng Chong to enter Lingyu with them, Xu Yan and Meng Chong had refused. They hadn¡¯t considered entering with the Yuling. ¡°Yun, the Yuling you hold should be left by my Ancestor Grandma.¡± With a radiant smile on her face, Du Yuying seemed to have gained an advantage over Yun Miaomiao. ¡°Yuying, the cultivation technique I practice was passed down by Ancestor Grandma, and I belong to Ancestor Grandma¡¯s authentic lineage.¡± Yun Miaomiao didn¡¯t back down either. ¡°Regardless of who is the senior sister and who is the junior sister, once we get to the Taimiao Sect, we should support each other. We can¡¯t tarnish the name of Dahua.¡± After a moment of silence, Du Yuying spoke. ¡°Of course!¡± Yun Miaomiao nodded in agreement. The Inner Domain was now history; now was Dahua. They were all people of Dahua. And Dahua was closely connected to Xu Yan. With the opening of the Gate of Lingyu and a one-month window, the three women were not in a hurry to enter. On the summit, Meng Chong was in the midst of a breakthrough. Golden light swirled around him, and his aura kept rising. With an eager look on his face, Li Xuan anticipated Meng Chong¡¯s breakthrough. Perhaps soon, Meng Chong would comprehend the second level of the Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day? Boom! At a certain moment, Meng Chong¡¯s figure shot up, transforming into a ten-feet-tall giant. Golden light shone brightly, making him look like a vajra arhat. His aura kept growing stronger. Li Xuan sipped his spiritual tea, quietly watching and looking forward to seeing Meng Chong¡¯s transformation after his breakthrough. ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has achieved a breakthrough in the Indestructible Golden Body of the big day, and you have achieved a great success in your Indestructible Golden Body!¡± The Daoist Golden Book on the Soul Pedestal flipped open, and golden light surged out. Meng Chong had broken through. At this moment, Li Xuan could feel his increasing power; he had mastered the Undying Golden Body. Boom! Meng Chong¡¯s figure shot up again, turning into a twenty-feet-tall giant. Layers of golden armor covered his body. Indestructible Divine Armor! ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong has transformed into a Divine Bone, and you have achieved Innate Divine Bone!¡± Divine Bone! Meng Chong had also completed his transformation. Li Xuan let out a smile. Shortly after Meng Chong¡¯s breakthrough, Su Lingxiu began to break through into the Divine Intent state. She had also accumulated a strong foundation. Su Lingxiu¡¯s breakthrough did not draw as much attention as Meng Chong¡¯s. It was light, fluid, and nourishing. The plants and trees around her grew, and flowers bloomed brilliantly. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has broken through into the Divine Intent State, and you have achieved a great success in your Pill Doctor Martial Arts.¡± Pill Doctor Martial Arts had also reached a great success in the Divine Intent State. Full of anticipation, Li Xuan wondered whether Su Lingxiu would also transform into a Divine Bone? Under the guidance of Xu Yan and with the accumulation of a strong enough foundation, she should be able to transform. Chapter 438 ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has transformed into the Chang Qing Divine Bone, you have gained the Immortal Divine Bone!¡± At this moment, Li Xuan felt an endless vitality, even if he suffered a great injury, he could quickly recover and heal. ¡°Chang Qing Divine Bone, endless vitality!¡± Li Xuan exclaimed, although Su Lingxiu¡¯s combat power was a bit inferior, she possessed longevity and a longer lifespan. The three women, Du Yuying, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu, were greatly shocked as they watched their breakthrough. Is this the power of the Great Wasteland Warrior? It is indeed incredibly powerful. They even had a moment of doubt, considering the thought of switching their cultivation paths. However, their foundations in martial arts were already set, and they were about to enter the Ling Domain. Therefore, it was too late for them to switch their cultivation paths. ¡°Senior, do I still have the chance to convert to Martial Arts?¡± Wushuang asked, shocked. ¡°The Martial Path is endless, just be firm in your heart and will, and move forward. The most suitable path for you is the best martial path,¡± Voiced Li Xuan calmly. ¡°Senior¡¯s words are wise!¡± Wushuang took a deep breath, and respectfully echoed. As Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu broke through, the plan to enter the Ling Domain was moved up to be discussed. Xu Yan began to plan for the events in the Dahua after entering the Ling Domain. Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu arrived. They were surprised. Xu Yan had actually come back? ¡°The Seven-Star Study Palace?¡± Xu Yan asked, somewhat surprised. The Seven-Star Study Palace belonged to the power hierarchy in the Ling Domain, called the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy. Unfortunately, he had never heard of this during his time in Yuzhou. ¡°I have not heard of it.¡± Xu Yan shook his head. Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu sighed, considering if the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy was already gone. There are too few forces in this world that can truly last forever. ¡°Have you ever heard of the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy?¡± Xu Yan grabbed and asked Yu Xiaolong. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it!¡± Yu Xiaolong shook his head. ¡°Maybe it really has been wiped out, then it would be good, The Wilderness Martial Arts Academy would really belong to Dahua.¡± Replied Bai Yun Kong, accepting the reality. Xu Yan looked at Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu, both of them were half-step celestial beings, but in the Inner Domain they were unable to break through to become real Celestial Martial Artists. Switching to Dahua¡¯s martial arts path would also be difficult. He contemplated for a while, and said: ¡°Although the two of you cannot pursue the Dahua martial path, you can opt for a different path and break through the Divine Intent Realm. Although not pure, the power is as formidable as a small celestial being.¡± Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu were delighted, and asked: ¡°How can we break through?¡± Since becoming a celestial Martial Artist was no longer a hope, and as entering the Ling Domain was also hopeless, they wouldn¡¯t stick around just to become servants, right? What¡¯s more, both of them were getting old, so they probably couldn¡¯t even become servants. So they decided to continue to stay in the Dahua, imparting martial arts knowledge, and continue being the Dean and First Scholar of the Wilderness Martial Arts Academy. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out in a few days,¡± Xu Yan thought for a moment and said. After breaking through the Divine Intent Realm, especially the Heart Sword Realm, he had become well-versed in how to cultivate Divine Intent and his martial arts understanding far surpassed ordinary people. He felt it was not necessary to bother his teacher with these small issues, he could figure it out himself. Xu Junhe and the others had greatly increased their power after their breakthrough. However, it was still not enough to suppress the Dahua, so Xu Yan needed to make various arrangements before entering the Ling Domain. Several days later, Xu Yan taught Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu a cultivation technique. The technique was a combination of the Celestial Martial Artist¡¯s divine gathering method and the divine intent cultivation technique. This technique could allow a half-step Celestial being to cultivate divine intent and break through into Divine Intent Realm. Of course, it would be a pseudo Divine Intent Realm. The power would be weaker than that of a Divine Intent Realm martial artist, but not weaker than a small Celestial martial artist. ¡°For matters related to Canglan Island and Dahua, Pang and I will definitely do our best and ensure that nothing will go out of control!¡± Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu made a solemn guarantee. ¡°Thank you!¡± Xu Yan nodded, he wanted them to break into the Pseudo Divine Intent Realm in order to suppress any chaos that might occur on Canglan Island or in Dahua. Of course, the safety of his family would not entirely depend on Bai Yun Kong and Pang Yu. To ensure his disciple¡¯s peace of mind, Li Xuan divided several divine incarnation into the Spirit Jade. These divine incarnations were not for one-time use, they could be used indefinitely as long as the divine power was not exhausted. Even a Martial Artist at the level of a Great Celestial warrior could be killed by them. That was enough to ensure the safety of Xu Yan¡¯s family. One day, Xie Tianheng arrived. ¡°Senior, I want to bring Feng¡¯er to Ling Domain.¡± Xie Tianheng respectfully said. ¡°Dad, there¡¯s no rush, I can go to Ling Domain with Brother Xu.¡± Xie Lingfeng paused and said. ¡°The gate of Ling Domain is open, as per our agreement, I have to take you into Ling Domain. Your mother is in Ling Domain.¡± Xie Tianheng solemnly said. ¡°My mother is in Lingyu?¡± Xie Lingfeng widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°Yes!¡± Xie Tianheng nostalgically recounted, ¡°Your mother came from Lingyu and later returned to it. In my life, Xie Tianheng has never lost to anyone. Even the chosen ones of Lingyu cannot compare. Therefore, I once promised her that when the gate of Lingyu opens, I will march into Lingyu to find her in the most arrogant manner¡­ Having comprehended the path of the sword, Xie Tianheng thought he had made it. However, it¡¯s not bad now. The heart of the sword is clear, and the intent of the flying rainbow sword is understood. Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched, Xie Tianheng also had an interesting story. Xie Lingfeng looked at his father with a complex expression, making Xie Tianheng feel slightly awkward, so he looked away. Xu Yan passed the Divine Intent State cultivation technique to Xie Lingfeng and gave him detailed guidance. After all, they didn¡¯t know when they would get to see each other again. ¡°Senior, I must go!¡± Xie Lingfeng respectfully bowed to Li Xuan. ¡°Go!¡± Li Xuan waved his hand, and a piece of Spirit Jade fell into Xie Lingfeng¡¯s hand as he spoke calmly. ¡°Thank you, senior!¡± Xie Lingfeng said excitedly. Du Yuying and the other two women were also preparing to set off for Lingyu, along with Xie Tianheng and his son. ¡°Young Master Xu, you must come to find us.¡± Yun Miaomiao softly said. ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, definitely!¡± Xu Yan nodded. ¡°Meng Chong, aren¡¯t you really going with me?¡± Zi Yun clung to Meng Chong, asking. With a dark face, Meng Chong pulled her off and said, ¡°No, you can come to find me in the future. Although Lingyu is big, the name of Meng Chong will surely resonate throughout it.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Zi Yun reluctantly nodded. Li Xuan sighed in his heart, casually threw three Spirit Jade, considered as reserves for these three girls who might become his daughters-in-law. Wushuang was staring at him. Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched. Considering her service in brewing tea and fetching water for him these days, he might as well give her one too. ¡°Brother Xu, Brother Meng, I look forward to hearing about your fame in Lingyu!¡± Xie Lingfeng made a pledge. ¡°Definitely!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong nodded solemnly. ¡°Are you looking down on me, thinking that I can¡¯t make a name for myself?¡± Su Lingxiu looked displeased. Xie Lingfeng said seriously, ¡°Sister Lingxiu, as the unparalleled medical cultivator, how could you not make a name for yourself? I¡¯m looking forward to the day when Chang Qing Pavilion becomes a part of the Transcendent Spirit Sect!¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Su Lingxiu started to laugh. ¡°These dan medicines, I¡¯ll give them to you.¡± They were all old acquaintances, and Su Lingxiu was not stingy. This day, Xie Tianheng and his son, Du Yuying, Yun Miaomiao and her apprentice, and Zi Yun, set off from Canglan Island to the north of the wilderness, towards the gate of Lingyu. The warriors from Dahua had lost interest in the opening of the gate of Lingyu. They only felt suffocated that the people from the Inner Domain had failed so miserably in Lingyu. No! We are people from Dahua, and one day, we will let Lingyu know that Dahua is the strongest. Under the push of the major forces and numerous powerful people, this consciousness covered the entire Dahua martial arts community. All the warriors were holding back their indignation, cultivating with determination. It had been quite some days since anyone holding a spirit jade command entered the Lingyu Gate. The guards looked bored, hoping the one-month period would soon come to an end, so they could close the gate of Lingyu. Emperor Zheng and his ministers were still sitting in the main hall. ¡°So, this is the gate of Lingyu!¡± In front of the gate of Lingyu, Du Yuying and the others couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. They felt somewhat nervous. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Xie Tianheng, as always, wore a proud and confident face, showing absolutely no trace of fear. He didn¡¯t even regard the guards, who had the strength of a lower heavenly being, as any sort of threat. ¡°Do you have a jade command?¡± The guard asked in a deep voice. His gaze fell on Du Yuying and the other women, revealing a surprised look. Were there such remarkably beautiful women in the lower regions of the Inner Domain? Xie Tianheng opened his palm and showed a purple jade command. The guard only caught a quick glimpse, but Xie Tianheng had already packed it up and stepped into the gate with Xie Lingfeng. The guard was about to say something but then didn¡¯t. He had sensed something unusual from Xie Tianheng. Since the jade command was real, he, being a small guard, decided not to interfere further. Xie Tianheng entered the Lingyu Gate but did not continue to advance. Instead, he turned to look at Du Yuying and the others, fearing that they might be troubled by the guards. Chapter 439 ¡°Do you have a jade command?¡± The guard asked indifferently. Du Yuying and the other two girls, opened their palms and presented a jade tablet. The guard, at first, didn¡¯t pay much attention. He looked at it indifferently, ready to move his gaze, but suddenly, his expression changed abruptly. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± A Taimiao jade command? A Great Zhou, King Qing jade command? His heart was immediately shocked, the messengers who came to Zheng Country this time were elders of Taimiao Sect and the current King Qing of Great Zhou State! Another guard turned around and rushed into the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°Ladies, please go inside!¡± The remaining guard said with a smile on his face. Du Yuying took Cui¡¯er, Yun Miaomiao took her teacher, and Zi Yun stepped into the Gate of Lingyu. They all had some guess about the change in the guard¡¯s attitude. Xu Yan once said that Taimiao Sect and Great Zhou held transcendent status in the Ling Domain. ¡°Your majesty, there¡¯s great news!¡± The guard came running, his face full of excitement. ¡°What good news?¡± Emperor Zheng frowned, this guard was somewhat impulsive, he should be demoted. ¡°Your majesty, the Inner Domain¡¯s arrogantly talented individuals who hold the Taimiao and King Qing jade commands have arrived!¡± The guard said excitedly. ¡°What, really?¡± Emperor Zheng suddenly stood up. ¡°Absolutely true!¡± The guard said solemnly. ¡°Good, good, you two guards have merit, promoted!¡± Emperor Zheng said happily. This time, the messenger was from both the Taimiao Sect and King Qing of Great Zhou. Now there are jade command holders from the Inner Domain arriving, he would surely receive praise from the sect elders again! Emperor Zheng, with a beaming face, led several important officials to welcome personally, Du Yuying, and the other girls. As for the maids entering the Ling Domain, it was not a problem, as long as the level of the jade command was prestigious enough. Upon one glance, his heart was even more excited. They really were prodigiously talented! As for Xie Tianheng and his son, he glanced at them once and didn¡¯t bother with them anymore. Xie Tianheng¡¯s face darkened a bit, but since the others were powerful, he remained silent. As they had just arrived at Ling Domain and were unfamiliar with the area, they would still have to rely on Zheng Country¡¯s escort to reach their destination. In the royal palace of Zheng Country, Xiang Qing and Yarong were still sitting in silence. Once the Gate of Lingyu was opened, the command holder entered, the Gate of Lingyu would close, and for a long time, it would probably not have any contact with the Inner Domain. It can be said that it completely cut off the path of Martial Arts for the warriors of the Inner Domain. Suddenly, a senior Zheng minister rushed in, knelt down and said, ¡°Elder, three individuals from the Inner Domain have arrived, one holding the jade command of Great Zhou and two holding the jade command of Taimiao Sect!¡± Xiang Qing frowned, ¡°Did you see clearly, it¡¯s the jade command of Great Zhou?¡± Great Zhou State, in the Ling Domain, is the only dynasty that is not controlled by the Spirit Sects and noble families. Its strength is comparable to the Transcendent Spirit Sects, and because it is a kingdom, the lower-class warriors of Great Zhou live better than others on a relative basis. Moreover, their prodigiously talented individuals also have opportunities for promotion. They can gain the cultivation of Great Zhou State and become an important minister of Great Zhou. Because of this, Great Zhou rarely issued jade commands to the Inner Domain. Even if there had been any before, ever since the affair of the Blood Demon, there would be no jade commands of Great Zhou in the Inner Domain. ¡°Elder, I have never seen before, it is indeed the jade commands of Great Zhou and Taimiao!¡± The minister of Zheng Country respectfully said. ¡°Bring them in.¡± Xiang Qing ordered in a deep voice. Yarong frowned but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Yes!¡± In a short while, under the escort of several senior ministers of Zheng, Du Yuying and her party arrived in the main hall, followed by Xie Tianheng and his son. Whoosh! All of a sudden, Yarong¡¯s expression changed, and in an instant, she appeared in front of Du Yuying. Xiang Qing was also startled, looking at Du Yuying with a surprised expression. Du Yuying¡¯s face changed, Yarong, who suddenly appeared, gave her a great sense of pressure. ¡°Where is your jade command?¡± Yarong¡¯s voice trembled slightly. Du Yuying opened her palm. Yarong took the jade command at once, looked at it for a good while, put it back into Du Yuying¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°what is your name?¡± ¡°In reply to senior, my name is Du Yuying!¡± Du Yuying said nervously. ¡°Du Yuying?¡± Yarong murmured to herself, ¡°you come back to Taimiao Sect with me.¡± Looking at Yun Miaomiao and the others, she again asked, ¡°Who else holds the Taimiao jade command?¡± ¡°Senior, it¡¯s me.¡± Yun Miaomiao spoke up. She passed the jade command over. Upon seeing the jade command, Yarong¡¯s face changed several times, this jade command was exactly the same as Du Yuying¡¯s. ¡°How did you come by this jade command?¡± Yarong took a deep breath and asked. ¡°It was passed down by my master grandmother.¡± Yun Miaomiao replied. ¡°Master grandmother¡­¡± Yarong sighed and said, ¡°Then, you all follow me back to the Taimiao Sect.¡± She returned to her seat and fell into silent contemplation. Xiang Qing sent a voice message, ¡°That girl looks five or six points similar to our master, could she¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t!¡± Yarong coldly replied. Xiang Qing looked at Xie Tianheng and his son and Zi Yun and asked, ¡°who holds the jade command of Great Zhou?¡± Zi Yun raised her hand and said, ¡°Senior, it¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Show me the jade command.¡± ¡°Here, senior!¡± Zi Yun timidly handed over the jade command. Xiang Qing gestured, and the jade command flew into his hand. Upon seeing it, his expression changed abruptly. The jade command of King Qing! ¡°Where is the master of this jade command?¡± Xiang Qing asked in a deep voice. ¡°He has already fallen, I buried him in the Demon Hunting Valley!¡± Zi Yun said softly. Xiang Qing was silent for a long time and then said, ¡°Then you follow me back to the King¡¯s mansion, I¡¯ll adopt you as my foster daughter!¡± Zi Yun was startled, then hurriedly knelt down and respectfully kowtowed, ¡°Zi Yun pays respects to foster father!¡± Chapter 440 ¡°Hmm, get up.¡± Xiang Qing nodded his head. It was fate that Zi Yun was able to bring back his own grandfather¡¯s Yu Ling. He looked at Xie Tianheng and his son. Xie Tianheng felt somewhat awkward. How come each and every Yu Ling others possessed seemed not to be simple, while the Yu Ling he held seemed rather ordinary? ¡°Elder, this is my Yu Ling!¡± Xie Tianheng took out his Yu Ling. Xiang Qing took a glance at it and was taken aback. After scrutinizing Xie Tianheng and his son for a while, he hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Follow me to the Great Zhou State. I will have someone take you there.¡± Yarong, who was deep in thought, suddenly lifted her head in surprise. Was Xiang Qing being so kind-hearted? She took a glance at the Yu Ling in Xie Tianheng¡¯s hand and was stunned. No wonder Xiang Qing was so kind. He apparently wanted to take this chance to foster some connections over there. ¡°Thank you, Elder!¡± Xie Tianheng respectfully replied. Emperor Zheng and the others felt overjoyed. The Yu Ling each of these people held was far from ordinary? Xiang Qing stood up and said to Emperor Zheng, ¡°You did well this time. After the Gate of Lingyu is closed, go get your reward yourself. The mission of Zheng Country remains unchanged, it must not be disturbed, but you should also not meddle in disputes recklessly.¡± ¡°Thank you, lord of the Taimiao Sect, we will bear in mind your instructions, firmly do our mission, and not get involved in any disputes at all!¡± Emperor Zheng, delighted, knelt down and paid his respects. With these words, Zheng Country could continue to flourish. Xiang Qing nodded and walked towards the exit, saying, ¡°As for the remaining holders of the Yu Ling, you decide for yourself.¡± Yarong also promptly got up to leave. Xie Tianheng, Du Yuying, and the others hurriedly followed. Outside the main hall, Xiang Qing turned to Zi Yun and Xie Tianheng, saying, ¡°If you have any parting words, say them here. As for when we will see each other again, that¡¯s unknown.¡± After bidding farewell, Xie Tianheng, his son, and Zi Yun left with Xiang Qing. Du Yuying and Cui¡¯er, Yun Miaomiao and his master Wushuang, followed Yarong to the Taimiao Sect. Du Yuying, under Yarong¡¯s instructions, donned a veil. After respectfully seeing them off, Emperor Zheng and the others let out a sigh of relief. ¡°As per the rules, no one is allowed to discuss this matter or reveal any information, or they will be put to death.¡± Emperor Zheng sternly said. ¡°Your Majesty, rest assured, we understand the rules!¡± The group of officials bowed and replied. ¡°In the Inner Domain, there should be no important holders of Yu Ling left, just complete the mission according to the rules. When the time comes, close the Gate of Lingyu. ¡°As for the people from Shui Xing Palace, they need not bother anymore. If they don¡¯t know better and don¡¯t want to come back, then they don¡¯t have to. ¡°These are the orders of the Taimiao Sect, and no one is allowed to disobey!¡± Emperor Zheng¡¯s voice was heavy. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± After the period of one month, the Gate of Lingyu must be closed. Emperor Zheng and the others did not return to sit in the main hall. Since the lord of the Taimiao Sect had left, there was naturally no need for them to preside over the proceedings personally. ¡­ On Canglan Island, everyone was preparing to enter Lingyu. Xu Yan imparts the cultivation techniques of the Divine Intent State and Divine Origin Realm to his father, Xu Junhe, to ensure that after his father reaches the Tongxuan Realm, he can continue to cultivate successfully. Furthermore, he carefully passed on all the key points of Divine Intent State cultivation one by one. Su Lingxiu, on the other hand, is busily concocting pills. The pills for the Tongxuan Realm cultivation and for breaking through to the Divine Intent State all need her personal concoction. They have no idea when they will be able to return from this journey. Xu Junhe and others will stay in Dahua to develop it and won¡¯t go to Lingyu. Xu Junhe also understands that his own weak strength would only drag his son down if he went to the Lingyu. After imparting the cultivation techniques to his father, Xu Yan took another trip around Dahua and went to Tianbao Pavilion. Everything is properly arranged. There are only a few days left until the deadline of one month for the Gate of Lingyu. It¡¯s time to set off and enter Lingyu. ¡°Red Cat, you must eat well. I don¡¯t know when I will be able to teach you how to read again.¡± Mother Xu said as she caressed Red Cat¡¯s head. Red Cat was reluctant to part. Without Mother Xu¡¯s pampering, it would have fewer pills to eat in the future and would have to endure hard times! But it wanted to go to Lingyu. Lingyu had Spiritual Beasts. It¡¯s a cultured tiger, a tiger with dreams. It wants to become the King of Demons! And only by going to Lingyu would it have this chance! Li Xuan sighed, he still had not found his fourth disciple in the Inner Domain. He hoped Lingyu wouldn¡¯t disappoint him. In front of the Gate of Lingyu, the purple-crowned man and other powerful figures from Tianbao Pavilion bowed and said, ¡°Young Master Xu, rest assured, Dahua won¡¯t be in chaos, and it will surely have a day to rival Lingyu!¡± Xu Yan nodded his head. ¡°Master, I¡¯ll go in first!¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Xu Yan resumed his appearance from when he returned to the Inner Domain, not showing his true face to enter the Gate of Lingyu, since he was being pursued by the Jade God Sect and Su Family. If the news of him returning to Inner Domain gets out, it¡¯s hard to guarantee that those people from the Jade God Sect won¡¯t cause trouble in the Inner Domain. After Xu Yan entered the Gate of Lingyu, Li Xuan calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He took a step forward, followed by Meng Chong, Su Lingxiu, Zhou Ying, Meng Shushu and Red Cat. ¡°Do you have a Yu Ling?¡± The guard asked. ¡°No!¡± Meng Chong gave the guard a glance. ¡°No ¡­¡± The guard was furious, about to expel them, when he suddenly shrunk his neck, saying, ¡°Go in.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Li Xuan and his group had entered that another guard said, ¡°Are you stupid? These people are obviously not to be trifled with and they are connected to the guy who just went in.¡± ¡°Thanks for the reminder!¡± The guard thanked him. Just moments ago, he had experienced a sense of impending death. As soon as he entered the Gate of Lingyu, Li Xuan felt revitalized. The spiritual energy of Lingyu was indeed dense. ¡°Such rich spiritual energy!¡± Su Lingxiu exclaimed. Meng Shushu looked around, his expression complex yet expectant. After crossing the great hall, Xu Yan was already waiting. ¡°Master, where shall we go?¡± Li Xuan replied carelessly, ¡°Anywhere is fine, just go as you like.¡± After arriving in Lingyu, his first task was to find a suitable Qi Gate martial arts cultivator. Yu Xiaolong poked his head out of Xu Yan¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°I know of a place with beautiful scenery and isn¡¯t too far from the capital of Zheng Country.¡± Li Xuan nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go there then.¡± After he finished speaking, he turned his gaze towards Red Cat. Red Cat trotted over and shook its body, transforming into the size of a small hill. Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction, finally, he could make use of Red Cat as his mount. Riding on Red Cat¡¯s back, with a tea table and chairs ready, Su Lingxiu was brewing tea for her master. Xu Yan and Yu Xiaolong were leading the way, Meng Chong was looking around, not sitting on Red Cat¡¯s back. Shi¡¯er and Meng Shushu initially wanted to ride on Red Cat¡¯s back as well, but they were intimidated by just a glare from Red Cat and could only sullenly follow along on foot. Once they had left the location of the Gate of Lingyu, Xu Yan resumed his real appearance, and the group headed towards the area mentioned by Yu Xiaolong. On the way, naturally, they couldn¡¯t avoid encountering martial artists of Lingyu. And so, before they reached their destination, two figures descended, the might of the Refining God Heavenly Men unabashed, their ice-cold gazes fixed on Xu Yan. They were the refined god experts from the Jade God Sect and Su Family. ¡°Are you aware of your sins?¡± The elder from the Jade God Sect looked down at Xu Yan coldly. As for the huge Red Cat, the two Refining God Heavenly Men didn¡¯t care about it in the slightest, after all, it was weak and could be easily destroyed. Sitting on Red Cat¡¯s back, Li Xuan put down his teacup and looked at the two Refining God Heavenly Men with an indifferent expression. He raised one hand and said, ¡°How dare insignificant things act so presumptuously!¡± An excitement welled up within his heart, finally, it was time for him, as a master, to show off his true power. Ever since he obtained the ¡®One Shot Divine Annihilation¡¯ technique, he hadn¡¯t had a chance to use it until now. ¡°Xu Yan killed a minor heavenly person as soon as he entered Lingyu. As his master, it¡¯s only reasonable for me to kill two Refining God Heavenly Men upon entering Lingyu, right?¡± With such thoughts in mind, he raised his hand and struck towards the two Refining God Heavenly Men! The Sudden Wind Sword Intent, Absolute Annihilation Sword Intent, and One-Shot Divine Annihilation all combined into a single decisive blow! Xu Yan and the others were all excited; their master was taking action again! Every time their master made a move, it caused a great shock within them. The two Refining God Heavenly Men from Jade God Sect and Su Family changed their expressions dramatically, let out a roar, and a terrifying force surged out. Above their heads, a faint phantom image even appeared, so illusory that one couldn¡¯t make out its human form. The two were directly using their ultimate secret techniques. The shadow of their Divine Souls emerged. This was the state of a Refining God Heavenly Man when using all his strength and attacking with full force. However, could Li Xuan¡¯s strike be resisted by merely two early-stage Refining God Heavenly Men? In mid-air, there seemed to be a black vortex, swallowing and annihilating everything! Puh! With a single palm strike, the two Refining God Heavenly Men were obliterated. They didn¡¯t even have a chance to let out a scream. Li Xuan lowered his hand as if he had just slapped two insignificant ants to death. He picked up his cup and drank the spiritual tea that Su Lingxiu had just poured. Chapter 441 Shi¡¯er, Meng Shushu, Zhou Ying and Yu Xiaolong, had their faces filled with shock. A Refining God Heavenly Man, the practitioner who stood at the peak in the Spirit Realm. Had been reduced to ashes. He was killed with a mere wave of the hand, as if swatting away two mosquitoes. ¡°Master is truly amazing!¡± An endless admiration filled Xu Yan¡¯s heart. It would take him a sneak attack to kill a Refining God Heavenly Man, yet his master only needed to give him a light pat, and the Refining God Heavenly Man would be turned to dust. And, his master didn¡¯t even utilize his full strength. Just a casual action, like swatting a mosquito, a simple clapping hands was enough! ¡°When will I be able to achieve that?¡± Xu Yan secretly wondered to himself. Meng Chong touched his shiny bald head and pondered. His Indestructible Golden Body of the Big Day was still too weak. He couldn¡¯t yet reach the level of his master, who could easily kill a Refining God Heavenly Man with just one touch. ¡°Once I break through to the second layer of the Undying Golden Body, I should be pretty much there.¡± Meng Chong thought to himself. The attack by the elders of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family was only a small interlude. They continued on their way to the place mentioned by Yu Xiaolong. At about a hundred miles outside Zheng Country¡¯s capital, there was a newly established manor in a pleasant and tranquil valley. Li Xuan sat at ease in a chair. Nature¡¯s spiritual energy continuously entered his body. Even without cultivation, his spiritual practice was unknowingly and slowly advancing. The base in the Spirit Realm was now ready. That day, Xu Yan and Meng Chong came to say their goodbyes. They were prepared to explore the Spirit Realm and challenge its exceptional talents. ¡°Go, the path of Martial Arts is never smooth. Experiencing more and engaging in more fights will help you understand it better, absorb the wisdom of all schools, and comprehend the true meaning of Martial Arts¡­¡± Li Xuan spoke in the stern voice of a strict teacher. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong dutifully replied. ¡°Once you have comprehended the principles of Divine Skills, come back here. I will teach you the martial arts beyond the Divine Skills.¡± Li Xuan looked at the two disciples and said. ¡°Disciple will certainly work hard to cultivate, constantly understand Divine Skills and comprehend the principles of Divine Skills as soon as possible.¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. ¡°The disciple will also strive to understand the second and third levels of the Undying Golden Body as soon as possible.¡± Meng Chong echoed. ¡°Alright, go!¡± Li Xuan nodded. In the end, he decided to wait until Xu Yan fully understood the principles of the Divine Skills before teaching him the next stage of martial arts. Even if he taught him the martial arts beyond the Divine Skills, without comprehending the Divine Skills, Xu Yan would not be able to understand it anyway. Moreover, while he had a basic outline and understanding of the martial arts beyond Divine Skills, Li Xuan was not yet satisfied with his elaboration. Perhaps after breaking through the Divine Skills, he might have new ideas that could lead him to develop better martial arts techniques. Xu Yan and Meng Chong left. Yuzhou was likely to stir up some drama again, as Xu Yan was currently being hunted by the Jade Spirit Sect, Su Family, and the Dai Family. The bounty on his head had reached several million Spirit Crystals. Even the identity of a practitioner from the Spirit Sect or a noble martial arts family was offered. Many Loose Cultivators desired that opportunity to rise in the world and be freed from their Loose Cultivator¡¯s status. Xu Yan was not a man to swallow his wrath. How could he let this go? Just as Dai Sheng had once pursued him, he turned around and took down the Dai Family¡¯s operation. ¡°Master.¡± Su Lingxiu massaged her master¡¯s shoulders with a flattering smile on her face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go?¡± Li Xuan asked in surprise. ¡°My abilities are too weak.¡± Su Lingxiu replied helplessly. She was hunted by Yinlou Pavilion. Zhou Ying took her into hiding, but she never felt safe since the Spirit Realm was full of powerful practitioners, and she was merely at the Divine Intent State. If she encountered a Refining God Heavenly Man, she could only run. If she was not careful, she might not even be given the opportunity to escape. Therefore, she felt insecure and had no desire to explore outside freely. ¡°Unlike big brother and second brother, who could even resist and kill a Refining God Heavenly Man, I¡¯ve decided to go exploring only after breaking through to the Divine Origin Realm.¡± Su Lingxiu spoke with her eyes half closed. Once she broke through to the Divine Origin Realm, she would have some confidence. ¡°As you wish!¡± Li Xuan did not force her. Su Lingxiu was a Martial Artist and a healer. Her strength did not lie in fighting. As long as she had Spiritual Medicine, she could continue refining medicine and perfecting her Alchemy. ¡°Focus on your cultivation and break through to the Divine Origin Realm as soon as possible!¡± Li Xuan encouraged her. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Su Lingxiu replied happily. As for Shi¡¯er, Meng Shushu, and Zhou Ying, they had no desire to explore the Spirit Realm. They were not even at the Divine Intent State. Their power was not strong enough in the Spirit Realm, and the perceived threat was always there. The Red Cat too had no intention to venture out. It was currently putting in a great effort to improve its skills with the ambition to become a demon king. ¡­ ¡°Big brother, where are we going?¡± Meng Chong asked. Xu Yan paused for a moment, answering, ¡°Old man Dai Sheng once pursued me. Although I took down the Dai Family once, the Dai Family hasn¡¯t been completely exterminated. ¡°I can¡¯t swallow this anger. Moreover, the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family are also hunting me. ¡°It¡¯s time to teach the Spirit Sects and noble families of the Spirit Realm a lesson.¡± With that, his eyes turned cold. He said, ¡°Since little brother has the power to kill a Heavenly Man, I can hold Dai Sheng off. Even if I can¡¯t win, at least I won¡¯t be helpless.¡± ¡°So, let¡¯s take down the Dai Family!¡± Xu Yan was not far from reaching the Divine Intent State of Minor Success, and had broken through the second state of Sword Dao, the Heart Sword Realm, making his strength much higher than before. Even if he couldn¡¯t defeat Dai Sheng, holding him off wouldn¡¯t be a problem. With Meng Chong¡¯s power, morphing into a six-meter tall giant, there was no problem sweeping through the Dai Family. The Heavenly Man could never hurt Meng Chong, who had an Indestructible Armor, and it would be even more difficult to hurt his physical defense. Chapter 443 Li Xuan glanced at the chubby teenager who wore a mysterious and sneaky expression on his face. His mouth twitched slightly, just from the boy¡¯s demeanor, it was easy to conclude that he wasn¡¯t selling any legitimate merchandise. As if worried that Li Xuan wouldn¡¯t know who Young Master Shen was, the chubby teenager ventured to add in a low voice, ¡°From a prominent family, the Shen family¡¯s Shen Haizhou. And, this is the treasure that even he can¡¯t help praising!¡± Shen Haizhou? Li Xuan raised an eyebrow. Isn¡¯t it the same young master from a prominent family that Xu Yan met in Ling Domain? His curiosity got the better of him, so with a smile, he began,¡±Oh, what¡¯s this treasure that even Young Master Shen can¡¯t stop praising?¡± ¡°Big brother, come, come, let me show you.¡± The teenager¡¯s face lit up with joy; another potential sale came knocking! The fame of Young Master Shen was just too practical to use! Reckless of any trickery, Li Xuan followed the young, chubby teenager into the simple store. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Li Xuan looked around the modest shop, cluttered with all manner of forge materials as well as some strangely-shaped items. ¡°Big brother, I¡¯m called Fang Hao.¡± As Fang Hao spoke, he quickly closed the shop¡¯s door, anxious that Li Xuan might misunderstand, and explained, ¡°This treasure needs to be viewed in dimmer light for a more enjoyable experience.¡± With that, he pulled out a box from behind the counter, opened it up, and removed a box about a foot long and half a finger thick from inside. The box had handles on both sides that could be gripped with both hands. Fang Hao extended his hand to the rear of the box and pulled out two legs, placing the box on the table. Sleazily and mysteriously, he announced, ¡°Big brother, you need to look carefully. This is a treasure I¡¯ve painstakingly researched, even Young Master Shen couldn¡¯t stop singing its praises.¡± He then displayed a jade badge that hung by his waist, announcing, ¡°See this? It¡¯s a gift from Young Master Shen. My relationship with him runs deep.¡± Li Xuan could only laugh helplessly. Fang Hao was obviously using Shen Haizhou¡¯s identity to fend off potential rivals. And the jade badge hanging by his waist indeed seemed like a badge from a prominent family. In Ling Domain, a place with strict hierarchical rankings, Fang Hao, backed by Shen Haizhou¡¯s identity, could indeed ward off many malicious individuals. His curiosity piqued, he looked at the box on the table. It was a perfect square, with handles on both sides, and the front was smooth, resembling a mirror. ¡°This is an artifact.¡± The box was actually an artifact, but he could only guess at its function. It didn¡¯t seem like a weapon. ¡°Oh, I want to see how this treasure managed to earn Young Master Shen¡¯s praises.¡± Li Xuan said, chuckling. ¡°Watch closely; it won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± A sleazy smile spread across Fang Hao¡¯s face. He saw as Fang Hao gripped one of the box¡¯s handles and channeled his cultivation technique, pouring a surge of power into the artifact within the box. Out of the blue, the smooth side of the box brightened, bringing forth a beautiful figure on its surface which was soon revealed to be an exquisite, undressed woman. Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched. Although he had his suspicion due to Fang Hao¡¯s lascivious demeanor, upon seeing the actual scene, he could help but burst into bemused laughter. Just when he thought that was it, a lewdly dressed woman appeared on the mirror surface of the box, Fang Hao let out a chuckle and the light flashed again on the mirror. This time, there were two women, writhing together, their bodies soft and postures variable. This time, Li Xuan was genuinely surprised. This reminded him of X-rated movies from his past life; aside from the people on the mirror screen being drawings instead of real people and the lack of sound, everything else was not different. ¡°How is it? Quite a treasure, huh?¡± Fang Hao smirked sneakily. In the box¡¯s mirror, two beautiful women twisted together, and then another pair replaced the previous, continuously changing. After watching Fang Hao¡¯s demonstration, Li Xuan realized that the scenes in this artifact were limited, the entwining actions of the women were also limited. Obviously, it was subject to limitations. ¡°A fixed price, a hundred thousand spirit crystals.¡± Fang Hao announced, his face full of expectation. Looking at Fang Hao, Li Xuan sank into thought. Is this guy an artifact refining genius? ¡°Did you create this artifact?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Fang Hao immediately beamed with pride, and stated, ¡°In the entire Ling Domain, besides me, no one can refine it. It is unfortunate, though, that the images are limited. Still, I will improve it.¡± The more Li Xuan looked at Fang Hao, the more he felt like the chubby boy was a talented individual, and discerned that the fourth disciple he was looking for might be right in front of his eyes? But, he needed more tests. Fang Hao was not extraordinarily powerful, only just stepping into the realm of Great Grandmaster realm. Considering his age, this level of strength made him a prodigy among Loose Cultivators. However, laid against Spirit Sects and prominent families, he would be considered in the upper-middle range. ¡°Besides this artifact, do you have others?¡± Li Xuan asked. ¡°What kind of artifact do you need?¡± Without beating around the bush, Fang Hao pulled out a box from behind the counter. Selling even one artifact was a win. He had recently purchased a batch of materials and was completely broke. Young Master Shen hadn¡¯t shown up for quite some time; he wondered what he was up to. Without Young Master Shen as the ¡®fat sheep¡¯, his artifacts couldn¡¯t be sold. ¡°See this?¡± Fang Hao took out an artifact that resembled spectacles, put it on, and channeled his cultivation technique. The artifact suddenly emitted a ball of light that shot toward the wall, illuminating the gloomy store. ¡°Essential when entering a dark place. Although it consumes a bit too much, it¡¯s really useful.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched. This artifact was indeed novel, but its large consumption made it rather pointless. Which martial artist venturing into a dark place for exploration wouldn¡¯t constantly maintain their peak state to deal with potential crises? Chapter 444 How can one constantly consume oneself, distracting oneself with two rays of light, while also becoming an easy target? This treasure is too much of a waste for Martial Artists, who would opt for moonstones or Luminous Pearls as a source of light, rather than such a treasure. Clearly, the cost of this thing Fang Hao has is steep, and he couldn¡¯t even break even, let alone sell it at a high price. Fang Hao looked a bit embarrassed, set down the treasure, and muttered: ¡°This is a semi-finished product. In my mind, the finished product can be worn in the eyes, instantly killing anyone with just a stare.¡± Li Xuan nodded, ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, but it¡¯s too difficult. Fang Hao clearly can¡¯t make it.¡± Fang Hao took out a claw from the box and wore it on his hand. When he lifted his hand and raked forward, the claw flashed with a ball of light. ¡°Bastard, watch the claw!¡± To Li Xuan¡¯s astonishment, this claw could actually make a sound. ¡°Roar!¡± With another wave from Fang Hao, the sound of the claw transformed into a beast¡¯s roar. ¡°Die!¡± Lastly, it produced a man¡¯s furious roar. ¡°For the time being, there are only these three sounds. They can distract the enemy¡¯s attention when attacking. They¡¯re quite practical,¡± Fang Hao said earnestly. In his initial idea, the claw would send out a demonic sound attack to intimidate the enemy. However, after the forging process, it could only make a sound and had no intimidation effect. No matter how much he studied it, he couldn¡¯t achieve what he initially envisioned. ¡°Did you forge all these?¡± Li Xuan asked, looking at the random artifacts in the box. ¡°Yes!¡± Fang Hao nodded. He then eagerly asked: ¡°Big brother, which one caught your eye? I can give you a discount!¡± Li Xuan more and more felt that Fang Hao was a good fit with his idea. The little fat man was full of wonderful ideas and had innate talent. He was a perfect fit for practicing looking the part of martial arts. ¡°Why do you make these unconventional treasures? They seem a bit unnecessary.¡± Li Xuan asked curiously. ¡°The artifacts in the Ling Domain are lacking in originality. And my dream is to become a grand artifact-forging family, the number one artifact-forging family in the Ling Domain. ¡°Only by surpassing everyone else and creating a new kind of artifact-forging can this be achieved.¡± Fang Hao stated firmly. ¡°How can a loose cultivator become a great family?¡± Li Xuan asked with a smile. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard, but how can I be content without giving it a shot?¡± Fang Hao answered earnestly. ¡°Is your artifact-forging skill inherited?¡± Li Xuan asked curiously. ¡°No,¡± Fang Hao shook his head. ¡°My father wasn¡¯t powerful and died accidentally after just becoming a Grandmaster. I always thought my martial arts talent wasn¡¯t very good, so I chose to study artifact-forging instead. ¡°I bought the basic artifact-forging technique, and then worked on my artifact-forging skills myself, and that¡¯s how I got to where I am now. ¡°I can confidently say that no one in Zheng Country understands artifact-forging better than I do!¡± The more Li Xuan heard, the more satisfied he was. Fang Hao indeed had extraordinary talent, and Li Xuan could see that his unique martial art was on its way into the world. Next, Li Xuan continued to ask Fang Hao some questions, to all of which Fang Hao answered, and in the end, he even took Li Xuan to the backyard behind the shop. This was the yard that Fang Hao had rented. It had a shop in the front and a yard in the back, and it was in this yard that he forged his tools. In the yard, there was a forging platform, with a variety of forging materials arranged all around. Next to the forging platform, there was a man-high armored puppet. ¡°This is the war puppet I¡¯ve carefully developed. The only problem is that its limitations are too great for now, it cannot fight independently, and needs to be controlled by my martial arts power, making it somewhat redundant. ¡°However, I¡¯ve already thought of a solution. But whether it would work or not would probably take quite some time.¡± Fang Hao excitedly slapped the war puppet as he spoke. Li Xuan was genuinely surprised. Fang Hao¡¯s talent was indeed extraordinary. He had even made a combat puppet. He raised his hand and infused some divine element into the war puppet. As a result, the war puppet ¡°clanged¡± as it raised its hand, swiping its war knife forward, cleaving forward, sweeping horizontally, diagonally slashing left and right, with just these few moves repeated over and over. Indeed it was too redundant. But for the Ling Domain, it was a great pioneering innovation. Fang Hao wore an embarrassed look, ¡°I wanted the war puppet to have a more autonomous fighting style, but it seems hard to achieve.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ve found a solution to it?¡± Li Xuan withdrew his spiritual focus and asked with a smile. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s very difficult.¡± Fang Hao sighed. He explained his own solution. ¡°You know about Corpse Beasts, right? They are nurtured in special areas over time. I¡¯m wondering if I can also place the battle puppet in such an area for nurturing.¡± ¡°I have already found a special place and buried a battle puppet there. It¡¯s challenging to confirm if this method is feasible.¡± Fang Hao sighed again. This was his inspiration after hearing that the Azure-Sky Flood Dragon had evolved into a Corpse Beast. However, the birth of a Corpse Beast requires nurturing over hundreds of years, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years. It¡¯s impossible to validate the feasibility of this approach in a short time. Moreover, even if feasible, the nurturing duration for a battle puppet is exceedingly long, besides, the combat power generated from nurturing may not be strong. The plan seemed quite unproductive. This was the reason for Fang Hao¡¯s frustration. ¡°I will take this battle puppet, and I have something for you to refine. If you succeed, it shows that we are destined, and I will offer you a great opportunity.¡± After thinking for a moment, Li Xuan said with a smile. ¡°This battle puppet is not cheap, the cost of materials alone¡­¡± Fang Hao¡¯s eyes lit up, and he hastily began to speak. Li Xuan took out several spirit banknotes. These were issued by the several Transcendent Spirit Sects in the Ling Domain, all of which were robbed by Xu Yan from the Dai Family. ¡°Here is half a million spirit crystals.¡± ¡°Big brother, the battle puppet is yours, and, I also give you this Spring Night Mirror.¡± Fang Hao was overly excited. Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched. He didn¡¯t need that Spring Night Mirror. ¡°Keep it for yourself.¡± He shook his head and said. Fang Hao chuckled and swiftly asked, ¡°Big Brother, what do you want to refine? I will definitely help you successfully create it.¡± Li Xuan took out an array diagram. This was the smallest and the simplest one among all the array diagrams. ¡°Do you see this diagram? All you need to do is to refine this diagram into an artifact.¡± Li Xuan smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care what tools you use or how you refine it. I even won¡¯t care about how the patterns on the diagram are arranged.¡± ¡°You just need to incorporate the array diagram into the artifact and comprehend the mystery of the patterns.¡± ¡°If you can do it, it means we are destined.¡± This was a test. If Fang Hao could do it, it would mean that he indeed had the extraordinary talent to become his fourth disciple. Looking at the array diagram in his hand, Fang Hao found it very intricate. He intuitively knew that if he could understand it, a new dimension would be unveiled. It would open up a new world for him. ¡°Big Brother, rest assured, I will definitely accomplish it!¡± Fang Hao patted his chest and said. ¡°Hmm, very good. Here is a deposit of 100,000 spirit banknotes, you can use it to buy materials.¡± Li Xuan took out another one hundred thousand spirit banknotes. ¡°Thank you, big brother, you really are a great person, as generous as Young Master Shen!¡± Fang Hao was overjoyed. After Young Master Shen, does he now have another regular big customer? In the future, he would have no shortage of spirit crystals to buy materials for research. ¡°The opportunity to change your fate is right in front of you, little fatty, seize it!¡± Li Xuan chuckled, patting Fang Hao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll come to check in a few days.¡± With a wave of his hand, the battle puppet fell into his palm. He took a step forward and vanished from the courtyard in a blink of an eye. Li Xuan was in high spirits, finally encountering a talented fourth disciple candidate. ¡°I hope he can pass the test.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. After a lengthy conversation, Li Xuan quite appreciated Fang Hao¡¯s temperament and character. Moreover, Fang Hao was ambitious, had dreams, and more importantly, he could focus on practicing Martial Arts and studying the techniques of the arcane arts. After Li Xuan had disappeared, Fang Hao held the array diagram in his hand. The more he looked at it, the more magical it seemed, making him feel as if he had obtained something extraordinary. ¡°If I can comprehend it, and make the artifact that big brother needs, it would be incredible.¡± In his daze, he suddenly froze. Chapter 445 Fang Hao finally realized something was amiss. ¡°What did I just reveal?¡± He almost disclosed all of his secrets. ¡°I was overjoyed and excited, and I carelessly said too much. I must be more cautious next time!¡± Fang Hao silently admonished himself. He must no longer be careless, blindly complying with others¡¯ inquiries. Little did he know, with his level of strength, he was powerless to resist under Li Xuan¡¯s Divine Intent. Unbeknownst to him, he¡¯d revealed everything. Divine Intent was like the Will of Heaven, and it was hard to defy! How could he, a martial artist at the level of a Great Grandmaster, resist it? He did not even notice anything was amiss. Fang Hao did not ponder more about this, but instead immersed himself in the array diagram. The deeper he looked into this diagram, the more profound he found the knowledge concealed within ¨C extraordinary and non-grand. ¡°A significant opportunity?¡± Fang Hao muttered to himself. He fully invested himself in researching the array diagram, wondering how to refine it into a treasure, and what form that treasure should take. ¡°A single treasure seems inadequate for carrying the full diagram. Given the course of this diagram, it appears to belong to a set? ¡°A primary treasure complemented by several subsidiary ones to form a combination?¡± Fang Hao gradually started to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Since the treasure was not limited to a single form nor a specific amount, he was free to create at will. Therefore, he decided to follow his ideas. Fang Hao immersed himself in the Artifact Refining process, fully committed and motivated. ¡­ Li Xuan returned to his cottage, carrying a war puppet. ¡°Master, what is this?¡± Su Lingxiu walked over, her curiosity piqued. ¡°A dummy? That many treasure refining materials used to create a dummy seems wasteful, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Su Lingxiu looked around, puzzled. ¡°This is a war puppet. As one who does not understand the essence of the craft, your creation was too mediocre.¡± Li Xuan flicked a stream of Divine Yuan into the war puppet. The puppet sprung to life, repeating the same few offensive moves. Su Lingxiu widened her eyes in surprise, exclaiming, ¡°It can actually fight? But it¡¯s too crude, and its attack power isn¡¯t strong. It can only deal with martial artists below the first grade. ¡°No, third grade or lower. As long as one dodges its first strike, they can locate its weakness and shatter it. ¡°Only martial artists who are third grade or below and not strong enough would possibly be killed by its few attacks.¡± Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu all walked over curiously, They all nodded in agreement to Su Lingxiu¡¯s judgment. ¡°So, it¡¯s mediocre.¡± Li Xuan laughed, ¡°It¡¯s functional as a toy.¡± The war puppet ceased its movements. Su Lingxiu, still intrigued, injected True Yuan into the puppet, which began moving again. ¡°Master, the puppet seems too weak to tolerate too much True Yuan without shattering.¡± Su Lingxiu knitted her eyebrows as she spoke. Li Xuan nodded in agreement. Even a bare ripple of his Divine Yuan was almost unbearable for the puppet. ¡°It really is just a toy.¡± Su Lingxiu lost interest in it after a minute¡¯s exploration. In contrast, Shi¡¯er seemed rather interested, moving the puppet to one side to play with it. ¡°Fang Hao does have unique ideas and talents. He should be able to pass this test. Indeed, choosing an apprentice really comes down to fate.¡± Li Xuan sighed internally. Fang Hao¡¯s talent in artifact refining was exceptional. Whether it was the war puppet or other treasures, this was something the Ling Domain currently lacked. It was Fang Hao¡¯s original creation. It was evident that he had the aptitude in this field and was thus suitable for the Qimen Martial Arts. However, Qimen included refining methods, formations, prohibitions, and so forth. Therefore, further testing was required. If Fang Hao could refine the array diagram into a treasure, This would indicate his potential in both refining and formations. ¡°In the vast Ling Domain, finding a suitable apprentice isn¡¯t easy. I hope Fang Hao is the one.¡± Li Xuan pondered quietly. Opening the Daoist Golden Book, he examined the Qimen Martial Arts. He had always attempted to further improve the Qimen Martial Arts but hadn¡¯t progressed much. Qimen Martial Arts: Finish degree: Middle-upper. Refining difficulty: High. Understanding difficulty: High. The basis of array in Qimen: Finish degree: High. Understanding difficulty: High. The basis of refining in Qimen: Finish degree: Middle. Understanding difficulty: High. ¡­ Looking at the evaluation given by the Daoist Golden Book, Li Xuan sighed. The perfection degree of the array had reached a high evaluation due to the 36 array diagrams. However, even then, the difficulty of understanding it did not reduce. ¡°This is just the basic array, even if it¡¯s the nine big arrays, they are also considered part of the basic arrays. Of course, large and small arrays, with different placements and realms, are also different. ¡°The Way of the Array is indeed profound.¡± ¡°The array diagram I gave to Fang Hao is the simplest one of the 27 small arrays, called ¡®Blurry Reversal Array¡¯, which belongs to a type of illusionary array. ¡°This was created when I was traversing the north of the wilderness and added some Heaven and Earth Laws patterns. ¡°If even this array cannot be comprehended, then the other large arrays and the whole Qimen Martial Arts are absolutely impossible to fathom.¡± Li Xuan muses to himself. He takes out the Book of Tai Cang and continues to research the Heaven and Earth Laws. As the research deepens, he gains a more comprehensive understanding of how to apply the Heaven and Earth Laws to Divine Skills. ¡­ The Dai Family. After the storm caused by Xu Yan, the Dai Family had repaired its broken buildings. However, a treasure trove being raided and the death of a ¡®Refining God Heavenly Man¡¯ had greatly struck the Dai Family. Chapter 446 There had been a glimmering chance, albeit slim, to make further advancements and possibly ascend to the Transcendent Spirit Sect. However, the highly anticipated Dai Yingying, who was supposed to carry those hopes, was murdered. The murderer has yet to be punished, and to add to that, their treasury has been robbed and the Refining God Heavenly Man has been slain. They have plummeted from a second-rate noble family to a third-rate one. With the Spirit Sect and the noble families¡¯ ranks influencing their power and access to resources, the demoted Dixon family slowly lost its resources that once belonged to their second-rate status, leaving them instead with the meager pool that matched third-rate families. The only hope for redemption was to regain their second-rate status. Now, any aspirations within the Dai family to elevate their status back to a second-rate noble family seem to rely heavily on Dai Sheng. Their chance of nurturing another Refining God Heavenly Man is scarce; their only hope is for Dai Sheng to make further advancements and surpass the mid-stage of the Refining God Heavenly Man. However, each advancement within the Refining God Heavenly Man stage was no easy feat. It is hard to imagine the difficulty of cultivating the Divine Soul, and any hope for near-term progress seems dire. For the Dai clan, remaining a third-rate family wouldn¡¯t be so bad, at least they still counted as a noble family. Moreover, they still had Dai Sheng, the Refining God Heavenly Man. Xu Yan and Meng Chong have been secretly observing the Dai family for many days. Having gained a clear understanding of the Dai family¡¯s strength and the whereabouts of their remaining treasury. Of course, discovering any additional secret treasure hoards remained impossible for the time being. ¡°The Dai family is not weak and possesses quite a few powerful Heavenly Men. Are you confident, junior brother?¡± Xu Yan asked seriously. ¡°Senior brother, rest assured. Once I enter the Dai family, I will manifest my Six-Zhang Golden Body. Neither the Heavenly Man nor a spiritual artifact can penetrate my Indestructible Divine Armor. ¡°I¡¯ll first seize their treasury before dealing with them. As for senior brother, Dai Sheng, the Refining God Heavenly Man, is no easy opponent.¡± Meng Chong spoke in a deep voice. ¡°I have a measure of Dai Sheng¡¯s strength. We clashed swords once before. My current strength has improved substantially compared to last time. Moreover, I have advanced to the Heart Sword Realm. ¡°Even if I cannot defeat Dai Sheng, he cannot do much harm to me either.¡± Xu Yan confidently asserted. Yu Xiaolong was coiled around Xu Yan¡¯s wrist, it thought these two brothers were truly insane, plotting to raid a noble family with just the two of them. If they managed to succeed, it would send tremors throughout the entire Yuzhou. The Yu Shen Sect and the Su Family would undoubtedly fall into sleepless nights. ¡°Beware of other noble families or the Spirit Sects coming to their aid. Many of these noble families are interconnected by marriage alliances. Once a family faces the threat of annihilation, other noble families will undoubtedly come to their aid for the sake of their family honor.¡± Yu Xiaolong cautioned. ¡°That won¡¯t be a big problem. Neither the Yu Shen Sect nor the Su Family would ever think we¡¯d dare to attack the Dai Family. By the time the other experts rush over, we would have cleaned up and left.¡± Xu Yan coldly chuckled. Killing Dai Sheng doesn¡¯t matter. Raiding the Dai family¡¯s treasury would suffice as payback. ¡°You¡¯ll be responsible for cleaning out the treasury.¡± Xu Yan grabbed Yu Xiaolong and stuffed him into Meng Chong¡¯s pocket, giving his instructions. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to clean it out.¡± Yu Xiaolong nodded. At this point, they had no other option but to fight. There was no going back. Unless it decided to abandon Xu Yan, it wouldn¡¯t have a chance to obtain the Great Demon technique. Moreover, it found the venture quite exciting at the moment! They were going to raid a noble family! This would certainly cause a sensation in the Martial Arts world. The night descended! Dai Sheng was in meditation when he suddenly felt a chill. He abruptly opened his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡± An elder from the Dai family roared. Roar! A Golden Giant Dragon descended and demolished a building. A figure flew out from the rubbles. ¡°If you¡¯re courting death, I¡¯ll grant your wish!¡± Dai Sheng brandished a spiritual artifact, a long knife, in his hand. With a swing of the knife, the blade light spread across the night sky. The might of a Refining God Heavenly Man resounded in all directions. Xu Yan parried with a sword technique. The Sudden Wind Sword Intent roiled, meeting the force of Dai Sheng¡¯s Divine Soul, even suppressing it slightly. This left Dai Sheng unable to exert the full strength of his Divine Soul. Dai Sheng¡¯s expression changed dramatically. He felt a heavy pressure on his Divine Soul. He hastily started his Cultivation Technique to condense his Divine Soul, knowing that the slightest negligence would surely damage it. ¡°What kind of Cultivation Technique is this?¡± Dai Sheng thought warily. His Divine Soul power seemed to be hit by a gale. It swayed occasionally, and his divine soul power, which originally dominated everything, had lost its innate might. Boom! Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°Old ghost of the Dai family, behold my sword!¡± Mountains and rivers appeared, thunder rumbled and Xu Yan struck one sword attack after another, clashing heavily with Dai Sheng. Dai Sheng was shocked. The last time Xu Yan and he had crossed swords, he was far from being a match and had ended up fleeing desperately. But how much time had passed since then? Could his cultivation have progressed this horrifyingly fast? ¡°He¡¯s neither at the Refining God Stage nor the Merging God Stage; his Cultivation Technique seems to be unique!¡± Dai Sheng¡¯s killing intent rose in his heart. Regardless of anything tonight, he had to eliminate this menace before him, or else the future troubles would be endless. With his rate of power increase, wouldn¡¯t he soon be out of his league? Boom! The glint of swords rippled. At this moment, Dai Sheng couldn¡¯t afford to be the least bit sloppy. Layers upon layers of sword glimmers covered halfway up to the sky, and the power of the Refining God Heavenly Man was undeniably demonstrated. The elders of the Dai Family, at this moment, were all extremely nervous, fearing that Dai Sheng wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out, and that the Dai Family would be in danger. A Mother and Child Bead was crushed! This was a call for help to the allied prominent families and the Spirit Sect. ¡°The Refining God Heavenly Man is indeed powerful, and cannot be underestimated.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s expression was grave. He had achieved a Divine Intent State, and he was not far from reaching the small success state of this realm. Yet the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, which was aimed at the Divine Soul, still put him at a disadvantage in his fight with Dai Sheng. Xu Yan felt the pressure. ¡°The path of Martial Arts is not a smooth one, it¡¯s a good opportunity to temper oneself!¡± Xu Yan showed no fear, his radiating aura shining brightly, as though divine rhythm were being revealed. Mountain and River Sword Dao was used, one sword after another, continuously improving amidst the battle. Whoosh! Two rays of sword light burst out, transforming into a Sword Ring, sweeping towards Dai Sheng! Life and Death Sword Ring! The fierce battle was in full swing and fully occupied Dai Sheng, with no time to divide his attention. Meng Chong made his move! Boom! A golden armored giant descended from the sky, resembling a god, causing the elders of Dai Family to break out in cold sweats. Meng Chong, transformed into a giant figure, cast his Indestructible Armor. It was as if a golden armor covered his whole body, shining with blazing radiance, like a burning golden flame. He ignored the elders and charged straight towards one of the treasure houses. ¡°Stop him quickly!¡± The group of elders roared feverishly. All the Great Heavenly Man elders made their moves, their powerful strength pouring out. However, they could not inflict much damage on the giant¡¯s body. The armor was damaged for only an instant, then it returned to its original state! Boom! A giant fist, carrying the force of wind and thunder, was thrown out! Thud! The Dai Family¡¯s ancestral shrine was instantly blasted, creating a big hole. The hidden treasure house inside the shrine was opened instantly. Whoosh! Yu Xiaolong swiftly rushed into the treasure house. His body expanded instantly, his mouth wide open, frantically absorbing everything in the treasure house. Meng Chong turned around, blocking the entrance to the treasure house, keeping off the Dai Family elders. His fists were thrown out with violent strength, exploding an elder of Great Heavenly Man like crushing a locust. ¡°Kill!¡± The elders of Dai Family, their eyes already crimson, roared as they charged towards Meng Chong! Although facing a big crowd, Meng Chong remained fearless. He even did not bother to defend, with one fist after another thrown out, terrifying the group of Dai Family elders. Splat! Another elder was blasted apart! At this moment, the elders all felt a sense of despair. Who is this person? Where did this golden armored giant come from, were there giants in the Ling Domain? The defense was too terrifying. Spiritual Artifacts hit him and only broke the golden armor. However, the golden armor recovered instantly. They could not harm the giant at all! The opponent did not need to defend, relying solely on his physical strength to resist attacks while they, if careless, would be blasted by a single punch! The strength of the two parties was not at all on the same level! ¡°Who are you?¡± Dai Sheng¡¯s face changed drastically, he swung out several sword strokes with his powerful strength, forcing Xu Yan to back off a bit, and then turned to deal with the mysterious golden-armored giant! However, to his shock, Dai Sheng¡¯s expression changed drastically! No longer caring about the golden-armored giant, he roared angrily. Sword light flashed, forming a sword light shield, defending all around! At this instant, houses and vegetation were all lifted and turned into sharp swords, attacking from all sides! Xu Yan, with an indifferent expression, took one step after another forward. Behind him, houses were flying and vegetation was rising into the air. In this moment, above the Dai Family, it was like swords gathering from everywhere! In a thought, everything becomes a sword! Fear appeared on Dai Sheng¡¯s face, and a chill ran down his spine. What kind of Cultivation Technique was this? Where did this monstrous powerhouse come from? Chapter 447 ¡°Who are you?¡± Dai Sheng croaked out the question. At this moment, he was somewhat regretful, even blaming his incompetent son and an old clan member, why did they have to curry favor with the Jade God Sect and Su Family at the expense of this young man? They¡¯ve brought such a calamity to the Dai family! Of course, he hated Wen Yong the most. If it weren¡¯t for this arrogant loose cultivator who killed Dai Yingying, none of these series of events would have occurred. Eventually, Dai Sheng¡¯s face gradually turned frenzied. Tonight, if they don¡¯t kill this teenager, the Dai family is doomed to perish in the future! ¡°Sword God Xu Yan!¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes were cold. In a thought, he seemed to release thousands of swords, turning them into a raging torrent, attacking Dai Sheng! This was the first time he was manifesting everything into a sword after he broke through the Heart Sword Realm! Boom! Dai Sheng roared in rage, his blade light sweeping across. Thousands of swords were constantly collapsing as he took step after step towards Xu Yan, intending to kill him. However, all over the Dai family estate, buildings and vegetation transformed into sharp swords, continuously attacking him. Dai Sheng¡¯s advance was incredibly slow. He was even forced to retreat several steps! The clan elders of the Dai family were all on the brink of a mental breakdown. As Meng Chong lifted his head to watch, he was deeply shocked. This is the essence of swordsmanship in the Heart Sword Realm? Taking a deep breath, he blasted open another treasure vault of the Dai Family with a loud crash! Yu Xiaolong rushed into it again. The giant figure of Meng Chong, clad in golden armor, filled the elders of the Dai family with despair. Especially when the entire Dai family¡¯s estate, including grass, bricks, and tiles, all turned into sharp swords and attacked Dai Sheng. Dai Sheng was tied down, he couldn¡¯t escape at all! ¡°My grandson is in danger!