At this moment.
In a cold pool deep within the mountains.
Jiang Li's hollow voice rang out.
A three-inch sword light condensed from three hundred and twenty Spirit Stones slashed down.
The sword shadow was like an aurora, turning sky and light into one color.
Then...
It came crashing down.
Brilliant pale-white sword radiance shot forth like lightning.
In an instant, it cut straight across the Poisonous Serpent's body.
The Poisonous Serpent's hard snake body, which it had been so proud of, was as fragile as thin paper beneath this heaven-shaking sword radiance.
It pierced straight through without the slightest effort.
The unabated slash struck the tranquil lake's surface.
The lake water parted.
Waves rose in a thousand layers.
Plop.
A crisp sound drew everyone's attention.
An unknown time ago, a fine circular wound had appeared above the Poisonous Serpent's upright body. The wound continued to split open until its snake head finally fell off.
It rolled several times across the ground.
The massive snake body also crashed to the ground at that moment.
Blood sprayed across the sky.
Forming a pool of blood.
The Qi Refining Level 7 Poisonous Serpent was dead.
At that moment.
The scene was silent beyond belief.
A falling needle could be heard.
Rogue Cultivator Huang Fei's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
The two Qi Refining stage disciples lying heavily injured on the ground also gaped, looking as though they had seen a ghost.
One sword slaying a dragon.
Was this a tale from storybooks being reenacted?
Although the Poisonous Serpent was not a true dragon in the strictest sense, it still belonged to the dragon kind. With its Qi Refining Level 7 cultivation, it had suppressed both them and their master, while its black scales could not even be broken by spells.
In terms of strength, the Poisonous Serpent was absolutely a top-tier demonic beast among the Qi Refining stage.
It could not be defeated by anyone below the Foundation Establishment Realm.
And now...
What had they seen?
A youth around their age, whose cultivation was likewise only Qi Refining Layer 4, had broken through the Poisonous Serpent's defenses and beheaded it with a single sword strike.
It was simply too shocking.
It was a perfect reenactment of the dragon-slaying feat from storybooks.
To the point that they felt it was unreal.
As though all of this were merely a fleeting dream before their deaths.
For a time.
The entire scene was deathly silent.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Li, standing atop the flying Spirit Boat, stared unblinkingly at that sword strike.
He could not help drawing in a sharp breath.
Even he found the effect of that attack utterly astonishing.
It also allowed Jiang Li to glimpse his future strength.
With merely the Mana of Qi Refining Level 7, a single sword strike would be impossible for anyone below the Foundation Establishment Realm to withstand.
And this...
Was only the entry-level Dragon Slaying Sword.
Beyond that, there were still four great realms: proficient, minor mastery, major mastery, and perfection.
He did not dare imagine just how terrifying the power of this strike would become if he used Qi Refining Peak cultivation to wield the Dragon Slaying Sword at the perfection realm.
Slaying a Foundation Establishment cultivator against the odds was absolutely not just theory.
Just as he was thinking.
A cold mechanical electronic voice pulled Jiang Li's thoughts back to reality.
Ding. The spell "Dragon Slaying Sword" has slain a Poisonous Serpent with one sword strike, bathed in dragon blood, thoroughly comprehended its own true meaning, redefined the words "dragon slaying," and entered the Enlightenment State. A new entry has been obtained. Additional Entry: Dragon Bane. Dragon Bane: Damage against dragon-type creatures +50%. Ding. The Option Mission has been completed. Completion reward: Spell Minor Mastery.
As the system notifications fell silent.
Jiang Li regained control of his body.
He was overjoyed.
Spell Minor Mastery was already the greatest harvest, yet he had not expected the spell "Dragon Slaying Sword" to pull its weight, enter the Enlightenment State, and gain an Additional Entry.
Double happiness had arrived at the door.
No.
It was three joys ushering in prosperity.
The Qi Refining Level 7 Poisonous Serpent was treasure from head to toe.
Its flesh and blood could be used for pill refinement, its scales could be used for artifact refinement, and every part of it could be taken apart and sold for a good price.
Not only could he recoup all four hundred Spirit Stones spent on this trip, he could even make a substantial profit.
With that thought.
Jiang Li formed a hand seal with his Mana.
And stored the Poisonous Serpent's body in his Storage Bag.
After doing all this.
He nodded with great satisfaction.
Then turned and left.
There was no other reason.
Keep a low profile.
