A Breeze of Words Clears the Sword Heart

A clear sword chant rang out from the back mountain.

It echoed through the heavens.

Sharp Sword Qi, mixed with Soul Power Fluctuations, could be clearly sensed by everyone in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Inside the room, Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong simultaneously raised their heads and looked toward the back mountain.

"Uncle Sword has emerged from seclusion? So soon?"

Ning Fengzhi was somewhat surprised. In his early years, Chen Xin would often remain in seclusion for half a month at a time.

Now that he was a Level 96 Titled Douluo, Ning Fengzhi had assumed this hurried retreat would last even longer.

Yet only a few days had passed, and he had already emerged.

"Grandpa Sword is out! Yay!"

Ning Rongrong cheered and bounced excitedly.

Grandpa Sword has always doted on me.

If I ask him to plead with Father for me, Father might let me go out.

Watching his unusually delighted daughter, Ning Fengzhi seemed to think of something, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Rongrong, come with me. Let's go find your Grandpa Sword.

"There may be something we need to ask of him!"

At the back mountain, Chen Xin's residence.

Inside the Cultivation Quiet Room, Chen Xin sat cross-legged, suspended a foot above the ground.

Sword Qi surged around him. Soul Power Fluctuations came from his Dantian, rhythmic like the beating of a heart.

Thousands upon thousands of strands of Sword Qi revolved around his body, forming a Sword Circle that expanded and contracted with the fluctuations of his Soul Power.

Suddenly, Chen Xin opened his eyes, and the empty room seemed to brighten.

He sensed two auras entering his residence.

Fengzhi and Rongrong?

Hahaha, I've only just finished cultivating, and Rongrong has already come.

It seems I still hold quite an important place in Rongrong's heart.

Just as he was feeling pleased, another powerful aura appeared within the residence.

Old Bone?

This time in seclusion, my Soul Power has changed. I could break through to Level 97 at any moment.

Perfect. I can show off in front of him!

After all these years, he's still stuck at Level 95. Isn't he ashamed?

If this Old Bone is willing to beg me, I'll share my insights with him!

Whether he succeeds will depend on his own fortune.

And it's all thanks to that kid Yu Mingfei!

Inside the main hall of Chen Xin's residence.

Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong had only been there for a short while when a tall, gaunt old man walked in from outside.

He was Gu Rong, Bone Douluo, one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's two guardian Douluo.

"Uncle Bone."

"Grandpa Bone!"

Before Ning Fengzhi could finish greeting him, Ning Rongrong threw herself into Gu Rong's arms.

She was not at all afraid of his gaunt, terrifying appearance.

"Ah! Rongrong!

"That Sword Man just made a little movement, and you rushed over impatiently.

"It seems Grandpa Bone still doesn't hold as important a place in Rongrong's heart as he does."

A stiff smile tugged at Gu Rong's shriveled face.

The moment Ning Rongrong heard that, she grabbed Gu Rong's arm and shook it as she comforted him.

"Not at all. Grandpa Sword has been in seclusion for several days. Rongrong was just worried about him."

As they spoke, they suddenly turned their heads together.

Chen Xin walked into the main hall with a smile on his face.

"You old bone, just admit defeat!

"You don't rank as high as I do in Rongrong's heart.

"And even in Soul Power Level, you can't compare to me!"

Gu Rong studied the Sword Qi and Soul Power Fluctuations around Chen Xin.

His expression suddenly changed.

The skin on his already skeletal face twitched violently.

"Your Soul Power... broke through again?

"Level 97?"

Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong were both stunned upon hearing this.

They looked at Chen Xin in disbelief.

The difficulty of cultivation for Soul Masters increased with every level.

It became especially evident after becoming a Titled Douluo.

Before Level 95, steady effort still offered some hope of gradual advancement.

But the difficulty of cultivation beyond Level 95 was far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

After Level 95, every further level required the corresponding insights and opportunities.