¡± An elder of the Dai family shouted and turned to run. The Dai family seemed to be finished! Within a short time, the elders of the Dai family fled one after another, wanting to preserve their personal achievements and seek refuge with other prominent families or the Spirit Sect. It seemed that the Dai family could no longer hold on. Meng Chong rampaged, turning the ancestral shrine of the Dai family into ruins. All the treasure vaults that needed to be found were discovered. Both he and Yu Xiaolong cleaned out everything inside the vaults. Meanwhile, Dai Sheng was already going mad, constantly howling and charging towards Xu Yan. At this moment, the entire Dai family estate was almost barren. The manifestation of everything into swords was already becoming thin. Whoosh! Yu Xiaolong flew over, saying, ¡°It¡¯s almost time. If we drag this out any longer, other powerful figures are going to show up!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Meng Chong took a deep breath, his six-foot golden figure shrank back to his real body, and he drew his sword. Yu Xiaolong quickly dove into his pocket. Meng Chong took a deep breath, with a frigid look in his eyes he stared at Dai Sheng. An aura of domination from the Heaven and Earth Badao Sword was constantly congealing. Between heaven and earth, it was as if only this sword existed. The second layer of the Heaven and Earth Badao Sword! The second layer of the Domination Sword Intent! The Defeating God Cut reached its peak state. Humm! In this instant, Dai Sheng¡¯s blade light lagged, and he was horrified to find that the blade in his hand seemed to have lost control. He turned his head abruptly and saw the bald and burly youth standing with his sword raised. Between heaven and earth, it was as if he held a sword that dominated everything. As if all the swords in the world were under his control! At that moment, even as a Refining God Heavenly Man, he had a sense of absurdity that he could not wield his blade. ¡°You.¡± ¡°Meng Chong, the Bladebreaker, beheading you!¡± Meng Chong roared and slashed down! The Defeating God Slash was matchless, aiming straight at the Divine Soul! At the moment Meng Chong made his move, Xu Yan also slashed out with his sword. The sword was invisible, and one could barely detect any sharp sword light. However, at this moment, Dai Sheng suddenly screamed! His Divine Power was unable to defend against Xu Yan¡¯s strike while resisting the Defeating God Slash! Regardless of Meng Chong or Xu Yan, as soon as they made their moves, they targeted the Divine Soul! Especially Xu Yan¡¯s sword, after it was swung, it was like a parasitic worm, spreading along the Divine Soul¡¯s power, reaching the root of Dai Sheng¡¯s Divine Soul consciousness. Boom! Within Dai Sheng¡¯s Divine Soul consciousness, he suddenly saw a whirlwind descending. It was a whirlwind of Sword Intent, killing his Divine Soul, tearing his soul and consciousness apart. The intense pain within his Divine Soul made Dai Sheng scream out in agony. The blade in his hand instantly lost control, all his attacks were rendered impossible. Escape! He must escape! Deep within his consciousness, a strong desire to escape surged, causing him to fly up in the air, ready to flee. This was his self-reaction from experiencing countless battles when he sensed the threat of life and death. Whoosh! Xu Yan teleported, instantly blocking his escape route. Dai Sheng wanted to attack, but within his Divine Soul, it felt as though something was exploding, continuously stirring around. The intense pain made him unable to launch an attack. Humm! Xu Yan slashed down again with his sword! ¡°This sword is known as Sudden Annihilation Sword. You are the first to die under the Sudden Annihilation Sword, which I¡¯ve recently comprehended. In a sense, this is an honor for you!¡± The Sudden Annihilation Sword of the Mountain and River Sword Dao! Boom! ¡°Ah!¡± Dai Sheng clutched his head. Inside his consciousness, it was as if a cluster of sword light was stirring, and his Divine Soul was continuously being torn apart! Xu Yan swung his sword again and landed another hit. Splat! Dai Sheng¡¯s physical body was split in half. His storage pouch fell to the ground, and with a wave of Xu Yan¡¯s hand, it was drawn into his possession. Meng Chong swung his sword, and in an instant, Dai Sheng¡¯s corpse turned into flying ashes! And his Divine Soul was still screaming, gradually collapsing! Slash! Meng Chong¡¯s Defeating God Slash tore through the Divine Soul¡¯s power. A tiny breeze swept across, and not a trace of the Divine Soul¡¯s energy remained, completely obliterated! Dai Sheng fell! With Dai Sheng¡¯s strength, even if Xu Yan had comprehended the Sudden Annihilation Sword, it would be hard for him to injure Dai Sheng¡¯s Divine Soul. However, Meng Chong¡¯s Defeating God Slash dispersed the power of his Divine Soul defense. When the Divine Soul¡¯s power that was barely resisting the Sudden Annihilation Sword was scattered and a fraction of it was lost, Xu Yan promptly slashed into Dai Sheng¡¯s Divine Soul in a flash. Chapter 448 Without any technique to defend his divine soul, he had to rely entirely on the power of his divine soul to resist. How could he withstand the martial arts divine technique aimed at his divine soul? As soon as his divine soul was injured, intense pain struck him. All his coping abilities had become dull. Life and death were already determined! Yu Xiaolong swallowed a mouthful of saliva, thinking about these two brothers. They were truly ruthless. Together, they had killed Dai Sheng! The Dai Family was finished! The prestigious second-class family was wiped out just like that! ¡°Yuzhou is about to undergo drastic changes, third-class families and the Spirit Sects are going to be unsettled, they are probably going to lay low for a while. The days for the Loose Cultivators might get a little better because of this? ¡°But the Jade God Sect and Su Family are probably going to come out in full force to exterminate Xu Yan.¡± Thought Yu Xiaolong, feeling frightened. However, thinking about Xu Yan and Meng Chong¡¯s mysterious master, someone who could casually kill a Refining God Heavenly Man without any fear of the Jade God Sect and Su Family¡­ The greatest danger is in arousing the vigilance of top Spirit Sects and families, and even Transcendent Spirit Sects, and being wiped out by them to avoid the recurrence of the Blood Demon disaster. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Having killed Dai Sheng, the Dai Family¡¯s estate had completely turned into ruins. All the members of the Dai Family had already run away in madness. All the treasure troves that could be found had been emptied. Strong individuals from other Spirit Sects and families, especially from the Jade God Sect and Su Family, were likely on their way. Once they were surrounded, they would be in danger. Xu Yan and Meng Chong concealed their auras, changed their appearances, and vanished in an instant, disappearing into the darkness of the night in a flash. Not long after they left, several figures suddenly appeared. Looking at the Dai family estate, which had turned into an empty plot, they instantly revealed expressions of shock. In such a short time, the Dai Family had been wiped out. Dai Sheng, dead?! ¡°Who wiped out the Dai Family?¡± A Refining God Heavenly Man with a stern look said. Dai Sheng¡¯s strength was not weak, at least not weaker than his. Since the other party could kill Dai Sheng, couldn¡¯t they also kill him? ¡°Is it possible that it was that young man?¡± Another Refining God asked in a deep voice. Among the Refining God Heavenly Men present, two were particularly glum. They were the Refining God Heavenly Men from the Jade God Sect and Su Family. Those two Refining God Heavenly Men who had recently learned of Xu Yan¡¯s status had ultimately lost their traces, obviously having fallen. The Dai Family had been wiped out, a second-class family, disappeared from Yuzhou in such a short time. Since the Blood Demon disaster ten thousand years ago, no family had been wiped out. Dai Family was the first family to be wiped out. At this moment, the Refining God Heavenly Men present all showed solemn expressions. Soon, these Refining God Heavenly Men found the elders of the Dai Family who had escaped, and after questioning them, they were utterly horrified. The Refining God Heavenly Men of the Jade God Sect and Su Family felt their scalps numb! What a big threat! ¡°Sword God Xu Yan? Where did he come from?¡± ¡°Knife Extreme Meng Chong?¡± ¡°Six-meter-tall Gold Armored Giant?¡± This series of news frightened the several Refining God Heavenly Men. The two Refining God Heavenly Men didn¡¯t say a word and quietly left. This matter, they could not get involved! The two considered themselves not necessarily stronger than Dai Sheng. If they were killed, their family would be completely removed from the list of families. They belonged only to third-class families. The news of Dai Family¡¯s destruction swiftly spread throughout the martial arts world of Yuzhou, like a big rock thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples. Sword God Xu Yan¡¯s name, at this moment, spread throughout the martial arts world of Yuzhou. And so did the names of Six-meter-tall Gold Armored Giant and Knife Extreme Meng Chong. The Jade God Sect and Su Family began to discuss how to eliminate the threat of Xu Yan. Other Spirit Sects and families in Yuzhou were evaluating how they should handle this matter. The first reaction of those second and third-class families and Spirit Sects was naturally not to offend Xu Yan. If the Jade God Sect and Su Family couldn¡¯t suppress Xu Yan, then these second and third-class families would certainly be in danger. ¡°Who is this strong man who popped out of nowhere? Could he be a genius secretly cultivated by my All Ages Alliance, sent to Yuzhou to prepare to emerge on behalf of the Alliance?¡± In the secret Yuzhou headquarters of the All Ages Alliance, the Alliance Hierarch said in shock. He was too powerful! Felling a second-class family to a third-class family was already shocking enough. But in such a short time, they had completely wiped out this family! They killed the Refining God Heavenly Man, Dai Sheng! The Left Protector and Right Protector of the Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance were also shocked, saying, ¡°Alliance Hierarch, we must make contact with this Xu Yan. Regardless if he was secretly cultivated by our All Ages Alliance, as long as he is a Loose Cultivator, we are of the same mind. ¡°He has wiped out a major family, and is now at odds with the Ling Sect and other prominent families. ¡°Our All Ages Alliance is his foothold, and when necessary, we can find ways to protect him from the powerful ones of the Jade God Sect and the Su Family!¡± The Alliance Hierarch drew a deep breath, saying, ¡°That is natural, but that person from the Jade God Sect, they are too powerful. If they take action, I alone won¡¯t stand a chance against them.¡± The Jade God Sect is the only power in Yuzhou that could be ranked among the top-tier Ling Sects in the Ling Domain. The reason for this lies in the powerful abilities the elder leader of the Jade God Sect possesses, such as Refining God at the later stage, making him the currently strongest individual in Yuzhou. ¡°Yuzhou is in turmoil, it¡¯s time to ask one of our senior members from the All Ages Alliance to oversee things!¡± This was said sternly by the Left Protector. ¡°Let¡¯s see if the main Alliance can dispatch some powerful figures.¡± The Alliance Hierarch nodded in agreement. ¡­ In the Zheng Country¡¯s capital city, at the end of South District¡¯s streets, within the courtyard belonging to Fang Hao. At this moment, Fang Hao¡¯s courtyard was littered with failed equipment for refinement. There were knives, swords, spears and even mannequins. ¡°Why can¡¯t I forge it?¡± Fang Hao¡¯s hair was a disheveled mess as he held his head with one hand while studying an array diagram with the other. Three days had passed already. ¡°Maybe I have been forging in the wrong direction. Though these patterns are interconnected, it doesn¡¯t mean I have to imprint an entire pattern on a single treasure. ¡°Maybe, if I separate them and then refine each individually before combining them¡­¡± Fang Hao¡¯s eyes shone brightly as he continued studying the array diagram. ¡°I can separate it from here, this section of the pattern can exist independently, and so can this section. ¡°And here lies the core of the pattern.¡± After finding the method, Fang Hao was full of energy again and started to forge the treasure. ¡°Neither knife, sword, nor mannequin is suitable. The array diagram is round, so I will choose a round mirror as the form of the treasure.¡± Fang Hao began to forge the first mirror. Li Xuan watched Fang Hao forge quietly, nodding in approval. The likelihood of Fang Hao creating the Array Plate was quite high. Being able to separate the array diagram in such a short time, he is quite close to how to set up and operate a Formation. ¡°In a few more days, we should have a result!¡± Li Xuan thought to himself silently. If too much time passed and Fang Hao hadn¡¯t crafted the array diagram yet, it would imply that his comprehension and talent were somewhat lacking. Without continuing to watch, Li Xuan turned around and went back inside his estate. He had just sat down when the Daoist Golden Book opened on his Soul Pedestal, gushing out golden light. ¡°Has Fang Hao already finished crafting the Array Plate?¡± The first thing Li Xuan thought of was Fang Hao. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has killed a Grand Heavenly Man, your combat experience has increased.¡± As it turned out, the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book was all related to Meng Chong killing Grand Heavenly Men, one after another. ¡°What on Earth has Meng Chong been up to, killing so many Grand Heavenly Men all at once?¡± Li Xuan was puzzled. Could Meng Chong have taken down an entire power on his own? Not long after, the Daoist Golden Book provided more feedback. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has mastered the Sudden Annihilation Sword, your Sudden Annihilation Sword has achieved great success.¡± The Sudden Annihilation Sword is capable of killing even Divine Souls! ¡°Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Dao is getting stronger and stronger.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in admiration. ¡°Your disciples, Xu Yan and Meng Chong, have killed a Refining God Heavenly Man. You have attained the second form of the God Annihilating Art!¡± Li Xuan was suddenly taken aback. They killed another Refining God Heavenly Man ¨C even if it was a joint effort, it was still quite impressive. ¡°Did they go after the Jade God Sect or the Su Family seeking revenge?¡± Xu Yan was being hunted down by the Jade God Sect and the Su Family; there is no way he would let this matter rest. Meng Chong would not either. Therefore, these two brothers joining forces to attack the strong individuals of the Jade God Sect and the Su Family was not improbable. ¡°No, it must be the Dai Family!¡± Li Xuan suddenly remembered the Dai Family. Xu Yan had already killed one Refining God Heavenly Man from the Dai Family, and the person they must have killed this time would have been another member of the Dai Family, Dai Sheng! Dai Sheng had pursued Xu Yan previously and was certainly high on the list of those who needed to be removed. Besides, the Dai Family was weaker in terms of power. ¡°They must have wiped out the Dai Family, right?¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself, pondering how plentiful the treasures of a major family must be. Xu Yan and Meng Chong must be set on making a big score. ¡°Now, they won¡¯t be short on resources. Even for Fang Hao, who needs to practice the mysterious Martial Arts, there will be no deficiency,¡± Li Xuan exhaled with relief. Chapter 449 In a certain place in Yuzhou, within a mountain cave. Three men and a snake were gathered. Yu Xiaolong opened his mouth, continuously spewing out treasure bags until its face turned green. The Dai Family treasure vault was filled with myriad treasures. To completely empty it, Yu Xiaolong swallowed a lot of empty treasure bags. When it was moving the Dai Family¡¯s treasure vault, it opened its mouth and swallowed, but it did not swallow everything into its stomach. Instead, it swallowed into the individual treasure bags. Shen Haizhou was rubbing his hands together in excitement, his eyes sparkling, as if he had found a way to get rich. The Dai family was once a second-tier family with profound resources, and it certainly wouldn¡¯t lack precious treasures. ¡°Brother Shen, we really owe you for this time. Take a third of the treasures here.¡± Xu Yan patted Shen Haizhou¡¯s shoulder and said. He was not a stingy person. Shen Haizhou had helped greatly in eliminating the Dai family. ¡°That won¡¯t do!¡± Shen Haizhou shook his head. ¡°I only provided some information. Taking one-third is too much. I would feel guilty. ¡°Just ten percent; that¡¯s more than enough for me. I could never spend it all.¡± Shen Haizhou raised one finger. ¡°Alright.¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t insist. Shen Haizhou took his ten percent. Xu Yan and Meng Chong, too lazy to sort out the rest, let Yu Xiaolong swallow all of them back. With such an abundance of treasures, they naturally couldn¡¯t carry all of them. So Xu Yan and Meng Chong planned to head back and turn over these things to their master and younger martial sister. This would provide the opportunity to refine the spiritual medicine into Dan medicine, so that they only need to carry Dan medicine. What a pity for those precious artifact materials and Spiritual Artifacts. As for the Spiritual Artifacts in the Dai family¡¯s treasure vault, none of them caught their eyes, so they didn¡¯t care that much. Meng Chong said with a regretful face, ¡°What a pity, the spiritual weapons don¡¯t change size. If I use my six feet golden body, I have no knife to use.¡± Once he transforms into a six-foot-tall giant, the knife he is currently using will be useless, as it would be too small. However, when he uses the Emperor¡¯s Knife technique, it doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be done with a knife. Of course, if he has a Spirit Knife, his power would be even stronger. Shen Haizhou¡¯s lips twitched. A six-feet giant¡­ what kind of powerful Cultivation Technique is that? It completely upturned his understanding of Martial Arts. ¡°In Ling Domain, there has never been a Spiritual Artifact that could change its size according to one¡¯s wishes.¡± Shen Haizhou shook his head and said. Then, he excitedly said, ¡°Brother Xu, Brother Meng, Su Family has a spirit mineral vein with an amazing amount of Spirit Crystals. Why not seize it and give Su Family a little warning?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not easy to excavate a vein of Spirit minerals. It¡¯s impossible to dig everything in a short period.¡± Xu Yan frowned slightly. The Su Family was an enemy, as long as they could cause significant loss to them, Xu Yan didn¡¯t mind taking action. However, it was admittedly difficult to completely excavate a Spirit mineral vein in a short period. Shen Haizhou whispered mysteriously, ¡°I know someone who has a third-ranked Mountain Swallowing Toad whose ability to swallow most of the spirit vein will not be a problem.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows raised, ¡°Is it reliable?¡± ¡°Rest assured Brother Xu, absolutely reliable.¡± Shen Haizhou patted his chest and promised. ¡°The Su family must have increased their precautions by now. There¡¯s no need to rush, get more information first, and find the right opportunity to act.¡± Xu Yan pondered a while and said. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ve got it covered.¡± Shen Haizhou was ecstatic. After agreeing on a way to keep in touch, Xu Yan and Meng Chong left their hiding place, disguising their appearances to evade the pursuit of the Jade Divine Sect and the Su Family. Meng Chong even put on a wig. ¡­ ¡°Success!¡± Fang Hao wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, looking at the disc in his hand, a smile formed on his face. ¡°This money isn¡¯t easy to earn!¡± This disc was the master disc while the rest were auxiliary. They could be combined with the master disc. Fang Hao began by inserting the eight smaller auxiliary discs into the master disc. ¡°I wonder, what is the use of these things? That mysterious pattern seems to be an illusion?¡± After pondering for a moment, Fang Hao looked excited and eager to try. But he was worried that the set of precious items he had refined might become uncontrollable or hold some unknown danger. He looked at the well in the yard. ¡°Little Ha, come out!¡± A gray toad popped out from the well, squatting on the ground, looking at him. ¡°Ribbit!¡± Its lively eyes stared at Fang Hao. It opened its mouth and gave a soft croak. ¡°I¡¯m going to test the function of this artifact shortly, If anything goes out of control, swallow this disc; got it?¡± Fang Hao pulled out an auxiliary disk and instructed Little Ha. If this auxiliary disk is swallowed, the whole set of precious items will lose their balance and a defect will appear. It is the key weakness of the set of precious items. ¡°Ribbit!¡± Little Ha nodded. Fang Hao took a deep breath, looking solemn. He felt as though he had crafted something incredible. He placed the auxiliary disk in front of Little Ha. Holding the master disk in his hand, he poured power into the disk. With a hum, the seven small auxiliary disks held inside the master disk suddenly flew out, landing in seven different places. Hum! In an instant, it was as if the yard had disappeared and not disappeared at the same time. The house seemed to have changed orientation, and even the well seemed different. The once familiar yard now seemed reversed. Even Fang Hao himself couldn¡¯t distinguish where the house was, or precisely where the well was. Looking at the place where Little Ha was squatting, he instead saw the forging furnace. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, how can the forging furnace be there?¡± Fang Hao was greatly shocked. What kind of treasure was this? Why was it like this? He tried to walk a few steps forward, but found that he had actually lost his way in his own yard. Looking down at the master disk in his hand, he took a deep breath. An array diagram surfaced in his mind. Chapter 450 ¡°It¡¯s controllable. The main disk is in my hand, I should be able to control it.¡± ¡°Little Ha, swallow the circle disk.¡± Fang Hao commanded. However, after he gave the command, he received no response. A hint of concern swirled inside Fang Hao, could something have happened to Little Ha? ¡°No, this circle disk should not possess any offensive power but only the ability to cause confusion and inversion. Perhaps, Little Ha simply couldn¡¯t hear my voice.¡± Taking a deep breath, Fang Hao took a step forward before abruptly halting. Before him was a well, a frog squatting on the ground. Its lively eyes were staring at a circle disk on the ground as if quietly awaiting orders. ¡°Little Ha?¡± Fang Hao called out softly but received no response. He lifted his foot and lightly kicked the frog, yet the touch was not of softness but a solid object. ¡± Is it a stone? Or a discarded artifact?¡± Fang Hao was stunned. He shook his head, widened his eyes. What he was seeing was clearly Little Ha. ¡°Why would this happen?¡± This artifact, it¡¯s incredible! Fang Hao¡¯s heart started racing. He remembered what Li Xuan said ¨C once refined, it would be an opportunity to change his destiny! ¡°Change my destiny!¡± Fang Hao took a deep breath, gently closed his eyes, and the array diagram appeared in his mind. The main disk was in his hand, yet even when he stopped injecting power, the strange scene didn¡¯t disappear. He was looking for a way to stop the artifact¡¯s ability. The array diagram floated in Fang Hao¡¯s mind, each array pattern flashing one by one. ¡°Here!¡± Suddenly, Fang Hao opened his eyes, revealing a look of excitement. He finally found out how to stop the artifact. Lifting his hand, he pointed his finger at the intersecting patterns on the main disk and infused power into it. Little Ha beneath his feet was a discarded artifact. Meanwhile, the houses in the courtyard were still in place, and the familiar scene appeared before him. Fang Hao¡¯s heart was trembling. This artifact is extraordinary! What kind of pattern is this? He hurriedly looked towards Little Ha. ¡°Croak!¡± At the same time, a startled croak sounded. ¡°Brother, that¡¯s my frog!¡± Fang Hao spoke hurriedly. The man standing at the well, having even caught the frightened hopping Little Ha in his hand, was none other than the older brother. ¡­ While Fang Hao successfully refined the Array Plate, Li Xuan, who was seated in a chair studying the Book of Tai Cang leisurely, suddenly saw the Daoist Golden Book flipping open. ¡°Your potential disciple, Fang Hao, has refined the Array Plate of the Confusion Inversion Array. You are familiar with the Confusion Inversion Array + Array Plate refining method.¡± Li Xuan was overjoyed. Fang Hao has actually refined the Array Plate. This happened faster than he expected. ¡°He¡¯s just a potential disciple. Thus, only the Confusion Inversion Array instead of the entire basic Array Way is reflected.¡± Li Xuan understood more about the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book. He immediately took a step and instantly arrived at Fang Hao¡¯s small courtyard. Meanwhile, Fang Hao was preparing to test the Array Plate. Li Xuan silently observed. When Fang Hao activated the Array Plate and stoked the Confusion Inversion Array, Li Xuan was amazed. Even if the array was a minor one and it was clumsily arranged, it was still extraordinarily remarkable. A typical Refining God Heavenly Man, his Divine Soul power scanning over, would not notice anything unusual if he wasn¡¯t careful. Of course, this was also because the Way of the Array was unprecedented in the Ling Domain. Therefore, even a crude array could deceive the Divine Soul power of a Refining God Heavenly Man. ¡°So this is the Mountain Devouring Toad?¡± It took Li Xuan only a few steps to get in front of Little Ha. Looking at the toad with lively, intelligent eyes, one could tell it was unusually smart. ¡°A third-order Mountain Devouring Toad, could it have reached its limit?¡± Li Xuan was familiar with Mountain Devouring Toads since they were the main ingredient for crafting storage pouches. But a Mountain Devouring Toad that reached the third order was almost at its peak. It would struggle to advance further. Four-order Mountain Devouring Toads had rarely ever been seen in history. It was impressive that Fang Hao had raised a Mountain Devouring Toad, and not just any toad, but one with extreme intelligence. This attribute was indeed rare. After all, the intelligence of Mountain Devouring Toads was generally low, just a bit smarter and more cunning than common toads, understanding a bit more about attracting blessings and avoiding disaster. The storage pouches in Ling Domain were mostly crafted from one-year-old Mountain Devouring Toads. As Li Xuan observed Little Ha, he waited to see how long it would take for Fang Hao to comprehend the Array Formation and deactivate the activated Confusion Inversion Array. Within less than a quarter of an hour, Fang Hao had grasped the key to the array formation and deactivated it. Li Xuan showed a smile, his fourth disciple would be him! Little Ha had originally been squatting, looking at the array plate, in its opinion, Fang Hao had been fiddling with the array plate, and nothing unusual had happened. However, all of a sudden, a stranger appeared before it. It was immediately startled. A snatched Toad would have been used to refine a storage bag. It got so scared that it jumped up and was ready to run away. A hand caught it. Fang Hao ran over, looking worried, and said, ¡°Brother, this is mine, not for sale!¡± Li Xuan laughed and put Little Ha down. ¡°A third-rank Toad is indeed rare, especially one with a high level of spiritual intelligence. If toads could have such spiritual intelligence and could be controlled, most martial artists would probably keep one with them.¡± ¡°Instead of using toads to refine storage bags.¡± Toads, because they can¡¯t be controlled and don¡¯t understand orders, can¡¯t be carried around. Hence, they are usually refined into storage bags. However, Fang Hao¡¯s one was somewhat an exception. Little Ha was somewhat panicked, jumping onto Fang Hao¡¯s shoulder, hugging his neck tightly, a pair of agile eyes watching Li Xuan alertly. ¡°Little Ha is indeed special¡­¡± Fang Hao let out a sigh of relief, gently stroked Little Ha to calm its fears and also introduced the background of the Toad. It was caught by Fang Hao¡¯s father by chance in a stone cave. Originally, they had planned to sell it or commission someone to refine it into a storage bag. A young Fang Hao, seeing the lively eyes of Little Ha, which seemed to have a spiritual nature, asked his father to keep Little Ha as a pet, and so it was left behind. After feeding it these years, Little Ha has been elevated to the rank of three. But that¡¯s it top level. ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve forged the thing you wanted.¡± Fang Hao pressed his hand on the main plate, and the scattered subsidiary plates flew in instantaneously and merged into the main plate. ¡°Brother, what is this¡­¡± Fang Hao had a face full of knowledge seeking. ¡°What you have refined is an array plate, this is a Dizzying Array. The diagram I gave you is an array diagram of the Dizzying Array¡­ ¡± Li Xuan said with a smile. ¡°Array? Dizzying stratum?¡± Fang Hao was shocked, he had never heard of such an array method, it seemed that there was no such array in Ling Domain! ¡°Brother¡­¡± Li Xuan interrupted him: ¡°You shouldn¡¯t call me Brother, I see you have quite a talent, meeting is predestined, I have a peculiar Martial Arts¡­ ¡± Thud! Without waiting for him to finish, Fang Hao knelt down with a thud. ¡°Disciple Fang Hao, meet Master!¡± Fang Hao was overjoyed, his excited face was red, he knelt on the ground, knocking his head on the ground over and over again. The Little Ha on his shoulder also squatted on the ground making a bowing gesture. ¡°You may rise.¡± Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction. He liked the quick-witted people like Fang Hao, who knew how to seize opportunities! ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Fang Hao excitedly stood up. ¡°From today, you are the fourth disciple of your Master. Above you, there is a senior sister and two senior brothers.¡± Li Xuan said solemnly: ¡°Your Master doesn¡¯t have many rules, you will be told when you meet your senior brother. Tomorrow you will move to your Master¡¯s temporary residence.¡± ¡°You can start packing now.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao respectfully said. ¡°Master, what is mysterious Martial Arts, why have I never heard of it?¡± He asked with an excited and curious face. ¡°This is a unique Martial Arts that encompasses Artifact Refining, Array, and Prohibition, etc. I will transfer it to you tomorrow. I hope you understand it well and don¡¯t disappoint your Master!¡± Li Xuan said with a serious face. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao was shocked. Such a mystical stratum was only part of the mysterious Martial Arts? How powerful must this mysterious Martial Arts be! ¡°Master, I will prepare to move now and follow Master tomorrow to cultivate mysterious Martial Arts.¡± Fang Hao respectfully said. ¡°Um, I will come again tomorrow.¡± Li Xuan took the Dizzying Array and nodded. He stepped forward and disappeared in an instant. Fang Hao needed some time to deal with miscellaneous matters, so Li Xuan didn¡¯t take him back right away. ¡°I should leave some information for Young Master Shen, my chance has come, and I¡¯m off to serve my master!¡± Fang Hao thought excitedly. Chapter 451 Li Xuan returned to the manor in excitement, sat down on a chair, holding the array plate in his hand. Although the plate was of the lowest order, it was, after all, his first one in the Ling Domain. This signified the beginning of his unique martial arts journey, carrying extraordinary significance. ¡°Finding disciples, in the end, is all about destiny.¡± Li Xuan sighed in his heart. He finally understood that grandmasters looked to destiny when they searched for disciples. ¡°Destiny makes everything go according to wishes. These four disciples are bound to flourish the path of unique martial arts.¡± Li Xuan input his divine essence into the array plate, and eight secondary plates flew out instantly, landing in eight directions in the manor. Hum! The Mirage Displacement formation was activated! Su Lingxiu, who was refining pills, suddenly paused, and the pill furnace tipped over with a bang. During alchemy, she had somehow made a mistake, an inconceivable event. To her, making a pill in a furnace was already a low-level alchemy technique. She couldn¡¯t make a mistake even if she did it with her eyes shut. However, she had just hit the furnace in a wrong position with a pat of her palm. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong!¡± Su Lingxiu felt a chill in her heart. She lifted her gaze, and the manor seemed¡­ transformed! ¡°Why is this tree on this side?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that battle puppet?¡± Su Lingxiu frowned. As her divine sense spread out, she finally noticed the anomaly. The whole manor seemed affected by an unknown force, creating a confusing and upturned illusion. The position of the battle puppet she had just noticed was actually Shi¡¯er practicing blade techniques. ¡°Is it an enemy attack? Or what?¡± An icy feeling overcame Su Lingxiu, instantly making her vigilant. Her divine sense intermingled with the surroundings, an iron hoe appeared in her hand, and thin golden needles swirled around her body. All of the illusions of confusion and inversion suddenly disappeared, and Su Lingxiu turned her eyes to her carefree master sitting in the chair. She ran over and asked, ¡°Master, was there an enemy attack just now?¡± Li Xuan smiled mysteriously and pointed out of the manor, saying, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you go outside and look in.¡± With a hint of confusion, Su Lingxiu moved, left the manor, floated in mid-air, and looked down upon the manor. What she saw left her utterly shocked. From outside, the manor had changed. The original position of the manor had been replaced by several large trees, whereas the manor itself had appeared at the original position of the trees. The figures of Shi¡¯er and the others were no longer visible, as if they had been concealed within the flora. Her Master¡¯s position was vacant. ¡°What happened?¡± Shocked, Su Lingxiu couldn¡¯t comprehend why the manor had changed locations upon sight? She was familiar with the manor and slew of details about it. Had one been passing by in haste, one probably couldn¡¯t detect any anomalies. Her divine sense spread and discovered an unknown force that had enveloped the manor, causing the scenery in it to appear inverted and confusing. ¡°Master, what happened?¡± Su Lingxiu asked, full of curiosity. ¡°These are formations,¡± Li Xuan responded with a smile. ¡°Formations?¡± Su Lingxiu appeared confused. Li Xuan briefly explained formations to her. ¡°There¡¯s something profound about formations. Your youngest fellow disciple has a talent for them. If you¡¯re interested, you can ask him some pointers after he¡¯s been initiated.¡± ¡°Learning some basic formations can be beneficial.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s smile was radiant. Formations were about to make their appearance in the Ling Domain. ¡°Master, have you taken another disciple?¡± Su Lingxiu asked smilingly, ¡°I will be the older sister, this is great.¡± ¡°Fang Hao shows promise, and we share a connection. The unique martial arts path should have a successor.¡± Li Xuan nodded. The next day. Fang Hao looked fondly at his residence in a remote corner of the southern road of the capital city of Zheng country. He was leaving today. The opportunity to change his fate had arrived. He placed the Spring Night Mirror on the stone table in the courtyard and wrote a few words. This was a message for Shen Haizhou. Shen Haizhou, the young master, was pretty good. Fang Hao had made quite a profit off him in terms of spirit crystals. He decided to gift the Spring Night Mirror to him. ¡°Quack!¡± Little Ha gave a soft quack. Everything had been swallowed into its stomach. ¡°Master!¡± Fang Hao greeted Li Xuan, who had just walked over, with reverence. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s go!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Today, he was going to pass on the unique martial arts to his fourth disciple. ¡°Yes!¡± Fang Hao responded respectfully. Back at the manor, Su Lingxiu was waiting to see what the fourth disciple was like. Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, Meng Shushu, and Red Cat were all curiously observing. ¡°Fang Hao.¡± Li Xuan introduced the chubby boy behind him. ¡°This is your third elder sister Su Lingxiu, a pharmacist martial artist.¡± In front of the stunningly beautiful third sister, the chubby Fang Hao¡¯s face flushed instantly. ¡°Fang Hao pays respect to third sister!¡± Su Lingxiu maintained a poker face, trying to exert a senior sister¡¯s authority, she commented, ¡°Hmm, as a newbie disciple, you must follow Master¡¯s words. Except for following Master, you must also follow your elder sister, me!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Fang Hao appeared bit shy. Li Xuan quirked his lips, he couldn¡¯t help but remember the lecherous expression of the chubby boy Fang Hao when he first met him. Especially the obscene look on his face when he looked at the Spring Night Mirror showing naked women. After the disciples got acquainted, Su Lingxiu curiously stared at Little Ha and prodded its belly. ¡°So this is the Devouring Toad, it looks different though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Little Ha.¡± ¡°Little Ha, hmm, let me see.¡± Chapter 452 Su Lingxiu reached out to grab Little Ha, but Little Ha moved and hid behind Fang Hao¡¯s neck. ¡°Senior Sister, Little Ha is shy.¡± Fang Hao said with an embarrassed smile. ¡°Shy, huh.¡± Su Lingxiu squinted her eyes and pulled out a few medicinal pills. ¡°Little Ha, see what this is?¡± Little Ha popped its head out from behind Fang Hao¡¯s neck. Its bright eyes fixated on the medicinal pills in Su Lingxiu¡¯s fair palm, displaying its desire. ¡°You want it? Come and get it if you do.¡± Su Lingxiu beckoned with her finger. Little Ha watched eagerly, but didn¡¯t dare to approach. ¡°So timid, huh.¡± Su Lingxiu pinched a medicinal pill and tossed it over. Little Ha opened its mouth and swallowed the pill. Not long after, its eyes began to sparkle, and it almost drooled. ¡°You can come and get some if you want.¡± Su Lingxiu squinted her eyes. Despite its hesitation, Su Lingxiu threw another pill. After eating two pills, Little Ha grew brave, unable to resist the temptation, and hopped onto Su Lingxiu¡¯s palm, softly chirping. Fang Hao was a bit dumbfounded, for he never expected the medicinal pills to be so tempting that Little Ha would unprecedentedly approach someone other than him. Seeing this, Red Cat quickly became anxious. It rubbed its head against Su Lingxiu¡¯s leg and meowed. ¡°Red Cat wants some too, huh.¡± Su Lingxiu played with Little Ha and Red Cat, feeding them one pill after another. Li Xuan held the Jade Ruyi in one hand and leisurely headed towards the mountain outside the manor, with the other hand behind his back. Fang Hao followed closely behind him. Standing on top of the mountain, overlooking the majestic Zheng capital, Li Xuan slowly asked, ¡°Fang Hao, what do you think of the Spiritual Realm Martial Way World?¡± Fang Hao was taken aback. Not sure why his master was asking, he pondered before replying, ¡°The spiritual realm places high importance on the hierarchy of respect. The Spirit sects and aristocratic families look down upon weak cultivators. ¡°Everyone wants to be a member of the spirit sects and noble families, even if they are of low birth or were once lone cultivators. Once they become a member, they won¡¯t show any courtesy to lone cultivators, regardless of their past. This is the malady of the Spiritual Realm Martial Way World.¡± In the end, Fang Hao raised his head and said, ¡°Master, I always thought this is the flaw of the Spiritual Realm Martial Way World. Although I also want to establish an aristocratic family, I have no desire to create one like the current ones.¡± Li Xuan was slightly surprised and asked, ¡°Is your current dream to establish a respected noble family or to pursue the pinnacle of martial arts?¡± Fang Hao took a deep breath and said, ¡°After learning about formations, noble families are no longer my dream. I want to pursue the essence of martial arts, to develop a martial arts system, to promote the brilliance of formations, and to become an indelible monument in the history of martial arts!¡± In that moment, Fang Hao had a firm look in his eyes; he had discovered his true dream. His slightly chubby face was solemn and determined. ¡°Very good!¡± Li Xuan nodded and said slowly, ¡°I teach principles, not methods. You must remember that you need to grasp the principle and carve your own path. ¡°The mystical martial arts encapsulate formations, artifact refining, forbidden artifacts, and more. What I teach you are the principles, and all methods are embodied within the principles. ¡°Should you wish to learn any formation, meditate on what you need fromwithin the principles. The same goes for forbidden artifacts, artifact refining, grand formations of heavens and earth¡­¡± Before imparting the mystical martial arts to Fang Hao, Li Xuan solemnly told him his way of teaching: he only taught principles! ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao was thrilled. ¡°This is the proper transmission of the principles, not just passing down the concrete methods. The master wishes his disciple to eventually carve his own path!¡± In Fang Hao¡¯s eyes, his master suddenly seemed incredibly legendary. ¡°Now, listen carefully to the mystical martial arts¡­¡± Li Xuan¡¯s expression turned serious as he began to teach Fang Hao the mystical martial arts. The Daoist Golden Book opened above the soul pedestal. Techniques pertaining to the Mystical Martial Arts emerged. Li Xuan, word by word, sentence by sentence, transmitted everything about the Mystical Martial Arts, including its theories and basic methods, to Fang Hao. Fang Hao listened intently with a solemn expression, fearful of missing even a single word. ¡°This is the mystical martial arts ¨C it¡¯s so mysterious, so profound. How should I comprehend it?¡± The more he heard, the more astonished Fang Hao felt. The mystical martial arts were far too enigmatic and profound. Even the basics were extremely difficult to grasp and he didn¡¯t even know how to start practicing. ¡°¡­Fang Hao, have you memorized it?¡± Li Xuan asked in a deep voice after imparting the Qimen martial arts. ¡°Master, your disciple has memorized it.¡± Fang Hao responded respectfully. Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. The fact that his disciple could remember after being taught once was a testament to the natural talent he expected of his apprentice. ¡°Previously, I taught you the bewildering array, which is a small formation that you are now familiar with. Today, I will teach you the rest of the formations for you to delve into. The Way of the Array is profound and unpredictable, and not limited to the formations I teach you. You must use this as a foundation and center around array techniques to explore and innovate formations on your own. ¡°The same applies to restrictions and artifact refining. I have also taught you about the patterns of Qimen, the phenomena of heaven and earth, and so on. ¡°None of them are eternally fixed, as long as you understand the meaning behind them. Once you understand one method, all others will become clear, and you could easily manipulate formations and restrictions. ¡°Apply different formations and restrictions depending on the environment. ¡°Just like your third senior sister who is skilled in the way of medicinal pills. She can concoct any pill naturally, and even create new ones if necessary. ¡°This is because your senior sister has comprehended the Tao of medical pills. Fang Hao bowed with reverence and solemnity, stating, ¡°Yes, Master, I will not let you down!¡± ¡°Good. Now look carefully. This is the diagram for nine major formations.¡± Li Xuan gave a nod of approval. In the blink of an eye, his divine intent surfaced and depicted diagrams of nine major formations in mid-air. Fang Hao watched carefully, but the formation diagrams were so complicated and profound that it was not easy for him to remember them all. Unless he had comprehended the Qimen martial arts and established a foundation in array techniques, it would be nearly impossible to memorize the formation diagrams in such a short time. Li Xuan understood this. ¡°How much have you remembered?¡± A moment later, Li Xuan asked. With a look of embarrassment, Fang Hao replied, ¡°Forgive my stupidity, Master. I could only remember half of the array diagram.¡± ¡°Being able to remember half is good enough. Work hard and study the Qimen martial arts carefully.¡± Li Xuan looked rather disappointed. ¡°When I have some free time, I will draw the array diagrams for you to study in detail. Once you understand the methods of Qimen martial arts, only then you can comprehend the mysteries of array techniques.¡± ¡°Yes, Master, I will surely try my best and not let you down!¡± Fang Hao responded resolutely. ¡°In the pursuit of enlightenment, one must be adaptable and not persistent. If you obsess too much, you might get the opposite of what you want.¡± Li Xuan cautioned. Fang Hao felt a shudder in his heart and respectfully replied, ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± ¡°Good, reflect on it carefully.¡± Li Xuan nodded, turned around, and left leisurely. Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, he thought, ¡°Now that the Qimen martial arts have been transmitted, I¡¯m waiting for the results. How long will it take for Fang Hao to comprehend it? ¡°The cultivation of Qimen martial arts is not the same as regular martial arts. I wonder how Fang Hao will comprehend it and what method he will use to initiate his cultivation.¡± In Li Xuan¡¯s eyes, anticipation flared. Fang Hao sat in meditation on the mountain peak, with the Qimen martial arts emerging in his mind, constantly probing its mysteries. The more he pondered, the more he found it profound. This was different from regular martial arts. It was a unique school that completely surpassed his understanding of martial arts. ¡°Artifact refining, array techniques, restrictions, Qimen mysteries, phenomena of heaven and earth¡­¡± In Fang Hao¡¯s mind, techniques of Qimen martial arts emerged one by one. The diagram of the formation presented itself in his mind. The theories and framework of artifact refining also gradually appeared. Most importantly, the initiation of Qimen martial arts cultivation filled him with a profound sense of mystery, as he found no way to enter. ¡°How do I initiate into Qimen martial arts? The cultivation techniques I¡¯ve learned cannot employ the Qimen techniques, and the cultivation of Qimen martial arts is not cultivation as usual¡­¡± Fang Hao took a deep breath, opened his eyes and looked at the sprawling distant city of Zheng. The magnificent city, like a giant beast, lay spread across the land. ¡°This is my chance. I want to become a Qimen martial artist. I want to explore the pinnacle of Qimen martial arts and make a name for myself in martial arts history¡­ Whether it is the Spirit Sect or noble families, they will be insignificant compared to me!¡± At this moment, Fang Hao had found his life goal with unwavering resolution. The Spirit Sect and noble families looked down upon everyone, yet how many of them had vanished into oblivion throughout history? Some even didn¡¯t leave a name behind. He wanted his name to echo through the ages, and aspired to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. The chance to change his fate was at hand, and he knew he had to grasp it no matter what! Chapter 453 Li Xuan returned to his manor and saw Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu in training. In high spirits, he decided to give them some guidance. The three of them were not very strong, they had just entered the Divine Skill Realm. They were just average Divine Skill martial artists, not comparably strong to Xu Yan and Meng Chong, who could slay Heavenly Men with their Divine Skill stage power. Following the consumption of its medicinal pill, Red Cat had moved to a corner to cultivate. Ever since Xu Yan gave it some guidance, it has experienced some enlightenment, creating array diagrams in its acupoints, as if setting up formations within them. Of course, this was impossible. So, instead of sticking strictly to the array diagrams, Red Cat followed its own desires and, as Xu Yan suggested, drew patterns that it could draw. Next, it had to combine these patterns. Maybe it could discover some mysterious techniques from them. Little Ha ate the pill, but it was apparently too full, and went to a corner to digest it. ¡°I hope Fang Hao can gain insights into the mysterious martial arts soon,¡± Li Xuan said to himself. Li Xuan took out the Book of Tai Cang and continued to study the Heaven and Earth Laws. ¡°Above the Divine Skill Realm, one certainly has to touch and use the Heaven and Earth Laws. However, one must not be restricted by them, so I need to ponder more.¡± ¡°If one can use Heaven and Earth Laws without being bound by them, it means one is above the laws, not beneath them, and not constrained by them.¡± ¡°At the Divine Skill Realm, a complete Primordial Spirit is cultivated, and Divine Skills are generated naturally. These skills might be considered as a martial artist¡¯s personal laws.¡± ¡°Using personal laws in harmony with the Heaven and Earth Laws, and then utilizing their power¡­..¡± Through his study of the laws in the Book of Tai Cang, Li Xuan has started to understand that once he integrates with these laws, he will necessarily be restricted by them. To transcend Heaven and Earth, to step out of the constraints of the Heaven and Earth laws, will be quite challenging. This is why the realm above the Divine Skill Realm can only use the Heaven and Earth Laws without being restricted by them. If one does not contain these laws, how then does one utilize them? Moreover, to use these laws, one must have enough power to continuously surpass that of the Grand Azure Martial Dao. This is also a difficulty. However, the Divine Skill Realm is where one condenses the Primordial Spirit and gives birth to Divine Skills. As for how Divine Skills are brought forth, Xu Yan has to gain insights into that. If the naturally born Divine Skills are considered personal laws, could one control the Heaven and Earth Laws with personal laws? Would it still be feasible? Would one still be able to stay ahead and maintain a strong power? ¡°It is not as simple as integrating the Divine Skills into the Heaven and Earth Laws. If it were, wouldn¡¯t the Divine Skills be restricted? Then they would lose their inherent power.¡± ¡°The realm above the Divine Skill, it involves Heaven and Earth Laws, but the Divine Skill should become stronger.¡± Li Xuan fell into deep contemplation. Various ideas flashed through his mind. As a Divine Origin Realm martial artist with the heart of a Martial Ancestor, he was no longer a novice. Having thoroughly studied the laws in the Book of Tai Cang, he was a creator of martial arts. He had some ideas on how to use the Heaven and Earth Laws to strengthen oneself without being limited by them. He needed to refine these ideas, and then the martial arts above the Divine Skill Realm would be completed. Fang Hao stood on the mountaintop, contemplating the mysterious martial arts. While Li Xuan stayed in the courtyard, continuing to study the Heaven and Earth Laws from the Book of Tai Cang. The martial arts world of Yuzhou meanwhile, was in quite a stir. The Spirit Sect and Su Family, to nip the risk of Xu Yan in the bud, were making great sacrifices. ¡°Have the Spirit Sect and Su Family gone mad? Offering a city, a mine, even promising support to become a lower-tier noble family, and high-tier families backing low-tier families?¡± ¡°Whoever can capture or kill Xu Yan and Meng Chong will be assisted in establishing a Spirit Sect and will receive two-thirds of the resources left by the Dai Family!¡± ¡°Those who provide information about their whereabouts will be rewarded with five million spirit crystals or items of equal value.¡± ¡°Anyone who participates in the besiegement, successful or not, will receive a million spirit crystals!¡± The entire martial arts world of Yuzhou was shaken by the bounty offered by the Spirit Sect and Su Family. Even some low-tier families who were initially planning to stay out of this business were now tempted. This was an opportunity to become a high-tier family, and also to be backed by the two mountains that were the Spirit Sect and Su Family. Whether it¡¯s the territories and resources left by the Dai Family or the Spirit Crystal Mine offered by the Spirit Sect, both were enough to tempt the high and low-tier families and Spirit Sects. The promise to support the establishment of a three-tier Spirit Sect and family was directed at the Refining God Heavenly Men among the Loose Cultivators. Although there were few Refining God Heavenly Men among the Loose Cultivators and their strength was generally weaker compared to others, they were, after all, present and active. The reward offered by the Spirit Sect and Su Family was indeed alluring. It was an opportunity for the Loose Cultivators to leap from their status and join the ranks of the Spirit Sects and families. It could be predicted that some Loose Cultivators would be enticed. Moreover, this bounty was not only offered in Yuzhou, but had also spread to Luo State, which shared a border with Yuzhou. The Loose Cultivator powerhouses of Luo State would surely enter Yuzhou to seize this opportunity. Inside the All Ages Alliance¡­ ¡°What a generous offer from the Spirit Sect and Su Family!¡± the Alliance Hierarch exclaimed sarcastically. ¡°What should we do, Hierarch?¡± asked the Left Protector solemnly. The All Ages Alliance was composed of Loose Cultivators, but that didn¡¯t mean that all Loose Cultivators could join. If news leaked before they achieved anything, the Alliance would undoubtedly be attacked by the Spirit Sects and families. Because of this reward from the Spirit Sect and Su Family, Loose Cultivator powerhouses would inevitably be tempted, some might even be preparing to join hands to claim the reward and step into the ranks of the Spirit Sects. Chapter 454 ¡°Find Xu Yan and Meng Chong!¡± Alliance Hierarch spoke solemnly, ¡°Also, keep a close watch for any strong Loose Cultivators who have entered Yuzhou.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Left Protector nodded, then hesitated, ¡°Xu Yan and Meng Chong move in secret. Finding them will be extremely difficult. I¡¯m afraid that before we find them, the Yushen Sect and the Su family may already be a step ahead.¡± The Alliance Hierarch¡¯s face darkened. The all Ages Alliance, due to its inability to openly operate, was ultimately inferior to the intelligence capabilities of Yushen Sect and the other Spirit Sects and families in Yuzhou. After all, the whole of Yuzhou was under the rule of these Spirit Sects and families. ¡°Closely monitor any activities from the Refining God experts of Yushen Sect and the Su Family. As soon as anything unusual is discovered, notify me immediately.¡± Alliance Hierarch thought for a moment and commanded. In all of Yuzhou, from the Spirit Sects and family¡¯s Martial Artists to the lowest ranking Loose Cultivators, everyone is searching for signs of Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Whoever provides clues will receive a Spirit Crystal reward. Who wouldn¡¯t be tempted? ¡°The power of the Spirit Sects and the noble families is indeed terrifying.¡± Meng Chong sighed. ¡°Heh, Yushen Sect and the Su Family, huh?! I¡¯ll take them down sooner or later.¡± Xu Yan sneered. The two were in a store, buying books describing all kinds of treasures in Ling Domain. They overheard the Martial Artists discussing about the bounties set by the Yushen Sect and the Su Family. Now, the entire Martial Arts world of Yuzhou was in an uproar because of these two. The city they were in was under Yushen Sect¡¯s control. Almost every Martial Artist in the city was looking for them. However, Xu Yan and Meng Chong were not flustered at all. Both their appearances and their auras had been completely changed. Even if a Refining God Heavenly Man were to face them, they wouldn¡¯t be recognized. After buying the books they needed, the two went around the city. ¡°Killing a Refining God Heavenly Man is a bit difficult, but killing a greater Heavenly Man is as easy as turning over a hand. The great Heavenly Man here is an affiliate of the Yushen Sect. Let¡¯s add some fuel to their fire!¡± Xu Yan sneered. ¡°The bounty set by the Yushen Sect is still lacking. It¡¯s not bold enough.¡± He thought of adding fuel to the fire, making the Yushen Sect to further increase their bounty. The next day, a piece of news shocked the whole city. The City Lord has been murdered! The murderer was Xu Yan! And he even left behind a message mocking the Yushen Sect! ¡°Who does Xu Yan think he is, being so arrogant? A mere Loose Cultivator dares to take on a Spirit Sect as their enemy, and it¡¯s Yuzhou¡¯s number one sect at that!¡± ¡°Even though I feel that Xu Yan is on the path of self-destruction, I don¡¯t know why, but I find it quite refreshing!¡± ¡°I feel the same, those bastards from the Spirit Sects are getting what they deserve. I somehow feel incredibly proud.¡± The Loose Cultivators discussed excitedly. Meanwhile, Yushen Sect was shocked. Xu Yan had brazenly appeared in the city and no one had noticed. Even after the City Lord was murdered, it took a long time for people to discover! By now, Xu Yan must have already escaped from the city. Shortly after the Yushen Sect¡¯s city lord was killed, the emperor backed by the Su Family, was also killed. The murderer was Meng Chong! This immediately gave the Yushen Sector and the Su Family, a strong sense of crisis. The worst thing wasn¡¯t having a strong enemy, but not being able to find the enemy! Just as Yushen Sect and Su Family¡¯s strongest were marching out in all directions, looking for Xu Yan and Meng Chong, a three-tiered Spirit Sect that was loyal to the Yushen Sect and the Su Family and that had participated in the pursuit, their Sect Master was assassinated right outside of their sect gate! Xu Yan and Meng Chong even swaggeringly declared that those who dared to meddle in their dispute with the Yushen Sect and the Su Family, should not be surprised if they show no mercy! Another Refining God expert was ambushed! Yuzhou¡¯s martial arts world was truly shaken, even the neighbouring Luo State¡¯s major Spirit Sects and families knew about the two ferocious Loose Cultivators in Yuzhou. They were even killing the Refining God Heavenly Man of the Spirit Sects and the families! Following these events, the three-tier Spirit Sects and the families who were participating in hunting down Xu Yan and Meng Chong, immediately started backing off! They did not want to be ambushed and killed! While the temptation of advancing to a second-tier Spirit Sect or Wealthy Family and spirit crystal mines was great, if their lives were gone, everything would be meaningless. ¡°Dad, do you see this? These people are vicious. Don¡¯t think that Loose Cultivators can¡¯t be ferocious. Don¡¯t forget about the Blood Demon.¡± Shen Haizhou said to his father. He was also shocked. Xu Yan and Meng Chong, these two, were truly brutal. ¡°What my son said is correct. Thankfully our Shen Family did not get involved.¡± Shen Wang nodded. Although the Shen family was powerful, they could not withstand the attention of these two ferocious men. He, Shen Wang, did not want to face a difficult situation. In a city within Zheng Country, Xu Yan and Meng Chong walked side by side. ¡°It¡¯s time to go back.¡± Since the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family were on guard, an ill-considered attack would easily lead to an ambush. Therefore, the two did not plan to continue, but to return to their master¡¯s temporary residence instead. ¡­ After Li Xuan taught Fang Hao the martial arts of the mysterious door, he occasionally checked on Fang Hao and found that Fang Hao had been contemplating the cultivation technique on the mountain top. A few days later, Fang Hao still hadn¡¯t figured it out. Li Xuan was not in a hurry. The Daoist Golden Book gave a high evaluation of the difficulty of understanding the martial arts of the mysterious door, so it was not something that could be done overnight. Even if it was just getting started. While researching the Heaven and Earth laws in the Book of Tai Cang, on top of the Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book flipped open, and golden light poured out. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but feel joyous, had Fang Hao understood the mysterious door martial arts? He quickly dismissed that thought. According to the feedback rules of the Daoist Golden Book, a new martial arts system would only receive feedback after the entry-level cultivation is completed. ¡°Your disciples Xu Yan and Meng Chong have besieged a Refining God Heavenly Man, and your Divine Annihilation Technique has been enhanced.¡± Li Xuan: ¡­ What¡¯s up with Xu Yan and Meng Chong? Did they kill a Refining God Heavenly Man again? ¡°Was it someone from the Jade Spirit Sect, or the Su Family?¡± Li Xuan did not pay much attention to it. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were calculated in their actions, and in terms of martial arts world experience, they were far more experienced than their master. One day, Fang Hao came down from the mountain, saying he was going to find a place to cultivate. Once he found the right place, he was confident that he could start his practice. Li Xuan was secretly delighted, it seemed that Fang Hao had figured out how to cultivate the mysterious door martial arts. ¡°Is it by leveraging the power of heaven and earth, setting up the mysterious door formation, and then cultivating?¡± Li Xuan speculated in his heart. Two days after Fang Hao left with Little Ha, he came back. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve found the place to cultivate. Now I need to prepare for the entry-level cultivation.¡± Li Xuan nodded and said, ¡°Whatever you need, just say.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Fang Hao was overjoyed. So, he started to set up a forging platform in the manor. Su Lingxiu helped him complete this platform that he needed for cultivation. After all, alchemy and artifact refining have some similarities. After the forging platform was set up, Fang Hao began to forge treasures. These treasures were imprinted with formations by him during the forging process. Li Xuan silently observed for a moment and roughly guessed Fang Hao¡¯s cultivation method for the martial arts of the mysterious door. ¡°Fang Hao actually figured out this cultivation method. Could this be the real method of cultivating the martial arts of the mysterious door? Is it feasible?¡± Li Xuan quietly got excited. He had created the martial arts of the mysterious door, and although the entry-level cultivation was not specific, he had provided a theoretical framework. What Fang Hao had comprehended was the most challenging and mysterious method outlined in this theory. ¡°If this is indeed a viable method, the strength of the martial arts of the mysterious door will exceed my expectations.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but look forward to it. It took Fang Hao three days to forge the treasures he needed, which differed from each other, such as long rods, round plates, pillars, and pedestals. ¡°Junior Brother, how do you plan to use these things you¡¯ve forged?¡± Su Lingxiu asked curiously. Each treasure seemed to have nothing to do with the others, and she couldn¡¯t figure out how they were relevant to the cultivation of the mysterious door martial arts. ¡°They are to leverage the power. I¡¯m not sure if it will be successful.¡± Fang Hao scratched his head and said shyly. ¡°Master, I am ready.¡± Fang Hao approached Li Xuan and respectfully said. ¡°Yes, follow what your heart has discerned.¡± Li Xuan nodded. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao stated firmly. Just as he was about to set off to his chosen location for cultivation, two figures landed in the manor. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong looked around curiously. When the two returned, they found the manor in an unusual state, as if it was enveloped in an unknown power, causing a sense of bewilderment and dizziness, creating some kind of illusion. ¡°Senior Brother, it¡¯s a formation, the array plate forged by Fourth Junior Brother and activated by him!¡± Su Lingxiu greeted the two senior brothers with a smile as soon as she saw them return. ¡°Formation?¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong were taken aback. So this was a formation? It certainly felt unusual. Chapter 455 Before Xu Yan and Meng Chong could approach the manor, Li Xuan was already aware. He wanted to test whether Xu Yan and Meng Chong could instantly notice the abnormalities of the manor. The results did not disappoint him. Whether it was Xu Yan or Meng Chong, they noticed something was wrong in an instant, and unaffected by the influence of the formation, they accurately landed in the courtyard. ¡°This array plate is rather crude and low level after all.¡± Li Xuan was not too surprised. After all, it was the first array plate created by Fang Hao, crude and simple. The power of the formation was not strong. Naturally, it could not deceive Xu Yan and Meng Chong. ¡°This is my fourth disciple, Fang Hao, who cultivates Qimen Martial Arts, this is your eldest senior brother Xu Yan, and second senior brother Meng Chong!¡± Li Xuan introduced. Upon hearing this, Fang Hao¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Xu Yan, Meng Chong?!¡± He was completely stunned. The two fierce individuals who had shaken the whole of Yuzhou, and had left the Spirit Sect and the Su Family anxious, were his eldest and second senior brothers? ¡°Junior brother, what¡¯s with your expression?¡± Su Lingxiu asked with surprise. ¡°Eldest senior brother, second senior brother, are you the Xu Yan and Meng Chong pursued by the Spirit Sect and Su Family?¡± Fang Hao asked, shocked and thrilled. His own senior brothers turned out to be such fierce individuals. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s us!¡± Both Xu Yan and Meng Chong nodded. ¡°Eldest senior brother, second senior brother, you are my idols!¡± Fang Hao was overly excited. Grabbing Xu Yan and Meng Chong¡¯s hands, he wore an expression of adulation on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t be so excited, fourth junior brother, this is a small matter. The Spirit Sect and Su Family are insignificant.¡± Xu Yan patted his junior brother¡¯s shoulder. Although the Spirit Sect claims to be the number one sect in Yuzhou, its strength within the Ling Domain is only rubbish among the top-rated. It barely meets the qualification threshold. Fang Hao was extremely excited. He hadn¡¯t expected his senior brothers to be Xu Yan and Meng Chong, two individuals who struck fear into the hearts of both the Spirit Sect and Su Family. Quite a few Loose Cultivators felt proud because of Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Of course, the majority of them also hoped to rise in the ranks of Spirit Sect, and family martial artists. This was a deep-rooted notion in most Loose Cultivators within the Ling Domain. After the brothers had become familiar with each other, Fang Hao said with excitement: ¡°When I master the entrance, I¡¯ll refine array plates to help my senior brothers!¡± Fang Hao could imagine that he would need a lot of materials to practice crafting and refining array plates while cultivating Qimen Martial Arts. However, what the Spirit Sect and the families never lack are these resources. If they exterminate the Spirit Sect or the Su Family, he wouldn¡¯t lack cultivation resources for a long time. Filled with excitement and determination, Fang Hao was resolute to enter and reveal the strength of Qimen Martial Arts during this conflict between his senior brothers and the Spirit Sect and aristocratic families! Xu Yan and Meng Chong were also curious to know about the uniqueness of cultivating Qimen Martial Arts which Fang Hao was attempting to master. The group left the manor and headed towards the place where Fang Hao was going to cultivate. On the border of Zheng Country, there was a range of mountains. Between these mountains, there was a valley, slightly lower in altitude, embraced by the mountains and gathering the power of the mountains. The place chosen by Fang Hao for cultivation was this small valley. Li Xuan, seated on Red Cat, looked down from mid-air, impressed by Fang Hao¡¯s choice. The valley chosen by the gifted Fang Hao could use the energy of the surrounding mountains for his cultivation. Fang Hao looked solemn as he began to arrange the refined artifacts at certain positions around the valley. The artifacts seemed to form some kind of connection with each other. ¡°Master, how will junior brother cultivate? Drawing in nature¡¯s spiritual energy into his body?¡± Meng Chong asked with curiosity. ¡°Using the power of nature to cultivate one¡¯s self is not that easy, just watch and you might gain some insights.¡± Li Xuan replied with a light laugh. Fang Hao wanted to cultivate Qimen Martial Arts by using this theoretical method, which surprised Li Xuan. After all, cultivating backed by the power of nature was not only difficult but also involved certain risks. The most important factor is: how could he use the power of nature? To use the power of nature, it is mandatory to set up a formation, or an extraordinary spectacle of nature. Only then can the power of nature be introduced into the body for cultivation. Fang Hao had an exceptional talent for formations and the wonders of nature. He had found a perfect place for his cultivation, and intended to use the layout of this place to constitute an extraordinary spectacle of nature for his cultivation. However, risks were still a factor. If he was unable to withstand the power, he would be inevitably overwhelmed. ¡°I hope he can succeed.¡± Li Xuan felt a little anxious. If Fang Hao successfully cultivated through this method, it would firmly establish the method of cultivation of the Qimen Martial Arts. ¡°Will there be some unusual changes if cultivated this way?¡± Li Xuan silently pondered. He opened the Daoist Golden Book to check, and couldn¡¯t help but become lost in thought. When he had assembled the Qimen Martial Arts, he had thought of the 4,300 Qimen Dunjia patterns and impulsively wrote about the theory of using the Qimen patterns and nature¡¯s power for cultivation. The original intention was to cultivate Qimen Martial Arts after mastering its entry point. As layout of the Qimen patterns was required, if one failed to master the entry point, how could the Qimen patterns be laid out? Unexpectedly, Fang Hao directly chose this method for his entry point cultivation. As a result, the initial stage difficulty of Qimen Martial Arts has increased, making it more challenging for subsequent practitioners without exceptional talent. This means that Qimen Martial Arts is more difficult to spread than Physical Martial Arts and Dan Medical Martial Arts. It truly belongs to a niche cluster of Martial Arts. Chapter 456 And so it becomes more tenacious and unpredictable. There is also a streak of nervousness in Fang Hao¡¯s heart. After all, such a cultivation methodology is unprecedented, and a slight carelessness can easily lead to a mishap! ¡°The opportunity to change my fate lies before me. I won¡¯t be contented without taking a risk. The greater the danger, the bigger the reward!¡± Fang Hao took a deep breath, his gaze becoming resolute. The glory and honor of the first and second Senior Brothers killing the Spirit Sect and noble families, he also aspires to become such a person, to make the Spirit Sect and noble families tremble at the mere sound of his name! All preparation is completed. ¡°Little Ha, wait outside.¡± He said looking at Little Ha on his shoulder. ¡°Quack!¡± Little Ha rubbed his neck for encouragement then bounded off onto Su Lingxiu¡¯s shoulder. Ever since it had consumed the pill, it had become more affectionate towards Su Lingxiu, the pills were just too delicious! Fang Hao placed the ding-shaped treasure in the middle of the valley. In an instant, the energy from the mountains around converged upon it. It seemed as if nature¡¯s spiritual energy was being drawn towards it, flowing into the valley. The vast spirit of heaven and earth converged, forming an odd formation. Fang Hao sat cross-legged on the ding. Bam! In this very instant, it felt like a heavy mountain crushing down on him. His bones creaked under the immense pressure, seemingly about to be crushed at any moment. Xu Yan gazed at the valley, with contemplative expression. Meng Chong frowned. The energy of the mountains converged in the valley, drawing in nature¡¯s spiritual energy. The grand spirit of heaven and earth converged, creating a mysterious and changing pattern. If used for cultivating the Undying Golden Body¡­ At this moment, Meng Chong had some ideas. Su Lingxiu silently watched, her face filled with concern. In order to prevent any mishap befalling Fang Hao, she deliberately made high-tier healing pills. If something were to happen, the pills can be ingested. The fear was that Fang Hao would not have enough time to ingest it, then someone else would need to come to his rescue. ¡°When the spirit of heaven and earth converge¡­ if used for alchemy¡­¡± In that moment, Su Lingxiu was also inspired. ¡°Following the Way of the Array is indeed profound. If successful, mass-producing pills, or even those with divine effects, could become a reality.