Only Entry, No Exit!

Xie Jinghan placed the Sword Condensation Pill in his mouth. The pill melted upon entry, and wisps of pure medicinal power flowed through his throat and circulated through his limbs and bones, ultimately gathering within his dantian's sea of qi.

As Innate True Qi circulated through its cycle, those wisps of medicinal power slowly nourished his mind. They were gentle and warm, utterly devoid of any violent heat.

He hurriedly focused his thoughts, visualizing the sword's edge and tempering his Sword Intent.

Whenever his mind was about to be exhausted, wisps of medicinal power would emerge and slowly nourish his weary consciousness, allowing his depleted mind to gather once more.

The originally slow progress of his Sword Intent Realm cultivation rapidly increased beneath the nourishment and cleansing of the Sword Condensation Pill's medicinal power.

A great number of insights into the Sword Intent Realm continuously surged forth.

+1+1+1+1+1...

+1000...

+1+1+1+1+1+...

"Unbelievable!"

"So this is the power of taking pills?!"

He secretly marveled. As expected of a secret medicinal pill passed down by the Mystic Azure Sword Sect, its effects were truly extraordinary. It could indeed greatly accelerate progress in cultivating the Sword Intent Realm.

No longer dwelling on it, Xie Jinghan dismissed his stray thoughts, closed his eyes, and sat cross-legged. Borrowing the Sword Condensation Pill's medicinal power, he immersed himself in arduous cultivation and honed his Sword Intent.

The sun and moon rose and fell; cold and heat came in turn.

In the days that followed, he took one Sword Condensation Pill every ten days and entered seclusion for devoted cultivation.

Unaffected by external matters, unconcerned with the clamor of the world.

The dull yet fulfilling years of cultivation quietly slipped away, and in the blink of an eye, three full months had passed.

Over those three months, the turmoil in Heaven-Bearing Prefecture gradually settled. Yet the impact of that Sword Challenge at Wangjiang Terrace did not fade. Instead, it spread ever farther, reaching martial circles throughout Central Province.

That battle at Wangjiang Terrace had also gone down in the martial world's annals, officially recorded in the latest edition of the Sword Challenge Register · 2027 Edition.

Heaven-Bearing Prefecture's most renowned top-class restaurant—Rain-Listening Tower—was packed with guests, with not a single seat left empty.

The first-floor hall buzzed with voices as tea and wine flowed freely.

Upon the raised platform in the hall stood that same storyteller, folding fan in hand, his spit flying as he vividly recounted the earthshaking duel from three months ago. The twists and turns of his tale made the listeners throughout the hall slap the tables in applause and cheer without cease.

"Honored guests, listen as I tell you in detail!"

"Three months ago, an astonishing Sword Intent duel took place at Wangjiang Terrace in our Heaven-Bearing Prefecture!"

"This battle had an extraordinary origin!"

"Chu Ning, the standout of the Mystic Azure Sword Sect, possessed Innate Realm cultivation, had mastered Clear Swordheart, and wielded the Canglang Sword Intent. He was invincible wherever he went!"

"Yet he had specifically come to challenge the second young master of the Xie Household, Xie Jinghan, to a sword duel!"

"Everyone believed Chu Ning would surely win!"

"But who could have imagined it? Young Master Xie had stayed silent until he astonished the world with a single cry. With merely one sword strike, he trod through the void and sent his sword flashing like Thunderclap, forcibly shattering the Canglang Sword Intent that Chu Ning had painstakingly cultivated for years."

"One sword made him divine, and his name shook Heaven-Bearing Prefecture. Among his peers, he had no equal!"

The storyteller was eloquent, each word impassioned. He painted the peril and grandeur of that duel and the razor-sharp brilliance of the sword path with such vivid detail that the guests listened with relish, praising it again and again.

On the top floor of Rain-Listening Tower, within a private elegant room with an excellent view, the noise of the world was shut out, leaving behind a quiet, oppressive atmosphere.

By the window sat a young man in a crimson brocade robe. His black hair was tied high, his face pale and handsome, and his bearing cold and noble. Around him lingered a faint, almost imperceptible Killing Intent.

His bearing was exceptional, far beyond that of any ordinary martial world youth.

He was Gong Feiyu, the fourth-ranked Holy Son of the Blood Slaughter Sect in this generation.

An old man in gray robes stood beside him with his head lowered, his aura restrained, appearing utterly unremarkable.

The commotion downstairs grew increasingly boisterous, the discussions rolling on in waves and passing through the window lattice into the private room.

