"Senior Sect Master, we Sword Cultivators value clarity of the sword heart. The Medicine Manor's ancestors rendered great service to the Sword Sect. Handing this girl over goes against our Sword Dao!"
"The Great Li Imperial Family has deep foundations, but our Sword Sect is no weaker! Why are you compromising today, Senior Sect Master?"
Ling Xuzi's eyes were full of confusion. Manager Li's eyes, meanwhile, were full of wariness. Judging by the situation, they should have had the upper hand. He never expected the Senior Sect Master to choose compromise.
The Sword Sect Master glanced at Ling Xuzi and couldn't help shaking his head. This junior apprentice brother of his was full of righteous energy and was indeed a rare talent.
But a blade that was too rigid would break. If he didn't change his temperament, sooner or later he would suffer a great loss.
"Junior Brother, this is only one of my Divine Souls. Manager Li is wary of the Sword Sect, this colossal entity, not this Divine Soul of mine."
"If Manager Li had attacked with all his might, I'm afraid this Divine Soul of mine and all of you would have been wiped out by him."
"What? That so-called Manager Li actually has such Peerless Mystic Methods!"
Ling Xuzi could barely keep his body steady. In that beam of light just now, he had sensed a power capable of destroying heaven and earth. He never imagined that the Senior Sect Master would say Manager Li hadn't even used his full strength.
Could this man's cultivation truly have reached such a heaven-defying level? And just how deep were the Great Li Imperial Family's foundations, if any random person they sent out possessed such invincible might?
The Sword Sect Master stood in midair, the hem of his Daoist robe snapping in the wind. Seeing the horror on Ling Xuzi's face, he couldn't help throwing back his head and laughing.
"Hahahaha! Junior Brother, this man's Peerless Mystic Methods are the least of it. He's probably only two steps away from the Gods of Heaven and Earth."
Ling Xuzi was utterly shaken. He couldn't believe he had just fought such an existence. It had been like a mayfly trying to shake a tree—he hadn't known the immensity of heaven and earth.
"But don't worry, Junior Brother. I let him take Medicine Girl away not because I fear him. The Medicine Manor once saved our Sword Sect, and even if our lineage were wiped out, we would never stand by and watch them suffer."
The Sword Sect Master continued explaining, "There are three reasons for my actions, Junior Brother. First, the Great Li Imperial Family's fortune is waning. It can no longer withstand the slightest turmoil, or it will collapse completely. That's why I threatened him."
"Second, the Imperial Lord of Great Li is nearing the end of his Lifespan. He intends to destroy the Medicine Manor only for the Secret Realm from a thousand years ago. According to rumors, that Secret Realm contains life-extending immortal pills and Immortal Herbs."
"Third, I just read Medicine Girl's fate. She is blessed with tremendous fortune and is destined for great achievements. She isn't someone fated to die young."
Ling Xuzi could just barely convince himself after hearing the first two reasons. But when the Sword Sect Master gave the last one, his expression changed instantly, and he could no longer remain calm.
"Senior Sect Master, you... what did you just say? You... you can read... read her fate?"
"Could it be that you... you've already entered the Fa... Fate Realm?"
When the Sword Sect Master nodded, Ling Xuzi stood rooted to the spot like a wooden post. After a long while, he threw back his head and laughed like a fool, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes.
No wonder the Senior Sect Master had compromised. He had already reached the Fate Realm and could glimpse a corner of destiny. He had seen the fortune and misfortune awaiting Medicine Girl on this journey. Such a Divine Ability was no different from that of a God.
The world praised him as a peerless sword prodigy, one the Sword Sect had not seen in three hundred years. Only he knew that the Senior Sect Master before him was the true genius of the Sword Dao.
Now that he had entered the Fate Realm, his cultivation was enough to rival the Sword Sect Ancestor's. He was truly only one opportunity away from becoming one of the Gods of Heaven and Earth.
After hearing the Sword Sect Master's final words, Jian Xuzi finally let go of his last doubts.
"Junior Brother, this Divine Soul of mine is about to dissipate. Stay in the Imperial Capital. Once Medicine Girl has escaped this calamity, bring her to the Sword Sect."
"I will obey your decree, Senior Sect Master."
Beside a window in the Hanlin Academy.
The shock in Ye Jing's eyes lingered. Like a wooden statue, he stared out at the high sky. The battle outside had ended long ago, and not a single figure remained overhead, yet Ye Jing still hadn't turned away.
Only when someone nudged him did Ye Jing finally come back to his senses.
The three people who had fought earlier had unleashed terrifying auras. Though they were high in the sky, far from the Hanlin Academy, the pressure they gave off still made Ye Jing's heart shudder.
The eunuch who appeared afterward was even more terrifying. Ye Jing had watched the entire battle without the slightest distraction, yet he hadn't noticed how the eunuch had appeared at all.
The eunuch hadn't released any aura. He seemed like a frail, hunched old man, but that casual glance from him had made Ye Jing feel as if he'd fallen into mortal peril. The sword intent within him had nearly burst out of his body, beyond his control.
The phantom that appeared afterward was just as terrifying. Ye Jing had only taken a brief look at him, but the man's sword intent had seemed boundless, like a vast ocean.
He had no idea what kind of beings these two mysterious powerhouses were in all of Great Li, or how many others like them existed throughout the empire.
A trace of relief flashed through Ye Jing's eyes. Fortunately, this was the Imperial Capital. Out of regard for the lingering might of the Great Li Imperial Family, the two Peerless Powerhouses had held back. Otherwise, if they'd fought with no restraints and unleashed their full strength, the entire Imperial Capital might have been destroyed.
Still, Ye Jing's heart remained heavy with worry. Though Great Li was now in decline, its lingering authority remained, and the empire could still maintain the appearance of stability.
If Great Li collapsed, there would be no order left anywhere in this land.
Especially when the Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm arrived: those Peerless Powerhouses would fight over resources. If another battle like this broke out, a mere shockwave might kill him.
Strength. It all came down to strength. Though he had already reached the Grandmaster Realm, compared to those two Peerless Powerhouses, he was nothing but a slightly bigger ant.
Before the Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm arrived in full, he had to improve his strength as much as possible.
Sigh, who knew what fate awaited Medicine Girl after that eunuch took her away? Such a pity about that Secret Realm. Ye Jing took an Ancient Jade from his robe, a trace of regret in his eyes.
When he had comprehended all the mysteries of the Pill King's Precious Mirror, Ye Jing had glimpsed a corner of that Secret Realm. Thousand-year-old medicines carpeted the land, and there were dozens of Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Kings. There were even several Immortal Herbs from legend.
Now that he had reached the Grandmaster Realm, he could refine some high-grade pills.
If he could enter that Secret Realm and refine its Medicine Kings and Immortal Herbs into immortal pills, his strength would make a qualitative leap.
But Yao Qingyin had been taken away by people from the Great Li Imperial Family. Her prospects on this journey looked grim, and the Secret Realm was probably beyond his reach as well.
It was a pity his strength was still too weak. Otherwise, for the sake of the Immortal Herbs in that Secret Realm, he might have risked everything.
Suppressing his wild imaginings and calming his mind, Ye Jing picked up the history book beside his desk and began reading with keen interest.
Before you continue