[Sensation, Hidden Trace, Mystery]

As long as he mastered the first level of the Innate Formless Body-Breaking Sword Aura, it meant he had truly entered the Innate Realm.

Yue Yang dared not say much else, but in a small place like White Stone City, he reckoned he would absolutely be able to swagger sideways!

Even if his spiritual energy was insufficient and he could not release many Formless Body-Piercing Sword Qi, it was still sword qi of the Innate Realm. One sword was enough to kill an opponent. According to the knowledge transmitted to Yue Yang by the Bronze Codex, unless one was an expert above Level Six, a "Sect Master," no one could withstand an Innate expert's attack. Even a casual strike from an Innate expert's true qi could shatter all protective qi and bodily enhancements of low-level warriors.

In the eyes of Innate experts, all warriors below Level Six were merely ants, not worth mentioning.

Of course, there were not many Innate experts in the world.

Thus, experts such as Level Six Sect Masters were already important ministers of a nation. They would serve as great generals or even marshals; at the very least, they would be lords governing a region.

For instance, the Lord of White Stone City, where Yue Yang lived, was a Level Six beginner-stage "Lesser Sect Master." The old head of Yue Clan Castle, Yue Hai—Tragedy Guy's grandfather—was a Level Six high-stage "Greater Sect Master," as well as the Grand Marshal of the Armies personally appointed by the Jun Family imperial house. Because he was too old and had suffered severe, disabling injuries in battle several times, losing his left arm and right leg, he had only recently resigned as marshal and returned home to recuperate.

Tragedy Guy's eldest uncle, Yue Shan, and second uncle, Yue Ling, were both great generals and important court ministers. Their strengths were respectively that of a Level Six middle-stage Sect Master and a Level Six beginner-stage Lesser Sect Master.

Only Tragedy Guy's father, Yue Qiu, was a once-in-a-century genius warrior. At a young age, he had surpassed the entire clan and advanced to Level Seven, becoming an "Overlord."

Unfortunately, that genius warrior had kicked the bucket fifteen years ago.

As long as Yue Yang mastered the first level of the Innate Formless Body-Breaking Sword, theoretically, he would no longer need to fear any opponent below Level Six... Of course, actual combat was filled with surprises. At present, Yue Yang could release at most two streams of sword qi, and his combat experience was zero. He felt that safety came first—one who sailed carefully could sail a ship for ten thousand years. In any case, the longer he cultivated, the higher his cultivation would become, and the more secure his life would be.

Sword qi was incredibly sharp, capable of breaking every defense and instantly killing enemies, but his current spiritual energy could only release two swords.

What if he encountered three or more powerful enemies attacking him together...

Therefore, Yue Yang felt that he still could not get too full of himself. One should keep a low profile.

His current goal was to master the first level of the Innate Formless Body-Breaking Sword Aura, enter the Innate Realm, and become an invincible badass in one-on-one fights against anyone below Level Six!

Yue Yang knew that the Innate Realm was extraordinarily powerful, ridiculously awesome, but he had never expected that mastering it would produce such a phenomenon.

The instant his twelve meridians opened, Yue Yang felt his soul shudder violently, and his entire body entered an indescribably wonderful state. It was as though his whole being swam unimpeded through an ocean of energy, free to roam between Heaven and Earth. Spiritual energy surged from the Yongquan at the soles of his feet straight up to the Baihui at the crown of his head, then burst out of his body and shot into the clouds beyond the nine heavens. Upon reaching its limit, it reversed, pouring back into his skull, flowing throughout his body, then shooting again from the Yongquan beneath his feet and plunging deep below the nine lands... His entire being was washed anew by the energy of Heaven and Earth, truly shedding his mortal body and exchanging his bones. At this moment, Yue Yang no longer felt his fleshly body was heavy. Instead, he felt a wondrous lightness, as if he were about to grow wings and ascend to the heavens.

The Bronze Codex shone with even greater brilliance. A golden pillar of light rose skyward, piercing straight into the clouds.

Had Yue Yang not chosen the dead of night to cultivate, no one within a hundred li would have remained unaware.

The instant he entered the Innate Realm, Yue Yang felt as though it were unreal. It seemed he could look down upon all living things, raise a hand to hold up the sky, and stamp a foot to shake the earth...

Yet that sensation lasted only a few seconds.

