Sunlight slanted through the crack in the door and spilled into the room.
Li Ye slowly opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and completely at ease.
He got up, put Flower Demon's clothes into his Spatial Storage Bag, then washed his face and brushed his teeth.
After washing up, Li Ye checked the time.
Three days had passed.
The Golden Ginseng should have steeped long enough.
Unable to wait, Li Ye took out the wine gourd and opened it. The liquor, which had been a bright orange-yellow, had turned a rich golden color.
A rosy glow spilled out, and Spiritual Qi billowed like mist.
The aroma of wine mingled with the medicinal fragrance, making his mouth water. Its energy was astonishing.
"Three days of steeping, and the liquor's already this potent. No wonder it's Golden Ginseng."
Li Ye marveled.
Then he hurriedly sealed the gourd.
The medicinal fragrance was too strong. If it drifted out of the courtyard, it would bring trouble he didn't need.
"Within six months, Mad Devil will very likely reach the second layer of the Object Manipulation Realm."
"Cultivation alone isn't enough to stand against someone in the Object Manipulation Realm. It touches on the mysteries of the 'Dao.'"
"Of course, raising my cultivation is essential, but if I want to contend with someone in the Object Manipulation Realm, I'll have to practice the sword."
"My Sword Intent is only at one-tenth mastery. If I break through to two-tenths, three-tenths, or even higher, I should be able to fight someone in the Object Manipulation Realm."
Li Ye pondered.
He planned to use the Immortal Slaying Devil Sword to refine the medicinal power of the ginseng wine.
Before long, Li Ye put on the Shapeshifter Mask, changed his clothes, and arrived at a valley near the Corpse Refining Courtyard.
A babbling brook ran before him. Wildflowers bloomed along its banks, and the scenery was beautiful—a perfect place to practice.
"Good. I'll practice my sword here from now on."
Li Ye murmured, formally announcing to nature that he was claiming the place as his Dao Field.
He took the wine gourd out of his Spatial Storage Bag, uncorked it, and gulped down a large mouthful.
The next instant, his face and skin flushed red. His blood and qi surged violently, and the domineering medicinal power seemed ready to burst out of him.
His meridians felt as if they were about to explode. Heat seeped from his body, and the swelling discomfort was unbearable.
"Ah..."
Li Ye couldn't help letting out a long cry.
Then he summoned the Profound Ice Sword and slashed through the air.
Boom!
A surging red sword beam burst forth. The water exploded, sending dozens of columns skyward, while rocks and trees shattered.
Li Ye didn't pause. He kept swinging his sword.
His blade swept like a raging storm, shrouding the lush branches and leaves. He thrust dozens of times in succession, yet not one leaf fell, and not a single branch was severed.
Every thrust struck precisely through a narrow gap between the leaves and branches.
This was the first form of the Immortal Slaying Devil Sword—Dripping Water.
Li Ye maintained that state as he continued to strike, chop, slash, sweep, and thrust. His moves changed without pause, each one flowing seamlessly into the next, perfectly timed.
Having comprehended Sword Intent, Li Ye had broken free of the constraints of sword techniques and entered a realm where he could wield them at will.
Gradually, a faint Daoist aura enveloped him, and the power of his swordsmanship grew.
As Li Ye swung his sword again and again, circulating his inner strength, the Golden Ginseng's medicinal power was quickly refined into every part of his body.
Half a day passed. He didn't feel tired at all; instead, his eyes shone with vitality.
His cultivation continued to increase.
By afternoon, he had finally absorbed all the medicinal power from the mouthful of ginseng wine he'd drunk that morning.
"This medicinal power is too strong. With my current physique, I can only drink one mouthful a day."
"Any more, and my meridians start to feel uncomfortable."
Li Ye murmured.
Seeing that it was getting late, he set off for the Corpse Refining Courtyard.
On the way, he took the Corpse Incinerator's clothes out of his Spatial Storage Bag and changed into them, then removed the Shapeshifter Mask.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Li Ye saw the Corpse Incinerators, led by Sun He, talking by the entrance and couldn't help asking.
"It's Brother Li Bai."
"Brother Li Bai, did you hear? One of the Black-Clad Academicians from our Corpse Refining Courtyard was murdered at home last night. The courtyard's higher-ups and the Licheng City authorities were all alerted."
"No, I heard that man was an Imperial Guard planted in our Corpse Refining Courtyard by the Imperial Court."
Sun He and the others eagerly recounted what had happened to Li Ye.
So news of Wei Bo's death had already spread.
Li Ye wasn't particularly surprised. He feigned shock and asked, "What? An Imperial Guard from the Imperial Court?"
Sun He nodded. "Yeah. I heard he was from your Courtyard No. 3. The authorities' investigation concluded it was suicide."
Someone immediately objected. "How could a perfectly healthy man kill himself? He was definitely murdered."
Li Ye asked, "How did the people in charge of the Corpse Refining Courtyard react?"
A Corpse Incinerator named Zhao Zhou answered, "What do you expect? An Imperial Guard from the Imperial Court had infiltrated the Corpse Refining Courtyard, and no one would've known until someone killed him."
"I just saw a bunch of higher-ups come back with dark looks on their faces."
The outcome was just as Li Ye had expected.
What would the higher-ups of the Corpse Refining Courtyard think, with an Imperial Guard from the Imperial Court among them?
