Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion!

"Senior Sister Zhang, lend me your sword!"

Li Yun opened his eyes and spoke calmly.

Zhang Ruohan's eyes lit up. Without another word, she swept up the treasured sword that had been lying on the ground and flung it toward Li Yun.

Li Yun caught the longsword in his right hand, his left hand tucked behind his back.

The sword tip pointed diagonally at the ground.

Paired with his tall, straight figure and handsome face, he actually carried a hint of the bearing of a young, elegant swordsman. As for that aura—there was nothing to criticize. No words could find the slightest flaw in it.

"Senior Sister Zhang, watch closely!"

"I call this swordplay Sorrowful Wind!"

With a flick of his hand, the sword rose with his voice.

A swift sword shadow rapidly stretched out, transforming into a curtain of blades. This opening stroke alone made Zhang Ruohan's eyes shine brightly.

She could feel it. This swordplay truly seemed rather interesting.

So she fixed her gaze upon it and studied it intently.

Then, the sword shadows flowed on without end, carrying the faint sensation of wind beginning to rise. As the sword force spread out and the shadows swayed, they unexpectedly released a soft sword hum, like a muffled sob.

As the sound entered her ears, it faintly stirred Zhang Ruohan's emotions, inexplicably filling her with a sense of sorrow.

Zhang Ruohan was instantly shocked.

Unbelievable!

She was a genuine Innate Master. Her will might not have been as immovable as a boulder, but it was certainly not something a Martial Dao novice in the Body Tempering Realm like Li Yun could shake.

Yet he had firmly affected her with a swordplay he had only just comprehended.

What did that mean?

It meant that if this swordplay were truly cultivated to a higher realm, even to Perfection Realm, even to the point of comprehending its True Intent, then a single strike might be enough to shatter her resolve and trap her in an inescapable illusion.

The outcome went without saying!

"What an incredible swordplay..."

"Li Yun... is even more incredible!"

Before long.

Li Yun finished his set of Sorrowful Wind Swordplay, yet he still felt unsatisfied.

Only after truly wielding this swordplay did he come to appreciate how profound its Conception Realm was. Even Thunderclap Fist and other Martial Arts combined could not hold a candle to it.

The Initiation Realm merely meant touching upon a little of its surface.

To fully unleash this swordplay's power, it still required an Innate Master with Innate True Qi.

He especially wanted to know just what kind of power this swordplay would display in the hands of a true Innate Master.

Thus—

Over the next few days, Li Yun earnestly taught Sorrowful Wind Swordplay to Zhang Ruohan.

As expected of an Innate Master, Zhang Ruohan quickly gained insights under Li Yun's instruction. After reaching Entry Realm, she contemplated it a few times and practiced it a few times, then effortlessly surpassed Li Yun's realm.

The three minor realms of Entry Realm, Initial Accomplishment Realm, and Proficient Realm were achieved almost in one breath.

Only after reaching the Minor Accomplishment Realm did her pace of improvement finally slow.

At this moment—

Zhang Ruohan held her sword in hand, its three-foot azure edge slicing through the Void.

A fierce sword force erupted, blanketing the entire valley. A violent gale suddenly swept through the valley that had previously been silent.

Flying sand and rolling stones, sword marks filling the sky!

A mournful cry that shook the liver and gallbladder rang out as the curtain of swords unfurled.

After hearing only a single note.

Li Yun felt an overwhelming grief surge into his heart, as though his liver and intestines were being torn apart.

Then.

His entire mind went blank. He was completely controlled by that uttermost sorrow, unable to free himself.

Observing it, broadening his horizons—he could no longer care about any of it.

His mind was utterly empty.

His thoughts seemed to have frozen solid.

All things suddenly vanished.

Only sorrow! Sorrow! Sorrow!

He did not know how long had passed.

Only Zhang Ruohan's calls finally woke him.

Seeing Zhang Ruohan's concern-filled eyes, Li Yun nearly burst into tears.

He forced out a smile even uglier than crying.

"Senior Sister Zhang... please have some mercy!"

"What kind of person are you? You only cared about practicing your sword and didn't care whether I lived or died, did you? Do you know how miserable a little shrimp at the Body Tempering Fourth Layer like me felt when that overwhelming sword force came crashing down?"

"Do you know, at that moment, I truly thought the whole world had abandoned me? I was left alone, crying out to Heaven and calling to Earth, but Heaven gave no answer and Earth offered no reply..."

"It was so despairing!"

Pfft!

Zhang Ruohan could not help laughing. Rarely, she began to comfort Li Yun in a gentle voice.

"Alright, alright, alright... I'll be careful next time!"

"I couldn't hold myself back for a moment... but that's your fault too. Who told you to comprehend such an amazing Sorrowful Wind Swordplay?"

"And now you're blaming me?"

"Uh, no, blame me... I was wrong. How about this? To thank you for teaching me so selflessly, aside from the Martial Arts I promised to exchange with you, I'll tell you another secret as well. What do you think?"

"What secret?"

"A secret about Basic Stance Cultivation!"

At those words, Li Yun immediately jolted.

His eyes shone brightly.

"Basic Stance Cultivation really has a secret?"

When it came to that, Li Yun was no longer the least bit sad.

Zhang Ruohan rolled her eyes at him.

"It seems you already know something. Did Zhang Chu tell you? Fine, it doesn't matter... you would have learned sooner or later anyway."

"Have you heard of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion?"

Li Yun: "..."

"Senior Sister Zhang, you really take me for an old disciple who's been in the sect for years, don't you? What Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion? How would I know?"

"Alright, fair enough."

"Though the legend of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion has existed for a long time, not everyone has heard of it. I'll briefly tell you about it, then."

"The Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion was once the strongest ancient sect in our Eastern Cloud Prefecture. At its peak, all of Eastern Cloud Prefecture lay under its rule."

"When the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion still existed, Eastern Cloud Prefecture was practically a small kingdom!"

"But unfortunately, it was destroyed two thousand years ago."

"It was not until roughly seven hundred years ago that the ruins of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion reappeared. They are located within Mount Tianfu at the center of Eastern Cloud Prefecture, jointly guarded by the Four Great Sects of present-day Eastern Cloud Prefecture."

"Although they control those ruins, one cannot enter them at will. To enter the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion Ruins, one condition must be met: comprehend the True Intent of the Twelve Basic Stances!"

"And the more, the better!"

"According to legend, if one can fully comprehend all Twelve True Meanings of the Twelve Basic Stances before turning eighteen, one will have a chance to obtain the most important core inheritance of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion."

"That inheritance is something the Four Great Sects crave beyond measure."

"Yet even after seven hundred years, although the Four Great Sects all intend to treat Basic Stance Cultivation as the foundational Martial Arts compulsory upon entry, no one has been able to comprehend all Twelve True Meanings before the age of eighteen!"

"But you... are different!"

Zhang Ruohan's eyes gleamed. "You have not been here long, yet you have already gained astonishing insight into Basic Stance Cultivation. You have even comprehended the True Intent of the First Stance. If you push yourself harder, you absolutely have a chance to obtain that core inheritance of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion!"