Minor Sacred Token Hides Secrets, Sword Qi is Near for All Things

The journey back was no longer accompanied by spring rain. The setting sun in the sky raced against the wind, with rays of light secretly illuminating it from behind, casting a golden glow upon the road leading to Lin'an.

Inside the luxurious carriage, Lin Zhuifeng chattered incessantly, venting the shock and excitement in her heart.

Lin Qingyin sat quietly within, her lips pursed as she listened, smiling from time to time.

An Le sat upright, the Bamboo Sword Green Mountain at his waist, and the Ink Pool resting across his lap. He appeared very peaceful. To an outsider, one might think he was the genius favored by the Mountain Lord and who had obtained the Minor Sacred Token, rather than the excitedly unrestrained Lin Zhuifeng who was waving a fire poker.

The sun sets on the western peaks, broken clouds paint the sky with a thousand miles of lingering red.

Accompanied by the afterglow of the spring rain, the carriage traveled back to Lin'an Prefecture, where the lights were just beginning to twinkle.

After alighting from the carriage, An Le, with two swords at his waist, smiled and bid farewell to Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin. After the carriage gradually disappeared at the end of Qingbo Street, he turned and headed towards Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley.

Dressed in white, with a smile on his lips, An Le was in a good mood.

His cultivation had broken through, and he had also gained the precious sword Ink Pool and the Minor Sacred Token, naturally filling him with joy.

As he approached the courtyard gate, he paused slightly. Standing before the entrance was an elder in plain, wide-sleeved robes, holding a bamboo staff. In his hand, he carried a pot of wine and a packet of oil-paper-wrapped beef.

Upon seeing An Le return, the elder's long eyebrows relaxed slightly. He raised the wine and meat in his hands.

An Le's smile widened, and he quickened his pace, jogging to the courtyard gate. He took out his key and opened the door to enter.

A moment later.

In the courtyard after the fresh rain, wine and meat were being enjoyed at a small table.

An Le shared a drink with the elder, celebrating his acquisition of the Minor Sacred Token on the Sixth Mountain that day.

The setting sun blazed, its golden light scattering across the mortal world.

The elder held the Ink Pool, squinting as he examined it. "The Sixth Mountain Lord hides three thousand swords in his scabbard, claiming to possess all the swords in the world, from the swords of celestial beings to the swords of the mortal realm."

The elder's fingers, like withered branches, brushed across the sword's edge. The Ink Pool trembled slightly, and the sound of a sword's hum filled the courtyard.

"This Ink Pool is quite interesting. It's as if it's crafted from ink wash, a sword for painting and calligraphy. Its current rank is only a sixth-grade sword artifact, but it suits you well. You excel at painting, and by nurturing the sword with your art, you can increase the Ink Pool's rank. Coupled with the Minor Sacred Token it contains, its future rank might even break its current limit."

The elder praised.

An Le smiled, "My Body Forging has just entered the second realm. The Ink Pool is most suitable for me. To blindly pursue high-grade sword artifacts without being able to unleash their power is meaningless."

The elder picked up a piece of beef and chuckled, "It's excellent that you can be so carefree."

"Now that you have obtained the Minor Sacred Token, I must remind you of something. Those who obtain the Minor Sacred Token will be listed on a ranking, known as the Minor Saint Ranking, which is arranged by the holders of the Minor Sacred Tokens."

"Obtaining the Minor Sacred Token is one of the conditions for conversing with the Sacred Master, but you must be in the top three of the ranking to have a chance. This is also a test."

An Le was stunned by this revelation.

"How to improve your ranking is simple: challenges."

"If you win, you can move up in rank. However, each holder of a Minor Sacred Token has only two chances to fail."

"After failing twice, the Minor Sacred Token will shatter, and you will be removed from the list. Therefore, challenges must be made with caution."

The elder drank his wine and chuckled.

An Le's expression gradually turned solemn.

"As for the specific ranking, you will know once you go to the Lin Manor. I won't say more."