¡± Some thoughts emerged in Su Lingxiu¡¯s mind. ¡°The Void Alchemy¡­ using the universe as a void, harnessing the force of heaven and earth¡­¡± Just hintingly, a groundbreaking advance in Alchemy was forming in her mind. Although only a vague outline and far beyond her current abilities, it chartered a direction for the enhancement of her Alchemy. Li Xuan was completely engrossed observing Fang Hao¡¯s cultivation. Suddenly, on his Soul Pedestal, the Daoist Golden Book opened, golden light spilling out. He was taken by surprise. Fang Hao had just started cultivation and was yet to pass the threshold. How could feedback occur so quickly? ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, comprehending the advanced version of Void Alchemy, you have gained the Heavenly Divine Furnace Alchemy.¡± Li Xuan was taken aback. He looked at Su Lingxiu next to him and couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. The Heavenly Divine Furnace Alchemy was unimaginably powerful. Li Xuan took a deep breath. He felt that this Heavenly Divine Furnace Alchemy was on the pinnacle of Alchemy. It seemed almost impossible to make further advancements! However, Su Lingxiu only had an abstract idea and a direction to enhance Alchemy. She had not fully comprehended the Heavenly Divine Furnace Alchemy. In addition, her current abilities were far from sufficient to execute this Alchemy. Even for Li Xuan, he was currently unable to execute it! He merely possessed the knowledge of this Alchemy, but lacked sufficient power to perform it. ¡°This is an unexpected gain.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself with glee. Although it was Fang Hao who was practicing the extraordinary martial arts, Su Lingxiu had gained an insight into the Heavenly Divine Furnace Alchemy from it. In the valley, on the treasure ding, Fang Hao¡¯s face turned red, his body seemed as if it was about to explode. He was struggling to hold on. ¡°The time is almost right, I should be able to borrow the force of heaven and earth, and incorporate the heavenly extraordinary pattern into my body.¡± At this moment, Fang Hao¡¯s gaze was firm, he started to cultivate the extraordinary technique he had comprehended. The energy of heaven and earth was crisscrossing inside his body, as if outlining something. As he continued cultivating, the mountain-like pressure gradually became more gentle. Meng Chong contemplated, as Fang Hao set up a grand formation borrowing from the formidable forces of nature for practicing Martial Arts. This is indeed a method of practicing Martial Arts. If the force from nature was too fierce, one would be crushed instantly, if too weak, it would be hard to make initial progress in cultivation. This required a delicate balance. Fang Hao, in this respect, evidently had a good grasp, which speaks to the monstrous talent he had in martial arts. ¡°My physical strength is robust, and while my progression in bodily martial arts cultivation may be slower than normal, if I practice Martial Techniques by borrowing the force of nature, my Undying Golden Body would become much stronger. Its defense would be astonishing and could speed up the process of bodily cultivation.¡± As these thoughts crossed his mind, different ideas began to appear. A cultivation technique that could aid in the cultivation of the Undying Golden Body started to form in Meng Chong¡¯s mind. Li Xuan watched Fang Hao, and felt relief. Fang Hao¡¯s progression in martial arts was making good strides. Indeed, for Fang Hao to use the force of nature so perfectly on his first try, this demonstrated his astonishing talent in this aspect. The Daoist Golden Book opened once again, allowing golden light to gush out. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, learned a support technique for bodily cultivation, the ¡®All-encompassing Heavenly Hammer Technique¡¯. You¡¯ve acquired the ¡®All-encompassing Heavenly Hammer Technique¡¯, the power of the Undying Golden Body which has gone through hundreds of refinements, and have seen a significant increase.¡± Li Xuan felt a sudden enhancement in his Undying Golden Body upon the Daoist Golden Book¡¯s feedback, as though it had been refined by nature hundreds of times. ¡°Whoa! This support technique for bodily cultivation is damn powerful. Using nature as the hammer to refine oneself!¡± Li Xuan felt utterly flabbergasted. Looking at Meng Chong, his second disciple, he seemed like a bit of a brute. However, he never expected that Meng Chong would comprehend such a powerful technique. Su Lingxiu was able to understand nature¡¯s Alchemy technique by observing Fang Hao harness the power of nature, Meng Chong understood the ¡®All-encompassing Heavenly Hammer Technique¡¯, so why didn¡¯t Xu Yan understand anything? Li Xuan was surprised. Xu Yan, his first disciple, was the most talented. Turning his gaze towards Xu Yan, he seemed deep in thought. Li Xuan wondered if he could comprehend anything. The process of Fang Hao¡¯s cultivation wasn¡¯t something that could be completed overnight. Especially since he was initially a Martial Artist of the Great Grandmaster level. Now that he was cultivating Martial Arts from scratch, he had almost completely abandoned his original martial arts foundation. Thus, this process couldn¡¯t be rushed. Li Xuan was unsure of how Fang Hao was progressing in his training. After all, although he had invented the Martial Arts, he had not practiced it himself. The discrepancy between creating and practicing Martial Arts was significant. A day went by, Fang Hao was still in the midst of his cultivation, the expression on his face still flushed red. Clearly, he was in substantial pain. Li Xuan looked at Xu Yan in surprise, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. Where has the intuition of my first disciple gone? Why hasn¡¯t he made any progress?¡± He was feeling frustrated. Among his four disciples, Xu Yan, his eldest disciple, was meant to be the trailblazer in martial arts development. He was the true prodigy. Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu both made progress. Why did Xu Yan not comprehend anything? All of a sudden, Li Xuan raised his eyebrow, showing an expression of surprise. At this moment, the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book arrived. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, comprehends ¡®Mountain River Sword Array¡¯. You¡¯ve achieved great success in ¡®Mountain River Sword Array¡¯!¡± Sword Array! Xu Yan had grasped the Sword Array, which was beyond Li Xuan¡¯s expectations. Moreover, this Sword Array was quite remarkable. Li Xuan remained silent. Xu Yan was deploying the Sword Array, everything within his sight was taking shape as a sword, and the Sword Intent of the ¡®Mountain River¡¯ permeated the air. Blended in with the environment. Without making a single sound. Meng Chong furrowed his brow, looking around, he vaguely felt that something was wrong. However, he couldn¡¯t pinpoint what this feeling was. ¡°Illusion?¡± Meng Chong dismissed the thought. He had never thought that he could have such hallucinations. There must have been something wrong, only that he was not able to register where the issue lay. Somehow, he felt a sudden sense of danger. ¡°Something¡¯s off. Our master is right beside us. Why do I feel a looming crisis?¡± Meng Chong frowned. Looking up to Su Lingxiu, he communicated through their spiritual connection, ¡°Junior sister, do you notice anything unusual?¡± Su Lingxiu narrowed her beautiful eyebrows. As a Shen person with a green woody spiritual body, she currently felt that something was strange about every blade of grass and tree, as if they were becoming sharper? She hesitated and then replied, ¡°Something seems wrong with the vegetation.¡± Meng Chong was surprised. What could be wrong with the vegetation? He didn¡¯t notice anything. He looked at Xu Yan, his eldest master brother, and asked through their spiritual connection, ¡°Elder brother, have you noticed anything strange?¡± If the eldest master brother hadn¡¯t noticed anything abnormal as well, it could truly be his hallucination. Chapter 457 Xu Yan glanced at his fellow disciples, a smile played upon his lips, and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing unusual.¡± He was the one who set up the Sword Array, so how could there be anything unusual in it? Meng Chong scratched his bald head, seeming somewhat vexed. He had carefully sensed for any anomalies and indeed noticed some, as if he were enveloped in a sense of impending danger. ¡°Could it really be just my imagination?¡± Since their senior brother had claimed that nothing was amiss, he started to think it was merely a figment of his imagination. Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as he noticed that Xu Yan had narrowed the scope of the mountain and river Sword Array to the position where Meng Chong stood. This development confused Meng Chong even more. Why was the feeling of danger intensifying? He felt surrounded by danger. The environment around him seemed increasingly threatening, as if he would face innumerable attacks at any moment! ¡°Junior Brother, did you notice anything abnormal?¡± Xu Yan asked. Meng Chong scratched his head in frustration, ¡°Sort of¡­ I feel somewhat threatened. But it doesn¡¯t make sense. With our master nearby, even if a Refining God Heavenly Man is watching, we would not be in any danger.¡± Xu Yan nodded thoughtfully. Meng Chong was not an ordinary martial artist. Although the Sword Array was hidden well, Meng Chong was able to detect it. He had chosen not to react to the anomaly due to the assurance of his master¡¯s presence. In an instant, Xu Yan lifted the Sword Array, and it enveloped Su Lingxiu. ¡°Junior Sister, did you notice anything?¡± Xu Yan asked. He was trying to figure out how to make the Sword Array more hidden and silent. Su Lingxiu knitted her brows, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I feel like the plants around us have somehow become sharper, dangerous almost.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Xu Yan nodded, and in a heartbeat, he infused the ground and even the surrounding nature¡¯s spiritual energy with Sword Intent. ¡°Huh, that feeling is gone. But there¡¯s something¡­ something that doesn¡¯t quite feel right.¡± Su Lingxiu remarked in surprise. Upon seeing their senior brother, Meng Chong¡¯s mouth twitched. He understood that their senior brother was surely up to some mischief! ¡°Senior Brother, what new realization have you come to?¡± Meng Chong asked out of curiosity. ¡°Sword Array!¡± Xu Yan let out a sigh, and the Sword Array sprang to life of its own accord. Looking at the various embodiments of the Sword Intent, everything from the plants to the soil seemed ready to transform into sharp swords. Furthermore, each of these swords moved according to a specific pattern. Meng Chong¡¯s scalp had goosebumps as he realized, ¡°So, this is the Sword Array?¡± Previously at the Dai Family residence, Xu Yan had exhibited the might of the Heart Sword Realm, turning everything into swords. However, that was a mere instance of transforming everything into swords for attack purposes. In contrast, the Sword Array not only transformed things into swords but also manipulated them according to a unique pattern, which made the attacks more potent and lethal. ¡°With this Sword Array, I am confident that I can take down Dai Sheng!¡± Xu Yan announced as he withdrew the Sword Array. He now had the ability to slay a martial artist in the early stages of the Refining God Heavenly Man Stage by himself! ¡°I feel like I¡¯m close to a breakthrough, I should find a quiet place to cultivate.¡± After bidding his master farewell, Xu Yan turned around to leave, he was getting closer to reaching the intermediate stage of the Divine Intent State. ¡°I¡¯ll go cultivate too!¡± Meng Chong exhaled heavily. When their senior brother was already capable enough to independently execute a martial artist at the early stage of the Refining God Heavenly Man, he had to work even harder. Luckily, he had just grasped the cultivation technique as a supporting method, which he could now test to see the results. Xu Yan and Meng Chong both left to find isolated spots for cultivation. Only Su Lingxiu stayed behind, sitting beside Li Xuan, she concurrently served tea to her master and asked, ¡°Master, how long will it take for our junior brother to get started with his cultivation?¡± Li Xuan glanced at Fang Hao, who was down the valley, and said, ¡°Once the energy of the heavens and earth starts to fade, that will be the sign that he has started.¡± Upon hearing this, Su Lingxiu looked at the strange trap set up by Fang Hao. Among the mountains, the energy of the heavens and the earth was still collecting and slowly increasing. It was far from subsiding. ¡°Master, what level will our junior brother reach once he starts?¡± Su Lingxiu asked out of curiosity. Li Xuan pondered for a moment. Fang Hao was originally a Great Grandmaster martial artist. Using the energy of the heavens and earth, he was rebuilding his martial arts foundation and becoming an extraordinary martial artist. He wouldn¡¯t be starting from scratch. ¡°Tongxuan Realm.¡± Once Fang Hao begins, he will be in the Tongxuan Realm! Normally speaking, extraordinary martial artists should be in the Innate Realm when they start. Since Fang Hao is the first extraordinary martial artist and already possesses a martial arts foundation, his starting point will naturally be higher. ¡°Normally, extraordinary martial artists need to temper their bodies, strengthen their roots, learn array diagrams, the strange layout of heaven and earth and so forth before they start. Only with a solid foundation can they reach the startup requirements. ¡°Even though they reach the Innate Realm once they begin, the training before starting would not necessarily be faster than orthodox martial arts, body martial arts, or Dan medical martial arts. ¡°For those who lack talent, training in these other martial arts might even be slower.¡± Li Xuan assessed quietly. ¡°Once Fang Hao starts and receives the feedback from the extraordinary martial arts, we will know the real training path of extraordinary martial arts.¡± Li Xuan looked forward to it. Half a month later, the energy between heaven and earth started to weaken. The treasure Fang Hao had used to set up the strange formation of heaven and earth began to show some cracks. It was about to reach its usage limit. ¡°He¡¯s about to start, isn¡¯t he?¡± Li Xuan silently watched. A few more days passed. All of a sudden, a smile formed on Li Xuan¡¯s face. Fang Hao, standing in the valley, seemed somewhat different than before. The Daoist Golden Book opened up above the Soul Pedestal. ¡°Your apprentice Fang Hao has started on the extraordinary martial arts path you created. Your extraordinary martial arts have been perfected, making you a hundred times more powerful than others in the same realm.¡± Li Xuan squinted slightly. The method of extraordinary martial arts manifested in his mind. However, the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°You have created the fourth kind of martial arts, your extraordinary martial arts have advanced to the Divine Intent State.¡± Chapter 458 The Qimen Martial Dao has improved to the Divine Intent State, now among the four Martial Arts, the orthodox Martial Dao is at the Divine Origin Realm, and the physical body, Dan Medical and Qimen are all at the Divine Intent State.¡± ¡°Your disciple Fang Hao has cultivated your created Qimen Martial Dao, successfully condensing a celestial pattern, and you have acquired the Innate Qi Pattern.¡± In this instant, a mysterious pattern within Li Xuan¡¯s body emerged in his bones. ¡°This!¡± Li Xuan was a bit shocked inside, never expecting that Fang Hao would use this as an entrance to Qimen Martial Dao and successfully cultivate it. ¡°Taking the body as the root, using the power of heaven and earth as the seed, using the layout of the celestial Qimen as the bridge¡­ Fang Hao really entered this way. ¡°I should have thought that Qimen Martial Artists who want to control the formation, control the power of heaven and earth, and control the Qimen situation, must take themselves as the core. ¡°And only by condensing celestial patterns can these be achieved.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but sigh in his heart, Qimen Martial Dao was as expected, the sword took an unconventional path, creating a unique method for Qimen, and the way of cultivation was also different from others. The first celestial pattern is just a foundation, and the subsequent cultivation is based on this foundation, condensing the second and third celestial patterns in the body. However, each celestial pattern needs to be cultivated to perfection before the next one can be condensed. Using the celestial Qi to operate True Qi, True Yuan, Divine Intention, Divine Origin¡­ This becomes the foundation of Martial Dao, which is different from orthodox Martial Dao, physical Martial Dao, and Dan Medical Martial Dao. This truly belongs to the unconventional path of the sword, which is unique to Qimen. ¡°Your disciple Fang Hao has understood the method of Artifact Refining, and your basic Artifact Refining has reached perfection.¡± ¡°Your disciple Fang Hao has understood the Way of the Array, and your basic Array has reached perfection.¡± ¡°Your disciple Fang Hao has understood the method of prohibition, and your basic prohibition has reached perfection.¡± ¡°Your disciple Fang Hao has understood the celestial Qimen formation, and you have mastered the thirty-six Qimen formations.¡± The Daoist Golden Book continued to provide feedback. The branch of Qimen Martial Dao, Formation, Artifact Refining, prohibition, odd formation, all feedback one by one. Although it was only the basic perfection, Li Xuan was already very satisfied. Just need to pass on these basics to Fang Hao, just like Su Lingxiu did in the beginning, which will shorten Fang Hao¡¯s enlightenment time and can get higher-level feedback faster. ¡°Although it is basic, it¡¯s strong!¡± Li Xuan took a deep breath and took a step. Suddenly, a Qimen formation appeared, and the power of heaven and earth seemed to be moved by him at this moment. Although in some aspects, the celestial Qimen formation is similar to the formation, it is quite different from the formation. This is exclusive to Qimen Martial Dao. Mainly leveraging the power of heaven and earth, using the terrain and topography to set up the formation, it is just a step, and a Qimen formation is already set up. This is one of the means of attack and defense in Qimen Martial Dao. And the formation requires the use of foreign objects to set up. Of course, the superposition of formations and odd formations is naturally mysterious and more powerful in murder. ¡°I have mastered all the thirty-six formations I compiled, even the nine big formations have been mastered, but they are all basic, and they cannot fully exert the power of the big formation. ¡°Like a teleportation array, with my current strength in array methods, the teleportation array I set up can only teleport tens of miles, the distance is too short, and it seems dispensable.¡± ¡°These smaller formations are more useful.¡± Li Xuan was contemplating in his heart. Looking at Fang Hao in the valley, he was consolidating his cultivation. A day later, Fang Hao walked out of the valley with great enthusiasm. ¡°Master, I have successfully entered!¡± Qimen Martial Dao is truly extremely strong! Fang Hao walked with a beaming smile on his face. Step by step, it seemed as if there was a wonderful force spreading from the ground, forming an odd formation in an instant. Being in the formation, one has no control over oneself! Su Lingxiu raised an eyebrow. She was a Martial Artist in the Divine Intent State. The Qimen formation used by Fang Hao couldn¡¯t affect her, but she was also secretly surprised. Is this a Qimen formation? Her aura surged, and with a stamp of her foot, a wave of True Yuan instantly gushed out and hit the weak spot of the Qimen Formation. Bang! The spread out Qi field was instantly broken, and Fang Hao staggered and almost fell. Su Lingxiu giggled and said, ¡°Junior Brother, you are still weak. If you want to cross the realm and deal with your Senior Sister, don¡¯t even think about it. It might work against other Martial Artists in the Ling Domain, but you¡¯re still far from dealing with your Senior Sister!¡± Fang Hao embarrassedly grinned, scratching his head and said, ¡°I thought Sister wouldn¡¯t notice.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡± Li Xuan chuckled for joy and at his command, Red Cat turned and left. Su Lingxiu and Fang Hao felt the world shifting around them as Red Cat walked away. They had lost control of their bodies, inexplicably upside down, losing their sense of direction in an instant. ¡°Is this the effect of the Weird Door Formation?¡± Su Lingxiu thought in surprise. She suddenly felt frustrated. If she and her junior brother were at the same level, her strength seemed to be inferior to his! Li Xuan withdrew the Weird Door Formation, a smile spreading across his face. With a simple thought, his innate weird pattern initiated the formation, gathering momentum for him and trapping the enemy within. ¡°The Weird Door Formation is truly extraordinary!¡± However, Li Xuan recognized that as powerful as the Weird Door Martial Arts were, it could not necessarily triumph over martial artists like Xu Yan and Meng Chong. With Xu Yan¡¯s fierce Sword Dao, he could likely tear apart the Weird Door Formation with his unparalleled swordsmanship, cutting through all formations. Meng Chong, through his physical Martial Arts, turning into a giant, also possessed overwhelming power. Regardless, Fang Hao¡¯s weird door martial arts also had its unique strengths, and any martial artist from the Ling Domain who encountered it would likely be crushed. Of course, how powerful one¡¯s Weird Door Martial Arts could be and how one should cultivate it further now all depended on Fang Hao himself. Now that he had stepped into the doorway, he should ponder on how to use the Weird Door Martial Arts to strengthen himself, like formations, artifact refining, prohibitions, etc. He believed it wouldn¡¯t be long before the Way of the Array and the unique art of artifact refining will shock the entire Ling Domain. Xu Yan and Meng Chong had gone to cultivate. Even though they were being pursued by the Jade God Sect and Su Family, Li Xuan wasn¡¯t concerned for their safety. Xu Yan was practicing his sword array, perfecting it, and preparing to breakthrough to the Divine Intent state. Meng Chong must have found a treasure trove to cultivate his Sky Hammer Hundred Refinement Art, which supplemented his training for the Undying Golden Body. Li Xuan could sense the slow improvement of the Undying Golden Body as Meng Chong progressed. Upon returning to the Manor, Li Xuan sat down on a chair. ¡°Now that you have entered the door, memorize these thirty-six formations as your foundation and strive to delve into the Dao of Formations.¡± Li Xuan started to depict thirty-six array diagrams. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao respectfully replied. After entering the door of Weird Door Martial Arts, it is much easier to memorize array diagrams, and there would be no problems. However, after looking a few times, Fang Hao could remember all thirty-six array diagrams flawlessly, without missing a line. ¡°These are the thirty-six array diagrams of the Weird Door Formation. Use them as your base for further enlightenment. I hope that you can walk your own path of the Weird Door and not remain trapped by old footsteps.¡± Li Xuan said solemnly. He also passed the thirty-six Weird Door Formations to Fang Hao. As for when he could fully master them, and when he could use them as a foundation to comprehend more of the Weird Door Formations, Li Xuan had no control over that. It all depended on Fang Hao himself. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao was extremely excited. To forge his own path of the Weird Door, and not to follow in the old footsteps! ¡°You set up the formations here in the Manor as a learning exercise, perhaps you can also improve your artifact refining craft through refining the formation utensils.¡± Li Xuan said. ¡°I will not disappoint you, Master!¡± Fang Hao said solemnly. Li Xuan nodded, he spoke again: ¡°Even though you are only at the Tongxuan Realm, the strength of a Weird Door Martial Artist lies in the Weird Door Formations, the formations, and prohibitions.¡± ¡°A powerful Weird Door Martial Artist, with prior preparation and setting up of formations, can certainly kill an enemy who is of a higher realm.¡± ¡°You should set up an array that can bind the Refining God Heavenly Man.¡± The power of the Refining God Heavenly Man is not weak, but if they suddenly encounter an unheard-of formation, they will surely be hampered. With Fang Hao¡¯s current power, setting up an array to kill the Refining God Heavenly Man might be difficult. However, binding the Refining God Heavenly Man for some time could be achievable. Even a strong Refining God Heavenly Man, upon suddenly falling into a formation, would be cautious and careful not to rashly attack. Moreover, the divine soul¡¯s ability to perceive is not as powerful as divine intent. ¡°Yes, Master, I will definitely set up an array that can bind the Refining God Heavenly Man.¡± Fang Hao was excited. He also wanted to, like his two senior brothers, reverse the attack on the Refining God Heavenly Man! Chapter 459 Fang Hao was very busy, relentlessly delving into formations, artifact refining, and prohibitions, studying the thirty-six Earth and Heaven Odd Formations. He also had to find time to cultivate, to fully nurture the unique patterns of Heaven and Earth within his body. Only then could he break through to the next realm, the Divine Intent State! Refining artifacts required numerous materials for practice, and so did setting up the formations. Fortunately, he had his own reserves, and the materials Xu Yan transferred from the emptied treasury of the Dai Family, were ample to support Fang Hao¡¯s needs. ¡°Junior Brother, please forge a pill furnace for me¡±. Su Lingxiu had sketched a blueprint for her new pill furnace and came to ask Fang Hao. Besides Fang Hao, no other Forging Master in the entire Ling Domain could forge this kind of new alchemy furnace. It had already surpassed what a Forging Master could comprehend. ¡°No problem!¡± Fang Hao pounded his chest. ¡°This pill furnace requires a small formation to be forged inside it, as well as a prohibition to seal the medicinal power of the pills¡­¡± Su Lingxiu began to explain the key elements of the pill furnace. Thanks to Fang Hao¡¯s guidance, Su Lingxiu had also mastered some formation patterns and prohibitions during this period. Although not comparable to Fang Hao, she was at least not clueless about formations. ¡°No problem, you can count on me!¡± After hearing Su Lingxiu out and reflecting a bit, Fang Hao gave his agreement. ¡°Thank you, Junior Brother.¡± Su Lingxiu was elated. ¡°It¡¯s me who should thank you, Senior Sister. Without your elixirs, my cultivation wouldn¡¯t have been this swift.¡± A shy smile appeared on Fang Hao¡¯s plump face. In the forest outside the courtyard. Red Cat¡¯s paw slapped Little Ha¡¯s head, staring at him with a low growl full of warning. It was feeling quite displeased recently. This frog had seized many opportunities that should have been his to act cute and please Su Lingxiu, taking away the elixirs that should have belonged solely to him. A warning was definitely necessary. Little Ha, with his bright and lively eyes spun around, ¡°Ribbit!¡± He let out a soft croak, looking somewhat timid, yet unwilling to submit. ¡°Meow!¡± Red Cat¡¯s fur bristled. This toad dared to oppose him? I am the future Great Demon King! Lifting a paw, revealing sharp claws, it glared threateningly at Little Ha, letting out a low growl. Confronted by this spectacle, Little Ha initially showed fear, shifting back a few steps. As if inspired by a sudden thought, however, he became resolute again and let out another soft croak. He would not submit! Seeing Little Ha refusing to back down, Red Cat grew furious. It was outrageous to think such a toad would dare to threaten him with Fang Hao! Except for its master, Xu Yan and the fear of Su Lingxiu withholding her pills, Red Cat feared no one! Consequently, it raised a paw, pointing towards the courtyard. It told Little Ha that his owner was his own master¡¯s disciple, therefore, in terms of status, it was above him! Little Ha turned and glanced at the manor, feeling utterly confused. The master of this cat was his owner¡¯s master? With that realization, he felt a little deflated, showing signs of submission. Red Cat nodded in satisfaction, wrote a warning on the ground and confiscated 30% of Little Ha¡¯s elixirs. As the future Demon King, it wouldn¡¯t monopolize everything. It wanted Little Ha instead to become its follower. After being away for a while, Red Cat returned with a pot of water to illustrate its point. It heated the water and threw a frog into the boiling water, showing it off to Little Ha and warned him, that this would be its fate if it rebelled. It opened its mouth, intended to devour the frog soup in one go, leaving an intimidating image in Little Ha¡¯s heart. However, it seemed a bit tasteless after a look. So, Red Cat went to Shi¡¯er, grabbed some seasoning, and poured it into the pot. Then, it swallowed the frog soup in one gulp. Although it tasted terrible, Red Cat forced it down to leave a psychological shadow on Little Ha, making him submit under its majesty. Then it glared at Little Ha, growling a warning that if he dared to defy the Red Cat Demon King, this will be his fate! Little Ha, frightened to the point where his eyes were about to roll back into his head, was shaking and quickly nodded in agreement, promising not to disobey the Red Cat King at all costs! ¡°Meow!¡± The contented Red Cat patted Little Ha on his head, then strutted off. Inside the manor, Li Xuan had seen the whole act of Red Cat intimidating Little Ha. He was a bit stunned. Where had Red Cat picked up such bad habits? It actually cooked a pot of frog soup in front of Little Ha, leaving a deep psychological impact. ¡°Red Cat is picking up bad habits!¡± Li Xuan sighed silently. This humble creature had unexpectedly begun to show signs of cunning. Red Cat, strutting around, returned to the courtyard. As soon as it located Li Xuan, it rushed up to him, rubbing against his ankles affectionately, trying to butter up its master. Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched. Jade Ruyi rapped Red Cat on the head, saying: ¡°Be careful Fang Hao doesn¡¯t come calling for trouble!¡± ¡°Meow!¡± With a fearless expression, Red Cat reassured them that its power was not to be underestimated, plus it had its master to back it up! After pleasuring its master, Red Cat ran off to be endearing in front of Su Lingxiu. As usual, inside the courtyard, Fang Hao was refining artifacts, forging formation tools, cultivating Odd Martial Arts, studying Odd Terran Formations¡­ His strength was improving significantly every day. Su Lingxiu¡¯s pill furnace and shovel underwent complete transformations. The Treasures now Spiritual Artifacts, bespoke Spiritual Artifacts that surpassed those within Ling Domain. Su Lingxiu wonderfully engraving prohibitions into the pill furnace and other artifacts. Su Lingxiu also made use of some spare time to delve into formations and prohibitions. Following which, she came up with a prohibition which could seal an elixir or a spiritual medicine. Chapter 460 No longer needing to seal medicinal foils, such burdensome things. After some time studying, Fang Hao had already mastered thirty-six formations, even if they were nine major formations, he mastered them, but was unable to unleash the true power of the major formations. And on this basis, Fang Hao began to delve into more formations. ¡°Your disciple, Fang Hao, has comprehended the rudiments of the true understanding of formation, and your true understanding of the formation has been perfected.¡± Li Xuan was all smiles, having gained further understanding of formations. After Fang Hao continued to delve into formation for a few more days, Li Xuan took the time to instruct him and imparted the complete understanding of the formation. Upon obtaining the understanding of the formation, Fang Hao, as if understanding one method would help elucidate all, immediately saw an increase in his comprehension of formations. He could already create his own formations based on needs. ¡°You have obtained the formation treasure.¡± In an instant, Li Xuan¡¯s domain of formations has made a huge leap. Looking at the laws of Heaven and Earth in the Taicang Book, it also became easier, and in an instant, he thought of how to lay out various big formations. ¡°How could formations, and Heaven and Earth oddities be without The Eight Diagrams¡± He would teach each disciple once. So, he took the time to pass on The Eight Diagrams to Fang Hao, as for how Fang Hao comprehends it, how he applies it to the oddities of Heaven and Earth, how he applies it into formations, even the prohibition, artifact refining, it all depends on his own understanding. On this day, Fang Hao began setting up formations in the mansion. Li Xuan had begun researching the fourth page of the Laws of Heaven and Earth in the Book of Taicang. The fourth page¡¯s Laws of Heaven and Earth seemed more mystifying, more challenging to study, even after obtaining the Formation Treasure, understanding the oddities of the Heaven and Earth, and mastering the prohibition, the intricacies of this page¡¯s Laws of Heaven and Earth still felt profound. ¡°The realm is still a bit low.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. He didn¡¯t know when Xu Yan would comprehend the method of Divine Skills. Suddenly, Li Xuan glanced at Red Cat. A few days ago, Red Cat got a bunch of dan medicine from Su Lingxiu and had been lying there, seemingly in the process of breakthrough. ¡°Red Cat surprisingly managed to puzzle out the technique of the great demon.¡± Li Xuan sighed. Having the Great Demon God Control, he can fully understand all the changes of Red Cat. If other big demons practice, he can also understand everything, control everything, and even borrow the power of big demons. Because of this, even though Red Cat puzzled out the technique of the great demon, the Daoist Golden Book did not respond, after all, the feedback of the great demon martial arts lies within the Great Demon God Control. No matter what Red Cat figures out, he can know and control it through the Great Demon God Control. Red Cat, which was lying on the ground, suddenly shook slightly, and several figures of Red Cat appeared around it! These figures can easily cause confusion. There were nine Red Cat figures in total, but only one was the real body! Moreover, they could switch arbitrarily between illusion and reality, changing their positions among the illusions in an instant. This was a real technique of the great demon. ¡°Red Cat¡¯s talent for the great demon is not bad at all, he is worthy of wanting to be the king of the great demons.¡± Li Xuan chuckled in his heart. Red Cat, under Xu Yan¡¯s instruction, drew the array diagram in his apertures, although it was not successful, it did get him to ponder over this technique of the Dao. This technique of the great demon is, to some extent, connected to the Lost and Confused Array. ¡°Master, did you raise nine cats?¡± Fang Hao curiously asked. Suddenly, seeing nine identical cats running in the courtyard, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡°You take a closer look.¡± Li Xuan laughed. Fang Hao stared attentively at the nine running Red Cats for a while before saying, ¡°Only one is real, the other eight are fake!¡± He was shocked inside, although he understood the reason, he was unable to tell which one was real! He gasped in admiration, it¡¯s no wonder that a pet raised by Master is so extraordinary. He stomped a foot and unleashed the oddities of heaven and earth, a plot was shown, which instantly enveloped the nine Red Cats. Within the plot, Fang Hao finally found out which one was real. However, just as he was pleased, he suddenly discovered that the one originally real instantly became an illusion, and the one that was originally an illusion became real. The real and the illusion kept switching, and their positions were continuously changing. At this moment, he became serious. He realized the extraordinary nature of this technique of the great demon used by Red Cat. Fang Hao, after folding the Heavenly and Earthly Odd Door formation, contemplated. He felt that it might work if he set up a similar formation, using it to confuse the Refining God Heavenly Man. The Red Cat was excited as it finally understood its own Great Demon technique. From now on, it wouldn¡¯t be just a brute force Great Demon anymore. It squatted in front of Li Xuan, with its eyes blinking adorably. It scribbled on the ground with its paw: ¡°Master, I want array diagrams!¡± It was aware of the mysterious nature of the array diagrams. Although it couldn¡¯t comprehend them, it could mimic them, tracing them into its acupoints. Its Great Demon technique was developed in the same manner. Li Xuan, in a mere thought, drew several array diagrams on the ground where the Red Cat rested each day. One of them was a transfer array diagram. ¡°Study them well.¡± Li Xuan said with a smile. The Red Cat nodded, excitedly, and then ran to Su Lingxiu to act cute and beg for pills! After fetching the pills from Su Lingxiu, it went to find Little Ha, asking it to supply pills to its Majesty the Great Demon! ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has made a small breakthrough into the Divine Intent State, while you¡¯ve made a small achievement in the Divine Origin Realm.¡± The Daoist Golden Book flipped open and provided this feedback. Xu Yan had finally made a small breakthrough into the Divine Intent State. ¡°Small achievement in Divine Intent State, Mountain and River Sword Array, Sudden Annihilation Sword, with Xu Yan¡¯s current strength, he should have no problem killing ordinary Refining God Heavenly Man.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself, feeling relieved. The Jade Divine Sect and the Su Family are currently hunting Xu Yan and Meng Chong all over Yuzhou. They probably can¡¯t sit still after having lost track of them for so long. Xu Yan had made a small breakthrough, and while Meng Chong hadn¡¯t, his strength was also improving. Phew! Suddenly, a thick fog filled the manor, enveloping it completely. Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu were all taken aback. They seemed to have lost their way despite their familiarity with the manor. Even the martial artists¡¯ sensory abilities were affected, so they couldn¡¯t even sense movements close by. Su Lingxiu stopped refining her pills and watched Fang Hao laying out the formation. Fang Hao scratched his head at that moment, seemingly encountering some problems with the formation. The formation was to influence the outside, not to influence the one setting it up. Moreover, an array should be under control; influencing certain people while not affecting others. He pondered and adjusted the formation arrangement for a while. Suddenly in the fog, a violent wind kicked up, stirring up blazing flames. In an instant, it seemed like the manor was going to be engulfed by these phoenix fires. Li Xuan raised an eyebrow, stomped on the ground, and manifested the force of heaven and earth to protect the manor and everyone within, while simultaneously reversing the direction of the phoenix fire. Fang Hao scrambled around, but after a while, he finally managed to solve the issue with the formation. ¡°It was my first time setting up such a large formation, I was a bit rusty, thank goodness Master intervened!¡± Fang Hao¡¯s chubby face was filled with embarrassment. ¡°Just now, I thought I was going to die!¡± Shi¡¯er wiped off his cold sweat. The terrifying power in the phoenix fire was surging towards him. Given his strength, he had no way to resist it. ¡°Sorry, sorry, there won¡¯t be a next time, I have the experience now!¡± Fang Hao wore a face full of regret. Then, his expression turned serious again as he continued arranging the formation, occasionally stopping to craft tools needed for the formation. Three days later, the formation was finally complete. However, after Fang Hao checked the formation again, he found it to be somewhat crude. As a result, he melted all the array instruments and re-refined them based on his experience. He quickly finished setting up the formation for the second time. ¡°It¡¯s finally done!¡± The manor still seemed as it was before, as if it was not shrouded by the formation at all. However, if observed from outside, the manor seemed to have disappeared, as if there was no manor here at all, or even anything in its place. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve set up two formations in the manor, one is the Mirage Confusion Formation and the other is the Phoenix Fire Trap Formation. I¡¯m confident that even the Refining God Heavenly Man would not be able to find any flaws.¡± ¡°Though I may not be able to kill the Refining God Heavenly Man, trapping him for half an hour should not be an issue.¡± Fang Hao voiced out excitedly. Chapter 461 Li Xuan¡¯s divine sense enveloped the mansion as he examined the formation set up by Fang Hao in detail, speaking out, ¡°Although there are many flaws and weaknesses in the formation, given your recent comprehension of the principles of formations, your ability to set up a formation of this level is not too bad.¡± Fang Hao was taken aback. He had carefully inspected everything and had not noticed any flaws or weaknesses in the formation. He said respectfully, ¡°Disciple is foolish, I did not notice any flaws or weaknesses in the formation. Please guide me, Master!¡± Li Xuan raised his hand; a beam of light landed on a particular spot in the formation. Suddenly, a gap appeared in the formation. ¡°This is one¡­ This too.¡± Li Xuan pointed out the flaws and weaknesses one by one. Fang Hao¡¯s face was full of embarrassment. The formation he had executed, which seemed perfect at a glance, had so many shortcomings. ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Li Xuan looked at Fang Hao soberly and said, ¡°The Martial Arts of the Mysterious Doors encompass formations, prohibitions, and oddities of heaven and earth. They are not separate, but fused into one ¨C that is the true Martial Arts of the Mysterious Doors. ¡°You must not fall into the mistake of restricting formations within the framework of formations, and prohibitions within the framework of prohibitions. ¡°If that is the case, you will lose the true essence of the Martial Arts of the Mysterious Doors. I hope you understand and think about how to cultivate the Martial Arts of the Mysterious Doors, and how to explore their strength.¡± Fang Hao was stunned, he realized that he had fallen into a pitfall, where he only focused on formations and forgot that formations was only one aspect of the Martial Arts of the Mysterious Doors, rather than the foundation of the sect. ¡°Yes, Master, disciple has understood!¡± Fang Hao said respectfully. He understood how to comprehend and wield the power of the Martial Arts of the Mysterious Doors. ¡°You are now aware of the storage bag, Artifact Refining can also produce similar storage tools, which are more convenient, efficient, and with larger space compared to the storage bag. ¡°Of course, what refining materials are needed, that is for you to figure out.¡± Li Xuan thought for a moment and reminded him. With Artifact Refining, formations and prohibitions at hand, is it not necessary to refine a Storage Ring? ¡°Disciple understands!¡± After respectfully bowing, Fang Hao began to ponder how to remedy the flaws and weaknesses of his formation. At the same time, he consolidated his understanding of formations, prohibitions, Artifact Refining and other insights in the Martial Arts of the Mysterious Doors, achieving true enlightenment of their essence. ¡­ In the grand hall of the Yuzhou Sect, more than a dozen Refining God Heavenly Men strongmen were gathered, three of whom were from the Su Family. The one sitting at the head of the Yuzhou Sect was the Grand Elder of the sect, who had been able to elevate the Yuzhou Sect into the ranks of the top-class sects in the Ling Domain. Even though it was at the bottom of the list, it was still considered top-class. A powerhouse in the late stage of Refining God! Even the Grand Elder of the Yuzhou Sect, who had been practicing in closed-door cultivation year-round and desiring to break through the peak of Refining God, was alarmed, showing the seriousness of the situation. ¡°Have the origins of Xu Yan and Meng Chong been found?¡± The Grand Elder of the Yuzhou Sect asked solemnly. ¡°No!¡± The Sect Master of the Yuzhou Sect¡¯s face was extremely gloomy. ¡°My Su Family has no information on the origins of these two either.¡± The patriarch of the Su Family also looked extremely displeased. ¡°Such strength at a young age, even the true inheritors of top-level sects would not be much more impressive. They must be prodigies with treasured bodies. Since they are not from Yuzhou, could they be from other states?¡± The Grand Elder of the Yuzhou Sect asked gravely. ¡°We have already asked other state sects and noble families to assist in the investigation, but there has been no result. Those two seem to have appeared out of nowhere, and their strength was extremely formidable as soon as they appeared. ¡°In the tomb of the Azure Sky Flood Dragons, Xu Yan single-handedly suppressed the Azure Sky Flood Dragon¡¯s corpse and then killed the Refining God of the Dai Family. ¡°Meanwhile, the Golden Armored Giant was Meng Chong. When has there ever been such a powerful cultivation technique in the Ling Domain? Who were they taught by? What is their lineage? These are key points.¡± The patriarch of the Su Family remarked, with grave concern. ¡°Up until now, it can almost be confirmed that the two are not from any sect or noble family, but Loose Cultivators. Yet such extraordinary talents emerged amongst Loose Cultivators, and the legacy they have inherited is definitely extraordinary. ¡°Even with our control over Yuzhou, we still haven¡¯t been able to locate the whereabouts of these two decisive factors right now. I find that the most daunting.¡± The Sect Master of the Yuzhou Sect said solemnly. It¡¯s not terrifying if the enemy is powerful, what¡¯s terrifying is if the enemy comes and goes like a shadow, and you can¡¯t even execute them. Even worse is when the enemy creeps up to you, undetected, which poses the real danger. Even the mighty Yuzhou Sect feels like there is a sharp sword hanging over its head. Until Xu Yan and Meng Chong are eliminated, they will not be at ease! In the Ling Domain of the past, one person, born humble and expelled, eventually brought crisis to the sects and noble families. Mile-strong Sects and aristocratic families that were destroyed because of him could not be counted on one hand. It was for this reason that once they recognized the threat posed by Xu Yan, the Yuzhou Sect and the Su Family would spare no expense to eradicate him. The Grand Elder of the Yuzhou Sect pondered before saying, ¡°Could the origins of Xu Yan and Meng Chong be related to the remaining evil of the Ten Thousand Stars?¡± The moment these words were spoken, the hearts of all the Heavenly Men present sank. ¡°Hard to say!¡± The elder of the Su Family looked grave, ¡°Many years ago, the Ten Thousand Star Martial Arts Academy was overthrown by our sects and noble families, but the Ten Thousand Stars did not perish, but instead fled to the Azure Sea. ¡°Xu Yan and Meng Chong could have been prodigies cultivated by the Ten Thousand Stars in order to return to the Eighteen States!¡± The Ten Thousand Star Martial Arts Academy was once famous throughout the Eighteen states of the Ling Domain. Although it did not belong to the Transcendent Spirit Sects, it could still be considered a top-level sect, with the property of teaching martial arts, recruiting the talented of the world as students. At its peak, many children from first-class aristocratic families would go to the Ten Thousand Star Martial Arts Academy for training and become students of Ten Thousand Stars. Chapter 462 Among the prodigies of the Loose Cultivators, almost all aspired to join the Wanxing Academy and practiced their Martial Arts there. However, their hope dimmed after the calamity brought by the Blood Demon. Under the coercion of the Spirit Sects and noble families of the Eighteen States, a struggle among the prodigies was initiated, declaring to the world of Ling Domain that the world was still under the rule of the Spirit Sects and noble families. No matter how talented the Loose Cultivators were, they were of humble blood, forever inferior to the prodigies of the Spirit Sects and noble families. The struggle resulted in a crushing defeat for the Wanxing Academy, leading to its downfall where they only left for the Azure Sea. Since then, the Ling Domain no longer had the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy! The sudden appearance of Xu Yan and Meng Chong, along with their revealed remarkable abilities, suppressing the local prodigies of Yuzhou, led no one to doubt that these were the prodigies carefully cultivated by the Wanxing Academy. They desired to suppress the advance of the prodigies of the Spirit Sects and noble families. Nobody doubted that Xu Yan and Meng Chong were from the Inner Domain, as such powerful prodigies could not possibly exist in the inferior regions of the Inner Domain. The Grand Elder of Yushen Sect took a deep breath, saying, ¡°Regardless of where they come from, use all means to find their traces. I will personally take action!¡± The patrons of the Su Family were invigorated as the Grand Elder of Yushen Sect, a formidable Refining God stage expert, was considered the strongest in Yuzhou. His willingness to personally intervene showed how grave a threat Xu Yan and Meng Chong had posed to him. ¡°If they were truly nurtured by the vestiges of Wanxing, wouldn¡¯t there be a Protector?¡± The elder of the Su Family said with a frown. ¡°Ha! If the vestiges of Wanxing Academy dare to show their faces, we¡¯ll see if the Eighteen States can accommodate them!¡± The Grand Elder of Yushen Sect gave a cold smile. Everyone nodded in agreement. ¡°Did that person from Wanxing Academy die back then?¡± The Sect Master of Yushen Sect suddenly spoke. Instantly, everyone fell silent. The legendary figure of Wanxing Martial Art Academy, a pinnacle Refining God, had been evenly matched with the top experts of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. Did he die back then? ¡°He probably did die!¡± After a long pause, the Grand Elder of Yushen Sect spoke gravely, ¡°In the past, the dignitaries of Thousand Martial Hall and Lei Yun Mountain Manor personally intervened. How could he have survived?¡± Everyone in the hall shivered inwardly. With the intervention of the two mighty experts from Thousand Martial Hall and Lei Yun Mountain Manor, the person of Wanxing Academy could hardly have survived. At this point, everyone felt reassured. As long as the Protector was not him, the remaining remnants of Wanxing were of no concern. Several months later. Yuzhou was shaken once again. Yushen Sect and the Su Family increased the reward again. ¡°A Divine Grade Spiritual Medicine, Soul Earth Flower, Yushen truly isn¡¯t sparing any costs.¡± ¡°Hiss, there¡¯s probably nowhere in Yuzhou where Xu Yan and Meng Chong can settle.¡± ¡°Such a high reward, it reminds me of something in the history of the spiritual realm martial arts¡­¡± ¡°Shush, if you want to live, don¡¯t let the Spirit Sects and noble families hear this!¡± Yuzhou was once again excited as even the Refining God Heavenly Man among the Loose Cultivators in Yuzhou showed up. Looking for Xu Yan and Meng Chong! Even a Refining God Heavenly Man is tempted by such a divine grade spiritual medicine, the Soul Earth Flower. The Soul Earth Flower only grows within a large spirit mine and only one flower grows every millennium, which just goes to show how precious the Soul Earth Flower is! As for the effects of the Soul Earth Flower, it nurtures the Divine Soul. A peak Great Grandmaster can consume it to breakthrough the God Assembling stage without a bottleneck. If a Little Heavenly Man consumes it, it can get through the bottleneck of the Greater Heavenly Man, plus it increases the chances of refining the Divine Soul and breaking through to become a Refining God Heavenly Man. A Greater Heavenly Man consuming it, increases the chance of becoming a Refining God Heavenly Man by fifty percent. Even if a Refining God Heavenly Man consumes it, it can increase the power of the Divine Soul by ten percent and increase the chance of breaking through to the middle stage of Refining God. From this, the preciousness of the Soul Earth Flower can be seen. Even elite Spirit Sects and noble families wouldn¡¯t easily use the Soul Earth Flower, usually they would save it for a Refining God Heavenly Man during a bottleneck or if their Divine Soul is accidentally damaged. Using the Soul Earth Flower for cultivation is too lavish, even for the top-notch Spirit Sects. I guess only the first-tier Spirit Sects and noble families, who have mastered the cultivation of the Soul Earth Flower, can afford such extravagance. ¡°This time, not only are the warriors of Yuzhou tempted, but the warriors of the outer states will be tempted too.¡± The Alliance Hierarch couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Yushen Sect and the Su Family truly have great ambitions. It can be predicted that Refining God Heavenly Men will also come from the outer states, turning Yuzhou upside down to find Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Meanwhile, Xu Yan, who was being hunted, returns to the manor after his breakthrough. Upon arriving at the location of the manor, his eyebrows furrowed. The manor had disappeared? He spread his divine consciousness and nodded approvingly. A formation array! The fourth disciple had quickly set up a formation array and enveloped the manor within it. ¡°The spirit mine of Yushen Sect and the Su Family cannot be wasted. With the formation array covering it, we can think about how we would relocate the spirit mine.¡± Xu Yan said with a smile on his face. ¡°We don¡¯t necessarily have to empty the spiritual mines, we can set up a formation to seal them off, and then the spiritual mines will be ours.¡± The formation is truly a great thing. With one step, Xu Yan entered the formation and walked towards the courtyard. In the manor, Fang Hao¡¯s face was full of excitement. He held an array plate in his hand and began to control the large formation, aiming to trap Xu Yan. ¡°Junior Brother, how long do you think we can trap Elder Brother?¡± Su Lingxiu also asked with a face full of excitement. ¡°A quarter of an hour should be no problem, right?¡± Fang Hao pondered for a moment and said. ¡°Half a quarter of an hour, I think at most half a quarter of an hour.¡± Su Lingxiu spoke up. ¡°Senior Sister, you¡¯re underestimating my formation.¡± ¡°You¡¯re underestimating Elder Brother. You have no idea how powerful he is!¡± Li Xuan looked at Xu Yan in the formation and shook his head slightly. Half a quarter of an hour? He was underestimating Xu Yan too much! This was his mentor in Martial Arts, how could a simple formation trap him? The fog was heavy, and the phoenix fire was sweeping, the power of the formation had been activated by Fang Hao. Xu Yan looked left and right, and nodded. This formation was indeed mysterious. If Dai Sheng, the Refining God Heavenly Man, came in, it would probably trap him for half an hour. As for himself? He stepped out and sword intent filled the air. In an instant, whether it was the phoenix fire or the heavy fog, they all turned into sharp swords at this moment, and then formed a mountain river sword array! Heart Sword Realm! Everything can be made into a sword, including the formation! Xu Yan casually walked into the courtyard through the phoenix fire and fog. Fang Hao was stunned, and for a moment, he doubted his formation¡¯s capability. ¡°No, it¡¯s because Elder Brother is too strong!¡± Xu Yan chuckled and said, ¡°This formation is not bad!¡± ¡°Elder Brother, how did you break my formation?¡± Fang Hao asked, feeling depressed. ¡°Everything can be made into a sword, including the formation. Your formation is within my control. No matter how you arrange it, I can turn it into my sword with a single thought.¡± Xu Yan smiled and replied. Fang Hao was stunned. Everything can be turned into a sword? Formation could also be turned into a sword? ¡°Fourth Junior Brother, your concealed weapon martial arts are very strong, but you just haven¡¯t understood it deeply enough to bring out its essence.¡± Xu Yan patted his shoulder and laughed. ¡°I understand!¡± Fang Hao said seriously. After paying respects to his master, Xu Yan had Yu Xiaolong spit out the things. ¡°These are the proceeds that Junior Brother and I got from robbing the Dai family treasury. Junior Sisters and Fourth Junior Brother, you don¡¯t have to worry about not having enough resources.¡± Xu Yan pointed at the pile of storage bags that Yu Xiaolong spat out. How abundant would a noble family¡¯s treasures be? Fang Hao was stunned. Su Lingxiu had already started sorting out these treasures with Zhou Ying, Shi¡¯er, and Meng Shushu, categorizing them accordingly. As for Yu Xiaolong, it came to Red Cat instantly, trying to please Red Cat. If it was for the method of the great demon, being a little brother is fine. Red Cat was very satisfied with this and pointed to Little Ha who was squatting next to him, introducing him to Yu Xiaolong. This is the third! Little Ha looked very weak. This snake is so terrifying! The fat cat was raised by the master¡¯s master, and this snake was raised by the master¡¯s elder brother, so it has the lowest status. Seeing Fang Hao working on Artifact Refining, Xu Yan said, ¡°Junior Brother, you can craft a set of unique weapons for yourself, including formation, prohibition, miraculous arrangements of Heaven and Earth, and other necessary weapons.¡± ¡°You can also refine a weapon into a lethal weapon, encompass all the concealed weapons within it, and form a large array of miraculous arrangements when you make a move, attacking like a raging river¡­¡± Fang Hao paused for a moment, his mind illuminated. Excited, he said, ¡°Thank you Elder Brother for your guidance, I understand now. I¡¯ll refine a concealed weapon box!¡± In this moment, the process of refining the concealed weapon box surfaced in his mind. In a flash of thought, the weapon box shot out sets of formations. In an instant, a large array was formed, and the weapon box itself was a lethal weapon, emitting lethal weapons. Xu Yan smiled and nodded, ¡°It¡¯s good that you have an idea, Junior Brother. In the Dai family¡¯s treasury, there are countless materials. Don¡¯t be afraid to waste. After all, getting them wasn¡¯t hard.¡± ¡°You can also try to refine a storage item with a large space to replace the storage bag, which can better accommodate these Dai family treasures.¡± At this moment, Fang Hao was excited. Finally, he found the path of attack for his concealed weapon martial arts. He nodded and said, ¡°Elder brother, don¡¯t worry. I have an idea already.¡± Chapter 463 Li Xuan never expected that Xu Yan¡¯s guidance would lead Fang Hao to comprehend a unique weapon involved in the martial art of Qimen, truly realising the path of slaughter within Qimen. Once again, he inwardly sighed in admiration. His eldest disciple, Xu Yan, was truly an innovator in Martial Arts. ¡°Your disciple, Fang Hao, has comprehended the Qi Men Weapon Box, so you obtain the Qi Men Divine Weapon Box.¡± ¡°Your disciple, Fang Hao, has clearly comprehended the Path of Slaughter in Qi Men, combining Qi Men Martial Art into one, obtaining the Qi Men Slaughter Dao.¡± Looking at the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book, Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but become excited. A weapon box emerged, floating above the Soul Pedestal. The Qimen Divine Weapon Box! The unique tool of slaughter in Qimen Martial Arts. Moreover, the weapon box that the Daoist Golden Book had responded to was not an actual, physical weapon box, but a divine weapon box created by the gathering of Martial Arts power. It is conceivable just how powerful this weapon box is. Of course, while the Weapon Box is impressive, Li Xuan wasn¡¯t able to fully utilize its power with his current strength at the Divine Origin Realm. Nevertheless, because the divine weapon box is not material and is a result from the Daoist Golden Book¡¯s feedback, Li Xuan, despite only being at the Divine Origin Realm, is still able to wield this weapon box. In addition to the Divine Weapon Box, the Daoist Golden Book provided feedback on Qi Men Slaughter Dao. This is a powerful slaughtering technique of the Qimen Martial Arts, integrating formations, prohibitions, and various strange phenomena of heaven and earth. It merges everything into one. Now Li Xuan can wield the method of Qimen at will, killing at will, and can integrate and utilize it with all the Martial Arts techniques he possesses as he pleases. ¡°My strength has increased again.¡± Li Xuan was in high spirits. With a wave of his hand, artifact refining materials flew towards him, and as the Dan Flame emerged, an Artifact Refining Furnace was refined in front of the dazzled Fang Hao. He tossed the furnace towards Fang Hao. ¡°If you want to refine artifacts, you need a proper furnace. All the forging furnaces in the Spirit Realm, what are they? This Artifact Refining Furnace is just right for you. If it¡¯s of a higher grade, you won¡¯t be able to use it.¡± Li Xuan said indifferently. Fang Hao was stunned looking at the Artifact Refining Furnace in front of him, which contained countless formations and prohibitions, and this Refining Furnace had almost surpassed the spirit artifact grade. ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± At this moment, he felt a little ashamed. He was really too dull, not even thinking to refine a furnance for his own use in refining artifacts, and had to rely on his Master¡¯s guidance. Li Xuan felt completely at ease. Although this was his first time refining, it felt as natural as if he had been born with this ability. ¡°Study well, the Martial Path is endless, I hope you can find your own path in Qi Men.¡± Li Xuan said indifferently. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao responded solemnly. He excitedly selected the materials he needed, preparing to refine his Qimen Weapon Box. With this Artifact Refining Furnace, the refining process was faster and the grade was higher. Xu Yan was studying the array diagram. Although he had comprehended the Sword Array of Mountain and River, it needed constant improvement and perfection. The Sword Array and Fang Hao¡¯s formation were different after all. Of course, the array diagram was very meaningful to him. Fang Hao, holding a pen and paper, began to draw his Qimen Weapon Box. After completing the drawing, he encountered a problem. ¡°The Weapon Box is small, how can it contain all the tools of Qimen?¡± Unless, like a storage bag, the Qimen Weapon Box contains a space that can hold many Qimen weapons. Therefore, to refine the Qimen Weapon Box, he must first create a treasure of the storage category. So, Fang Hao began to study how to refine things like the Storage Ring that his master mentioned. The reason why a small storage bag contains a large space is because of the Mountain-Eating Toad, which is used as the main material. If you want to refine a treasure with inner space, in addition to the method of refining, you also need some special materials. There are all kinds of materials in the treasure house of the Dai Family, including the skin of the Mountain-Eating Toad, which is used to make the storage bag. So the materials are not lacking, but there is a lack of a complete method of refining. Fang Hao began to study. A few days after Xu Yan returned, Meng Chong also returned. Fang Hao was very excited and began to operate the formation, trying to see if he could trap his second senior brother. However, Meng Chong, unlike Xu Yan, who directly turned the formation into his sword, directly disregarded the formation¡¯s attack and rushed in directly. Fang Hao was somewhat frustrated. The formation was clearly strong, and even could restrain Refining God Heavenly Man for a while, so why did it not seem to affect his eldest or second senior brother at all? Though Meng Chong did not make a breakthrough, his strength also improved a lot. With the assistance of the Sky Hammer Hundred Tempering Cultivation Technique, the Undying Golden Body at least improved by 30%. After Meng Chong came back, like Xu Yan, he was meditating on the array diagram, eager to comprehend his own Martial Arts from it. The Eight Diagrams are also being comprehended. With Xu Yan and Meng Chong¡¯s guidance, Fang Hao has greatly improved his understanding of The Eight Diagrams, resulting in progress in his formations, prohibitions, and heavenly Qimen. A rudimentary form appeared in his mind, thinking of how to integrate The Eight Diagrams into formations and the heavenly Qimen. The courtyard was calm, as if it were a separate world. Despite the upheaval in the Martial Arts world of Yuzhou, with the Yangshen Sect and Su Family increasing their bounties, it didn¡¯t affect the courtyard at all. His disciples were diligently cultivating, while Li Xuan was studying the fourth page of the Book of Tai Cang. At the same time, he constantly improved the Martial Arts techniques on the Divine Skills. The third boundary of Sword Dao should also be on the agenda. Chapter 464 Yesterday, Xu Yan had already made a small breakthrough in his Heart Sword Realm, his Sword Array had made even greater progress, becoming stronger. At the time when Xu Yan made a minor breakthrough in his Heart Sword Realm, Li Xuan reached the peak of his Heart Sword Realm. Whoosh! Unexpectedly, a silhouette darted across the sky above the courtyard. Due to the courtyard being covered by a formation, the passing martial artist was unaware of its existence. Li Xuan and the others were not bothered about it. Although the courtyard was located some distance outside the capital of Zheng Country and was a bit remote, it was after all not far from the capital. So, it was not unusual for martial artists to pass by. However, in the next few days, martial artists kept passing by, seemingly searching for something. At this point, Li Xuan became curious. Has something happened in Yuzhou? ¡°Finally, the refining is successful!¡± Fang Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the storage ring in his hand, a smile appeared on his face. After this period of refining, he finally succeeded. ¡°Master, I have refined a storage ring.¡± Overjoyed, Fang Hao brought the storage ring before his master for him to take a look. At a glance, Li Xuan perceived that it had a rather impressive amount of space inside¡ªlarger than a bag of holding and more importantly, it seemed to be more stable and easier to handle. Although its crafting was a bit rough, it was still very commendable, considering that it¡¯s his first time refining. ¡°Make some minor improvements, and it¡¯ll be perfect.¡± Li Xuan nodded in approval. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao was thrilled. With the Storage Ring successfully refined, he could finally begin crafting the first Qimen Arsenal. Fang Hao casually gave the slightly crude first Storage Ring to Shi¡¯er. Shi¡¯er, of course, was extremely delighted. In the following half month, Fang Hao refined several Storage Rings, enough for everyone in the courtyard. Each one was huge, and the amount of items one Ring could store was at least ten times that of a Bag of Holding. The Red Cat was absolutely thrilled; it now had its own storage ring. After he had mastered the creation of Storage Rings, Fang Hao began the task of creating the Qimen Arsenal. The work required to craft a Qimen Arsenal was far more complex compared to the Storage Ring, hence, he put all of his encapsulated thought into its creation. Meng Chong sat cross-legged on the ground, a knife lying horizontally across his knees. Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Intent lingered all around him; every blade of grass and grain of sand had turned into a sharp sword. Meng Chong was closely contemplating this profound scene. Li Xuan observed quietly for some time. ¡°Meng Chong, it seems like you¡¯re about to make a breakthrough and enter the Hidden Blade Realm. The second realm of the Sword Path, like the Heart Sword Realm, is the essence of the same work. Where is there a place in this world without a blade! The Hidden Blade Realm is about hiding your blade, both concealing its power and understanding the thought that everything can be a blade. A hidden blade not revealed, once revealed, its blade is unmatched! ¡°Your disciple Meng Chong is close to understanding the Hidden Blade Realm, your Hidden Blade Realm has reached its peak!¡± As expected, a few days later, Meng Chong broke through. After Meng Chong¡¯s breakthrough, the blade aura was completely concealed. He appeared more like a literate scholar rather than a swordsman. If not for his gigantic physique and bald head, had he worn a scholar¡¯s robe, who would believe he was a domineering powerhouse of swordsmanship? Whoosh! In the sky above the courtyard, a silhouette flew past again. ¡°This is the eighth one.¡± Xu Yan murmured to himself. ¡°Has a major event occured in Yuzhou?¡± Meng Chong also looked puzzled. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s very strange.¡± Fang Hao nodded in agreement. ¡°Could it be because of senior brother¡¯s and secondary brother¡¯s matters?¡± Su Lingxiu speculated uncertainly. ¡°How could that be possible? Senior brother and I have been focusing on our cultivation, we never even approached the Jade Spirit Sect and Su Family for settling scores.¡± Meng Chong shook his head. Xu Yan also nodded. Since then, the incident of disgracing the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family and killing an average Spirit Sect Refining God powerhouses, a lot of time had passed. So, the major event occurring now, how could it be related to them? ¡°Eh, someone is coming again, I¡¯ll go and inquire.¡± Xu Yan stepped out, his figure disappearing from the courtyard. A few miles away from the courtyard, a martial artist in a brown robe was meticulously examining the surroundings, he didn¡¯t even spare a glance for each tree, wishing if he could dig the ground three feet deep to search properly. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him. An attractive young man, displaying a curious expression. ¡°Excuse me, my friend, what are you looking for?¡± Xu Yan asked with a friendly smile. The martial artist in the brown gown was exploring the surroundings when suddenly a figure emerged silently. He jumped in shock. However, when he raised his head and saw Xu Yan, he was utterly stunned. ¡°Xu¡­ Xu Yan?¡± Xu Yan¡¯s brows furrowed, ¡°Do you know me?¡± At this moment, the martial artist in the brown gown was both excited and a little scared. This was the villain who had killed Refining God Heavenly Man! Even though he was a Great Heavenly Realm Martial Artist, he was definitely not Xu Yan¡¯s match. But! Since he had found Xu Yan¡¯s trace, as long as he reported it to Yuzhou Spirit Sect, he could get a hefty reward. ¡°I¡¯ve seen, I¡¯ve seen Brother Xu¡¯s portrait.¡± The martial artist in the brown gown wanted to leave and report Xu Yan¡¯s whereabouts to Yuzhou Spirit Sect immediately. As for capturing or killing Xu Yan for higher rewards, he knew his limits. ¡°Speak, what are you looking for?¡± Xu Yan had a smile on his face. The man¡¯s expression was a bit off when he saw him. ¡°You¡¯re not looking for me, are you?¡± Xu Yan was wondering in his heart. ¡°No, no, just, ahaha, the spirit beast I raised got lost, so I came to look for it. ¡°Yes, the spirit beast I raised got lost, I¡¯m looking for the spirit beast.¡± The martial artist in the brown gown came to his senses and gave a hollow laugh. ¡°Brother Xu, have you ever seen a brown little beast around here?¡± He had to keep Xu Yan at ease and not arouse his suspicion. Xu Yan chuckled, ¡°I hate liars the most. I¡¯ll give you another chance to speak!