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Over the next month, Qin Lian enjoyed the benefits of his cultivation progress advancing by leaps and bounds.

Every afternoon, after practicing his swordsmanship and movement techniques, he went to the sect master's courtyard to discuss the Dao for four hours.

During this time...

Tang Yao sat to one side and listened throughout.

Considering her background, aptitude, and the astonishing achievements she was certain to make in spirit refinement, Li Wangxu did not turn her away.

But this made things difficult for Qin Lian.

"Why does time stagnate for someone inside a Black Hole? Why does a single two-hour period in the world beside a Black Hole equal twenty-seven years passing? What sort of divine ability is this? Flowers Bloom in an Instant? Space-Time Creation?"

In Li Wangxu's courtyard, questions like these rang out after almost every "discussion of the Dao."

The endless "whys" made Qin Lian's head ache.

"They're just some flights of fancy. Why insist on getting to the bottom of everything?"

He offered this as an evasion.

"But according to my experiments, speed and time do indeed share a wondrous connection. If there truly is a divine ability that can allow someone to attain the Speed of Light, an instant becoming eternity would no longer be a myth or legend."

Tang Yao continued questioning him.

"The Speed of Light? You've got to be joking."

Qin Lian could not help retorting, "Do you have any idea how much energy it takes to accelerate a piece of matter to the Speed of Light? Even a pebble striking a celestial body at the Speed of Light could destroy it..."

"So what you described really is an unsurpassed divine ability that could shake heaven and earth. It simply requires boundless magical power, rather than being impossible. Is that right?"

Tang Yao's young face was utterly earnest.

"Well..."

Qin Lian considered it briefly.

If a being with boundless magical power really could bring themselves to the Speed of Light...

An instant becoming eternity might truly be more than an illusion.

Seeing Qin Lian speechless for a moment, Tang Yao became even more convinced of her guess. She saluted him with the utmost respect, as a disciple would. "Please teach me, Teacher Qin."

"All right, all right. You want a legendary heaven-tier cultivation method, do you? I'll give you one."

Qin Lian immediately wrote out the complete Mass-Energy Equation, including its derivation.

Tang Yao looked at the equation Qin Lian had written...

And froze for a moment.

"Young man... young lady, an unsurpassed spell is right before your eyes. Why aren't you learning it?"

Qin Lian spoke with a half-smile.

"What script is this?"

Tang Yao looked at Qin Lian. "I don't recognize it."

"You don't recognize it? That's exactly right."

Qin Lian smiled.

How could he tell her that he did not recognize it either?

"Take your time studying it."

Qin Lian rose and left.

After leaving the garden, Qin Lian was about to return to the Library Pavilion when he faintly heard Li Wangxu talking to someone in the neighboring courtyard.

"Something has happened at Taibai Mine Mountain again?"

The words "Taibai Mine Mountain" caught his attention.

This concerned his annual income of five to six hundred thousand taels.

At once, his departing steps veered slightly.

"Xue Li died in a duel with Xu Hailong. We thought Overlord Blade would be too preoccupied with its internal strife to concern itself with this matter. We never expected them to send Gao Qianchi straight here to demand justice! And... they've used the formal challenge channels as well. Our Pure Yang Sword Sect cannot refuse."

A voice drifted over.

Qin Lian briefly matched the voice to its owner...

It was Lu Jianping, master of the Sword-Wielding Hall.

Another voice added, "Gao Qianchi is a Third Grade grandmaster of Overlord Blade. Half a year ago, he fought Meng Conghu, who is on the Heaven Ranking, and even won by a move! But he has reached forty, and his vitality is visibly beginning to decline. So even though he successfully used Meng Conghu as a stepping stone, he still failed to make the ranking!"

It was the voice of Mu Xingchui, master of the Merit Hall.

"Forty? He defeated Heaven Ranking Grandmaster Meng Conghu!?"

Although in another three to five years, as his vitality declined more seriously, he would certainly be no match for Meng Conghu...

For the next year or two, his strength would be no weaker than that of any Heaven Ranking Grandmaster.

"Can Xu Hailong beat him?"

Li Wangxu's voice drifted over.

"He sent word to the sect. He reckons his chances of victory are below thirty percent."

Lu Jianping continued, "But he is willing to fight to the death for the Taibai Sword Sect and our Pure Yang Sword Sect, to force Gao Qianchi to reveal all his methods for Grandmaster Qin."

"Below thirty percent..."

Li Wangxu paused. "The chances are too low."

"As for Grandmaster Qin..."

"Over this past month, I've been in close contact with Grandmaster Qin Lian. To tell the truth, my impression of him has changed enormously."