That heavenly call within his heart appeared again. Yue Yang discovered that the body once brimming with spiritual energy was being frantically drained by the mysterious lifeform within him. In the end, he could no longer endure it, and his head went boom as he fainted. Before losing consciousness, he had an illusion that he saw a pair of glittering seven-colored golden phoenixes circling before him in incomparable beauty.

As his consciousness sank into unconsciousness, the golden pillar of light from the Bronze Codex, which had shot straight into the sky, rapidly faded and shrank.

In the end, it vanished completely, and the Bronze Codex silently drifted to Yue Yang's side.

Its opened first page remained unchanged.

Only behind the original Level One beginner-stage title of "Novice Apprentice," two dark-golden words had appeared: Innate.

Yue Yang slept soundly, but the entirety of Great Xia was thrown into an uproar.

Even Emperor Jun Wuyou was awakened from his sleep by an attendant. The State Preceptor and the two Guardian War Gods, likewise dressed in nightclothes, were already waiting for him in the Imperial Study. One piece of news left the Emperor of Great Xia so delighted that he could scarcely believe his ears... An Innate expert had emerged among the common folk of Great Xia! Moreover, this Innate expert's glorious pillar of light was far more astonishing than those of other Innate experts. The golden pillar shot into the sky and could be seen for a hundred li in every direction. According to the records of experts on the Innate Crystal Pillar of the Heaven-Piercing Tower, this was the eighty-first Innate expert to emerge in Great Xia's history, and only the seventh still alive today...

"Your Majesty, regrettably, this is an unaffiliated expert with no records whatsoever. He may be a hermit hidden in the mountains and forests. At present, we know nothing about him." The State Preceptor shook his head regretfully.

"Does the Innate Crystal Pillar in the Heaven-Piercing Tower not have any information on him either?" Emperor Jun Wuyou found it unbelievable.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This Innate expert possesses the ability to conceal information... The Innate Crystal Pillar records only the basic details that he is a human male; it does not even list his age. As for his sect, cultivation art, and war beasts, none of them are known. We estimate that this Innate expert was born with the ability to conceal his own strength, which is why the Innate Crystal Pillar cannot display his information."

"Where did that glorious pillar of light appear? Who saw it? This is the finest opportunity to strengthen the nation and bring about Great Xia's rise—we must find him!" Emperor Jun Wuyou was nearly driven mad with urgency. An Innate expert had appeared in the nation, yet they did not know who he was. This was truly maddening!

"With my Revelation talent, I can determine that the location was in the southeastern Cloudmist Mountains. That area includes White Stone City, Red Forest City, and Black Rock City, so it is difficult to determine a more precise location. However, the glorious pillar produced by the birth of an Innate expert caused such a great disturbance that there must have been witnesses. In particular, assassins, thieves, and the like who moved about at night surely saw it. As long as we offer a heavy reward and investigate carefully, following the vine to find the melon, we should be able to locate that Innate expert." The State Preceptor opened his Golden Codex. On the map of Great Xia, a golden point of light flickered like a golden star in the Cloudmist Mountains.

But when he enlarged the map twofold, that golden star vanished at once.

The two Guardian War Gods believed this was not because the State Preceptor's Revelation talent was insufficient, but because the other party possessed a talent capable of concealing his tracks—and one with extraordinarily powerful concealment!

Emperor Jun Wuyou, the State Preceptor, and the two Guardian War Gods discussed matters in the Imperial Study for the entire night. In the end, they decided to issue an imperial reward of one thousand gold through the three major guilds of mercenaries, assassins, and thieves in search of the Innate expert. Even anyone who had seen the precise location of the glorious pillar that night could receive a generous reward of fifty gold coins.

At the same time, the three city lords, regional lords, and clan heads were immediately questioned by imperial notice: had the Innate expert appeared in their cities, or was he a member of their clans?

By the time Yue Yang woke up the next day, not only had every major force within Great Xia been stirred, even the Four Great Sects had been alarmed.

What did it mean for an Innate expert to emerge among the common folk?

It meant there was a badass who had reached the Innate Realm through cultivation on his own, without relying on the Four Great Sects, the great clans, or even imperial support! The Four Great Sects simultaneously dispatched envoys to the Innate Crystal Pillar of the Heaven-Piercing Tower to examine the information displayed upon it... Among the Four Great Sects, Sect Master Mingxin of the Northern Moon Spirit Immortal Pavilion, renowned throughout the world for her Divine Eye talent, spoke words that shocked the entire world.