Profound Clear Qi

"So that's how it is."

Wu Tu leaned back slightly, a regretful look appearing on his face.

He did not suspect Li Rui of lying.

Li Rui had only entered rank recently. Back then, he had merely been a groom and had not been qualified to involve himself in Huaqing Sect's affairs.

Knowing too much would have been stranger instead.

Wu Tu had merely followed the vine to find the melon, and happened to trace the matter to the Zhu Family. He had hoped to glean some useful information from Li Rui.

Wu Tu kindly warned him, "I heard that Huaqing Sect traitor has been hiding in Qinghe City all along, seemingly searching for something. Most of the constables involved in this matter have been killed. Brother, you'd best be extra careful."

Though this matter carried some risk, the price offered was high as well.

To make a living in the martial world, one had to risk one's life and fight for it.

Wu Tu had no choice either.

If Zhao Wei had not been suppressing him, he would not have needed to seek cultivation resources outside on his own.

"Thank you."

Li Rui naturally knew what that Huaqing Sect disciple was looking for.

But the White Ape Mantle Blade had long since been burned to ashes by him.

That Huaqing Sect disciple was truly formidable. He had killed so many constables in Clear River and still had not been caught.

Li Rui grew wary.

After finishing the wine, Li Rui returned to Heaven One Hall alone.

He had not agreed to join Wu Tu in Huaqing Sect's affair against the Ghost Underworld Sect.

Neither Huaqing Sect nor the Ghost Underworld Sect was something he could afford to provoke.

Keeping his head down and growing quietly was the true kingly path.

The days passed one by one.

The Tiger Bone Pill truly deserved to be called an Eighth-Rank Spirit Pill. Even as the lowest grade among spirit pills, it was still beyond comparison with Ninth Rank pills.

Its medicinal effect lasted a full month before finally dissipating.

In the courtyard.

Li Rui gripped his long blade. The wind from the blade swept up fallen leaves, its cold gleam biting.

In midair.

A droplet of water was precisely sliced in two by the long blade.

He had succeeded!

Looking at the water stains clinging to both sides of the blade, this was the sign that the White Ape Mantle Blade had reached minor accomplishment.

Drawing the blade to sever water.

What it tested was the precision of one's blade technique. Only then could one seize every advantage in actual combat.

Li Rui weighed the long blade in his hand.

The standard long blades of the Heaven and Earth Alliance were not bad, and the iron used was good as well, but they were simply too light.

The White Ape Mantle Blade used the back of the blade together with its edge to wound enemies.

Though it was called chopping, it was in truth smashing—a path of strength splitting mountains. Only a heavy blade could truly bring out the White Ape Mantle Blade's might.

"Looks like I need to have a good blade forged."

Li Rui had already collected this month's salary.

A full ten taels of silver!

More than enough to forge a good blade.

Having made up his mind, he paid a visit to the Civil and Martial Hall.

Besides managing the household registrations of Heaven and Earth Alliance disciples, the Civil and Martial Hall was also responsible for forging weapons within the alliance.

"Hall Master Li, you want to forge a blade?"

A young disciple of the Civil and Martial Hall was somewhat surprised upon hearing Li Rui's request.

This young disciple happened to be the person who had received Li Rui when he first came to the Heaven and Earth Alliance, so he recognized him.

Li Rui nodded.

"Twenty taels of silver. Don't skimp on the iron. If it isn't enough, come to me and I'll add more, but it must be heavy."

He placed special emphasis on the word "heavy."

The young disciple's mouth twitched.

This Hall Master Li wanted a blade weighing a full thirty jin.

Could that thing still be called a blade?

But since Li Rui was paying, and he was also the master of Heaven One Hall, the Civil and Martial Hall naturally had no reason to refuse.

"Rest assured, Hall Master Li. The Civil and Martial Hall's blacksmiths are all renowned craftsmen in the city. Their skill goes without saying, and twenty taels of silver will be enough."

Other than being somewhat heavier, the blade Li Rui wanted had no other requirements.

Compared with the demands of the other hall masters, this was far easier.

