Man-Sword Unity!

The sharp-faced middle-aged man charged at Xia Wuji. With a casual flick of his wrist, the curved saber in his hand slashed out a crescent-shaped blade aura.

True Essence Realm martial artists possessed abundant yuan energy within their bodies, which continuously condensed and liquefied.

Compared to Qi Gathering Realm martial artists, True Essence Realm martial artists possessed vastly greater reserves of yuan energy. More importantly, cultivation at the True Essence Realm allowed yuan energy to leave the body.

Facing the crescent-shaped blade aura sweeping toward him, Xia Wuji showed no fear. He raised his hand in a sweep, Sword Essence surging as sword qi burst forth!

Several streams of sword qi immediately whistled through the air.

Though he was not at the True Essence Realm and possessed only sixth-level Qi Gathering Realm cultivation, he had forged a Sword Seed, using it to imbue his yuan energy with sharpness and transform it into Sword Essence.

Releasing sword qi as an attack was not difficult for him at all.

Several streams of sword qi struck in succession, shattering the crescent-shaped blade aura.

Xia Wuji lightly tapped the ground with his toes and unleashed the Shadowless Wind Step. In an instant, he vanished from where he stood, causing the sharp-faced middle-aged man charging at him to pounce upon empty air.

The man immediately revealed a look of profound astonishment. "Good kid! You're only at the Qi Gathering Realm, yet you can release sword qi beyond your body. It seems you've cultivated some extraordinary technique to possess such a foundation."

"Your background is clearly far more impressive than I imagined!"

"You fat sheep—I'm slaughtering you today!"

He looked exceptionally excited, as if this one job would make him rich beyond his wildest dreams!

As soon as he finished speaking, he launched another killing move.

Xia Wuji stopped evading and engaged him in fierce combat.

For a time, sabers and swords clashed, crisp collisions ringing out without end as blade auras and sword qi erupted one after another.

The cultivation gap is still a little too great. Looks like I'll have to use a true sword cultivator's method, Xia Wuji thought.

At this moment, relying on the unique nature of Sword Essence, the tyrannical might of the True Sun Swordplay, and his abundant combat experience, Xia Wuji could still remain fairly composed against this third-level True Essence Realm opponent. Yet if this continued, he would not be able to finish this fellow off anytime soon.

Little did he know, this third-level True Essence Realm fellow had already been struck with dread. This kid was only at the sixth level of the Qi Gathering Realm, yet he had held out against him for so long...

Where had this monster come from?

Just then.

Clang!

The Jinghong Sword in Xia Wuji's hand suddenly knocked aside his opponent's curved saber.

In that instant, the aura around him changed dramatically.

That sharp edge was like an unstoppable force, intent on cleaving the heavens and shattering the earth, tearing apart heaven and earth, the universe itself!

His entire being and the sword in his hand completely became one, no longer distinguishable from each other.

The sword was the man!

The man was the sword!

Man-Sword Unity!

The sharp-faced third-level True Essence Realm man immediately felt a stabbing pain in his eyes, while the skin all over his body seemed about to be torn apart.

The next moment, intense agony erupted throughout his body.

Xia Wuji's sword had already pierced straight through his chest.

The fierce sharpness invaded his body through the wound, instantly plunging him into torture like death by a thousand cuts.

"Ah!"

"Ahhh!"

Miserable screams rang out, as if a pig or sheep were being slaughtered.

The fellow who had just shouted that he would make Xia Wuji beg for life and be unable to die now found himself wishing he were dead.

Xia Wuji withdrew his sword, frowning slightly. At this very moment, a faint crack had actually appeared in the Sword Seed within his Dantian.

"The Sword Seed is still too fragile. It can barely withstand the power of Man-Sword Unity," Xia Wuji murmured.

A true sword cultivator forged a Sword Seed, condensed Sword Essence, and achieved Man-Sword Unity!

Naturally, Xia Wuji had no need to comprehend any of it, because this was merely a path he had walked before.

Thus, he had effortlessly unleashed the power of Man-Sword Unity just now.

For a sword cultivator, achieving Man-Sword Unity meant truly entering the hall and reaching the inner chamber of this path. One could then be called a Sword Master!

A master to men, a master of the sword path!

Yet everything about a sword cultivator was closely tied to the Sword Seed.

Xia Wuji's Sword Seed had only been forged recently. Even after being tempered by flames, it remained exceedingly fragile. To strengthen the Sword Seed, he needed a great many swords—and good swords at that!

"Ahhh..."

