Broken Sword

In Poisonous Mist Valley, the disciples of Feiyun Sect and Baiyang Sect stood facing each other, the tension in the air almost solidifying.

The territories of the two sects bordered each other, and open and covert strife had never ceased. Their elders had always been at odds, and their disciples were even more hostile toward one another. Now that they had gathered at the Secret Realm entrance, the conflict had only intensified.

"Zhao Yu, the last time I lost to you in the exchange tournament between our sects, it was only because my luck was poor!" A young man in white martial attire stepped out from the Baiyang Sect crowd. He fixed Zhao Yu with a cold stare. He was none other than Baiyang Sect's foremost prodigy, Lin Jie.

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

Zhao Yu did not even lift his eyelids. His tone carried undisguised mockery. "A defeated opponent. Instead of wasting your breath spouting threats, you'd be better off training for a few more years. Once you can truly beat me, come talk to me then."

"You!" Lin Jie's face darkened with rage as he clenched his fists, the True Qi within him beginning to churn.

If the two sects had not still needed to join forces to open the Secret Realm, he truly wanted to attack on the spot and teach this arrogant bastard a lesson.

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

Yet no matter how fiercely the two sides argued, no one actually made a move.

Everyone knew that without the other side's key, they could not open the Earth Sun Secret Realm at all. If they fell out now, both sides would only lose their chance at the opportunities within.

Just then, the Bronze Gate in the center of the valley suddenly erupted with a strange azure light. The radiance was gentle yet incredibly penetrating, 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 flow, radiating an even denser aura of antiquity.

"The time has come!" A sharp glint flashed through Elder Yin Dang's eyes as he turned toward Elder Wang of Baiyang Sect.

Elder Wang no longer bickered with Elder Yin Dang. He reached into his robes and took out a jade talisman the size of a palm.

The jade talisman was entirely blue-green, with runes carved across it that resembled those on the Bronze Gate. Its shape was precisely suited to fit into the empty space at the center of the gate.

Elder Yin Dang likewise took out an identical jade talisman. Clearly, these were the keys to opening the Secret Realm. Each sect held one, and neither could be missing.

The two men stepped forward at the same time and precisely embedded the jade talismans into the empty space in the gate.

Buzz—

The moment the jade talismans were inserted, the Bronze Gate erupted with blinding white light. A powerful energy fluctuation spread out from the gate, distorting the surrounding air. Seeing this, Elder Yin Dang and Elder Wang immediately withdrew their hands and retreated several steps to avoid being caught in the wave of energy.

The white light lasted for roughly half an incense stick before gradually weakening.

When everyone looked again, the Bronze Gate had already slowly opened. Beyond it was a chaotic space. They could vaguely see the scenes within, yet everything remained indistinct, as though countless secrets were concealed inside.

"All right, the Secret Realm has been opened." Elder Yin Dang turned and instructed the Feiyun Sect disciples.

"Enter on your own. The Secret Realm is fraught with danger, so be careful in everything you do. It's best if you can obtain an opportunity, but if you can't, don't throw your lives away. Remember, safety comes first."

The disciples nodded and responded one after another, their eyes filled with anticipation and tension.

"Let's go!"

Zhao Yu took the lead. With a flash of his figure, he entered the Secret Realm.

Li Yue followed close behind, rushing in with his own team.

Seeing this, the other Feiyun Sect disciples also quickened their pace and streamed into the Secret Realm entrance.

On the Baiyang Sect's side, Lin Jie snorted coldly and led his people inside as well. Although the disciples of the two sects were at odds, they tacitly refrained from fighting over the entrance.

The Secret Realm was vast. There was no need to waste their strength right at the start.

Ye Feng remained where he was, in no hurry to enter.

He looked up at the sky above the Secret Realm entrance and discovered that it was actually a deep, eerie green. The poisonous mist in the air was much denser than outside the valley, but it was currently suppressed by the energy released when the Secret Realm opened and could not greatly affect cultivators for the time being.

"The environment of this Secret Realm is rather peculiar." Ye Feng muttered a remark under his breath, then stopped hesitating and walked into the Bronze Gate.

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

The earth beneath his feet was soft and muddy, carrying a faint trace of moisture. Even a casual wave of his palm made him feel the moisture in the air clinging to his skin, sticky and uncomfortable.

Ye Feng looked around and discovered that he was standing at the edge of a swamp.

Ahead lay a turbid swamp, black sludge bubbling from time to time. Behind him was a dense forest. The branches and leaves of towering trees blotted out the sky, with only sparse sunlight passing through the gaps and scattering mottled patches of light across the ground.

"First, I'll isolate myself from the moisture."

Ye Feng circulated the Azure Origin Art. His dense True Qi formed a thin layer of air around his body, cutting off the moisture in the surroundings. He immediately felt much fresher.

As he considered whether he should head toward the forest or the swamp, his gaze was suddenly drawn to the ground at the swamp's edge.

A sword was planted there. Most of its blade was buried in the soil, leaving only a short section of the hilt exposed, yet it radiated a faint but peculiar aura.