¡± Cold sweat was pouring from the martial artist in the brown gown, and a sense of life and death crisis emerged in his heart. It seemed that if he answered incorrectly, he would be reduced to ash immediately! He wanted to escape, but intuition told him that if he attempted to do so, he would undoubtedly die! Invisible killing intent seemed to envelop the area around him! ¡°It¡¯s the Yuzhou Spirit Sect and Su Family that put a bounty on you and Meng Chong, I just¡­ just¡­¡± The martial artist in the brown gown was drenched in cold sweat. He didn¡¯t know how to excuse himself, that he was not there to find the whereabouts of Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows raised. Could it be that all the martial artists he had come across these days were looking for him and Meng Chong? Exactly what kind of bounty did Yuzhou Spirit Sect and Su Family offer? ¡°Tell me, what have Yuzhou Spirit Sect and Su Family offered as reward?¡± The martial artist in the brown gown dared not hide anything and told Xu Yan everything he knew. Even Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue after hearing this. Yuzhou Spirit Sect and Su Family were willing to spend a massive amount for this. Just discovering his and Meng Chong¡¯s tracks and reporting it could earn a reward of a million Spirit Crystals. If their hiding place was discovered, they would be granted the status of a Martial Artist of the Spirit Sect or a noble family, in addition to a reward of five million Spirit Crystals or an equivalent treasure. For capturing, killing, or even aiding in the capture or kill, the rewards were unspeakable. Even a Spirit Crystal vein was put up as part of the reward. The Earth Soul Flower was undoubtedly the most precious, even a Refining God Heavenly Man would be tempted. A handful of Refining God Heavenly Men, the Loose Cultivators in Yuzhou, were exhausting every method to find the tracks of Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Moreover, there were even rumors that the Refining God powerhouses from other provinces were also coming to Yuzhou. ¡°I swear, I won¡¯t leak your whereabouts!¡± The martial artist in the brown gown said tremblingly. There was fear written all over his face. ¡°I, Xu Yan, am not murderous. Now that I know, how could I stay here? So, whether you leak my whereabouts or not, it won¡¯t affect me!¡± After Xu Yan finished speaking, he raised his hand and threw the martial artist in the brown gown out. The martial artist in the brown gown escaped as though he had been given a new lease on life. Xu Yan appearing near the capital of Zheng Country meant that Xu Yan and Meng Chong were hiding within Zheng Country. This was extremely important information. If he reported it, he could get millions of Spirit Crystals. As a Loose Cultivator, this was a huge fortune. Xu Yan returned to the mansion and told everyone about the news. Fang Hao looked at him in admiration. His two senior brothers were truly impressive to force Yuzhou Spirit Sect and Su Family to spill so much blood! ¡°Huh, Yuzhou Spirit Sect and Su Family really know how to hand out a reward.¡± Meng Chong exclaimed. Besides the Spirit Crystal vein, there was also the Earth Soul Flower, stirring up a Martial Arts storm throughout Yuzhou. ¡°It¡¯s about time we take a cut from the Spirit Crystal vein of Yuzhou Spirit Sect. But since our junior brother knows about formations, he can put it to good use.¡± Xu Yan said with a cold smile. ¡°Eldest Brother, rest assured. There¡¯s never been a formation in Ling Domain before. As long as I set up the formation, even Refining God Heavenly Man will not be able to detect anything. The Spirit Crystal vein will be ours.¡± Fang Hao was very excited. The thought of being able to stand against the Spirit Sect and noble families made his blood boil. ¡°A Refining God Heavenly Man will come to investigate this place soon.¡± Xu Yan spoke solemnly. Now that he had shown himself here, the Refining God Heavenly Man from Yuzhou Spirit Sect or Su Family would definitely come here to investigate. Chapter 465 At this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s gaze was icy as he looked at Fang Hao and asked, ¡°Junior brother, how long will it take to set up the formation? Can it completely block the divine soul power of a Refining God Heavenly Man and confuse the martial artist in the realm of Refining God?¡± Fang Hao was taken aback, his heart pounding, revealing a look of shock. ¡°What does the senior brother mean?¡± He swallowed, finding the idea somewhat unbelievable. ¡°Set up a formation, use a Refining God Heavenly Man for practice, and I¡¯ll take the opportunity to test the power of the Sword Array.¡± Xu Yan smiled brilliantly. The leaving of the Martial Artist in brown robe was intended to attract the Refining God Heavenly Man. ¡°That¡¯s right. I also want to test the power of the concealed dagger.¡± Meng Chong scratched his head and said. ¡°I, I also want to give it a try!¡± Su Lingxiu also showed a look of excitement. With the guidance of their master, even if the opponents came with stronger Refining God experts, they wouldn¡¯t falter, let alone fail. ¡°No problem, let¡¯s use a Refining God Heavenly Man as practice!¡± Fang Hao¡¯s blood was boiling at this moment. The real strong are those who dare to fight against the odds, and he felt that he lacked a bit of courage. As a loose cultivator, the majesty of the Spirit Sects and prestigious families has subdued him, stifling his rebellious spirit. This is an opportunity. Break the mental barrier, and look down upon the Spirit Sects and prestigious families! ¡°In the past few days, I have created a portion of the formation tools, so setting up the formation won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Although the mechanism weapon box hasn¡¯t been fully refined, he had managed to prepare some formation tools. The Phantom God Confusion Formation and the Phoenix Fire Trap Formation could both be set up, besides these, there were higher-level formations like the Chaos Upside Down Formation. ¡°Great! Let us, brothers, fight against the Refining God!¡± Xu Yan wore a look of laughter on his face. Li Xuan admired in his heart, thinking Xu Yan, his senior brother, was suited to this role. Moreover, he truly embodied the spirit of fearlessness, daring to fight against the odds. The strongest people in the world rise in this way. Xu Yan, truly had the bearing of the protagonist! The four of them left the manor and began to look for a suitable place to set up the formation. Fang Hao looked down and instantly found an excellent location which was not only perfect for setting up the formation, but also enhanced the power of the heaven and earth formation. With the formation tools in hand, the formation was set up quickly. After setting up the formation, Fang Hao didn¡¯t stop. He looked serious as he began to activate the restrictions, integrating them with the formations, setting up the formation of the Heaven and Earth Gates, and using all his recent understandings of martial arts. ¡°Senior Brother, Second Brother, Sister, wear this formation bead, and you won¡¯t be affected by the formation.¡± He passed three formation beads to Xu Yan, Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu. ¡°Okay!¡± The three of them accepted them. Su Lingxiu held a shovel in her hands, feeling a bit nervous. After all, they were about to fight against a Refining God Heavenly Man! Fang Hao stood in his own formation, waiting for the arrival of the Refining God expert. His palms were sweating. It was his first time facing a Refining God Heavenly Man. Xu Yan rose into the sky, standing on a large tree, waiting for the enemy to arrive. Meng Chong¡¯s body disappeared into the grand formation. At this moment, the grand formation hadn¡¯t been fully opened yet, and was hidden. An hour later, two figures quickly flew towards them from the sky. When Su Liancheng and Ke Linping received the news, they conveyed the message back to Yuzhou and the Su Family while heading towards the outskirts of the capital of the Zheng Country, where Xu Yan showed up. Although Xu Yan and Meng Chong managed to kill a Refining God Heavenly Man together, there might still be danger if they encountered one alone. However, there was no concern when the two of them worked together. ¡°It¡¯s unexpected, Xu Yan was actually hiding in the Zheng Country. Does he have something to do with the Zheng Country?¡± Su Liancheng said in a deep voice. ¡°The Zheng Country does not participate in the disputes of Yuzhou¡¯s martial arts world. Even though we have placed bounties on Xu Yan and Meng Chong, they will not interfere, let alone pass on the message to us. ¡°Backed by the Transcendent Spirit Sect, it¡¯s really enviable!¡± Ke Linping spoke with an envious tone. Even if the Zheng Country was secretly sheltering Xu Yan, they wouldn¡¯t dare to attack the Zheng Country, except if the Transcendent Spirit Sect ordered it. No forces in Ling Domain would dare to rashly attack the Zheng Country. ¡°Now that the Gate of Lingyu is closed and the task of the Zheng Country is also gone, do they still¡­¡± Su Liancheng spoke, puzzled. ¡°Even though the Gate of Lingyu is closed, it doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t exist anymore. There naturally needs to be guardians, and the task of the Zheng Country will continue.¡± Ke Linping sighed. Why wasn¡¯t this task given to the Yuzhou Sect? Given the strength of the Yuzhou Sect, backed by the Transcendent Spirit Sect, it would inevitably dominate Yuzhou, become one of the powerful sects in the first-class spirit sects, and it would only be a matter of time. Unfortunately, only the royal family of the Zheng Country has this task! No one dares to meddle with it. ¡°Huh, is that¡ªXu Yan?¡± Suddenly, Ke Linping¡¯s face changed as he spoke. Su Liancheng looked up and immediately burst into joy, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s Xu Yan!¡± The two of them looked at each other and were overjoyed. With their strength, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to capture Xu Yan. Immediately, they set off, their divine soul power surged out, and they swiftly attacked Xu Yan. ¡°Xu Yan, you little brat, hand over your life!¡± Su Liancheng roared angrily. Xu Yan seemed startled and turned to flee, disappearing into the forest below. ¡°You can¡¯t escape!¡± Ke Linping said coldly. Their aura had already locked onto Xu Yan, and they chased after him without hesitation. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Meng Chong¡¯s figure disappeared into a part of the grand formation. Su Lingxiu was watching nervously, her shovel gripped tightly, staring at the two figures descending from the sky. Fang Hao was so nervous that his palms were sweaty. This was his first ever encounter with a Refining God Heavenly Man, and the first time he was taking action against one. Boom! The divine soul power surged, and the moment Su Liancheng and Ke Linping entered the formation, Fang Hao took a deep breath and stomped his foot, summoning the power of heaven and earth. Chapter 466 The celestial formation emerged, shielding the might of Divine Soul with heaven and earth¡¯s power. At this moment, the grand formation activated, shrouded in dense fog, with directions reversed, and phoenix flames erupting! ¡°Not good!¡± Ke Linping¡¯s face changed. He moved back, but behind him were terrifying phoenix flames, and everything that the power of the Divine Soul could see was covered in a thick fog. He had lost his direction! At this moment, he felt as if he had fallen into a mysterious space. Bang! Ke Linping, holding a giant axe in his hand, roared furiously and swung it down towards the phoenix flames! Boom! The flames flared, and the might of the axe was astonishing. Fang Hao¡¯s expression changed slightly, but he remained calm. He shifted his footing slightly, as the mysterious heavenly formation changed. The power of the grand formation surged, using Ke Linping¡¯s strength in an instant along with the superimposed celestial formation, and transferred it to another location. There, Su Liancheng was located. As soon as Su Liancheng entered the Formation, he too realized something was off and immediately became alert. He held a pair of short Halberds in his hands, vigilantly watching all around. ¡°Brother Ke?¡± He received no response from Ke Linping. Suddenly, an axe beam slashed through the fog. ¡°Not good!¡± Su Liancheng¡¯s face changed, he slashed with his halberds, and with a ¡®boom¡¯, though he managed to block the attack, he staggered back two steps! ¡°Brother Ke, it¡¯s me!¡± He hurriedly reminded him. However, before he could finish speaking, another axe light slashed from the side. Su Liancheng desperately blocked it. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± His heart was startled, this place was extremely strange, the power of Divine Soul was being interfered with, he had lost his bearing. Bang! Another axe light slashed over. Su Liancheng¡¯s heart sank, he realized he couldn¡¯t continue like this, thus he struck back towards the direction of the attack. Ke Linping was in the midst of attacking, intending to escape this place, when suddenly, the Halberds¡¯ blade blossomed, slashing towards him. ¡°Brother Su!¡± Ke Linping hastily raised his hand to block. At this moment, Fang Hao was panting heavily. Although he used the celestial formation and the grand formation to shift Ke Linping and Su Liancheng¡¯s attacks, his realm was low after all. He didn¡¯t seem able to hold on much longer. Seeing this, Xu Yan said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this one!¡± He pointed at Ke Linping. The elder of the Jade Spirit Sect was a bit stronger. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll deal with the one from the Su family!¡± Meng Chong nodded. Ke Linping took a deep breath, a wave appeared above his head, the power of the Divine Soul condensed and his momentum reached for a breakthrough through the fog to find the way out. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, he swung down the axe with a low growl. Bang! A figure of a boy emerged from the fog. Surrounded by a fine breeze, the killing intent layered one upon another, making his blood run cold. ¡°Xu Yan, you brat!¡± Ke Linping gritted his teeth hard. ¡°The Jade Spirit Sect must pay the price for hunting me down. I¡¯ll kill you today!¡± Xu Yan spoke coldly. With each step he took, the sword array of mountains and rivers materialized. All around Ke Linping, the power of the sword was plenty. Layer upon layer, they connected into a special pattern. A fine breeze circulated within the sword array. Ke Linping¡¯s heart palpitated, what sort of Sword Dao cultivation technique was this? Unheard of, unseen before! ¡°Can a Refining God from a second-class Spirit Sect or a noble family match against our Jade Spirit Sect? Xu Yan, your strength may be very strong, but you underestimate the strength of a Refining God from a top-class Spirit Sect.¡± Ke Linping sneered. The power of the Divine Soul rolled between them, and a phantom human-shaped ripple appeared above his head. Strings of power gathered. A white ray of light shone around his body, the axe in his hand showed its sharp edge, axe shadows appeared one after another, circling around him. A heavy momentum, with him as the center, spread out, seemingly having the potential to resist the sword array. Xu Yan¡¯s brows hitched, Ke Linping, as an elder of the Jade Spirit Sect, was truly not to be underestimated. Not only the strength of his Divine Soul but also the Martial Art Techniques he cultivated surpassed Dai Sheng¡¯s. ¡°So this is the strength of an elder from a top-tier Spirit Sect.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s expression became slightly rigid. Dai Sheng and the other Refining God Martial Artist were both only weaker cultivators among those Refining Gods. Although they might be stronger than Loose Cultivators who were Refining Gods, they were undoubtedly among the weaker ones in the ranks of the Spirit Sects and noble families. Ke Linping was probably not even among the stronger ones. The Jade Spirit Sect was known as the number one sect in Yuzhou and was listed among the top-class Spirit Sects in the Ling Domain. However, it was just at the bottom of the top-class. ¡°Today, I will use you to test my sword!¡± Xu Yan pointed his hand, the sword array started, the sword lights emerged, the killing intent was intense, the fog began to dissipate. ¡°Younger brother, I¡¯ll take care of this formation.¡± He spoke simultaneously. ¡°Okay!¡± Fang Hao¡¯s voice came from the fog. Ke Linping¡¯s face was grave. Could this eerie place be artificially arranged? What kind of method was this? The killing intent in his heart was intensified. He must kill Xu Yan, he must snuff out this danger, or else the Jade Spirit Sect will be in trouble! He can¡¯t let him continue growing. Rumble! As Fang Hao gave up control of the grand formation, in an instant, the grand formation turned into a sword array, the fog was filled with the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, and the Phoenix flames transformed into mountains and rivers. ¡°Kill!¡± Ke Linping roared angrily, axe shadows like a wild wind, the human-shaped ripple above his head oscillated a pressure of the Divine Soul, which merged into the axe shadows. Xu Yan stood still, pointed a finger, and the sword array rotated. The mountains and the rivers appeared, encompassing all the attacks. The phoenix flames transformed into numerous sharp swords, sweeping over like a huge wave. He had come for this fight to polish and hone his sword array. Chapter 467 On the other side, the moment Meng Chong made his move, he transformed into a six-meter golden-armored giant. Su Liancheng roared, his eyes shining coldly: ¡°Meng Chong?¡± His heart was filled with shock. The six-meter golden-armored giant was real, not an embellished account. Could this Meng Chong actually be a giant? Has there ever been such a colossal being in the Ling Domain? Meng Chong struck out with a punch as Su Liancheng lashed out with his double halberd, directly penetrating the armor on Meng Chong¡¯s body, revealing his flesh and even leaving a shallow scar on his skin. However, the Undying Divine Armor instantly recovered and the light scratch had no impact on Meng Chong. ¡°The strength of the Divine Soul Refiners is truly formidable. Even my Undying Golden Body can¡¯t completely defend against it,¡± Meng Chong thought, a chill running through his heart. Su Liancheng was even more horrified. How terrifyingly resilient was this flesh body? Boom! He manipulated his double halberd, wildly aiming to slash Meng Chong. Humm! Suddenly, dirt was thrown into the air and a huge blade came up from below, maliciously slashing that seemed to tear the sky apart! Su Liancheng¡¯s face changed color, and he bombarded downwards with his double halberd. Boom! The great blade shattered. But at the moment of shattering, a blade light appeared in mid-air and abruptly fell. ¡°Where did this blade come from?¡± Su Liancheng was horrified. Meng Chong looked solemn. Although he had reached the realm where he could conceal his blade to the point where it left no trace when it killed, and where there was no place in the world without a blade, Su Liancheng was too strong. Even with all his strength, he couldn¡¯t beat him. Su Liancheng was initially flustered, but he was a Divine Soul Refiner and experienced in combat. He quickly stabilized himself and unleashed a violent attack with his dual halberds. Meng Chong¡¯s armor was continuously blown to pieces and restored in the middle of the attacks, leaving scars on his body. Humm! All of a sudden, Su Liancheng felt as if he had sunk into a swamp, with a heavy spade shape sweeping towards him. A young girl, nervous yet excited, was wielding a spade against him! ¡°Who are you?¡± Su Lingxiu was both nervous and excited. Now that she finally got to use her grandiose spade, she replied, ¡°Your granny ¨C no, forget it ¨C I don¡¯t want to have such an old grandchild!¡± Su Liancheng¡¯s nose was crooked with anger. Suddenly, he drove Meng Chong back a bit with his dual halberds, moved, and charged towards Su Lingxiu. Humm! Phoenix Fire swept over like a giant python, and fog shrouded the area. Su Lingxiu was nowhere to be seen! ¡°Slash!¡± At this moment, Meng Chong¡¯s handheld blade fell with a slash! Divine Slaying Slash! Boom! Su Liancheng was stunned, desperate to control his Divine Soul refining method. The power of his Divine Soul condensed without scattering. His dual halberds swept across, aimed at Meng Chong! Rumble! The power of his Divine Soul was turbulent, and the slash almost cut open his Divine Soul. ¡°Is this a technique that targets the Divine Soul?¡± Su Liancheng was horrified. Techniques like this that aim to kill the Divine Soul are held by only a few forces in the whole Ling Domain, and without exception, they are all core secret techniques. Without the true teachings, they cannot be cultivated! ¡°Who on earth are you?¡± ¡°Your executioner!¡± Meng Chong said coldly. Whoosh! All of a sudden, a slender light shot by and the young girl reappeared. Phoenix Fire and the fog also emerged, binding him in their clutches. At one moment, his double halberd bursting forward, his face changed drastically. What he was attacking in front of him was the young girl, but why had she become a stone? The girl, however, was in a different position. One of the thin golden needles had pricked his arm. In an instant, the place where the needle had pierced felt as if the life force there was dying out! Su Liancheng turned pale with fear and hurriedly shook off the Golden Needle. Chapter 468 The battle between Xu Yan¡¯s four and the two Refining God Heavenly Men was extremely fierce, but due to being masked by the formation, it did not make any noise. Meng Chong, Su Lingxiu, and Fang Hao, three of them, surrounded and attacked Su Liancheng, one of the Refining God Heavenly Men. Meng Chong exhibited his blade one after another, sometimes the blade was fierce and sharp, and sometimes it fell silently. He displayed domineering fierceness, crafty strangeness, and also intricate variability. The way of the blade, Meng Chong had ascended another step. Su Lingxiu¡¯s Golden Needles flew firing, and her seal of the great marsh bound Su Liancheng¡¯s speed. Fang Hao, on the other hand, used Formation, and the wonders of heaven and earth, to cover for Su Lingxiu and Meng Chong. By restraining Su Liancheng and their increasingly tacit cooperation, Su Liancheng fell into the defensive. A few of his attacks were in the wrong directions. He was influenced by the confusing and disorienting formation. ¡°I wish I had my Strange-Door Weapon Box,¡± Fang Hao regretted in his heart. His Strange-Door Weapon Box hadn¡¯t been refined yet. Su Liancheng knew that if the fight carried on like this, he would definitely be in a passive position, and even in danger of falling. He took a deep breath, and a red radiance emerged from his body, layer after layer, three times in total, bolstering his vitality by thirty percent instantly. At this moment, he displayed a Martial Arts secret technique! He, a distinguished Refining God Heavenly Man, was compelled to employ the Martial Arts secret technique. Blinded by fury, Su Liancheng hurled a short spear towards Fang Hao. Fang Hao¡¯s face changed slightly, and he moved his feet immediately. The Eight Diagrams emerged in his mind, and he instantly moved to another side. While he was dodging, Su Liancheng roared, attacking Su Lingxiu, who was weaker, madly. Break her! Su Lingxiu¡¯s look changed, and she moved her body. Multiple illusions appeared as she dodged hastily. She used her Great Marsh Seal, making the power of the marsh dense, aiming to restrict Su Liancheng¡¯s body. Her Golden Needles rained down like showers. However, Su Liancheng kept an eye on her and attacked madly. Boom! Meng Chong pounded down a punch, and his God Slaying Blade fell fiercely. Su Liancheng fell back suddenly and immediately was pushed against Meng Chong¡¯s chest. ¡°Die!¡± He thrust the short spear fiercely towards Meng Chong¡¯s chest. ¡°Be careful!¡± The color on Fang Hao¡¯s face changed. His elder martial brother¡¯s body may have been extraordinarily robust, but if that spear pierced him, severe injury would inevitably follow! Inside his body, the strange patterns of heaven and earth blossomed with light instantly. At this moment, it seemed as if the power of Heaven and Earth had appeared in his mind. ¡°Rise!¡± The wonders of heaven and earth rose with the great formation. At this instant, Fang Hao felt darkness before his eyes and his bones made cracking noises from the pressure. He struggled to withstand the power of the incredible force of heaven and earth. Boom! In a fraction of a second, Su Liancheng felt an indescribable force envelop him, as if he was caught in some mysterious trap. It made him abruptly stop. Immediately after, the power of the Divine Soul stirred, and in an instant, it burst the force of the trap. The spear in his hand was thrust out! Boom! But, the spear missed its target. Meng Chong had already shifted horizontally and changed his position, and his God Slaying Blade slashed down persistently. ¡°Junior martial brother, the medicinal pill!¡± Su Lingxiu hurried to Fang Hao¡¯s side and stuffed a healing pill into his mouth. Sister, I¡¯m okay!¡± As soon as the pill reached his mouth, Fang Hao felt much better. To his delighted surprise, he discovered that the markings of heaven and earth inside his body had actually advanced. At this moment, Fang Hao looked at Su Liancheng, his eyes gleaming brightly. He had found a method to perfect his imprints faster. Continuously invoking the power of Heaven and Earth, reaching the limit directly, making him almost unbearable to endure, or even hurt by it. If he practised this normally, he would need to recover for a while after each injury, which might delay his cultivation. However, with medicinal pills to assist, the situation was different. ¡°Elder martial sister, I found a way to practice using medicinal pills,¡± Fang Hao exclaimed excitedly. Su Lingxiu promptly handed him a few pill bottles, expressing her worries, ¡°Junior martial brother, is this method really feasible?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Fang Hao excitedly assured her, nodding. Meanwhile, Meng Chong and Su Liancheng were engaged in intense combat. The Immortal Armor on their bodies constantly exploded and continually regenerated. Su Liancheng¡¯s ferocious attacks bombarded Meng Chong incessantly. However, Meng Chong remained unfazed, even deliberately allowing Su Liancheng¡¯s blows to land on him. He was using Su Liancheng to help him cultivate his Sky Hammer Multiplication Technique! Su Lingxiu made a move again, feeling too weak to do anything else. Moreover, she didn¡¯t have a way to attack the Divine Soul. ¡°I am a pill doctor Martial Artist. I can even treat injuries of the Divine Soul. Since I can heal, I should naturally be able to harm as well!¡± Lifting her hand, several fine golden needles appeared. Su Lingxiu had an idea in her mind. Raising her hand again, she shot one Golden Needle out. The Golden Needle hit Su Liancheng¡¯s Divine Soul Force. In a fraction of a second, Su Liancheng¡¯s Divine Soul Force started to melt a bit under the Golden Needle. Su Liancheng was horrified, ¡°My Divine Soul Force, was actually melted a bit, what kind of needle is this?¡± ¡°If it can really melt the intrinsic Divine Soul, that would be terrifying!¡± At this moment, Su Liancheng started to think of retreating, wishing to escape. However, trapped within the Formation, he could not find an escape route. From his perspective, Su Lingxiu¡¯s needle just now was even more dangerous than Meng Chong¡¯s God Slaying Blade. If that needle could break the force of the Divine Soul and directly pierce the Divine Soul, even if it only melted a tiny bit of his Divine Soul, he would not be able to withstand it. Although the God Slaying Blade was dominant and fierce, he could muster the force of the Divine Soul to resist it. With his Divine Soul¡¯s strength, it was just enough to fend off the attacks. Chapter 469 Su Lingxiu¡¯s needle had a corrosive effect, although not deadly, which could corrode and dissolve the strength of a Divine Soul. Such an attack was even more difficult to resist for the Divine Soul! ¡°Effective!¡± Su Lingxiu was overjoyed, ¡°Indeed, if I can heal the injuries of the Divine Soul, there is no reason I can¡¯t harm it. I just haven¡¯t figured out how to hurt the Divine Soul until now.¡± Boom! At this moment, Fang Hao once again drew upon the forces of heaven and earth, rooted in Formation, to lay the unique situation of Heaven and Earth, and included Su Liancheng within it! Su Liancheng felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Who exactly was the man hidden in the shadows, what tactics was he using, and they were unpredictable. In this instant, he felt as though he had entered some sort of trap, with a sense of being involuntarily restrained. If it were not for the slightly weaker power of this deceptive technique, he would have been completely bound, at the mercy of the other party¡¯s manipulation. Bang! Once again, he broke free from the strange bind, his eyes glinted with a cold intensity, he launched a frenzied attack on Meng Chong, intending to deliver a heavy blow under his opponent¡¯s contempt! Fang Hao swayed, his face pale, but his eyes were bright. Hastily swallowing a medicinal pill, he did not wait to fully recover before he once again drawn upon the great forces of Heaven and Earth. Su Lingxiu flicked her finger, a wisp of red needle light shot out instantaneously, striking Su Liancheng¡¯s Divine Soul. This strike was stronger than the last, the Divine Soul strength dissipated instantly, and the red needle light nearly pierced into Su Liancheng¡¯s Divine Soul itself. Su Liancheng was horrified. An intense sense of crisis arose, causing him to roar and rush in a certain direction, attempting to escape! ¡°Want to leave? Not so easy!¡± Meng Chong sneered, his body moved, translocating in an instant, blocking Su Liancheng¡¯s escape route. At this moment, the flames of the Phoenix churned, and the fog piled up, even the directions were reversed, Fang Hao once again urged the Great Formation, stepping out to reveal a bright aura on the ground. A force of terrain, which emerged like chains, ascended and bound Su Liancheng. The earth-lock formation of Heaven and Earth¡¯s unique paradigm! The combined strength of Meng Chong and the others suppressed Su Liancheng, even taking advantage of him to enhance themselves. Meanwhile in another part of the Great Formation, Xu Yan was surrounded by a halo of sword light, and his Great Formation had turned into a Sword Array. The Great Formation laid down by Fang Hao, in Xu Yan¡¯s single thought, transformed into a Mountain River Sword Array. At this moment, Ke Linping felt as though he was in a mountain river. And Xu Yan was the master of this mountain river. With the surrounding Sword Intent and the continuous force of the Mountain River Sword Array, Ke Linping become increasingly apprehensive the longer the fight went on. He had a strong sense of crisis. He attempted many times to break out of the Sword Array, but was forced back each time. Outside the Great Formation, Li Xuan silently observed the fight within. Xu Yan¡¯s breakthrough to the minor Divine Intent State and his comprehension of Sword Array greatly enhanced his strength. Now by himself, he could already handle an early-stage Refining God Heavenly Man Martial Artist. ¡°The outcome is already decided!¡± Whether it was Ke Linping or Su Liancheng, their fate had been predetermined the moment they entered the Formation. ¡°After this battle, Fang Hao will be more proficient in applying the Martial Arts of Mystery, and gain more insights.¡± This battle was a good thing. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu has comprehended the Fusion Divine Needle, allowing you to gain the Fusion Divine Technique.¡± As a Dan Doctor Martial Artist, Su Lingxiu, who could heal the injuries of the Divine Soul, naturally would know how to harm it and how to dissolve the Divine Soul. This was an inevitable result. ¡°The Jade God Sect and Su Family should be considered as stepping stones.¡± That¡¯s what Li Xuan thought in his heart. Strong individuals often step onto the pinnacle one step at a time using countless stepping stones to rise. Xu Yan and Meng Chong¡¯s entry to the Ling Domain, the Jade God Sect and the Su family, were just those stepping stones for their rise. ¡°Yuzhou, after all, is not strong. The real geniuses of the Ling Domain are not in this province.¡± Li Xuan thought silently. Although Ke Linping and Su Liancheng were Refining God Heavenly Men, their strength, I am afraid, is not considered very strong among the other Refining God Heavenly Men. After the matter of the Jade God Sect and Su family, it is about time to leave Yuzhou and head towards the real large provinces of Ling Domain, to compete against the geniuses of Ling Domain. The battle was nearing its end. Su Liancheng looked terribly pale, he had expended too much energy, and he had also gone mad. He glared at Su Lingxiu and frantically attacked, intending to take someone down with him even in death. Although Su Lingxiu was slightly weaker, she was not slow. With the deployment of her movement technique, she created numerous illusions. Combined with being within the Great Formation, this made it impossible for Su Liancheng to accurately determine her true position. With the attacks from Meng Chong and Fang Hao, trying to harm Su Lingxiu was nothing but wishful thinking! Suddenly, Su Lingxiu¡¯s golden needles burst forth like a shower. In the gap of Su Liancheng¡¯s resistance, a strike from Meng Chong¡¯s God-annihilating Slash shocked his Divine Soul strength. It was at this moment that a slender needle, made from the condensation of Dan Flame, pierced his divine soul, creating a small incision. The needle pierced into his divine soul. In this instant, from where the needle had pierced, a hole the size of a finger slowly corroded open and continued to spread! ¡°Ah!¡± Intense pain transmitted from his divine soul, Su Liancheng let out a scream. His eyes slightly bulged out due to the pain, his body trembling undeniably, resulting in flaws in his defence and attack. Humm! A slashing blade light fell, its fire was like a python. The power of the great formation swallowed him! On the other side, Xu Yan, with a cold expression, raised his hand slightly. Inside the sword array, the Sword of Thunderbolt and the Sudden Annihilation Sword fell. The mountains and rivers overturned, and the sword array was like a flood. In the blink of an eye, Ke Linping¡¯s body was pierced. His divine soul continuously crumbled under the Sudden Annihilation Sword. ¡°Where did you come from?¡± Ke Linping had a face full of resentment and indignation. He couldn¡¯t believe he would fall here. ¡°What state are you in?¡± By this point in the battle, he had noticed that Xu Yan¡¯s state was unusual. He was neither a Minor Heavenly Man in the Gathering God State, nor a Major Heavenly Man in the Unification God State, and even less a Refining God Heavenly Man! However, there was a presence similar to the power of the divine soul, yet it was significantly different from the divine soul! ¡°Divine Intent State!¡± Xu Yan said indifferently. Ke Linping looked puzzled, what was the Divine Intent State, and why had he never heard of it? Before he had a chance to ask further, his divine soul had faded and completely vanished from the world. On the other side, Su Liancheng also fell in the great formation with reluctance and anger. ¡°Your disciple has killed a Refining God Heavenly Man; you have gained the third form of God Obliteration.¡± Li Xuan took a step and came back to the manor. Inside the formation, Fang Hao¡¯s face turned pale. This battle brought him great gains, yet cost him a lot as well. He also had a deeper understanding of the Formation and the mystery of Heaven and Earth. With a wave of his hand, the array tool flew back and the formation was lifted. ¡°I killed a Refining God Heavenly Man!¡± Fang Hao seemed to be in a dream. Not long ago, he was just a low-level Loose Cultivator who had dreams and studied the art of weapon forging. But now, he had laid out a great formation and, together with his elder brothers and sisters, had killed the high-ranking nobles who refined God! Life is truly strange and wonderful! The battle ended. The fall of the Heavenly Man from the Jade God Sect and the Su Family would inevitably cause a huge shock in Yuzhou. Both the Jade God Sect and the Su Family would feel fear from this! The four disciples returned to the manor, and the first thing Fang Hao did was to set up formations in the manor again to enhance them. After the arrangement was completed, they individually digested the gains from this battle. Meng Chong was not far from achieving the first minor success of the Undying Golden Body. Su Lingxiu was only one step away from achieving minor success in the divine intent state. The Heavenly Mysterious Pattern inside Fang Hao¡¯s body was almost perfect. Soon, he could set up the Mysterious Formation, condense the next Heavenly Mysterious Pattern. Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu were all stimulated, starting to practice diligently, hoping to break through the divine intent state as soon as possible. So was Red Cat. It wanted to be the King of the Great Devils! On the second day after Ke Linping and Su Liancheng were killed, some martial artists explored near the manor, but they did not find its location. The formation was even more concealed and hard to detect after being strengthened by Fang Hao. Near the capital of Zheng Country, martial artists gathered nearly carpet-bombing the surroundings. The martial artists from the Jade God Sect and the Su Family were nearly emptied out. On the sixth day, two Heavenly Men inspected the area. Moreover, they were both mid-stage Refining God Heavenly Men, one from the Jade God Sect and the other from the Su Family. Li Xuan quietly observed for a while. Mid-stage Refining God Heavenly Men were nothing more than that, still able to be annihilated by one wave of his hand. Yuzhou was shaken! The two Refining God Heavenly Men from the Jade God Sect and the Su Family teamed up to search for Xu Yan and Meng Chong but disappeared without a trace. They did not even know where they had fallen. The Jade God Sect and the Su Family were furious. The reward was further increased. Refining God Heavenly Man had almost emptied out, searching in all four directions of Yuzhou. They even hired Loose Cultivators who were Refining God Heavenly Men to participate in the large search. A grand and vigorous search operation spread throughout Yuzhou. It seemed that they would dig three feet into the ground to find Xu Yan and Meng Chong. However, half a month went by, and there was still no clue. Xu Yan and Meng Chong seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Chapter 470 The thorough search conducted by the Jade God Sect and the Su Family didn¡¯t turn up Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Instead, the previously hidden All Ages Alliance was exposed. ¡°Another force composed of loose cultivators?¡± Jade God Sect and the Su Family, heated about the situation, were furious when they discovered the hidden All Ages Alliance. They even suspected that the reason Xu Yan and Meng Chong managed to avoid the search was likely because of aid from the All Ages Alliance. Meanwhile, within the All Ages Alliance, the Alliance Hierarch and others were all greatly aggrieved. Xu Yan and Meng Chong have indeed mastered the art of concealment. Yet, despite harnessing all their resources and manpower, Jade God Sect and the Su Family failed to locate them! However, much to their despair, the All Ages Alliance, which had always remained hidden, was now exposed. The only silver lining was that the Jade God Sect and the Su Family merely considered the All Ages Alliance as just another organization composed of loose cultivators, no different from the rest. Even so, the Spirit Sects and prominent families in Yuzhou launched a campaign to eradicate the All Ages Alliance completely. They were adamant about not permitting any form of organized group of loose cultivators with a certain degree of power. Soon, chaos erupted in the martial arts world of Yuzhou, even leading to battles between Refining God Heavenly Men. However, this chaos didn¡¯t affect the tranquillity within the estate. This place felt like an isolated world, unaffected by any external disturbances. Li Xuan had already started investigating the fifth page of the Book of Tai Cang, simultaneously delineating the Laws of Heaven and Earth for his four disciples to comprehend. This served as the foundation for using the Laws of Heaven and Earth in Divine Skills. It was also to lay the groundwork for comprehending the Divine Skills. ¡°The number of Martial Art divine shadows is about to break through a hundred thousand.¡± Li Xuan suddenly noticed that the count of Martial Art divine shadows was just one short of a hundred thousand. The number of Great Wasteland Warriors was increasing, marking a high-speed development phase. Eventually, a few days later, the divine shadows broke through the hundred-thousand mark. ¡°Your Martial Arts divine shadow has broken through a hundred thousand, granting you the Divine Martial True Body.¡± Li Xuan was filled with exhilaration. The Divine Martial True Body was the result of the fusion of a hundred thousand divine shadows. It was both a clone and not. The Divine Martial True Body connected to his primary consciousness, completely under his control. What mattered more was that the Divine Martial True Body held ninety percent of his main body¡¯s strength! ¡°This is much stronger than the divine shadow. If my enemy and I are evenly matched, but I have the Divine Martial True Body, that is equivalent to a two-against-one fight, ensuring victory!¡± His strength had increased again. Li Xuan was in high spirits. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has broken through the first minor phase of the Undying Golden Body; your first phase of the Undying Golden Body has been perfected.¡± Meng Chong had made a breakthrough. Shortly after Meng Chong¡¯s breakthrough, Su Lingxiu also broke through the minor phase of the Divine Intent State. ¡°Your disciple, Su Lingxiu, has broken through the minor phase of the Divine Intent State; your Divine Intent State of Pill Medicine Martial Arts has been perfected.¡± The sensation of having improved abilities felt wonderful indeed. Among his four disciples, currently, Fang Hao was the weakest; however, even he was nearing his breakthrough. Li Xuan called over Fang Hao to give him some guidance. For instance, he was encouraged to refine a treasure that can be used for communication. Communication methods of Ling Domain were relatively lagging. Although Mother and Child Beads could convey some messages, their functionality was quite singular, like a particular bead breaking to represent a particular message, and so on. For detailed communication, a special ¡°Spirit Swallow¡±, similar to carrier pigeons in the inner domain, was used. However, this communication method carried a certain amount of risk, as it could potentially be intercepted. While the Spirit Swallow was thrillingly fast, it wasn¡¯t instant, especially when conveying messages across states, which could take several days. Even within one state, conveying a message from the south to the north required a day even with the fast-paced Spirit Swallow. Plus, there was always the risk of it being intercepted on the way. The cost of breeding Spirit Swallows was also high; establishing a communication system was extremely resource-intensive. Second- and third-tier Spirit Sects and noble families weren¡¯t even capable of building too wide a communication network and could only use it within their own territories. Mother and Child Beads were used by Spirit Sects and noble families only for emergency communication. For example, if a particular bead broke, it indicated a crisis. If another bead broke, it signaled a call for help, and so on. Given that Artifact Refining, Formations, and Restrictions have all been introduced, how can communication treasures be left out? Therefore, Li Xuan gave a few pointers to Fang Hao, encouraging him to refine a communication item for convenient contact. Even if they couldn¡¯t achieve instant communication across the entire Ling Domain, they at least needed to be capable of communicating within a certain range. After receiving guidance from Li Xuan, a delighted Fang Hao began brainstorming on refining communication treasures. At the outskirts of Qinglin City in Yuzhou. Chairman Yu was standing in mid-air, with the left and right protectors of the Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance standing behind him. ¡°You two are also loose cultivators, yet you willingly serve the Spirit Sects and noble families? Do you truly believe these Sects and families consider you to be one of their own?¡± Chairman Yu asked in a solemn tone. In front of them were two Refining God Heavenly Men loose cultivators who had some reputation in Yuzhou. They¡¯d been recruited by the Jade God Sect and the Su Family during their large-scale search for Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Today, they were the external affairs elders of the Jade God Sect! Upon discovering the All Ages Alliance, the Jade God Sect provided them an opportunity to join their Sect. If they succeeded, they would officially become elders of the Jade God Sect and be considered Spiritual Sect Warriors! That¡¯s how these two ended up capturing warriors from the All Ages Alliance, leading to Chairman Yu stepping in to intercept them. ¡°The loose cultivators have no future. The Spirit Sects and noble families are the right path. This is how it is in the Ling Domain¡­ it¡¯s foolish to fantasize about changing the circumstances of the Ling Domain.¡± A Refining God loose cultivator coldly retorted. ¡°Precisely because of people like you with such a mindset, we loose cultivators will never see the light of day!¡± Chapter 471 The Left Protector shouted sharply. ¡°Bullshit!¡± The Refining God Loose Cultivator scoffed, ¡°How great was the Blood Demon in the old days, and what ended up happening to it? Do you think you are on par with the Blood Demon of the past?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s talking nonsense. If it weren¡¯t for people betraying us, would the Blood Demon have undergone such a drastic change? Would he have failed to secure a seat for us, the loose cultivators?¡± The Right Protector roared in anger, his figure swept into action, attacking immediately. ¡°Alliance Hierarch, these ragtag loose cultivators should be killed!¡± As soon as the Right Protector made his move, the complexion of the loose cultivator drastically changed. ¡°Refining God in the mid-stage, you- how is that possible!¡± He was shocked to his core, his heart pounding as he immediately attempted to flee. Loose cultivators, due to their lack of cultivation resources and mediocre cultivation techniques, remain at the early stage of Refining God Heavenly Man even after making a breakthrough. You are generally weaker in strength compared to Spirit Sects and noble families at the same cultivation level. A mid-stage Refining God loose cultivator is absolutely extraordinary, possibly even having some legacy value. Hum! Suddenly, a streak of white light soared towards them. The Right Protector¡¯s face drastically changed as he hastily retreated. The Alliance Hierarch punched out, and with a loud bang, collided with the white light, slightly shaking from the impact. His face serious, he looked at the two figures up ahead. ¡°Elder Zhu Liang of Yushen Sect, the strongest in Yuzhou!¡± Elder Zhu Liang from the Yushen Sect, bathed in a radiant white light, displayed an agitated aura. His Divine Soul power was like ripples in the empty air. His gaze was cold, staring at the Alliance Hierarch. ¡°Are Xu Yan and Meng Chong your people?¡± A mere loose cultivator with the strength of the latter stage of Refining God, that¡¯s astonishing! This shows that this loose cultivator organization has great ambitions. ¡°So what if they are? What if they aren¡¯t?¡± The Alliance Hierarch gave a cold laugh. No explanation was necessary. The Yushen Sect and Su Family must have suspected that Xu Yan and Meng Chong were connected to the All Ages Alliance. ¡°Regardless of whether they are or not, all of you must die today!¡± Zhu Liang slowly stepped forward, the white light pulsating around him reaching up to the sky, displaying an awe-inspiring power. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you, Zhu Liang, have what it takes!¡± The Alliance Hierarch growled lowly, not daring to be negligent in the slightest. An azure-colored light emerged from his body. Holding a long knife in his hand, he stepped forward to meet Zhu Liang. The Left and Right Protectors looked tense. The Alliance Hierarch¡¯s momentum was weaker than Zhu Liang¡¯s, and it seemed he would likely not be a match for him. However, they could not help him. The person who came with Zhu Liang had already locked onto the two of them with his aura. ¡°Su Zheng!¡± The Left Protector grimly said. Su Zheng, the head of the Su Family, was at the peak of the mid-stage of Refining God, only a step away from the latter stage. ¡°You can¡¯t be spared, attack together and kill him!¡± Su Zheng said to the two Refining God Loose Cultivators. ¡°Yes, head of the Su Family!¡± The two Refining God loose cultivators hurriedly nodded. While the Left and Right Protectors were also at the mid-stage of Refining God, facing the onslaught of the three, they were forced to constantly retreat. Refining Gods raised in noble families were naturally stronger than those of loose cultivators, let alone the head of the top-rated Su Family, who could fight them both on his own. Adding the assistance of the two initial-stage Refining God cultivators, the situation was even more hopeless. On the other side, the Alliance Hierarch was already at a complete disadvantage, being dominated by Zhu Liang and was already injured. ¡°You mere loose cultivators dare to commit treachery and disrespect the honor of the Spirit Sect and noble families. Are you aware of your crimes!¡± Zhu Liang coldly said as he attacked. It frustrated the Alliance Hierarch terribly. He knew that Zhu Liang was stronger than him, but he didn¡¯t think Zhu Liang would be this much stronger. No wonder he¡¯s known as the strongest in Yuzhou. What bothered him even more was that the All Ages Alliance was maintaining a low profile, but Xu Yan and Meng Chong appeared from nowhere, annihilating noble families, beheading Refining Gods, and slapping the faces of the Yushen Sect and Su Family. As a result, the Yushen Sect and Su Family nearly went mad, leading a massive search throughout Yuzhou. Although Xu Yan and Meng Chong could not be found, they were instead exposed. They couldn¡¯t continue the fight, or they would undoubtedly die! As the Alliance Hierarch transmitted a message to the Left and Right Protectors to find an opportunity to escape, he also began frantically retreating. ¡°Do you think you can escape?¡± Zhu Liang remained calm and composed. His fists and palms radiated white light, continuously generating infinite lacerations, causing the Alliance Hierarch to be in a sorry state, and his injuries continued to worsen. The Left and Right Protectors were also quite frustrated. They wanted to escape too, but Su Zheng was just too strong. ¡°Let¡¯s go all out!¡± The Right Protector took a deep breath and brutally attacked one of the Loose Cultivators, completely ignoring Su Zheng¡¯s onslaught. The Left Protector gritted his teeth and charged forward, single-handedly resisting Su Zheng¡¯s attack, having no time to guard against the assault from the other Loose Cultivator. Boom! The Loose Cultivator¡¯s face changed drastically, defending while frantically retreating, but his power was significantly inferior, and he instantly suffered severe injuries. Yet the Right Protector was like a madman, striking again and again, intent on killing him! The Loose Cultivator¡¯s face turned pale, and he hurriedly fled, hiding behind Su Zheng. In this manner, the Right Protector seized the opportunity to escape! Capturing the Left Protector, he franticly fled. The Left Protector was repeatedly coughing up blood with grave injuries, but successfully escaped. ¡°All these Loose Cultivators are good for nothing!¡± Su Zheng gave a cold glance to the seriously injured Loose Cultivator who had avoided the Right Protector¡¯s attack, and said disdainfully. He did not pursue the Left and Right Protectors but turned his attention to the Alliance Hierarch. This late-stage Refining God Loose Cultivator should die first! In Yuzhou, apart from Zhu Liang, their Spirit Sect and nobility had no late-stage Refining God Martial Artists. Any second or third-rate noble families, when encountering him, faced the risk of annihilation. Even the top-notch Spirit Sect and noble families would only be able to resist, but also needed to worry about being broken down one after another! Su Zheng moved and rushed towards the Alliance Hierarch. At this moment Alliance Hierarch¡¯s face changed dramatically, the Left and Right Protectors fled quickly, but Su Zheng didn¡¯t pursue them, instead, he came to besiege him! ¡°Die!¡± The Alliance Hierarch roared, blood surged, and in the blink of an eye, he unleashed his ultimate Martial Arts secret technique, his sword cutting through the white light. The sword light swept across, pushing back Su Zheng a little, he then retreated like mad, escaping. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!¡± Zhu Liang and Su Zheng chased after him. A late-stage Refining God Loose Cultivator in Yuzhou, who was also a strong person in some Loose Cultivator force, implied a huge ambition and could target the Spirit Sect and noble families at any time. Ever since the calamity of the Blood Demon, the Spirit Sect and noble families became extremely sensitive to these Loose Cultivator forces, especially those with strong individuals and prodigies. Once they discovered such forces formed by Loose Cultivators, they would immediately unite to suppress them, to prevent them from growing stronger and threatening the position of the Spirit Sect and the noble families. The Alliance Hierarch frantically fled, with Zhu Liang and Su Zheng chasing after him from behind. ¡°I¡¯m in danger!¡± The Alliance Hierarch¡¯s heart sank. He looked back and his face turned green. Zhu Liang was not only stronger, but also faster than him. He bit his teeth and operated the Cultivation Technique madly to widen the distance. Yet, the distance between them got closer and closer instead! ¡°Head for Zheng Country¡¯s capital city, Zheng Country doesn¡¯t meddle in Martial Arts disputes. Without orders from the Transcendent Spirit Sect, they won¡¯t rashly act against Loose Cultivator forces. ¡°Hiding in Zheng Country¡¯s capital city, Zhu Liang and Su Zheng wouldn¡¯t dare to wreak havoc. Perhaps I could have a slim chance of survival!¡± The Alliance Hierarch thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and headed towards Zheng Country¡¯s capital. However, halfway through, Zhu Liang was about to catch up. His attacks were coming from afar. The Alliance Hierarch used his Martial Arts secret technique again, his speed greatly increased, and he pulled away in an instant, but his injuries got worse. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you, Zhu Liang, will use your Martial Arts secret technique to kill me!¡± the Alliance Hierarch thought grimly. However, when he was still a thousand miles away from Zheng Country¡¯s capital, Zhu Liang seemed to understand his intention, his speed increased greatly, transformed into a beam of white light, and chased quickly behind him. ¡°Not every Spirit Sect secret technique will injure oneself!¡± Zhu Liang¡¯s indifferent voice came. Although the consumption was huge, it would not hurt oneself. However, this kind of Martial Arts secret technique, has relatively weaker power. But catching up with the Alliance Hierarch was enough! The Alliance Hierarch¡¯s face turned green. He cursed under his breath, let out a low growl, and a rich blood-colored light surged from his body. He directly burned his essence blood, and unleashed his ultimate secret technique. His figure instantly increased drastically, turning into a streak of bloody light and disappearing into the sky. Zhu Liang frowned slightly and then sneered, ¡°Burning essence blood, causing great harm to oneself, let¡¯s see where you can run!¡± In the manor, Fang Hao was extremely excited. Looking at a small white token in his hand, he noted the mysterious prohibitions and Formation patterns engraved on it. The center of the token was as smooth as jade. Once he wrote words using his True Yuan, they would appear on the other side of the token. ¡°Master, I made it.¡± Fang Hao said excitedly. ¡°Good job, let¡¯s call this a Communication Talisman.¡± Li Xuan said, nodding in satisfaction. Chapter 472 The moment when Fang Hao forged the Communication Talisman, the Daoist Golden Book opened, with a golden light gushing forth. ¡°Your disciple Fang Hao forged the Communication Talisman, you¡¯ve earned the Artifact Refining Directory.¡± The Artifact Refining Directory contains records of many artifact-related items and refining techniques. ¡°Formations, artifact refining, and prohibitions have been almost fully covered.¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. The martial arts he currently mastered were absolutely unique. ¡°The Communication Talisman you made is somewhat crude and its range is limited,¡± Li Xuan said after looking at the talisman in Fang Hao¡¯s hand. He gave some pointers on how to forge it and how to enhance its range. Of course, given Fang Hao¡¯s current level of power, the communication distance of the talismans he made would inevitably be somewhat limited. Upon hearing that Fang Hao had successfully made a Communication Talisman, Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu all curiously gathered around. ¡°Is this a Communication Talisman?¡± []Writing in one talisman and having it appear in another is truly amazing. ¡°How far can it communicate?¡± Meng Chong asked curiously. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. I¡¯m going on a trip to the capital of Zheng Country to test its effectiveness.¡± Fang Hao replied. He was unsure whether Young Master Shen had looked for him and whether the Chunxiao Mirror he had left for him had been taken. ¡°Aside from distance, the issue of how to communicate with multiple people is also a problem.¡± Xu Yan pondered and said. Fang Hao nodded, ¡°I will solve this problem. When I get to the capital, I¡¯ll write a message and send it back.¡± None knew that the person who killed the Refining God Heavenly Man from Yushen Temple and the Su Family was Fang Hao, or that he was the martial brother of Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Given that he had grown up in the Zheng Country Capital, he did not have to worry about becoming the target of the Yushen Temple or Su Family. Upon leaving the manor, Fang Hao set off for the capital. Instead of flying, he walked through the forest, sending messages and chatting with his martial brothers and sisters back at the manor. The communication talisman was undoubtedly a novelty, therefore they chatted with great excitement. Xu Yan and the others huddled around the talisman, each entering text and keeping in touch with Fang Hao. Fang Hao walked briskly and had already left the manor by more than twenty li. The communication was still ongoing, uninterrupted, and had a range of over twenty li. ¡°It should work for a hundred or even a thousand li, but ten thousand might be too far.¡± Fang Hao estimated in his mind. Suddenly, his expression changed greatly. He swiftly dodged to the side as a figure fell from the sky. Alliance Hierarch¡¯s face was pale white, bloodless, and his aura was chaotic. He even became somewhat haggard. He ultimately did not manage to make it to the Zheng Country Capital, losing control and falling down. ¡°Yushen Temple¡­ Zhu Liang, that damned bastard!¡± Alliance Hierarch felt aggrieved, so much so that he wanted to vomit blood. Just recently, he was thinking about how to protect Xu Yan and Meng Chong, but they were perfectly hidden. Yushen Temple and the Su Family could not find them even with a major search in Yuzhou. Instead, All Ages Alliance was exposed, he was exposed, and consequently being hunted. ¡°I¡¯m done for this time!¡± The Alliance Hierarch thought bitterly unwillingly. He feebly collapsed to the ground, smiling bitterly. He felt as if he was grievously set up by Xu Yan and Meng Chong. ¡°If you two are the peerless talents of All Ages Alliance, then you indeed screwed me over!¡± Alliance Hierarch was immensely frustrated. If they were not the peerless talents of All Ages Alliance, then there wasn¡¯t much to say. It would just be his bad luck! Fang Hao was astounded at the moment. A Refining God Heavenly Man¡¯s body was heavily damaged and fell to the ground. Moreover, it seemed that he was chased by Yushen Temple? Judging by his clothes, was he a Loose Cultivator? ¡°Zhu Liang?¡± Fang Hao was taken aback. Was this not the Elder of the Yushen Temple, the number one expert in Yuzhou? This person was chased by Zhu Liang and managed to escape? ¡°Martial brothers and sisters, a Refining God Heavenly Man just fell down. It seems like he was chased and injured by Yushen Temple. Should we save him?¡± Fang Hao was indecisive, and quickly sent a message. According to his thoughts, an enemy of an enemy might not necessarily be a friend, but saving him to annoy the enemy would be enjoyable. ¡°Bring him back, be careful.¡± A message came from the Communication Talisman. Fang Hao took a deep breath, walked over, and said, ¡°Senior, I can take you somewhere to hide.¡± Alliance Hierarch looked at Fang Hao, smiling bitterly, ¡°Young man, it¡¯ll implicate you. I¡¯m too injured, nearly to the point of collapse. It¡¯s not worth the risk.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t implicate me. Yushen Temple is also my enemy.¡± With that said, Fang Hao grabbed Alliance Hierarch and quickly headed back to the manor. Alliance Hierarch was so badly injured that he hadn¡¯t even noticed Fang Hao hiding nearby. After receiving the news, Xu Yan left the manor and rushed over, fearing that Fang Hao might be in danger. ¡°Eh, aren¡¯t you at the early-stage of a Refining God Heavenly Man?¡± Xu Yan looked at Alliance Hierarch in surprise. Although this man was injured badly, apparently from using a martial technique that hurt him to cause such serious injuries, this type of condition in the Ling Domain was considered crippled, almost beyond recovery. However, in Su Lingxiu¡¯s eyes, such an injury was not a big deal. With one medicinal pill, most of his injuries could be healed. Upon hearing this, Alliance Hierarch struggled to lift his head and looked at the person speaking. He immediately widened his eyes, raised his hand incredulously to wipe off the blood from his eyelids, and exclaimed, ¡°Xu Yan?!¡± Xu Yan acted as if this were only to be expected since the Yushen Temple and Su Family were hunting him down, and he was not disguising his face, so recognizing him was not strange. Chapter 473 ¡°It¡¯s me, what can I do for you?¡± Even as he spoke, he had returned to the manor. ¡°So you¡¯ve been hiding here? You¡¯ve really made things difficult for me!¡± The Alliance Hierarch looked around the manor, a sight so shocking that he almost spewed a mouthful of old blood. Such a huge mansion, were the people of Yushen Sect and Su Family blind? How could they not find Xu Yan? ¡°How did I make things difficult for you?¡± Xu Yan asked, a look of surprise on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t try to frame me. Anyone who tries to take advantage of me will be reduced to ash!¡± Xu Yan warned. If this man hadn¡¯t been an enemy of the Yushen Sect, he wouldn¡¯t have even bothered to save him. Fang Hao helped the Hierarch down, and Meng Chong, Su Lingxiu and others gathered around. They curiously looked at the grievously injured Hierarch, who was clinging to life. Shockingly, this man was not in the early stages of becoming a Refining God Heavenly Man! Red Cat and two others also came over, staring at the Hierarch with wide eyes, and curiously reaching out a claw to scratch at the Hierarch¡¯s head. The Hierarch: ¡­ Surrounded by a crowd, he supposed the muscular bald youth was Meng Chong? So these two men had been hiding in this manor all along and had never left. Were the Yushen Sect and the Su Family fools for failing to discover them? ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± The Hierarch coughed, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His condition was pitiful. ¡°Zhu Liang is hunting me down, and he will be here soon. You all should hide. If you¡¯re found, it will be difficult to escape!¡± The Hierarch took a deep breath and said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this. Tell me, how did I make things hard for you?¡± Xu Yan had an unfriendly expression on his face. The Hierarch gave a bitter smile, ¡°The Yushen Sect and Su Family have been searching all over Yuzhou for you and Meng Chong. They didn¡¯t find you two, but we were exposed instead.¡± So that¡¯s what happened! Xu Yan looked at him sympathetically, ¡°You have a feud with the Yushen Sect and Su Family?¡± An enemy¡¯s enemy might not become a friend, but using an enemy¡¯s enemy to annoy the enemy was a joyous thing. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say feud. It¡¯s just that the Spirit Sect and the noble families don¡¯t have room for people like us.¡± The Hierarch struggled to sit up. His injuries were serious, and he was basically crippled. It was inevitable that his strength would decline. ¡°Oh? Explain.¡± Xu Yan curiously asked. The Hierarch was silent for a moment, then solemnly said, ¡°To tell you the truth, I am the Alliance Hierarch of the Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance, and it consists of Loose Cultivators. The goal is to secure a place for the Loose Cultivators in the Ling Domain!¡± Xu Yan was surprised, ¡°You¡¯re the Hierarch of the All Ages Alliance?¡± ¡°You know about the All Ages Alliance?¡± The Hierarch widened his eyes. The All Ages Alliance was still in its planning stage, still gathering strength, waiting for the opportunity to rise up and secure a place among the Spirit Sect and noble families. Even though the Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance was exposed this time, the Yushen Sect and Su Family didn¡¯t know the name of the All Ages Alliance. They merely thought it was a developing Loose Cultivator power. Xu Yan actually knew about the All Ages Alliance. Could it be that he and Meng Chong were talented individuals cultivated by the All Ages Alliance? ¡°I do!¡± Xu Yan nodded. Wen Yong was a member of the All Ages Alliance and was considered a talented individual within the Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance. The Hierarch spit out blood, feeling a sense of being utterly betrayed. He turned his gaze to the others, were they all from the All Ages Alliance? Shit! He was the Hierarch of the Yuzhou branch, and so many members of his alliance were here, and he knew nothing about it? ¡°You¡¯re kind of weak. You¡¯re like this from a small injury.¡± Su Lingxiu sighed. This man was a Refining God Heavenly Man after all. How could he be so frail? ¡°A small injury?¡± The Hierarch spat more blood. I suffered a great loss, burned through my vital energy, used the secret technique of martial arts to escape, suffered great damage, and even damaged my foundation, and all you call this is a small injury? ¡°Of course!¡± Su Lingxiu nodded, looked at Xu Yan and asked, ¡°Big brother, shall we save him?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s save him.¡± Xu Yan pondered before speaking. Since he¡¯s the Alliance¡¯s Hierarch of the All Ages Alliance, and has conflicts with the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family, whether it¡¯s for irritating the enemy or out of consideration for Wen Yong, he should be saved. It¡¯s only a matter of one or two pills. Su Lingxiu waved her hand, sprinkling the Golden Needles which pierced the body of the Alliance Hierarch. A wisps of eternal True Yuan was injected into the Golden Needle, and in an instant, it began to repair the ruptured and damaged meridians of the Alliance Hierarch. Then she pulled out a jade bottle and popped a pill into the mouth of the Alliance Hierarch. ¡°Alright, after a few days of recuperation, you will be as good as new.¡± Su Lingxiu nodded. The Alliance Hierarch was greatly shocked, he could feel his damaged foundation had been repaired and his lost blood essence was being restored. Within a short span of time, his injuries had already recovered by fifty to sixty percent. ¡°What¡­What kind of divine medicine is this?¡± He was too astonished to speak. ¡°Just a common blood nourishing, body strengthening pill made from second to third grade Spiritual Medicine, which is not a divine medicine.¡± Su Lingxiu beckoned and the Golden Needle flew back to her. She turned and left, ending any further curiosity from the Alliance Hierarch. ¡°Meow!¡± Red Cat followed her, pawing at her fawningly to plead for pills. Meng Chong scratched his head and also turned to leave, continuing his cultivation. The matter of the Alliance Hierarch was left to the Senior Brother to handle. Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, Meng Shushu left as well, it was only Fang Hao who was very interested in the All Ages Alliance. After all, he¡¯s from Ling Domain and he is a Loose Cultivator who holds ambition. The fact that the All Ages Alliance was striving to create a place for Loose Cultivators made him immediately interested. ¡°Alliance Hierarch, tell me about the All Ages Alliance, what are your plans, how will you compete with the Spirit Sect and the Aristocratic Families for a place?¡± Fang Hao squatted in front of the Alliance Hierarch and curiously asked. ¡°Are you not from the All Ages Alliance?¡± The Alliance Hierarch was startled. ¡°Of course not!¡± Fang Hao shook his head in confusion, looking at him, ¡°Why would you think that we are from the All Ages Alliance?¡± ¡°Then how did Xu Yan know about the All Ages Alliance?¡± The Alliance Hierarch was shocked. When did the All Ages Alliance get leaked out? Xu Yan didn¡¯t explain, after all, it was Wen Yong who told him. If he said it out loud, wouldn¡¯t Wen Yong be punished for leaking the secret of the All Ages Alliance? ¡°Although I know about the All Ages Alliance, I am indeed not a member.¡± Xu Yan shook his head, leaving Fang Hao to converse with the Alliance Hierarch. He left and planned to talk to the Alliance Hierarch about how to deal with the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family after his injuries healed. ¡°Master, what¡¯s his level of strength?¡± Xu Yan curiously asked. The Alliance Hierarch was not in the early phase of the Refining God Heavenly Man, but due to his heavy injuries and weakened aura, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t confirm if he was in the middle or late stage of the Refining God Heavenly Man. ¡°Late stage of Refining God Heavenly Man, it¡¯s just that his strength is a bit weak.¡± Li Xuan chuckled. The Alliance Hierarch, a martial artist in late stage of Refining God Heavenly Man, was just too weak. Of course, Xu Yan and Meng Chong were definitely not his match at their current level. However, in Li Xuan¡¯s eyes, he was still a little locust that can be easily crushed. ¡°Late stage Refining God, huh? The All Ages Alliance has some ability!¡± Xu Yan seemed thoughtful. The only late stage Refining God in Yuzhou was Zhu Liang, the eldest elder of the Jade Spirit Sect, and the Alliance Hierarch was also at this level. The Hierarch of one regional alliance was a match for the strongest person of one Spirit Sect in the same region. It shows the strength of the All Ages Alliance was not to be underestimated. Li Xuan glanced at his disciple, contemplated for a moment, and said, ¡°If you want to control people to serve you, you can start with their Divine Soul. Refining prohibitions with your divine will and sealing them into their Divine Soul, thus making their life and death depend on your thoughts.¡± Xu Yan was stunned, thought for a bit and said, ¡°The Alliance Hierarch is kind of righteous, I haven¡¯t thought about using such measures on people like him.¡± ¡°Stick to your heart, and avoid being pedantic.¡± Li Xuan nodded. He was just letting Xu Yan know about these secret techniques to control people. The Alliance Hierarch is indeed a good person, he just reminded Xu Yan to escape quickly since Zhu Liang was on the chase. On the other side, the Alliance Hierarch was explaining to Fang Hao about the All Ages Alliance, along with its ambition, vision, and purpose, to fight for a place for the Loose Cultivators! To make Ling Domain more equitable, to break the order of ranks! The dream was very ambitious, whether it could be successful, was yet unknown. However, Fang Hao was so impassioned that he felt like joining the All Ages Alliance, and even asked about the constraints and rules of the All Ages Alliance. Li Xuan did not object to this. It¡¯s a good thing for a disciple to have dreams. Joining the All Ages Alliance would inevitably lead to conflicts with the Spirit Sect and the Aristocratic Families, and even competitions with the distinguished people within the alliance. This would be conducive to Fang Hao¡¯s rise, and advantageous for his Mysterious Door Martial Arts to show off its power. Chapter 474 After hearing about the ideals and ambitions of the All Ages Alliance, Fang Hao wore a conflicted expression, yet to make a decision. Besides, he still needed the approval of his master. ¡°You should rest first. Recovery from your injuries is the top priority, don¡¯t worry about Zhu Liang finding this place. Even if he discovered the manor, entering would mean courting death.