Li Changge Shatters His Core

The Core Formation elders watching from the sidelines were all stunned.

One of them said in disbelief, "Th-that's it?

Old Li, go on, make your move!"

"Exactly! Your bronze mirror is still miles away from his sword light.

Don't tell me you can't even punch through the thunderclouds spilling off it?"

"Seriously, Old Li, do something!"

"..."

Elder Li's face alternated between green and white as he listened to his colleagues' doubts.

But no matter how he called to it, the magical artifact he had spent years refining gave no response.

He stood frozen for a long while before murmuring, almost to himself:

"The bolts falling from those thunderclouds can shatter a cultivator's Divine Sense."

"Shatter Divine Sense?"

Could the Divine Sense in Old Li's artifact have been pierced through?

No wonder his bronze mirror suddenly stopped moving."

"Those thunderclouds are frighteningly powerful."

"Frightening doesn't begin to describe it. I've only ever seen lightning capable of shattering Divine Sense in Heavenly Punishment."

"Good heavens, Li Changge's sword light has been weaving through those thunderclouds from the very beginning.

Doesn't that mean he's been contending with Heavenly Punishment all this time?"

"Probably more than that. Li Changge's sword light hasn't just pierced through the thunderclouds; he's been dueling someone else with his sword the whole time.

His attention should be focused on his opponent. He hasn't spent much effort on the thunderclouds at all."

"Exactly. Otherwise, we wouldn't have overlooked those thunderclouds."

"Li Changge is so young. How is his sword intent so condensed?

And who is the cultivator fighting him?

Could it be a Nascent Soul patriarch?"

"Well..."

As the Core Formation cultivators chattered among themselves, someone suddenly spoke up:

"Don't any of you think the aura of the person sparring with Li Changge feels familiar?"

"Now that you mention it, I really do feel like I've sensed that aura somewhere before."

After pondering for a moment, one of the Core Formation elders suddenly widened his eyes.

"No way. Could the person sparring with Li Changge be Xu Changxing?!"

"Who did you say?"

"Didn't Xu Changxing only complete Foundation Establishment a couple of months ago?

How could he have reached Core Formation so quickly?"

"Even if cultivating really were as easy as eating and drinking for someone, surely his strength couldn't become this terrifying all at once?"

"I don't think it's possible either, but that aura really does resemble Xu Changxing's."

"Well..."

"Wait, where's Old Liu? Where did he go?!

Li Changge is fighting so fiercely on his peak.

Why hasn't his master shown himself at all?"

"Exactly. This doesn't make sense. Where on earth has Old Liu gone?"

"Good heavens, could Old Liu have been caught in the shock waves?!"

"Quick, notify the sect master!"

Just as the Core Formation elders were reeling from that conjecture, they suddenly realized their surroundings had fallen silent.

It wasn't that they had stopped talking. Their voices had been cut off.

While they stood in a daze, a steady voice rang out beside their ears:

"Stop guessing wildly. The ones sparring in the thunderclouds are Li Changge and his junior brother, Xu Changxing.

Liu Chenyu hasn't perished in their sparring match either. He came to find me."

At that voice, the Core Formation elders immediately fell silent and bowed in unison toward the distance.

The newcomer was Shi Haoyan, one of the Setting Sun Sect's two Spirit Transformation Ancestors.

Beside Shi Haoyan was an anxious-looking Liu Chenyu.

From far away, Liu Chenyu had already spotted Li Changge and Xu Changxing exchanging blows within the thunderclouds.

Those streaks of sword light nearly blinded him.

Although Liu Chenyu had long known that he probably could no longer defeat his eldest disciple, Li Changge, he had never imagined the gap would be so vast.

He couldn't withstand even a single stray streak of sword light within those thunderclouds.

He wasn't even confident he could face the thunderclouds scattered by that sword light head-on.

If Li Changge alone had been this formidable, that would have been one thing.

After all, his eldest disciple had earned an illustrious reputation over the years, and Liu Chenyu had been somewhat prepared.

Yet Xu Changxing, the youngest disciple he had only taken in a few months ago, had actually displayed equally terrifying combat prowess.

As the two streaks of sword light tangled within the thunderclouds, they kept drawing down heavenly lightning to strike each other.

Had he not already known their identities, he would have thought Li Changge was fighting a Nascent Soul patriarch.

At that moment, Liu Chenyu was extraordinarily grateful for his own decisiveness.

If he hadn't promptly brought Shi Haoyan over, he would probably have been left waiting helplessly on the sidelines with those rubbernecking elders.

He might even have been mocked for being unable to do anything.

Liu Chenyu furtively wiped away nonexistent cold sweat, then turned to Shi Haoyan.

"Grand-uncle Master, my third disciple obtained some unknown opportunity and suddenly condensed a terrifying sword intent.

It was precisely because he couldn't control his thunder sword intent that he asked me to fetch his eldest senior brother.

Now it seems even Changge can't suppress his sword intent.

Please intervene, Grand-uncle Master, and save this unworthy disciple of mine!"

Shi Haoyan gave Liu Chenyu an odd look and said, "There's no hurry. Wait a little longer."

Liu Chenyu was taken aback.

But he dared not question a Spirit Transformation Ancestor's words.

He could only suppress his unease and turn his attention to the two men fighting.

After watching for a while, Liu Chenyu suddenly gave a startled murmur.

"How did Changge's sword intent become like this?

And why is his core energy so dense?

Could it be..."

At this point, Liu Chenyu's eyes suddenly widened. "Could he be about to shatter his core and form a nascent soul?"

Shi Haoyan nodded slightly. "It seems Li Changge has benefited greatly from this sparring match.

His sword intent is not only sharp, but exceptionally steadfast.

He must have found a path that suits him.

If he can keep walking the path he has chosen, perhaps it won't be long before our Setting Sun Sect gains another Spirit Transformation Ancestor."

"Th-this..."

Liu Chenyu had never expected Shi Haoyan to hold Li Changge in such high regard.

His lips parted slightly, but for a moment he had no idea how to respond.

Liu Chenyu glanced at him and said with a smile, "There's no need to be so surprised.

Li Changge is exceptionally gifted. Even without this opportunity, forming a nascent soul would only have been a matter of time.

The one who intrigues me is your third disciple, Xu Changxing.

Just over a month ago, he brought me an opportunity. Who would have thought he'd turn around and bring Li Changge a stroke of fortune too?

My, my. These two disciples of yours have even me tempted."

"Uh..."

At those words, Liu Chenyu's expression stiffened again.

This time, he truly had no idea how to respond.

Just then, a streak of sword light shot into the heavens, drawing his attention.

Li Changge had merged his body with his sword and burst out of the thunderclouds.

Below him, Xu Changxing seemed to realize something. He too halted his sword light and gathered in the roiling thunderclouds around him.

Liu Chenyu's eyes brightened slightly at the sight. "They're finished?

Changge really helped my third disciple suppress his sword intent?

How did he do it?

Was fighting a single match all it took?"

As Liu Chenyu's questions tumbled out one after another, a Spiritual Energy Storm suddenly swept up around Li Changge.

Immediately afterward, crisp cracking sounds rang out from his dantian.

That was the sound of his dantian shattering!