They would surely think the Imperial Court had its eye on them.
No wonder they weren't smiling.
After chatting with Sun He and the others for a while, Li Ye went back to prepare for work.
When he wasn't sleeping at night, he absorbed Spirit Stones to cultivate.
To help Flower Demon deal with Mad Devil six months from now, Li Ye had practically turned into a cultivation fanatic.
Midnight came.
The Daily Divination skill refreshed.
Li Ye woke from his cultivation.
He was going to divine Red Fox.
So he silently recited the incantation.
Buzz!
The skill activated, and the Mental Magnetic Field around Li Ye shifted.
He could sense the Great Dao Heavenly Secrets hidden in the unseen.
It was as if he had become the master of the world.
Everything about Red Fox surged into Li Ye's mind like a flood.
Red Fox: birth name Sun Changsheng, eighty-one years old.
Ancestral home: Yunzhou.
Cultivation: first layer of the Object Manipulation Realm.
Temperament: cold and ruthless, vicious and merciless.
Hobbies: women, bloodshed, unstable emotions.
Location: Tian City, Central Continent.
Superior: Black Robe.
With a simple overview, Li Ye divined all this information.
"Loves women, loves killing, and has an unstable temper? No wonder this old man hasn't been promoted in decades with the Imperial Guards."
"Looks like he was born to be a lackey."
Li Ye thought.
As he had guessed, the man was far from Licheng City, in Tian City, Central Continent.
The Central Continent referred to the dozens of cities surrounding the capital of the Great Gan Dynasty.
Tian City bordered the capital.
It was too far away. Li Ye couldn't possibly travel there to kill him.
Even if he did, he might not be a match for Red Fox.
"I'll let Red Fox live a little longer."
"Tomorrow night, I'll divine Black Robe and his superior. Following that trail, I'll uncover the mastermind sooner or later."
Li Ye thought to himself.
It didn't matter if he couldn't avenge himself yet, but he had to find out who his enemy was.
Since he'd slept last night, Li Ye decided to stay awake tonight.
He closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
In the blink of an eye, dawn arrived.
Li Ye found that he had nearly absorbed his second Mid-grade Spirit Stone.
A moment later, he put on the Shapeshifter Mask, changed his clothes, went to the brook, and took a long swig from the wine gourd.
Then he began to explore the Way of the Sword.
At the time, it had taken Li Ye only a few hours to comprehend the mysteries of the first level of Sword Intent.
But yesterday, he had practiced all day without breaking through. Still, he could clearly feel that his Sword Intent had grown much stronger.
Boom!
A faint aura of the Great Dao encircled him. Destructive Sword Intent erupted, and a gale immediately whipped up around him, hurling sand and stones through the air.
The sky and earth grew dim.
Li Ye swung his sword, and layer upon layer of Sword Intent spread outward like towering waves.
Today, his sword's force was clearly stronger than yesterday's.
His strikes were faster and fiercer, too.
With each swing of Li Ye's sword, the Golden Ginseng's medicinal power was refined into every inch of his skin, flesh, and bones.
His strength soared. Fine red Electric Arcs covered his body, shining brilliant and dazzling.
His strength was now seventy-six thousand catties.
Afternoon came in a flash.
From noon onward, Li Ye's sword's force had begun to surge.
His Sword Intent grew denser.
He felt as if he were grasping the deeper essence of the Way of the Sword. Countless sword moves flickered through his mind, taking shape with every swing of the blade in his hand.
His eyes were filled with Sword Intent.
Suddenly, he caught a flash of insight in his mind. His gaze sharpened, and a terrifying beam of light seemed to shoot from his eyes.
"Two-tenths Sword Intent—break through!"
Li Ye roared, his hair flying as an incomparably sharp aura suddenly burst from his body.
The sword in his hand rang in response.
Then he swung it.
Rumble!
The sword's roar rolled like crashing waves, and a blazing sword beam surged forth.
The world above Li Ye flickered between light and darkness. The red sword beam he had carved through the sky shone like lightning in a rainstorm.
In the blink of an eye, it landed on a small mountain a hundred meters away.
Boom!
The next instant, the sword beam exploded, blasting the mountain to dust. Hundreds and thousands of tiny red Electric Arcs scattered, piercing rocks and trees.
Explosions rang out in every direction as dust billowed into the sky.
The land ahead was a scene of devastation.
Li Ye stood where he was, sword hanging low, Sword Intent shielding his body. The aura of a breakthrough swirled thickly around him.
That single strike had done more than break through his Sword Intent—Li Ye's cultivation had also reached the fifteenth level of Body Tempering.
Strength: eighty thousand catties.
"One-tenth Sword Intent condenses into sword momentum, sweeping like a gale."
"With two-tenths Sword Intent, the flying sword rings out with a piercing roar. It's the next transformation of sword momentum."
"Three-tenths Sword Intent should be... a sword's roar like thunder."
"But with my current strength, I should be able to make Flower Demon fight seriously."
"At the very least, we should be evenly matched. I won't end up as miserable as last time."
Li Ye murmured.
Suddenly, his expression shifted. He sensed something.
His figure blurred and vanished from where he stood.
The next instant, several young figures appeared amid the ruins Li Ye had carved out ahead.
Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be disciples of the Divine Concealment Sect.
"What powerful Sword Intent!"
"Someone was practicing the sword just now."
The young people cried out in surprise.
Before you continue