For those rare irons with special properties, sometimes three blacksmiths had to take turns hammering for seven days and seven nights before they could shape them. That was what could truly be called difficult.

The young disciple had seen plenty of such cases, so he was merely surprised.

A seventy-year-old man using a thirty-jin blade.

He did not dare imagine that sight.

"Regulate qi and lessen the breath; its progress will be somewhat slow. But if qi is retained while qi is also circulated, its effect will be doubled."

The rustle of turning pages.

Li Rui reclined against a cushioned couch, flipping through a Daoist scripture in his hand, while the soft swishing of leaves stirred by the wind sounded by his ears.

"Wonderful!"

He praised it silently.

Many of the doubts he had previously held about the White Ape Mantle Blade breathing method were resolved within the Daoist scripture.

Breathing methods focused on cultivating qi.

When a Martial Master reached a profound realm, what they fought for was a single breath. The longer the qi, the longer the martial path.

That was why storytellers, when describing a warrior of exceptional strength, often spoke of their breath as long and unbroken.

So that was the reason.

As long as one cultivated qi force, one would reach the innate realm.

If one could cultivate qi force until it became vast as the sea, he did not even dare imagine such a spectacle.

A sudden inspiration descended upon Li Rui.

In a daze, he saw a wisp of azure qi drifting before his eyes, as nimble as a clear spring in the mountains and as lively as a mountain ape in the forest.

Profound Clear Qi!

According to the records in the White Ape Mantle Blade breathing method, once the breathing method had been cultivated to a profound level, it could give birth to a thread of qi called Profound Clear Qi.

But... that was something only those above Sixth Rank could sense!

Li Rui could scarcely believe it.

He compared it again and again with the description of Profound Clear Qi in the breathing method within his mind. At last, he confirmed that the wisp of phantom he had seen was indeed the sign of Profound Clear Qi.

Even though he was still a hundred thousand miles away from giving birth to Profound Clear Qi.

Merely catching a distant glimpse of it was already an astonishing achievement.

"Yu Kingdom's Sword Saint Liu Taibai entered the Dao at three, entered rank at five, and saw qi at seven. Thus he became the foremost martial figure under heaven."

By that reasoning.

Even Sword Saint Liu Taibai had taken a full four years, while he had taken only one?!

"Is the Sword Saint inferior to me?"

Li Rui's heart pounded wildly.

With martial bones, his talent was indeed monstrously extraordinary. If not for the limitations on his resources, he might have grown even faster.

Once he revealed his martial bones, he would surely earn the favor of those great sects, and resources would certainly not be lacking.

But the risks would be immense as well.

If he encountered some old monster who enjoyed stealing others' talents, that would be troublesome.

Li Rui was already seventy and had heard of far too many blazing martial prodigies who had ultimately fallen.

Walking fast was not what mattered. Walking far was.

As long as he could climb to the summit, being slower did not matter. He had already waited several decades; a few more days made no difference.

The rustle of turning pages sounded once more.

"One Gives Birth to Two, Two Gives Birth to Three, Three Gives Birth to All Things."

"Hall Master Li, your blade is ready."

The young disciple of the Civil and Martial Hall carried a great blade nearly half a man tall onto the table.

"This blade is three chi seven cun long. It used thirty-seven jin of Huishan Iron, and three masters hammered it for three days and three nights before it took shape."

The young disciple spoke in a torrent.

Then he scratched his head awkwardly. "The masters got carried away and used a little extra iron. Hall Master Li, you'll need to make up another five taels of silver."

"If Hall Master Li is dissatisfied, I can have the masters forge another one."

The young disciple glanced at Li Rui, his heart uneasy.

If Li Rui truly was dissatisfied, it would be difficult to find anyone willing to take this thirty-seven-jin blade, and he would be punished for it as well.

Li Rui grasped the hilt with his right hand.

It felt warm and smooth in his grip. The blade smith had specially made the hilt from walnut wood, giving it an air of luxury.

The next instant, the young disciple's eyelids twitched.

Li Rui lifted the thirty-plus-jin great blade as lightly as though it weighed nothing. With a slight exertion, he raised it and gave it an easy flourish, then nodded.

"A fine blade!"