Ye Feng's heart stirred. He hurried over, crouched down, and pulled the sword from the mud. It was a long sword, roughly three feet in length, but its blade was damaged in many places. A section was even missing near the tip. A faint layer of decay covered the blade as well, making it look as though it had been abandoned for a very long time.

Even so, Ye Feng could still clearly sense that this sword was utterly different from ordinary steel weapons.

Held in his hand, it seemed faintly capable of actively absorbing his True Qi, as though it had been born able to merge with a cultivator's True Qi.

"Is this... a Spiritual Artifact?" Ye Feng's pupils contracted, and a wave of pleasant surprise surged through his heart.

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

No matter how sharp an ordinary weapon was, it relied solely on forging craftsmanship. When carrying a cultivator's True Qi, it suffered tremendous losses and could not unleash the full might of the True Qi at all.

Spiritual Artifacts were different. They could carry True Qi perfectly and even amplify its effects, increasing the power of martial techniques severalfold.

Not to mention a Low-grade Spiritual Artifact—even the lowest-grade Mortal Artifact was exceedingly rare among Inner Sect disciples.

Ye Feng had stayed in Feiyun Sect for so long, yet he had never seen an Inner Sect disciple wield a Spiritual Artifact.

"Although it's damaged, as long as I have enough time and materials, it may not be impossible to repair." Ye Feng weighed the Damaged Spiritual Sword in his hand, his face filled with delight.

With this Spiritual Sword, the power of his Wind Shadow Sword Art could increase by at least thirty percent, giving him a few more guarantees of safety in the Secret Realm.

Ye Feng was pondering whether he should find an opportunity to use the system to try repairing the Spiritual Sword when an arrogant voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Kid, what good stuff are you holding?"

Ye Feng turned and looked over. A young man dressed in Baiyang Sect robes was slowly approaching, a playful smile at the corners of his mouth as he greedily stared at the Spiritual Sword in Ye Feng's hand. Ye Feng sensed the other man's cultivation and understood at once.

Qi Gathering Realm Eighth Layer, a full five minor realms above his own.

"A Baiyang Sect disciple?" Ye Feng raised his brows slightly, his tone indifferent.

"Consider yourself perceptive." The young man crossed his arms over his chest, lifting his chin with an arrogant expression. "My name is Wang Hao, and I'm an Inner Sect disciple of Baiyang Sect. Your cultivation is only at the Qi Gathering Realm Third Layer, yet you managed to find such a fine treasure. Your luck isn't bad."

He stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the Spiritual Sword. His tone carried a threat. "How about this? Give me the sword, then sever one of your own arms, and I'll spare your life. What do you say?"

Ye Feng could not help laughing when he heard this. "Do you think you're qualified to negotiate terms with me?"

"Qualified?" Wang Hao looked as though he had heard a joke and burst into laughter. "A Qi Gathering Realm Third Layer cultivator dares talk to me about qualifications? I can crush you to death with one hand!"

Before his voice had even faded, Ye Feng suddenly moved.

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

He had only just obtained this sword and was not yet completely familiar with it. For now, he would use the Hundred Refinements Fine Steel Sword at his waist.

The steel sword left its sheath, and azure True Qi instantly clung to its blade as two-tenths of Sword Intent silently spread through the air.

Ye Feng's wrist trembled slightly, and he slashed toward Wang Hao. It was merely a basic sword move from the Wind Shadow Sword Art, yet with the enhancement of Sword Intent, it became incomparably sharp.

The smile on Wang Hao's face instantly froze. He had thought Ye Feng was merely a minor character he could crush with a casual squeeze, but when the sword wind swept toward him, he finally felt a bone-chilling cold.

The power of this sword far surpassed what a Qi Gathering Realm Third Layer cultivator should possess!

"Not good!" Wang Hao's heart jolted. He no longer dared to be careless and hurriedly erupted with True Qi. Pale yellow True Qi coated his saber as he gripped it with both hands and raised it before his chest.

"Clang!"

Sword and saber collided with a thunderous crash. The azure Sword Qi instantly shattered Wang Hao's True Qi. The force of the backlash numbed both his hands, and his body retreated uncontrollably. He fell back dozens of steps before slamming into a thick tree, the impact snapping its trunk in half at the waist. Only then did he barely stabilize himself.

Wang Hao clutched his numb hands and looked at Ye Feng solemnly. "I didn't expect Feiyun Sect to have a prodigy like you. I underestimated you. But you failed to kill me. Next, it's my turn to attack!"

Seeing that Wang Hao was completely unharmed, Ye Feng felt slightly surprised.

Although he had not used the full force of that sword, it had still possessed the might of the Qi Gathering Realm Seventh Layer. He had not expected Wang Hao to withstand it head-on.

It seemed that prodigies nurtured by sects truly were much stronger than Rogue Cultivators. At the same realm, their combat power was worlds apart.

Before Ye Feng could think further, Wang Hao had already tightened his grip on his saber. The True Qi within him erupted once more, even stronger than before.

Wang Hao pushed off the ground with both feet and shot toward Ye Feng like an arrow. He raised the saber in his hand high overhead, then brought it viciously down toward Ye Feng's head amid a howling gale.

He had used his full strength in this strike, clearly intending to kill him in one blow!