The First Form of the Demon Extermination Blade: No Demons in the World! Promotion to Chief Elite Disciple

Li Qiming didn't hesitate in the slightest. If merging them would make his talent even stronger, then of course he'd do it!

His blade work flowed like the wind + Innate Blade Sense + Centennial Swordsman = Blade of Peerless Brilliance.

In an instant.

Li Qiming felt as though the steel blade in his hand had begun to "breathe."

Everything in heaven and earth had its own unique frequency. To sense the vibration frequency of an object was to resonate with it.

"Unity of Man and Blade!"

Li Qiming had felt it—the perfect state countless blade-wielders pursued. To him, it was now as simple as drinking tea or water.

He looked at the panel:

[Blade of Peerless Brilliance: A Blade Dao Talent seen only once in five hundred years. Such a Blade Dao prodigy, in any era, would overwhelm countless contemporaries in the Blade Dao! Comprehension Level 20.]

"That incredible?"

Li Qiming was inwardly astonished. His merged talent had left Chen Ajiu's original Blade Dao talent in the dust by a hundred and eight thousand miles.

A thought stirred in his mind.

He looked again at the divine blade technique in his mind...

Though it was still obscure, difficult to understand, and profoundly mysterious, it somehow didn't seem quite so difficult anymore.

Though A-Lian had her eyes closed, her heart was clear as a mirror. She saw everything perfectly.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Li Qiming, confusion filling her gaze.

Was there something wrong with this kid's head?

Why did he look pained one moment, calm the next, and now have the corners of his mouth curling upward?

Had he gone mad?

It seemed this top-tier divine blade technique had driven another self-important young blade enthusiast to madness!

Even prodigies from Kunlun Mountain had reportedly been driven insane by this technique.

"Looks like I'm wasting my time."

A-Lian couldn't help but laugh at herself.

She felt foolish for ever hoping that this utterly ordinary-looking boy before her might possess supreme Blade Dao talent.

"Kid, it's over..."

She was just about to kill Li Qiming with a single slash.

Just then.

Li Qiming slowly opened his eyes.

A flash of golden light passed through them.

At the sight of that mysterious golden light, the hair all over A-Lian's body stood on end, and her heart jolted!

The next moment.

Li Qiming drew his curved blade and slashed at A-Lian.

In a daze, A-Lian saw a Golden Deity Statue towering between heaven and earth. Its expression was compassionate as it stared at her indifferently.

A whisper sounded in her ears: "First Form of the Demon Extermination Blade: No Demons in the World."

A-Lian watched helplessly as the terrifying curved blade came down toward her, her whole body trembling too violently to resist. The terror she had felt when facing this blade back then surged over her like a tide, and memories flooded her mind.

If she took another slash, would she still wake up next time?

Suddenly.

The golden light filling the sky vanished, and all the illusions shattered in an instant. The curved blade in the young man's hand lost its divine might and became ordinary.

By the time it reached A-Lian, it was light as a feather, no stronger than a child's swing.

She casually raised her hand and blocked it with ease.

A-Lian let out a breath of relief and lifted her eyes to the young man.

The boy's face was deathly pale. Sweat poured from his body, and he staggered backward several steps, nearly losing his balance.

Li Qiming had comprehended only half of that slash, and could only execute half of it. Yet even that half-form, not even a complete move, had drained every last bit of his strength, stamina, spirit, and Blood Qi. Even the Flood Dragon Bloodline in his dantian had grown listless.

That slash was beyond what he could use at his current level, even though he had grasped a few superficial traces of it!

"You..."

A-Lian's breathing grew heavy. The talent this young man had just revealed had truly left her stunned.

Even among the supreme prodigies of the great sacred lands, few possessed such Blade Dao talent!

She had only wanted Li Qiming to understand the technique, but she had never imagined he'd make such astonishing progress in less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense!

Had a phoenix of gold really flown out of this chicken coop?!

For a while, A-Lian fell silent.

Could Chen Ajiu have done this?

Thinking it over carefully... absolutely not!

She hadn't expected Li Qiming to give her such a tremendous surprise!

Ten Chen Ajius wouldn't be worth one Li Qiming!

Looking at the young man, now utterly exhausted, she waited a moment before asking, "How long will it take you to fully master this form of the blade technique?"