¡± With that, Fang Hao encouraged the Alliance Hierarch to rest up and went back to studying his Communication Talisman. The Alliance Hierarch, in his state, felt like he was dreaming. He was almost dead and suffered severe injuries but, by a stroke of luck, he ended up being saved by Fang Hao and Xu Yan. Moreover, after taking a single pill, his injuries were recovering rapidly¡­ His damaged foundation was healed by that young girl. In just a few days, he would return to his peak state. ¡°If only they belonged to the All Ages Alliance¡­¡± The Alliance Hierarch sighed to himself. He got up and surveyed the manor, his body suddenly jolting. In the courtyard, a youthful male casually sat on a chair, a mysterious book in his hand. He was inscrutable and majestic. ¡°An unparalleled master! A true unparalleled master!¡± The Alliance Hierarch was stunned! He himself was a Refining God Late-stage cultivator, yet looking at this young man triggered such feelings. How powerful was he really? ¡°Refining God Peak?¡± The Alliance Hierarch immediately refuted himself, ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible. Not even the Refining God Peak would yield such an inscrutable and majestic aura. Does he belong to the class above Refining God?¡± As the Alliance Hierarch of the Yuzhou division, he was not a minor character in the All Ages Alliance. Though his power was less than other Alliance Hierarchs and their deputies, he met with Peak Refining God elders many times! None of them possessed this aura of mystery and majesty. None of them gave him such a strong desire to pay respect and worship. None of them carried such an air of unparalleled mastery! This very instant, the Alliance Hierarch was startled. Could this elder truly surpass the Refining God stage? ¡°Junior pays his respects to senior!¡± The Alliance Hierarch hastily advanced and respectfully saluted. ¡°Mm.¡± Li Xuan exuded the aura of a true master, the mysterious atmosphere around him making him seem both inscrutable and majestic, leaving the Alliance Hierarch with an irresistible urge to bow in respect. ¡°Focus on your recovery.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s eyes never left the Book of Tai Cang, his tone indifferent. ¡°Yes, senior!¡± The Alliance Hierarch retreated carefully, found a place to sit cross-legged, and started to nurse his injuries. ¡°Above Refining God? What kind of cultivation realm is that? Could something seemingly impossible actually exist in this world?¡± The Alliance Hierarch was exhilarated. He was fortunate to come across someone who was presumed to surpass the Refining God realm. ¡°No wonder Xu Yan and Meng Chong possess such incredible strength!¡± The Alliance Hierarch could not help but be filled with wonder, it turned out that they were disciples of such an unparalleled master. ¡­ Zhu Liang relentlessly pursued the Alliance Hierarch all the way to Zheng Country¡¯s capital, but could not trace his whereabouts any longer. Zhu Liang was increasingly vexed. The Alliance Hierarch had severely injured himself burning his essence blood. Even his martial foundation was damaged. There was no way he could escape before Zhu Liang eliminated him. Although Zheng Country did not take part in any disputes, as long as the peace in Zheng Country¡¯s capital wasn¡¯t disturbed, they wouldn¡¯t obstruct the Spirit Sect and powerful clans from pursuing fugitives. Zhu Liang and Su Zheng searched the capital for the Alliance Hierarch, but to no avail. Hence, they retraced their steps back towards the direction of the Alliance Hierarch¡¯s escape. ¡°He was clearly gravely injured, unable to control himself and fell here. ¡± Zhu Liang and Su Zheng arrived at the place where the Alliance Hierarch fell, and started investigating the surroundings, yet they found nothing. ¡°He was too severely wounded. Even if he was saved by someone, he will either die or be crippled. We must completely obliterate the residual element of any loose cultivators!¡± Zhu Liang spoke coldly. He had already affirmed that Xu Yan and Meng Chong hailed from the loose cultivator organization. He even suspected that Dai Sheng wasn¡¯t killed by Xu Yan, but rather by a powerful Refining God Heavenly Man from the loose cultivator faction. Besides the Alliance Hierarch, there were two more Mid-Stage Refining God Martial Artists. This was a force that could not be overlooked. As a result, the Jade Spirit Sect and Su Family initiated another massive manhunt for the members of the All Ages Alliance. Furthermore, other Spirit Sects and clans were also joining in. Towards the loose cultivator factions, the stance of the Spirit Sects and all clans, was unanimous, they would absolutely not allow the loose cultivator factions to grow. Upon learning that there were Late-stage Refining God Martial Artists in the loose cultivator faction, the Spirit Sect and clans from Yuzhou took this matter very seriously and carried out a comprehensive search for the All Ages Alliance members in Yuzhou. The secret base of the All Ages Alliance. Only the Refining God Martial Artists from the All Ages Alliance knew of this place, and at the moment, all of them have gathered here. The Left Protector was grievously injured and was currently in seclusion healing his injuries. ¡°The survival of our Alliance Hierarch hangs in the balance¡­¡± The Right Protector spoke in a deep voice. The remaining powerhouses of the All Ages Alliance all wore grim expressions. ¡°Zhu Liang, Su Zheng, we must avenge this!¡± One character gritted his teeth as he expressed his anger. ¡°Now that the Spirit Sects and clans are making a big fuss while searching for the All Ages Alliance, I have already passed down the order for all our bases to dissolve, scatter, and not to reveal their identities. ¡°Wait for the Alliance Hierarch¡¯s return, or orders from the General Alliance.¡± The Right Protector said, deeply inhaling. The members of the All Ages Alliance, all were carefully chosen loose cultivators either persecuted by the Spirit Sects or clans, with firm stances and unyielding loyalty, or they were hot-blooded loose cultivators with grand ambitions who despised mediocrity. The odds of a betrayal were extremely small. After abandoning the bases and scattering, they could evade the pursuits of the Spirit Sects and clans. No matter how strong the Spirit Sects and clans were, they could not brazenly massacre loose cultivators. Else, it would trigger a backlash and the Spirit Sect and clans would also suffer heavy losses. Chapter 475 ¡°From today onwards, no one is allowed to leave this place. Wait for the return of the Alliance Hierarch, or the instructions from the headquarters!¡± The Right Protector solemnly addressed the crowd. ¡°Rest assured, Right Protector, it is undoubtedly dangerous to go out at this time. We are gathered together so even if we are attacked, we can still break through.¡± ¡°The main targets of the Spirit Sect and aristocratic families are we Refining God Heavenly Men. Once exposed, we will surely be surrounded and attacked. We understand this.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope our Alliance Hierarch returns safely.¡± Everyone¡¯s faces were filled with worry. The prospect for the Alliance Hierarch this time seems more dangerous than safe! The Right Protector also had a headache. He was a native of Yuzhou. When the All Ages Alliance was established, he was not yet a Refining God Martial Artist, just a Lesser Heavenly Martial Artist. The previous Yuzhou Hierarch, who was also a Yuzhou native Loose Cultivator, was mature and cautious, acting only after thorough consideration. He was a Refining God middle-stage Martial Artist, who, with the guidance of powerful individuals from the headquarters and assistance from precious artifacts, managed to break through to the late stage of Refining God. However, on a journey to the headquarters, he met with an accident and fell. Hierarch Yu was sent to Yuzhou by the headquarters. His character and strength were commendable, and he was decisive in his actions, capable of winning people¡¯s respect. Just like the last time when he arranged for people to help Wen Yong escape from Yuzhou, preserving this talent of the Yuzhou branch alliance. However, not long after taking office, this incident occurred. It is likely he has fallen. Fortune is not favoring the Yuzhou branch alliance! Sighs filled the heart of the Right Protector. The All Ages Alliance faced a calamity this time; they were down on their luck. In Yuzhou, the Spirit Sect and aristocratic families launched another extensive search. Many Loose Cultivators were in constant fear, dreading a disaster falling upon themselves suddenly. Quite a few Loose Cultivators grieved over the members of the All Ages Alliance, who had, with their audacious actions, inadvertently implicated these innocent Loose Cultivators. Meanwhile, in the manor, Hierarch Yu¡¯s injuries were mostly healed. He was somewhat puzzled. Technically, Zhu Liang and Su Zheng ought to search everywhere. How come they hadn¡¯t found the manor? Fang Hao exhaled. The modified Communication Talisman was created, now with the ability to add multiple contacts. One talisman could connect with multiple people, and multiple talismans could establish mutual communication. ¡°Junior Brother, how far can this new Communication Talisman transmit?¡± Xu Yan picked up a Communication Talisman and asked curiously. ¡°I can¡¯t determine the exact range, but within ten thousand miles, there should be no problem.¡± Fang Hao pondered for a moment before answering. The Communication Talisman still has much room for improvement, but it is constrained by his current realm. He can¡¯t refine a higher grade Communication Talisman. A higher grade Communication Talisman requires divine consciousness for refinement. Only through this can some profound restrictions and formation patterns be refined into the Communication Talisman. ¡°The current talisman can establish communication with nine people. Here there are nine small formation patterns. Each pattern represents one contact person. The talismans can establish mutual communication.¡± Fang Hao picked up a Communication Talisman and pointed to the nine thin formation pattern designs on the Jade Talisman. Xu Yan looked at the Communication Talisman in his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°Junior Brother, this set of talismans is fixed. They can only communicate within this set of talismans. ¡°This is somewhat restrictive. Can you consider being able to add new contacts? ¡°For example, give the other party a talisman, imprint the mark of that talisman into your own talisman. In this way, you can communicate with each other, not limited to a set of talismans.¡± Fang Hao pondered for a moment and scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s theoretically possible. But I am not strong enough right now. Higher level talismans require divine consciousness for refinement. It¡¯s impossible to refine them with True Yuan alone.¡± ¡°As long as Master can refine it, with Junior Brother¡¯s rate of cultivation, you should be close to breaking through, right?¡± Xu Yan nodded his head. ¡°Soon!¡± Fang Hao nodded his head. His Heaven and Earth strange patterns would soon be complete, and the consolidation of the next Heaven and Earth strange pattern was not far off. Hierarch Yu was already stunned. He looked at the Communication Talisman, which looked like a small token. This can actually transmit over ten thousand miles? Has there ever been such a communicative treasure in the Ling Domain? Once you have a Communication Talisman, the connection between each stronghold will be even more discreet and timely. You don¡¯t have to worry about interception of the messenger bird, obtaining confidential information. ¡°Can it really transmit over ten thousand miles?¡± Hierarch Yu asked excitedly. ¡°Ten thousand miles is just a conservative estimate, it should be more than ten thousand miles.¡± Fang Hao shook his head, then said, ¡°Ten thousand miles is not far. The real Communication Talisman can transmit instantaneously no matter where in the Ling Domain. Unfortunately, my realm is too low and my artifact refining skills are lacking, so I cannot do it.¡± Alliance Leader Yu¡¯s eyes were red. He grabbed Fang Hao¡¯s hands and said earnestly, ¡°Little brother Fang, our All Ages Alliance is in dire need of talents like you! Come, join us. We have a bounty of spiritual medicines and artifact refining materials. We¡¯ll make sure you won¡¯t lack anything.¡± ¡°Whatever you need, we, the All Ages Alliance, will risk our lives to get it for you.¡± If they had a demon like Fang Hao in the All Ages Alliance, how could they not secure their spot among the elites? ¡°I¡¯m not lacking in spiritual medicine or materials.¡± Fang Hao shook his head. ¡°How could you not be? Refining artifacts consumes a lot. Though your master is an extraordinary man, as his disciple, you can¡¯t always rely on him, can you? Little brother Fang Hao, you need to be ambitious. Join our All Ages Alliance, and we will cover all your expenses.¡± Alliance Leader Yu hurriedly tried to persuade him. ¡°I really don¡¯t lack anything.¡± Fang Hao pointed to a small jar nearby and explained, ¡°This is the storage jar I refined. It¡¯s filled with tool refining materials, treasures from a prominent family.¡± ¡°You know the Dai family, right? Their treasury¡¯s treasures are all inside this jar.¡± Alliance Leader Yu turned green at this revelation. He suddenly remembered that Xu Yan and Meng Chong had annihilated the Dai family and emptied their treasury. The treasure of such a renowned family, how vast it could be? Even if the Dai family was only a second-class family, their treasure definitely surpassed what the All Ages Alliance could currently offer. In order to convince the monstrously talented Fang Hao to join the All Ages Alliance, Alliance Leader Yu was ready to go all out. With bloodshot eyes, he gritted his teeth and proposed, ¡°Come, let¡¯s plan together. We¡¯ll raid the Yu God Sect, and all their treasures will be yours. How about it? ¡°As long as you join the All Ages Alliance, whichever Spirit Sect or prominent family¡¯s treasures you fancy, we¡¯ll spare no effort to seize it for you!¡± Fang Hao was taken aback. They would even risk battling with the Spirit Sects and prominent families for his sake? ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m used to my freedom, I don¡¯t like to be bound by rules or handle those tedious affairs¡­¡± Fang Hao was somewhat tempted yet hesitant. ¡°You will be the Alliance Hierarch, the rightful leader of our Yuzhou branch. You won¡¯t be bound by rules, our Yuzhou branch will serve you wholeheartedly!¡± Alliance Leader Yu stubbornly suggested. ¡°Huh?!¡± Fang Hao was somewhat taken aback. They were willing to let him be the Alliance Hierarch? ¡°But, I¡¯m not yet powerful enough¡­¡± Alliance Leader Yu quickly pulled out a bronze badge and shoved it into Fang Hao¡¯s hands, ¡°As long as I¡¯m here, it¡¯s okay. I am the Alliance Hierarch, I make the decisions. I¡¯m the second-strongest person in Yuzhou, only behind Zhu Liang. Who would dare to oppose!¡± Fang Hao held up the bronze badge, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°The Alliance Hierarch badge of the Yuzhou branch!¡± Alliance Leader Yu declared solemnly. ¡°Brother Yu, I don¡¯t think this is appropriate. My strength is too weak. Although I know formations, restrictions, and how to make communication talismans, my senior sister can refine dan medicines, and both of my senior brothers can kill Refining God Heavenly Men, the position of Alliance Hierarch is a significant responsibility. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t do a good job.¡± Fang Hao had an apologetic expression on his face. ¡°Stop calling me Alliance Leader Yu. From today onwards, I¡¯m not the Alliance Leader anymore. Call me Yu Gao, or Brother Yu. You are the Alliance Leader now, Alliance Leader Fang!¡± Hearing Fang Hao¡¯s words, Yu Gao became even more resolute. ¡°His senior sister can refine dan medicine, which is incredibly miraculous. I was able to recover quickly from such severe injuries¡­ Xu Yan and Meng Chong are both extraordinarily powerful and talented.¡± ¡°If Fang Hao becomes the Alliance Hierarch and encounters any difficulties, won¡¯t his senior brothers and sister help? ¡°Our Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance will undoubtedly rise to prominence, making those bastards look at me, Yu Gao, in awe!¡± With a solemn expression, Yu Gao respectfully bowed, ¡°Yu Gao greets Alliance Leader Fang!¡± ¡°Sigh! How can this be¡­ I¡¯m so undeserving, so undeserving!¡± Fang Hao wore an apologetic expression on his face while risply tucking the Alliance Leader badge into his storage ring, his eyes brimming with amusement. He had now become the Alliance Hierarch of the Yuzhou branch of the All Ages Alliance! At this moment, Yu Gao seemed to have vaguely realized something. Was he desperate to find talented individuals and still had a shred of hope of clinging to a powerful figure, leading him to¡­ being fooled? But after thinking it over, this might actually be a blessing in disguise! ¡°Brother Yu, come on, let¡¯s plan together on how to raid the Yu God Sect!¡± With a cheerful smile, Fang Hao pulled Yu Gao over and huddled with Xu Yan and Meng Chong, discussing strategies to deal with the Yu God Sect and the Su Family! Chapter 476 At this moment, Yu Gao was certain, he had been duped. Fang Hao had always harbored the idea of joining the All Ages Alliance, but wanted to secure a unique position in it. As a result, in his excitement, he ended up ceding the position of Alliance Hierarch. ¡°The Communication Talisman, an epoch-making item capable of changing the landscape of the Spiritual Realm Martial Way World, who wouldn¡¯t be excited?¡± Yu Gao didn¡¯t feel any resentment about this. The Communication Talisman was definitely an epoch-making item in the Martial Arts world. How could he not be excited? Seized by this excitement, he was duped by the young lad. ¡°Zhu Liang is very strong, I¡¯m no match for him, the strength of the Jade God Sect shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.¡± Yu Gao said in a grave voice. ¡°No rush, let¡¯s take it one step at a time, starting with the spirit mines of Jade God Sect.¡± Xu Yan responded with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know where the spirit mines of the Jade God Sect are.¡± Yu Gao chuckled awkwardly. The All Ages Alliance had not yet made its move in the world. In order not to startle the snake in the grass and be discovered by the Spirit Sect families, they wouldn¡¯t actively seek out important places like the Jade God Sect, to avoid being detected. ¡°Someone knows, we only need Brother Yu to assist.¡± Xu Yan responded with a smile. Dealing with the Spirit Sect and noble families cannot rely solely on Loose Cultivators. Even though the All Ages Alliance is not weak, it is still in the stage of covert development and growth. To avoid detection, it has obtained little information about the Spirit Sect families. The people of the Spirit Sect families are the ones who truly understand the Spirit Sect and noble families, after all, they are within that circle. But Shen Haizhou, this noble family¡¯s young master, was different from the others. Of course, being a young master of a noble family, Shen Haizhou was naturally no fool. If he was willing to provide information, he obviously had his motives. Whether it was to build deeper friendships or weaken the Jade God Sect to pave the way for the Shen Family to replace it. As long as the mutual friendship still exists and it benefits both parties, that¡¯s all that matters. After briefly discussing the plan, Fang Hao prepared to continue refining the formation weapon and the Communication Talismans. At this time, Shi¡¯er brought over a knife. ¡°Young Master Fang, could you help me refine this knife?¡± Yu Gao was about to find a place to sit down and recuperate from his injuries, but his expression suddenly froze. With a stretch of his hand, he took the serrated knife from Shi¡¯er¡¯s hand. ¡°Is this¡­ is this the Blood Spirit Knife?¡± His expression was shocked and he looked at Shi¡¯er, feeling like it couldn¡¯t be, then turned to look at the peerless senior sitting on the chair. He exclaimed in shock: ¡°Senior, are you the Blood Demon Lord?¡± But before he could finish his sentence, Meng Chong slapped him hard on the head. ¡°Are you insulting my master? What kind of thing is a Demon Lord, he¡¯s not worthy to even lick my master¡¯s foot!¡± Meng Chong slapped him on the head. With Yu Gao¡¯s nearly recovered strength, he could have easily dodged it. However, he was so shocked at the time and Meng Chong¡¯s slap wasn¡¯t meant to hurt him, so he didn¡¯t dodge and was solidly slapped. ¡°Senior, you¡¯re not the Blood Demon Lord? Then what¡¯s with this Blood Spirit Knife?¡± Yu Gao asked in shock. Seeing that Yu Gao, a strong man in the latter stage of the Refining God Heavenly Man level, was so shocked by the Blood Spirit Knife, Shi¡¯er couldn¡¯t help but swallow his saliva. He felt that the knife was very hot in his hand. Back in the Inner Domain, because of this knife, a semi-heavenly man wanted to kill him. After coming to the Spiritual Realm, this knife actually attracted the attention of a martial artist like Yu Gao who was in the late stage of the Refining God Heavenly Man level. If he were to wield this knife in the Spiritual Realm, wouldn¡¯t he be in danger wherever he went? ¡°The Blood Demon Lord¡¯s knife?¡± Fang Hao also looked at the Blood Spirit Knife in surprise. Xu Yan and others couldn¡¯t help but wonder, does the Demon Lord hold a very high status in the Spiritual Realm? In the Demon Lord¡¯s tomb, there were brief accounts of the Demon Lord¡¯s life, but after all, those were just depictions, and it had been such a long time. Who would have thought that the Demon Lord¡¯s reputation was still intact in the Spiritual Realm? ¡°Brother Yu, are you related to the Demon Lord?¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but become wary. The Demon Lord was killed by Meng Chong after all. Stroking the Blood Spirit Knife, Yu Gao sighed and said, ¡°I have no connection with the Demon Lord. In the Spiritual Realm today, there probably isn¡¯t anyone still associated with the Demon Lord. ¡°I was just reminded of the infamous Blood Demon Lord when I saw this knife.¡± Fang Hao looked curious. How did the legendary Demon Lord¡¯s Blood Spirit Knife end up in Shi¡¯er¡¯s hands? ¡°My father told me some things about the Demon Lord. He was a real strongman, a matchless villain who shook the Spirit Sect and noble families, committed innumerable murders, and once turned the Spiritual Realm into a river of blood!¡± Meng Chong, scratching his bald head, was puzzled, ¡°You guys say that the Demon Lord was so powerful and dominated the Spiritual Realm. Why do I feel that he was very cunning and despicable?¡± Back then, the Demon Lord possessed the body of Senior Wu and coveted his flesh and blood essence. He almost died at the hands of the Demon Lord. At the critical moment, his Knife-Soul awakened, he comprehended the Essence of the Knife, and destroyed the remnants of the Demon Lord¡¯s soul. Yu Gao was shocked and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve seen the Demon Lord? He¡¯s not dead?¡± Meng Chong grinned and said, ¡°The Demon Lord is dead, I killed him.¡± ¡°Second Brother, you killed the Demon Lord? Was the Demon Lord really that weak?¡± Fang Hao was a bit stunned. The Blood Demon Lord in the rumors was formidable and extraordinarily powerful, with many Refining God-level fighters dying at his hands. Was he really killed by Second Brother? Meng Chong shook his head and said, ¡°The Demon Lord only had a remnant soul left. He was targeting me, coveting my whole body¡¯s essence and blood, so I killed him!¡± Pointing at the Blood Spirit Knife, he said, ¡°This knife was obtained from the person he possessed.¡± Chapter 477 Yu Gao sighed deeply, lamenting, ¡°The Demon Lord couldn¡¯t rise again after all.¡± Xu Yan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°To my knowledge, the Demon Lord rose and fell three times. The Spirit Sect and noble families are extremely vigilant against him. What exactly did he do in the Ling Domain?¡± In the Demon Lord¡¯s tomb, frescoes depicted a series of events: the Demon Lord was born into insignificance, suffered humiliation, and sowed chaos in the Ling Domain out of love-turned-hatred, which led to him being pursued by numerous mighty warriors. Of course, the content of the frescoes was relatively brief, and they might not have recorded all that had happened. ¡°The Demon Lord!¡± Yu Gao handed the Blood Spirit Sword back to Shi¡¯er and sighed, ¡°The Demon Lord was originally an illegitimate child of a noble family. In the strictly hierarchical Ling Domain, his talent was not outstanding, so he naturally suffered mistreatment¡­¡± Xu Yan and the others all listened curiously, so did Fang Hao. What he knew about the Demon Lord was rather sketchy, as told by his father. The Demon Lord that Yu Gao spoke of didn¡¯t differ greatly from the one portrayed in the tomb frescoes that Xu Yan had seen. It was just that Yu Gao recounted the story in more detail. ¡°A top-tier noble family was blood-refined by the Demon Lord, establishing his unsurpassed power¡­¡± A look of longing crossed Yu Gao¡¯s face. To be able to blood-refine a top-tier noble family ¨C what formidable power he must have possessed, what an invincible stance. The Demon Lord was an unavoidable figure in the history of Spiritual Realm Martial Arts, he was the most renowned figure among the Loose Cultivators. ¡°Unfortunately, the Demon Lord was betrayed by those close to him and nearly died. Or so everyone thought at that time. Then a millennium later, the Demon Lord rose once again, sweeping away his enemies¡­¡± ¡°During the Demon Lord¡¯s second rise, his demonic power was still vast. Numerous Spirit Sects and noble families were destroyed by his hand. He even killed the pride of the Transcendent Spirit Sect.¡± ¡°He rose to power by stepping over the pride of numerous Spirit Sects and noble families, he killed the peak warriors of the Spirit Sects and noble families to achieve his invincible stance.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the Demon Lord was betrayed a second time. He was besieged and killed by a group of mighty warriors, everyone thought he was dead. The Spirit Sects and noble families were on guard for a millennium while there was no news from the Demon Lord.¡± ¡°He rose for the third time three thousand years later. As soon as he appeared, he blood-refined his enemies. He truly became a Demon.¡± ¡°The Blood Demon catastrophe stemmed from this. He ceased to trust anyone. Whether they were from a Spirit Sect, noble family, or Loose Cultivators, they were all food for his blood, resources for his path to invincibility¡­¡± When talking about the final Blood Demon catastrophe, even Yu Gao, who was a late stage spiritual cultivator, showed a touch of fear. His voice began to tremble, saying, ¡°In the Blood Demon catastrophe, the total number of martial artists in the Ling Domain decreased by a fifth. Yuzhou was the last state on the Blood Demon¡¯s escape route, and a fifth of its martial artists were wiped out!¡± Xu Yan and the others couldn¡¯t help but gasp. The Demon Lord was truly a cutthroat. No wonder the Spirit Sects and noble families were so guarded against him, driving him into the Inner Domain and sealing away the Gate of Lingyu entirely. The contact with the Inner Domain was severed to cut off any chance the Blood Demon had of staging a comeback. Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but marvel as well. The Demon Lord was a ruthless character. It wasn¡¯t surprising that he became twisted after being betrayed twice, especially since his cultivation technique was inherently bloodthirsty and violent. ¡°Three falls, three rises, the Demon Lord truly had a grand destiny. Even on the last occasion, he didn¡¯t perish completely but had a chance to rise again. Unfortunately, he blinded himself by targeting Meng Chong and ended up dead for good!¡± Li Xuan shook his head, if the Demon Lord hadn¡¯t targeted Meng Chong, he would¡¯ve had a chance to rise again. Moreover, after the lessons from the previous three times, he would¡¯ve certainly been more prudent, making him even harder to deal with. ¡°According to rumors, in the last battle, the mightiest warriors of the Transcendent Spirit Sect used the foundation that suppressed their sect to forcibly reduce the Demon Lord¡¯s strength and seriously wound him.¡± ¡°The Blood Demon catastrophe had too big an impact, so the Spirit Sects and noble families imposed a gag order. Because of that, the stories about the Demon Lord that have survived to this day are quite scarce.¡± ¡°Except for those who experienced it firsthand back then, the secrets and inside stories are probably unknown to anyone.¡± Yu Gao sighed and said, ¡°The Demon Lord was once an ambitious and spirited man with grand dreams. He wished to secure a place for the Loose Cultivators of the world and intended to take down the lofty Spirit Sects and noble families.¡± ¡°The purpose of establishing our All Ages Alliance is also for this reason, so I understand more about the affairs of the Demon Lord.¡± ¡°When the Demon Lord was sweeping through the Spirit Sects and noble families, a phrase spoken by the Demon Lord circulated among the Loose Cultivators.¡± ¡°This very phrase made the Spirit Sects and noble families cover up the Demon Lord¡¯s deeds, impose the gag order, prohibit its spread and ordered the indiscriminate execution of any Loose Cultivator found spreading it, and a hefty reward for any informant!¡± ¡°Back then, because of this phrase, countless Loose Cultivators were killed, and now I¡¯m afraid not many Loose Cultivators know the phrase that the Demon Lord said.¡± Curiosity rose immediately in Xu Yan and the others when they heard this. What was the statement that made the Spirit Sects and noble families so apprehensive? Li Xuan, while feigning indifference, was also secretly curious. He guessed that the phrase spoken by the Demon Lord might have encouraged the Loose Cultivators to resist, hence the Spirit Sects and noble families went to great efforts to completely ban it. ¡°Brother Yu, which words made the Spirit Sects and noble families so fearful?¡± Fang Hao eagerly asked. Yu Gao took on a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, ¡°Cast my martial arts foundation with the blood of the Spirit Sects and noble families!¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, no wonder the Spirit Sects and noble families wanted to ban this phrase. The Demon Lord, what a character he was! ¡°Using the blood of the Spirit Sects and noble families to cast my martial arts foundation? The Demon Lord was indeed a cruel character. No wonder the Spirit Sects and noble families feared him this much.¡± Xu Yan said with a faint smile. For this statement, Xu Yan and Meng Chong did not feel particularly strong sentiments. They merely thought the Demon Lord was a brutal person, a real character. However, for Fang Hao, who was born in the Ling Realm and profoundly understood the oppression of the Spirit Sect and the noble families on the grassroots loose cultivators, he was filled with fiery blood and thought that the Demon Lord was incredibly domineering! His eyes shone brightly, he declared, ¡°Since I am the Alliance Hierarch of Yuzhou in the All Ages Alliance, one day, I will tell the Spirit Sect and the noble families that Yuzhou does not belong to the Spirit Sect and the noble families, it belongs to all the people of Yuzhou!¡± At this moment, besides the pursuit of the mysterious martial arts and the will to reach the peak of the mysterious martial arts and create his own path in it. He had another ambition: to lead the All Ages Alliance of Yuzhou, equate with the Spirit Sect and noble families, and fight for a piece of sky for the grassroots loose cultivators of Yuzhou. ¡°Good! Yu Gao will definitely assist the hierarch wholeheartedly!¡± Yu Gao excitedly stated. ¡°Brother Yu, your injury has almost healed. It¡¯s time for you to consolidate the All Ages Alliance. Don¡¯t let the brothers in the alliance suffer from the tyranny of the Spirit Sect and the noble families.¡± Fang Hao spoke solemnly. ¡°Yes, Alliance Hierarch!¡± Yu Gao nodded. Immediately afterward, he pleaded while showing a fawning smile, ¡°Alliance Hierarch, some of our brothers in the alliance must have been injured in the siege by the Spirit Sect and noble families. Some of their injuries might be severe. What do you think?¡± Upon hearing this, Su Lingxiu rolled her eyes and casually threw a bottle of elixir, saying, ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Thank you, Miss Su!¡± Yu Gao was overjoyed. ¡°If you want to thank someone, thank my junior brother.¡± Su Lingxiu waved her hand. ¡°Thank you, Alliance Hierarch!¡± Yu Gao bowed in gratitude. ¡°Go.¡± Fang Hao handed Yu Gao a communication talisman and waved his hand, ¡°I will contact you with the talisman. Wait for my message.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yu Gao excitedly accepted the talisman and immediately left. The All Ages Alliance was still waiting for him to stabilize their morale. ¡°Junior brother, your responsibility as the Alliance Hierarch seems rather heavy.¡± Su Lingxiu started laughing. ¡°Whatever I have learned, there must always be a place to apply it. I am willing to give it a try!¡± Fang Hao solemnly responded with his slightly chubby face. ¡°Senior sister supports you!¡± Su Lingxiu happily spoke. ¡°Junior brother, finding your own direction is a good thing. If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to call for your senior brother.¡± Xu Yan encouragingly patted Fang Hao on the shoulder. ¡°And me!¡± Meng Chong also nodded. Naturally, they needed to support their junior brother. ¡°Thanks, senior brothers and sister!¡± Fang Hao responded with excitement. Li Xuan sighed inwardly. Among his four disciples, Xu Yan and Meng Chong preferred a carefree lifestyle and had no ambition to create forces. Their ambition was to pursue the peak of martial arts. As for Su Lingxiu, she founded Chang Qing Pavilion. But she was a hands-off boss. She disliked managing things and contention. She was rather stay-at-home. The only thing she was intensely interested in was the martial arts of the Elixir Physician. So she had her ambition: To pursue the pinnacle of the Elixir Physician martial arts. Only the fourth disciple, Fang Hao, had an ambition to contest supremacy, had the determination to create a grand cause, and had the ambition to change the pattern of the Ling Realm. Having ambition means having motivation. Joinning the All Ages Alliance, he needed to compete with strong figures within the alliance, reaching its peak, and also with the Spirit Sect and the noble families, which made his situation more perilous. Of course, with a more perilous situation, more opportunities to exhibit his abilities arise, and his momentum will rise rapidly. Chapter 478 As Fang Hao was the Alliance Hierarch of the All Ages Alliance, Li Xuan, being his mentor, naturally had to share some experiences on how to cultivate loyal people in the All Ages Alliance and secure his own position. The demonic Lord, once renowned and ambitious, was eventually betrayed. In the end, he became a full demon, indiscriminately slaughtering the Spirit Sect clans and Loose Cultivators alike. He called Fang Hao over. Li Xuan imparted some of his experiences from his previous life to him, such as what he learned, saw, and heard. It depended on Fang Hao how he would apply them. With Fang Hao¡¯s cleverness, Li Xuan believed he could apply them well. Fang Hao, with an excited look, internally marveled at his master¡¯s wisdom. Just a few words resolved the problem that had been troubling him. After passing on some experiences to Fang Hao, Li Xuan began to guide him in the mysteries of Martial Arts. ¡°Now that you have refined the Communication Talisman, what insights do you have?¡± Li Xuan asked with a smile. Fang Hao hesitated before answering: ¡°Disciple has some insights about the transmission formation. I am confident that I can set up a formation capable of transporting thousands of miles away.¡± Li Xuan chuckled, saying: ¡°What I¡¯m talking about is not formations, but talismans!¡± The mysteries of Martial Arts include Formations, Artifact Refining, and Prohibitions. Therefore, the art of talismans should also be included. After Fang Hao had refined the Communication Talisman, Li Xuan had an idea. Furthermore, it was very likely for Fang Hao to figure out the art of talismans. ¡°Talismans?¡± Fang Hao was puzzled. Li Xuan began to explain: ¡°A talisman can be simply understood as a way to infuse needed prohibitions or even formations into it which, when activated, can instantly trigger the formations or prohibitions within the talisman. ¡°Talismans are single-use items. For instance, if you can infuse a transportation formation into a jade talisman, by activating it, you can teleport someone away. ¡°For example, if you can infuse the Phoenix Firetrap Formation into a talisman, once activated, it can trigger the power of the Phoenix Firetrap formation. ¡°Although this formation is single-use and its power won¡¯t last for a long time after activation, it can potentially turn the tide when necessary. ¡°You could also refer to these talismans as talisman-formations!¡± Under Li Xuan¡¯s detailed explanation and guidance, Fang Hao¡¯s eyes brightened. His mind was sparked: formations and prohibitions could be employed this way! ¡°Thank you for your guidance, master. I understand!¡± Li Xuan nodded. Excited, Fang Hao went to study talisman-formations. He believed that it wouldn¡¯t take much time for him to comprehend the art of talismans. In the following days, Fang Hao was busy researching the path of talisman-formations, using up numerous materials, and continuously improving the Communication Talisman and developing various formations. All the spiritual medicine in the Dai Family¡¯s treasury was in Su Lingxiu¡¯s hands, and the Artifact Refining materials were given to Fang Hao. Such vast family treasures couldn¡¯t be used up in a short time. Su Lingxiu didn¡¯t know how many pill formulas she had researched, even successfully refining pills that could integrate divine souls. This was a poisonous pill! Xu Yan and Meng Chong naturally had no shortage of pills. However, they didn¡¯t spend much time cultivating with pills. Instead, Red Cat, Yu Xiaolong, and Little Ha were the most excited. As their king, Red Cat took 30% of the pills supplied by Yu Xiaolong and Little Ha, so it gained weight recently and was not far from making a breakthrough. All Ages Alliance¡¯s secret hideout. The Left Protector and Right Protector and other Martial Artists were all hidden here, never going out or even checking how the members at each stronghold of the All Ages Alliance were doing, to avoid revealing themselves. One day, the stone door in the secret hideout shook and opened! All the Martial Artists instantly became alert and prepared themselves. Even though this place was secret, there was no guarantee it wouldn¡¯t be exposed. A figure walked in. ¡°Alliance Leader? Alliance Leader, you are not dead?¡± The Right Protector asked in shock. With the Alliance Leader¡¯s long absence, they all thought he had died, and were grieved. Contrary to their belief, the Alliance Leader was not only alive but also was looking radiant, showing no signs of injury. Right Protector knew that when he and Left Protector escaped, the Alliance Leader had already been seriously injured. Why was he uninjured now? Left Protector¡¯s injuries were not minor, only two-thirds healed up till now. ¡°What nonsense are you speaking? Were you wishing for my death?¡± Yu Gao replied irritably. ¡°No, but Alliance Leader, when you left, you were in a horrible state. Even if you managed to escape, you should have some injuries, right?¡± The Right Protector was full of doubt. ¡°Could it be that, Alliance Leader, you were hiding your true strength?¡± A startled Martial Artist said as if realizing something. ¡°I almost died. However, I was fortunate too. Also, from today onwards, you don¡¯t need to call me Alliance Leader anymore. I am no longer the Alliance Hierarch of Yuzhou. You can call me Great Protector.¡± Yu Gao sat down on a chair and stated solemnly. ¡°Alliance Leader, you didn¡¯t make a mistake nor violate the Alliance¡¯s rules. If the total alliance wants to remove your title as the Alliance Leader, they need to inform us. Moreover, you also have backers in the total Alliance, who dared to remove your title as Alliance Leader?¡± The Right Protector inquired in surprise. Yu Gao waved his hand and said: ¡°It¡¯s not that the total alliance removed my position as Alliance Leader, I voluntarily gave up my position. Under the leadership of the new Alliance Leader, our faction will undoubtedly rise¡­¡± The Right Protector and the others looked at him with baffled and suspicious expressions. A voluntary abdication? Yu Gao stood up, solemnly looked at everyone and said: ¡°Although Alliance Leader Fang is young, you must remember that from now on, you only follow the orders of Alliance Leader Fang. Whoever dares to disobey overtly but oppose covertly, don¡¯t blame me for being impolite!¡± Chapter 479 ¡°This matter is a secret. Everyone must swear not to disclose a single detail. Next, there¡¯s a great plan that represents the rise of the All Ages Alliance¡­¡± Once everyone had sworn, Yu Gao took out a pill and gave it to the Left Protector. After the Left Protector consumed it, his injuries rapidly healed. In less than an hour, he had recovered seventy to eighty percent of his strength. As such, everyone in the All Ages Alliance who practiced Refining God was profoundly shocked. ¡­ Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Fang Hao were planning actions against the Spirit Sect. However, they had to wait until Fang Hao made his breakthrough. In the meantime, they continued to cultivate and comprehend their own martial arts, striving to enhance their strength as much as possible. ¡°Your disciple Xu Yan has comprehended the Calming Spirit Sword, granting you the Calming Spirit Technique.¡± The Daoist Golden Book opened itself, providing sudden feedback. ¡°Xu Yan has comprehended it.¡± Li Xuan was pleased. This Calming Spirit Technique was not about calming the Divine Soul or Primordial Spirit, but controlling others¡¯ Divine Souls, setting the existence or cessation of their spirits! Xu Yan, with his comprehension of the Sudden Wind Sword Intent, the Mountain and River Sword Dao, augmented by Formations and prohibitions, had comprehended this secret technique. When he used it, it was like a sword, fixed within another person¡¯s Divine Soul. Life and death were in his thoughts. The feedback from the Daoist Golden Book was about the Calming Spirit Technique, which was not restricted to the Sword Dao. It was a technique for controlling and determining the existence or cessation of others¡¯ Divine Souls. ¡°Xu Yan¡¯s strength is improving quite quickly.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. Although Xu Yan had yet to fully realize the Divine Intent State, his strength was growing daily. His Sword Dao, Sword Intent, and Sword Array had all greatly improved. The same was true for Meng Chong. Although his rate of improvement wasn¡¯t as drastic as Xu Yan¡¯s, he was still steadily getting stronger every day. Su Lingxiu was relatively slower, but not by much. ¡°This girl, she¡¯s focusing on refining pills, prohibitions and formations, and not paying enough attention to increasing her strength.¡± Li Xuan shook his head, with no intention of pushing Su Lingxiu. A month had passed since Yu Gao¡¯s departure. During this time, they had contacted each other several times via the Communication Talisman. Fang Hao had conveyed some plans, all in preparation for actions against the Spirit Sect. Also, they confirmed that the Communication Talisman could transmit messages within thirty thousand miles. Thirty thousand miles might be considered far, but for Martial Artists, it wasn¡¯t such a distance. Let alone the vast Ling Domain, even within Yuzhou, thirty thousand miles represented a tiny area. But this method of communication greatly outperformed the traditional methods in the Ling Domain. Establishing a communication relay every thirty thousand miles could quickly transmit messages. This method was crucial for the establishment of the All Ages Alliance communication network. Despite the purge by Spirit Sect and the large families, the Alliance suffered minimal losses. However, the painstakingly built Swallow communication network was in ruins. Fang Hao was in the process of refining his first of the peculiar weapon containers. After a month of refining and consuming many precious artifacts crafting materials, he was finally close to success. His Heavenly and Earthly Peculiar Patterns were nearing completion too. He could now condense the next Heavenly and Earthly Peculiar Pattern to enhance his strength significantly. ¡°Your disciple, Meng Chong, has comprehended the second level of your composed Indestructible Golden Body of the big day, advancing your own Indestructible Golden Body to the second level.¡± Meng Chong had understood the second level of the Indestructible Golden Body. This meant that the doors to the second level of the Indestructible Golden Body were already open. Once he perfected the first level, he could begin to break through to the second level. ¡°My strength has increased yet again.¡± Li Xuan was excited. The second level of the Indestructible Golden Body corresponded to the Divine Origin Realm, which meant that his Indestructible Golden Body had made a significant improvement. Both his traditional martial arts and physical body martial arts were in the Divine Origin Realm. Combined, his strength had greatly improved. ¡°With the strength of my current Indestructible Golden Body, killing a Martial Artist in the late Refining God stage would be as easy as crushing a grasshopper.¡± Li Xuan¡¯s sense of security was much stronger at this moment. ¡°Becoming invincible in the Ling Domain should be within reach now.¡± A few days after Meng Chong comprehended the second level of the Indestructible Golden Body, Su Lingxiu also finished her understanding of the Divine Origin Realm¡¯s cultivation technique. ¡°Your disciple Su Lingxiu, has comprehended your composed Alchemist Martial Arts Divine Origin Realm Cultivation Technique, advancing your own Alchemist Martial Arts to the Divine Origin Realm.¡± All three martial arts techniques had progressed to the Divine Origin Realm. ¡°The feeling of increasing strength truly is exhilarating.¡± With the combination of the three martial arts techniques, his strength had once again greatly increased. Li Xuan suddenly looked at Red Cat, as a wave of demonic power surged, and a demonic consciousness similar to Divine Intent emerged. Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu all looked towards Red Cat as well. This chubby cat had made its breakthrough. Fang Hao¡¯s mouth twitched, he had actually fallen behind Red Cat. ¡°Meow Meow!¡± Having broken through, Red Cat was very excited. It quickly scurried to Li Xuan¡¯s feet, crouching down on the ground with its head raised, looking at him, seemingly waiting for praise. Li Xuan raised the Jade Ruyi and knocked it on its head, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve only just begun, you¡¯ve only gained the perception of a demon, but you¡¯re far from being a true demon.¡± Somewhat dejected, Red Cat turned and ran to Su Lingxiu to act cute. Just having broken through, its body was weak, and it needed medicinal pills to replenish its strength! Yu Xiaolong and Little Ha watched with envy. When the Red Cat broke through, the surge of demon consciousness gave them a real sense of facing a demon king! That same day, a three feet long weapon box was born from Fang Hao¡¯s hands, a successful refinement of the Strange Door Weapon Box. Xu Yan and the others curiously gathered around to watch. ¡°So this is the Strange Door Weapon Box.¡± Su Lingxiu touched the dark gold, complexly carved weapon box, her face showing curiosity. ¡°Junior brother, quickly show us by demonstrating.¡± Meng Chong urged. ¡°Alright!¡± Fang Hao was also extremely excited. This was his first Strange Door Weapon Box, and the start of his outstanding display of Strange Door Martial Arts. With a clap of his hand, a dazzling light burst from the weapon box. It opened, and a sword light, like a roaring flood, rushed out. In a split second, a great killing array descended. Then, the array devices shot out and radially descended, laying out a series of great arrays in an instant. Immediately after, Fang Hao stomped his foot and utilized the heavenly geography of the Strange Door, causing a domineering blade light to slash out from within the weapon box, transversing all around. ¡°The sword array was inspired from the eldest brother, this domineering blade light was learnt from the second brother, and the Great Lake Formation was inspired by my sister. ¡°The formations, prohibitions, heavenly geography of the Strange Door, and the killing power contained in the Weapon box itself, all can be controlled by me. ¡°It¡¯s a combination of killing, binding, illusion, and defense.¡± Fang Hao excitedly explained. As soon as the weapon box was revealed, the momentum was grand. Especially the first sword array killings, was extremely extraordinary, despite not being as sharp as Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Dao. Combined with the array, the application of the heavenly geography, and the attack contained in the weapon box, the power of this Strange Door Weapon Box was indeed exceptional. With Fang Hao¡¯s current strength, killing a Great Heavenly martial artist would not pose any problem. Blocking and confining a Refining God Heavenly Man for some time could also be achieved. ¡°Junior brother, I will teach you the technique of body shifting and swapping places, which allows you to change positions in an instant. You could also try to comprehend more about The Eight Diagrams. I think it can merge perfectly with your heavenly geography.¡± Xu Yan said after some thought. ¡°Thank you, Senior brother!¡± Fang Hao thought for a while. The Eight Diagrams picture appeared in his mind, and he seemed to have some understanding. Then, Xu Yan passed on to Fang Hao the technique of body shifting and swapping places. With the shifting technique, Fang Hao could actively dodge enemy attacks, and slowly wear out the strong enemies with the help of the Strange Door Weapon Box and the formation. ¡°I, as a master, don¡¯t need to worry too much. Elder brother Xu Yan will give guidance for me.¡± Li Xuan smiled. With a wave of Fang Hao¡¯s hand, all the formation devices and sword array returned to the weapon box. He carried the weapon box on his back, came to his master, and politely said, ¡°Master, your disciple is ready to break through!¡± ¡°Hmm, go on, find a place to break through.¡± Li Xuan nodded. After Fang Hao breaks through, the three brothers will go to settle accounts with the Jade Spirit Sect. ¡°Junior brother, let¡¯s go and break through. I¡¯ll go find a familiar friend with second brother, will check the Spirit Mines of Jade Spirit Sect, and then we can act.¡± Xu Yan showed excitement. The Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family, dared to issue a massive bounty on him. Since it¡¯s like this, he was ready to take all the resources of the Jade Spirit Sect. The Dai Family was just a second-rate family, but their treasury was unimaginably substantial. The Jade Spirit Sect, known as the number one sect in Yuzhou, its controlled resources and treasures were even more unimaginable. Xu Yan and Meng Chong left the manor to find Shen Haizhou. And Fang Hao also left the manor to find a suitable place for breakthrough, to draw on the forces of heaven and earth into his body, and to forge the next heavenly pattern. Master Li Xuan, naturally followed him secretly to protect him because drawing on the forces of heaven and earth could be detected by the Refining God martial artists and might draw their attention. Chapter 480 In a certain location within the Zheng Country, a range of mountains loomed like an enormous dragon, gathering their momentous energy at the dragon¡¯s head as if ready to take flight. With his battle box on his back, Fang Hao approached the area, an expression of excitement on his face. The place seemed like a natural model of the Earth Realm, providing the perfect setting for setting up a unique formation, attracting the energy of the Earth Realm into his body, attracting the spirit of the mountains into his body, and serving as an ideal location for a breakthrough. He tapped the battle box he was carrying, and several rays of light flew out, scattering in all directions. Then, he took out his unique treasure used to arrange special formations and began setting it up. Li Xuan watched from the shadows. Although the battle box had been successfully refined, Fang Hao had yet to condense his divine intent, therefore he couldn¡¯t open the battle box with a simple thought. He had to rely on his True Yuan to open it. ¡°The pattern of earth and sky that Fang Hao is condensing during this breakthrough should be within his mud pill. This is a divine intent pattern, which will generate a unique divine intent.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Li Xuan hesitated for a moment. Although Fang Hao possessed the ability of the Tongxuan Realm when he first started, it was because he was a Great Grandmaster before he began practicing the unique martial arts. Theoretically, the cultivation level of the Great Grandmaster corresponds to the Tongxuan Realm. But Fang Hao was the first unique martial artist and was the pioneer of unique martial arts, so he had some special qualities. His initial cultivation level was equal to his original martial cultivation level. Under normal circumstances, the first symbol of earth and sky should correspond to the Innate Realm. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Fang Hao will condense two symbols of earth and sky during this breakthrough to make up for the symbol that initially corresponds to the Tongxuan Realm.¡± Li Xuan thought to himself. Fang Hao had already set up the unique formation, against to attract the significant force of the Earth Realm into his body, and began to condense the next symbol. Boom! The energy of the mountains converged, and the force of the Earth Realm, mild as a breeze, was constantly attracted and gathered towards Fang Hao. This area, located in a remote wilderness with few inhabitants. Although there were some movements, they went unnoticed. ¡°Your disciple, Fang Hao, has condensed the second symbol of earth and sky. You have obtained the second Innate symbol.¡± Just as Li Xuan had predicted, during this breakthrough, Fang Hao made up for the symbol of the earth and sky that initially correlated with the Tongxuan Realm. And Fang Hao was still in the process of further breakthroughs. ¡°Is it because of the Daoist Golden Book that each pioneer of a martial art enjoys some special advantages?¡± Li Xuan looked at the Daoist Golden Book on his Soul Pedestal, lost in thought. Red Cat was the pioneer of the Big Demon martial art, being the pioneer, it also had some special qualities. Boom! Above the mountains, the clouds were surging, converging towards where Fang Hao was. The energy of earth and sky was becoming more intense, as if a sense of the Earth Realm was converging. Within the clouds, thunder flickered, as if a thunder tribulation were imminent. Li Xuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. ¡°Divine Intent State, the idea I came up with, condensing the will of the Earth Realm into my own will¡­ During Fang Hao¡¯s breakthrough, the divine intent of the unique gate also condenses the intent of the Earth Realm, so it gathers the intent of the Earth Realm?¡± Looking at the clouds getting closer and the flickerings of thunder, it indeed appeared like the arrival of a thunder tribulation. Of course, this was merely a phenomenon caused by the convergence of the mountain¡¯s energy, the triggering of the Earth Realm¡¯s energy, and its condensation into the will of the Earth Realm. It was not actual thunder tribulation. ¡°Whether it is the unique martial art or the physical martial art¡­ Even with different practices and different systems, the roots still follow the path of true martial arts. ¡°Xu Yan condensed the intent of the Earth Realm into his own will and successfully enlightened the Divine Intent State, creating a breakthrough for cultivation at this stage. Future practitioners can also condense divine intent. ¡°Even if the martial arts system is different, it is still the same.¡± Li Xuan mused. Fang Hao¡¯s breakthrough was a natural course of events. Although, when condensing the third symbol of earth and sky, his spiritual consciousness would endure some pressure and even experience pain. But as long as he gritted his teeth and bore it, he could successfully break through. ¡°Your disciple, Fang Hao, has condensed the third symbol of earth and sky. You have obtained the third Innate symbol.¡± Boom! An obscure symbol appeared on Li Xuan¡¯s Soul Pedestal, as if it were an innate existence residing on his Soul Pedestal. ¡°Your unique martial art realm has been promoted to the Divine Origin Realm.¡± With the emergence of the third Innate symbol, Li Xuan¡¯s already potent divine intent saw another significant increase. Furthermore, the realm of his unique martial arts was also elevated to the Divine Origin Realm. Now, all four of his martial arts were at the Divine Origin Realm. His strength had once again increased. After his breakthrough, Fang Hao consolidated his realm slightly and then excitedly deployed his battle box. With a thought, the battle box opened, and various unique weapons flew out. Within his divine intent, formations, sword arrays, and unique gates all changed according to his desires and the situation. At this moment, Fang Hao truly appreciated the power of his unique martial arts. A thought arises, and a grand array is set up to bury the enemy! ¡°Good. Now that you have condensed your divine intent, your future journey in the unique martial arts will be much smoother. Strive to carve out a unique martial path that is uniquely yours.¡± Li Xuan revealed himself and spoke. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Fang Hao was incredibly excited. His Master had been secretly guarding his breakthrough all this time. ¡°For future breakthroughs, set up a grand array for protection before each breakthrough.¡± Li Xuan surveyed the surroundings and spoke. ¡°I understand, Master!¡± Fang Hao answered respectfully. ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Xuan nodded, turned around, and returned to the manor. Fang Hao followed close behind. ¡°Congratulations on your breakthrough, junior brother!¡± Back at the manor, Su Lingxiu cheerfully said. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for sister¡¯s pills, how could I have broken through so quickly? I must thank you, sister.¡± Fang Hao replied shyly. The breakthrough is over. Next is the action against the Jade God Sect. Chapter 481 Furthermore, he is going to take control of the All Ages Alliance as the Alliance Hierarch of Yuzhou, leading the members of the Alliance to carve out a place for themselves. He took out a Communication Talisman to contact Yu Gao and get some information about the outside world. Next, Fang Hao began to explore the path of mystical symbol crafting. After condensing his Divine Intent State, both Artifact Refining and Formation creation saw significant improvements. He was now able to apply some arcane techniques, displaying their basic power. After five days of research and repeated experimentation, and after wasting some materials, the first symbol array was born. It¡¯s a Fog Array Talisman! Once activated, it will produce a layer of mist, enveloping everyone within. The mist possesses effects that block vision, sensing and divine soul energy. ¡°Finally succeeded!¡± Although the Fog Talisman is considered common and low-value, this is a breakthrough from zero to one. The successful refinement of this Fog Talisman signifies that his understanding of the path of mystical symbol crafting is correct. Jade Talismans with different effects can also be refined using this method. At the moment when Fang Hao successfully crafted the Fog Talisman, the Daoist Golden Book on Li Xuan¡¯s Soul Pedestal opened. ¡°Your disciple has comprehended the path of mystical symbol crafting, you have obtained the veritable understanding of the symbol path!¡± Li Xuan was secretly delighted. The method that Fang Hao figured out to refine Jade Talismans was to arrange a Formation within the Jade Talisman, then use a restriction to seal the power of the Formation within the Jade Talisman. Once activated, the restriction would be lifted, and the sealed Formation power would be put into action. It must be said that Fang Hao has extraordinary talent in Artifact Refining. ¡­ ¡°Brother Xu, Brother Meng, we meet again!¡± Shen Haizhou, upon seeing Xu Yan and Meng Chong, couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The two master and disciple are really good at hiding. Yu Shen Sect and the Su Family searched Yuzhou thoroughly, but they didn¡¯t find anything, instead, they discovered an under-constructed alliance of Loose Cultivators. Moreover, this alliance of Loose Cultivators actually had the presence of a Refining God Heavenly Man, and not just one, which shocked all the Spirit Sects and families in Yuzhou. After a series of blows, it seemed that this alliance of Loose Cultivators was about to collapse. Rumor has it that the leader of the Loose Cultivators, a Martial Artist in the late stages of Refining God, was severely injured by the great elder Zhu Liang of the Yu Shen Sect, and if he¡¯s not dead, he¡¯s at least half-wasted. ¡°Brother Shen, where are the spirit mines of the Yu Shen Sect? Do you have any information?¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t beat around the bush, asking straightforwardly. Shen Haizhou, hearing this, immediately brightened up. He took out a ready-made map and spread it out on the table, ¡°Here are the locations of the spirit mines belonging to the Yu Shen Sect. These two spirit mines, although they are owned by the Yu Shen Sect, are just small-scale ones. ¡°These two, however, are the real core spirit mines of the Yu Shen Sect, and, there is a likely chance that the Spirit Crystals inside contain Earth Soul Flowers.¡± ¡°This is currently the closest to the core spirit mines of the Yu Shen Sect that we know of. Whether there are bigger, more hidden spirit mines is unknown.¡± Shen Haizhou pointed at the map, introducing the spirit mines marked out. The eyes of Xu Yan and Meng Chong fell on the two large mines. Their goal would definitely be the core large mines of the Yu Shen Sect, especially since it is believed that there might be Spiritual Medicine known as Earth Soul Flowers growing in these two mines. ¡°Brother Xu, Brother Meng, the core large mines of the Yu Shen Sect are being occupied by the Refining God Heavenly Man. It¡¯s impossible to quickly empty out the Spirit Crystals inside. In my opinion, it¡¯s still better to focus on the small mine. Its loss itself would also be a significant blow to the Yu Shen Sect.¡± Swallowing a lump of saliva, Shen Haizhou watched as Xu Yan and Meng Chong intensively eyed the large mines, and this made him feel somewhat uneasy. If they really succeeded in taking over these large mines, the Yu Shen Sect would truly go crazy. They might even be willing to pay any cost to invite external forces for help! He was also worried that the matter of him providing information would be exposed. Although, up until now, nobody knew that he had contacted Xu Yan and Meng Chong, and even less people knew that he had leaked information. However, there is no wall that doesn¡¯t leak in the world, and god forbid it gets exposed, that would land him in trouble. ¡°The small mines are not interesting. Let¡¯s go with the two large ones,¡± said Xu Yan excitedly. Swallowing his saliva, Shen Haizhou said, ¡°But the mines are too large, we can¡¯t mine them all. The guy I was looking for is gone. Without his giant toad capable of swallowing mountains, how can we quickly move so many Spirit Crystals?¡± ¡°Could it be that Brother Xu and Brother Meng, you¡¯re targeting the Earth Soul Flowers inside? But it¡¯s just a rumor that these flowers exist, we¡¯re not sure yet. ¡°Furthermore, if the Earth Soul Flowers are growing deep inside the Spirit Mine, once we go in, it¡¯ll be dangerous if we can¡¯t get out quickly and get trapped inside.¡± Xu Yan patted his shoulder and said, ¡°These are all trivial matters. Brother Shen doesn¡¯t need to worry. The friend you¡¯re looking for won¡¯t be needed. My master brother and I already have a plan.¡± ¡°If there really are Earth Soul Flowers in there, I shall certainly share the medicinal pill concocted from them with Brother Shen,¡± Shen Haizhou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, almost imagining how frenzied the Spirit Sect would be. He reminded, ¡°After this venture, Brother Xu and Brother Meng, leave Yuzhou immediately or the Spirit Sect will lose their minds.¡± Meng Chong smirked, ¡°It would be perfect if the Spirit Sect went mad. What¡¯s the significance of a mere two Spirit mines? The ultimate goal is to raid the Spirit Sect¡¯s treasure vault!¡± Shen Haizhou broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. This was too insane, too daring, where did they even get such audacity? The Spirit Sect is known as the top sect in Yuzhou, and that¡¯s no joke. Whether in strength or depth, they are terrifying. Also, even if the Spirit Sect¡¯s own capabilities fall short, they can always call for outside help. They have some connections with the powerful Spirit Sects from other provinces, and it¡¯s safe to say that the Spirit Sect has a strong backing. ¡°Brother Shen, we will trouble you for the Spirit Sect¡¯s intelligence. We only need information about Zhu Liang of the Spirit Sect, as well as the Refining God Martial Artists¡¯ movements and the situation around the large mine. We will regroup a few days later.¡± Xu Yan put away the map and turned to Shen Haizhou. Shen Haizhou gritted his teeth and nodded, ¡°No problem, leave it to me!¡± He was already on the pirate ship, so if he were to retreat at this point, wouldn¡¯t it make him seem like garbage? Moreover, how thrilling would it be to overthrow the Spirit Sect, the top sect? Xu Yan and Meng Chong bid farewell and left, returning to the manor with the map. ¡°So this is the Spirit Sect¡¯s large mine. Earth Soul Flower, divine-grade spiritual medicine!¡± Fang Hao was thrilled. Him, a commoner, was finally about to raid a Spirit Sect¡¯s large mine one day! ¡°Really have Earth Soul Flower? I have a dan prescription that lacks this precious spiritual medicine. If it¡¯s refined, it can significantly enhance my divine intent and make my cultivation in the Divine Intent State much faster.¡± Su Lingxiu was also extremely excited. ¡°The possibility is high.¡± The bounty for chasing him by the Spirit Sect mentioned the Earth Soul Flower, and Earth Soul Flower is born in Spirit Crystal veins. The three senior brothers discussed and planned for a while before inviting Yu Gao over. After breaking through to the Divine Intent State, Fang Hao re-crafted the Communication Talisman. The communication range was at least over one hundred thousand miles; within hundreds of thousands of miles, communication could be unimpeded. Also, the Communication Talisman had an added communication recording function and could add new communicators. It was not limited to communication only within one set of Communication Talismans. He also crafted some Jade Talismans like the Mist Talisman. At crucial moments, it can be used to daze enemies and buy time for escape. After hearing Xu Yan¡¯s plan, Yu Gao felt his scalp was tingling. These three brothers were truly audacious and absolutely insane! Not only did they plan to raid the Spirit Sect¡¯s Spirit Crystal mine, but they were also planning to create opportunities to sneak into the Spirit Sect to plunder their treasure vault! As a Martial Artist in the late stage of the Refining God, he trembled after hearing all that. ¡°Are we really going to do this?¡± Yu Gao asked anxiously. The three brothers, Xu Yan, looked at him disdainfully. This former Alliance Hierarch of the All Ages Alliance, was he not too timid? ¡°Protector Yu, if the All Ages Alliance keeps hiding, I fear we will lose our resolve, our passion will wear out, our courage will be exhausted.¡± ¡°Without passion, without resolve, without courage, even if the All Ages Alliance were to reappear in the world, it¡¯d lose its fighting spirit. That¡¯s unacceptable! Although we are developing cautiously, we must not forget to wreak havoc secretively!¡± Fang Hao sighed deeply. To develop this All Ages Alliance, he really has to rely on himself, the new Alliance Hierarch! ¡°Alright, I will follow the Hierarch¡¯s orders!¡± Yu Gao gritted his teeth and said. The Hierarch was right; we cannot lose our passion, we cannot lose our courage! ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Fang Hao gave him over a dozen Jade Talismans, ¡°These are the Mist Talismans. Upon activation, a large cloud of confusing mist will appear, blocking the enemy¡¯s perception and Divine Soul power, allowing time for escape.¡± Yu Gao took the Mist Talismans, his face full of disbelief. Apart from the Communication Talisman, are there other such magical items? ¡°You can give it a try to familiarize yourself.¡± Fang Hao reminded him. ¡°Yes, Hierarch!¡± Yu Gao shot the Jade Talisman out and activated the Mist Talisman. With a bang, a cloud of thick fog instantly descended covering a radius of dozens of feet. When he tried to reach out with his Divine Soul, he found he could not penetrate the fog. Chapter 482 The Jade Talisman triggered a foggy Formation that lasted for a quarter of an hour, after which the fog¡¯s power dissipated. But Yu Gao was still excited. If he had the fog talisman back then, would he have been in such a desperate situation? If he could trigger the fog talisman and obstruct Zhu Liang for just a moment, he would have long since escaped, how could his opponents catch up with him? Plus, the first time it¡¯s deployed, the effect is the strongest. The other party wouldn¡¯t know about the existence of the fog talisman; suddenly enveloped by the fog, their sense would be restricted and their Divine Soul Power could not penetrate the fog. Their first reaction wouldn¡¯t be to kill the enemy but to protect themselves. ¡°How many Martial Artists in the All Ages Alliance have reached the Godly Refinement stage?¡± Fang Hao asked gravely. ¡°A total of twelve. I am in the late stage of Godly Refinement, the Left and Right Protectors are in the middle stage and the rest are in the early stage.¡± Yu Gao spoke seriously. A loose cultivator alliance, owning more than ten Martial Artists that have reached Godly Refinement, and with Yu Gao in the late stage of Godly Refinement, their strength is on par with the first-class Spirit Sects and noble families. It¡¯s second only to the Jade Spirit Sect. If Yu Gao was a bit stronger and could fight against Zhu Liang, the strength of the All Ages Alliance wouldn¡¯t be far behind that of the Jade Spirit Sect. Of course, when facing a loose cultivator alliance, the Spirit Sects and noble families would naturally band together, just like this time¡¯s operation against the All Ages Alliance. Although the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family took the lead, the other Spirit Sects and noble families all participated. It was precisely because of this that the All Ages Alliance has been laying low, only daring to act in secret. ¡°Twelve, that¡¯s not a few. Your task is to lure away the Godly Refinement Martial Artists of the Jade Spirit Sect. Of course, the Jade Spirit Sect isn¡¯t stupid and won¡¯t all leave, but luring away most of them will suffice. ¡°Brother Yu, you try to lure away Zhu Liang.¡± Xu Yan pondered for a moment then started to assign tasks to these Godly Refinement Martial Artists of the All Ages Alliance. Fang Hao then took out over a dozen Jade Talismans and handed them to Yu Gao, saying, ¡°This is the Instantaneous Shift Symbol. It wasn¡¯t easy to refine, we exhausted a lot of rare materials to make it. Each of you gets one, use it to escape at critical moments. It allows for an instantaneous shift around a hundred li. Of course, you¡¯ll have to control the direction of your shift by yourselves.