Saber Technique Breaks Through Again

Over the past two months of cultivation, Chen Changming had been meticulously tending to over three hundred acres of spirit fields. Due to varying planting times and differing maturation cycles, some of the spirit rice had finally ripened after two months.

However.

To Chen Changming's regret, only a small portion of the rice at the mountaintop had reached the quality of Mid-grade Spirit Rice, while the rest remained Low-grade Spirit Rice—though its quality was far superior to ordinary low-grade yields.

He tallied the harvest: this batch totaled one hundred thousand catties, including twenty thousand catties of Mid-grade Spirit Rice.

With such a massive quantity of spirit rice, his Storage Bag was nowhere near large enough to hold it all.

After packing away a portion of the rice, Chen Changming headed toward the Logistics Hall. Along the way, he was startled to find the sect eerily quiet, devoid of the bustling scenes of the past.

Have they all gone to war, or have they all fled?

Chen Changming sighed to himself, a growing sense of foreboding settling in his heart.

At the entrance of the Logistics Hall, Elder Luo was nowhere to be seen. The area was deserted, the great doors were shut tight, and the entire plaza in front of the building was completely empty.

Chen Changming drew a sharp breath.

He had never imagined that the Logistics Hall would be abandoned. Could it be that everyone had truly gone to war?

Just as he turned to leave, he saw an old man in white robes walking toward him with a trembling gait.

"You, a mere handyman disciple—how is it that you haven't fled yet?"

The old man in white approached, looking at the youth before him with disbelief.

"Senior, this junior has been busy tending to the spirit rice and has come to submit the harvest..." Chen Changming bowed respectfully.

The old man's complexion was abysmal; there was not a trace of cultivation aura about him, as if he were a mortal on the verge of death.

"There is no need. Our Lingxiao Sect has emptied its ranks to join the war; there is no one left to collect the spirit rice."

The old man shook his head, then covered his mouth and coughed violently, fresh blood seeping through his fingers.

A gust of wind blew, and his frail, aged frame swayed as if about to collapse.

"Senior, what has happened to you..."

Chen Changming's mood grew heavy.

He had not expected the entire Lingxiao Sect to have mobilized; no wonder the sect was so desolate now.

"I was wounded on the battlefield. Now I am nothing but a cripple, left behind to guard the Logistics Hall," the old man said between coughs.

Chen Changming felt his spirits sink. He left the Logistics Hall and returned to the spirit rice valley.

It was no wonder no outer sect disciples had come by recently; they had all been sent to the front lines.

Looking out over the vast expanse of spirit fields, his gaze grew complex. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact; if the Lingxiao Sect were defeated, this place would likely change hands.

Including this valley.

He did not know how much longer he could hold out. If he could no longer stay here, his only option would be to seek refuge with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

The Ziyuan Secret Realm was a decent place for cultivation, and relatively speaking, it was quite safe.

Chen Changming wandered through the small courtyards at the foot of the mountain and discovered that some people had indeed fled in advance.

However, there were not many who had left—only three or four.

Most people remained in the dark, continuing to plant spirit rice day after day.

Chen Changming sighed. These people only had the chance to visit the Logistics Hall once a year and had no other sources of information, leaving them completely ignorant of the changes in the outside world.

Returning to pack over thirty thousand catties of spirit rice, Chen Changming headed down the mountain again, arriving at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in Lingyun City.

After selling the rice, he spent five hundred spirit stones at the pavilion to purchase a new Storage Bag.

This bag had a much larger capacity—several dozen cubic meters—making it easy to store hundreds of thousands of catties.

"It truly is different."

Stepping out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and walking through Lingyun City, he felt that the number of cultivators had dwindled significantly, and he knew where they had all hidden themselves.

Back at the Lingxiao Sect, Chen Changming resumed his previous routine: consuming pills to cultivate while tending to the spirit fields and herb gardens. As time flowed by, his cultivation level continued to rise steadily.

Over the next three months, more spirit rice ripened in succession, and he had already stored several hundred thousand catties in his new bag.

In the interim, Chen Changming ventured out into the sect again, only to find it remained just as desolate, which meant the war had not ended and not a single person had returned.

