Entering the Three Passes

In the blink of an eye, two days passed.

[Cloud Sway Sword Art, Part 1: Perfection (Sword Insight +5)]

Comprehension +5

Lifespan +5

[Realm: Ascending Dragon, Second Pass, Qi Circulation Initial Stage (166/500)]

To master a part of a sword manual in just two days, looking at it this way...

In twenty days, he would reach perfection in Qi Circulation, then break through the barrier to enter the third pass of Ascending Dragon, the Qi Sea realm.

The gold content of 94 Comprehension was truly terrifying.

No, it was 99 Comprehension now.

Therefore, his cultivation speed would only grow faster from here; perhaps he wouldn't even need twenty days to fully master the Qi Circulation stage.

Furthermore, a single Qi-Boosting Pill, which normally helped a cultivator for five days, only lasted Yu Xiu one day.

This meant that not a single shred of the Qi-Boosting Pill was wasted on Yu Xiu; he absorbed it all, with an efficiency far exceeding that of others in the same Qi Circulation realm.

Thirty Qi-Boosting Pills were already enough for Yu Xiu to complete the entire Qi Circulation realm.

In a flash, another half-month passed.

[Cloud Sway Sword Art, Part 10: Perfection (Sword Insight +5)]

[Flying Rainbow Sword: Perfection (Sword Insight +5)]

[Realm: Ascending Dragon, Second Pass, Qi Circulation Perfection (Ready to break through)]

[Comprehension: 149 (94+55)]

[Lifespan: 16/224 (169+55)]

[Sword Heart: Hidden Edge (1/500)]

149 Comprehension, 224 years of lifespan!

Yu Xiu paid little attention to his cultivation base.

Because his current Comprehension was too high—it had broken past 100 and was infinitely close to 150.

Even the Great Four Passes could not block his path forward; he would likely continue to advance by leaps and bounds even within them.

He had mastered the Qi Circulation-level sword technique, Flying Rainbow Sword, in a single day.

In just over half a month, he had completed the entire Qi Circulation realm.

Before this, it had taken him nearly three years just to reach the Entry and Flawless stages—a difference as vast as clouds and mud compared to now.

Finally, Yu Xiu turned his gaze to the newly appeared "Sword Heart: Hidden Edge."

This had evolved after his Sword Insight surpassed 100.

The Qingwei Sword Sect cultivated the Sword Dao; they practiced the sword and studied the sword.

Those profound in the Sword Dao possessed a body like a sword, a heart like a sword, and a spirit like a sword; only when these three merged could one obtain a "Sword Heart."

What was the use of a Sword Heart?

Those who attained a Sword Heart gained Sword Intent, and Sword Intent needed no explanation—with the augmentation of Sword Intent, even a wooden sword could shatter metal and sever jade. The deeper the Sword Intent, the greater the power.

Sword Intent was the most intuitive manifestation of power.

But a Sword Heart provided more than just Sword Intent; it resided in the heart and the spirit.

It could clarify the heart and nourish the spirit.

By clarifying the sword within the heart, one could sever all distracting thoughts and sense the soul of the sword; practicing the sword would be as if aided by a god, with cultivation efficiency doubling, tripling, or even increasing tenfold compared to normal.

By nourishing the spirit in the Life Palace, one's mental state would flourish until it was as blazing as the sun.

Hidden Edge lay in the act of hiding; great skill often appeared clumsy, with sharpness tempered within.

When the sword was drawn, others would not perceive a thing; by the time the sharpness erupted, life and death had already been decided.

And this Hidden Edge did not just hide the sharpness of the sword; it could conceal one's aura and everything else as well.

Yu Xiu had once heard the Elder of Merit Transmission say that a Sword Heart had nothing to do with the level of one's cultivation.

Some could form a Sword Heart after only a year of practice.

Others, even after a hundred years of cultivation and becoming experts of the Great Four Passes, could never form one.

I have formed a Sword Heart! Yu Xiu let out a soft breath.

The sword in his hand seemed different, as if it possessed a faint life, its connection to him deepening until it showed signs of becoming a part of his own body.

As he moved the sword, Sword Intent emerged, faintly revealing an indestructible sharpness.

This is Sword Intent!

It is a pity that my Sword Heart has only just formed, and my Sword Intent is still too weak.

Yu Xiu was not discouraged.

Sword Heart transcends Sword Sense, yet it is also built upon it.

Although the panel displayed Sword Heart: Hidden Edge 1.

In reality, it was more than just 1.

His Sword Sense prior to this was 85, and after mastering the ten chapters of the Cloud Sway Sword Art and the Flying Rainbow Sword, his Sword Sense had reached 140.