The miserable cries still echoed.

"Spare my life, young master..."

"I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai... Please, young master, show mercy and spare me... Give me a chance to turn over a new leaf!"

Xia Wuji looked at the man rolling on the ground, his gaze icy.

Perhaps sensing Xia Wuji's killing intent, the man hurriedly shouted, "If young master spares me... I'll tell you a secret. There is a tomb in the Monster Suppression Mountain Range, suspected to be the tomb of the Mortal World Sword Master who vanished thirty years ago."

"He was a genuine Core Formation Realm expert. There must be countless treasures in his tomb..."

Xia Wuji's eyes flashed. "Explain clearly!"

Within the Great Chu Dynasty, Core Formation Realm experts were already among the foremost masters. And this had been a swordsman—there might be a spirit sword at his burial site.

Spirit swords stood above treasured swords. Only a weapon with a spirit was the most suitable weapon for cultivators!

This was precisely what Xia Wuji needed!

"Yes... I'll tell you everything..."

"I discovered that tomb with several brothers. It isn't far from here... The tomb is protected by an array. We spent a great deal of time and effort, and we're already close to breaking that array."

"That's why, after everyone worked together to break the array and used up all the resources we had, we needed to replenish them. I was tasked with leaving the Monster Suppression Mountain Range to purchase supplies... Then I ran into you, young master..."

"How am I supposed to believe what you say?" Xia Wuji snorted coldly.

"This... Young master, look..."

The man took out a crystal stone the size of an infant's fist from inside his robes and handed it to Xia Wuji.

"A Yuan Crystal!"

Xia Wuji immediately took the Yuan Crystal into his hand.

This was an extremely precious cultivation resource, containing abundant and pure heaven-and-earth yuan energy. The Xia Family's Sword Pavilion had some influence in the Great Chu Dynasty, yet it could not possibly produce Yuan Crystals to support cultivation.

Xia Wuji examined the Yuan Crystal in his hand. Ninety percent of the heaven-and-earth yuan energy within had already been depleted, leaving only around ten percent.

"Young master, this Yuan Crystal, nearly drained of energy, was obtained when we broke the array at the Mortal World Sword Master's Tomb..."

"Please believe me, young master... Every word I said is true. There isn't the slightest deception. If young master is willing to spare my life, I'll take you there right away, introduce you to my brothers, and we can work together to dig open the Mortal World Sword Master's tomb..."

Xia Wuji sneered. "You want your brothers to help you avenge yourself, don't you?"

"Young master misunderstands... I wouldn't dare..." The sharp-faced middle-aged man burst into tears.

Xia Wuji understood all too well how treacherous human hearts could be. This man was no good person, and those he called brothers were naturally birds of a feather flocking together!

The Jinghong Sword instantly came down upon the man's neck. Xia Wuji shouted coldly, "Tell me everything about that tomb!"

A moment later.

Under Xia Wuji's forceful methods, the man did not dare conceal anything and honestly explained everything. Xia Wuji then slit his throat with a single stroke of his sword, killing him.

Xia Wuji searched the corpse and found some silver notes, along with half a bottle of mid-grade treasured pills called Replenishing Yuan Pills.

He then picked the Crimson Marrow Berries and removed the Black Beard Bear's gallbladder, Beast Core, and paws.

Finally, he picked up the curved saber and the large bow from the ground.

"I'll keep the silver notes and Beast Core for now. They'll be useful later."

"The Black Beard Bear's gallbladder and paws have powerful nourishing effects."

"The Replenishing Yuan Pills and the Yuan Crystal with its remaining ten percent energy can be used directly to improve my cultivation."

"This curved saber is a mid-grade treasured weapon, while the large bow is only a low-grade treasured weapon. After refining them all, they should allow the Jinghong Sword to return to the ranks of top-grade treasured swords."

"Now that I have the Crimson Marrow Berries, I can refine top-grade treasured pills—the Grand Yuan Pill."

"The people excavating the Mortal World Sword Master's Tomb are all True Essence Realm martial artists, and all of them are vicious. Once I convert these gains into strength, I'll go investigate the Mortal World Sword Master's Tomb."

"I came to the Monster Suppression Mountain Range to pick the Crimson Jade Blood Ginseng that was about to mature. Now, a Mortal World Sword Master's Tomb has suddenly appeared—an unexpected windfall!"

Xia Wuji's thoughts were clear.

Then he immediately left the area where the battle had taken place and found a safe, secluded location, intending to make use of the resources in his hands and turn them into strength first!