How can such a large sect have so few people guarding it? Are they not afraid of someone attacking the gates?

Chen Changming shook his head, unable to fathom it.

What he did not expect was that the following day, while he was watering the fields in the Ziyuan Secret Realm, a single sentence from the young mistress of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion would make him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, do not return to the Lingxiao Sect for now. Just stay and cultivate here in the Ziyuan Secret Realm..."

"Why?"

The youth's heart skipped a beat, a premonition of disaster dawning upon him.

The woman in white spoke slowly: "Originally, your Lingxiao Sect had an ancestor at the Half-Step Golden Core stage guarding it, so logically, no other faction would dare to harbor ill intentions. But unexpectedly, an ancestor of the Blood Demon Sect has also broken through to the Half-Step Golden Core stage and is preparing to lead an army to attack the now-defenseless Lingxiao Sect."

"So that is how it is."

Chen Changming sighed. Caught in the midst of such grand tides, he was powerless to intervene. Fortunately, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had notified him in time, allowing him to escape a great catastrophe.

Thinking of this, he cupped his hands and said with feigned gratitude, "Many thanks to the Young Miss for saving my life."

"We are simply taking what we need. Our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has use for you, so naturally, we cannot allow you to perish for no reason."

The woman in white pursed her lips and smiled.

The youth before her, only at the second level of Qi Refining, gave off a surprisingly mature impression. If this batch of spiritual herbs matured successfully, she might consider letting him join the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to specialize in herb cultivation.

Following this.

Chen Changming remained in the Ziyuan Secret Realm to cultivate. He continued to water the plants every three days, spending the rest of his time focusing on the Evergreen Art and the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, this Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade of yours is extraordinary; it is far more formidable than what those in the pugilistic world display..."

A guard of the herb field watched the wind-whistling blade technique and could not help but exclaim in surprise.

"It is alright, I have just practiced it for many years."

The youth said modestly.

He sheathed his blade, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked over.

He had been practicing the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade for quite some time now, and his own comprehension had grown increasingly profound. His blade speed was becoming faster and faster; as of today, he had practiced it over ninety thousand times, and he was not far from the hundred-thousand mark.

One month later.

Chen Changming's Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade finally had a breakthrough.

After the breakthrough, he dared not display it in front of others, instead heading to an uninhabited valley to practice.

After a round of drills, the youth could not contain his joy.

The power of the blade technique had increased dozens of times over, and the manifestations of the five fierce tigers were now as if they had substance, possessing their own offensive capabilities.

Chen Changming returned to the spiritual fields in high spirits.

At this moment, a young man walked over, cupped his hands, and said:

"Fellow Daoist Chen, the Young Miss has sent word that the Lingxiao Sect's reinforcements have returned and repelled the Blood Demon Sect, who had usurped their nest. Now that the sect is being rebuilt, they are calling for all Lingxiao Sect disciples scattered across various regions to return."

The sect was unharmed?

And they had repelled the Blood Demon Sect?

Hearing the news brought by the young man, Chen Changming felt a surge of excitement. Regardless of anything else, the Lingxiao Sect was the sect he had joined when he first entered the world of cultivation, and he had always considered himself a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect.

"The Young Miss said that the war between the two nations has been too costly for either side to sustain, so they have signed a ceasefire agreement."

The young man said with a serious expression.

Chen Changming nodded.

A war between two nations was no child's play. If the strength of both sides were vastly different, it would be one thing, but if they were evenly matched, the casualties would be catastrophic.

"The Young Miss said that during the previous battle where the Blood Demon Sect invaded the Lingxiao Sect, the ancestors of both sides were severely injured and went into hiding. That is why the Lingxiao Sect's reinforcements were able to defeat the Blood Demon Sect this time," the young man added.

"So that is how it is..."

Chen Changming sighed softly. It was fortunate that the situation had turned out this way, allowing the Lingxiao Sect to turn the tables.

The young man looked at the small cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining before him, licked his lips, and smiled: "The Young Miss also said that the Lingxiao Sect is showing great resolve this time. As long as any stray handyman disciples at the second level of Qi Refining or higher are willing to return, they will be directly promoted to outer sect disciples."