He had calculated that roughly 100 points of Sword Sense could increase his Sword Heart by 1.

This meant that with another 60 points of Sword Sense, his Sword Heart would increase by another +1.

Today, I shall break through the second stage of Ascending Dragon and enter the third stage, the Qi Sea.

Once he entered the third stage of the Qi Sea, he could enter the Inner Court.

Once the Qi Sea was cultivated and he reached the Life Spring, he would no longer fear Fang Jiming of the Inner Court. He could venture out to subdue demons and slay monsters, and he would never lack contribution points.

By then, he would master every technique, sword art, and sword manual in the Inner Court's library until they were all perfected.

At that time, his comprehension would surely break ten thousand, and his lifespan would likewise exceed ten thousand.

Develop, I must develop with all my might!

Once he entered the Main Sect, who could possibly contend with him for the position of True Disciple?

However, before entering the Inner Court, there were a few fellows who needed to be dealt with.

Ascending Dragon third stage, Qi Sea!

Yu Xiu chanted silently in his heart. The internal Qi within his body flowed through his limbs and bones like ten thousand rivers returning to the sea, finally surging into his Qi Sea.

In an instant, the third stage of Ascending Dragon, the Qi Sea Realm, was achieved.

There was no bottleneck, nor did any obstacle exist; it was all so natural, a case of water flowing to form a channel!

Inner Demon! Yu Xiu waited quietly.

But there was no movement at all!

Could it be that this Inner Demon is cunning and wants to manifest when I am at my most relaxed?

Yu Xiu remained unmoved, nor did he let his guard down.

However, half an hour passed, and still, there was no sign of movement.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

So, the Shadow Demon also requires time to gestate! Yu Xiu began to understand.

It had only been half a month since he broke through to the Qi Circulation Realm, and the Shadow Demon within him likely hadn't had time to gestate again.

Breaking through too quickly isn't necessarily a good thing.

He had wasted an opportunity to obtain a spiritual item.

Yu Xiu felt a tinge of regret, but it didn't matter.

He did not rush to enter the Inner Court, but instead headed straight down the mountain.

At the foot of Mianzhu Mountain lay a city called Qingwei City.

Although this city was not the largest in Yan Province, it existed because of the Qingwei Sword Sect. Most of those who stayed here were people who had failed to be accepted as disciples of the Qingwei Sword Sect, along with the families of disciples and retainers. From time to time, disciples would also gather in this city to trade spiritual items.

Consequently, Qingwei City was quite bustling, with no shortage of merchants or rogue cultivators.

Almost as soon as Yu Xiu descended the mountain, in a bamboo hut also located in the Outer Court, the effeminate-looking youth Yun Mo's eyes lit up: "Coming down the mountain at this time? Yu Xiu, oh Yu Xiu, it seems entering the Qi Circulation Realm has given you immense courage!"

It was a pity that having entered Qi Circulation for less than a month, what kind of reputation could he possibly have built? Judging by Yu Xiu's previous cultivation progress, in half a month, he would at most have stabilized his strength at the early stage of Qi Circulation.

Looking at the others, the one among them who had entered Qi Circulation for the shortest time had been there for at least half a year; no matter how one calculated it, Yu Xiu could not compare.

"Good. Although there are patrolling disciples in Qingwei City, making it impossible to kill him, it won't be difficult to make him pay a price, damage his foundation, and ensure he remains stuck at the early stage of Qi Circulation forever, or even cripple his cultivation entirely." The gaunt-faced youth Xu Fang's eyes glinted with cold intent.

Qingwei City, East District, street.

An old man and a young girl, who appeared to be grandfather and granddaughter, walked along the street. The old man looked to be over seventy, while the girl was only twelve or thirteen.

"They've caught up after all!" The old man's expression remained normal, but deep within his eyes, an indelible sense of worry and urgency could be seen.

"Grandpa Dong, they..." The twelve or thirteen-year-old girl was somewhat frightened, clutching the old man's sleeve.

"This is Qingwei City; they wouldn't dare act recklessly." The old man gently patted the girl's hand to comfort her.

"That thing..." The girl subconsciously pressed her hand against the wooden box held to her chest.

"The thing that the entire Cui family sacrificed their lives to protect—even if it costs this old man his life, it must never fall into the hands of these beasts!" A fierce aura appeared in the old man's eyes.

Behind the old man and the girl, several figures walked unhurriedly down the street, appearing to be mere passersby, yet their gazes fell upon the pair intentionally or otherwise from time to time.

"Since things have come to this, I might as well have a good meal first." Yu Xiu had not noticed those fellows following him, but he knew that they would definitely come.

Therefore, he made his way to the East District and entered the Eight Treasures Pavilion.