He had already sensed a group of cultivators approaching from nearby.
They were most likely the cultivators stationed in Frostfeather City.
Although Frostfeather City was a city under the Cloudmist Dynasty's jurisdiction, it was not far from the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land. He did not want to become famous in the Holy Land, only to make a name for himself outside as well.
Who knew whether some Holy Land disciple would spread his deeds around because of gossip.
Jiang Li thought, the system could be as wild as it pleased, but he still had to lie low.
That was the professional self-cultivation of an undercover agent.
Just then.
Rogue Cultivator Huang Fei finally recovered from his shock.
Seeing Jiang Li preparing to leave, he hurriedly called out, "This young... fellow Daoist, thank you for lending a hand. If not for you, my two disciples and I would have died beneath the Poisonous Serpent's claws."
"Great kindness needs no words of thanks. Please accept a bow from Huang."
Huang Fei solemnly bowed to Jiang Li.
Although he was several generations older than Jiang Li, and his cultivation was several minor realms higher, he deeply understood that the other party was a true dragon soaring through the nine heavens, destined to shake the entire Cultivation World in the future.
He, on the other hand, was merely a Rogue Cultivator nearing the end of his lifespan. Whether he could achieve Foundation Establishment in the future was uncertain.
The gap between them was as vast as clouds and mud.
This bow was one of awe.
Jiang Li's expression shifted slightly.
Yet he did not move aside.
He merely waved a hand.
"It was a small matter, not worth mentioning."
After saying that.
He turned around with easy grace.
And rode the Spirit Boat away into the distance.
Leaving the three of them only with a mysterious and carefree silhouette.
The sight left all three somewhat dazed.
"Master, just who is he?"
The male disciple among the two could not help asking.
Huang Fei watched for a long while before coming back to himself. With a sigh, he said, "If I am not mistaken, he should be a prodigy of the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land. Your master once wished to join the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land as well, but my aptitude was insufficient. Left with no choice, I became a Rogue Cultivator, drifting for half my life, and eventually reached Qi Refining Level 9."
"With such cultivation, I have already been treated as an honored guest in mortal dynasties. Countless times, I have thought that if the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land had given me a chance to prove myself back then, my achievements today would never have been limited to this."
"But now I understand. Compared to the true favored children of heaven in the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land, my little achievement is utterly not worth mentioning."
The male disciple opened his mouth, wanting to tell him not to belittle himself, but swallowed the words before they could leave his lips.
Before the feat of slaying a Poisonous Serpent with a sword at Qi Refining Layer 4, every excuse seemed so powerless.
That was a true prodigy.
Not someone Rogue Cultivators like them could compare to.
At this moment.
Huang Fei seemed to make up his mind.
"He'er, go to the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land. Rogue Cultivators have no future, and shallow waters cannot raise a true dragon. You need a larger stage. You must follow that fellow Daoist's example."
The quiet girl named He'er lifted her bright, lively eyes and silently looked in the direction Jiang Li had departed.
Jiang Li's silhouette seemed reflected in her eyes.
On the other side.
By the time Jiang Li returned to the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land, night had already fallen.
Because he had deliberately kept a low profile, few people knew about this trip.
Everything was as usual.
The calmness put his mind at ease.
Jiang Li could not wait to test the Dragon Slaying Sword at the minor mastery realm.
Mana began surging around him.
A tangible silver-white sword aura condensed in his palm. It was one zhang long, and faint dragon-scale patterns appeared upon the sword aura itself.
Jiang Li fell silent.
For a long while, he could not take his eyes off it.
He reopened the copied Dragon Slaying Sword manual.
And turned to the section on the minor mastery realm.
Dragon Slaying Sword, minor mastery: Mana transforms into aura, six chi in length. The sword body is silver-white and colorless, existing in a semi-tangible form.
Damn.
It was not that he had remembered incorrectly.
The Dragon Slaying Sword he had cultivated was truly different from the normal version.
Other than Mana transforming into aura, not a single detail matched.
And judging from the two versions, his Dragonscale Sword Aura looked more like the sword aura that should result from cultivating the Dragon Slaying Sword.
It was over.
The system had led this spell astray.
It was changing toward the literal meaning of the words "Dragon Slaying Sword."
For a moment, Jiang Li did not know what to say.
Because he also felt that the current Dragon Slaying Sword truly matched those three words: "Dragon Slaying Sword."
Before you continue