Entering the Inner Court

Although their expressions were subtle, Yu Xiu could tell that Liu Qingchuan, Shan Yu, and the others were visibly relieved after he refused.

Yu Xiu knew exactly what they were thinking.

It was nothing more than their fear of being implicated by Yu Xiu, who had incurred the enmity of Fang Jiming.

After all, Fang Jiming was already at the fourth stage of the Ascending Dragon, having perfected his Life Spring, and was only one step away from entering the Great Four Stages.

Nowadays, no one could say for sure whether Fang Jiming was at the fourth stage of the Ascending Dragon or had already entered the Great Four Stages.

If he were only at the fourth stage, it would still be manageable; the five of them, having reached the third stage of the Qi Sea within three years, held some weight.

But if he had already entered the Great Four Stages, and Fang Jiming decided to kill Yu Xiu while they were out on a trial together, then all five of them would die!

Without any reason, who would be willing to face life and death alongside Yu Xiu?

Zhao Hong did not seem surprised and smiled, "Brother Yu is being cautious, which is not a bad thing."

He assumed Yu Xiu was guarding against Fang Jiming.

He also secretly felt fortunate for Yu Xiu's choice.

Just then, the gray-haired Elder in charge of imparting techniques arrived in a leisurely manner.

His gentle gaze swept over the disciples gathered in the square, and he sighed, "Three years have passed without you entering the Qi Circulation Realm; it is time for you to go out and gain some experience."

Instantly, the disciples who had not yet entered the Qi Circulation Realm felt disheartened, yet they dared not object.

This was the sect rule, and no one could change it.

However, the Elder then looked at the disciples who had already entered the Qi Circulation Realm: "You must cultivate diligently."

He then instructed a disciple beside him: "Those who have entered the Qi Circulation Realm are to be granted five Qi-Boosting Pills."

Finally, he looked at Shan Yu, Liu Qingchuan, and Zhao Hong, nodding with satisfaction: "You few are not bad."

He continued to instruct his attendant: "Those who have reached the third stage, the Qi Sea, are to be granted ten drops of Hundred Herb Jade Liquid."

Hundred Herb Jade Liquid—a single drop was enough for eight days of cultivation for someone who had just entered the Qi Sea realm and was worth thirty taels of silver.

Ten drops meant three hundred taels; this level of reward was actually quite generous.

The Elder's gaze then shifted and landed on Yu Xiu: "Come forward."

"When you broke through, a Shadow Demon manifested to seize your physical body and disturb your mind. How did you overcome it?" the Elder asked.

Yu Xiu replied, "I overcame it on my own."

"That was too risky. You have good aptitude to reach the Qi Sea in three years; remember in the future, never take such dangerous risks again," the Elder warned.

That won't do. These are spiritual items that can be exchanged for contribution points.

He would have to continue breaking through on his own in the future.

Yu Xiu agreed verbally, but in reality, he remained unmoved.

"Those who have not entered the Qi Circulation Realm, prepare yourselves well. In a few days, you will follow the deacons down the mountain for training!" the Elder announced. "Do not be so resistant or afraid. Over the years, many disciples of this sect have soared to great heights during their training down the mountain, making astonishing achievements thereafter."

He then looked at the disciples who had already stepped into the Qi Circulation Realm: "Although you have entered the Qi Circulation Realm, you must still cultivate diligently and strive to enter the Inner Court as soon as possible."

"The five of you, follow me to the Inner Court!" The Elder walked ahead, heading toward the mountainside.

Not far from Mianzhu Mountain was another mountain, 'Emerald Forest Mountain', where the Inner Court was located. Halfway up the mountainside, there was a rope bridge connecting the two mountains.

As the Elder walked, he explained to the five of them: "The Outer Court focuses on the first two stages of the Ascending Dragon, which are still just the foundation. But the Inner Court focuses on the latter two stages, the Qi Sea and the Life Spring. The difficulty will rise sharply, and the resources required will be much greater."

"None of you come from wealthy families, nor do you have any background. Once you go to the Inner Court, you will inevitably have to take on sect missions to exchange for resources. Remember to be cautious, and then be even more cautious."

"The Shadow Demons and evil spirits down the mountain are fierce and impossible to guard against. Even in some inconspicuous small missions, you might encounter powerful evil spirits or demons at the level of the Great Four Stages."

"While resources are important, you must also understand the principle that a workman must sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well."

