Forging Spirit Swords, Secret Realm!

In the cultivation chamber.

Xia Wuji held seven Yuan Crystals in his hand.

With a thought, his mental power spread out, and all seven Yuan Crystals floated before him.

Immediately after, Xia Wuji's Sword Essence transformed into fine threads of Sword Qi. Combining this with his mental power, he left faint traces on the surface of each Yuan Crystal.

He was drawing runes.

Runes were the foundation of talismans and formations.

Yuan Crystals were one of the energy sources for formations.

Xia Wuji simply sketched some simple runes on the surface of the seven Yuan Crystals and then arranged them around himself in different positions.

As his mental power spread out, the runes on the Yuan Crystals' surfaces gradually emitted a faint glow. The lights connected with each other, forming a most basic formation.

It wasn't even a first-tier formation.

After all, formations required a large amount of materials; Yuan Crystals alone were not enough.

For now, Xia Wuji was making do.

The energy within the seven Yuan Crystals would be more easily refined and absorbed by him. Besides that, it could also, to a certain extent, actively gather the surrounding elemental energy.

After setting up this simple formation, Xia Wuji took out the top-grade first-tier Spirit Intent Pill that Lin Piaoxue had gifted him.

There were five Spirit Intent Pills in the bottle.

He took one and swallowed it, then circulated his cultivation technique to refine the pill's energy and absorb the energy provided by the simple formation!

Meanwhile.

"Ahhhhh!"

The Twelfth Prince, Chu Jue, was furious, almost tearing down a luxurious manor.

He was venting his anger, but no matter how hard he tried, the rage in his heart could not be calmed.

A group of noble disciples stood by, afraid to speak, not even daring to breathe heavily, lest they be caught in Chu Jue's wrath.

Just then.

The Sixth Prince, Chu Yang, arrived.

Chu Jue finally quieted down and hurried to Chu Yang's side, saying, "Sixth Brother, I can't stand this insult, I really can't!"

Chu Yang snorted and said, "Since you've lost face, then get your dignity back yourself!"

Chu Jue's eyes flickered, and he said, "Sixth Brother, I understand. I'll go find that Xia Wuji and settle the score!"

"Idiot!" Chu Yang roared. "Lin Piaoxue is openly protecting him now, and he's achieved first place in two consecutive assessments. Do you think the higher-ups at Azure Star Academy haven't noticed him? If you make a move now, you'll run into a lot of trouble."

Chu Jue's face was filled with distress. "Sixth Brother, then what... what should I do..."

Chu Yang snorted and said, "Every year, there are casualties during the practical assessment at Azure Star Academy."

"No matter how monstrous Xia Wuji's temperament and comprehension are, he's still just a minor martial artist in the Sea of Qi Realm. During the practical assessment, find an opportunity and kill him directly!"

Chu Jue was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. "Sixth Brother, I understand."

Chu Yang said, "Stay quiet for these few days. Don't cause trouble, and don't disturb me. I'm planning to go into seclusion and try to break through to another level, reaching the eighth level of the Primal Energy Realm!"

"In the first and second assessments, I was the unnoticed second place. In this third practical assessment, I must take first place!"

Two days later.

In the cultivation chamber of the Huang family manor.

The seven Yuan Crystals Xia Wuji had used to set up the simple formation had all lost their luster, turning into seven ordinary stones covered in cracks.

As for the top-grade first-tier Spirit Intent Pills gifted by Lin Piaoxue, he had consumed three of them.

As he had expected, his cultivation had broken through to the tenth level of the Sea of Qi Realm, but there was still some distance to go before reaching the Primal Energy Realm.

Xia Wuji had no intention of consuming the remaining two Spirit Intent Pills.

Because in half a day, he had to participate in the third round of the Azure Star Academy assessment.

With a thought, Xia Wuji took out the low-grade first-tier Spirit Sword.

Then he took out the Jinghong Sword, which was close to being a Spirit Sword.

"With the current state of my Sword Seed, absorbing the sharpness of a low-grade first-tier Spirit Sword doesn't have much meaning anymore, unless it's a second-tier Spirit Sword."