¡± Fang Hao had spent a long time refining the Instantaneous Shift Symbols, wasting a ton of rare materials in the process. It was only with Li Xuan¡¯s guidance that he had managed to produce them. And still, they appeared rough and the teleportation distance was relatively short, but they could still be used. Yu Gao was shocked again, an Instantaneous Shift Symbol? A hundred li might seem close for a Godly Refinement Martial Artist, but in a critical moment, it could be a lifesaver! Yu Gao had a hunch that letting Fang Hao take his position was the best decision he had ever made! ¡°Stay in touch through the Communication Talisman!¡± After arranging the tasks, Xu Yan spoke up. ¡°Brother Yu, you have to make sure this does not leak. You should know the consequences if it does!¡± Fang Hao said seriously. ¡°I understand, absolutely nothing will be leaked, we are all trustworthy people!¡± Yu Gao shivered and responded earnestly. If news about the fog talisman, the Communication Talisman, and the Instantaneous Shift Symbol were to get out, the Spirit Sects and noble families would definitely take action. The consequences would be severe, especially since the All Ages Alliance is not yet strong enough. Yu Gao left. As for Xu Yan and his two brothers, they bid farewell to Li Xuan. When these three brothers left, Li Xuan sighed in his heart, his disciples really knew how to stir up trouble. This time, the Jade Spirit Sect was bound to go mad. He never underestimated the strength of the Spirit Sects and noble families. In the end, he, their master, would inevitably have to step in and suppress everything! ¡°Fortunately, with my current strength, I¡¯m invincible in the Ling Domain. I should be alright.¡± If he were to face a siege from peak God Refinement Martial Artists, that would put him under a lot of pressure, let alone the stronger ones from the Transcendent Spirit Sect. ¡°Even if I¡¯m alone, if they come to besiege me and set up a big formation, we¡¯ll see who kills who!¡± Li Xuan was not flustered, once a great formation is set up, who could stand against it? He got up from his chair and with a wave of his hand, a large formation was set up around the manor. With this formation, even a peak Godly Refinement Martial Artist wouldn¡¯t notice it and couldn¡¯t penetrate it. Then he took one step forward and disappeared from the spot. ¡°Master, Are you afraid that our brothers will make a big mess and bring powerful enemies after them?¡± Seeing her master leave, Su Lingxiu couldn¡¯t help but wonder privately. She felt a little regretful. Since her master was secretly guarding, she should have gone and joined the excitement. Li Xuan¡¯s figure appeared at the location of the Gate of Lingyu. By this time, the Gate of Lingyu had completely closed and the two guardians inside the hall appeared extremely bored. But it was their duty. Even though the Gate of Lingyu was closed, someone had to be there, standing guard. Without startling the two guardians, Li Xuan came to the Gate of Lingyu and waved out a series of Formation items. A huge layer upon layer of formation was arranged. The Gate of Lingyu was shrouded by the formation. Even if the Gate of Lingyu was opened, it would be impossible to enter. They might even suspect that the Gate of Lingyu had disappeared completely. Xu Yan and Meng Chong were planning a big move. If the news from the Inner Domain was leaked, people would definitely try to enter the Inner Domain. To ensure the safety of the Inner Domain, Li Xuan laid out this formation. ¡°My disciples are really worrying me.¡± Li Xuan sighed. Who asked his disciple to be the one who helped him open up his Martial Arts and pave the way for his invincibility? ¡°With the nine-layer formation here, even a peak Godly Refinement Martial Artist wouldn¡¯t be able to enter.¡± Without understanding formations, breaking one through brute force is not so easy. One¡¯s strength should vastly exceed that of the person who set up the formation. Li Xuan was confident. The formation he set up with his current strength couldn¡¯t be broken by ten or eight peak Godly Refinement Martial Artists. Moreover, the peak Godly Refinement Martial Artists of the Transcendent Spirit Sect were not ordinary peak Godly Refinement Martial Artists. There was nothing unusual in front of the Gate of Lingyu. No one could see that it was already shrouded by a formation. Chapter 483 Li Xuan turned and left. He wanted to see how his disciple was stirring things up, and how he was going to bring the Yuzhou Spirit Sect to its knees. ¡­ ¡°Ah, Young Master Shen?¡± Fang Hao wore a face of surprise. The man who cut off the supply of intelligence was actually Shen Haizhou! ¡°Fang Hao?¡± Shen Haizhou was also stunned. ¡°You know each other?¡± Xu Yan was surprised. Then he remembered that Shen Haizhou once mentioned a friend of his who raised a Devouring Toad. Since Fang Hao also raised a Devouring Toad, it meant Shen Haizhou¡¯s friend was Fang Hao himself. Fang Hao chuckled, ¡°Young Master Shen has been a big customer of mine all these years. Thanks to his¡­benevolence, I¡¯ve been living comfortably.¡± Shen Haizhou looked suspiciously at Xu Yan and Meng Chong, and then at Fang Hao for a good while. He felt something about Fang Hao seemed different. ¡°You guys know each other?¡± Fang Hao put his arm around Shen Haizhou¡¯s shoulder with a cheerful grin. ¡°Of course. These are my two senior brothers.¡± Shen Haizhou was utterly stunned. ¡°Fang Hao, I never thought you¡¯d have such hidden depths. No wonder you could forge such an extraordinary item.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I only ran into my master recently. It was his favor that allowed me to become his disciple.¡± Fang Hao patted Shen Haizhou¡¯s shoulder. The young master of the Shen family was quite different from other true disciples of Spirit Sects and clan members. He didn¡¯t act high and mighty, nor oppress loose cultivators often. He was an oddity within the Spirit Sects and major clans. Shen Haizhou, with a look of envy on his face, seemed to have remembered something. He started acting slyly and pulled out the Spring Night Mirror from his storage bag. ¡°Brother Fang, this Spring Night treasure has been improved quite a bit. You can give it another try. I¡¯ve recently collected a bunch of excellent pictures of beauties, and there are tens of different positions¡­¡± While he was speaking, he activated the Spring Night Mirror and images of beauties appeared on it. Seeing this, Fang Hao hurriedly snatched the Spring Night Mirror from Shen Haizhou¡¯s hand, stuffed it back into Shen Haizhou¡¯s arms and protested, ¡°Brother Shen, you¡¯re insulting me. I, Fang Hao, am an upright man. Why would I engage in such inappropriate activities? ¡°Although the method of forging this Spring Night Mirror was provided by me, this object has nothing to do with me. Such a vulgar item is unworthy of me, Fang Hao.¡± Shen Haizhou was dumbfounded. When did he, a young master from a major clan, sit with Fang Hao, a chubby loose cultivator, to discuss such a thing? And now he is even denying it! ¡°Fang Hao, you¡¯re not being brotherly now. I recall lending you numerous albums of beautiful women, which you studied for many days and nights¡­¡± Shen Haizhou looked unhappy. ¡°You mustn¡¯t make things up!¡± Fang Hao quickly covered his mouth. His slightly plump face turned slightly red. He looked at his two senior brothers with an earnest face and said, ¡°Brothers, don¡¯t believe his nonsense. Shen Haizhou here is a bit of a weirdo and collects some vulgar stuff. He often forces people to watch those things with him. He¡¯s very low.¡± The first time I viewed those albums of beautiful women wasn¡¯t of my own volition. As a mere loose cultivator, how could I resist the coercion of Young Master Shen? I was forced! Under the furious gaze of Shen Haizhou, Fang Hao dragged him away. Xu Yan¡¯s mouth twitched. He remembered Shen Haizhou¡¯s box of treasures, for which he willingly paid millions of Spirit Crystals to redeem. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect our junior brother to have this hobby!¡± exclaimed Xu Yan. He watched Fang Hao and Shen Haizhou huddle together. The two chubby fellows hit it off, hence their friendship. After Fang Hao promised to forge a higher-level and more magnificent Spring Night Mirror for him, Shen Haizhou gave in. He returned with a guilty face and apologized to Xu Yan and Meng Chong, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I pressured Fang Hao to view vulgar items with me. I apologize! I was wrong! ¡°Fang Hao is a man of integrity. Although I forced him, he kept his eyes closed the whole time, so he didn¡¯t actually see anything. ¡°It¡¯s all because of my bad habit. Fang Hao has nothing to do with this!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong: ¡­. The two looked at Shen Haizhou with strange faces, wondering what Fang Hao had promised to make him so willing to belittle himself. Fang Hao laughed awkwardly, ¡°Senior brothers, Young Master Shen has a few quirky habits. Don¡¯t mind him. He¡¯s a decent guy, actually.¡± He cursed Shen Haizhou in his heart. Why did he have to exaggerate things like that!? ¡°Junior brother, don¡¯t feel awkward. It¡¯s a common thing among men,¡± said Xu Yan after a moment of silence. Next, the four discussed a plan of action, as well as intelligence about the Yuzhou Spirit Sect. Shen Haizhou revealed the latest information. ¡°The Yuzhou Spirit Sect and the Su family are still hunting Brother Xu and Brother Meng, and they¡¯re also after that mysterious loose cultivator force.¡± Besides, the spirit mine of Yuzhou Spirit Sect remained the same. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s get to work.¡± Xu Yan said with a grave voice. ¡°Brother Shen, you can just wait for the news.¡± As for this matter, Shen Haizhou was only responsible for providing information and would not participate in it. Before leaving, Xu Yan sent a voice message to Shen Haizhou, ¡°Brother Shen, what did my junior brother promise you that made you so willing to cooperate?¡± Shen Haizhou smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Brother Fang promised to refine a more mysterious Spring Night Mirror for me, which can reflect all my treasures into it.¡± ¡°Brother Xu, I wish you success. I still need to continue collecting treasures. There¡¯s only one chance. In the future, Brother Fang may not be willing to refine the Spring Night Mirror!¡± Shen Haizhou expressed regret. Xu Yan twitched at the corner of his mouth. This Shen Haizhou was hopeless. Mount Yuxin was an unknown peak in Yuzhou. The mountain was not high, with sparse vegetation, and few human presences. However, beneath this mountain lay a vast spirit crystal mine, one of the two spirit crystal mines owned by Yuzhou Spirit Sect. The seemingly desolate mountain was in fact secretly protected by a powerful individual. A Refining God elder from the Yuzhou Spirit Sect presided over this place. Instead of forcing Loose Cultivators to mine the spirit crystal mine, disciples of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect were doing the mining. This was a task for the disciples of the lower ranks of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect, and also a form of training. It was designed for secrecy and to temper the disciples. After all, for the disciples of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect, mining in the spirit crystal mine did not require them to work themselves to the bone but rather just to complete the tasks. Also, after completing the tasks, they would be rewarded with spirit crystals. This was why the disciples of the lower ranks of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect eagerly took part in the mining. On Mount Yuxin, spirit swallows were raised. These spirit birds were used for communication, agile, fast, and very alert. They also served as guards to a certain extent. Of course, not all patrol duties were given to these spirit swallows. After all, there were always some methods that could prevent the spirit swallows from alerting promptly. ¡°Junior brother, how long will it take to set up the formation and completely seal off Mount Yuxin?¡± Xu Yan asked solemnly. ¡°Fifteen minutes!¡± Fang Hao pondered for a moment before he replied. Mount Yuxin was not small, and he could not manage to set up the formation in an instant. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the people on alert.¡± Meng Chong volunteered. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the spirit swallows. You prepare for the formation.¡± After Xu Yan finished speaking, he took out a small bottle and silently made a round trip around Mount Yuxin. In the small bottle was a pill refined by Su Lingxiu, which confused the spirit swallows. It was effective only on spirit swallows, and it could not be detected. Meng Chong quietly knocked out every patrolling martial artist hiding in the dark. Fang Hao paced around Mount Yuxin, and every once in a while, he¡¯d set up one piece of formation equipment. Before anyone knew it, he had finished placing the formation equipment. This was the first time Fang Hao had set up such a large-scale formation. ¡°The formation is set. Three layers of formation were overlapped. Once activated, it won¡¯t be detected, those outside won¡¯t notice the abnormalities, and those inside, even if they do notice, won¡¯t be able to get out.¡± ¡°Blocking a Refining God Heavenly Man for an hour is not a problem at all.¡± Fang Hao was excited. This was his first move against a Spirit Sect, moreover, it¡¯s the number one Sect in Yuzhou, feeling both excited and exhilarating. With his current strength, he could trap a Refining God initial-stage martial artist for an hour without problems. ¡°Let¡¯s go and kill that Refining God Heavenly Man.¡± Xu Yan said coldly. Once the Refining God Heavenly Man was killed, the rest of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect disciples wouldn¡¯t be a concern. They all could be trapped inside the formation. The three of them changed into the clothes of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect¡¯s patrolling martial artists, retracted their auras, changed their appearances, and then entered through a hidden entrance of Mount Yuxin. As they entered, a thick spiritual energy gushed out from the cave. ¡°This is indeed a spiritual mine. No wonder those Loose Cultivators are willing to mine here despite the hardship.¡± Fang Hao sighed. Chapter 484 The deeper they ventured, the denser the spiritual energy became. Soon they came across glittering spirit crystals embedded all over the cave walls, signaling that they had entered the spirit mine. The spirit mine in this part of the tunnel wasn¡¯t excavated, and the number of spirit crystals was limited. At regular intervals, there were moonstones embedded in the cave walls, their soft silver glow illuminating the tunnel. They passed the tunnel and arrived in a massive underground mine. On the left side of the entrance, in the massive mine, there was a pavilion, from where one could overlook the entire mine. The whole pavilion was carved out of spirit crystal stones. The spirit crystals in the mine were all excavated, leaving only this spirit crystal pavilion. Inside the pavilion, a middle-aged man was cultivating with his eyes slightly closed, dense spiritual energy converging towards him. In front of the mine, there were nearly two dozen mining passages lined up. Some disciples of the Jade God Sect, each holding a treasure for digging spirit crystals, entered one of the mining passages together. This place was just at the edge of the entire large mine. And the man in the spirit crystal pavilion was the Ling Divine Elder from the Jade God Sect assigned to guard this place. Besides, under the pavilion, several small houses made of spirit crystals were built, where the deacons responsible for this place lived. Each deacon was a martial artist of the Great Heavenly Realm. Xu Yan rose instantly and headed for the pavilion. Although the other party¡¯s strength was only in the early stage of refining god, even without ambush, he could kill the other party. However, he was in the mine after all. If the other party, realizing his defeat, destroyed the spirit mine out of desperation, potentially ruining any Earth Soul Flowers that might be inside, he might not be able to stop them. No to mention, there were other Jade God Sect disciples in the spirit mine. Having heard movement, if they destroyed the Earth Soul Flower, the loss would be great. The most precious thing in such a large spirit mine was undoubtedly the Earth Soul Flower! ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The Jade God Sect elder asked in a deep voice, opening his eyes. The visitor was one of the deacons who kept lookout outside. If it wasn¡¯t important, he would never come to him. ¡°Elder¡­¡± Xu Yan had already entered the pavilion and was speaking softly. The moment he opened his mouth, a sword light emerged, as the Mountain River Sword Array instantly enveloped the other party. Sudden Annihilation Sword fell! The elder of the Jade God Sect was taken completely by surprise. After all, who would have thought that someone could impersonate one of the lookout deacons with the same appearance and aura. Furthermore, as the top sect in Yuzhou, who would dare to assassinate him? ¡°You!¡± The Jade God Sect elder¡¯s face changed dramatically. His Divine Soul surged out, a white light emerged from his body, about to defend! However, the Mountain River Sword Array had already fallen! Thud! ¡°Who are you?¡± The Jade God Sect elder was horrified. In that moment, his body was destroyed by the sword array. His divine soul was collapsing. In shock, he asked his last question in this life. ¡°Sword God Xu Yan!¡± Xu Yan said coldly. The Jade God Sect elder was destroyed! He reached out and took the elder¡¯s storage bag. Meanwhile, down by the pavilion, Fang Hao and Meng Chong had swiftly dealt with the deacons. With their strength, the deacons who were only at the Great Heavenly Realm stood no chance of resisting. They couldn¡¯t even send a warning before they were wiped out! Fang Hao waved his hand and a formation device flew out. In an instant, a large formation was set up in the vast mine! Any Jade God Sect disciple who entered the mine would lose their way in the formation, unable to even notice anything abnormal. ¡°Let¡¯s go, look for the Earth Soul Flower.¡± Xu Yan said. The Earth Soul Flower was the most important treasure. The three went towards the mining passages, each passage had a signboard. Among them, deacons and disciples were prohibited from entering into two passages! ¡°The Earth Soul Flower, most likely, grows in these two passages. I¡¯ll check out this passage. You two go and explore the remaining one.¡± Xu Yan entered one of the passages. Meng Chong and Fang Hao entered the other passage. As expected, deep within the passage towards the spirit crystal mine, on a glittering spirit crystal, a white flower was growing closely attached to it. Earth Soul Flower! It was a divine-grade spiritual medicine, incredibly rare even in the Ling Domain. Xu Yan was excited, he carefully dug up the Earth Soul Flower, sealed it in a prohibition taught by Su Lingxiu to seal spiritual medicines, and put it in his storage ring. He glanced at the spirit crystal mine. The amount of spirit crystals here was incalculable. Just from this spirit crystal mine alone, the Jade God Sect would never lack spirit crystals for cultivating their disciples. Of course, what was most precious was undoubtedly the Earth Soul Flower. Xu Yan didn¡¯t mine the spirit crystals. If they wanted to mine all the spirit crystals in this mine, they didn¡¯t know how long it would take; it would be better to keep it as is. He left the passage and returned to the mine, shortly after, Meng Chong and Fang Hao also returned excitedly. ¡°There are two Earth Soul Flowers here.¡± Fang Hao said excitedly. ¡°I found one over there!¡± Xu Yan laughed. Three Earth Soul Flowers grew in this spirit mine. If there were also Earth Soul Flowers grown in the other spirit mine, the Jade God Sect¡¯s collection must be considerable, no wonder they were willing to offer one as a reward. He glanced at the other passages. Several Jade God Sect disciples came out of the passages, handed over the mined spirit crystals to the deacons, and then eagerly went back to the passages to continue mining. But what those Jade God Sect disciples didn¡¯t know was that once they returned to the mine, they fell into the large formation and were now caught in illusions. It seemed like they had entered the passage to continue mining, but they were actually still inside the mine. ¡°Let¡¯s go, onto the next major mine!¡± Xu Yan turned and walked away. This large mine was now covered by a formation, the Jade God Sect disciples inside couldn¡¯t break through the binding of the formation, the news wouldn¡¯t leak out. Chapter 485 Once the plan is completed and an escape route is opened for the disciples of the Jade God Sect to leave, this large mine will be captured. The subsequent mining and processing will then be handed over to Fang Hao¡¯s All Ages Alliance. The second large mine of the Jade God Sect, Xu Yan and his two companions repeated the same tactic, killing the Refining God martial artist stationed there, setting up a formation, and collecting the spirit flowers. ¡°There are only two spirit flowers.¡± This spirit mine only has two spirit flowers. ¡°Next, we should act on the Jade God Sect!¡± Xu Yan said in a deep voice. ¡°Senior brother, I¡¯m ready, this ambush, we can surely get the treasury of the Jade God Sect!¡± Fang Hao said with excitement. Li Xuan watched the whole process, silently nodding his head, Xu Yan and his companions had carefully executed their plan, quietly occupying the spirit mine, and killing a Refining God Heavenly Man. Each time Xu Yan killed a Refining God Heavenly Man, the Daoist Golden Book always responded with a Divine Soul technique. By now, he had already obtained five Divine Soul techniques. Outside the Jade God Sect, Xu Yan and his companions quietly arrived, concealing their aura and hiding in a cave. ¡°Send the message to Yu Gao, it¡¯s time to act.¡± Xu Yan looked at Fang Hao and nodded. Fang Hao pulled out the Communication Talisman and sent the action command to Yu Gao. ¡­ ¡°The Alliance head has sent a message and it¡¯s time to act, everyone knows the plan, if we succeed this time, our All Ages Alliance of Yuzhou will rise!¡± ¡°With the spirit crystal mines, the younger generation in our alliance will have plenty of cultivation resources, we can allocate more resources towards the prodigies.¡± ¡°Everyone, do not take this lightly, if anyone messes up the task, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless!¡± Yu Gao said in a deep voice to the gathered Refining God martial artists. ¡°Great Protector, don¡¯t worry, we will absolutely not mess up the Alliance Leader¡¯s plan!¡± The Right Protector said excitedly. Even though they had not yet met the new Alliance Leader, the appearance of the fog symbols and the instantaneous shift symbols had let them know that the new Alliance Leader will surely lead the All Ages Alliance to take flight! ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯ve been oppressed by the Sect and the aristocratic families for a long time, now that we have a chance, we will certainly do our best.¡± The other Refining God martial artists all nodded in agreement. ¡°Act according to the plan, do not act arbitrarily!¡± Yu Gao said in a deep voice. ¡°Understood!¡± The Left Protector and others nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet Zhu Liang, to let him know that I, Yu Gao, am alive and well, and that my strength has returned to its peak!¡± Yu Gao sneered, his figure moved, heading towards the Jade God Sect. ¡­ In the grand hall of the Jade God Sect, Zhu Liang and a number of Refining God elders gathered together, discussing the next course of action. That Loose Cultivator force, which failed to be uprooted, still posed some hidden dangers. As for Xu Yan and Meng Chong, they were like two sharp swords hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment. However, despite the high reward, there was no information about the two of them. Even outside of Yuzhou, there was no news of their whereabouts. ¡°Xu Yan and Meng Chong are certainly related to that Loose Cultivator force!¡± Zhu Liang said in a deep voice. ¡°I fear it¡¯s the leftovers of the Wan Xing power, we must inform the Spirit Sect brethren in the outer states to increase vigilance and defense. I have made contact with Sect Master Xing of the Chi Ming Sect, and we can ask for help at any time.¡± Zhu Liang said with a serious expression. ¡°Elder, what is the cost of asking for help?¡± The Jade God Sect Master asked in a serious tone. ¡°Two spirit flowers!¡± Zhu Liang¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, but he soon said: ¡°The other spirit flower will be paid by the Su Family. This matter is not only the concern of our Jade God Sect!¡± ¡°Elder, is it necessary to ask for help?¡± An elder seemed somewhat unconvinced. What use was it to ask for help when everyone had gone into hiding? Although the Chi Ming Sect was strong, they were not based in Yuzhou. If they couldn¡¯t find the people, how could the Chi Ming Sect? ¡°At this stage it is not necessary, but we need to leave a way out. The true inheritors of the Chi Ming Sect are extremely powerful. Xu Yan is a genius, it is only normal for geniuses to fight each other. ¡°Just like in the past, when geniuses competed, if he was cultivated by the remnants of Wan Xing, then we would follow the previous rules and have the geniuses compete. ¡°He will surely show himself, and once he does, he will certainly die. How can a mere Loose Cultivator compare to a true inheritor of the Chi Ming Sect?¡± Zhu Liang said coldly. The elders of the Jade God Sect were shocked, they were actually asking for a true inheritor of the Chi Ming Sect, who was one of the true unrivaled geniuses of the world, even though they had not yet broken through to the Refining God realm. They were merely at the peak of the Heavenly Man realm, but they had once killed a Refining God Loose Cultivator and were known as the number one genius of Luo State! ¡°If it¡¯s a Chi Ming true inheritor, then two spirit flowers are worth it.¡± The Jade God Sect Master said with a smile. With this matter, the Jade God Sect and the true inheritor of the Chi Ming Sect had formed a bond. In the future, the true inheritor of the Chi Ming Sect will become a powerful backer for the Jade God Sect. ¡°I hope to witness the radiance of the Divine Luminance Body and to understand how powerful it is to be able to resist the force of the Divine Soul.¡± A respectful elder exclaimed. ¡°Alas, our Jade Spirit Sect does not have such a gifted prodigy!¡± The Jade Spirit Sect Master sighed. In the vast Yuzhou, there is not a single talent who could match the talent of the Crimson Darkness Disciple. Yuzhou has truly fallen far. Suddenly, a brazen voice echoed. ¡°Zhu Liang, come out and fight!¡± Zhu Liang¡¯s face changed as he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s that Loose Cultivator in the advanced stage of Refining God, he¡¯s already half crippled!¡± He moved swiftly, instantly dashing out of the Jade Spirit Sect. The Jade Spirit Sect Master and the group of elders also changed expression, quickly following him. Outside the Jade Spirit Sect, Yu Gao¡¯s powerful aura radiated in all directions. The formidable force of his Divine Soul suppressed the deacons and disciples of the Jade Spirit Sect below. Boom! A burst of white light emanated, the formidable force of Divine Soul surged from inside the Jade Spirit Sect, keeping Yu Gao¡¯s Divine Soul power at bay. ¡°It¡¯s the Grand Elder!¡± The deacons and disciples of the Jade Spirit Sect were ecstatic. ¡°You¡¯re not dead!¡± Zhu Liang was shocked. His opponent was not only not half crippled, but his strength has also recovered to its peak. The power of the advanced stage of Refining God, undisguised, spread in all directions. This man must die! ¡°Ha, Zhu Liang, you think you can kill me? Come on, in Yuzhou, only you and I are in the advanced stage of Refining God. Today, let¡¯s see who is the top power in Yuzhou!¡± Yu Gao sneered, raising his hand to launch an attack! ¡°Today, you must die!¡± Zhu Liang was determined, his body radiating a violent white light, charging directly at Yu Gao. The Jade Spirit Sect Master and others swarmed in, intending to besiege Yu Gao. ¡°The despicable and shameless people of Spirit Sect, always outnumbering their opponents!¡± Yu Gao turned and fled, with Zhu Liang in hot pursuit. Following Zhu Liang, there was an elder in the middle stage of Refining God. He was also chasing after him, clearly intending to surround Yu Gao. ¡°This man, he is doomed to die!¡± The Jade Spirit Sect Master declared solemnly. As everyone was about to return to their Sect, their faces changed dramatically. Boom! ¡°Kill, Zhu Liang is not here, today we will crush the Jade Spirit Sect!¡± A group of Refining God Loose Cultivators roared and stormed in. ¡°Where did all these Refining God Loose Cultivators come from?¡± The face of the Jade Spirit Sect Master shifted dramatically. A group of Refining God elders counterattacked, a fierce battle erupted. The Loose Cultivators fell into a disadvantage and immediately turned to flee. ¡°Damn Spirit Sect, why are they so powerful? Run, don¡¯t engage directly, surprise attack is the best!¡± ¡°Right, they have deep resources, we are footloose, coming and going freely. A surprise attack is the best strategy!¡± A group of Loose Cultivators grumbled as they turned to flee. The elders of the Jade Spirit Sect turned green with envy. They had to kill these Loose Cultivators, otherwise, they would suffer substantial losses from the enemy¡¯s surprise attacks. ¡°Kill them!¡± ¡°Send a message to the Su family, the rest of Spirit Sects and the prominent families, surround and kill these Loose Cultivators!¡± A group of elders chased after them. The Jade Spirit Sect Master¡¯s face was grim. There had to be a Refining God powerhouse in the sect. He, the Sect Master, could not leave. He took a deep breath, turned back to the main hall and ordered, ¡°All deacons and disciples, be on maximum alert for a possible attack!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Jade Spirit Sect was on high alert. All deacons and disciples had intensified their guard duty. The Jade Spirit Sect Master who entered the main hall was extremely solemn. Where did so many Refining God Loose Cultivators come from in Yuzhou? They must¡¯ve been powerhouses from a mysterious Loose Cultivator organization. Their ambitions were vast and posed a huge threat to the Spirit Sects and prominent families in Yuzhou. ¡°We should convene a meeting of Spirit Sects and the prominent families to discuss this issue!¡± The Jade Spirit Sect Master thought to himself. Suddenly, his expression drastically changed. Boom! His momentum exploded. He wanted to charge out of the main hall, however, layers of mist filled the air, images of illusions appeared ¨C Phoenix fire, sword light, thunderbolts¡­ It was as if a grand strategy enveloped the entire main hall. ¡°What kind of technique is this?¡± The Jade Spirit Sect Master¡¯s face changed significantly. Boom! He released a ferocious attack, causing the hall to crumble. However, outside the hall was dense mist, he could not perceive anything inside it, let alone detect the movements outside. Chapter 486 The Sect Master of the Jade God Sect had never encountered such a bizarre situation, and he dared not act rashly for a moment. He was enveloped in a white light, fully alert and on guard. Flames of a phoenix, thunderbolts, and radiant sword light attacked from all directions. Moreover, there was a strange power that seemed to want to bind him, even controlling the place where he stood. Such a strange and unknown crisis weighed on the heart of the Sect Master of the Jade God Sect. Worse still, he was unable to sense the situation outside, and he had no idea what had happened to the Jade God Sect. But it was clear that the outside world knew what had befallen him, the Sect Master. Making a decisive move, he took out a set of Mother and Child Beads, and crushed one of the beads in his hand! The Jade God Sect was in crisis, he had to call for help! The elders and others had to return to the sect as soon as possible! The Jade God Sect was in chaos. A giant golden dragon roared, its overwhelming dragon might crushed down. All of the Deacons and Disciples were terrified, their faces pale. Some even crawled on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. As Yu Gao and others attacked, and engaged in battle with the strong ones of the Jade God Sect, Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Fang Hao ¨C posing as Deacons of the Jade God Sect ¨C took the opportunity to infiltrate and set up an array outside the master hall. As soon as the Sect Master of Jade God Sect entered the master hall, they immediately activated the array, trapping the Sect Master of Jade God Sect inside. ¡°Junior Brother, I¡¯ll leave this place to you, the treasure vault to me and Second Junior Brother!¡± Xu Yan slapped out a palm, the golden giant dragon intimidated the Deacons and Disciples of the Jade God Sect ¨C under the overwhelming dragon might, these Deacons and Disciples were scared out of their wits, where did they have the ability to resist? As if the might of a Divine Soul was suppressing their hearts. How could they resist a Refining God Heavenly Man? It was foolish to take on a superior force with their meager strength. This kind of powerhouse could only be dealt with by a Sect Master or elder. Time was pressing, Fang Hao¡¯s array might not be able to hold the Sect Master of the Jade God Sect for long. Suddenly caught in the array, the latter was cautious to begin with, focusing on self-defense rather than launching a hasty counterattack. Once enough time passed, and they realized they were just being trapped, they would inevitably counterattack forcefully and break out of the array. The Sect Master of Jade God Sect after all was a mid-stage Refining God Heavenly Man, just one step away from the latter stages of Refining God. What¡¯s more, the Sect Master of the Jade God Sect must have already crushed the Mother and Child Beads to call for help. Their visit to the Jade God Sect was not about killing. It was about the Jade God Sect¡¯s treasure vault! The location of the vault was bound to be heavily guarded. Xu Yan and Meng Chong quickly found a treasure vault of the Jade God Sect. Boom! Even in the face of such a big enemy, the treasure vault was still guarded by a Martial Artist in the early stage of Refining God. The Jade God Sect, being the number one sect in Yuzhou, had a surprising number of Refining God Martial Artists. ¡°Strike!¡± In a blink of an eye, Meng Chong transformed into a giant of eighteen feet and used his ultimate strike. While Xu Yan struck with his sword, unleashing the Sudden Annihilation Sword! Under the powerful Martial Arts of the two men attacking his Divine Soul, the Refining God Martial Artist let out a terrible scream, his Divine Soul was torn apart, and he was killed on the spot. Boom! The treasure vault was blasted open. ¡°This is indeed the treasure vault of the Jade God Sect!¡± Xu Yan was deeply impressed. Even if it wasn¡¯t the core vault, the treasures inside far exceeded those stored in the Dai Family¡¯s treasure vault. The Jade God Sect truly deserved to be the number one sect in Yuzhou! A canister floated up, Xu Yan scanned it with his divine consciousness, and in an instant, the treasures in the vault were sucked into the canister. This canister was specially made for the raid on the Jade God Sect¡¯s treasure vault. It had a huge space and a sucking power. A single sweep of divine consciousness could absorb all the treasures into it in a very short period of time. ¡°Ah, it seems there¡¯s another hidden vault here!¡± Meng Chong suddenly discovered something unusual in the core area behind the mountain of the Jade God Sect. A fist was struck out. With this punch, he was controlling his strength, and instantly blasted open the ground, revealing a door to a treasure vault. Xu Yan had already hurried over, striking with his sword, the treasure vault door shattered. ¡°Is this one of the core treasure vaults?¡± Both Xu Yan and Meng Chong were incredibly excited. The treasures in this hidden vault were mostly invaluable spiritual medicines. The storage bag, after all, was not as good as a Storage Ring. It was made primarily with swallow mountain toads. If spiritual medicines were stored inside, there would be a certain chance of the medicinal power being lost, and absorbed by the materials made from the swallow mountain toad inside the storage bag. So, the Spirit Sects and noble families all set up treasure vaults to store spiritual medicines instead of keeping them in storage bags over a long period of time. The canister flew out, a sweep of divine consciousness, and everything was sucked into the canister. Rumble! Xu Yan and Meng Chong began to loot wildly within the Jade God Sect. All the spiritual medicines in the spiritual fields were completely looted. Whenever they spotted a place that looked like a core treasure site, they would strike a punch. In just a short period of time, the Jade God Sect was a mess, as if it had been raided by bandits. All the Deacons and Disciples of the Jade God Sect were trembling with fear, even cursing in their hearts. What was the Sect Master doing? Was he useless? Why hadn¡¯t he made a move yet? And the elders? Were they all fools? They were led away by the enemy, didn¡¯t they know about the crisis within the sect? ¡°Hand over all your storage bags, or be killed!¡± Xu Yan raised his hand and struck, eighteen golden giant dragons circled above the head of the Deacons and Disciples. The overwhelming dragon might looked down on the people below. ¡°This is the Jade God Sect, you dare¡­¡± A Deacon mustered the courage to speak harshly and tried to threaten them. Thud! The tail of the giant dragon swept it away, and he was instantly annihilated. The sect had already been invaded, and he still wanted to make threats. Relying on the might of the sect to intimidate others. There was no need for such fools to live. ¡°Don¡¯t hand over your bags, you die!¡± The golden giant dragon probed down from mid-air, its eyes glowing brightly, as if a real True Dragon had descended! ¡°Hand over your storage bags, or die!¡± Chapter 487 Meng Chong¡¯s colossal form, adorned in divine armor, was like a celestial deity. A swooping blade made of light hovered above the deacons and disciples, ready to cleave at any moment. ¡°Give, give, spare our lives!¡± The faces of the Jade God Sect¡¯s deacons and disciples turned as pale as ghosts as they took out their storage bags and placed them in front of them. Lives mattered most after all! The golden dragon swept past, taking away all storage bags. Boom! At this moment, the grand formation where the Jade God Sect¡¯s main hall was located started shaking. The Sect Master of the Jade God Sect was attacking the formation, intending to break out. The message from the communication talisman was conveyed, Zhuliang and others were frantically rushing back. ¡°Junior Brother, let¡¯s go!¡± Xu Yan and Meng Chong instantly appeared beside Fang Hao. Fang Hao was desperately controlling the formation at this moment, deploying the Odd-Door Of Heaven And Earth, trapping the Sect Master of the Jade God Sect inside. ¡°Great!¡± With a sweep of Fang Hao¡¯s divine consciousness, the formation array flew up and fell into the weapon box one by one. Xu Yan and Meng Chong attacked together, striking the Sect Master of the Jade God Sect whose body had not fully revealed yet. After a blow, the three of them promptly departed at once. In an instant, they disappeared beyond the horizon. The Sect Master of the Jade God Sect roared in anger, defending the attack. As the mist dispersed, the power of divine souls surged out, and he was immediately stunned! ¡°Ah!¡± An angry roar echoed throughout the Jade God Sect! ¡°Who, who was it!¡± The Jade God Sect Master stood in mid-air, overlooking the Jade God Sect. Everywhere was in ruins, the treasury was raided, even one of the core treasuries had been ransacked. The elder guarding the treasury was killed. The spiritual medicines in the medicine field were all scavenged! At this moment, the Jade God Sect seemed to have been raided by bandits, with massive losses! ¡°Sect Master, it was Xu Yan and Meng Chong!¡± A deacon announced amidst sobs. All the treasures accumulated over a lifetime, almost all of them were in the storage bags, but now they were all gone! Damn it, they were even worse than bandits! ¡°Right, it was Xu Yan and Meng Chong. My storage bag was also robbed!¡± ¡°Sect Master, I¡¯ve suffered a huge loss!¡± The Jade God Sect¡¯s deacons and disciples wailed. The once magnificent number one sect in Yuzhou, was now filled with miserable cries. ¡°Xu Yan! Meng Chong! The Jade God Sect will never rest until you are dead!¡± The Jade God Sect Master¡¯s eyes were blood-red as he roared. ¡°Ah!¡± All of a sudden, furious roars echoed one after another. The elders of the Refining God who were chasing the loose cultivators had returned. Each of them let out a furious roar. ¡°Damn it!¡± Zhuliang¡¯s face was ashen, his eyes bloodshot, panting heavily, and he was filled with the desire to kill, he himself was almost on the verge of exploding from anger. ¡°Kill! We must kill these loose cultivators, we must kill Xu Yan and Meng Chong, never coexist, we will never coexist!¡± Zhuliang roared frantically. Not much later, one after another Refining God Heavenly Man arrived. They were all the Refining God powerhouses of various Spirit Sects and families in Yuzhou. Upon learning that the Jade God Sect¡¯s gem had shattered, they were all shocked. The Jade God Sect was actually calling for help? This was the number one sect in Yuzhou. With Zhuliang, the number one powerhouse in Yuzhou presiding , who could threaten the Jade God Sect? Could it be a force from outside Yuzhou? However, according to the rules of the Spirit Sect families, they needed to come as soon as the gem shattered, whether they needed to help or not. ¡°What on earth is going on?¡± Seeing the devastating scene, as if the Jade God Sect had been raided by bandits, all the powerhouses were absolutely stunned. ¡°It was Xu Yan and Meng Chong, and that mysterious loose cultivator force!¡± The Jade God Sect Master grinded his teeth in rage. It could now be confirmed that Xu Yan and Meng Chong were from that mysterious loose cultivator force. All the powerful families in the Spirit Sect were immediately shocked. Where on earth did such a powerful loose cultivator force come from? At this very moment, all of them sensed a strong threat. The Su family, especially, changed in color dramatically. The Jade God Sect Master briefly narrated the course of events, including the mysterious method that could shroud one¡¯s divine soul with layers of fog and trap someone inside. All the powerhouses of the Spirit Sect families were unable to stay calm. More than ten Refining Heavenly Men? ¡°At this moment, we of the Spirit Sects and Families must stand in unity, we will launch a massive search across Yuzhou immediately, with no mercy for any suspicions. We will kill rather than let go!¡± Zhu Liang spoke with a clear intention to kill. All the Refining God martial artists shuddered. Once this happened, the conflict between the Spirit Sect families and the loose cultivators would be completely stimulated, and Yuzhou would inevitably be in chaos. ¡°We cannot hesitate, we cannot be indecisive. If we let that mysterious loose cultivators grow stronger, how can we, the Spirit Sect families, hold our ground?¡± The Sect Master of the God Jade Sect also spoke solemnly. ¡°Strictly investigate loose cultivators who have the strength of Grand Heavenly Men or above. Those below the level of Grand Heavenly Men are irrelevant!¡± A Refining God martial artist spoke up. This person was an elder of the first family in Yuzhou. ¡°This could work!¡± Zhu Liang nodded. The number of loose cultivators who are Grand Heavenly Men was not high, so it would be easier to search for, and if such a loose cultivator belonged to the mysterious loose cultivators, their status would certainly be high. After all the powerhouses from the Spirit Sect families had finished discussing, they each said goodbye and left. They all expressed their condolences for what happened to the God Jade Sect. As for whether they were pleased or not, only they themselves knew. The Spirit Sect and the families could not possibly get along perfectly well. Inside the main hall of the Shen Family, Shen Wang had returned from outside with an excellent mood, humming a little tune and drinking Spiritual Tea, looking extremely contented. ¡°Daddy, what has made you so happy?¡± Shen Haizhou returned home to collect treasures and prepare for the refining of a profound Spring Night Mirror. Seeing his father being so contented, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious and asked. ¡°The God Jade Sect got raided by bandits, it¡¯s been wiped out. How can I not be happy?¡± Shen Wang continued to hum with a smile. Shen Haizhou: ¡­ ¡°Dad, tell me about what happened quickly. How has the Jade Sect turned out after being raided?¡± The first thought that came to Shen Haizhou was that this must have been done by Xu Yan and Meng Chong, as they had had their eyes on the God Jade Sect¡¯s Treasury. Unexpectedly, they actually put their plans into action! He felt surprised and hair-raisingly alarmed, but he also couldn¡¯t help getting excited. ¡°What else could have happened? The Treasury got taken over. One of the core treasuries, all the storage bags of the disciples and deacons, all got robbed!¡± Shen Wang¡¯s smiling face was full of joy. ¡°The God Jade Sect got what they deserved, right? They ran into bandits, right? They thought they were the top sect of Yuzhou, didn¡¯t they? They don¡¯t know the benefits of keeping a low profile, they got raided, right?¡± Shen Wang¡¯s face was full of Schadenfreude. Shen Haizhou also got excited. How big would their gains be after raiding the God Jade Sect? His share was included in there. He¡¯s going to get rich! ¡°Daddy, we have to be extra careful with our family¡¯s treasury, so we don¡¯t also get targeted by thieves!¡± Shen Haizhou reminded him. After the incident of the God Jade Sect came out, there might be bold and reckless loose cultivators who would follow the example, harboring the idea of taking a big risk. If they succeeded, they would be able to live a carefree life! ¡°Good point!¡± Shen Wang paused, rethinking about how to store the treasures of the family. ¡°Haizhou, remember to keep a low profile, pay for your food, drink, whoring, and gambling. We are a prestigious family, but we can¡¯t be too arrogant. The disaster of the Blood Demon has not passed for that long, some people have forgotten and started to show off again. ¡°If a Blood Demon could appear once, there could be a second one. We can¡¯t afford to have bad luck.¡± Shen Wang looked at his son and spoke seriously. ¡°Daddy, I know!¡± Shen Haizhou nodded. After hesitating for a moment, he leaned over with a flattering smile on his face, and said, ¡°Daddy, can I discuss something with you?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Shen Haizhou glanced at his son. ¡°Dad, can I borrow your collection of erotic artwork? I have a friend who has a way to refine these erotic pictures into a treasure¡­.¡± ¡°Ungrateful child, when did you sneak a peek at your father¡¯s collection? Your skin itches, doesn¡¯t it!¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t hit me. I can show you my carefully collected treasures if you want¡­.¡± ¡°You ungrateful brat, instead of practicing martial arts, you¡¯re interested in these things, I won¡¯t beat you to death!¡± ¡°Oh dear, dad, I learned all this from you¡­ Grandpa, save me!¡± Shen Haizhou cried out for help in panic. ¡°Stop it, you ungrateful son!¡± Shen Tai appeared impressively, ¡°Haizhou, come to grandpa. Look at your swollen face. You ungrateful child, what have you done to my grandson? I won¡¯t let you off today.¡± ¡°No, father, this bastard boy, he actually covets my erotic artwork¡­¡± ¡°You have the nerve to bring it up, it¡¯s you who spoiled my grandson, you deserved it!¡± ¡°Father, I learned this from you¡­¡± ¡°How dare you, Shen Wang, you ungrateful son, dare to tarnish your father¡­¡± The Shen family was suddenly plunged into chaos, and the uninformed might have thought that the Shen family was under attack. Yu Gao, while walking, spewed out blood. Although his face was pale and his injuries were not light, he was very excited. When Zhu Liang received the news of the crisis of the God Jade Sect and wanted to return for help, Yu Gao desperately stopped him for a while. This small injury in exchange for the treasury of the God Jade Sect being seized was a good deal. Chapter 488 Every single martial artist from the All Ages Alliance, who¡¯d been refining their divine souls, was injured to some degree, yet their spirits were high. The Spirit Sect of Yuzhou has suffered! The injury is worth it! As for the retaliation from the Spirit Sect, it had been expected. Even if they hadn¡¯t raided the treasury of the Spirit Sect, they would still be surrounded and attacked, there¡¯s no difference. Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Fang Hao arrived. ¡°Greetings, Alliance Hierarch!¡± Yu Gao coughed up blood while respectfully saluting. ¡°Greetings, Alliance Hierarch!¡± The rest of the divinity refining powerhouses also saluted in unison. They all first turned towards Xu Yan, whose reputation was significant. Realization dawned upon them that the new Alliance Hierarch was Xu Yan! ¡°This is the new Alliance Hierarch of the All Ages Alliance in Yuzhou, Fang Hao, Alliance Leader Fang!¡± Yu Gao introduced while coughing up blood. The Left and Right Protectors stared in surprise; the new Alliance Hierarch was not Xu Yan but Fang Hao? ¡°Greetings, Alliance Leader Fang!¡± Fang Hao sat down, saying, ¡°All of you may sit. You all made significant contributions this time. Rewards follow merits. Each of you will receive one Revival Pill, a healing potion, and one Divine Soul Nurturing Pill, a pill to nourish the divine soul.¡± With a wave of his hand, two small bottles for each person appeared, one containing a Revival Pill for healing and the other a Divine Soul Nurturing Pill. ¡°We thank the Alliance Hierarch!¡± Yu Gao and the others were excited. They were all familiar with the miraculous efficacy of the pills. ¡°The gains from this journey were enormous. The Spirit Sect¡¯s two spirit mines have been captured. We will send people to take over them soon. However, before that, some arrangements need to be made within the Alliance¡­¡± Fang Hao, using the seized power from the Spirit Sect treasury, officially ascended to the All Ages Alliance¡¯s leadership position in Yuzhou. This marked the beginning of his leadership of the All Ages Alliance in competing equally with the Spirit Sect family. ¡°Keep the deacons and disciples of Spirit Sect that are within the spirit mines under control. They¡¯ll mine Spirit Crystals for our alliance, but a divinity refining powerhouse will need to guard the mines. ¡°Although the Spirit Sect may not notice anything unusual in the short term, there is still a certain risk. ¡°I¡¯ve already set up a formation in the spirit mines. It can resist the divinity refiners for a while, preventing them from quickly entering. This will give the guards time to escape. ¡°This task is critical. Left and Right Protectors, each of you should guard one of the spirit mines.¡± Fang Hao looked at the Left and Right Protectors with a grave expression. ¡°Yes, Alliance Hierarch!¡± The Left and Right Protectors responded respectfully. Then, Fang Hao arranged some more tasks, like managing Alliance members, how to conceal oneself, maintain contact, and prevent traitors. ¡°I, Fang Hao, as the new Alliance Hierarch of Yuzhou, am young and inexperienced compared to those present. Today, there is something I need you all to know. ¡°Nobody must inform the main Alliance about matters concerning me, the magical pills, or the formations. ¡°Does anyone object? Of course, I¡¯m not a dictator. I leave this matter to be decided by everyone. Do you support or oppose my decision? ¡°Although I¡¯m the Alliance Hierarch, I will undoubtedly follow the majority¡¯s decision!¡± As Fang Hao spoke, he waved his hand, and a dozen or so jade plates flew out in front of everyone. ¡°My proposal is simple. Firstly, we don¡¯t inform the main Alliance that I¡¯ve been appointed as Alliance Hierarch. In the eyes of the main Alliance, Yu Gao remains the official Alliance Hierarch. ¡°Secondly, information about the pills, communication talismans, and other pertinent items shouldn¡¯t be disclosed to the main Alliance and insignificant members. This is Yuzhou Alliance¡¯s top-secret. A traitor who leaks this information will be dealt with harshly! ¡°This proposal is up to decide. Do you support or oppose it? ¡°If the supporters form the majority, everyone will act according to the decision and must not breach it. If the opposition is in the majority, I will withdraw this proposal.¡± After finishing speaking, Fang Hao solemnly regarded everyone. ¡°To ensure everyone can express their authentic opinions without interference from others, make your choice on the jade plate. Do you support or oppose this?¡± ¡°Yes, Alliance Hierarch!¡± The divinity refiners present all wore solemn expressions and simultaneously sighed inwardly. The new Alliance Hierarch was receptive and would consider others¡¯ recommendations. This was a good thing! As for concealing information about the Alliance Hierarch and magical pills and communication talismans, some felt that the main Alliance should be informed to attract its full attention and request powerful reinforcements. Yu Gao picked up the jade plate, which presented three options: Support ¨C Strongly Support ¨C Intensely Support! He was taken aback. Where¡¯s the ¡®oppose¡¯ option? While Yu Gao supported Fang Hao¡¯s decision, he was confused upon realising the absence of the ¡®oppose¡¯ option on the jade plate. The Left and Right Protectors were in a similar predicament: ¡­ They looked left and right, but the ¡®oppose¡¯ option was clearly missing. Puzzled, they wondered if Alliance Hierarch had forgotten to include it? Yu Gao hesitated for a while before selecting the ¡®intensely support¡¯ option. ¡°Has everyone made their choices?¡± Fang Hao¡¯s serious demeanor remained as he withdrew all the jade plates. After quietly scanning them, he nodded in satisfaction; the teachings and methods of his master really were extraordinary! ¡°Since everyone supports my decision, I am very pleased. This shows that everyone has a strong sense of confidentiality¡ªa risk of information leaks is low. Therefore, everyone can divide these pills. I hope all of you can quickly enhance your capabilities!¡± Fang Hao had a satisfied smile on his face. He took a bottle of magical pills out and put them on the table. The Left and Right Protectors and the rest were still baffled. On one hand, they wondered if Alliance Hierarch had forgotten to include the oppose option, and on the other hand, they suspected that Alliance Hierarch had already made a decision and didn¡¯t allow any opposition. Just as they were pondering over which possibility was true, they saw the magical pills and instantly broke into smiles. They were all aware of the extraordinary efficacy of these magical pills. With the aid of these pills in their cultivation, their abilities would surely level up. Alliance Hierarch had just said that because the risk of confidential information leaking was low, he was distributing these pills. Chapter 489 ¡°The Alliance Hierarch is right. The general alliance has too many members, and information is likely to be leaked. This matter involves the highest-level secret of our Yuzhou Alliance, so it can¡¯t be divulged. I strongly support the Alliance Hierarch¡¯s decision!¡± The Right Protector spoke seriously. ¡°That¡¯s right. The rise of our Yuzhou Alliance is at hand. The general alliance has a complicated membership, and our resources such as elixirs are limited. They are not enough to support everyone. If the general alliance comes asking, where can we get enough to meet their demand? Therefore, I strongly support all the decisions of the Alliance Hierarch!¡± The Left Protector also voiced his agreement. With both the Left and Right Protectors speaking up, the rest of the people present also showed their enthusiasm and expressed strong support. At this moment, they understood that they have the advantage of elixirs to aid in their cultivation if they follow Fang Hao. If this news leaks to the general alliance, how much would they be able to divide among themselves? Moreover, control of these resources, including the elixirs, is all in the hands of Fang Hao, their Alliance Hierarch. For the strengthening of the Yuzhou Alliance, and to raise their personal strength to the next level, they must strongly support the Alliance Hierarch! ¡°Very good!¡± Fang Hao nodded approvingly. He was pleased with everyone¡¯s high awareness. He presented another bottle of elixirs. ¡°As long as everyone works together, contributing to the strengthening of the Yuzhou Alliance, striving to be on par with the spiritual sects and the aristocratic families in Yuzhou, there will certainly be elixirs. Everyone¡¯s strength must inevitably advance!¡± Fang Hao encouraged everyone. Then, he handled the matter of the spiritual mine to the Left and Right Protectors, gave them the Array Plate for controlling the formation within the spiritual mine, and taught them how to use the Array Plate. ¡°Always keep an eye on the movements of the spiritual sects and noble families, especially the Jade Spirit Sect. Stay in touch!¡± After Fang Hao delegated these tasks, he left with Xu Yan and Meng Chong. The gains from the Jade Spirit Sect still needed to be sorted out. Li Xuan observed everything quietly, praising internally that his disciples were finally becoming independent. What disappointed him slightly was that after killing the Refining God Heavenly Man of Jade Spirit Sect, the Daoist Golden Book only gave God-Destruction experience instead of an actual God-Destruction. The retaliation from the Jade Spirit Sect was sure to come. Instead of continuing to follow, Li Xuan turned and returned to the manor. ¡°The Jade Spirit Sect is quite formidable, having hidden their core treasury so deeply that even I did not discover it.¡± Li Xuan expressed his admiration inwardly. Xu Yan and Meng Chong had only seized one core treasury of Jade Spirit Sect, but the Jade Spirit Sect surely has more than one core treasury. Even he did not find the remaining core treasuries. ¡°Is it hidden within the mountain?¡± Li Xuan wondered to himself. If that really was the case, they would not be able to seize all the core treasuries unless they obliterated Jade Spirit Sect. When Xu Yan and Meng Chong met Shen Haizhou again at the agreed location, they were taken aback. At this moment, Shen Haizhou¡¯s face was swollen and bruised. His slightly plump face now looked even plumper, as if he had gained weight overall. ¡°Young Master Shen, what happened to you? Who beat you?¡± Fang Hao exclaimed in surprise. ¡°I was beaten by my father.¡± Shen Haizhou had an expression of gloom. ¡°Is it because of us?¡± Xu Yan raised an eyebrow and asked. Did Shen Haizhou get beaten because his information leaks were discovered? Shen Haizhou shook his head: ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡± Then his spirit raised, and he revealed an eager and slightly devious expression, saying, ¡°Fang Hao, one Spring Night Mirror is not enough. I need three. I¡¯ll provide the materials!¡± ¡°One is enough. All are condensed into one, which is enough for your entertainment, Young Master Shen.¡± Fang Hao shook his head. The one he was going to refine was not the previous type of Spring Night Mirror. He planned to refine prohibition and illusions within it, ensuring Shen Haizhou could lose himself in it and not pull himself out! ¡°One is not enough for sharing.¡± Shen Haizhou sighed, took out a treasure storage bag, and handed it to Fang Hao, saying, ¡°Fang Hao, refine three ¨C no less. This holds treasures gathered over three generations of my family: it¡¯s all here.¡± Fang Hao: ¡­ Xu Yan and Meng Chong: ¡­ Looking at Shen Haizhou¡¯s strange expression, they understood that this peculiar hobby of Shen Haizhou¡¯s was hereditary. ¡°Alright.¡± Fang Hao agreed, marveling to himself. To refine this kind of thing shouldn¡¯t take many resources or a lot of time. ¡°Brother Shen, you contributed a lot this time. You will get a share of the loot. Since I promised to give you elixirs if we get the Earth Spirit Flower, I won¡¯t break my word.¡± Xu Yan said with a smile. They made a huge harvest from this excursion to the Jade Spirit Sect. The group of four set off back to the manor. Shen Haizhou spoke: ¡°The Jade Spirit Sect has contacted the spiritual sects and noble families in Yuzhou. They are scrutinizing the Loose Cultivators in Yuzhou, focusing mainly on the major Loose Cultivators.¡± ¡°Next, there could be more commotion. You all need to hide well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s to be expected.¡± Fang Hao chuckled. The members of the All Ages Alliance have already scattered and hidden themselves. Back in the mansion, Shen Haizhou looks stunned. Xu Yan and Meng Chong had been hiding right here, and no one had noticed? It was simply unthinkable! Soon, he also noticed something unusual. He felt thrilled about winning Xu Yan¡¯s favor. It was definitely the best decision he had ever made. Su Lingxiu excitedly greeted them. ¡°Senior brother, junior brother, you¡¯re finally back. How did it go?¡± Shen Haizhou stared at Su Lingxiu with wide eyes, a shy look on his chubby face. ¡°Who is he?¡± Su Lingxiu curiously looked at Shen Haizhou, whose whole face was bruised and pitiful-looking. ¡°Shen Haizhou!¡± Xu Yan introduced him. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Su!¡± Shen Haizhou hurriedly tries to maintain a serious look. ¡°No need for formalities. Take this pill.¡± Su Lingxiu waved her hand, throwing Shen Haizhou a pill, and added, ¡°Your bruise will heal after you eat this.¡± Shen Haizhou was doubtful. The bruises on his face, after all, were caused by his own father¡¯s beating. His father, as a Refining God expert, had left a residue of his power. His face had been intentionally made to stay swollen for a short time, as a form of punishment. Could this pill really heal his wounds? After swallowing the pill, Shen Haizhou saluted: ¡°I appreciate your kindness, miss. However, this wound was intentional, left by my father, a Refining God martial artist¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Holy cow, it worked?¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Shen Haizhou felt a cool sensation on his face and realized his bruising had disappeared. He was shocked. ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised, even if you were about to die, my junior sister could still save you!¡± Xu Yan joyfully said. ¡°Come, come, let¡¯s count the treasures from the Jade Spirit Sect!¡± Xu Yan took out his storage jar and began to count the treasures from the Jade Spirit Sect. Moreover, there was a pile of treasure bags, all belonging to the deacons and disciples. As members of the top sect in Yuzhou, none of them would be poor. The bounty this time was monumental. Shi¡¯er, Meng Shushu, and Zhou Ying also joined in the exciting counting. The Red Cat was also excited. Seeing so many spiritual medicines, it was vigorously acting cute in front of Su Lingxiu. It no longer had to worry about running out of medicine. As Xu Yan and the others were counting the bounty, Yuzhou was in an uproar. The top sect in Yuzhou had been attacked like it was raided by bandits, completely plundered. Even the core treasure vault had been emptied. The losses were unimaginable! ¡°They are our role models!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m particularly excited today. Even my cultivation is full of passion!¡± ¡°They deserved it! The Jade Spirit Sect is getting its comeuppance!¡± ¡°Shh, don¡¯t discuss this. Be careful of getting caught!¡± The martial artists in Yuzhou were buzzing with chitchat. Both the loose cultivators and the martial artists from the aristocratic Spirit Sects took delight in the Jade Spirit Sect¡¯s misfortune. Seeing the Jade Spirit Sect suffer made them happier than improving their own powers. Meanwhile, within the Jade Spirit Sect, the deacons and disciples were filled with gloom. Their treasure bags were stolen, and all the resources they had painstakingly gathered for cultivation were gone in an instant. As for the sect¡¯s treasure vault being emptied, that was for the sect master and elders to worry about. After all, the things in the vault weren¡¯t theirs, but the things in their treasure bags were! Zhu Liang and other strong members of the Jade Spirit Sect had bloodshot eyes and murderous looks. They wished to dig three feet into the ground to find the thieves and pulverize them! However, they all knew it was impossible to find the perpetrators! How frustrating! The top sect in Yuzhou, when had they ever felt such humiliation? ¡°Xu Yan and Meng Chong must die! No matter the cost!¡± Zhu Liang gritted his teeth and said. ¡°Yes, at all costs, we must kill him!¡± The Jade Spirit Sect Master angrily said. ¡°I¡¯ll contact Sect Master Xing immediately. I¡¯ll have the Red Sky Lineage come to Yuzhou and initiate the Chosen War to lure out Xu Yan. Even if the Red Sky Lineage cannot kill him, we must not let him escape. ¡°Once he shows up, if he wants to hide again, that will be wishful thinking!¡± Zhu Liang said with murderous intent. Chapter 490 Yuzhou¡¯s Jade Spirit Sect, the top sect in Yuzhou, has an unimaginable wealth of treasures. Especially in their core treasury, there are several divine-grade spiritual medicines, including even two Earth Spirit Flowers. There is an innumerable amount of first-grade and lower spiritual medicines. Shen Haizhou is dumbfounded with what he sees ¨C formations, enchantments, charms, and miraculous elixirs! Is this what the Ling Domain should have? This is unheard of! He knows he¡¯s grabbed onto a strong leg. ¡°Brother Xu is indeed a true dragon, how wise was my decision then!¡± Shen Haizhou is filled with emotion. If not for his wise choice then, he wouldn¡¯t have this opportunity now. With the aid of elixirs, he believes he can quickly break through to the Heavenly Man realm, and the Refining God Heavenly Man realm is not unreachable! Shen Haizhou took all his rewards and exchanged them for elixirs, the spiritual artifact created by Fang Hao, along with the fog talisman, and a small formation. Using the Earth Spirit Flower as the main ingredient, Su Lingxiu made an elixir that enhances divine intent and is more efficient in assisting cultivation, and the efficacy of this elixir for the Refining God Heavenly Man is astonishing. It can allow a Refining God Heavenly Man to break through from the early stage of the realm to the middle stage. Greatly increasing the chances of breaking through to the later stage of Refining God. Upon receiving the elixir, Shen Haizhou was overjoyed. After taking one, he broke through to the Heavenly Man Realm. Red Cat was also very excited; it obtained an elixir and after taking it, its spiritual sense became stronger, its strength increased, and the speed of inscribing array patterns in its orifices also improved. It seemed that it was close to cultivating the next Great Monster Technique. Li Xuan had already seen page seven of the Book of Tai Cang, the deeper into the book, the more profound the Heaven and Earth Laws and the more difficult it is to comprehend. He turned it into the foundation to create stronger enchantments, wondrous formations of Heaven and Earth, and some techniques of martial arts. He took time out of these days to pass it on to his disciples so they could comprehend it. After his disciples understood it, his understanding of the Heaven and Earth Laws went deeper, and the experimental research became more relaxed. At the same time, he was also laying the foundation for his students to use the Heaven and Earth Laws. ¡°Your disciple, Xu Yan, has made the breakthrough to the completion stage of Divine Intent State, and you have increased your strength to the completion of the Divine Origin Realm.¡± After a few days of practicing with the Divine Intent Pill, Xu Yan broke through to the completion stage of Divine Intent State. Li Xuan was delighted, for Meng Chong, Su Lingxiu, and Fang Hao, their strengths had vastly improved, and they were not far from breaking through. Whether it was Xu Yan or Meng Chong, the main role of the elixir was to accumulate their own foundation and not assist in increasing their cultivation. Their idea was simple, the Martial Arts realm should not have any falseness. Even if they used the elixir to break through; they would still take some time to consolidate their realm thoroughly. Su Lingxiu didn¡¯t have these worries, but because she cultivated the Dao of Elixir and Martial Arts, the elixir turned into abundant life force, the increase in her realm didn¡¯t exceed Xu Yan and Meng Chong due to the elixir. Fang Hao mainly cultivated Heaven and Earth Patterns; the elixir only enhanced his physical body and increased his divine intent. The improvement of Heaven and Earth Patterns was relatively insignificant. With the deeper understanding of array and the wondrous formations of Heaven and Earth, particularly from Li Xuan¡¯s comprehension of Heaven and Earth Laws, the array diagrams, enchantments, wondrous formations, etc., Fang Hao had made great progress in arrays and Heaven and Earth Dharma Gates. All four disciples made significant advances due to their understanding of the Heaven and Earth Laws; Xu Yan¡¯s Sword Dao became more perfect, and his Sword Array had also become much more powerful. Meng Chong also made great advances in the Dao of the Sword and the Immortal Golden Body. After getting the upgraded version of the Spring Night Mirror refined by Fang Hao, Shen Haizhou could not contain his excitement, and his lecherous expression remained all day. Naturally, every time he hid and sneakily used the Spring Night Mirror, it seemed he was fearful of being discovered. With the elixir and Spring Night Mirror in hand, Shen Haizhou prepared to return to the Shen family. He even asked Xu Yan¡¯s opinion of him taking the elixir out and giving it to his grandfather. His reasoning was that he met a high-profile person who gave him the divine pill and would not disclose the actual situation. Xu Yan was not against it. The elixir would inevitably be revealed to the world shortly. Also, even if the news spread now, it wouldn¡¯t pose a threat. Their master was invincible! Shen Haizhou was overjoyed. With the help of the elixir, he believed his grandfather would definitely break through to the Latter stage of Refining God. The Shen family would genuinely step forward to become a top-class Ling Domain family, even though it would be at the bottom. Shen Tai was at the peak of the Mid Refining God stage and had been cultivating for a long time. He was always just a bit away from breaking through the bottleneck. With the aid of the elixir, breaking through the bottleneck is almost certain. The destruction of the Jade Spirit Sect set off a storm in Yuzhou. All the Ling Sects and families were on edge, searching for loose cultivators. As a result, chaos inevitably ensued. The Shen family only conducted a symbolic inspection before everything returned to normal. There wasn¡¯t much chaos. However, Shen Tai had quietly entered seclusion. Only Shen Wang and Shen Haizhou, the father and son pair, knew about Shen Tai¡¯s secluded breakthrough. ¡°This Spring Night Mirror is a real treasure!¡± Shen Wang, looking at the Spring Night Mirror in his hand, was tremendously excited, his eyes filled with fervor. Let¡¯s set aside the story of the Shen Family father and son obsession with the Spring Night Mirror for now. In the manor, the atmosphere of cultivation was restored. Every day, Su Lingxiu was concocting elixirs and researching various elixirs with different effects. She had enriched the formula in the Alchemy Manual. ¡­ Luo State. Boom! A stern-faced youth with golden eyebrows was holding a gilded halberd and furiously attacked a Refining God Warrior. Chapter 491 The young man wielding the halberd was merely at the pinnacle of the Great Heavenly Man realm, but he showed no fear when facing the Refining God Heavenly Man, his body glowed with a faint golden brilliance. The pressure of the Divine Soul was reduced to nothing by his golden glow, unaffected by the godly might of the Refining God Heavenly Man. The golden halberd unleashed a strong force; under its blow, the Refining God Heavenly Man staggered backward, the corner of his mouth spilling fresh blood. ¡°Lu Xinting!