Gong Feiyu's gaze was indifferent, his cold face without a ripple of emotion. Only after a long while did he slowly speak. "Uncle Dong, have you investigated everything clearly?"

His voice was soft, as though he did not care in the least, but the old man at his side was tense in body and mind, not daring to show the slightest negligence. He immediately replied respectfully, "In reply to Holy Son, it has been confirmed."

"The Sword Intent Xie Jinghan used to defeat Chu Ning at Wangjiang Terrace three months ago is identical to the residual Sword Intent found at the Black Tiger Stronghold outpost that was destroyed before. The one who destroyed that portion of Blood Baleful Intent in the Blood Pool was precisely Xie Jinghan!"

Gong Feiyu's gaze turned faintly cold. His fingertips lightly tapped the windowsill as he continued blandly, "Have you investigated his background? What is his cultivation now? How deep is his Sword Intent?"

"In reply to Holy Son, the investigators reported that this boy is openly at the First Stage of the Innate Realm, and his foundation is rather solid."

The old man nodded slightly, his tone carrying a trace of gravity.

"But his Sword Intent is condensed to an extreme degree, its edge hidden within him. Our investigators could not see through the depth of his Sword Intent at all. They could only vaguely sense that its sharpness is formidable, far surpassing that of ordinary sword cultivators."

"Hmph! A pack of trash!"

Upon hearing this, Gong Feiyu snorted coldly, a trace of killing intent flashing through his eyes.

"He does have some skill."

"At the First Stage of the Innate Realm, yet he defeated Chu Ning, who possessed Clear Swordheart."

"This boy's talent in the sword path truly surpasses the ordinary."

"Since that is the case, there is no need to wait any longer."

He spoke coldly. "Men!"

As his voice fell, a figure in black silently entered from outside the private room, dropped to one knee, and waited for orders.

Gong Feiyu's gaze was sharp as a blade as he gave his command word by word in a deep voice:

"Order the Blackfeather Guard to immediately seal off the Xie Household and keep strict watch. No one within the residence is permitted to step outside by even half a pace. Any who resist, kill!"

"Uncle Dong?!"

"This old servant is here!"

"Take my Sword Challenge Letter!"

"I will personally challenge him to a sword duel!"

The black-clad secret guard bowed to accept the order and withdrew in response.

The gray-robed old man also bowed and nodded. Taking the Sword Challenge Letter from Gong Feiyu's hand, he turned and strode out of Rain-Listening Tower's private room.

His steps were steady as he headed straight for the Xie Household residence in Heaven-Bearing Prefecture.

The Xie Residence was heavily guarded, its gate guards all carefully selected Postnatal martial artists.

The moment the gray-robed old man arrived before the gates of the Xie Residence, dozens of black-clad figures abruptly appeared without a sound. They were Gong Feiyu's Blackfeather Guard.

The Blackfeather Guard were well-trained and swift in action. In an instant, they scattered into position and firmly sealed every entrance and exit of the Xie Residence.

The entire Xie Household residence permitted entry only, never exit.

It was completely sealed off!

The gray-robed old man, meanwhile, strode directly into the Xie Residence, his gait calm and unhurried, as though entering an uninhabited place.

The guards hurried forward to stop him, but before they could even approach, they were blasted back by an invisible force.

Their muscles and bones went numb, their blood and qi churned. They could not even touch the corner of his robes and could only watch helplessly as the gray-robed old man charged straight in.

They were horrified beyond measure.

The gray-robed old man crossed the entire Xie Residence courtyard and headed directly for the Parasol Tree Courtyard in the deepest part of the estate.

A powerful martial aura swept through the entire Xie Residence, instantly alarming every high-ranking member within.

Xie Xuanyuan, Xie Huaijin, the Xie Household elders, and the guard commanders rushed over at once. They gathered before the courtyard gates, formed up in opposition, and faced him down.

Their expressions were grave as they gathered their strength and remained on guard.

In an instant, the atmosphere tightened to its very limit.

Xie Xuanyuan's face was livid, internal force surging around him. Fixing a sharp gaze upon the unfamiliar old man before him, he shouted angrily, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into the important grounds of my Xie Residence and seal off the entire estate!"

"You disregard the laws of the court!"

"Your actions are far too presumptuous!"

"What exactly do you intend to do?!"

Facing Xie Xuanyuan's stern rebuke, the gray-robed old man's expression remained placid as his aura erupted in full!