The elder didn't continue discussing these matters. The two of them, with their old yellow wine, admired the setting sun and chatted about their insights into painting bamboo.

When the moon hung high in the sky, the wine was finished, and the meat was gone, the elder stood up, brushed off his plain robes, and left the courtyard with his bamboo staff.

"With the Minor Sacred Token, you will soon be famous in Lin'an. Various glories, riches, and decadent temptations will come your way. Uphold your true heart, forge ahead with determination, and you will not betray your talent or Green Mountain."

The elder stood in the alley, reminding him earnestly and sincerely.

An Le bowed deeply to the ground.

"This humble one will remember."

Hearing this, the elder turned and walked away. In the moonlit alley, the sound of his bamboo staff tapping echoed, gradually fading into the distance.

An Le withdrew his gaze and returned to the courtyard. He sat down on a chair, the three-foot Ink Pool resting on his lap. Bathed in the cool spring night breeze, his thoughts gradually calmed.

Although he had obtained the Minor Sacred Token, the pressure he would face next had increased even further.

Having obtained the Minor Sacred Token, he was naturally unwilling to stagnate and not progress. He was determined to ascend and meet the Sacred Master, who was even more mysterious and powerful than the Yuan Meng Emperor.

Therefore, advancing on the Minor Saint Ranking and achieving the top position in the imperial examinations were mountains he had to overcome.

In the coming days, he would need to remain humble and avoid complacency.

He would study, cultivate, nurture his sword, and reflect upon himself.

Exhaling a breath of stale air, An Le stood up and tidied the courtyard. He moved the potted plants left by the former landlady to the edge before beginning his practice of the Five Animals in the moonlight.

With his Body Forging cultivation stepping into the second realm, forging the Spirit Bone of Sword Qi, and the circulation of his Blood Essence, the latent power erupted. Carrying the might of the Sword Qi Spirit Bone, his strength was far greater than in the first realm.

The Tiger Style became even more ferocious. As his movements transitioned, he truly resembled a multicolored fierce tiger, roaring in the mountains and forests, even drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Afterward, he practiced the Deer Style, Bear Style, Ape Style, and Bird Style, with each style's power greatly enhanced. On the Sixth Mountain, bathing in sword rain and tempering the Five Animals had yielded immense rewards.

A moment later, his boiling Blood Essence slowly subsided. An Le collected his thoughts, closed his eyes, and felt the changes in the latent power within his Spirit Bone, the sudden increase in strength and explosive power.

The moon was high in the sky, and the cold night deepened.

An Le sat cross-legged under the old locust tree, closing his eyes to enter samadhi and begin his spirit refinement visualization.

On the Sixth Mountain, although he hadn't broken through the Fetal Respiration realm to step into the third stage of spirit refinement, Transcendence, which involved transcending the mundane, Madam Hua had once said this realm was crucial—a transformation of one's spiritual essence.

An Le valued this greatly. As he visualized, the moonlight seemed to be drawn to him, showering his body as if he were clad in a pure robe.

In his Niwan Palace, between his brows, a phantom image of a sword pool appeared, permeating his surroundings.

Sword light flickered through the void, dreamlike and illusory.

The Ink Pool, placed on his lap and nurtured by his mind, trembled slightly, as if wanting to soar into the sky, circling his body and darting around.

However, it was still a bit short. If he had achieved spirit refinement Transcendence, perhaps he could have easily controlled the sword to rise and fall.

Suddenly, An Le's consciousness drifted into the body of the Ink Pool sword, where a wisp of sword qi circulated.

In An Le's perception, it was pure, majestic, and sharp.

His consciousness gradually sank into the Ink Pool. The Ink Pool sword seemed to have truly transformed into a pool of ink-colored water, carrying An Le's consciousness deeper within.

This was the secret treasure contained within the Minor Sacred Token, and also a humble gift from the Sacred Master.

When An Le opened his eyes, he saw a scroll slowly unfurling.

Ink bled and spread, revealing a painting.