The group obediently acknowledged this and thanked the Elder for his guidance.

Once they arrived at the Internal Affairs Hall of the Inner Court, they exchanged their identity tokens and were assigned their living quarters.

The Elder received a significant amount of contribution points at the Internal Affairs Hall.

Liu Qingchuan, Shan Yu, Zhao Hong, Xu Rou, and Yu Xiu could all be considered potential disciples cultivated by the Elder, so they naturally received corresponding contribution points.

Afterward, the Elder returned to the Outer Court, leaving only one sentence: "Cultivate diligently in the future. If you have any matters, you can seek out the Elder in charge of techniques in the Inner Court. This Elder shares the same lineage as me and has some personal ties."

The group bowed and thanked him, watching as the Elder departed.

Whether it was because Yu Xiu and the others had reached the Qi Sea in three years and thus showed great potential, or if this was simply how it was for Outer Court disciples entering the Inner Court, they did not know.

A young male disciple in the Internal Affairs Hall named 'Hao Yuan' led the group, first to their respective residences, and then to a cliff.

This cliff was several dozen feet high, but it looked strange; the cross-section was extremely flat and smooth as a mirror. After who knew how many years, not a single weed or sapling had grown out of it.

Even stranger was that many Inner Court disciples were gathered in front of the cliff, either quietly sensing it, touching it with their swords, or simply standing nearby.

Hao Yuan smiled and said, "This place is one of the wonders of the Inner Court, known as the 'Sword Severed Cliff'."

"Do you know why so many fellow disciples are gathered here?"

Zhao Hong cooperated and asked, "Why?"

Hao Yuan said, "Three hundred years ago, the main sect's true disciple 'Qi Wendao' split the mountain with a single sword strike, cutting it out with sheer force."

"Although three hundred years have passed, the sword intent upon it has never dissipated, which is why not a single blade of grass grows here.

"It is said that a highly gifted master once stood before this cliff, sensed the sword intent of Uncle-Master Qi Wendao, and thereby birthed a Sword Heart.

"That is why the younger disciples all wish to borrow this place to comprehend the sword intent."

Upon hearing this, Shan Yu and Liu Qingchuan's eyes lit up.

"A single sword strike that split a mountain, with sword intent that has lingered for three hundred years?!" Zhao Hong and Xu Rou were filled with yearning.

Only Yu Xiu silently closed his eyes, though he opened them again very quickly.

Three hundred years have passed; the sword intent here has long since thinned. It is no longer possible to use this to comprehend a Sword Heart.

Moreover, he had already birthed a Sword Heart of his own and possessed his own sword intent.

The sword intent of Qi Wendao from three hundred years ago was of no use to him, which was why he remained the most indifferent of them all.

Hao Yuan smiled and said, "There are no restrictions here; in the future, you junior brothers may come here to comprehend the sword at any time."

He then led Yu Xiu and the others to the inner courtyard dining hall and other locations, finally saying, "Since you junior brothers have just entered the inner courtyard, your top priority is to practice the Qi Sea realm cultivation techniques and sword arts. Let's go, I will take you to the Library Pavilion."

Zhao Hong's heart stirred, and she asked, "Senior Brother Hao, is there a significant difference between these Qi Sea realm techniques and those of the Wulou and Qi Circulation realms?"

"A significant difference?" Hao Yuan laughed. "Our Sword-in-Hand lineage still integrates cultivation techniques into sword arts; it is still practicing the sword, but the difficulty is much higher.

"A single Qi Sea realm sword manual contains twenty chapters, corresponding to the nine levels of the Qi Sea, so it is the most time-consuming to cultivate.

"Even for those three highly gifted senior brothers—Zhu Wenjiu, Feng Zhiyuan, and Zhang Yundu—who completed the Wulou and Qi Circulation stages in just one year, it still took them a full year to barely complete the Qi Sea realm.

"Normally, it would not be surprising to remain stuck at the Qi Sea stage for ten, twenty, or even an entire lifetime."

A single Qi Sea realm sword manual has twenty chapters. Yu Xiu's eyes shone brightly.

If he mastered them all to perfection, how much comprehension and lifespan would he gain!

This was a good thing!

As for remaining stuck at the Qi Sea stage for ten or twenty years, Yu Xiu didn't take in a single word.

Go tell that to my comprehension stat of over two hundred!