Ever since Gu Rong broke through to Level 95, he had spent decades going in circles without making any progress.

He had remained at Level 95, unable to advance even an inch.

Chen Xin had gone a step further and broken through to Level 96 long ago, but after that, he too had seen no movement.

Chen Xin smiled calmly and shook his head.

"No, I'm still Level 96."

Gu Rong had just sighed in relief when his expression darkened again.

"Even you have been trapped at this level for so long, then..."

Before he could finish, Chen Xin casually cut him off.

"However, I could break through to Level 97 at any time. I already have one foot across the threshold."

Those lightly spoken words struck Gu Rong like a bolt from the blue.

His already gaunt face widened its eyes, making him resemble a skeleton even more.

"You..."

Gu Rong raised a trembling hand and pointed at Chen Xin, unable to speak.

"Uncle Sword! You're about to break through?" Ning Fengzhi was even more excited.

His usual refined calm and easy composure had vanished completely. His expression was entirely out of control as he looked at Chen Xin with delight.

As the sect's guardian Douluo, Chen Xin and Gu Rong were deeply bound to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. They shared both prosperity and ruin.

If Chen Xin broke through again, it would be tremendous news for the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Grandpa Sword is going to break through!

"Grandpa Sword is amazing! Grandpa Sword is the best!"

Ning Rongrong cheered and leaped from Gu Rong's side to Chen Xin's.

Seeing their reactions, Chen Xin finally dropped his restraint and burst into loud laughter for the first time in a long while.

He had been trapped at the bottleneck for years, but now he had finally seen the light.

How could he not be happy?

But he had not forgotten the person who had helped him make this breakthrough.

As his laughter faded, Chen Xin suddenly looked at Ning Fengzhi with blazing eyes.

Seeing the confusion on the other man's face, he asked urgently.

"Fengzhi, how is that kid Yu Mingfei?

"Have you taken good care of him?

"I owe this breakthrough to a single sentence from him!"

Chen Xin affectionately stroked Ning Rongrong's hair.

When he spoke of Yu Mingfei, the admiration on his face was impossible to hide.

"If not for his words awakening me, who knows when I would have seen through this key point!

"The Soul Core! The thing that appears upon reaching Level 90.

"It's so important, yet I overlooked it for so many years.

"No, not just me. Most Titled Douluo probably failed to notice it as well.

"Otherwise, how could there have been no information about it at all?"

When Chen Xin mentioned Yu Mingfei, embarrassment immediately appeared on Ning Fengzhi's face.

Even Ning Rongrong, who had been jumping around beside Chen Xin, pouted and looked at her father with a hint of reproach.

Hearing an unfamiliar name, Gu Rong could not help asking curiously.

"Yu Mingfei? Who is he? What did he say that made you break through?

"His surname is Yu? Could he be from the Yu Family of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect?"

Noticing Ning Fengzhi's expression, Chen Xin immediately sensed that something was wrong.

He had no time to answer Gu Rong and urgently pressed on.

"What? Did something happen to Yu Mingfei?

"Did Dugu Bo come to snatch him again?

"That Old Poison is utterly lawless! He dares cause trouble even in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!

"I'll go cut him down right now!"

This period of seclusion had allowed Chen Xin to sweep away the dust in his heart. His Soul Power now stood at the threshold of Level 97.

Now, his Sword Heart was Clear, and his confidence had greatly increased.

In the past, he had been wary of Dugu Bo's Poison Arts, afraid that if Dugu Bo went mad, he would implicate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the citizens of Seven Treasure City.

But things were different now. Chen Xin was in peak condition and was confident he could kill Dugu Bo before he allowed the battlefield to spread.

Chen Xin even had a feeling.

Through this battle, he could immediately take that final half-step and reach Soul Power Level 97.

Sword Qi surged around Chen Xin, and his beard and hair stirred despite the lack of wind.

Before he had even finished speaking, he was about to head out and settle things with Dugu Bo.

"Wait, Uncle Sword!"