Sect Master Senior Brother, You've Stepped Into the Fate Realm!

"Senior Sect Master, we Sword Cultivators value a clear and transparent sword heart. The Medicine Manor's ancestors showed great kindness 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 slouch either! Why must you compromise today, Senior Sect Master?"

Ling Xuzi's eyes were full of confusion, while Manager Li's gaze brimmed with wariness. By all logic, they should have had the upper hand—yet the Senior Sect Master had chosen to yield.

The Sword Sect Master glanced at Ling Xuzi and shook his head. This junior brother, brimming with righteous spirit, was indeed a rare and promising talent.

But what is too rigid breaks easily. If he didn't change this temperament, he would eventually suffer a great loss.

"Junior Brother, this is merely a strand of my divine soul. What Manager Li fears is the Sword Sect as a behemoth, not this soul of mine."

"If Manager Li were to strike with full force, I fear this divine soul and all of you would be annihilated at his hands."

"What? That so-called Manager Li possesses such a world-shaking Mystic Method!"

Ling Xuzi could barely steady himself. In that flash of light just now, he had sensed a power capable of destroying heaven and earth—yet the Senior Sect Master claimed Manager Li hadn't even used his full strength.

Could this man's cultivation truly have reached such a transcendent level? And the Great Li Imperial Family—how deep must their foundations be, for a single person to step forth with an invincible aura?

The Sword Sect Master stood aloft in the air, the hem of his Daoist robe rustling. Seeing the shock on Ling Xuzi's face, he threw his head back and laughed.

"Hahaha, Junior Brother. This man possesses not just a world-shaking Mystic Method—he is likely only two steps away from the God of Heaven and Earth."

Ling Xuzi was deeply shaken. To think he had just crossed blows with such an existence—it was like a mayfly trying to topple a tree, utterly ignorant of heaven and earth's vastness.

"But worry not, Junior Brother. This Seat let the man take Medicine Girl away not out of fear. The Medicine Manor once saved the Sword Sect from calamity. Even if our sect's legacy were to be destroyed, we would never stand by and watch them die."

The Sword Sect Master continued to explain: "Junior Brother, this Seat had three reasons for this move. First, the Great Li Imperial Family's fortune is waning—they can no longer withstand any turmoil, or their house will crumble. Thus, this Seat used threats."

"Second, the Imperial Lord of Great Li's Lifespan is nearly spent. Destroying the Medicine Manor is merely for the sake of that Secret Realm from a thousand years ago. Rumor has it that within that Secret Realm lie life-prolonging immortal pills and Immortal Herbs."

"Third, this Seat just observed Medicine Girl's fate. This girl carries great fortune and will surely achieve greatness in the future—she is not one destined for an early death."

Hearing the first two reasons, Ling Xuzi could barely convince himself. But when the Sword Sect Master gave the last one, his face changed drastically, and he could no longer stay calm.

"Senior Sect Master, you... what did you just say! You... you can observe... observe her fate!"

"Does that mean you... you have already stepped into the Fate... Fate Realm!"

Seeing the Sword Sect Master nod, Ling Xuzi stood frozen like a wooden post. After a long while, he laughed uproariously like a fool, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes.

No wonder the Senior Sect Master had chosen to compromise—he had already reached the Fate Realm, able to glimpse a corner of destiny. He had seen the fortune and misfortune of Medicine Girl's journey. Such divine power was no different from a god's.

The world called him a peerless sword prodigy, the likes of which the Sword Sect hadn't seen in three hundred years. Only he himself knew that the Senior Sect Master before him was the true genius of the Sword Dao.

Now, having stepped into the Fate Realm, his cultivation rivaled that of the Sword Sect Ancestor. He was truly just one opportunity away from becoming the God of Heaven and Earth.

After hearing the Sword Sect Master's final words, Jian Xuzi finally set aside his last shred of doubt.

"Junior Brother, this divine soul of mine will soon dissipate. Remain in the Imperial Capital. Once Medicine Girl survives this ordeal, bring her to the Sword Sect."

"As the Senior Sect Master commands."

By a window in the Hanlin Academy.

The shock in Ye Jing's eyes lingered, refusing to fade. He stood like a wooden carving, staring out at the high sky. Even though the battle outside had long ended and not a single figure remained in the air, Ye Jing did not turn his head.

Only when someone nudged him did Ye Jing finally snap back to reality.

The aura unleashed by the three figures in that earlier battle was terrifying. Even though they fought high above, far from the Hanlin Academy, the pressure they radiated still sent a chill through Ye Jing's heart.

The eunuch who appeared later was even more fearsome. Ye Jing had watched the entire battle without a moment's distraction, yet he hadn't noticed how that eunuch had arrived.

Though the eunuch exuded no aura, looking like a withered, hunched old man, that casual glance had plunged Ye Jing into a sense of immense danger. His sword intent nearly burst forth uncontrollably.

The phantom that appeared afterward was equally terrifying. Ye Jing had only taken a brief look, but he felt the man's sword intent was vast and boundless, like an endless ocean.

These two mysterious powerhouses—what kind of beings were they in all of Great Li? And how many more such figures existed across the land?

A flicker of relief passed through Ye Jing's eyes. Fortunately, this was the Imperial Capital. Out of respect for the lingering might of the Great Li Imperial Family, these two supreme experts had restrained their power. Otherwise, if they had struck with full force without restraint, the entire Imperial Capital might have been destroyed.

Yet worry still filled Ye Jing's heart. Though Great Li was in decline, its residual authority still maintained a semblance of stability across the land.

If Great Li crumbled, there would be no order left on this soil.

Especially as the Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm approached. Those supreme experts, fighting over resources, would clash with all their might. If such a situation arose again, even a mere shockwave could annihilate him.

Strength—it all came down to strength. Though he was already a Grandmaster Realm existence, compared to those two supreme experts just now, he was merely a slightly larger ant.

Before the Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm fully arrived, he had to improve his strength.

Ah, he wondered what fate awaited Medicine Girl now that she had been taken away by that eunuch. What a pity about that Secret Realm. Ye Jing pulled an Ancient Jade from his bosom, a trace of regret in his eyes.

When he had fully grasped the secrets of the Pill King's Precious Mirror, Ye Jing had glimpsed a corner of that Secret Realm. There were thousand-year herbs everywhere, dozens of Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Kings, and even a few legendary Immortal Herbs.

Now that he was in the Grandmaster Realm, he could refine high-grade pills.

If he could enter that Secret Realm and turn those Medicine Kings and Immortal Herbs into immortal pills, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

But Yao Qingyin had already been taken by the Great Li Imperial Family. This journey was likely fraught with peril, and that Secret Realm was probably beyond his reach.

What a pity—his strength was still too weak. Otherwise, for the sake of those Immortal Herbs in the Secret Realm, he might have taken the risk.

Pushing aside his wild thoughts, Ye Jing steadied his mind, picked up the historical records on the desk, and began reading with great interest.