At Tiger Leaping Gorge, sheer cliffs hung over the void.
On a seldom-visited ledge atop the cliffs, Xie Jinghan had spent seven full days recuperating alone in silence.
During those seven days, he had rarely shown his face in the village.
Each day at dawn, he came to the ledge to breathe and regulate his energy. Only late at night did he return to the village courtyard to sit quietly and restore his spirit.
He focused on recovery and paid no mind to anything else.
After fighting Azure Wolf, White Tiger, and Ink Jiao in succession, his sword array had shattered, his meridians had been damaged, and his organs had been injured.
After seven days of rest, most of his injuries had healed.
Now Xie Jinghan stood tall, his gaze clear and his vitality brimming.
The battle at Great Black Mountain had been the most perilous fight since he began cultivating—and the one in which he had felt most powerless.
Driven to his limits again and again, he had faced life and death in an instant, each brush honing his sword intent and sword heart.
Deep within him, his sword intent had grown purer and more focused.
The strength of Azure Wolf, White Tiger, Ink Jiao, and Li Muyang had shaken him deeply, as had the sight of those figures riding flying swords through the sky.
He no longer wanted to wait.
Clearing his mind, Xie Jinghan raised a hand and took a carefully sealed Earthfire Lotus Seed from his robes.
He looked down at the Fire Lotus Seed.
Locked away by the Spirit-Sealing Origin-Locking Restriction, the Fire Lotus Seed looked utterly ordinary, without the slightest trace of scent escaping.
The Fire Lotus Seed could be swallowed directly or refined into a pill. As a pill, it would be more