Tempering the Sword with Fire, Forging the Heart as a Furnace

Night was as deep as ink.

Shrek Academy's dormitory area was silent, with only the chirping of insects and the rustle of leaves in the breeze.

Yet, in Ji Juechen's room, a silent storm was unfolding.

He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his expression as calm as an ancient well. But within his Sea of Consciousness, raging waves churned!

That "Red Lotus Fire" from a thousand miles away was not merely a Mental Shock. It carried scorching, corrosive properties, like countless red-hot steel needles crazily stabbing at the core of Ji Juechen's Sea of Consciousness.

Any ordinary soul master would have had their Sea of Consciousness riddled with holes under such an attack. At best, they would become an idiot; at worst, their soul would be extinguished on the spot.

But Ji Juechen was no ordinary person.

At the center of his Sea of Consciousness, the longsword condensed from pure sword intent slowly rotated along a profound trajectory. With every turn, it shattered or deflected the incoming "Red Lotus Fire," or guided that violent energy to scour the blade itself.

This was not defense, but tempering!

[Ding! Malicious and attacking emotions detected. Source: unknown. Obtained Sword Intent Points x 5000!]

[Ding! Your Sword Skill "Light and Darkness Intertwined" has been tempered by the Mental Shock. Mental penetration effect slightly increased!]

The vast amount of Sword Intent Points flowed like trickling streams, continuously repairing and strengthening his Sea of Consciousness. Meanwhile, the violent "Red Lotus Fire" had instead become his finest whetstone.

"Interesting... Much stronger than that golden toad just now." The corner of Ji Juechen's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible smile.

At the same time, in an underground secret chamber of the Sun Moon Empire.

Xiao Hongchen's face had grown even paler, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Through the Soul Guiding Core, he could clearly "see" that his attack was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, with most of it being ground away by that bizarre sword intent.

"Grandfather, his mental defenses are too strong! An attack at thirty percent strength is having barely any effect!" he urgently reported through the Soul Guiding Communicator.

"As expected." Jing Hongchen's voice remained icy. "Then raise it to fifty percent! I want to see whether his sword is tougher, or my fire burns fiercer!"

"Yes!"

A vicious glint flashed through Xiao Hongchen's eyes as he once more poured Soul Power into the Soul Guiding Core.

Buzz—!

The red light in the secret chamber doubled in intensity! And back at Shrek, Ji Juechen's brows finally furrowed slightly for the first time.

The intensity of the "Red Lotus Fire" abruptly surged. It was no longer scattered steel needles, but had converged into a scorching torrent that battered his sword of sword intent. The blade began to hum under the strain, while Ji Juechen's Sea of Consciousness shook violently.

[Ding! High-intensity Mental Shock detected. Clear Sword Heart operating load has exceeded 70%!]

Ji Juechen's gaze turned grave. Purely passive defense and tempering were no longer enough to deal with an attack of this intensity. He needed... a stronger weapon.

With a thought, a blue screen visible only to him unfolded in his mind.

[System Mall]

The simple interface contained only a few categories: soul skills, cultivation methods, items, and talents. His Sword Intent Points had now accumulated to a staggering one hundred and fifty thousand.

His gaze quickly swept over the [Cultivation Methods] and [Soul Skills] categories before finally stopping on an entry that glimmered faintly.

[Basic Spirit Guard]

Type: Cultivation Method (Passive)

Effect: After cultivation, forms a resilient protective barrier outside the Sea of Consciousness, effectively resisting Mental Shocks.

Price: Sword Intent Points

Too expensive, and it was only passive defense. It did not suit his Sword Dao.

He continued scrolling, his gaze locking onto another option.

[Sword Intent · Wall]

Type: Soul Skill (Derivative)

Effect: Consumes Spiritual Power and sword intent to condense a barrier formed from pure sword intent in front of oneself or within the Sea of Consciousness. It can attack and defend. The stronger the sword intent, the sturdier the barrier.

Price: Sword Intent Points

This was it!

Ji Juechen did not hesitate in the slightest. His will instantly confirmed the purchase.

[Purchase successful. Sword Intent Points consumed. "Sword Intent · Wall" has been loaded and can be used directly.]

Boom!

In an instant, within Ji Juechen's Sea of Consciousness, the sword of sword intent that had endured countless impacts blazed with light. It then abruptly split into three, three Sword Lights spiraling in an interlocking pattern and instantly forming a profound triangular barrier!

Come!

Ji Juechen shouted inwardly.

That scorching torrent of "Red Lotus Fire" slammed fiercely into the "Sword Intent · Wall"!

There was no explosion, no deafening crash.

"Zzzzzz—"

Like red-hot iron plunged into cold water, the violent "Red Lotus Fire" was continuously cut apart, broken down, and dissolved by the incomparably sharp sword energy upon the sword intent barrier the moment it touched it! Meanwhile, the sword intent forming the barrier became denser and sharper through this intense collision!

"What?!" Xiao Hongchen's face drained of color in horror. "He... he's turned defense into offense! My 'Red Lotus Fire' is being devoured and ground away by his Spiritual Power! That's impossible!"

He saw that not only had his attack failed to destroy his opponent, it had instead become nourishment for him!

"Hmph, an interesting response." Within Sea God's Pavilion, Muen stroked his long beard, the approval in his eyes growing stronger. "Breaking through in battle and drawing inferences from one example—this kid's combat talent is simply monstrous!"

Just then, there was a gentle knock on Ji Juechen's door.

"Ji Juechen, are you all right? I sensed a very strong energy fluctuation here." It was Jing Ziyan's voice, carrying a trace of concern.

Ji Juechen slowly opened his eyes, and everything in the outside world became clear once more. The "Sword Intent · Wall" within him had already dissipated on its own, reverting to a strand of pure sword intent and returning to his Sea of Consciousness. After a night of tempering, his Spiritual Power had increased by at least thirty percent!

"I'm fine," he answered blandly.

The door opened a crack, and Jing Ziyan poked her head in. Only after seeing that he was unharmed did she let out a breath of relief, though she immediately frowned again. "Your complexion... seems even better than before?"

She had clearly sensed that clash of energy powerful enough to make her heart tremble. Why did Ji Juechen instead look as though he had benefited from it?

Ji Juechen did not explain. He merely stood up and picked up the sword beside his bed.

"It's dawn," he said.

Jing Ziyan froze for a moment before looking at him. Outside the window, a ray of morning light pierced the clouds and illuminated the horizon.

A new day had begun.

And for Ji Juechen, last night's silent battle across a thousand miles had merely been the first exhilarating... morning exercise on his path to becoming an "Ultimate Soldier."