Golden Crow Sword

Late at night, in the plum grove of Shangyin, within a secluded courtyard.

Xu Yan shut his door tight and sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

His gaze narrowed slightly as his mind gradually sank into the ancient jade's space.

Within that vast, boundless realm like the cosmos, meteors streaked across the heavens, while a distant Milky Way flowed like the river of time.

At this moment, something else had appeared within this space.

Xu Yan stared curiously at the Taihao Emperor Bell. It floated in midair, fashioned from ancient bronze and somewhat damaged. Its interior was carved with all manner of rare, exotic beasts from primordial times, along with a group of tiny figures, like ants, marching through rivers and mountains.

Does this Human-Snake Ancient Jade... have some special connection to the Taihao Emperor Bell? Are they both treasures of the Li Clan?

Xu Yan pondered inwardly.

He could not make sense of it. Moreover, when Xu Yan tried to summon the Taihao Emperor Bell into manifestation, he found that it would not obey his control.

Stepping forward, Xu Yan lightly tapped the Emperor Bell, producing a clear, ringing "clang clang."

A few seconds later—

The Emperor Bell suddenly shuddered several times, startling Xu Yan into retreating a few steps.

"The artifact spirit still remains?" Xu Yan said in astonishment.

Among the magical artifacts beneath the four seas and all under heaven, only innate spirit treasures could give birth to a trace of spirituality.

Beyond that, only the natal artifacts refined by those supreme human powerhouses—terrestrial immortals—might possibly develop spirituality.

"Senior?"

Unsure what to do with the Emperor Bell, Xu Yan tentatively called out.

There was still no response.

The Taihao Emperor Bell simply hovered in the air, wearing the tranquil air of years flowing peacefully by.

After pondering it for a while, Xu Yan withdrew with a frown.

"It is already summer. There are still more than six months left. I wonder whether I can bring my meridian tempering to major completion."

Xu Yan inspected himself internally.

He now possessed a Formless Body and had opened three apertures. There was no need to speak of the density of his spiritual power; it surpassed even that of someone with thirty innate apertures.

He had already opened twenty sections of his turbid meridians, and his physical strength had risen tremendously as well.

The Li Clan's body-refining art was truly extraordinary. This method was incomparably fierce and forceful. In primordial times, once Li Clan members mastered it, they could even contend head-on with the bodies of savage demons.

The Secret Solar Inheritance contained detailed records of this art, along with preserved essentials of Dao-script scriptures.

Xu Yan had copied them down from Senior Brother Yan earlier and spent some time studying them.

This body-refining art had six stages in total.

The first stage was Meridian-Penetrating Bone Tempering, which used the Li Clan's methods to open the turbid meridians. Completing this first stage meant the art had achieved major completion.

At major completion, one's bones became like raw iron, one's palms could shatter stone, ordinary weapons could not break the body, and one became supremely yang and fiercely powerful. Even common demons and evil spirits would not dare approach!

Seven days later, within the plum grove.

Xu Yan's black robes billowed as he stomped down with one foot like a leopard unleashed from its cage. Even though he held back slightly, he still crushed a crack several yards long into the ground beneath him.

Broken stones flew everywhere.

Vast, oceanic power surged forth from within his meridians.

His meridian tempering had now broken through twenty sections, and his physical strength had greatly increased once more.

His entire body rippled with golden, razor-sharp energy. When he exerted himself fully, even his blood essence boiled, and his eyes turned a dazzling gold, brilliant and striking.

Only after refining his body for half an hour did Xu Yan finally relax. Lifting his robe, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

After resting for a while, Xu Yan began practicing the Eighteen Primordial Resonances again.

He could not slacken in cultivating spiritual power and divine abilities either. The ancient jade space was useful for practicing divine abilities, but it also consumed spiritual sense, so Xu Yan did not remain there for long.

Crack, crack, crack, crack—

The spiritual power in his palm twisted, erupting with four crisp bursts.

The fourth resonance of the Eighteen Primordial Resonances consumed an utterly terrifying amount of spiritual power. The spiritual power within Xu Yan's two Formless spirit apertures was completely drained, and he felt as though his palm were lifting a mountain.

Within that distorted spiritual power, lightning serpents danced!

Boom!

He struck his palm toward a small hill not far away.

The tyrannical force crashed down, blasting a massive crater directly into it as clouds of dust drifted away on the wind.

A smile curled at Xu Yan's lips as he narrowed his eyes and slowly withdrew the technique, muttering to himself.

