Four Realms of Swordsmanship, Dugu Nine Swords!

"What?"

"Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng?"

Xia Mu had not expected Liu Yuer to actually acquire this immortal herb, and he was greatly surprised!

"That's right!"

"Some time ago, Bai He, the clan leader of the Agility Clan, broke through to Soul Sage and discovered a Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng while hunting spirit beasts. When Old Master Ye learned of it, he went to the Agility Clan and bought it."

"Bai He owed Old Master Ye an enormous favor from years ago, so he sold this immortal herb with tears in his eyes."

"This Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng has fallen into our hands. Unfortunately, this king of ginseng has not fully matured yet and is currently only an eighth-grade spiritual medicine!"

Liu Yuer gently opened the jade box. Inside lay an immature Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng.

"It really is Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng!"

"It is said that this medicine is born at the eighth grade and must undergo ten thousand years before it can evolve into a ninth-grade ginseng king!"

"This is one of the peerless immortal herbs!"

"Even if ordinary ginseng survives for a hundred thousand years, it can never become a peerless immortal herb. But this one is different!"

"As long as this Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng reaches ten thousand years, it can become a peerless immortal herb. Its effects are extremely domineering; legend says it can revive the dead and regrow flesh upon white bones!"

"But unfortunately!"

"This Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng is only five thousand years old. It is still five thousand years short of ten thousand. Even with devoted cultivation, we would have to wait several more decades!"

The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well could shorten the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng's growth period, and watering it with dragon blood could shorten it even further.

But even so, they still had to wait.

Fortunately, Xia Mu was still young. He could afford to wait, and so could Xia Feng and Liu Yuer.

"This Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng is of exceptionally high quality. I plan to plant it in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. In a few decades, it can advance into an immortal herb!"

"Then our family will have another foundation to rely on!"

Xia Mu laid everything out plainly. After hearing him out, Liu Yuer could not help nodding in agreement.

"Good!"

"Starting today, your father and I will cultivate while taking turns guarding the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."

Liu Yuer also knew just how rare peerless immortal herbs were. This thing was even more precious than a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast!

"Oh, right, Mother!"

"My soul power has already broken through to level fifty. I want to go somewhere to train and hunt for my fifth soul ring while I'm at it!"

"You're also about to break through to Soul Sage, but I advise you not to rush to hunt your seventh soul ring yet."

"The matter of soul rings is of great importance!"

"I have a great opportunity I want to give you!"

Xia Mu planned to head to Hell Road and hunt the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King as his fifth soul ring.

At the same time, he intended to kill the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Serpent and help the Azure Flood Dragon Sword advance into an ultimate martial soul!

Liu Yuer's Azure Flood Dragon Sword was a super martial soul, but its natal sword spirit was still being nurtured.

Among the five elements, wood gave rise to fire!

The Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Serpent was a primordial exotic beast. If Liu Yuer could refine it, she could bring the Azure Flood Dragon Sword through its ultimate transformation and evolve it into an ultimate martial soul in one stroke!

"A great opportunity?"

"Little Mu, where are you planning to go this time?"

After hearing this, Liu Yuer's heart skipped a beat.

As the saying went, wealth and honor were sought amid danger, and lost amid danger as well. Great opportunities were usually accompanied by great terrors.

"I plan to make a trip to Slaughter City!"

"That is a holy land for evil soul masters and fallen soul masters. My sword is not fast enough, nor is it ruthless enough!"

"A sword is an instrument of ceremony, but it is also a weapon of slaughter!"

"The battlefield is the Light-Hiding Sword's ultimate destination!"

Xia Mu had already made up his mind. He was determined to obtain the Killing God Domain, and he would definitely venture through Hell Road!

"Slaughter City?"

At the mention of that name, Liu Yuer frowned deeply.

"Slaughter City lies in the desolate far west of the Star Luo Empire, at the northwestern corner of Dragonflame Province!"

"This is a massive prison where Spirit Hall incarcerates fallen soul masters. To leave, one must endure a hundred life-or-death battles and then pass a trial!"

"There is great terror between life and death!"

"But there are also many great opportunities within!"

"Since I began cultivating, I have rarely experienced life-and-death trials. In particular, I sorely lack life-and-death battles against other soul masters!"

Xia Mu spoke truthfully to Liu Yuer.

"I'll take you there!"

Liu Yuer nodded. Once a child had grown up, his mother could no longer control him. Besides, Xia Mu had always had strong opinions since he was little.

Star Luo Empire, Slaughter City.

On this day, a stranger arrived in Slaughter Town. He wore a large conical hat and carried a sharp sword at his waist.

As his sword intent surged and ebbed, sharp sword qi burst forth.

"A cup of Bloody Mary!"

A voice rang out in the small tavern.

"Haha!"

"Another fledgling has come!"

"I'll bet he has no idea what that stuff is. He definitely won't be able to drink it in a moment!"

The small tavern was bustling with voices. Several fallen soul masters sat together, their gazes fixed on Xia Mu.

"That will be ten gold soul coins!"

The bartender delivered a cup of Bloody Mary and named the price, utterly indifferent to everyone's stares.

"I've paid the money!"

"I've also drunk the Bloody Mary!"

"Now you should send me to Slaughter City."

Xia Mu downed the Bloody Mary in a single gulp, then lined up ten gold soul coins in a row and looked coldly at the bartender.

"Esteemed guest, this way, please!"

The bartender activated a mechanism, revealing an opening. Without even looking, Xia Mu jumped straight into it.

"Hiss—"

"Everyone, look at those ten gold soul coins!"

A cry of alarm arose. At some point, the ten gold soul coins had embedded themselves into the tabletop.

"This table is made from thousand-year ironwood!"

"In terms of hardness, this tabletop is practically comparable to hundred-forged refined steel. This guy is incredibly strong!"

Everyone cried out in shock, and the scene fell into slight chaos.

"Bloody Mary truly contains Yellow Springs Dew, but I brought the Aromatic Silk Immortal Herb with me this time."

"Once I enter the inner city, I'll use the Aromatic Silk Immortal Herb to purge the toxins from my body!"

Like a ghost, Xia Mu arrived at Slaughter City in an extremely low-key manner, without alerting anyone.

A year and a half later, Slaughter City.

With his exquisite swordsmanship, Xia Mu had made a tremendous name for himself in Slaughter City. People called him the Sword Demon, and he had also assumed the identity of Dugu Qiubai.

During the year and a half of slaughter, Xia Mu finally comprehended the path of the sharp sword with the aid of the Flawless Sword Heart.

"Sharp sword, flexible sword, heavy sword, wooden sword!"

"And ultimately, no sword triumphing over sword!"

"The four realms of swordsmanship truly are extraordinary!"

Xia Mu did not actually understand much about swordsmanship, but he had watched many martial arts dramas in his previous life.

The four great realms personally experienced by the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai had pointed Xia Mu in the direction of cultivation.

"In a few more months, I'll complete one hundred victories. The Dugu Nine Swords I created have also begun to take shape."

"The Dugu Nine Swords are merely an exquisite sword technique, focused on anticipating the enemy's moves and striking where they are unprepared!"

"This concept is very similar to Jeet Kune Do."

"I possess a Flawless Sword Heart, and my spiritual power far exceeds that of ordinary people. I can easily anticipate my enemy's moves!"

"The Dugu Nine Swords already have their core concept. Next, I must nurture battle through battle. Only then can I complete the sword techniques!"

Xia Mu's voice grew softer and softer, but his eyes became increasingly bright. He needed blood to verify his path.