Hu Lianfeng knew that the Free and Unfettered Art could be cultivated beyond the Grandmaster Realm, and his mood improved considerably.
Seeing Hu Lianfeng in high spirits, Ye Wudao asked softly, "Second Master, who destroyed the Xiaoyao Sect back then?"
Hu Lianfeng glanced at Ye Wudao, knowing what he was thinking. He shook his head and said, "Forget it. The Xiaoyao Sect's affairs have nothing to do with you."
"To be honest, I never thought I'd be able to avenge the Xiaoyao Sect in this lifetime."
Ye Wudao pressed his lips together. Judging by Hu Lianfeng's reaction, the Xiaoyao Sect's enemy seemed incredibly powerful.
Hu Lianfeng didn't want him to take risks, so he had chosen not to tell him.
Just then, Zhang Hankuang cut in. "If Old Ghost Hu won't tell you, I will!"
"The Xiaoyao Sect was destroyed by Li Chenghua's Ten Thousand Laws Sect."
Hearing this, Hu Lianfeng scolded him. "Why are you sticking your nose in?"
"You're only going to get Wudao killed by telling him!"
"Li Chenghua is a Peak Grandmaster. Wudao can't possibly deal with him."
At that, Zhang Hankuang sneered. "Hmph! If you ask me, you old fool, you've lost your marbles."
"Don't forget, Wudao's only been practicing for less than a month."
"Besides, Wudao has already mastered the method for cultivating a Martial Dao Golden Core."
"Do you really think that, given enough time, Wudao won't rise beyond the Grandmaster Realm? Why should he be afraid of one Li Chenghua?"
Hu Lianfeng furrowed his brows, then looked at Ye Wudao. His expression soon softened.
He said quietly, "There's a rumor that Li Chenghua is a descendant of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect from over four hundred years ago."
"That man is a sinister character. Don't even think about the Xiaoyao Sect's feud, and don't go up against him unless you've reached beyond the Grandmaster Realm."
Listening to the two men, Ye Wudao was utterly confused. He hurriedly asked, "Li Chenghua? The Ten Thousand Laws Sect? The Ten Thousand Demons Sect?"
"Masters, could you explain a little more clearly?"
Zhang Hankuang shook his head and said softly, "To be honest, we don't know much about him either. You can ask your Great Master. He might know more."
Hearing Zhang Hankuang say this, Qin Tianlong explained, "Like my father, Li Chenghua was among the first people to enter the Body Tempering Realm when Martial Path cultivation revived on Blue Star."
"But he had a remarkable talent for the Martial Path. He didn't begin cultivating until he was in his thirties, yet he reached the Houtian Realm in his forties, the Xiantian Realm in his fifties, and the Grandmaster Realm in his seventies."
"In an era when cultivation resources were scarce, he was a genius among geniuses!"
"After reaching the Grandmaster Realm, Li Chenghua founded the Ten Thousand Laws Gate. It's been around for over eighty years now."
"The Ten Thousand Laws Gate's main duty is to collect martial arts techniques and manuals from across the land for Li Chenghua. That's why they've destroyed no fewer than twenty sects over the years, including the Xiaoyao Sect."
"On top of that, Li Chenghua has a secret technique called the Demonic Cloud Palm. Many people say he's a descendant of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect."
"The Ten Thousand Demons Sect was a sect from four hundred years ago. Its members all practiced demonic arts, growing stronger by devouring other people's cultivation and draining the blood essence of weaker martial artists."
"Back then, everyone wanted the Ten Thousand Demons Sect dead, but no one could stand against it."
"It wasn't until Zhang Sanfeng, the last Land Immortal, burst onto the scene four hundred years ago that the Ten Thousand Demons Sect gradually fell apart."
He paused, then looked at Hu Lianfeng and said softly, "The Ten Thousand Demons Sect is just a legend now. It happened hundreds of years ago, so there's no way to verify it."
"But your Second Master is right. Li Chenghua really is a sinister character."
"In today's Martial Dao World on Blue Star, Li Chenghua's combat strength is firmly among the top three."
"So don't approach Li Chenghua before you reach the Peak Grandmaster Realm."
Ye Wudao nodded and said quietly, "I understand!"
He thought, Once I've advanced beyond the Grandmaster Realm, I'll avenge the Xiaoyao Sect!
After all, having learned the Free and Unfettered Art made him half a member of the Xiaoyao Sect.
After that, the three masters in Cell No. 1 started chatting. Ye Wudao listened on and off.
They talked about the current state of the Martial Dao World, which would be a great help when he left prison and ventured into the world.
As he listened, he cultivated the Ten Thousand Fusion Art.
Perfecting the new Ten Thousand Fusion Art required one hundred million points of technique proficiency, about the same as the Overlord Spear.
After he circulated the technique for one full cycle, its cultivation efficiency rose again, reaching 3,200 points of technique proficiency per minute.
After ten cycles, the same notification as before appeared: the technique was incomplete!