"I don't know." Li Qiming shook his head.

He truly didn't know.

Even with his improved Blade Dao Comprehension, he had only grasped a tiny fraction of this Divine Skill Fragment.

Besides, the technique's energy cost was simply terrifying.

Even after reaching the Organ Refining stage, whether he'd be able to execute this slash was still an alarming unknown.

What's more, he was only at the peak of Blood Refining right now.

He still needed time to adjust before reaching Bone Refining, and then he'd have to break through the bottleneck.

A-Lian withdrew her eager gaze.

She knew she'd been too impatient.

She had only just realized that this exceptionally talented young man before her was still merely at the Blood Refining stage.

That he could execute half a form of the Demon Extermination Blade was already unbelievable.

After some thought, she said, "I'll give you three years. Within those three years, you must reach the peak of Organ Refining and completely comprehend the fragment of the Demon Extermination Blade technique I gave you!"

"Can you do it?"

"I can..."

Li Qiming forced a grin. Could he really say no?

"Good. Remember your promise. Otherwise, don't blame the blade in my hand for showing no mercy!"

With that, A-Lian's body became a mass of black ink. Like wisps of thin smoke, she drifted away through the crack in the window.

The empty room left Li Qiming feeling dazed.

Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion.

But the actual information about the secret manual in his mind brought him back to his senses. It had all been real.

"Just who is this Demoness A-Lian?! Is she human or a ghost?"

Li Qiming had countless questions.

If she was human, there wasn't a trace of humanity about her.

He was more inclined to think she was a ghost.

Why did she possess such a divine technique?

What would she do once he learned it?

What was her true purpose?!

He shook his head, clearing away his distracting thoughts.

For now, there was no way to see through these mysteries.

All he could do was grow stronger!

Every crisis and every helpless predicament came from not being strong enough!

But before he worked on getting stronger, he needed a good rest.

That half-form of the blade technique had completely drained his spirit, strength, and Blood Qi.

Li Qiming only wanted to collapse into bed and sleep.

But he was also terribly hungry.

He'd just eaten, hadn't he...

Never mind. He'd eat after he woke up.

The next day.

Li Qiming woke up from hunger.

He got up and went to the Martial Hall dining room. He'd missed breakfast, and it wasn't lunchtime yet. The cooks hadn't started preparing the food.

Hunger gnawed at Li Qiming, making him panic. He hurried toward the Martial Hall's main gate, planning to find something to eat on the street outside.

As he reached the gate, several figures hurried inside.

Li Qiming looked up and couldn't help freezing.

At the front was Pavilion Master Long Wuhui, with two elders close at his sides and eight True Disciples following behind.

Everyone carried a trace of Killing Intent, along with the faint smell of blood. Several of the disciples seemed to be injured.

Long Wuhui in particular looked deathly pale. His Blood Qi was clearly depleted, and he had sustained hidden injuries.

"You're... Li Qiming?" Long Wuhui recognized him at a glance and called him by name.

"This disciple is." Li Qiming quickly replied with respect.

"I've heard all about you from Changsheng. You've done very well. Make time today to go to the Martial Records Hall and collect the robes and waist token of a Chief Elite Disciple."

Long Wuhui instructed him.

"Yes." Li Qiming nodded.

Shen Changsheng coughed and reminded him in a low voice, "A Chief Elite Disciple is practically halfway to becoming a True Disciple."

Li Qiming's heart jolted, but he pretended to be excited. "This disciple will always remember Master's cultivation!"

He hadn't really thought about becoming a True Disciple yet, but Chief Elite Disciple... that sounded pretty good.

He'd heard before that the position of Chief Elite Disciple had been vacant for a long time. It was, in a sense, the highest rank beneath the True Disciples.

Long Wuhui nodded.

As if he'd suddenly remembered something, he said, "Yang Mang will be promoted to True Disciple tomorrow, and there'll be a formal apprenticeship ceremony. Qiming, you're now one of the Martial Hall's core disciples, so try not to miss it."

"This disciple will obey."

Li Qiming nodded.

He was surprised, too. He hadn't expected Yang Mang to be promoted to True Disciple!

It seemed that talent really was unreasonable.