Li Wangxu's tone was filled with feeling. "A month ago, I sincerely advised him to marry and have children rather than waste time pursuing Second Grade Divine Intent. But over this month, his growth has been so rapid that I can scarcely believe it..."

"Scarcely believe it?"

Lu Jianping sounded somewhat surprised. "Sect Master, you think that highly of him?"

"Indeed! I examined his past carefully. He already possessed outstanding talent when he was a True Disciple on Cloudmist Peak. Had he not squandered four years over the matter of Jiang Xin and wasted his time and energy on the Blood-Burning Sword Art, even saying he might have attained Divine Intent by now would not be an extravagant hope!"

Li Wangxu's voice held indescribable regret.

These remarks immediately surprised Lu Jianping and Mu Xingchui considerably.

"Divine Intent!?"

"Qin Lian really has a chance of reaching Second Grade?"

"Over this past month, I've set aside important sect affairs to spend four to six hours every day sitting with him and discussing the Dao. Almost every time, I can clearly sense his improvement. If he maintains this rate of progress and gains a few opportunities for insight, within a year or two... he will certainly attain Divine Intent!"

Li Wangxu spoke with absolute conviction.

Such a declaration...

Naturally left both Lu Jianping and Mu Xingchui astonished and delighted.

"Excellent, excellent! I know you have always been measured in your words, Sect Master. For you to say that Grandmaster Qin will certainly attain Divine Intent within a year or two, his future success in reaching Second Grade must already be all but assured!"

"Hahaha! This Grandmaster Qin making the Heaven Ranking was already quite a surprise to me. And now Divine Intent is within his reach... he really has given us an enormous surprise!"

Their voices were filled with heartfelt joy.

Listening in nearby, Qin Lian concentrated on sensing his own progress.

Qin Lian concentrated on sensing his own progress.

[Great Void Visualization Diagram (minor accomplishment 76/100)]

Before he had reached the introductory stage, a day's discussion of the Dao could increase his progress by nine points. After reaching the introductory stage and minor accomplishment, his progress had slowed each time.

But reaching perfection within a year was already well within his grasp.

Sect Master Li had declared that he would comprehend Divine Intent within a year or two...

Qin Lian admitted that he really was an excellent judge of people.

"In that case, we'll stall for as long as possible. If Overlord Blade insists on seizing Taibai Mine Mountain... there's no harm in abandoning the resources there."

Lu Jianping said gravely, "A Divine Intent grandmaster carries far more weight than a single Taibai Mine Mountain."

"Indeed. We can simply make up Grandmaster Qin's share. We'll have a result in a year or two anyway... it would only be a shortfall of a million taels."

Mu Xingchui replied, "I'm just afraid that Grandmaster Qin, being young and hot-blooded, might hear the news and insist on going to Taibai Mine Mountain himself, putting himself in danger to challenge Gao Qianchi."

"Haha, you needn't worry about that. Grandmaster Qin's life follows a fixed route between two places. He is extremely disciplined, devoting almost all his time and energy to diligent, grueling cultivation. When would he have time to listen to outside gossip?"

Li Wangxu said with a laugh, "I'll keep the news under wraps. I certainly won't let such trifles interfere with his cultivation."

"Oh? I've heard something of Grandmaster Qin's diligence on the mountain these past few months myself. That puts my mind at ease."

Lu Jianping spoke.

"With how hard Grandmaster Qin works, it would truly be a pity if even he couldn't temper Divine Intent."

"One more Second Grade expert would give the sect another measure of underlying strength. The Heavenly Martial Bureau... its moves are growing ever larger. I even suspect that the Heavenly Martial Bureau is fanning the flames behind the Taibai Mine Mountain affair..."

"Then all the more reason not to follow their steps, lest we be swept into the vortex of Overlord Blade's internal strife."

"The Heavenly Martial Bureau... I received confidential information that a Deputy Director has already arrived secretly in Yi Province. I don't know whether it's true."

"A Deputy Director!? Great Sword Sect Chi Mo? Wandering Immortal Fang Tianqian? Or Divine Mathematician Wei Cexuan?"

"I don't know... the information came from within Overlord Blade... clearly, some of them have noticed something amiss, but... it seems it's already too late."

"Has there been any word from the True Martial Sacred Land?"

"They're waiting!"

"Waiting for what!?"

"For Grand Preceptor Wen to die!"

At these words, the others seemed to fall silent for a moment.

"Then we can only wait."

Having heard this much, Qin Lian did not listen any further.

But inwardly, he was somewhat moved.

Without his even noticing...

The Pure Yang Sword Sect had sheltered him from a measure of wind and rain.