At this rate, it would take him twenty-four days to perfect the Ten Thousand Fusion Art.
He then cultivated the One Qi Transforming Profound Art, raising its cultivation efficiency to 160 points of technique proficiency per minute.
In the days that followed, he practiced the Overlord Spear during the day and went to the Rift World at night to kill demonic beasts.
Two days later, his cultivation advanced to the Xiantian Minor Accomplishment!
On the fifth day, the One Qi Transforming Profound Art reached perfection, but the Ten Thousand Fusion Art was still incomplete, so he couldn't fuse in a new technique.
On the sixth day, his cultivation advanced to the Xiantian Great Accomplishment!
On the twelfth day, his cultivation advanced to the Xiantian Peak!
On the twentieth day, as Ye Wudao was cultivating, he suddenly heard the system notification.
He knew he had advanced to the Grandmaster Realm!
The next second, a vast sea of Xiantian True Qi surged straight from his dantian into his brain.
A sharp pain struck, making his body tremble instinctively.
"Pop..."
Immediately afterward, it was as if something in his mind had been unlocked.
Ye Wudao knew this was a sign that his upper dantian had opened!
"Bzzz..."
Suddenly, a strange wave of energy spread from his body.
Guided by this energy, his Xiantian True Qi poured wildly out of him.
Eyes closed, he felt the power.
The Grandmaster Realm was about refining the spirit—refining mental power!
After opening his upper dantian, his consciousness had transformed into mental power, which could control the flow of Xiantian True Qi.
Once he drew his Xiantian True Qi back in, he spread his mental power across Cell No. 1, then slowly extended it outward.
As his mental power expanded, he could even see the entire First Prison. But he still couldn't pierce the reinforced concrete and see what was happening in the other cells.
He could only weakly sense that a few people were inside and get a rough idea of what they were doing.
He couldn't make out their faces or see what clothes they were wearing.
This was another use of mental power: sensing movement within its range!
It was also what made Grandmasters so formidable: they could anticipate hidden dangers before they struck.
At the same time, mental power could control objects and launch long-range attacks.
How heavy an object someone could control depended on the strength of their mental power.
The other three people in Cell No. 1 had all been startled awake by the commotion Ye Wudao had caused.
Hu Lianfeng stared at Ye Wudao in shock, then asked Qin Tianlong beside him, "Elder Qin, has he advanced to the Grandmaster Realm?"
Qin Tianlong nodded solemnly. "Releasing mental power—that's the sign of the Grandmaster Realm!"
Zhang Hankuang swallowed, then said quietly, "This kid's only been cultivating for a little over a month, if you count it all up!"
"The Grandmaster Realm! That's a height most martial artists can never reach in their entire lives!"
Hu Lianfeng shot Zhang Hankuang a glance and laughed. "The day Wudao reached the Xiantian Realm, he was already someone you could never catch up to."
Hearing this, Zhang Hankuang replied dismissively, "Tch! At least I still have a chance of reaching the Xiantian Realm!"
"You'd be lucky to break through to the Houtian Peak in your lifetime!"
At that moment, Ye Wudao opened his eyes and looked down at himself.
He was still covered in black, slimy residue, but there wasn't much of it!
One change was especially obvious: his skin had become smooth and dewy, like a newborn baby's.
Qin Tianlong looked at Ye Wudao and asked, "Wudao, how do you feel?"
Ye Wudao nodded and said softly, "I feel great!"
Qin Tianlong pressed his lips together and asked, "So when are you planning to leave prison?"
Ye Wudao thought for a while. He already had enough points to reduce his sentence to nothing.
But he only had 250,000 points so far and had only been promoted to Silver Demon Slayer. He was still some way from becoming a Gold Demon Slayer.
He had also learned about some of the privileges of a Gold Demon Slayer, and one of them had caught his interest.
A Gold Demon Slayer could command the Demon Slayer Garrison stationed in the city where they were currently based.
If he was going out for revenge, he needed to be prepared for anything.
The Demon Slayer Garrison would be his best trump card.
In fact, the highest rank in the Demon Slayer Guard system was currently Gold Demon Slayer—even the several Grandmaster Realm Peak Founders held that rank.
To a certain extent, being a Gold Demon Slayer meant wielding the highest authority within the Demon Slayer Guard system.
Sometimes, simply slaughtering your enemies didn't feel satisfying.
Crushing them under the rules, instead, felt far more gratifying.
He didn't just want revenge. He wanted to utterly crush those people!
He shook his head and said quietly, "I don't plan to leave prison just yet. I'll go once I've become a Gold Demon Slayer."
Qin Tianlong said, "At your current pace, it'll probably take you another year to become a Gold Demon Slayer!"
Ye Wudao shook his head. "Now that I've reached the Grandmaster Realm, I can kill third-tier demonic beasts much more efficiently."
"I'll be able to become a Gold Demon Slayer in ten months at most."
"That'll be the day I leave seclusion!"
Qin Tianlong nodded slightly. "As long as you're sure."
Before you continue