An Le gazed at the painting, feeling that every blade of grass, every leaf, every drop of water within it... could become a sword. All things in heaven and earth contained sword qi!

Sword qi was within reach!

This was a sword control technique, a very pure sword move!

It was also what An Le had gained after obtaining the Minor Sacred Token this time!

It wasn't a spirit refinement cultivation method, nor a body tempering technique, but purely a swordsmanship skill. It didn't even have a name, as if it were just a random ink wash painting that An Le had captured and observed.

Under the old locust tree, An Le's consciousness withdrew from the Minor Sacred Token within the Ink Pool. Beneath his pupils, a flicker of sword light seemed to flash.

He stood up, no longer able to control his facial expression. He grinned, brought his two fingers together like a sword, and lightly swiped in front of himself. His consciousness transformed into a fine wisp of sword qi, like the strings controlling a puppet's neck.

The silent Ink Pool suddenly detached from An Le's body and shot out with a whoosh, floating and charging forward at extreme speed, slicing through the air like a fish in a pool cutting through water.

Although it wasn't sword riding, this feeling of controlling a sword artifact from a distance made An Le feel incredibly exhilarated and free!

Under An Le's control, the Ink Pool plunged fiercely into the old locust tree. With a slight tremor, a leaf fell from the tree.

An Le pointed his sword fingers, and the leaves of the old locust tree were manipulated like sword artifacts, soaring through the air like flying swords!

This was the sword control technique from the Minor Sacred Token's secret treasure!

An Le's eyes shone. A blade of grass, a leaf, a drop of water... all things in heaven and earth could contain sword qi. What a domineering sword move!

In his Niwan Palace, the sword pool was boiling. His consciousness seemed to have grown a bit stronger at this moment, bringing him closer to Transcendence.

Outside the alley, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, a two-story pavilion with double eaves at the four corners.

Incense smoke curled faintly.

Zhao Huangting was in the midst of writing with his brush, when he suddenly felt something, turned his head, and looked towards the direction of the small courtyard in the alley.

A hint of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

"The secret treasure left by the Sacred Master in the Minor Sacred Token... he's already grasped it so quickly?!"

"What a monstrous talent..."

Zhao Huangting took a deep breath, then smiled, "My judgment, Zhao Huangting's, is truly sharp."

An Le controlled the sword for a while, his mental energy greatly depleted, and he felt a bit fatigued.

With a thought.

The long-lost light screen appeared.

[Name: An Le]

[Time Qi: 3 strands]

[Time Dao Fruit: Talent of the Ages (Flowing Gold Time Qi 0/2 strands, 0/100 strands), Innate Swordsman (Flowing Gold Time Qi 0/2 strands, 0/100 strands), Collapsing Sword Force (2/10 strands), Fearless Heart, Quenching Demon Ancient Jade]

[Mastered Cultivation Methods: "Sword Waterfall Diagram" (11 strands), "Qi Induction Breathing Technique" (1 strand)]

[Mastered Skills: "Five Animal Body Tempering Technique" (18 strands), "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Incomplete)" (1 strand)]

Hmm?

An Le was startled. He unexpectedly discovered that the light screen had not recorded this sword control technique.

Even common techniques like the "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Incomplete)" could be recorded, but this skill could not.

Perhaps it's because the sword move was purely a technique, making it unrecordable?

Standing in the chilly spring night, An Le pondered.

"The sword move was realized from the Minor Sacred Token. The sword move is nameless. Beneath the sword move, Sword Qi is within reach, capable of empowering all things. Therefore, this move shall be named 'Sword Qi is Near'."

An Le happily named the sword move.

Then, with a thought, he mobilized the three strands of Time Qi he had drawn from the girl who gave it freely. After some thought, he empowered the "Talent of the Ages" entry on the Dao Fruit.

After empowering two strands.

Suddenly, golden flowing light appeared before his eyes. An Le was very surprised to directly obtain a wisp of Flowing Gold Time Qi from the girl who gave it freely.

The golden Time Qi burned like an incense stick.

Images arose like ripples from a stone cast into a lake.