"Even if I cannot seize the martial champion's title, getting onto the rankings should not be a problem."

The Dragon Gate Examination after the beginning of spring covered Great Yin's nine Dragon Cities, eighty-two commanderies, and territory spanning tens of millions of miles.

Any boy or girl who had not yet come of age and whose cultivation had not reached the Qi Exhalation stage, regardless of birth or status, rich or poor, was qualified to participate.

This was the moment for fish to leap through the Dragon Gate and make their names known beneath heaven.

Xu Fei had once been no more than a mountain youth, yet now he was a renowned king of a different surname in Great Yin.

In every Dragon Gate Examination, were there not well over a million participants?

As Xu Yan was thinking, a graceful figure approached through the plum grove. With her hands behind her back and her steps light, she called out loudly, "One must know that young hearts hold ambitions to soar through the clouds, once vowing to stand foremost among all beneath heaven! Little Yan, have more confidence. If taking first place is not your goal, then why make the journey at all?"

Qin Nishang raised her brows, walking with a bouncing gait like a little deer.

She swung a purple-gold spatial pouch from one finger, looking rather carefree and unruly as she walked over.

"Sister Nishang, you have not left yet?" Xu Yan turned back, surprised.

"What, were you hoping I would leave?" Qin Nishang planted her hands on her hips. Her red martial robes swayed faintly, and her face was full of displeasure.

"Uh, not exactly," Xu Yan said.

"Third Princess, it is time to return. His Majesty and Her Highness are very worried."

As they spoke, Shen Congyun appeared soundlessly in the plum grove again and called out from afar.

"Tagalong," Qin Nishang said irritably.

Earlier, the two of them had been caught in a teleportation array and sent deep into Mang Mountain, frightening Shen Congyun terribly.

He had led several Imperial Brocade Guards straight into Mang Mountain before finding Qin Nishang in the Li Ancient Secret Repository. At that time, Xu Yan was in seclusion opening his third aperture, and that was when Shen Congyun brought her back.

"How about coming back to Dragon City with me? There is not much time left anyway. Cultivation is cultivation wherever you do it." Qin Nishang rubbed her chin and smiled as if deep in thought.

Upon hearing that, Xu Yan considered it for a few breaths. He did rather want to visit Dragon City early and familiarize himself with it.

He had come to this world more than ten years ago, yet he had never even left the Moat Dragon Eighteen Commanderies.

Within Great Yin, at least on the surface, the finest martial training grounds and academies were almost all located in Dragon City, the imperial capital.

The cultivation resources there were also the most abundant in the realm. Any heavenly treasure or earthly rarity could be found there.

"Well?" Qin Nishang arched a brow, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xu Yan. Seeing him remain silent, she curled a finger and drew a golden dharma sword from her spatial pouch.

Ancient Primordial Script was engraved upon the sword. It was incomparably sharp and trembled faintly with abundant spirituality; it even seemed to be an innate spirit treasure. Her brows eased as she smiled. "I do not much like using swords. Little Yan, what do you think of this one?"

Xu Yan raised his eyes to look. The sword overflowed with Taihao golden energy, so it must have been brought out of the Li Ancient Secret Repository.

The two characters "Golden Crow" were also inscribed upon its hilt.

"Not bad. It is a fine sword," Xu Yan said with an offhand smile.

"So, shall we return to Dragon City together? We will have company on the road, and once we reach the imperial capital, this princess will personally spar with you and prepare you for the Dragon Gate Examination!" As Qin Nishang spoke, she stepped close to Xu Yan and placed her delicate hand on his shoulder. The corners of her lips rose slightly as her watery eyes stared intently at him, her face brimming with sincerity. "Little Brother Yan, I was the one who got you sent deep into Mang Mountain before. You nearly died there—it was my fault. You absolutely must not refuse this kind gesture of mine, or your sister will be very sad."

For some reason, Xu Yan found the Third Princess's gaze unsettling. Smiling, he carefully pushed her delicate hand away.

"Sister Nishang, wait a few days. Once my foster father returns, I will bid him farewell."

"Hahaha, no rush, no rush!"

Qin Nishang's brows rose at once, joy lighting up her face. She suddenly hooked an arm around Xu Yan's neck and yanked him over, pinning the back of his head beneath her elbow. The tremendous force made Xu Yan's face flush red. A fragrant scent flooded his nose, while his face pressed against something incomparably soft.

"You are such a good little brother. Your sister did not misjudge you. Do not worry—once we reach Dragon City, I will definitely take excellent care of you!"