Growth

As Sword Demon's most prized ultimate art, Meridian-Severing Sword Qi was, in Li Chenfeng's view, no inferior to Sword Saint's Holy Spirit Sword Technique when it came to cultivating Sword Qi and sword intent.

Of course, after Sword Saint comprehended Sword Twenty-Three, the Holy Spirit Sword Technique had already somewhat transcended the realm of "technique" and "method," drawing closer to the level of the "Dao."

Skill advanced toward the Dao!

A grandmaster of the sword Dao!

"Judging by the ranks of Cultivation Methods and Dou Techniques in the Battle Through the Heavens World, this Meridian-Severing Sword Qi has already reached the level of an Earth Tier Cultivation Method. And the Holy Spirit Sword Technique Sword Saint will possess after comprehending Sword Twenty-Three will definitely be an Earth Tier high-grade, perhaps even a Heaven Tier, supreme Cultivation Method!"

After all, the disparity between Wind and Cloud and Battle Through the Heavens stemmed from the differing world levels and their unequal energy systems. But when it came to understanding cultivation realms—namely, the Dao—Li Chenfeng did not think there would be much difference.

If Sword Saint and Wuming were brought to the Battle Through the Heavens World, Li Chenfeng did not doubt in the slightest that they could likewise stand at the pinnacle of that world!

After leaving the World Society, Li Chenfeng first found a secluded place to rest and recuperate for a while.

Although his battle with Xiong Ba had appeared to leave neither of them harmed, only the two of them knew the true situation.

Xiong Ba had long cultivated the Three Absolutes Divine Skill to an exquisite level. Every fist and palm strike carried tremendous might. In particular, the chill of Frost Fist and the tyranny of Cloud-Purging Palm had inflicted no small injuries on Li Chenfeng even after he received them.

Still, they were merely minor injuries. He only needed a day or two of rest to recover completely, so they did not affect him much.

What Li Chenfeng did not know was that, after dismissing everyone, Xiong Ba, who had previously radiated dominance, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His imposing face instantly turned deathly pale.

Months ago, during his battle with Sword Demon, Xiong Ba's meridians had been severely damaged by Sword Demon's Meridian-Severing Sword Qi. Every day afterward, he suffered the pain of blazing fire scorching his body, a torment that even Xiong Ba found difficult to endure.

He had spent several months using his Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi to wear away Sword Demon's Sword Qi. His injuries had not healed in the first place, yet he had now fought Li Chenfeng again. If his Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi had not improved further during this time, he might very well have been defeated in that battle.

Even so, Xiong Ba's injuries had now worsened. If he wished to heal completely, he likely could not do so in less than two or three years.

Yet Xiong Ba was, after all, a man of unyielding character. Even with the meridians throughout his body in utter disarray, he still forcibly endured without revealing the slightest flaw. Even Li Chenfeng had been fooled by him.

"Five years?" Xiong Ba supported himself against his chair, a chilling gleam flashing through his eyes.

"I would like to see just how far you, this favored son of heaven, can grow in five years, and whether you will be qualified to contend with this old man for the world!"

With a wave of Xiong Ba's hand, the crimson bloodstains on the floor instantly vanished.

"Wen Chouchou!"

"Guild Master, Wen Chouchou is here."

At Xiong Ba's call, an enchanting man came swaying in. He wore a tall hat, waved a fan as large as a leaf, and had rouge on his cheeks like that of a young maiden.

"Pass down the order. This guild master will enter seclusion in First Tower to cultivate divine arts. All affairs of the World Society will temporarily be decided by Shuang'er."

"This servant obeys!" Wen Chouchou bowed gracefully, then quickly withdrew to relay the order.

As Xiong Ba entered seclusion, the martial world was once again thrown into an uproar. Many rumors claimed that Xiong Ba had suffered grievous injuries in his battle with Ao Feng. Some even said that Xiong Ba had already died from his wounds...

Countless rumors spread everywhere, giving many martial forces that had been forced to submit to the World Society's ferocity certain new ideas. But after Qin Shuang led numerous World Society experts and annihilated three or four factions with thunderous methods, the World Society's prestige was restored.

In the time that followed, the tens of thousands of World Society members also honored the Five-Year Agreement between Xiong Ba and Ao Feng. The two sides took the Yangtze River as their boundary, occupying the north and south respectively and keeping out of each other's affairs.

This gradually restored order to the once-chaotic martial world.

Such rare peace was something all small factions and independent martial artists had long hoped for. At the very least, for a while, they no longer had to fear dying for no apparent reason.

Naturally, this did not include Dugu Yifang, lord of Unparalleled City.

Taking advantage of the conflict between the World Society and Sword Worship Villa, Unparalleled City had swiftly seized quite a bit of territory and had even begun preparing to invade the Central Plains. But now that the two sides had suddenly ceased hostilities and made peace, Dugu Yifang was caught completely off guard. All his plans had come to nothing; anyone in his position would have been furious beyond measure.

Still, anger was one thing. After the World Society and Sword Worship Villa called a truce, Unparalleled City truly did not dare brazenly interfere in the Central Plains martial world. Otherwise, it might very well be besieged by both factions!

For a time, the martial world of The Storm Riders World reached a temporary balance due to the three major powers standing in a three-way stalemate. Unless one of the three gained the strength to fight the other two alone, this martial world would likely remain quiet for a long time.

After returning to Sword Worship Villa, Li Chenfeng spent the following year not only guiding Duan Lang and the others in their cultivation, but also tempering the Sword Qi within his body.

He also did not neglect his research into the Three Absolutes Divine Skill and Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi. Although Li Chenfeng had no intention of cultivating these Cultivation Methods himself, studying them could still provide useful insights. Though he possessed many Cultivation Methods, aside from his wind- and fire-element Dou Qi, Li Chenfeng focused all his efforts on Meridian-Severing Sword Qi. Before Meridian-Severing Sword Qi truly reached great completion, he would not waste time on other Cultivation Methods. He understood well enough that greed could not be digested.

As for the others, only Duan Lang was fairly impressive. In one year, not only had his cultivation risen to the Mid-Acquired Realm, but he had also mastered the Ao Family Swordsmanship Li Chenfeng taught him. He had even achieved minor mastery of Wind God Leg, far surpassing Ao Tian and the Liu Clan sisters!

"It has been so long. It is time to go back and take a look..."

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Li Chenfeng spoke softly.

He had already spent nearly five or six years in The Storm Riders World. During that time, Li Chenfeng had not only pushed his cultivation to the peak of the Late Xiantian Realm, but had also cultivated several immensely powerful martial techniques, giving him combat strength far beyond his own realm.

If he returned to Battle Through the Heavens now, the differing levels of the two worlds would mean that their realms also differed greatly.

For example, in Wind and Cloud, a martial artist who had just entered the Xiantian Realm was absolutely worlds apart from those who had reached the Xiantian Peak Realm after decades in that realm.

By Li Chenfeng's own judgment, a fully developed Xiantian Realm martial artist in Battle Through the Heavens would roughly span the two realms of Dou Master and Da Dou Shi.

Therefore, comparing cultivation realms from two different systems had little meaning at all. Everything could only be judged by the energy within one's body and one's combat strength.

At seventeen, Li Chenfeng's internal energy level in the Battle Through the Heavens World was roughly that of an Eight-Star or Nine-Star Dou Master, but his combat strength was definitely no weaker than that of a one- or two-star Da Dou Shi.