"But this low-grade first-tier Spirit Sword awarded by Azure Star Academy is too ordinary. In some aspects, it's even inferior to the Jinghong Sword I refined and forged earlier."

"I might as well melt this low-grade first-tier Spirit Sword directly and use it to forge a brand new Jinghong Sword!"

With this thought.

Xia Wuji formed hand seals.

Sky Burning Art!

Thanks to the Earth Core Fire Stone from before, Xia Wuji's original Beast Fire had integrated a trace of Earth Core Fire's essence, elevating it to a low-grade first-tier Spirit Fire.

Under Xia Wuji's superb fire control techniques, the low-grade Spirit Fire of the first tier displayed immense power. In just half an hour, a low-grade Spirit Sword of the first tier was completely smelted by Xia Wuji, removing all impurities.

Next, it took a moment longer to smelt the Jinghong Sword, which was on the verge of becoming a Spirit Sword.

The remaining materials, under the control of Xia Wuji's Sword Essence and mental power, fused together, slowly forming the shape of a sword.

He used his mental power to engrave runes within the sword embryo.

Then, he continuously tempered the sword embryo with Sword Essence imbued with sharpness.

Time ticked by, and after two hours, a brand-new Spirit Sword finally took shape!

The sword was a little over three feet long and three fingers wide. The hilt was slightly longer, and its surface was covered in mysterious patterns, exuding a unique aesthetic. The blade released an extremely sharp edge.

"A mid-grade Spirit Sword of the first tier." Xia Wuji's face showed a look of satisfaction.

Since this sword was forged by his own hands, it required no further refinement and could be wielded as easily as an extension of his arm.

Xia Wuji put the sword away. With some time left, he immediately sat down to meditate and circulate his energy, restoring the vital energy and spirit consumed during the forging process. Only when his condition was full did he leave the training room.

Huang Hu and Xu Lan arrived together and happened to meet Xia Wuji.

Huang Hu said, "Brother Xia, I was worried you'd get lost in your cultivation and forget the time. I was just about to come and call you to participate in the third assessment."

Xia Wuji nodded and said, "Then let's go."

"Okay, okay."

On the way, Huang Hu sighed and said, "Brother Xia, Sister Lan and I barely passed the first two assessments. As for the third one... honestly, neither of us has much confidence. We're just going to give it a try and get some experience. Even if we fail, we won't have any regrets in the future."

"But you're different. Although you're still at the Sea of Qi Realm, I know some of your combat strength, especially how outstanding you were in the first two assessments... Your future is boundless."

"But you need to be careful. The practical assessments at Azure Star Academy every year have a certain casualty rate. These casualties come from the dangers within the assessment, and also from the participants... Don't be careless, and be wary of those people."

Xia Wuji's eyes flickered. "Brother Huang, don't get discouraged so quickly. While this assessment emphasizes strength, there's also an element of luck."

Xu Lan, standing beside them, took a deep breath. "Brother Huang, we must give it our all and strive to enter Azure Star Academy. Otherwise, our Xu family and your Huang family will likely no longer be able to establish ourselves in the Great Chu Dynasty."

Xia Wuji's eyes flickered. He naturally knew what Xu Lan was worried about.

Huang Hu and Xu Lan were too close to him!

If they could enter Azure Star Academy, the Huang family and the Xu family would be safe.

But if they failed.

The power of the Great Chu Imperial Family could easily make their two families vanish into thin air.

Huang Hu's mood became even heavier, and he lost the mood to speak further.

The three walked in silence until they reached the plaza.

Above the plaza, a vortex was slowly rotating. The inside of the vortex was pitch black and unfathomably deep.

"What is that?" Xu Lan stared at the vortex, a strong sense of unease rising in her heart.

Huang Hu also looked puzzled. "Why do I feel like the inside of this vortex is a passage?"

Xia Wuji also looked up at the vortex. He calmly said, "Brother Huang is right. This is indeed a passage. This passage connects to a special space, a space also known as a Secret Realm."

Upon hearing the word "Secret Realm," Huang Hu and Xu Lan's breathing became more rapid.

These were legendary things!

Xia Wuji continued, "If I'm not mistaken, the venue for the third practical assessment is within this Secret Realm!"