Broken Sword

In the Poisonous Mist Valley, disciples of the Feiyun Sect and Baiyang Sect stood facing each other, the air thick with tension that could almost solidify.

The two sects shared a border, and their covert conflicts had never ceased. The elders couldn't stand each other, and the disciples were openly hostile. Now, gathered at the entrance to the secret realm, their friction only grew.

"Zhao Yu, losing to you in the last inter-sect tournament was just bad luck!" From the Baiyang Sect crowd, a young man in white tight-fitting clothes stepped forward, his eyes icy as he fixed them on Zhao Yu. This was Lin Jie, the top prodigy of the Baiyang Sect.

"This time in the Earth Sun Secret Realm, I'll definitely beat you and reclaim all the face I lost!"

Zhao Yu didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone dripping with undisguised mockery. "A loser like you? Instead of wasting breath on threats, you'd be better off training for a few more years. Come talk to me when you can actually win."

"You!" Lin Jie's face darkened with rage, his fists clenched as his True Qi began to stir restlessly.

If it weren't for the fact that both sects needed to join forces to open the secret realm, he would have struck right then and there to teach this arrogant bastard a lesson.

The surrounding disciples joined in the commotion. Feiyun Sect disciples mocked Lin Jie for "overestimating himself," while Baiyang Sect disciples retorted that Zhao Yu had "just gotten lucky." The arguments grew louder and louder.

But no matter how fierce the quarrel, no one actually made a move.

Everyone knew that without the other sect's key, the Earth Sun Secret Realm couldn't be opened. Tearing apart their alliance now would only cost both sides the opportunities hidden within.

Just then, the Bronze Gate at the center of the valley suddenly erupted with a strange green light. The glow was soft yet piercing, instantly enveloping the entire valley. All the disciples instinctively shut their eyes. When they opened them again, the ancient runes on the Bronze Gate had begun to slowly shift, exuding a denser aura of antiquity.

"The time has come!" Elder Yin Dang's eyes flashed with sharp light as he turned to look at Elder Wang of the Baiyang Sect.

Elder Wang stopped sulking at Yin Dang and pulled a palm-sized jade talisman from his bosom.

The talisman was a bluish-green, engraved with runes similar to those on the Bronze Gate, shaped to fit perfectly into the gap at the gate's center.

Yin Dang produced an identical jade talisman. Clearly, these were the keys to opening the secret realm—each sect held one, and both were indispensable.

The two stepped forward simultaneously and precisely inserted the talismans into the gate's gap.

Hum—

The moment the talismans were embedded, the Bronze Gate erupted with blinding white light. A powerful wave of energy radiated from the gate, distorting the surrounding air. Yin Dang and Elder Wang immediately withdrew their hands and stepped back several paces to avoid being caught in the surge.

The white light lasted for about half a stick of incense before gradually fading.

When everyone looked again, the Bronze Gate had slowly swung open. Beyond it lay a chaotic space, with faint, blurry glimpses of the scenery within, as if countless secrets were hidden there.

"Alright, the secret realm is open." Yin Dang turned and instructed the Feiyun Sect disciples.

"Enter on your own. The realm is fraught with danger. Be cautious in everything. If you can claim a fortune, good. If not, don't lose your lives. Remember, safety comes first."

The disciples nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with anticipation and tension.

"Let's go!"

Zhao Yu took the lead, his figure flickering as he vanished into the secret realm.

Li Yue followed closely, charging in with his team.

Seeing this, the other Feiyun Sect disciples quickened their pace and surged into the entrance.

On the Baiyang Sect side, Lin Jie snorted coldly and led his people in as well. Despite their rivalry, both sects tacitly avoided jostling at the entrance.

The secret realm was vast—there was no need to waste energy at the start.

Ye Feng stood still, not rushing to enter.

He looked up at the sky above the secret realm's entrance and noticed it was a eerie green. The poisonous mist in the air was thicker than outside the valley, but for now, the energy from the realm's opening suppressed it, keeping it from affecting the cultivators too much.

"This realm's environment is quite peculiar," Ye Feng murmured softly. Without further hesitation, he stepped forward and walked through the Bronze Gate.

The moment he passed through the gate, Ye Feng's vision blurred. The next second, he landed in a damp forest.

Beneath his feet was soft, muddy soil with a faint trace of moisture. A casual wave of his hand made him feel the water vapor clinging to his skin—sticky and unpleasant.

Ye Feng looked around and found himself at the edge of a swamp.

Ahead was murky swamp water, with black mud occasionally bubbling up. Behind him stretched a dense forest, where towering trees blocked out the sky, leaving only scattered beams of sunlight to pierce through the gaps, creating dappled spots on the ground.

"First, I'll block out the moisture."

Ye Feng activated the Azure Origin Art, forming a thin layer of True Qi around his body to repel the surrounding water vapor. His body immediately felt much fresher.

He was pondering whether to head toward the forest or the swamp when his gaze was drawn to the ground at the swamp's edge.

A sword was stuck there, most of its blade buried in the mud, with only a short section of the hilt exposed. Yet it emitted a faint, peculiar aura.