¡± The Refining God Martial Artist roared with anger as the large sword in his hand danced, releasing a faint human-shaped ripple above his head, signifying the Divine Soul¡¯s power is operating at its peak. Lu Xinting maintained his calm demeanor as the golden halberd exuded rays of golden light forming a golden storm that swallowed the Refining God Martial Artist in an instant. Boom! The battle reached its climax, and the Refining God Heavenly Man was clearly desperate. Amid the turmoil of the Divine Soul, the sword stirred layers of sword light, and at a certain moment, with a low roar, a blood light burst forth from him, and the sword light tore open the golden storm. The Refining God Heavenly Man transformed into a terrifying sword light that quickly traveled across the sky, rushing towards Lu Xinting! Bang! Lu Xinting¡¯s face grew colder as he thrust out his halberd. The golden glow from his body suddenly became dazzling, completely enveloping him within the golden radiance. The halberd struck the sword light. Bam! The sword light paused in mid-air, Lu Xinting¡¯s body swayed a few times as he stepped back, immediately with an icy tone, he twisted the hand holding the halberd, and the halberd lunged forward again! Crack! The sword light shattered, exploding into pieces. Splat! The halberd pierced through the Refining God Heavenly Man¡¯s chest, his sword shattered, and disbelief filled his eyes. ¡°Lu Xinting!¡± The Refining God Martial Artist¡¯s Divine Soul roared in anger and resentment! ¡°Hmph!¡± Lu Xinting snorted coldly, stirring his halberd, the Refining God Heavenly Man¡¯s body instantly disintegrated, flesh and blood splattering everywhere! Above the halberd, the golden glow reflected as it violently shot towards the Martial Artist¡¯s Divine Soul! ¡°Ahh!¡± The Divine Soul let out a scream, but it didn¡¯t disintegrate under the golden light, instead, it tried to escape far away. Without a body, his current Divine Soul could not survive long, but if he can seek refuge in another body, he could live for a bit longer, perhaps even pass on his Martial Arts, gaining a chance of revenge. But at this moment a crimson light rolled down from mid-air, immediately annihilating his Divine Soul. ¡°Not bad, yet another breakthrough!¡± An elder appeared, a satisfied expression on his face. ¡°Second Elder, I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve reached my limit yet. I can still tap into the potential of my body.¡± Lu Xinting said in a deep voice. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then continue!¡± The Second Elder nodded. Suddenly, a spirit swallow flew over, landing on the Second Elder¡¯s hand. The Second Elder removed the envelope from the spirit swallow¡¯s foot, opened it, and upon checking the contents his eyebrows raised in surprise. ¡°Second Elder, has the Sect given any instructions?¡± Lu Xinting asked. ¡°A Loose Cultivator prodigy has come out of Yuzhou, calling himself Sword God Xu Yan. He has killed the Refining God Heavenly Man and destroyed a second-rate family. Yushen Sect suffered greatly by his hand. ¡°No one was able to locate him, so they turned to our Sect for help, hoping to reveal him under the guise of a competition between prodigies.¡± The Second Elder said, sending the envelope flying in front of Lu Xinting. Lu Xinting glanced at it and sneered, saying: ¡°A Loose Cultivator prodigy? Heh, he merely used some underhanded methods to kill the Refining God Heavenly Man. ¡°Yuzhou has declined too much, both Spirit Sect and the noble families are humiliated, left helpless by a Loose Cultivator. It¡¯s quite shameful. ¡°I¡¯d like to see what this self-proclaimed ¡®Sword God¡¯ of a Loose Cultivator is capable of. Whether he can withstand one strike from my halberd!¡± The Second Elder voiced his agreement, ¡°What prodigy can a Loose Cultivator have? ¡°In Ling Domain, the outstanding ones are taken to the Sect when they are young, leaving their level as Loose Cultivators far behind. The chance of overlooking a person with extraordinary talents is extremely limited, given that even if someone is overlooked the first time, when they eventually display their resounding talents, they would be recruited by the Spirit Sect or noble families. No talented individual would reject the invite from the Spirit Sect or noble families. Those who were arrogant enough to do so are already dead. So how many could have been overlooked? Thus, among the loose cultivators, there may not necessarily be an absence of real talents, but they simply can¡¯t compare with the prodigies of the Spirit Sect and noble families. Whether it¡¯s the cultivation techniques or martial arts resources, or the refinement of talents, loose cultivators are far from competing with the Spirit Sect and the noble families. Especially the top-ranked Spirit Sects that already have a mature and efficient method for nurturing talents. After the Blood Demon disaster, the suppression of loose cultivators by the Spirit Sect and noble families became much more severe, preventing real talents from emerging, to avoid any threat to the status of the Spirit Sect and noble families. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill another loose cultivator. After killing him, my body¡¯s potential will be fully stimulated, then we can set off to meet that Swordsman Xu Yan.¡± ¡°Ha, I want the loose cultivators of this world to know, they should never be deluded into thinking they can rival the genius of the Spirit Sect. They are not worthy!¡± Lu Xinting set off with his halberd as he headed towards his next target. Three days later, a message spread through Luo State. The top Spirit Sect of Luo State, Chi Ming Sect¡¯s true lineage, with the high realm of a great celestial being, killed three Refining God loose cultivators in a row, which triggered the potential of his Divine Luminous Body. Laying a solid foundation for his breakthrough into the Refining God. The entire Luo State was shaken. Many loose cultivators only felt as if an enormous mountain was about to press down on their heads! Chi Ming direct disciple, God Luminous Body, is famous across Luo State! Immediately after, another message came. Chi Ming Sect¡¯s disciple, Lu Xinting, will go to Yuzhou, start the Genius Challenge and confront the well-known loose cultivator prodigy of Yuzhou, Swordsman Xu Yan! In a certain part of Luo State, a group of people were fuming with anger. Among the three Refining God loose cultivators who were killed by Lu Xinting, one was part of the Luo State¡¯s All Ages Alliance. ¡°Lu Xinting, you¡¯ve gone too far!¡± Despite the anger, their eyes were full of seriousness. The prodigies of the top Spirit Sects were indeed a formidable force! ¡°God Luminous Body, one of the Ten Great Bodies, truly lives up to its reputation. Its divine shine can even counter the pressure of the Divine Soul, truly remarkable!¡± A Refining God martial artist sighed in admiration. ¡°Lu Xinting is heading to Yuzhou to challenge the loose cultivator prodigy. When did Yuzhou produce such a prodigy? Unfortunately, the one he will face is Lu Xinting ¨C his death is inevitable.¡± The person speaking turned to face a young man saying, ¡°Wen Yong, you¡¯re from Yuzhou, do you know anything about Swordsman Xu Yan? Your strength is also impressive, as a peerlessly talented individual in Yuzhou. How do you compare with Xu Yan?¡± Wen Yong was taken aback, Xu Yan is so powerful? The news had already spread throughout Luo State, Swordsman Xu Yan in Yuzhou had destroyed a second-rate noble family, the Dai Family, and killed a Refining God martial artist. That was the reason why Lu Xinting felt Xu Yan was worthy of a battle. Otherwise, he considered ordinary loose cultivator prodigies beneath his notice! ¡°Brother Xu, did you destroy the Dai Family for me? Now that the Dai family has been wiped out, I can return to Yuzhou.¡± Emotion welled up in Wen Yong. ¡°I am going back to Yuzhou, I have to find Xu Yan and tell him about the strength of Lu Xinting.¡± Wen Yong uttered in a solemn tone. ¡°We loose cultivators don¡¯t necessarily have to accept the challenge. Even if we win, will the Spirit Sect and noble families abide by the rules? They will definitely step forward to challenge us themselves. The protector of Lu Xinting, the Second Elder of Chi Ming Sect, is an incredibly strong cultivator. He might even be a Refining God at his peak!¡± The others nodded in agreement, thinking the statement is rational. ¡°Could the Grand Alliance dispatch a strong being to act as Xu Yan¡¯s shield?¡± Someone suggested. ¡°That won¡¯t do. It¡¯s not yet time for our All Ages Alliance to show its hand. We should avoid exposing ourselves prematurely. The powers of the Grand Alliance all have important duties and cannot lightly break away.¡± A Refining God martial artist shook his head. ¡°Wen Yong is right. We don¡¯t need to accept the challenge. We should rather hide if we can. We, the loose cultivators, don¡¯t strive for momentary bravery. Besides, there are no rules in a prodigy challenge anymore!¡± An old man sneered; ¡°Back then, for the Ten Thousand Stars Prodigy, who had a feud with the Spirit Sect and the noble families, those shameless chaps directly intervened in the battle. Ridiculous indeed!¡± This was a veteran who was rumored to have witnessed the Blood Demon disaster of the past year. ¡°Wen Yong, return to Yuzhou and find that prodigy called Xu Yan. Stop him from accepting the fight. Once my All Ages Alliance steps forward, we will see how arrogant the Spirit Sect and noble families will be!¡± The old man patted Wen Yong on the shoulder and said. ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose. I will set off for Yuzhou right away!¡± Wen Yong immediately set off on his journey back to Yuzhou. Chapter 492 The grand hall of Yuzhou Spirit Sect. Zhu Liang and the elders of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect were solemnly waiting. And the deacons and disciples were all lined up in welcome. Curiosity and excitement echoed on every face, with many hoping to see Xu Yan beheaded and their bitter anger appeased. In mid-air, two figures were steadily walking forward. Upon their sight, Zhu Liang and the others were immediately solemn. The man leading was a stern-faced youth, his eyebrows gleaming like gold. Following him by a half-step was the Second Elder of the Chi Clan! In the strictly stratified Ling Domain, the Second Elder being half a step behind signified that Lu Xinting was superior, conferring that Lu Xinting would be the next Sect Master of the Chi Clan! With his talent, the strength of Chi Clan would certainly rise another level! ¡°We greet True Successor Lu!¡± Zhu Liang and the other elders of Yuzhou Spirit Sect saluted. ¡°Hmm.¡± Lu Xinting nodded indifferently, then entered the hall with the rest of the party and sat down. ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase, tell that so-called Xu Yan to prepare for his death. I need to return to my breakthrough preparations once I¡¯ve killed him.¡± Lu Xinting spoke arrogantly. ¡°True Successor Lu just wait, we will promptly deliver this message and let the martial artists of Yuzhou witness your greatness. ¡°Let those Loose Cultivators realize that their so-called prodigy is nothing more than rubbish!¡± Zhu Liang respectfully answered. ¡°Hmm, make it quick!¡± Lu Xinting acknowledged with a nod. ¡­ On this day, all the major Spirit Sects and venerable families in the Ling Domain received the news. The True Successor of the Chi Clan had come to Yuzhou, challenging Xu Yan to a match! In an instant, all the Spirit Sects and venerable families were shocked. The Yuzhou Spirit Sect had actually invited the True Successor of the Chi Clan! Lu Xinting, the one with the Divine Halo Body, was a well-known prodigy. At the level of a Great Heavenly Man, he had slain a Refining God Martial Artist, making him the future first strongest in Luo State. Now, he had come to Yuzhou to challenge Xu Yan. Although Xu Yan had also slain a Refining God Martial Artist, most of the formidable experts from the Spirit Sects and venerable families speculated that Xu Yan must have used some special means to achieve it. They also harbored inherent prejudices. How could the prodigy of a Loose Cultivator compare with that of a Spirit Sect? Therefore, they have already decided the outcome of the fight between Xu Yan and Lu Xinting. Xu Yan was undoubtedly going to die! They even doubted if Xu Yan would accept the challenge. Wen Yong, after a long journey, finally returned to Yuzhou. When he arrived at the All Ages Alliance Base, he was shocked to find that it had been taken. After rummaging through several secret locations, he finally got in touch with Yu Gao. The mansion was as usual. However, Shen Haizhou rushed over, looking somewhat surprised. ¡°Brother Xu, something big has happened.¡± Xu Yan raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Something big? Has Yuzhou Spirit Sect found the information you provided?¡± ¡°No.¡± Shen Haizhou shook his head, looking serious. ¡°The Yuzhou Spirit Sect has invited the True Successor from the Chi Clan of Luo State, seeking to challenge you to a death match!¡± ¡°The True Successor of Chi Clan?¡± Xu Yan was perplexed. Meng Chong and the others also leaned in, looking curious. Shen Haizhou inhaled deeply and said gravely, ¡°Chi Clan is a top-ranked Spirit Sect in Luo State. Their current True Successor, Lu Xinting, has one of the top ten Divine Halo Bodies, and is an incredibly gifted prodigy. ¡°At the level of a Great Heavenly Man, he reversed the odds to kill a Refining God Martial Artist. His strength is beyond imagination. ¡°A short while ago, he killed three Refining God Loose Cultivators in Luo State, completely unleashing the potential of his Divine Halo Body, and is on the verge of breakthrough to the Refining God Realm. ¡°Yuzhou Spirit Sect invited him to Yuzhou to challenge you, Brother Xu, to a prodigy face-off.¡± Shen Haizhou detailed Lu Xinting¡¯s deeds. Especially the fact that at the level of a Great Heavenly Man, he managed to kill a Refining God Heavenly Man. Such power was fearsome! Interested, Xu Yan asked, ¡°The True Successor of Chi clan, Divine Halo Body? Interesting, where does he plan to challenge me?¡± After being in the Ling Domain for such a long time, he had finally encountered a true prodigy of the Ling Domain. The Divine Halo Body, one of the top ten divine bodies. ¡°How could a Great Heavenly Man reverse kill a Refining God Heavenly Man? The awe of a Divine Soul is not something a martial artist below the Refining God can resist.¡± Fang Hao asked out of curiosity. Everyone knew that a Great Heavenly Man, no matter how strong, was absolutely no match for a Refining God Heavenly Man. Even if hundreds of Great Heavenly Men joined forces, they would find it difficult to oppose a Refining God Heavenly Man, and the main reason was the awe of the Divine Soul. When the awe of the Divine Soul suppresses them, martial artists below the Refining God are unable to withstand such pressure. Their consciousness would be suppressed and their strength would undoubtedly be hampered. Whether in terms of speed, agility, etc., all would be suppressed. Under such circumstances, how could one fight? ¡°Lu Xinting possesses the Divine Halo Body, which is ranked among the top ten divine bodies. His Halo has the ability to neutralize the awe of the Divine Soul. In addition, as the True Successor of the Chi Clan, he would have trained with a Refining God Heavenly Man upon reaching the Heavenly Man Realm. ¡°This increases his resistance to the awe of the Divine Soul. In addition, these top-level Spirit Sects possess certain secret techniques that can greatly reduce the impact of the awe of the Divine Soul. ¡°Having trained with a Refining God Heavenly Man from a young age, he already has a certain resistance to the awe of the Divine Soul. Coupled with his Divine Halo Body, he remains unaffected by the awe of the Divine Soul. ¡°The strength of top-level Spirit Sects lies precisely in their heritage and foundations.¡± Shen Haizhou said solemnly. Xu Yan and the others couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Those top-level Spirit Sects were indeed not to be underestimated. The belief that a Great Heavenly Man could not reverse kill a Refining God Heavenly Man was only applicable to ordinary Spirit Sects, venerable families, and Loose Cultivators. For the prodigies of top-level Spirit Sects who have undergone rigorous training, cultivated powerful secret techniques, and possessed powerful divine bodies, the awe of the Divine Soul no longer has a significant impact on them. Chapter 493 Regardless of whether it¡¯s cultivation technique, practice environment, or the weapons in their hands, they are far superior to any loose cultivator. This is fundamentally why the Spirit Sect and the aristocratic families stand high above the rest, governing the Ling Domain. If the top-tier Spirit Sect is so potent, how about the prodigies of the Transcendent Spirit Sect? ¡°Excellent! I was just worried that Yuzhou had no prodigies, no worthy opponents for me. If he wants to challenge me, it will be a great chance to learn about the power of a top-tier Spirit Sect¡¯s legacy technique.¡± Xu Yan spoke excitedly. ¡°Brother Xu, be careful. Even if you may not lose to him, it¡¯s too dangerous to show yourself.¡± Shen Haizhou cautioned hurriedly. ¡°In the so-called prodigy competition, formally speaking, the elders and protectors of the prodigies, regardless of victory or defeat, shouldn¡¯t intervene.¡± ¡°But with the character of the Spirit Sect and the aristocratic families, if their legacy techniques are in danger, how could they not intervene?¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t give a damn about a loose cultivator!¡± Being the young master of a great family, Shen Haizhou deeply understood the nature of the Spirit Sect¡¯s and aristocratic families¡¯ actions. Xu Yan sneered, ¡°Rules? If they adhere to the rules, so be it. If they don¡¯t, they will be the ones who suffer. I will accept the challenge for sure.¡± Shen Haizhou wanted to dissuade him further, but Su Lingxiu interjected: ¡°They have their protectors and powerful backing, but we have our master. My master is invincible!¡± At her words, everyone¡¯s heads bobbed in agreement. Their master is invincible! Shen Haizhou paused, glancing towards the mysterious young man reading leisurely in the yard. He decided not to dissuade Xu Yan any further. Li Xuan was delighted. Su Lingxiu was right. With him as their master, why fear the Spirit Sect and aristocratic families breaking the rules? Are they afraid of them bullying the weak? ¡°Then let me inquire about the situation.¡± Shen Haizhou took a deep breath. ¡°Lu Xinting, with his Divine Radiance Physique, better not let me down!¡± Xu Yan sneered. As soon as Shen Haizhou left, Xu Yan came before his master. ¡°Master, I want to meet this so-called true descendant of the Red Abyss Sect, to see if this ¡®Divine Radiance Physique¡¯ is really that terrifying.¡± Li Xuan nodded, ¡°If you want to go, then go. The rules are not important. The rules of this world are followed by the weak and set by the strong. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about those who break the rules. Once the old rules are broken, I, your master, will set new ones for them!¡± His casual tone manifested the demeanor of the powerful. ¡°Yes, master!¡± Xu Yan was very excited. Li Xuan nodded, Xu Yan challenging the true descendant of the Red Abyss Sect was akin to sending him to his death. Divine Radiance Physique? One of the ten great Physiques? Xu Yan has the Divine Bone Spirit Physique, far superior to his counterpart. Regardless of martial arts or talent, he greatly overwhelms the true descendant of the Red Abyss Sect. Even though the true descendant of the Red Abyss Sect had a higher cultivation level than Xu Yan, to such a gifted being as Xu Yan, killing a prodigy with a higher cultivation level would be a common feat. Forget a prodigy, even if the opponent was a Spiritual Body, they would undoubtedly die. Fang Hao checked the communication talisman and was surprised. Yu Gao had sent him a message and it was also about the true descendant of the Red Abyss Sect. In addition to that, someone wanted to see his eldest martial brother. ¡°Eldest martial brother, a man named Wen Yong from the All Ages Alliance wants to see you!¡± Xu Yan was taken aback. ¡°Brother Wen is back in Yuzhou? Then let¡¯s meet.¡± During their last encounter, it was Wen Yong who gifted him the Earth Spirit Core. Moreover, Wen Yong was falsely accused of killing Dai Yingying. Once Wen Yong had been given permission, Yu Gao brought him in. Upon entering the manor, Yu Gao immediately introduced Wen Yong to Alliance Leader Fang. Wen Yong was puzzled, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Alliance Leader, Yu Gao?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve stepped down. Alliance Leader Fang has succeeded me with unanimous approval. Wen Yong, as Yuzhou¡¯s pride of the All Ages Alliance, you have a great responsibility.¡± Yu Gao sounded serious. ¡°I¡¯ve met Alliance Leader Fang!¡± Although Wen Yong was curious why someone as young as Fang Hao could become the Alliance Leader, even younger than himself, since Yu Gao willingly stepped down and received unanimous support, the newcomer must have extraordinary qualities. ¡°No need to be so polite.¡± Fang Hao looked at Wen Yong, this friend of his eldest martial brother. Not yet thirty years old, he had already reached the state of transcendent being. Amongst loose cultivators, he indeed was considered a prodigy. ¡°Brother Wen, it¡¯s been a long time!¡± Xu Yan said joyfully. ¡°Brother Xu!¡± When Wen Yong saw Xu Yan, he was overwhelmed with emotion. After exchanging pleasantries, Wen Yong finally discovered that Alliance Leader Fang was Xu Yan¡¯s junior martial brother. Then, he started to talk about the reason for his visit. ¡°Brother Xu, the Spirit Sect and the noble families are not trustworthy. Moreover, Lu Xinting, the true descendant of the Red Abyss Sect, is incredibly strong. It¡¯s not advisable to fight him!¡± Xu Yan patted him on the shoulder, saying, ¡°I appreciate your concern, Brother Wen. However, I will accept the challenge. It gives me a chance to meet the prodigy from Spirit Sect.¡± Upon hearing Xu Yan, Wen Yong became anxious, ¡°In prodigy competition, although there are rules that outsiders and protectors cannot intervene, will the Spirit Sect and noble families be bound by integrity? ¡°Once Lu Xinting is defeated, his protector is sure to intervene and the strong cultivators from Jade God Sect are bound to step in as well. ¡°No matter how strong you are, Brother Xu, how can you fight against so many strong cultivators on your own?¡± Meng Chong cracked a smile, saying, ¡°If they abide by the rules, then that¡¯s fine. If they don¡¯t, do they really think they can do whatever they please as the Spirit Sect and noble families? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If they break the rules, they will just be signing their own death warrants!¡± Wen Yong sighed, ¡°I know, Brother Xu, you probably have a protector too. However, it¡¯s tough to fight against many with just two fists. Remember the prodigy fight many years ago where the formidable Waning Star Martial Arts Academy crumbled to pieces. Chapter 494 ¡°The strength of the Spirit Sect and the noble families is far from simple, as seen on the surface.¡± Xu Yan was taken aback, he heard a familiar name from Wen Yong¡¯s mouth. The Star Martial Arts Academy?! This is the superior institution of the Seven-star Study Palace in the Inner Domain. The once-praised disciples of the Seven-star Study Palace could enter the Ling Domain and further their studies at the Star Martial Arts Academy. ¡°Star Martial Arts Academy? Brother Wen, could you explain?¡± Xu Yan asked curiously. Wen Yong suspiciously glanced at Xu Yan. Rumor has it that Xu Yan is the prodigy nurtured by the remnants of the Star Academy, with the ambition to rival the prodigies of the Spirit Sect and noble families. Looking at Xu Yan¡¯s expression, he was obviously not very familiar with the Star Martial Arts Academy. ¡°The Star Martial Arts Academy once enjoyed an illustrious reputation, surpassing countless top-tier Spirit Sects and noble families, being on par with the Transcendent Spirit Sect. Its philosophy was to spread martial arts to the world. ¡°Accepting students of martial arts from all over the world, accepting all martial arts prodigies. ¡°Numerous loose cultivator prodigies have gone to the Star Martial Arts Academy to study, gathering prodigies from the humblest origins¡­. ¡°At its peak, even the princes of Great Zhou once went to Star to study¡­.¡± Wen Yong introduced the Star Martial Academy, which was almost equal to the Transcendent Spirit Sect and once disrupted the structure of the Ling Domain and the noble families. It provided many low-born prodigies with a fair chance to cultivate, to gain the opportunity to practice powerful martial arts. Its philosophy was to propagate martial arts to the world, allowing anyone, regardless of their background, to study at the Martial Arts Academy. However, the Star Martial Arts Academy also set strict standards for accepting disciples. One must reach certain threshold to be recruited. The more outstanding the talent, the greater the chance to practice martial arts, even those of humble birth would not be ignored. In the eighteen states of Ling Domain, all cities have venues for the Star Academy to recruit martial artists. As long as you believe your talent is not lacking, you may participate in the assessment. At its peak, the Star Martial Art Academy was considered the home of the Ling Domain prodigies, with seventy percent hailing from Star! Nowadays in the Spiritual Realm Martial Way World, the cultivation techniques practiced by the loose cultivators are all spread from the Star Martial Arts Academy. Even if one lacks the talent to enter Star, they still have a way to practice martial arts. In some way, it broke the monopoly of the Spirit Sect and noble families on martial arts cultivation. Because of this, conflicts between the Star Martial Arts Academy and the noble families of the Spirit Sect, intensified over time, and conflicts between Star Academy students and noble family prodigies frequently occurred. In the end, they established regulations for prodigy duels. Until the outbreak of the Blood Demon calamity, the conflict between the Star Martial Arts Academy and the noble families of the Spirit Sect completely erupted. A prodigy duel led to the collapse of the Star Martial Arts Academy. This shattered Star¡¯s spirit. From then on, the Star Martial Arts Academy splintered and disappeared from the eighteen states of the Ling Domain. ¡°The Demon Lord was of humble origin, he first rose to prominence when learning at the Star Martial Arts Academy, receiving guidance from Star experts¡­. Though he fell into demon path later, he still showed some regard for the Star Martial Arts Academy, which is why the Spirit Sect and noble families became completely hostile with Star. ¡°Without the Star Martial Academy, there would be no calamity of the Blood Demon, nor would there be any powerful loose cultivators. ¡°The true story behind the original prodigy duels is only known by the older generation. The Star Martial Arts Academy was even erased from history by the Spirit Sect and the noble families. ¡°Now, very few loose cultivators know about the Star Martial Arts Academy. Even the martial arts techniques they practice have been twisted into gifts bestowed by the Spirit Sect and noble families. ¡°The Spirit Sect and noble families want to completely erase the traces of the Star Martial Arts Academy.¡± As Wen Yong concluded, he was somewhat angry, somewhat resentful, and somewhat reflective. Chapter 495 Upon hearing this, Xu Yan and the others couldn¡¯t help but lament. So, the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy was once so formidable, but still couldn¡¯t stand against the Spirit Sect and aristocratic families. The Ling Domain, after all, belonged to the Spirit Sect and aristocratic families. They forcibly erased this part of history about the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy from the Loose Cultivators. Wen Yong continued, ¡°This is also as recounted by our predecessors in the All Ages Alliance. They said that after the calamity of the Blood Demon, the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy, the pride of heaven, was targeted and brought down. For a while, the Loose Cultivators in the Ling Domain went through a tragic period. ¡°The Spirit Sect issued an order that no one should spread or promote the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy, nor possess anything associated with it, such as symbols, etc. Once discovered, there would be no mercy. ¡°The informers were handsomely rewarded, and those who assisted the Spirit Sect in re-establishing order in the Ling Domain and extensively spread their slogans would be rewarded. ¡°Those who made great contributions could be granted entry into the Spirit Sect and become a warrior within its ranks. ¡°Many upright and unyielding Loose Cultivators were killed during that dark time. ¡°Even more tragically, countless Loose Cultivators betrayed their friends and even their own families!¡± Xu Yan and others fell silent. The circumstances of the Loose Cultivators in the Ling Domain were far worse than those in the Inner Domain. They also understood why the warriors of the Spirit Sect looked down on those of the Inner Domain. It was all due to their arrogance and twisted mentality. ¡°Our All Ages Alliance adheres to the principle of breaking the established order and striving for a foothold for all Loose Cultivators worldwide. Some of the seniors in the Alliance have experienced the dark times of past years. ¡°Even some of our elders have witnessed the calamity of the Blood Demon!¡± Wen Yong sighed with regret. As a Loose Cultivator at the lowest level of the Ling Domain, Fang Hao understood even better the predicament of those at the bottom, and how the Spirit Sect and aristocratic families looked down on them from their high positions. ¡°As the leader of the Yuzhou Alliance, I will certainly lead the Yuzhou Alliance to coexist on an equal footing with the Spirit Sect and the noble families!¡± Fang Hao declared solemnly. ¡°I, Wen Yong, will definitely assist the Alliance Hierarch with all my strength in creating a great future!¡± Wen Yong said solemnly. Then, he turned to Xu Yan with a serious expression. ¡°Brother Xu, you should understand the impact of this competition for the Pride of Heaven. Even the once immensely powerful Wanxing martial arts academy fell apart. ¡°The restart of this Pride of Heaven competition is definitely not a good thing. Two fists can¡¯t compete with the four!¡± Li Xuan listened quietly the whole time. He couldn¡¯t help but be astonished by the Spirit Sect¡¯s strength. It was truly beyond expectations. Even the powerful Wanxing Martial Arts Academy was crushed. ¡°It¡¯s not possible that dozens of peak Refining Gods, or even existing beings beyond Refining Gods in the Transcendent Spirit Sect, will come to suppress my master, Xu Yan, right?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but feel tense at the thought. What Wen Yong said was good ¡ª two fists are hard to fight four hands! But even if I¡¯m fighting alone, with my divine martial true body, I¡¯m not really alone. What¡¯s more, the power of the Great Wastelands Warriors is continuously increasing, and the second divine martial true body will not be far away. Li Xuan evaluated his own strength and immediately calmed down. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. With my four martial arts techniques combined, with my formations, the wonders of the world, and a sword array¡­ With all of my strengths combined and setting up a deadly formation, I can kill as many Refining Gods as come at me. I¡¯m far stronger now than the original Demon Master. ¡°Even if they are stronger than the Refining Gods, that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t be beaten. Annoy me, and I¡¯ll set up a large formation, exterminate an entire Transcendent Spirit Sect, and let the world know that I am even more ruthless than the Demon Master.¡± With these thoughts, Li Xuan immediately felt as light as a feather. I, am invincible in Ling Domain! ¡°If I can reach the Divine Skill Realm, I will truly have nothing to fear.¡± Li Xuan muttered to himself. I¡¯m not sure when Xu Yan will be able to comprehend the martial arts technique of the Divine Skill Realm. Once I enter the Divine Skill Realm, I won¡¯t be afraid of anything. Once the Divine Skill is released, even entities stronger than Refining Gods can easily be blasted away. Xu Yan pondered for a moment then said seriously, ¡°I understand Brother Wen¡¯s concerns, but I, Xu Yan, fear no so-called Heaven¡¯s Chosen. I will transcend all previous Heaven¡¯s Chosen. ¡°I am determined to take on this battle. The saying ¡®two fists can¡¯t compete with the four¡¯ only applies to those who are not strong enough. ¡°A true strong person can suppress the world alone. Four hands, eight hands, sixteen hands, they are all merely commonplace!¡± As long as my master¡¯s realm is high enough, beyond imagination, what can Refining God Heavenly Men do? No matter how many arrive, they will be just offering their lives. ¡°To reach the peak of martial arts, one must naturally step on the countless powerful ones to ascend to the top.¡± Xu Yan thought silently to himself. The legacy of the Crimson Ming, the divine glow corporeal form, the renowned fame¡­ My name as Xu Yan, the sword god, is still not famous enough in the Ling Domain. Since they have taken the initiative to help raise my fame, I naturally won¡¯t refuse. Wen Yong looked at Xu Yan and fell into silence for a while. He was also considered among the Heaven¡¯s Chosen in the All Ages Alliance in Yuzhou, but he realized that he lacked the confidence and pride that Xu Yan portrayed. ¡°If Brother Xu is confident, then let¡¯s fight and spread our influence in the Ling Domain, and suppress the true heritage of the Spirit Sect!¡± Wen Yong took a deep breath and offered his support. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Since I, Xu Yan, dare to accept the challenge, naturally I am confident. I never do anything without being sure of success. ¡°It¡¯s perfect that Brother Wen is here. Take these pills. They can assist you in cultivation.¡± An smile spread across Xu Yan¡¯s face. He handed two bottles of pills to Wen Yong. Wen Yong had given him the spirit jade marrow, which had helped him to break through to the Divine Intent State. Now, he was giving pills to Wen Yong to help him cultivate faster and break through to Refining God sooner. ¡°This¡­Thank you, Brother Xu.¡± Wen Yong readily accepted the pills. After catching up, Wen Yong and Yu Gao bid their farewells and departed. Their mission was to monitor the movements of the Jade God Sect and Lu Xinting. Chapter 496 Three days later, a piece of news circulated throughout Yuzhou. Lu Xinting, the inheritor of the Red Inferno, initiated a battle for supremacy among heavenly martial artists, challenging the Loose Cultivator of Yuzhou, Xu Yan. It would be a fight to the death! Moreover, he was extremely arrogant and contemptuous, proclaiming that he was more than ready to show the Loose Cultivators of Ling Domain what a real heavenly martial artist looked like, mocking their alleged prodigies as nothing more than wild chickens and stray dogs before his imposing faction. He even claimed that if Xu Yan dared not fight, he would have to acknowledge himself as a waste, and bow to the name of Lu Xinting whenever he heard it, as a token of gratitude for sparing him. Under the instigation of the Yuzhou Spirit Sect families, Xu Yan and the Loose Cultivators were bound together. If Xu Yan did not dare to fight, it would result in the reputation of Yuzhou¡¯s Loose Cultivators being smeared as spineless. Furthermore, he proclaimed that if he refused to fight, he should withdraw from the Martial Arts world. If he continued to cross paths with the Spirit Sect families, he would certainly face scorn and contempt. All these maneuvers were merely aimed at preventing Xu Yan from evading the fight. On that day, the news of Xu Yan accepting the challenge arrived. Allowing Lu Xinting to pick the time and location, for he would surely honor the appointment! In a moment, the martial arts world of Yuzhou quivered in anticipation. After many years, the legendary battle of supremacy among heavenly martial artists was about to reappear! When the news broke out, martial artists even from outer regions came forward to witness the long-awaited clash of martial prodigies. ¡°Three days later, outside the capital of Zheng Country, it¡¯ll be a fight to the death!¡± Lu Xinting set the time and location. Outside the capital of Zheng Country, symbolizing a fair ground. Here, the battle among the martial prodigies would establish who stood superior! In Yuzhou, except for Zheng Country which wouldn¡¯t partake in martial arts disputes due to its unique status, every other part of Yuzhou belonged to a specific Spirit Sect or family. ¡°Then let it be a battle in three days!¡± Xu Yan accepted. The capital city of Zheng Country swarmed with martial artists from all corners, eager to witness the spectacle of the martial prodigies¡¯ battle. Because of this, Zheng Country had to lay down ground rules: martial artists below the class of Refining God Heavenly Man were prohibited from participating or entering the city. Despite these rules, the city was bustling with life. Even the elusive Refining God Heavenly Man was occasionally spotted in the capital city of Zheng Country. ¡°Another battle of martial prodigies, huh. When was the last one in the Ling Domain?¡± On a narrow path leading to the capital city of Zheng Country, an elderly man leaning on a walking stick showed a hint of nostalgia. A young girl by his side, holding the corners of her dress in excitement, asked with a crisp voice, ¡°Grandpa, were you one of the martial prodigies? Did you participate in the battle of martial prodigies?¡± ¡°Your grandpa, ah, wasn¡¯t quite a prodigy, certainly not a prodigy.¡± The old man fondly stroked the girl¡¯s glossy hair. ¡°Then grandpa, if you weren¡¯t a prodigy, how did you get to know so many former prodigies? You¡¯ve told me about how impressive they were and how they shone in the battles.¡± The girl blinked, asking her question. ¡°Your grandpa was merely a follower of those prodigies.¡± The old man chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! Grandpa, you too must have been an amazing prodigy. Otherwise, how could I be one?¡± The girl pouted defiantly. ¡°Yue¡¯er is a prodigy, your grandpa isn¡¯t.¡± The old man grinned. ¡°Grandpa, is this Lu Xinting very strong? Can I beat him? Should I challenge him?¡± Yue¡¯er was agitated and ready for action. ¡°There¡¯s no rush, Yue¡¯er, you¡¯re still young. Don¡¯t partake in this battle of prodigies. Besides, these people from Spirit Sect families are pretty underhanded and untrustworthy. They play dirty tricks.¡± The old man let out a sigh while patting his granddaughter¡¯s head. ¡°Hmph, when Yue¡¯er becomes more powerful, she¡¯ll be even more cunning than they are!¡± Yue¡¯er raised her tiny hand, making a fist. ¡°As for this battle of prodigies, we¡¯ll just watch and see. These Spirit Sect families might be luring someone out.¡± A glint of cruelty flashed in the old man¡¯s eyes. The grandfather and granddaughter calmly proceeded towards the capital city of Zheng Country. At Yuzhou¡¯s border with Luo State, a spirit bird soared across the sky, flaunting the power of a sixth-ranked spiritual beast without hiding anything. On the back of the spirit bird, there was a small palace, its windows veiled by pink gauze. A melodious song could be heard originating from the palace. Inside the pink palace, on a soft bed, a young man was lounging. He was wearing a colorful feathered robe, his complexion was pale, and there was a red mole on his chin. On either side of him, two beautiful women were nestled. The one on the left was softly humming a song, whilst the one on the right¡¯s cheeks were flushed, and she was panting somewhat heavily. ¡°Have we arrived at Zheng Country yet?¡± The young man lazily asked. The spirit bird flying through the clouds turned its head back at them, and transmitted in a divine soul wave, ¡°Not yet, but we have already entered Yuzhou.¡± ¡°Alright, just don¡¯t miss any excitement.¡± The young man responded lazily, tilting his head and resting it in the beautiful woman¡¯s embrace. He appeared to have already fallen asleep. Not far away, a Refining God martial artist was hurrying on his journey. Suddenly, he looked at the spirit bird flying among the clouds, and at the palace on its back. His expression transformed completely. ¡°That is¡­ the Yu Ling Mansion of Qingzhou? Why has it come to Yuzhou?¡± His complexion changed again and again; he hastily adjusted his altitude and steered away from the spirit bird¡¯s trajectory. The Yu Ling Mansion of Qingzhou, one of the Transcendent Spirit Sects, why has it come to Yuzhou? Is it possible it came for the Battle of the Heavenly Chosen and for Xu Yan himself? In Zheng Country¡¯s capital, martial artists gathered, and the Refining God powerhouses from various Spirit Sect¡¯s noble families had all come together. The Refining God martial artist of the Su Family had already arrived in the capital of Zheng Country and was currently discussing with Refining Gods of various Spirit Sects¡¯ noble families. ¡°If Xu Yan appears, Meng Chong will certainly also show up. Even the people behind him this time must all be captured at any cost!¡± Su Zheng spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Yuzhou belongs to us, the Spirit Sects, and the noble families. Everyone must think very clearly. Once the other side secures a seat in Yuzhou, it implies that our resources will be somewhat reduced.¡± The rest of the Spirit Sect and the noble families¡¯ martial artists all nodded, indicating their agreement with this course of action. In this very interest, the Spirit Sect and the noble families have a unified position. It showed the unspoken understanding between them. That¡¯s precisely why the Ling Domain was firmly in the hands of Spirit Sect and the noble families. Inside the royal palace, in the capital of Zheng Country. Emperor Zheng¡¯s expression changed. He hastily led a group of powerful individuals from the royal family and solemnly stood in the palace square, waiting for something. Suddenly, a spirit bird descended from the sky. A small palace was on the gigantic spirit bird. At this moment, the small palace flew off from the bird¡¯s back and landed on the ground. ¡°We respectfully welcome the venerated Sect Master!¡± Emperor Zheng and others hurriedly greeted with deep respect. A spirit bird descending into the royal palace of Zheng Country naturally could not be concealed from the present powerhouses. These Refining God powerhouses couldn¡¯t help but wonder where this spirit bird came from and what was it doing in the royal palace of Zheng Country? ¡°Grandpa, is that a Cloud-piercing Eagle? A sixth-order Cloud-piercing Eagle?¡± Yue¡¯er asked. The elderly man next to her appeared grave as he said, ¡°Correct, it¡¯s a Cloud-Piercing Eagle. They are from the Yu Ling Mansion of Qingzhou!¡± The Transcendent Spirit Sect, someone from the Yu Ling Mansion of Qingzhou has actually come to Yuzhou. Is the influence of this Battle of the Heavenly Chosen really that wide? ¡°The Yu Ling Mansion¡­ I also want to raise a spirit beast.¡± Yue¡¯er¡¯s face was full of anticipation. However, the elder remained serious and immersed in his thoughts, not giving her a response. A young man dressed in colorful feather clothing walked down from the palace. Although he was clearly powerful, he displayed a weak demeanor. He was propped up by two beautiful ladies as he came out. Upon seeing the young man, a thud echoed in the hearts of Emperor Zheng and the others. They hurriedly bowed their heads even lower with anxiety bubbling within them. They became extremely cautious, afraid that even a slight slip might upset the young man. This man was infamously capricious and had a strange temper. One of the true inheritors of the Yu Ling Mansion, Cui Huayu! He even wasn¡¯t thirty years old yet and had already become a powerful Refining God Heavenly Man. The spirit bird under his command was likewise a sixth-order spirit beast! ¡°I pay my respects to Young Master Cui!¡± Emperor Zheng respectfully spoke. ¡°Hmm, Old Zheng, you¡¯ve been working hard.¡± Cui Huayu spoke in a soft tone. ¡°Not at all, not at all, it¡¯s what I should do!¡± Emperor Zheng was practically breaking out in a sweat. He was afraid that an incorrect response might cause dissatisfaction, and the latter might slap him to death in one swipe! With the support of two women, Cui Huayu walked into Emperor Zheng¡¯s bedchamber instead of the luxurious residence that Zheng Country palace had specifically built for their venerable Sect Masters like him. ¡°Old Zheng, your bedroom is okay.¡± Cui Huayu took a seat and said. Emperor Zheng, with his body bent, attended to him on the side and hurriedly replied, ¡°Being able to attract Young Master Cui¡¯s attention and receive a word of approval from Young Master Cui is the greatest fortune of my life!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so nervous; I, Cui Huayu, don¡¯t eat people.¡± Cui Huayu extended a hand and patted Emperor Zheng¡¯s shoulder. Emperor Zheng was almost scared to death. Rumor had it that this man often spoke in contradictions. Could it be that he indeed wanted to eat people? He could only smile flatteringly and say, ¡°I¡¯m not nervous, not nervous at all!¡± Chapter 497 Cui Huayu leans on her maid, looking frail and sickly. A flush of illness occasionally sweeps over her pale face, her hand idly tapping on Emperor Zheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this Chosen Battle? I heard about it while I was enjoying myself in Luo State and thought I¡¯d check out the excitement,¡± she says. ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± Emperor Zheng hastily recounts the whole events to her, including Xu Yan¡¯s sudden rise, his obliteration of the Dai Family, his stewardship over the Jade Spirit Sect, and the unexpected emergence of some mysterious loose cultivator force. ¡°Young Master Cui, do you intend to intervene, to suppress these loose cultivators?¡± Emperor Zheng finally asks. ¡°This Xu Yan is quite interesting. As for the loose cultivator power, it¡¯s not a big deal, just a toy to squeeze for the Jade Spirit Sect and the wastrels like that. ¡°I¡¯ve always believed that the Spirit Sects of such low quality shouldn¡¯t even be called Spirit Sects.¡± ¡°Oh well, since the rules of the Spirit Realm have already been set, there¡¯s no use changing them now. I don¡¯t have the time or inclination.¡± ¡°This Lu Xinting, he does have some power. Let¡¯s see if he gets killed this time; if he does, the Red Darkness Sect is in for some fun.¡± Cui Huayu seems to be looking forward to the spectacle. Upon hearing this, Emperor Zheng lets out a sigh of relief. Zheng Country had always maintained a stance of non-intervention in martial arts disputes, never getting involved in any conflicts. They only followed the commands of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. And the Transcendent Spirit Sect had never made a move to involve Zheng Country in any conflict. The last thing he wants is for the unpredictable Cui Huayu to take an impulsive action and order Zheng Country to intervene, which would be quite distressing. Zheng Country would have no choice but to obey, as this would be considered a command from the Transcendent Spirit Sect. ¡°Old Zheng, what do you think are Xu Yan¡¯s chances of winning?¡± Cui Huayu suddenly asks. Emperor Zheng feels a bit uneasy. He doesn¡¯t know what Cui Huayu¡¯s intentions are. Does she want Xu Yan to win or to lose? ¡°According to my judgment, Xu Yan is pretty strong too. I would say it¡¯s fifty-fifty,¡± he answers after some thought. ¡°A bit low, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cui Huayu strokes her chin looking thoughtful. She turns towards one of her maids, ¡°Bring out that sword.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master!¡± From a storage bag, the maid pulls out a sword. Cui Huayu tosses the sword to Emperor Zheng, ¡°This is a top-grade spiritual artifact. Xu Yan as a loose cultivator may not have a good sword. He will be at a disadvantage against Lu Xinting. ¡°Give him this sword and tell him to go all out to kill Lu Xinting.¡± Emperor Zheng is surprised. Cui Huayu, as a true disciple of the Transcendent Spirit Sect, should be supporting Lu Xinting. After all, they¡¯re both of the same Spirit Sect faction. Why does it seem like she¡¯s supporting Xu Yan, the loose cultivator? She truly is unpredictable! ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll be sure to let someone deliver the sword immediately,¡± Emperor Zheng says quickly. ¡°Hmm.¡± Cui Huayu nods, a smile spreading across her face, ¡°The spirit realm is not lively enough. It should be more exciting if Lu Xinting is killed by a loose cultivator, right? ¡°Heh, I do love a good spectacle!¡± A look of anticipation fills Cui Huayu¡¯s face. ¡°Young Master Cui, unless you have other instructions, I¡¯ll make arrangements to get the sword to Xu Yan,¡± Emperor Zheng hesitatingly asks. ¡°Yes, go ahead!¡± Cui Huayu waves her hand dismissively. Emperor Zheng departs in a hurry. He quickly orders his son to attend properly to Cui Huayu. His son¡¯s face turns green. A mishap while serving Young Master Cui could result in death! ¡°Don¡¯t forget, if you can win the favor of Young Master Cui, you understand the vast benefits you stand to gain. Though the risk is great, the rewards are also massive,¡± Emperor Zheng says gravely. ¡°Yes, Father!¡± He grits his teeth, bows, and enters his father¡¯s sleeping quarters to serve Cui Huayu. ¡­ Outside, the Chosen Battle is causing a stir. Myriads of martial artists are gearing up to witness the showdown. As for the outcome, due to their entrenched views, the majority believe that Lu Xinting will inevitably triumph and Xu Yan will undoubtedly fall! Meanwhile, in a mansion located outside the capital city of Zheng Country, unnoticed by anyone, the atmosphere is strangely devoid of tension. Xu Yan is engrossed in his cultivation, as always. Su Lingxiu is engaged in alchemy. Meng Chong and Fang Hao are discussing how to refine a treasured sword. None of them gives the Chosen Battle a second thought. As far as they¡¯re concerned, Lu Xinting is already a dead man walking. ¡°Junior Brother, allow me to remind you, the size of the blade you refine could be either big or small. As you are aware, when I execute the Myriad Gold Body technique, if this blade doesn¡¯t have ability to change size accordingly, I will be left without a weapon for use. ¡°Having a blade in my hand when executing blade techniques will undoubtedly improve my power,¡± Meng Chong says. ¡°Second Senior Brother, I understand your request. It¡¯s quite simple to let a blade resize according to one¡¯s height. However, for you, such a blade would obviously be inadequate. ¡°Let me think about refining a more effective weapon instead of a simple size-changing blade,¡± Fang Hao replies. ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother,¡± Meng Chong nods, indicating that he clearly understands a simple resizing blade won¡¯t be much use. ¡°The final battle is tomorrow. Big Brother, how many swords do you reckon it will take to kill Lu Xinting?¡± That night, the brothers and sister gather, and Su Lingxiu asks curiously. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him, so I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± replies Xu Yan, shaking his head. Lu Xinting is at the peak of the Great Heaven stage, one stage higher than his own. Not to mention, his fame rings throughout the Spiritual Realm as a chosen disciple of the Red Darkness Sect. His power must indeed be remarkable. Although Xu Yan feels sure he can defeat Lu Xinting, it¡¯s hard to say how many attacks it would take since he has yet to face him. Chapter 498 If Lu Xinting were a Refining God Heavenly Man, this battle might be fierce. However, even if his opponent were a heavenly genius of the Ling Domain or an elite disciple of the top Spirit Sect, Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t blink an eye. ¡°I wonder how many Refining God Heavenly Men are eyeing the Spirit Sects and distinguished families in Yuzhou?¡± Fang Hao sneered. ¡°It¡¯s a trivial matter. Even if these are just early-stage Refining God Heavenly Men, if we join forces, we can kill three or four of them.¡± Meng Chong said casually. With his current strength, killing an ordinary early-stage Refining God Heavenly Man martial artist posed no great difficulty. The power of his Undying Golden Body was such that even an early-stage Refining God Heavenly Man martial artist couldn¡¯t harm him in the slightest. Fang Hao nodded. The next day, the Battle of the Heavenly Genius was upon them. Just as Xu Yan and his companions were about to set out, Yu Gao and Wen Yong hurriedly arrived. ¡°What happened?¡± Seeing the two men rushing towards him, Fang Hao couldn¡¯t help but frown and ask. ¡°Emperor Zheng has contacted one of our bases and asked us to deliver something to Brother Xu.¡± Wen Yong announced with a serious tone. It wasn¡¯t surprising that Emperor Zheng knew about the All Ages Alliance¡¯s base in Zheng Country¡¯s capital. However, the fact that he asked them to deliver something to Xu Yan was unexpected. Could it be that the royal family of Zheng Country wanted to get involved in this Battle of the Heavenly Genius? ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Yan asked, startled. Yu Gao took out a box and opened it, revealing a sword within. With a strange expression, he said, ¡°Emperor Zheng has sent a message saying that a noble patron has gifted a sword to Young Master Xu¡­ more importantly, he asks Young Master Xu to kill Lu Xinting!¡± Xu Yan and his companions all froze. What did this mean? Kill Lu Xinting? Was it because they were afraid Xu Yan would be at a disadvantage during the fight, so they deliberately gifted a sword to help him? ¡°Does Emperor Zheng bear a grudge against Lu Xinting? Or perhaps against the Red Cat Sect?¡± Meng Chong asked, bewildered. ¡°The noble patron wasn¡¯t specified by Emperor Zheng¡­¡± Yu Gao answered gravely. ¡°Could it be that this so-called patron is just an excuse, and it¡¯s actually Emperor Zheng himself?¡± Fang Hao speculated. ¡°It¡¯s possible!¡± Yu Gao nodded. Xu Yan beckoned, and the sword flew out of the box. ¡°A top-grade spiritual artifact. He certainly isn¡¯t stingy.¡± Fang Hao looked at it more closely, surprised. Xu Yan glanced at it, then threw the sword back into the box. ¡°Return it, I don¡¯t need his spiritual artifact. Lu Xinting is seeking his own death by challenging me. I will gladly oblige him.¡± Accepting this artifact would indicate a debt owed, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°Alright!¡± Yu Gao nodded, closing the box. Just at that moment, Shen Haizhou arrived. Of course, he would not appear with Xu Yan and his group. After all, his secret alliance with them couldn¡¯t be revealed, or he would be in trouble. ¡°Brother Shen, do you know of any grudge between Emperor Zheng and Lu Xinting, or the Red Cat Sect?¡± Xu Yan asked. Being a young master of a distinguished family, Shen Haizhou would naturally know more about the affairs of the Spirit Sects and distinguished families. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Shen Haizhou asked, puzzled. Xu Yan pointed to the box in Yu Gao¡¯s hand and briefly explained the situation. Shen Haizhou¡¯s face changed immediately upon hearing this. ¡°A patron? This is¡­ the Transcendent Spirit Sect has arrived in Yuzhou!¡± ¡°Why are you so sure that it¡¯s someone from the Transcendent Spirit Sect?¡± Xu Yan asked, puzzled. Shen Haizhou took a deep breath and said, ¡°Zheng Country occupies a special position and is directly governed by the Transcendent Spirit Sect. They only take orders from the Transcendent Spirit Sect. The only person who could be referred to as a ¡®patron¡¯ by Emperor Zheng could only be someone from the Transcendent Spirit Sect!¡± Xu Yan and the others suddenly realized. ¡°I see, but why would someone from the Transcendent Spirit Sect give me a sword and ask me to kill Lu Xinting?¡± Xu Yan was even more puzzled now. If someone from the Transcendent Spirit Sect held a grudge against the Red Cat Sect or Lu Xinting, they could simply act themselves. Why borrow the hand of another? Shen Haizhou was also puzzled. The Transcendent Spirit Sect was high and mightily on top, genuinely controlling the Ling Domain. Even though the Red Cat Sect was top-tier within the Spirit Sects, compared to the Transcendent Spirit Sect, they were nothing. ¡°I don¡¯t understand either, but I¡¯m certain that someone from the Transcendent Spirit Sect must be involved¡±. Shen Haizhou explained seriously. ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about this anymore. Return the sword.¡± Xu Yan shook his head and said. No matter how high and mighty the Transcendent Spirit Sect might appear, compared to his master, they were truly insignificant. When it came to background, he was the real powerhouse. Shen Haizhou divulged the intelligence he had acquired to Xu Yan and the rest, which included the Spirit Sect family¡¯s intentions to refine their gods and wait for the emergence of Meng Chong, aiming to surround and kill Meng Chong and his peers. After delivering the intelligence, Shen Haizhou hurriedly left. ¡°Huh, they¡¯re planning to surround and kill me?¡± Meng Chong let out a cold smirk. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The War of the Heavenly Chosen is about to start!¡± Xu Yan said calmly. This battle is his first step to fame in the Ling Domain since Xu Yan¡¯s arrival. Li Xuan sat on Red Cat¡¯s back, and Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu also finally got permission all to sit on Red Cat¡¯s back. With Xu Yan in the lead, Su Lingxiu sat beside Li Xuan serving tea, while Meng Chong and Fang Hao closely followed Xu Yan. Unconcealed, the group headed straight towards the battleground of the War of the Heavenly Chosen. Yu Gao and Wen Yong, had already left earlier. In the palace of the capital of Zheng Country, Cui Huayu, with the support of her maids, left Emperor Zheng¡¯s royal bedroom, prepared to watch the upcoming spectacle. Emperor Zheng was holding a box with cold sweat dripping down his face as he trotted over. ¡°Young Master Cui, Xu Yan did not accept the sword.¡± Emperor Zheng trembled inwardly, terrified that Cui Huayu might think he was ineffective and kill him. ¡°Determined!¡± Cui Huayu cracked a smile. She did not blame him and instructed the maid to take the sword back. Emperor Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. Outside the royal city of Zheng Country, at the battleground. The surroundings were packed with people, all awaiting the beginning of the War of the Heavenly Chosen. Atop a large tree, Yue¡¯er sat on a branch, swinging her legs, awaiting the start of the War of the Heavenly Chosen. The old man quietly stood on a branch beside her, his gaze constantly fixed towards the royal palace of Zheng Country. A small palace flew out from the royal palace of Zheng Country, landing on a large tree next to the battleground. This was the tallest tree around. ¡°Is it him?¡± The old man was taken aback for a moment. Su Zheng and other Spirit Sect family master Refining God Martial Artists had already surrounded the battleground, prepared to encircle their target at any time. They were all waiting for their target to appear. Apart from Meng Chong, the Refining Gods of the All Ages Alliance were also their targets. The Sect Master of the Jade God Sect led the elders of the Jade God Sect and had already arrived. Approaching noon. Three figures came flying towards them. Among them, one person had a solemn countenance, his eyebrows were golden and he held a golden halberd in his hand. The True Inheritor of the Red Oblivion, Lu Xinting! ¡°So this is the true face of the Spirit Sect¡¯s legacy, so powerful!¡± ¡°God¡¯s Radiant Body, even just looking at it, you can¡¯t help but want to worship, Xu Yan is in trouble!¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the peak of the Great Heavenly Man realm, but in front of the True Inheritor of the Red Oblivion, I feel like an ant, how can the loose cultivators compete with the Spirit Sect?¡± Among the onlooking Martial Artists, there were not a few at the Great Heavenly Man realm feeling devastated and shocked. Upon seeing Lu Xinting, they simply could not muster any resistance. The gap was too vast. ¡°Look for an opportunity to become a member of the Spirit Sect family. The hopes of a loose cultivator making a comeback is just a joke.¡± ¡°Exactly, those loose cultivator factions that brazenly aim to be on the same footing as the Spirit Sect family are just delusional. No matter how strong Xu Yan is, he¡¯s just a loose cultivator after all. How can he compare to these true heavenly chosen of the Spirit Sect?¡± Amidst the murmurs, Lu Xinting had already reached the center of the battleground. ¡°Xu Yan, come out and meet your death!¡± With his halberd poised horizontally, he declared coldly. No one responded. ¡°Has Xu Yan chickened out?¡± ¡°Possibly, perhaps he was intimidated by the might of Lu Xinting and didn¡¯t dare to fight.¡± Mocking voices arose from the spectators. Lu Xinting¡¯s brow furrowed, he said coldly: ¡°What, are you scared?¡± Still, no one replied. Enraged inwardly, he was about to resume talking, when a crisp female voice echoed: ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not time yet, what¡¯s your hurry?¡± The battleground suddenly fell silent. All eyes turned to the source of the voice. Lu Xinting¡¯s face was a mix of red and green, filled with suppressed rage. Yue¡¯er¡¯s eyes blinked, she stood up, hands on hips and declared: ¡°What are you all staring at? Did I say something wrong? The agreed time for the battle is midday, and that¡¯s what he himself stated, there¡¯s still some time before noon, isn¡¯t there!¡± Everyone was surprised. Although what the young girl said wasn¡¯t wrong, there was still some time before noon, but she was publicly embarrassing Lu Xinting. Who was this young girl? She was audacious, she was offending the True Inheritor of the Red Oblivion! Furthermore, judging by her attire, it seemed she was a loose cultivator? A mere loose cultivator, her courage was too great. ¡°Who are you to Xu Yan? Seize her!¡± Lu Xinting¡¯s eyes revealed his anger as he shot Yue¡¯er a fierce glare. Zhu Liang immediately responded with a cold shriek. Immediately, two elders from the Jade God Sect moved towards Yue¡¯er, aiming to capture her. Chapter 499 Yue¡¯er was not the least bit intimidated and pulled out a moon-white whip, swirling it around with a snap, and coldly snorted, ¡°Shameless old ghost of Spirit Sect, Yue¡¯er is not afraid of you!¡± The spectators were all startled. Where did this young girl get the courage to challenge a Refining God Heavenly Man? Everyone¡¯s gaze unconsciously fell on the old man leaning on a cane next to the girl. Two elders of the Jade Spirit Sect lunged towards Yue¡¯er when suddenly, a streak of sword light descended like a bolt of lightning. Boom! The expressions of the two Jade Spirit Sect elders changed significantly as they hurriedly raised their defenses and retreated a step back. ¡°She¡¯s right, why hurry when the time has yet to come? Are you in a hurry to die?¡± A cold voice echoed. In mid-air, a young man arrogantly advanced. Following him was bulky Meng Chong and a slightly chubby teenager. Following Xu Yan and his group was a gigantic creature¡ªwas it a cat or tiger? For a moment, the crowd couldn¡¯t tell. It looked like a vividly colored wild tiger, but it gave out a ¡°meow¡±¡­ Zhu Liang and the rest of the Jade Spirit Sect strongholds¡¯ expressions were extremely dark as they glared fiercely at Xu Yan, wishing they could cut him into pieces! Their gaze then fell on the individuals seated on the great cat behind Xu Yan. They completely overlooked Shi¡¯er and his group, their gaze finally landed on Su Lingxiu for a moment, then fell on Li Xuan. Was this young man the person behind Xu Yan and Meng Chong? For a moment, the murderous intents of Zhu Liang and the others were chilling. With a glance exchanged with warriors from Su Family and other Refining God strongholds, they had reached a tacit understanding. Xu Yan must die in today¡¯s battle, and so must everyone related to him! The two Jade Spirit Sect elders who were originally prepared to capture Yue¡¯er immediately retreated. Next, the battle of the prodigies was about to commence. In everyone¡¯s view, Xu Yan was courting death! Chi Ming True Doctrine, the Heavenly Man with a Divine Radiant Body, Lu Xinting, held such a formidable reputation. With the realm of a Great Heavenly Man, he could slay a Refining God Heavenly Man. No matter how monstrous Xu Yan was, he was just a Loose Cultivator. How could a Loose Cultivator compare to a Spirit Sect prodigy? This was already a fixed preconception. ¡°Are you Xu Yan?¡± Yue¡¯er looked at Xu Yan with curiosity. ¡°Correct!¡± Xu Yan nodded, took a look at Yue¡¯er and was slightly surprised. The girl was quite powerful. The feeling she gave him was even stronger than Lu Xinting. His gaze rested on the old man beside the girl for a moment, and Xu Yan felt a chill in his heart. The old man was powerful, the strongest he had encountered since his entry to the Ling Domain! The old man looked at Xu Yan, but his expression was one of confusion. This wasn¡¯t the prodigy he had guessed that some familiar person had cultivated. Moreover, his aura seemed a bit unusual, as if the martial arts he practiced exceeded his understanding. He lifted his head and glanced at the big cat floating in mid-air, arrogantly prevailing over everyone. This big cat was somewhat unusual, it seemed like a spirit beast, but it lacked some traits of a spirit beast. The young man sitting on the back of the large cat was sipping tea leisurely, without any arrogance or aura of a strong person, appearing very ordinary. ¡°He¡¯s not a familiar person.¡± The elder furrowed his brows. Li Xuan sat on the back of the Red Cat, high above, overlooking the people below. The Refining God martial artists from the Jade Spirit Sect and the like didn¡¯t catch his eye. The Protector of Lu Xinting, the Second Elder of Chi Ming Sect, was not weak. He had indeed reached the peak of Refining God. Although he had just recently entered the peak, he had ultimately broken through to the peak of Refining God. He looked towards the elder next to Yue¡¯er, lost in contemplation. The elder was very powerful, although they were both at the peak of Refining God Heavenly Men, he was much stronger than the Second Elder of the Chi Ming Sect. Moreover, there seemed to be old injuries on him that hadn¡¯t healed. ¡°A Spiritual Body? It¡¯s just that it¡¯s been shattered, the current Spiritual Body is broken.¡± Li Xuan was slightly taken aback. ¡°This girl, her talent isn¡¯t bad.¡± His gaze swept over Yue¡¯er, who was surprisingly one of the Spirit-body Prodigies. ¡°Her Spirit Body falls a bit short compared to Su Lingxiu, but it¡¯s still not bad.¡± In the Ling Domain, Spirit Bodies were almost the top-tier talent and constitution, extremely rare. Even Divine Bodies were scarce, especially top-tier Divine Bodies. This is why Lu Xinting had such a significant title. He possesses one of the top ten Divine Bodies¡ªthe Divine Radiant Body and has thoroughly ignited the potential of the Divine Body. His power significantly tops that of martial artists of the same realm. Apart from the elder, Li Xuan glanced at the small palace on top of a big tree. Although the person inside was only at the mid-stage of Refining God Heavenly Man, his strength was stronger than the Second Elder of the Chi Ming Sect. ¡°The true disciple of Transcendent Spirit Sect? No wonder the Transcendent Spirit Sect is high above everyone else. At less than 30 years of age, he has already reached the mid-stage of Refining God, and his strength almost crushes the top sect prodigies.¡± Although the young man inside the palace was very strong, not yet thirty years old but already in the mid-stage of Refining God, Xu Yan¡¯s current strength did not match his. But, Xu Yan wasn¡¯t yet twenty¡­ The martial artists around the duel arena were instantly seen through by Li Xuan¡¯s gaze. They were all like small grasshoppers, the kind that could be wiped out with a wave of a hand, even the elder standing next to Yue¡¯er was no exception. Cui Huayu looked at Xu Yan lost in thoughts. Unusually for him, he didn¡¯t look ailing but adopted a serious demeanor. ¡°His aura is a bit unusual, it seems like the Martial Arts he practiced is very unique.¡± After all, Cui Huayu was the true disciple of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. His insight and vision were incomparable to that of Zhu Liang and the others. As Xu Yan didn¡¯t hide his aura, Cui Huayu was surprised at that moment. He looked up at the large cat and also slightly furrowed his brows. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like a spirit beast, what¡¯s going on?¡± As a successor to the Yu Ling Mansion, no one in the Ling Domain understood spirit beasts more than them. Chapter 500 ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a show to watch after all.¡± Cui Huayu mumbled to herself before lazily lying back down. In the center of attention, Xu Yan stepped onto the dueling ground and looked dismissively at Lu Xinting. Sighing, he said, ¡°Are you the one who inherited the Blood Demon Technique, the Radiant Divine Body, Lu Xinting?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit disappointed. You have such a big reputation, but is this all the strength you got?¡± Lu Xinting¡¯s face turned red in anger, and a golden aura radiated around him. The surrounding Martial Artists were quiet, then gasped in shock. Was Xu Yan really belittling Lu Xinting¡¯s strength? ¡°Where is Xu Yan¡¯s confidence coming from?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Blood Demon Technique, one of the Ten Divine Bodies. And in his eyes, it¡¯s not worth mentioning?¡± ¡°How arrogant! He¡¯s really too arrogant!¡± In an instant, all spectators were in an uproar. ¡°Arrogant? How dare such a measly Loose Cultivator be so audacious?¡± Lu Xinting raised his halberd, pointing it at Xu Yan. ¡°Today, I¡¯ll let you, an inferior Loose Cultivator, along with the lowly Loose Cultivators in this Ling Domain know what a true genius from the Spirit Sect is!¡± Boom! At this moment, Lu Xinting emitted a surging golden light that illuminated the surroundings. The spectators were astonished by his powerful aura. Zhu Liang and other Refining God Martial Artists were stunned. Lu Xinting was truly worthy of being a top genius from the Spirit Sect and worthy of being one of the Ten Divine Bodies. The stature of an Ascended Being is far mightier than ordinary early stage Refining God Martial Artists. Lu Xinting, his aura surging, a golden halberd in hand, gave off a dazzling golden radiance. He looked like a heavenly god, extraordinarily mighty. ¡°This Lu Xinting is kind of amazing!¡± Yue¡¯er said, staring at Xu Yan who was still calm, his aura unremarkable, without a strong sense of power. ¡°What, frightened?¡± Lu Xinting sneered, halberd in hand, he advanced step by step. His aura was increasing in intensity. The golden light that surrounded him raged like a torrent, surging toward Xu Yan as if it were about to shatter his spirit and will. ¡°A Loose Cultivator like you, overestimating your own abilities. The title of ¡®genius¡¯ in the Battle of Geniuses doesn¡¯t suit you. Only our Sect¡¯s Xinting is worthy of it. What does that Xu Yan even amount to?¡± Second Elder of the Blood Demon Sect spoke, a smile on his face. ¡°Indeed! Xu Yan can only flaunt his power within the decaying lands of Yuzhou.¡± Zhu Liang agreed with a smile. To the discerning eye, Xu Yan and Lu Xinting were not on the same level. One was like a rainbow, radiant and formidable, while the other had a lackluster aura as if he had already been deterred by the Radiant Divine Body. This battle was a foregone conclusion. ¡°Get ready, once Xu Yan dies, Meng Chong and others, including those behind him, will all be wiped out!¡± Zhu Liang looked at Su Zheng and others, murder in his eyes. ¡°They won¡¯t escape!¡± Su Zheng sneered. A group of elders from Jade God Sect and Su Family had already encircled the area silently. The other Refining God Martial Artists from different sects and families watched carefully for elite Loose Cultivators. An explosive battle was imminent! Everyone was focused on Xu Yan who was still of a calm demeanor, standing there, watching Lu Xinting¡¯s intimidating approach, with an unparalleled dominance. ¡°Kneel down, beg for mercy, and perhaps I might spare your life.¡± Lu Xinting said coldly, his tone indifferent. ¡°I¡¯ll give your words back to you!¡± Xu Yan looked around. There were many spectators, including Martial Artists from outside Yuzhou. After this battle, his name, Sword God Xu Yan, should gain some recognition in the Ling Domain. After all, Lu Xinting was renowned in Luo State and had a bit of fame in Ling Domain¡ª the inheritor of the Blood Demon Technique, possessor of the Radiant Divine Body, and conqueror of Refining God Heavenly Man. The Blood Demon Sect certainly must have promoted their own disciple extravagantly. Once he killed Lu Xinting, his own fame would rise. ¡°Remember, your killer¡ª Sword God Xu Yan. Today, I will show you Martial Artists of Ling Domain, you noble sect and family Martial Artists, what a Sword God is, what the Sword Dao is!