"Don't worry, Senior Brother."
Li Xiaoyu gave a slight nod, his tone still calm. "I'll be there on time, Junior Brother."
With that, he didn't spare Shen Tiandou another glance. He turned toward Shang Zhengliang on the high platform, bowed, then silently withdrew into the crowd.
Just like that, he easily defused the whole incident.
The disciples in the Martial Arts Arena watched Li Xiaoyu's retreating figure, their expressions changing.
If his breakthrough had merely shocked them before,
then the composure and keen mind he had shown just now truly filled them with awe.
That former genius hadn't only regained his cultivation; his state of mind seemed even more unfathomable than before.
Seeing himself become a laughingstock in everyone's eyes, Shen Tiandou trembled with rage. Yet there was nothing he could do, so he could only engrave this debt deep in his heart.
On the high platform, Shang Zhengliang had taken it all in. At last, a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Unassuming and steady, reserved yet with his edge concealed.
This was what a pillar of talent capable of shouldering great responsibility looked like!
He cleared his throat and announced the end of the meeting. Only then did the disciples begin to disperse.
Chu Yuhong hurried over to Li Xiaoyu and gave him a thumbs-up, admiration written all over his face.
"Xiaoyu, you were amazing just now! A few words were all it took to leave Shen Tiandou speechless!"
Li Xiaoyu smiled. "It was just a bit of verbal sparring, nothing worth mentioning."
"That wasn't just verbal sparring!"
Chu Yuhong said seriously, "Shen Tiandou's always thrown his weight around on the peak, relying on his status as the eldest senior brother. Seeing him finally get put in his place by you today feels great!"
He paused, then asked with some concern, "But are you really confident you can beat him in the minor tournament a month from now? He's already at the fifth layer of the Jade Purity Realm, a whole realm above you."
A confident light flashed in Li Xiaoyu's eyes.
"A month from now, it's still too early to say who'll win."
He offered no further explanation, only patting Chu Yuhong on the shoulder.
"Come on. Let's go back and cultivate."
Watching Li Xiaoyu walk away with such ease, Chu Yuhong froze for a moment, then smiled as well.
He had a feeling that Morning Sun Peak was about to see a change in the wind.
Once back in his wooden hut, Li Xiaoyu immediately shut the door and set up a simple alerting ward.
It was crude, but enough to warn him if anyone approached.
He immediately took from his robes the Wine Gourd that had changed his fate.
The Immortal-Slaying Gourd!
Li Xiaoyu sat cross-legged and placed the gourd before him, letting his mind sink inside once more.
Within the gourd lay a wondrous space.
It was about ten zhang across. Murky gray currents of air swirled around its edges, while a sea of churning golden mist filled the center.
This golden mist was one of the Immortal-Slaying Gourd's core functions. It devoured the spiritual energy of all things, refining and purifying it into spiritual essence.
Li Xiaoyu could sense that this golden mist was of far higher quality than the spiritual energy he had cultivated through the Taiji Profound Clarity Path.
It was the nourishment from this spiritual essence that had sent his cultivation soaring overnight, from the second layer of the Jade Purity Realm to the fourth.
Now, however, the golden mist had dwindled considerably since the night before.
Evidently, helping him break through had consumed a great deal of spiritual essence.
"Looks like this gourd needs to 'eat' too," Li Xiaoyu murmured.
His gaze passed through the swirling golden mist and settled on the very core of the space.
There, a golden thread as fine as a strand of hair hung motionless.
It looked so tiny, so fragile.
Yet the moment Li Xiaoyu saw it, his soul ached with pain, as though an peerless divine weapon were pressed to the spot between his brows.
Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi!
This was the Immortal-Slaying Gourd's most powerful trump card!
According to the information that had flooded into his mind, this sword qi was a postcelestial strand of sword energy, condensed through immense magical power by Yun Zhongzi. It imitated the peerless sharpness of the ancient innate spiritual treasure, the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife.
He didn't understand what "innate" and "postcelestial" meant.
But just from the terrifying sword intent of this strand of sword qi,
he could feel the supreme, unyielding sharpness of Geng Metal within it.
It seemed capable of piercing anything and cutting through everything!
That alone told him it was extraordinary.
Li Xiaoyu's heart raced. He tried to touch the strand of Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi with his own will.
"Buzz!"
The instant his will drew near, an aura of utmost sharpness erupted with a roar!
Li Xiaoyu grunted. His soul seemed on the verge of being torn apart by that aura, and he hurriedly pulled his will back.
His face had gone pale, and his heart still pounded with lingering fear.
Terrifying!
Just getting close had nearly damaged his soul.
How terrifying would its power be if he released it?
Li Xiaoyu had no doubt that even experts at the higher levels of the Jade Purity Realm, or even powerful cultivators of the Upper Purity Realm, would be unable to withstand a single strike from this sword qi.
It was unquestionably his strongest life-saving trump card at this stage!
However, he had also learned from the gourd's information that using this sword qi came with severe limitations.
There were two ways to use it.
The first, and the most powerful, was to activate the entire strand with a secret technique and shoot it straight at a locked-on enemy.
Once unleashed, it would shake heaven and earth, driving ghosts and gods away.
But the price was that this hard-earned sword qi would be completely consumed.
Nurturing another strand would require an enormous amount of resources and a very long time.
It was a tactic that took both fighters down. Unless his life was on the line, he must never use it lightly.
The second method was gentler.
He could draw off a wisp of sword qi and infuse it into his flying sword or another magical treasure.
That way, even an ordinary sword of mortal iron could briefly gain an edge comparable to that of a divine weapon.
What's more, this method barely consumed the sword qi itself. As long as it was replenished with enough spiritual energy, it would recover quickly.
"That's a pretty good option."
Li Xiaoyu considered it.
He had just received the Autumn Water Sword from his master, an excellent magical sword.
If he used it as a vessel and infused it with a wisp of Geng Metal Sword Qi, then its power...
He couldn't even begin to imagine it.
He'd probably even dare to take on a Jade Purity Realm expert at the eighth layer, like Qi Hao of Dragon Head Peak.
After his excitement subsided, Li Xiaoyu regained his composure.
He turned his attention back to the golden mist inside the gourd.
This was the spiritual essence produced by the gourd after devouring and refining spiritual energy. It could nourish him and improve his cultivation, but it could also be used to nurture the sword qi.
"Looks like I'll have to cultivate on two fronts from now on."
Li Xiaoyu now had a clear plan.
On one hand, he would work hard to cultivate the Taiji Profound Clarity Path and raise his own realm.
On the other, he would do everything he could to find heavenly treasures and earthly riches to feed the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and strengthen the Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi.
That was his greatest asset for survival!
He withdrew his mind from the gourd and let out a long breath.
The road ahead was full of challenges, but his heart was brimming with resolve.
Li Xiaoyu stood and walked to the window, pushing it open.
The afternoon sun was warm. In the courtyard, a few butterflies fluttered among the flowers.
Everything seemed so peaceful and beautiful.
A determined light shone in Li Xiaoyu's eyes.
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