Ye Feng's heart stirred. He strode over quickly, crouched down, and pulled the sword from the mud. It was a longsword, about three feet in length, but with multiple chips and gaps—even a missing piece near the tip. A thin layer of rust covered the blade, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.

Still, Ye Feng could clearly sense that this sword was entirely different from ordinary steel weapons.

Holding it in his hand, he could vaguely feel it actively absorbing his True Qi, as if it were naturally meant to merge with a cultivator's energy.

"Is this... a Spiritual Artifact?" Ye Feng's pupils contracted, and a surge of delight welled up inside him.

Ye Feng knew well the difference between ordinary weapons and Spiritual Artifacts.

No matter how sharp an ordinary weapon was, it relied solely on forging techniques. When channeling a cultivator's True Qi, it suffered heavy losses and could never fully unleash the power of that energy.

Spiritual Artifacts were different. They could perfectly carry True Qi and even amplify its effects, boosting the power of martial techniques by several times.

Even a Low-grade Spiritual Artifact—let alone the lowest Mortal Artifact—was extremely rare among Inner Sect disciples.

Ye Feng had been in the Feiyun Sect for so long, yet he had never seen an Inner Sect disciple in possession of a Spiritual Artifact.

"Though it's damaged, given enough time and materials, it might not be beyond repair." Ye Feng weighed the Damaged Spiritual Sword in his hand, his face brimming with delight.

With this spiritual sword, the power of his Wind Shadow Sword Art would increase by at least thirty percent, giving him far more security in the secret realm.

Just as Ye Feng was pondering whether to use the system to try repairing the spiritual sword, a brash voice rang out from behind him.

"Kid, what's that good thing you've got in your hand?"

Ye Feng turned to look. A young man in the attire of the Baiyang Sect was strolling toward him, a playful smirk on his lips and a greedy gleam in his eyes fixed on the spiritual sword in Ye Feng's hand. Ye Feng sensed the other's cultivation level and understood at once.

Qi Gathering Realm, eighth layer—a full five minor realms above his own.

"A Baiyang Sect disciple?" Ye Feng raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone cold.

"Sharp eyes." The young man crossed his arms over his chest, chin lifted, face full of arrogance. "I'm Wang Hao, an Inner Sect disciple of the Baiyang Sect. You're only at the third layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, yet you stumbled upon such a fine treasure—lucky bastard."

He stepped forward, his gaze locked onto the spiritual sword, his voice laced with threat: "Here's the deal—hand over that sword, break one of your own arms, and I'll let you live. How about it?"

Ye Feng couldn't help but laugh at that. "You think you're in a position to bargain with me?"

"Bargain?" Wang Hao laughed as if he'd heard a joke. "A third-layer Qi Gathering Realm brat dares to talk about bargaining with me? I could crush you with one hand!"

Before the words had even faded, Ye Feng moved.

He flipped his wrist and stowed the Damaged Spiritual Sword into his storage ring.

He'd just gotten the sword and wasn't fully familiar with it yet, so for now, he'd rely on the Hundred Refinements Fine Steel Sword at his waist.

The steel sword slid from its sheath, cyan True Qi instantly coating the blade as a sliver of Sword Intent quietly spread.

With a flick of his wrist, Ye Feng slashed at Wang Hao—a basic move from the Wind Shadow Sword Art, but sharpened to a deadly edge by the Sword Intent.

The smirk on Wang Hao's face froze. He'd thought Ye Feng was just some nobody he could crush with ease, but as the sword wind rushed at him, a bone-chilling cold pierced through him.

The power of that strike far exceeded what a third-layer Qi Gathering Realm cultivator should be capable of!

"Not good!" Alarm flashed through Wang Hao's mind. He dared not hold back any longer and erupted with True Qi, a pale yellow aura coating his saber as he gripped it with both hands and raised it to block.

Clang!

Sword and saber collided with a thunderous crash. The cyan Sword Qi shattered Wang Hao's True Qi in an instant, and the recoil numbed his hands. His body stumbled backward uncontrollably, crashing into a thick tree after dozens of steps, snapping the trunk in half before he finally managed to steady himself.

Wang Hao clutched his numb hands, his face grim as he stared at Ye Feng. "I didn't expect the Feiyun Sect to have a prodigy like you. I underestimated you. But since you couldn't kill me, it's my turn now!"

Ye Feng looked at Wang Hao, completely unharmed, and felt a flicker of surprise.

That strike hadn't been his full power, but it had still packed the force of a seventh-layer Qi Gathering Realm cultivator. He hadn't expected Wang Hao to withstand it head-on.

It seemed that prodigies trained by a sect were far stronger than rogue cultivators—at the same realm, their combat power wasn't even in the same league.

Before Ye Feng could dwell on it, Wang Hao had already gripped his saber tight, his True Qi erupting once more, even fiercer than before.

Wang Hao stomped the ground, launching himself like an arrow toward Ye Feng. His saber rose high, whistling through the air as it came crashing down toward Ye Feng's head with brutal force.

This strike was his full power—clearly aiming for a one-hit kill!