¡± Xu Yan said with a calm smile. He took one step forward, and ¡°Sword Intent¡± surged from his body. ¡°Someone wanted to give me a Spirit Sword to help me kill you, but I refused it. I didn¡¯t accept it. ¡°In this world, when it comes to the Sword Dao, no one understands it better than my master and me. ¡°Today, let you see what the true Sword Dao is. ¡°Lu Xinting, you should feel proud and honored to die by my Sword Dao ¡ª to be my stepping stone to the pinnacle of the Ling Domain.¡± The spectators at this moment were all astonished, staring wide-eyed at Xu Yan, what immense arrogance! Claiming to be a Sword God was one thing, but to furiously claim, that in this world, no one understood Sword Dao better than him, except for his master? What¡¯s more outrageous is that Lu Xinting could become his stepping stone. Isn¡¯t this audacity simply too wild? How unbelievably arrogant! ¡°He¡¯s so arrogant!¡± Yue¡¯er¡¯s beautiful eyes widened in shock. ¡°Grandpa, is he more arrogant than the demon master back then?¡± Yue¡¯er turned her head to ask her grandfather. The old man was also stunned, hearing his granddaughter¡¯s inquiry, he replied, ¡°In my lifetime, I¡¯ve never seen someone so audacious!¡± ¡°This is too audacious!¡± Cui Huayu poked her head out of the small palace window, looking at the young man. ¡°In my lifetime, I¡¯ve never seen someone so audacious, he¡¯s the first one, absolutely without bounds!¡± The Blood Demon of those years, even at his most arrogant, was never so insolent. Those Star Scions of years past who rivaled the genuine inheritance of the Transcendent Spirit Sect, even those who defeated the inheritance, none were ever so audacious. Xu Yan, he¡¯s the first! ¡°I really want to see, why he¡¯s so audacious, even more so than me, Cui Huayu. Amazing, truly amazing. If he doesn¡¯t die, I will learn from him, how to become so audacious.¡± Cui Huayu¡¯s face showed admiration. Lu Xinting, the party involved, was almost about to explode with anger. He himself becoming a stepping stone, was this worth dying over? ¡°Alright! Alright! Alright! I really want to see, how you will use me as your stepping stone. I want to see where you got the nerve to be so arrogant and look down on everyone!¡± Lu Xinting also mocked. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, I Xu Yan am never arrogant, nor disdainful.¡± Xu Yan stepped forward, proudly looking around, ¡°I only want to show the martial artists of Ling Domain what true Sword Dao is!¡± The spectators were all stunned, this is not called arrogant? Your Sword Dao, is the true Sword Dao? You Xu Yan, might as well say directly: Everyone present, you are all frogs at the bottom of the well! ¡°In my lifetime, I¡¯ve never seen anyone so audacious, it was worth coming here this time!¡± ¡°It really was worth it!¡± The spectators, all martial artists, were staring in shock and murmuring. Even if Xu Yan were to be killed instantly, they would still feel that it wasn¡¯t a wasted trip, they¡¯ve witnessed what real audacity is! Now this is truly audacious! Li Xuan¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, watching his disciple¡¯s performance, he could barely drink his tea. But having glanced at the Second Elder of the Chi Ming Sect and the others, ¡°Once the disciple has finished his act, it¡¯s time for me, his master, to perform!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. Allow me, Lu Xinting, to experience what kind of Sword Dao you have that makes you so audacious!¡± Lu Xinting was infuriated, as soon as he appeared, he was unrivaled, drawing constant applause. But now, Xu Yan had stolen all his limelight, giving him the illusion that he himself was the real clown! Unbearable! How could he swallow this insult? Boom! At this moment, he exerted his full strength to activate his cultivation technique, a golden radiance surged to the sky, and his halberd unleashed a golden edge like shocking waves. Xu Yan paused, his hands behind his back, his gaze indifferent, his eyes carrying a touch of contempt, just standing there quietly watching Lu Xinting activate his cultivation technique, revealing the power of his divine body. ¡°I feel like Lu Xinting looks a bit like a clown, seemingly in a fit of impotent rage?¡± A martial artist said in disbelief. Xu Yan stood proudly with his hands behind his back, his gaze contemptuous, his aura unremarkable, as if he didn¡¯t consider Lu Xinting in his eyes at all. In the opposite, Lu Xinting was furiously erupting, pushing his cultivation technique to the limit, stimulating his divine body to the extreme. It seemed like he was in a fit of impotent rage! Pfft! The martial artist who had just spoken was instantly killed with a punch. The Second Elder of the Chi Ming Sect¡¯s eyes were cold, looking at the onlookers, killing intent was in the air. The rest of the martial artists immediately fell silent. Even though the one who talked had spoken what everyone was feeling, at this time no one else dared to speak out. People could lose their lives. The one who had voiced their thoughts, just lost his life because he spoke without thinking. Chapter 501 The once-renowned Martial Artist, Lu Xinting, the ¡®Glowing Body¡¯ of the Chimei True Heritage, who held the status of Heavenly Man and fought against the Refining God Heavenly Man¡¯s prodigy, now looked somewhat like a clown in the eyes of the other martial artists, venting his rage impotently. On the other hand, Xu Yan portrayed a calm and composed attitude, standing arrogantly with his hands crossed behind his back, as if he were looking down on a furious locust. The Second Elder of the Chimei Sect killed the Martial Artist who unabashedly expressed his feelings. Although the remaining martial artists dared not speak out, they were thinking the same. Even the Refining God Martial Artists from the Spirit Sect¡¯s noble families had similar suspicions. Zhu Liang, the Sect Master of the Yushen Sect, and the others also thought it was absurd. They dared not reveal any trace of their emotions and instead showed a grave expression. Does Xu Yan¡¯s arrogance indicate that he has something to back him up? Doesn¡¯t the prodigy, Lu Xinting, of the Chimei True Heritage, the ¡®Glowing Body¡¯ prove to be inferior to Xu Yan? No! Absolutely impossible! Xu Yan is merely putting up a show, pretending to be arrogant. ¡°Be careful, Xu Yan might be deceptive, and there might be a stronger opponent lying in ambush for Lu Xinting!¡± Zhu Liang solemnly looked towards the Second Elder of the Chimei Sect. ¡°I¡¯m keeping an eye.¡± The Second Elder of the Chimei Sect replied coldly. His Divine Soul strength scanned all four directions, and the range covered every part of the battlefield. No one could escape his surveillance! If anyone dared to make a move and kill Lu Xinting, they would have to get through him first. And he was confident because he had just recently reached the peak of the Refining God Heavenly Man! ¡°Xu Yan, you lowly vermin, daring to be so arrogant, die!¡± Lu Xinting roared and hurled his battle-ax towards Xu Yan. Xu Yan still had his hands crossed behind his back, maintaining a calm expression. Suddenly, with a rustling sound, in front of the appalled martial artists, grass, trees, and gravel began to fly upwards. And they transformed into sharp swords. All things under heaven and earth be my sword! ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Boom! In the shocked view of the martial artists, the surrounding grass and trees uprooted, transforming into swords. The sword light illuminated all directions. ¡°Watch closely, what the Sword Dao is all about!¡± Xu Yan said arrogantly. His hands were still crossed behind his back. On either side, there were swords made out of grass and trees that were extraordinarily sharp. Thousands of swords, like a flood, were shot towards Lu Xinting, who was attacking him! ¡°Ridiculous tricks!¡± Lu Xinting cried out loudly. His golden glow was radiant, and his battle-ax swept across, countering the massive attack. Despite his dismissive words, he was actually shocked inside. What kind of Sword Dao is this? ¡°Incredible, incredible! What kind of Sword Dao is this? No wonder he is so arrogant!¡± Cui Huayu exclaimed in surprise. All the martial artists were so shocked that words eluded them. At this moment, a thought seemed to occur to everyone: If I had this Sword Dao, I would also be arrogant! ¡°Grandfather, what kind of Sword Dao is this?¡± Yue¡¯er looked at her grandfather in shock. At this moment, the old man was already shocked. He opened his eyes wide, showing disbelief on his face. ¡°This is Sword Dao? Grass, trees, and gravel can all become swords? How is that possible?¡± He had seen quite a few powerful Sword Dao practitioners, but none of them had this terrifying Sword Dao technique. Turning everything into a sword? Such a thing had never been heard of! ¡°Die!¡± Lu Xinting burst out in rage but, regardless of how he activated his Cultivation Technique and stimulated his Glowing Body, he couldn¡¯t break free from the flood of swords. ¡°This fellow, he must die!¡± Zhu Liang and the others had expressions of fear on their faces. If Xu Yan didn¡¯t die, they would feel uneasy, and if there was going to be a death, it would certainly be them! They must seize the opportunity to kill Xu Yan before he becomes too powerful! The Second Elder of the Chimei Sect was shocked but didn¡¯t immediately kill Xu Yan and had other ideas. ¡°Such a powerful Sword Dao, it¡¯s a must to capture Xu Yan. This Sword Dao must belong to my Chimei Sect!¡± He stepped forward, ready to make his move at any moment. Lu Xinting was still in the fight. Although he hadn¡¯t broken out from the flood of swords, he wasn¡¯t in any immediately danger either. Xu Yan¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed the Second Elder of the Chimei Sect¡¯s movement. He sneered to himself, feeling that it was almost time. He rose up into the air, looking at a not too distant small hill. The hill wasn¡¯t large, only about twenty feet high, and was a small stone mountain¡ª the size was just right. ¡°When encountering a mountain, the mountain becomes a sword. Today, I will use this mountain as a sword to kill Lu Xinting and let the Ling Domain martial artists know what the real Sword Dao is!¡± He raised his hand and beckoned towards the small hill. The martial artists, upon seeing his gesture, couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. Was he going to uproot that small hill and hurl it on Lu Xinting? Some people also came up with a far-fetched idea. Was Xu Yan going to turn this mountain into a sword? How could a mountain be turned into a sword? Yue¡¯er was staring wide-eyed, closely scrutinising Xu Yan¡¯s every move. Upon seeing him beckoning at the small hill, she was at a loss for words. ¡°Can he turn the mountain into a sword? How can a mountain become a sword?¡± The old man¡¯s breathing became heavier, and his mind was filled with shock. Cui Huayu had already come out of the small palace, muttering to herself, ¡°This is incredible. This is unbelievable. Has another monstrous talent appeared in the Ling Domain?¡± ¡°Sword, rise!¡± Xu Yan commanded in a low voice. Boom! Under the shocked gaze of the martial artists, the small hill ripped itself from the ground and flew towards the sky, transforming into a huge stone-gray sword in mid-air! ¡°All of you, observe carefully. This is the Sword Dao!¡± Xu Yan looked at Lu Xinting, ¡°It¡¯s an honor for you to die under this sword!¡± Lu Xinting was greatly startled, all of this was beyond his understanding. ¡°Impossible, absolutely impossible, this is illusion, you¡¯re trying to deceive me!¡± Chapter 502 With a roar of wrath, in an instant, he used a martial arts secret technique to manipulate the large halberd, stirring up a golden storm, and launching it into the air. ¡°Strike!¡± Xu Yan mocked with a cold laughter as the huge sword, transformed from a small mountain, slashed down powerfully. The giant sword was edgeless, but its unparalleled force was devastating. It was unstoppable and unparalleled in attack! ¡°No!¡± The second elder of the Red Demon Sect felt a chill. With this sword descending, Lu Xinting would surely die. Moving his body in an instant, he revealed the peak strength of the Refining God Heavenly Man, attacking directly at the descending sword. Li Xuan raised his gaze, ready to crush this disruptive individual, but then his eyes darted towards the flamboyantly dressed individual inside the palace! Cui Huayu flicked his finger, and a handful of emerald-green feathers instantly transformed into a sharp, cold light, shooting towards the second elder of the Red Demon Sect. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt the fun!¡± Cui Huayu didn¡¯t care about Lu Xinting¡¯s life or death. At this moment, he was excited and eager to see the strength of this descending giant sword. This was an ever-before-seen Sword Dao. How could he let someone interfere with it? The second elder of the Red Demon Sect¡¯s expression changed, he threw a punch, shattering the feathers that were shooting towards him, however, his movement was also halted because of this. And this delay meant he was too late to save Lu Xinting. ¡°Stop!¡± The second elder of the Red Demon Sect howled in rage. Xu Yan, not at all bothered, let the giant sword fall with a loud crash. The golden light shattered, the large halberd flew away, and Lu Xinting, letting out an angry roar, turned into ashes under the giant sword! He never left bodies behind when killing enemies! ¡°You deserve to die!¡± The second elder of the Red Demon Sect¡¯s killing intent boiled. Lu Xinting with the Divine Radiance Body of the Red Demon Sect¡¯s inheritance, was actually dead! Killed in one blow! The spectators were at this time, all shocked at Xu Yan¡¯s sword technique, they stared wide-eyed, their faces full of disbelief. The famed true succession of Red Demon Sect was dead just like that! Zhu Liang and other Refining God Martial Artists of the Jade God Sect felt a chill all over their bodies. Lu Xinting was the one they had called for help, and now he was dead! ¡°Kill him, no matter the cost, kill him!¡± Zhu Liang said, his eyes filled with blood thirst. He glared at Su Zheng, and said, ¡°Your Su family will not escape responsibility either. If Xu Yan escapes, you know what the consequences will be!¡± Of course, Su Zheng understood this principle. ¡°Kill him, no matter what the cost. If Xu Yan doesn¡¯t die today, the Su family will be annihilated!¡± As for the rest of the Spirit Sects and Noble families, after Xu Yan showed his hands, they may not immediately take action. If they fail to eliminate Xu Yan, the consequences are unthinkable. Boom! The Refining God Heavenly Men of the Jade God Sect and the Su family swarmed up at this moment. ¡°Xu Yan, you are destined to die!¡± The second elder of the Red Demon Sect looked in the direction where the feathers were fired to see a spiritual artifact. He focused as he saw Cui Huayu, the owner of the brightly feathered cloak. ¡°Are you standing up for Xu Yan?¡± The second elder of the Red Demon Sect asked in a deep voice. ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t want the excitement to be disrupted. Now that the excitement is over, such a powerful sword, it¡¯s absolutely incredible!¡± With those words, Cui Huayu, showing a sickly fragility, was helped by a maid to enter the palace. ¡°Kill Xu Yan!¡± The second elder of the Red Demon Sect felt relief. Boom! The peak power of the Refining God Heavenly Man, the terrifying prestige displayed at this moment, made the faces of all the other martial artists turned pale. Trembling, they backed away, practically crawling on the ground. ¡°Grandpa, you must take action quick.¡± Yue¡¯er urgently spoke to her grandfather. ¡°No rush!¡± The old man looked at the large cat¡¯s back. Li Xuan put down his teacup and looked calmly at the powerful enemies surrounding him, ¡°The Battle of the Heavens has rules. Do you all want to break the rules?¡± ¡°We, the Spirit Sects and Noble families, are the rules. Today, all of you will die!¡± The second elder of the Red Demon Sect declared murderously. ¡°Hmm! ¡®Spirit Sects and Noble families¡¯, but mere ants. In this world, my words are the rules!¡± Li Xuan said nonchalantly. He glanced at Fang Hao and said, ¡°Watch closely, I¡¯ll only demonstrate once. If it¡¯s too profound, you may not understand. I will just reveal a little bit.¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± Fang Hao was overjoyed. Meng Chong, Su Lingxiu, and even Xu Yan, all were excitedly watching their master. The master is going to make a move again! Li Xuan sat on the back of the Red Cat, not even standing up. With a wave of his hand, in an instant, the aura of heaven and earth gathered, and the light descended from the sky, turning into various formation artifacts. Boom! The great formation began! ¡°Using the celestial aura for the formation, using the world¡¯s natural wonders for the formation, the formation rises, the world perishes.¡± Li Xuan spoke nonchalantly. His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but everyone present heard it clearly. The moment Cui Huayu entered the small palace, he ran out again. His face was filled with shock. ¡°What kind of technique is this? What kind of martial arts? Controlling the trend of the world?¡± He was in utter awe. Even as a core disciple of the Transcendent Spirit Sect, he had never heard of such terrifying techniques and such powerful martial arts. ¡°What is this?¡± The old man was also shocked. Forces from Heaven and Earth gathered, descending from the sky, transforming into array devices. In an instant, the Second Elder of the Red Mezzo Sect, the Jade God Sect, and all the Refining God Martial Artists from the Su Family were caught in the large formation. ¡°Who are you?¡± The Second Elder from the Red Mezzo Sect roared in fury. He activated his cultivation technique, revealing his full strength as a peak Refining God cultivator. However, he felt trapped in the arrangement with an impending sense of annihilation. Zhu Liang and the others were even more horrified. A group of Refining God Martial Artists joined forces, wishing to shake the large formation, to shake this extraordinary formation of the world, to no avail. Fang Hao was inwardly shaken. Was this the extraordinary formation of the world? Was this what triggered the formation with a mere thought? With the forces of Heaven and Earth as array devices, and the mysteries of Heaven and Earth as the formation, was this the subtlety of the Qimen Martial Arts? ¡°I¡¯m still too weak. Master always wanted me to walk my own Qimen path, but I couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Master was worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to comprehend the profound Qimen Martial Arts, that it might affect me too much, causing me to merely copy without creating my own Qimen path. ¡°However, such a shallow display has affected me, and for a while, I can¡¯t transcend it.¡± Fang Hao was somewhat ashamed. ¡°I¡¯m too dull!¡± Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu were also shocked. Master only revealed a little, yet it was so shocking. ¡°The forces of Heaven and Earth¡­ are these nearly divine skills?¡± Xu Yan murmured to himself. The situation was too powerful. The mighty forces descended like a dragon, and in an instant, the great formation was set up, and the mysteries of Heaven and Earth were displayed. All Refining God Martial Artists were too late to escape the enclosure of the great formation and instantly fell into it. ¡°Ants like you do not deserve to know my name!¡± Li Xuan spoke indifferently. With a clench of his hand, the great formation roared, the forces of Heaven and Earth were like a dragon, and the extraordinary formation of Heaven and Earth instantly displayed its power. Inside the formation, red light shone, and killing intent descended. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Join forces to break through¡­¡± But in a moment, all the Refining God Martial Artists turned into ashes, annihilated within the great formation. Only the storage bags flew towards Xu Yan, landing in his hands. Xu Yan sighed again in his heart. Master had killed these Refining God Martial Artists with a wave of his hand, but their storage bags were unharmed. This degree of control, I am far from it. Li Xuan waved his hand, and all was calm again. But, the Jade God Sect and the Su Family were wiped out! Heaven and Earth were silent. All the martial artists at this moment were too shocked to speak. Cui Huayu, the core disciple of the Transcendent Spirit Sect, opened his eyes wide, unable to recover for a long time. He felt a chill in his heart. If he had been in the formation, he would have been obliterated in an instant. ¡°A peerless powerhouse!¡± This thought crossed his mind. This was a terrifyingly powerful individual. Even the strongest in the Transcendent Spirit Sect might not be his match. The opponent was so nonchalant, just raising his hand. The mighty forces of Heaven and Earth descended like a dragon, turning into an endless killing intent. How terrifying was this technique? Yue¡¯er¡¯s eyes were wide open, her mouth agape, unable to recover for a long time. The old man beside her was trembling, his lips quivering. Even though he had experienced the Blood Demon catastrophe, seen the struggle of the proud talents, and witnessed the great battles of powerful cultivators. However, none of them were as shocking as this scene! What techniques, what martial arts? Had there ever been such a terrifying and powerful martial art in the Ling Domain? It was unheard of! Was it in the Transcendent Spirit Sect? No! What is a supreme powerhouse? This is a supreme powerhouse! Li Xuan was silently pleased with these martial artists¡¯ response. After making this move, he felt much better. Leaving behind the shocked martial artists, the Red Cat turned around and walked away. Xu Yan naturally followed him back. Fang Hao was busy returning to comprehend this. He only sent a message to Yu Gao, asking the All Ages Alliance to take over the territories and relics of the Jade God Sect and the Su Family, but not to do so in the name of the Loose Cultivators. For the time being, they should keep a low profile to avoid attracting the intervention of the Ling Sects from other states. Chapter 503 When all the martial artists present had recovered from their shock, Xu Yan and his party had already vanished without a trace. ¡°Where are the people? Where is Xu Yan? Grandpa, where did Xu Yan go?¡± Yue¡¯er was looking around anxiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± The old man was somewhat ashamed. He had been so stunned with his own strength that he didn¡¯t even realize when the others had left. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯ve really become muddled!¡± Yue¡¯er stamped her foot. The old man smiled wryly and ruffled his granddaughter¡¯s hair. ¡°Yes, Grandpa¡¯s become muddled.¡± ¡°No, Yue¡¯er has become muddled.¡± Holding her Grandpa¡¯s hand, Yue¡¯er ascended into the air and began to search all around. ¡°Where is he, where did he go?¡± Cui Huayu had also just recovered from his shock, and swiftly began to search hectically in a hundred-mile radius. But there was no trace of anyone to be found. Along the way, he bumped into Yue¡¯er and the old man. ¡°Oh, little girl, you appear to be somewhat different.¡± Cui Huayu looked at Yue¡¯er surprised. From his pouch, he took out a green branch and said, ¡°Little girl, come on, hold this little tree. Let me examine what exactly is happening with you.¡± ¡°Weirdo in floral clothes, stay away from me.¡± Yue¡¯er frowned. She backed away, not touching the branch. ¡°Little girl, don¡¯t be afraid. This could be your chance.¡± Cui Huayu displayed a smile he thought was gentle. ¡°Put it away, my granddaughter has no affiliation with your Yu Ling Mansion.¡± The old man extended his cane and tapped the branch. Cui Huayu stared at the old man for a while, retracted the branch, and said, ¡°Old man, you might regret this decision for her whole life.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t require your unnecessary concern.¡± The old man spoke indifferently. Cui Huayu nodded. He had figured it out. This girl was most likely a genius who possessed a Spiritual Body. ¡°Old man, you don¡¯t seem like an ordinary loose cultivator.¡± Cui Huayu chuckled and turned to leave. As he turned to leave, he looked a bit solemn. The old man was strong, much stronger than him. ¡°A loose cultivator at the apex of the Refining God Heavenly Man realm? In the current Ling Domain, what loose cultivator could cultivate to the pinnacle of the Refining God realm?¡± Cui Huayu was deep in thought. ¡°Yue¡¯er, let¡¯s go!¡± The old man turned to leave. ¡°Grandpa, how did Xu Yan run so fast? I can¡¯t find him.¡± Yue¡¯er had a frustrated look. ¡°If it is fated, we will meet again. He is sure to make a name for himself in the Ling Domain.¡± The old man spoke in a detached manner. In his mind, the vision of the mighty forces of heaven and earth moving like dragons still hadn¡¯t faded. Xu Yan could turn mountains into swords, which was already extremely shocking. But when the other guy made a move, it was even more earth-shattering. With a wave of his hand, the mighty forces of heaven and earth moved like dragons. Such a killing method, a ripple, caused a number of Refining God Heavenly Men to vanish.! Inside the manor, Li Xuan was sitting in a chair, relaxed and laid back. Xu Yan and the others were processing what they had gained from the experience. Especially Fang Hao, he was still shocked. The vision of the mighty forces of heaven and earth turned into a weapon of Formation kept surfacing in his mind. How magnificent and powerful it was. But what made him powerless was that he couldn¡¯t do it. To understand and comprehend it would take time and he may not be able to handle it as freely as his master. Little did Fang Hao know that the reason Li Xuan could do it was because of the overlapping of the Heart Sword Realm and the Hidden Blade Realm. With a wave of his hand, he could turn the mighty forces of heaven and earth into swords, into blades. Using swords and blades as weapons of Formation, combined with heavenly detection technique, they presented such a magnificent and shocking scene. Lu Xinting had died. The Second Elder of the Crimson Sky Sect had also died. With the eradication of the Refining Gods of Jade Sect and Su family, the situation in Yuzhou changed in an instant. It was clear that the Crimson Sky Sect would not let go easily. The Sword Dao displayed by Xu Yan was bound to attract attention and provoke a series of fights. Those talents in the Ling Domain, whether for the glory of their Spirit Sects and families, or to maintain their invincible status, regardless of their motives, they were sure to challenge Xu Yan. ¡°With this move of mine revealed, what would those strong individuals from the Transcendent Spirit Sects think? What would their reaction be?¡± Li Xuan couldn¡¯t help but wonder. This was a technique unheard of in the Ling Domain. ¡°Divine Skills, when will I be able to attain them?¡± Li Xuan sighed. All this would depend on when Xu Yan could understand the Divine Skills and Martial Arts. Clearly, it was not easy to comprehend the Divine Skills. After all, this involved Divine Skills, Primordial Spirit gathering, and the birth of Divine Techniques. How could he refine his Primordial Spirit and simultaneously give birth to Divine Skills? And then how could he cultivate Divine Skills and Martial Arts? ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take too long, right?¡± Li Xuan glanced at Xu Yan who was in deep meditation and summarizing his own Martial Arts. Once again watching his action and sensing the Heaven and Earth Laws, it seemed Xu Yan must have had a clue. As for the affairs of Jade Sect and Su family, Fang Hao handed them over to people like Yu Gao to handle. He was currently busy cultivating and contemplating. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, an extraordinary aura swirling around him. It was as if the mighty forces of heaven and earth were converging on him, or a Formation was enveloping him. Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu were also stimulated and began cultivating. The same was true for Shi¡¯er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu. Even Red Cat was in the process of contemplation. Only Little Ha and Yu Xiaolong were confused. They felt this was very powerful and shocking, but they were not moved and did not know what or how to cultivate. In this way, they were rather depressed. Especially Yu Xiaolong, he was doubting his own talents. ¡­ After the Battle of the Talents ended, Jade Sect and the Spirit Sects of Yuzhou fell into silence. Chapter 504 They even felt relieved that they had not made a move. Otherwise, they would undoubtedly have died. The figure behind Xu Yan was truly terrifying. The Second Elder of Chiming Sect was at the peak of Refining God Heavenly Man. Even if he was considered weak among them, he was still at the peak of Refining God Heavenly Man, a powerful presence that could suppress the entire Yuzhou. Yet, he was annihilated in an instant under the joint hands of the Spirit Sect and the Su Family. Even the most powerful individuals in Transcendent Spirit Sect couldn¡¯t do better, could they? Was that a figure on par with the strongest ones in the Transcendent Spirit Sect?! And the Sword Dao displayed by Xu Yan was truly inconceivable! He indeed had the qualifications to be audacious! Such Sword Dao was unheard of, no Sword Dao Martial Artist had ever accomplished it. Could the strongest Sword Dao Warrior in the Thousand Martial Hall achieve it? Although his strength was stronger than Xu Yan¡¯s current strength, could he turn plants and rocks into swords? Could he transform a mountain into a sword? No! ¡°Who is he? What kind of technique is that?¡± Many powerhouses expressed such wonder and exclamations. The heavenly and earthly forces are like a dragon, turning into a terrifying kill zone, obliterating enemies with a wave of his hand. How did he attract the heavenly and earthly forces? How did he control them? ¡°The Spirit Sect and the Su Family are ours now,¡± Yu Gao said to the Refining God Martial Artists present. ¡°But, it¡¯s not yet time for our All Ages Alliance to reveal ourselves, so we need to keep a low profile. Take advantage of the Spirit Sect and the Su Family not yet reacting, and occupy them. ¡°Find and empty the treasure houses as soon as possible, and don¡¯t flaunt our name. ¡°Otherwise, the Spirit Sects from other territories will certainly intervene.¡± Yu Gao was extremely excited, the biggest winner of this battle was undoubtedly the All Ages Alliance of Yuzhou. ¡°That elder was truly terrifying!¡± Yu Gao couldn¡¯t help exclaiming in his heart. Of course, the Sword Dao displayed by Xu Yan deeply shocked him as well. He believed that this battle would be the beginning of Xu Yan¡¯s rise to fame in Ling Domain, and Lu Xinting would become the stepping stone to Xu Yan¡¯s ascent to the pinnacle of Ling Domain! ¡°Great Protector, don¡¯t worry, we understand.¡± The Refining God Martial Artists of All Ages Alliance replied with excitement and thrills. ¡°Good, let¡¯s go!¡± Yu Gao waved his hand, leading part of the Refining Gods to the Spirit Sect, while the rest went to the Su Family. As for the other Spirit Sects and noble families, they had been scared out of their wits by now, and didn¡¯t dare to interfere. ¡­ ¡°Brother Xu is amazing! I, Shen Haizhou, am indeed wise. I recognized this to be a True Dragon and a big leg to cling to from the start!¡± Shen Haizhou said with a sigh. With his acquaintance with Xu Yan, the status of the Shen Family in Yuzhou was secured, and could be furthered. ¡°With the Spirit Sect and Su Family about to be destroyed, they can¡¯t occupy all their territories and people, and dare not openly occupy them. Is it fair and reasonable for my Shen Family to officially take over the territories of the Spirit Sect and Su Family? ¡°I need to talk to Fang Hao about this, it¡¯s an opportunity.¡± Shen Haizhou was deep in thought. ¡°Hahaha, Zhu Liang old man, I, Shen Tai, have broken through, let¡¯s see how long your arrogance will last!¡± Suddenly, a wild laughter rang out. The powerful aura of Divine Soul enveloped the area. The senior members of the Shen family were all alarmed. They all emerged one after another, overjoyed. Shen Tai had broken through! The Shen Family now had the power to match the Spirit Sect. ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m so happy today, I¡¯m going to find that bastard Zhu Liang for a spar!¡± Shen Tai said excitedly. ¡°Dad, slow down, slow down!¡± Shen Wang hurriedly called out to his dad, who was roaring with laughter and wearing a look of arrogance. ¡°What, you ungrateful son, do you think I can¡¯t beat Zhu Liang?¡± Shen Tai furrowed his brows, feeling a sudden itch in his fist, wishing to hit his son! ¡°No, Dad, Zhu Liang is dead!¡± Shen Wang hastily stated. ¡°That¡¯s right, Zhu Liang is dead!¡± The elders of the Shen family urgently nodded in agreement. Shen Tai was suddenly stunned, he quickly got up from his seat, no longer behaving arrogantly, and seriously asked, ¡°How did Zhu Liang die? Who killed him?¡± Shen Wang took a deep breath, his face solemn, but still couldn¡¯t hide the shock in his eyes. ¡°You know about Xu Yan, right? This all started with the Battle of the Prodigies¡­¡± Shen Wang relayed the events from start to finish in great detail to Shen Tai. ¡°This¡­this¡­¡± Shen Tai was shocked beyond belief. Then he said solemnly, ¡°We must keep my breakthrough a secret. We¡¯ll assess the situation outside before making any moves. Make sure everyone in the family keeps a low profile. ¡°There¡¯s a real monster in the Ling Domain, and it¡¯s possibly even more terrifying than the previous Blood Demon. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to provoke it, where¡¯s my obedient grandson? Call him over to see me.¡± After saying that, Shen Tai turned around and left. Despite his advancement, he still needed to keep a low profile. The news of the Battle of the Prodigies was spreading continuously. The name of Sword God Xu Yan started to spread widely, and the stories were getting more and more outrageous. ¡°Sword God Xu Yan, the loose cultivator prodigy who killed Lu Xinting, do you know how powerful his Sword Dao is? With a flick of his hand, plants and grass transform into sharp swords¡­¡± ¡°Your information is wrong. My friend¡¯s friend was there in person. Xu Yan merely raised his hand and a giant mountain transformed into a terrifying sword and fell down.¡± ¡­ ¡°Did you hear? Xu Yan just uttered the word ¡®sword¡¯ and a giant mountain was turned into a giant sword. Just a little leakage of Sword Qi, and Lu Xinting turned into dust¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense, my friend was there at the time, Xu Yan didn¡¯t even open his mouth, nor did he move his hand, it was just a look in his eyes and the mountain obediently turned into a sword, killing Lu Xinting¡­¡± The tales became more and more ridiculous, and increasingly stretched from the truth, to the point that people who heard it scoffed at the absurd stories. Even the most powerful ones in the Transcendent Spirit Sect couldn¡¯t achieve this let alone a Loose Cultivator prodigy. ¡°It¡¯s just another loose cultivator bragging. In my opinion, killing Lu Xinting is true, but it must have been a hard fought battle. It just shows that Lu Xinting is a bit of a waste, he has let down the other prodigies of the Spirit Sect.¡± A prodigy snickered. Turning plants into swords, turning mountains into swords ¨C this was simply absurd, even bragging was being stretched too far. ¡°The power of the Crimson Shadow Sect is just average, so how strong could a disciple like Lu Xinting be? The Divine Glory Body, though it is one of the top ten treasures, is just a treasure after all. ¡°Killing two or three loose cultivators at the Refining God Heavenly Man level makes him feel strong? ¡°He deserved to be killed by Xu Yan, the loose cultivator. He just lost face for the prodigies of the Spirit Sect. ¡°Heh, if Xu Yan encounters me, if he can last three breaths in my hand without losing, he can be called the number one prodigy among the loose cultivators!¡± A famous prodigy in the Ling Domain said with disdain. As for Xu Yan¡¯s news, the more it spread, the more exaggerated it became. It was so exaggerated that fewer people believed it, because someone was surely manipulating it behind the scenes. On the other hand, the news about Li Xuan making a move never spread in the Ling Domain. It seems to have been deliberately covered up. No matter what, it was a fact that Lu Xinting, a well-known prodigy in Luo State and a disciple of the Crimson Shadow Sect, was killed in the Battle of the Prodigies. This was the first uprising in the Battle of the Prodigies after a long journey. However, a Spirit Sect prodigy was defeated, causing the relatively conservative and radical strong ones of the Spirit Sect to feel anger and even embarrassment. Luo State, Crimson Shadow Sect, everyone in the sect could hardly believe it. Lu Xinting was defeated? And was he also killed? In principle, with the Second Elder as the protector, even if he was defeated, he shouldn¡¯t have been killed. But, the news came that Lu Xinting was dead! Second Elder was also dead! He was, after all, a pinnacle master of the Refining God Heavenly Man level, even if he had just broken through not so long ago, and was not very strong among the Refining God Heavenly Men. ¡°Who did it?¡± Sect Master Xing¡¯s face was cold and killing intent was billowing. The elders present were also outraged, saying angrily, ¡°Sect Master, we must take revenge, we must kill Xu Yan, otherwise, where will the face of our Crimson Shadow Sect be?¡± ¡°Yes, we must kill Xu Yan at all costs!¡± ¡°And the people behind him!¡± ¡°Someone with such power, who can cultivate such a prodigy, can it be an ordinary loose cultivator? It must be the remnant of Wan Xing no doubt!¡± The elders spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°We must kill Xu Yan, but considering his strength should not be underestimated, even if the sect master were to make a move, can we be certain to take him down?¡± ¡°This matter not only concerns the Crimson Shadow Sect, but also involves the honor of the Ling Domain¡¯s Spirit Sects and noble families, and their governance!¡± The eldest elder of the Crimson Shadow Sect said solemnly. ¡°The eldest elder is correct, regardless of whether there is Wan Xing¡¯s remnant behind Xu Yan, this is still a challenge to our Spirit Sects and noble families. I recently intercepted information concerning the loose cultivators¡¯ forces. ¡°We should contact other friendly sects to discuss this.¡± Sect Master Xing said with a grim expression. Chapter 505 The Battle of the Heaven¡¯s Chosen had ended, yet the turmoil hadn¡¯t subsided. As a result, the situation in Yuzhou had shifted. The territories of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family were suddenly occupied by someone else. None of the other Spirit Sects nor the noble families had time to react. When they had finally decided on a course of action and prepared to make a probe, Shen Tai from the Shen Family revealed himself. Following Zhu Liang, a new late-stage Refining God powerhouse in Yuzhou emerged, becoming the strongest in Yuzhou. The Shen Family plainly integrated the territories of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family within its jurisdiction, showing no intention of distributing any part to the other Spirit Sects or noble families. The others had no choice but to accept. Having experienced the the Battle of the Heaven¡¯s Chosen and witnessed the power of Xu Yan, especially the final scene, overturned their understanding of Martial Arts. Xu Yan might have also been interested in the territories of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family. After all, that mysterious loose cultivator force was formidable. Since the Shen Family had stepped forward, everyone else could only lend their support. Holding on to their current territories was already a struggle. Of course, this was only on the surface. Secretly, the territories of the Jade Spirit Sect and the Su Family were in the control of the All Ages Alliance and the Shen Family, who had already reached an agreement. Obviously, the Shen Family would not admit to colluding with loose cultivator forces. The All Ages Alliance wouldn¡¯t admit to having connections with the Shen Family either. They tacitly understood each other: ostensibly, the Shen Family was in charge, but the resources had already been split. The two spirit mines of the Jade Spirit Sect, with their formations withdrawn, revealed to the horrified disciple miners that the Jade Spirit Sect was no more! Falling from being disciples of a Spirit Sect to mere miners, becoming loose cultivators, had a massive psychological impact. Many couldn¡¯t bear it. Some disciples of the Jade Spirit Sect, thinking that they were talented, left the spirit mines with the idea of joining other Spirit Sects or noble families. All the forces and martial artists of Yuzhou were waiting for the reaction of the Red Dark Sect. How would Xu Yan respond to the Red Dark Sect¡¯s retaliation? They were after all a top Spirit Sect from Luo State. However, the thought of the terrifying power that had descended from the heaven, reducing Refining God powerhouses to ashes in an instant, made them question whether the Red Dark Sect possessed the strength to retaliate. The Red Dark Sect¡¯s Second Elder, a peak Refining God, was already dead. Unless there were any surprises, the Red Dark Sect only had two peak Refining God powerhouses, Sect Master Xing and the First Elder. Could the Red Dark Sect, even if it mobilized its full might, take on the powerhouse backing Xu Yan? Those who were familiar with the situation in the Ling Domain and understood the implications of the Battle of the Heaven¡¯s Chosen were watching to see if the Transcendent Spirit Sect would respond. Or perhaps an even stronger peak Spirit Sect would take action. The significance of the Battle of the Heaven¡¯s Chosen wasn¡¯t just about winning or losing on the surface. One side was a Spirit Sect, the other a loose cultivator, and this carried deeper implications. Moreover, was Xu Yan, suspected to be the once nurtured Heaven¡¯s Chosen of the Ten Thousand Stars Martial Academy, taking the first step back into the Eighteen States of Ling Domain? Qingzhou, Yu Ling Mansion. All of Qingzhou was under the control of Yu Ling Mansion, which bordered the heavily forested, mountainous Heavenly Mausoleum State, home to many spiritual beasts. Disciples of the Yu Ling Mansion began their martial arts practice by subjugating and commanding spiritual beasts. Their relationship with the Clan of Spiritual Beasts was complex, antagonistic, co-operative, and friendly to some extent. However, there was no doubt that the existence of Yu Ling Mansion served to deter the Clan of Spiritual Beasts, restricting their growth and keeping them confined within the Heavenly Mausoleum State. The Clan of Spiritual Beasts was undoubtedly strong, but they were helpless against the Yu Ling Mansion, reflecting the power of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. Cui Huayu, one of the true disciples of Yu Ling Mansion, was the only person from the Transcendent Spirit Sect who witnessed the Battle of the Heaven¡¯s Chosen first-hand. At this moment, Cui Huayu was waiting respectfully at the core of Yu Ling Mansion. Beneath an ancient tree reaching into the sky, Cui Huayu was waiting respectfully. Not far from him was a white spirit ape eating a Spirit Fruit, eyeing Cui Huayu with interest. This was a sixth-rank peak spirit beast, equivalent to a Refining God Heavenly Man at his peak. After finishing the spirit fruit, the spirit ape extended a hand. ¡°I like your clothes. Let me try them on.¡± Cui Huayu could feel his face turn green. However, he had no choice but to take off his colorful feathered robe and hand it to the spirit ape. The spirit ape was delighted, draping the robe over its body, looking left and right, and nodding with satisfaction. Cui Huayu was helpless. He couldn¡¯t afford to offend this spirit ape as it was raised by one of the most powerful figures in Yu Ling Mansion and held a high status. Moreover, this spirit ape had a quirk. Things that it took a liking to, it would borrow. And once borrowed, it never returned. No one knew where it had learned this behavior. The feathered robe was a spiritual artifact, and Cui Huayu had put in a great deal of effort to craft it, collecting feathers from various spiritual beasts and combining them with various rare materials. A top-tier blacksmith took half a year to forge it. And now, it was gone! He was heart-broken. He even regretted coming to this powerhouse. Unfortunately, his mentor was not in the Mansion, so the only option was to seek the close acquaintance of this other powerhouse. ¡°Come in.¡± A voice sounded after a long time. ¡°Yes!¡± Cui Huayu took a deep breath and stepped into the ancient tree. The interior consisted of an old-fashioned wooden house. ¡°Speak, what¡¯s it about?¡± Inside the wooden house, an elderly man with white hair, not even looking up, asked directly. ¡°On my recent journey to Yuzhou, I witnessed the Battle of the Heaven¡¯s Chosen¡­¡± Cui Huayu relayed everything he saw and heard without missing a single detail to the elderly man. After finishing, he quietly waited. ¡°Turning grass, wood, sand, and stone into a sword? Turning mountains into a sword?¡± Amazement seeped into the elderly man¡¯s tone. Chapter 506 ¡°Yes!¡± Cui Huayu spoke respectfully. ¡°The Heaven and Earth Laws descended and transformed into a battlefield that annihilates and refines god in a flash?¡± The elder raised his head, his eyes already filled with astonishment. ¡°Yes, I, as a disciple, couldn¡¯t see what kind of technique it was or how to invoke the descent of Heaven and Earth Laws.¡± Cui Huayu nodded. The elder fell silent for a while, lost in thought. Cui Huayu curiously asked, ¡°Disciple has never heard of such techniques in the Ling Domain. Master, do you know what kind of Martial Arts this is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar.¡± The elder¡¯s expression showed both confusion and seriousness. From Cui Huayu¡¯s description, it was far beyond his understanding. The descent of Heaven and Earth Laws seemed to be something that martial artists of a certain level could achieve. However, from the records, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Cui Huayu¡¯s heart ran cold, even the strongest figures like his master didn¡¯t understand? ¡°Can you confirm that the person is from the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy?¡± The elder thought for a while and asked. Ordinary Loose Cultivators would not possess such abilities, let alone cultivate to such a realm or have such powerful strength. Only those from the ancient Wanxing Martial Arts Academy were likely to possess such strength. The martial arts cultivation techniques prevalent in the Ling Domain today are mostly circulated from Wanxing, which in some degree, broke the monopoly of the Spirit Sect aristocratic families over martial arts. With the propagation of martial arts as its mission, the strength of the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy was undoubtedly strong, and there was a group of people inside who devoted themselves to exploring martial arts. They have researched powerful martial arts secret techniques, so the elder immediately thought of the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy. Could it be that the martial arts explored by the strong men of Wanxing in the past? If this is true, then the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy is likely to make a comeback. ¡°Disciple cannot confirm.¡± Cui Huayu shook his head. ¡°Then let¡¯s observe for now. If it really is from the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy, the rivalry of the prodigies might resume. We, the Spirit Sect, were able to defeat them once and can do so a second time. ¡°After this time, the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy will not have a chance to rise again.¡± The martial artist sounded indifferent. This was the confidence of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. Whether or not it was the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy making a comeback, it was inevitable that they would be defeated again. ¡°Master, this time I encountered a young girl who seemed to be a spiritual body, but she did not want to be tested, and the person next to her was very strong.¡± Cui Huayu pondered and then said. ¡°Oh? A Spirit-body prodigy not joining the Transcendent Spirit Sect? Anyone not willing to join the Transcendent Spirit Sect? If the person next to her is strong, how does their strength compare to yours?¡± The elder was astonished. Which spirit body wouldn¡¯t join the Transcendent Spirit Sect? Besides, regardless of their background, as soon as a spirit-body talent was discovered, it would be reported to the Transcendent Spirit Sect immediately. This was a great opportunity and a chance to join the Transcendent Spirit Sect. No power would miss it. ¡°The peak of the Refining God Heavenly Man, and not an ordinary Refining God Heavenly Man peak. I suspect he also possesses a spiritual body, but it¡¯s not quite right¡­¡± Cui Huayu spoke with some doubt. He raised his hand, traced with the power of the spirit soul, and sketched the appearance of the elder. ¡°Master, it¡¯s him.¡± The elder looked up, furrowed his brows as he lowered his gaze, then jerked his head up to stare at the picture of the elder that Cui Huayu had drawn. His face was filled with shock. ¡°Master, do you know this person¡¯s identity?¡± Seeing the elder¡¯s reaction, Cui Huayu asked in surprise. ¡°Moon Changming, one of the Thirty-six Heroes of the ancient Wanxing Martial Arts Academy!¡± The elder solemnly declared, word by word. Cui Huayu was stunned. This elder turned out to be one of the famous Thirty-six Heroes of the ancient Wanxing, which is why he was so powerful. But then he realized something was off. If it was one of the Thirty-six Heroes of Wanxing from the past, his strength should be even stronger. However, although the elder was powerful, he didn¡¯t give him the impression of facing a top powerhouse. ¡°Master, could you have mistaken him? While I feel that his strength is formidable, but¡­¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t be wrong.¡± He paused and said, ¡°The Thirty-six Heroes of the ancient Wanxing, each one was a Spirit-body Prodigy, and so was Moon Changming. But his spiritual body was destroyed by the person from the Thousand Martial Hall. ¡°I thought he had died or been crippled, but I would never have thought that he would still be alive today. ¡°As expected of someone called ¡®Moon Shines Across the Sky¡¯ among the Thirty-six Heroes of Wanxing, truly extraordinary. That young girl must possess a spiritual body.¡± Cui Huayu was shocked, his spirit body was shattered but not only did he survive, his strength was also impressive. Truly, an extraordinary feat. ¡°Since he is from the Star Martial Arts Academy, does this mean Xu Yan is also one of the Heavenly Arrogants of that academy?¡± Cui Huayu said solemnly. ¡°Maybe, we¡¯ll see. A mere Xu Yan, no matter how arrogant he is, what can he do? The thirty-six heroes of yesteryears either died or disappeared, and none of them caused much of a stir.¡± ¡°Can he alone dictate the Ling Domain? The Red Ming Sect will take action, we just have to wait and see.¡± The old man said lightly. This is the confidence of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. ¡°Yes, senior uncle!¡± Cui Huayu nodded. No matter how strong Xu Yan is, what can he do? He couldn¡¯t shake the Transcendent Spirit Sect. The Blood Demon of the past, no matter how powerful and arrogant, was eventually cut down each time it rose. In the end, it was completely annihilated. Even if Xu Yan is stronger than the Blood Demon, he can¡¯t change anything. ¡­ ¡°Grandpa, where do you think Xu Yan is hiding? Why can¡¯t we find him?¡± Yue¡¯er was looking everywhere in the Zheng Country, having passed by the mansion several times already. Moon Changming looked at his granddaughter indulgently and said with a smile, ¡°The ability to hide is a skill itself!¡± Inside the mansion, it was business as usual. They took no heed of external disturbances, the reaction of the Spirit Sect, or the imminent retaliation of the Red Ming Sect. Li Xuan was already on the eighth page of the Book of Tai Cang. ¡°The deeper you go, the more profound the laws of heaven and earth.¡± The more Heaven and Earth laws he jotted down, and the two Law patterns he created alongside, he also explained to his disciples about the concept of the Laws of Heaven and Earth. Half a month since the end of the Heavenly Arrogant battle, all four disciples have improved, gaining more insight into martial arts. Li Xuan was very gratified. Meng Chong was not far from reaching the Divine Intent State. Fang Hao made considerable progress in formations, restrictions, and the mysteries of Heaven and Earth. Now, Fang Hao was refining a blade. ¡°Second brother, aside from its shrinking and enlarging abilities, this blade has other unique features. I can confidently say that in the whole Ling Domain, this blade will be the finest.¡± Fang Hao said excitedly. ¡°The world¡¯s understanding of blades is ordinary in my eyes, and within the same realm I am invincible!¡± Meng Chong proudly said. His eldest brother is invincible in the way of the sword, he is invincible in the way of the blade. ¡°I should also find an opportunity to show the warriors of the Spirit Sect the true way of the blade!¡± Thinking of his big brother¡¯s wonder of turning mountains into swords with a flood of swords, Meng Chong was extremely excited. He hadn¡¯t yet revealed his way of the blade. ¡°Big brother, do you want me to refine a sword for you?¡± Fang Hao looked at his big brother and asked. Xu Yan thought for a while, took out the Transparent Sword, and said, ¡°Though this sword is only a magic weapon, I¡¯ve grown accustomed to using it. Adding some materials and refining it a bit would suffice.¡± Seeing Fang Hao refining a magic blade for Meng Chong, Li Xuan had a thought. He thought of the way to make the weapon sentient through blood refining and blood acknowledgment. So, he began, ¡°To nurture a blade into sentience, the owner¡¯s blood drops create a connection, making the weapon and the owner¡¯s will connect, even incorporating the weapon into the Dantian for nurturing¡­¡± He gave a brief explanation. As for how to refine it and how to encapsulate the weapons into the body for nurturing, it¡¯s all up to the disciples. The three Xu Yan were startled. They couldn¡¯t help but start pondering. The material required to refine Meng Chong¡¯s blade was obtained from the treasure vault of the Jade Spirit Sect, a very rare and precious material in the Ling Domain. Fang Hao used his current highest level of artifact refining to refine it. It was not something that could be accomplished overnight. After refining it for seven days, the blade was shaped and was about to be completed. ¡°Second brother, give it a try.¡± Over the past few days, the three brothers had been contemplating how to implement the method of nurturing weapons that their master had spoken of. In the end, they thought of a method. Whether it would succeed or not, they could only try to find out. ¡°Alright!¡± Meng Chong nodded, took a deep breath, squeezed out a drop of essence blood, and integrated his divine intent into the essence blood, infusing his insights of the Way of Sword into the essence blood as well. Then, he infused the essence blood into the blade body. There was a pattern engraved there, which was a restricted pattern that Fang Hao had refined into the blade body. Hiss! The essence blood was absorbed by the blade body, and the restriction pattern slightly brightened. Fang Hao clapped his hands, and the final stage of refining was completed! Chapter 507 Meng Chong squinted slightly, as if communicating with the precious blade he had crafted, his mind and spirit connected to it. Buzz! The precious blade trembled, lifting into the air. An overwhelmingly unmatched blade intent emanated from the blade. Luminous radiance swirled around the blade, its light gleaming, and a soft sound of blade chime echoed. Suddenly, the radiance from the blade retracted, the blade intent disappeared, as if all its sharp edges were hidden away, becoming quite ordinary. The blade grew larger in a split second, turning into a colossal ten zhang, then continued to shrink. When it returned to its original size, it moved towards Meng Chong, the blade gradually became somewhat ethereal. As it came into contact with Meng Chong, it slowly merged into his body. ¡°I made it!¡± Meng Chong exclaimed excitedly. At this moment, the blade was nurtured in one of his golden body acupoints. Fang Hao was overjoyed, and said, ¡°I finally understand how to refine it, the material used in artifact refining is crucial. Only materials with a spiritual aura are capable of forging spiritual weapons that can be integrated into our bodies.¡± Glancing at his own exotic weapon box, Fang Hao excitedly said, ¡°I want to refine another exotic weapon box to be nurtured within my body!¡± Li Xuan was also ecstatic; he had truly succeeded. With Meng Chong integrating the blade into his body, Li Xuan received a feedback as well. Next, Fang Hao upgraded Xu Yan¡¯s Illuminating Sword, while Meng Chong continued to nurture the precious blade and contemplate how to improve his blade Dao. He has a blade within his body, but he also needs one in his hand. Xu Yan¡¯s Illuminating Sword has been integrated into his body for nurturing as he wished. Fang Hao crafted another blade and sword as weapons for open use. Li Xuan sighed, his disciple had an old schemer¡¯s temperament! Refining the exotic weapon box wasn¡¯t easy as it involved many weapons and consumed a considerable amount of material. Su Lingxiu¡¯s spade and the golden needle also needed to be refined. Fortunately, with the treasure vaults of Jade Spirit Sect and the Su family providing support, there was no shortage of rare materials, which could be fully utilized for refining. ¡°This level of consumption cannot be sustained by any ordinary top-tier Spirit Sect.¡± Li Xuan sighed inwardly. Fortunately, his disciple knew how to gather resources, so he, the master, didn¡¯t need to worry. Red Cat ran over to Fang Hao. It also wanted this kind of treasure; Li Xuan¡¯s face twitched. This big cat he raised really knew its advantages and didn¡¯t want to suffer at all. Fang Hao, not having much choice since this was his master¡¯s pet, had to craft one for Red Cat. Red Cat also wanted a big gold chain, the kind that could change sizes. Fang Hao made one for it to wear around its neck, which looked quite domineering. Overjoyed, Red Cat finally had its coveted big gold chain. In the future, even if it grows bigger, there is no need to worry about the gold chain breaking. Furthermore, the big gold chain had other functions, after all, it was a spiritual artifact. Everyone in the manor, including the snake Yu Xiaolong, received their desired weapons. In the end, Shi¡¯er didn¡¯t dare to continue holding the Blood Spirit Blade and asked Fang Hao to craft a new precious blade for him. Xu Yan and Meng Chong integrated their sword and blade into their bodies for nurturing, which could almost be regarded as nurturing their life weapons. Both their sword and blade Dao have advanced further. Li Xuan called Xu Yan over. Xu Yan, who had already attained the minor accomplishment of the Heart Sword Realm, displayed the might of his sword Dao in the Battle of Geniuses. With a wave of his hand, he turned the mountain into a sword, causing shock and awe all around. Now, it was time to pass on the sword Dao realm above the Heart Sword Realm to Xu Yan. ¡°Master!¡± Xu Yan said respectfully. Li Xuan walked out of the villa, with the Jade Ruyi in his hand, walked toward the nearby peak, Xu Yan followed him closely. He felt exhilarated, knowing his master was about to impart him with more martial arts. Even though they left the manor, they were still enveloped by the extraordinary earthly array, making it impossible for outsiders to spot them or Xu Yan. While on the top of the peak, Li Xuan opened his mouth and said, ¡°Hereafter, you have already achieved minor accomplishment in the Heart Sword Realm, the second realm of sword Dao. Do you have any thoughts on the third realm of the sword Dao?¡± Xu Yan paused, pondered for a while, then said, ¡°Master, I don¡¯t have a clue on what¡¯s the third realm of sword Dao.¡± No matter how much he thought about it, Xu Yan couldn¡¯t figure out what realm of sword Dao came after the Heart Sword Realm. With a single thought, all things in heaven and earth became swords; this was already beyond imagination, mysterious and inexplicable. Was there an even more profound realm of sword Dao above this? ¡°Today, I will pass on to you the third realm of sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan was not surprised by this. Although Xu Yan¡¯s talent was extraordinary, it was impossible for him to extrapolate the next realm of sword Dao based solely on his minor accomplishment in the Heart Sword Realm. And as for the third realm of Sword Dao, he had already created it. Now was the appropriate moment to pass it on to Xu Yan. ¡°Perhaps, when Xu Yan achieves major accomplishment in the Heart Sword Realm, he will be able to perceive how to cultivate the third realm of sword Dao.¡± Li Xuan was hopeful. Xu Yan was extremely excited and said, ¡°Yes, master!¡± The Heart Sword Realm was already so powerful, so how powerful would the realm of sword Dao above the Heart Sword Realm be? ¡°The third realm of Sword Dao is the Wisdom Sword Realm!¡± Li Xuan said solemnly. ¡°Wisdom Sword Realm?¡± Xu Yan looked excited. ¡°What is the Wisdom Sword Realm? To control everything as swords, all swords are sentient, all swords are aware of the sword, all swords understand my intentions, my intentions are the sword heart, the sword wisdom; ¡°The sword knows it¡¯s the sword, the sword intent understands the sword intent¡­the sword can naturally deal with the enemy, and the sword naturally knows the sword Dao; ¡°All swords are like me, all swords are me, all swords become sentient, this is the Wisdom Sword Realm!¡± Li Xuan word by word, explained the mysteries and theories of the Wisdom Sword Realm, passing them all to Xu Yan. Chapter 508 At this moment, Xu Yan¡¯s face was filled with shock. Is this the third realm of Sword Dao? All swords know their sword? The sword knows its own Sword Dao, the Sword Intent knows its own Sword Intent; a thought arises, a myriad of swords appear, but the sword knows by itself how to counter the enemy, as the mind thinks, believes, contemplates? A wise sword! What kind of Sword Dao, endows the sword with wisdom? Once the sword is out, I don¡¯t have to do anything, the sword will fight the enemy itself? The sword understands the law of Sword Dao itself? Xu Yan was incredibly shocked, the Wisdom Sword Realm was too profound and arcane, as if it was beyond normal human comprehension. Li Xuan watched the shocked Xu Yan, silently nodding in his heart. The more his disciple was shocked, the stronger he would become once he comprehended it. Looking at the Daoist Golden Book formed on the Soul Pedestal, the information of Wisdom Sword Realm lay there: Perfection Level: Medium. Connection Degree of realms: Above medium. Comprehension Difficulty: Extremely high. Cultivation Difficulty: High+. The Wisdom Sword Realm had an extremely high level of comprehension difficulty, this realm marked a tremendous leap. Even Li Xuan, despite racking his brains, couldn¡¯t reduce the comprehension difficulty. It¡¯s just too profound and arcane. But if it was not made to be so profound, it wouldn¡¯t appear as powerful. Li Xuan was not willing to compromise, so he kept it as it is. Though there was an extremely high difficulty in comprehension, he had confidence in Xu Yan. From initially cultivating a randomly improvised Cultivation Technique, Xu Yan has grown. His Martial Arts realm is not low now, and he has broken through the Heart Sword Realm. So it can be said that he has a solid foundation. It is possible to comprehend the Wisdom Sword Realm, it just needs a longer time. ¡°Disciple, this is the wonder of the Wisdom Sword Realm, and it is also a representation of it. But the Wisdom Sword Realm is not limited to this; ¡°For Sword Dao cultivators, they must understand the Wisdom Sword. There is a saying, ¡®the wisdom sword cuts down inner demons, it cuts emotional ties, it cuts self-attachment¡­ it cuts all obstructions and distractions.¡¯ ¡°Break through mental barriers, break through all kinds of demon hindrance, break through all unknowns¡­ The heart possesses wisdom sword, purifies oneself, everything is a part of ¡®me¡¯. Not confused, not aimless, not bleak, not self-deluded, not cowardly¡­¡± Li Xuan looked solemn as he passed on the Wisdom Sword Realm to Xu Yan. At this moment, while Xu Yan was shocked, he also felt inspired, as if a light had been switched on in his brain. The more he contemplated, the more profound the Wisdom Sword Realm seemed. ¡°¡­ The heart possesses the wisdom sword, it purifies the self, everything is a part of ¡®me¡¯¡­ Not aimless, not bleak, not cowardly¡­¡± Li Xuan opens up again, ¡°Disciple, the wonders of the Wisdom Sword, cannot be comprehended in a short while, do not get too engrossed in it. Wait till your Primordial Spirit is complete and you understand the wonders of Heaven and Earth Laws, perhaps then you will be able to cultivate the Wisdom Sword Realm. ¡°From general associations one may obtain specific information, from comprehending yourself, perhaps one day, with a flash of inspiration, you will understand, how to cultivate the Wisdom Sword Realm.¡± Compared to the martial arts of the Divine Skill Realm, understanding the Wisdom Sword Realm is much harder, even a genius like Xu Yan can¡¯t comprehend it in a short time. About time to first understand the Divine Skill Realm martial arts, maybe after that¡¯s understood, then a clue about the Wisdom Sword Realm will emerge? ¡°Yes, Master, I understand!¡± Xu Yan respectfully replied. The Wisdom Sword Realm was too profound. The master was right, maybe he would be able to cultivate the Wisdom Sword Realm after he fully understood the Divine Skill Realm, or after solidifying his Primordial Spirit, understanding the wonders of the Heaven and Earth Laws? His Heart Sword Realm had just made a small achievement, and was still far from its peak. Moreover, perhaps one day he could draw inferences about other cases, and he would get enlightened? ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s good that you understand.¡± Li Xuan nodded. The master and disciple returned to their residence. On the way, Li Xuan lifted his eyes to look, there was Yue¡¯er with her grandfather, searching for something. But the peculiar arrangement of Heaven and Earth enveloped the two, so they couldn¡¯t find him. He smiled, ignoring it. That girl was a little interesting, and her talent was pretty good. Unfortunately, she was not suitable as his disciple. And he had no new Martial Arts to teach either. As for a disciple-in-law, Xu Yan already had two female followers. As for the matter of fate, it was all up to his disciple to settle, being a master, he wouldn¡¯t bother about it. Returning to their residence, Xu Yan entered into a state of seclusion, half cultivating, half comprehending his own Sword Dao, half comprehending the martial arts of the Divine Skill. The next day. Upon the mountain peak, this time it was Meng Chong. The third realm of the Dao of the Sword, it was time to impart it to Meng Chong. Though Meng Chong¡¯s talent was not as monstrous as Xu Yan¡¯s, he had a unique talent in the Dao of the Sword. ¡°The beginning of the Dao of the Sword lies in the awakening of the Sword Soul, you have awakened the Sword Soul, naturally you understand its mysteries. ¡°The second realm of the Dao of the Sword is the Concealed Sword Realm. Your senior brother¡¯s Heart Sword Realm, you also understand some of it. The Concealed Sword Realm not only refers to concealing the edge, but also to the essence of the sword hidden everywhere in Heaven and Earth. It coincides with the Heart Sword Realm, yet has its own unique meaning¡­¡± Li Xuan spoke slowly. Meng Chong listened respectfully. As a newcomer to the Hidden Blade Realm, he naturally understood the profundity of this stage. Although he was unable to envision everything as a sword as his senior brother could, he could imagine plants and rocks transforming into blades. The idea of Hidden Blade signified both the concealment of the blade within oneself as well as the omnipresence of blades in the world. ¡°The third realm of the Blade Dao is the Bright Knife Realm. A bright knife illuminates my heart, it illuminates my intent¡­¡± Li Xuan began to teach Meng Chong about the third realm of the Blade Dao. The Bright Knife Realm! The knife enlightens my intent, the knife understands my will! ¡°¡­With a bright knife in one¡¯s heart, demonic obstacles naturally dispel¡­ The blade is the dominance of heaven and earth, the blade is the courage of heaven and earth¡­ With a bright knife in the heart, the dominant become mine, unrivaled bravery¡­¡± The Bright Knife Realm, like the Wisdom Sword Realm, had similarities, since Li Xuan had used the Wisdom Sword Realm as a reference to devise it. However, there were major differences as well, reflecting the dominance and bravery of the blade. Li Xuan looked upon the Daoist Golden Book on the Soul Pedestal with information on the Bright Knife Realm. Completion level: Above average. Stage connection degree: Above average. Understanding difficulty: High+. Cultivation difficulty: High. Though the difficulty of understanding the Bright Knife Realm was slightly lower than the Wisdom Sword Realm, it did not differ by much. Understanding it remained a daunting task. Of course, Li Xuan was not bothered by this, since Meng Chong¡¯s talents were not inferior, but rather quite extraordinary. Moreover, once Xu Yan comprehends the Wisdom Sword Realm, Meng Chong could derive insights from it and gradually comprehend the Bright Knife Realm. This was simply a matter of time. Listening to this, Meng Chong¡¯s blood boiled with excitement; he touched his bald head, his face full of exhilaration and anticipation. The Bright Knife Realm, how profound, how powerful it was. ¡°You¡¯ve just entered the Hidden Blade Realm, the Bright Knife realm is still far from you. Take it one step at a time, practice steadily, and gradually comprehend it. ¡°Ponder more about the third level of the Undying Golden Body; the mysteries of martial art in regards to the physical body are not as simple as they seem.¡± Li Xuan spoke solemnly. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Meng Chong responded respectfully. ¡°Hmm, keep up your cultivation. Troubles are stirring up in the Ling Domain.¡± Li Xuan paced back towards his estate. Meng Chong followed behind him, puzzled. Why did his master say that a storm was brewing in the Ling Domain? ¡°Is a retaliation from the Crimson Abyss Sect imminent?¡± Meng Chong wondered. A considerable period had passed since the battle of prodigies, yet there had been no stir from the Crimson Abyss Sect. It seemed as if they were observing the rules of the prodigy disputes, refraining from revenge. But how could that be possible? Given the domineering nature of the Spirit Sect, they would undeniably seek revenge, moreover, the rules of prodigy disputes had been broken during the conflict with the Wanxing Martial Arts Academy, so they were not abiding by them anymore. Li Xuan sat down on a chair, having imparted everything he needed to teach. Now it was time to wait for the harvest of his teachings. As for the unrest in the Ling Domain, it was a sure thing. The All Ages Alliance, lurking in the shadows, was ready to make their move, seeking an opportunity under the dictatorship of the Spirit Sect to claim a piece of land for themselves. As for the Crimson Abyss Sect, there had been no action for quite some time, indicating they were gearing up for something significant. It should not be long before they made a big move. ¡°The Transcendent Spirit Sect is indeed powerful. However, it¡¯s uncertain if any superior beings from the sect have noticed this and whether they will react or not.¡± Li Xuan pondered quietly. Although he was confident in confronting any Superior Spirit Sect strong with his current strength, he was unaware of the full potential of the Transcendent Spirit Sect. Moreover, if numerous Superior Spirit Sect strong attacked at once, Li Xuan estimated that he could still handle it at full strength without risking his life. However, if he could not achieve a decisive victory, it would tarnish his image as a peerless high-level practitioner. Once again, feign modesty and claim not to bully based on cultivation level? It would be fine once or twice, but if continued, even his disciple would question whether his cultivation level was on the verge of Dao. Thinking about this, Li Xuan felt a bit insecure and decided to be more low-key to avoid any encirclement and suppression. Unless, he broke through the Divine Skill Realm. At that time, with the power of the Divine Skills, he would make the entire Ling Domain understand what true invincibility looked like!