Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, another year went by.
During that year, Han Xuanji's life passed without a ripple.
Signing in and cultivating.
"Just a little more. I should be able to break through today."
Han Xuanji's thoughts stirred.
He signed in every day, so the treasures he received were naturally too numerous to count.
But if he wanted a solid foundation, he couldn't take all kinds of pills every day. He also needed time to build it up.
That night,
Han Xuanji began his breakthrough in his carefully arranged cave abode.
"Whew!"
Han Xuanji sat cross-legged and drew a deep breath, spiritual power surging inside him.
Hum!
The supreme-grade Spirit Stones around him seemed to vanish into thin air as Han Xuanji absorbed them one after another.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Han Xuanji finally broke through that bottleneck and leisurely opened his eyes. Deep in his pupils, an inverted galaxy seemed to turn slowly.
Spirit Transformation Realm Ninth Layer!
"At this rate, I should be close to the Void Return Realm."
Han Xuanji slowly rose to his feet, his gaze calm.
These days, such a small breakthrough could scarcely bring him much joy.
Eastern Cang Province, Heavenly Sword Sect.
Inside the sect master's hall,
the Heavenly Sword Sect master looked at a handsome man dressed in white and said with satisfaction:
"This time, the Sword Discussion Assembly is being held at the Divine Profound Sect. Although the Divine Profound Sect has declined somewhat in recent years, there are still many powerful sword cultivators on its Heaven-Reaching Peak."
"Cultivating in seclusion alone can hardly bring your sword Dao any further. I hear the Divine Profound Sect has a Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable whose attainments in the sword Dao may be no less than yours. If you can cross swords with him, you'll surely gain something."
The Heavenly Sword Sect master looked at the sword scion, Nangong Wenjian, and spoke slowly.
"With your talent, surpassing me is only a matter of time."
Although he was the master and had reached the Void Return Realm, he still felt a sense of pressure when facing Nangong Wenjian.
His disciple's talent was simply too great. His comprehension was already exceptional, and his innate sword heart gave him an extraordinary grasp of the sword Dao. More importantly, his aptitude for cultivation was defiant of the heavens. He was only three hundred years old, yet he had already reached the Spirit Transformation Realm Seventh Layer.
It was simply unbelievable.
For that very reason, the Heavenly Sword Sect had long regarded this peerless heaven's chosen as its future.
"The Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable-is he that formidable?"
Nangong Wenjian sounded slightly puzzled.
He spent years in seclusion, comprehending the Dao, and paid little attention to major events in the world. All he knew was that the Heavenly Devil Cult had extended its reach into Eastern Cang Province. He often went down the mountain to exterminate devils, and with his formidable strength, Devil Cultivators at the same realm could hardly last a single move against him.
"That's right."
The Heavenly Sword Sect master nodded.
"The Divine Profound Sect truly deserves its reputation as an immortal sect with a long lineage. Many mighty figures have emerged from it, and its foundations are unfathomably deep."
"It's no surprise that it could nurture a sword Dao heaven's chosen like the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable. On this trip to the Divine Profound Sect, you may meet him at the Sword Discussion Assembly. Even if you don't, you can try to find him."
Ever since the Heavenly Devil Cult had lost numerous experts in Yong Province, the Divine Profound Sect's prestige had soared, giving it every appearance of being the foremost sect of the righteous path.
And as word of the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable, who had appeared out of nowhere, passed from mouth to mouth, people had begun to boast that his talent surpassed even Nangong Wenjian's and that he was truly the greatest sword cultivator of the age.
Han Xuanji hadn't expected this alter ego of his to have become so famous. All of Eastern Cang Province had heard his title, and even some forces on the Nine Provinces Continent had begun to learn about him.
All of this greatly displeased the Heavenly Sword Sect master, an ardent Nangong admirer. He even suspected that this so-called Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable was a figure fabricated by the Divine Profound Sect.
But this Sword Discussion Assembly was also a good opportunity.
Great Xia's cultivation world was filled with sects, and grand cultivation gatherings were held at intervals.
The Sword Discussion Assembly was just such a grand gathering for countless sword cultivators. Sword cultivators from across the world would come to contend for the throne of the sword Dao's foremost expert!
It was not merely for fame, but also proof of their own sword Dao.
A swordsman must contend for supremacy!
The Divine Profound Sect also had quite a few powerful sword Dao inheritances. The most famous and formidable of them was Heaven-Reaching Peak, from which many peerless sword cultivators had emerged. The Heavenly Sword Sect master guessed that the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable came from that peak.
In the past, Heaven-Reaching Peak's sword cultivators had often been formidable rivals for the Heavenly Sword Sect's talented sword cultivators. But in this generation, Nangong Wenjian had no rival at all, which left the Heavenly Sword Sect master somewhat bored.
After all, if the gap between opponents was too great, he lost his enjoyment.
Because, in time, no one else was willing to play with them.
This time, however, the Heavenly Sword Sect master was looking forward to it. He very much wanted to know whether the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable's reputation was undeserved.
"Yes, Master."
Nangong Wenjian bowed slightly and answered.
The Heavenly Sword Sect master reminded him:
"If the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable isn't a sword cultivator of the Divine Profound Sect, you must recruit him into the Heavenly Sword Sect. A sword cultivator like that belongs in our Heavenly Sword Sect. If you had such a peerless genius as an opponent in your everyday life, I imagine it would help you as well."
Hearing this, Nangong Wenjian's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help feeling a little anticipation himself.
Ever since he had emerged into the world, not one cultivator of his generation could be called his opponent.
A kindred spirit was hard to find in life.
He hoped this Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable would prove to be a worthy opponent.
Divine Profound Sect.
Before the Soaring Cloud Palace.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully signed in at the Soaring Cloud Palace and obtained the Law Treasure "Seven-Star Black Tortoise Shield."]
The system's notification sounded.
"Seven-Star Black Tortoise Shield?"
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, then began to examine it carefully.
A seventh-tier defensive spirit treasure.
Good stuff.
As long as spiritual power was infused into it, the shield could ward off any attack. It was capable of withstanding attacks from the Body Integration Realm, and even a Spirit Transformation cultivator could use it to withstand an attack from a Void Return Realm expert by channeling spiritual power. It was a rare, supreme-grade defensive Law Treasure.
Han Xuanji took out the shield and examined it carefully.
The shield was not large, just the size of a bracer, and could fit snugly on his wrist. It was black and gave off an air of solidity.
Han Xuanji needed only a thought to establish a connection with a Law Treasure obtained from a system sign-in and easily claim it as his own.
"I'm wearing the Heavenly Devil Battle Armor, and now I have the Black Tortoise Shield too. Not bad."
Han Xuanji felt that his safety had increased once again and couldn't help nodding inwardly.
He then returned to his cave abode to continue cultivating.
Early the next morning,
Lu Fan came looking for him.
The two hadn't been in contact for a long time. This time, Lu Fan had come to invite him to watch the Sword Discussion Assembly, and Lu Fan would also be taking part.
Han Xuanji's heart stirred.
"I could go and have a look."
But what interested him wasn't the Sword Discussion Assembly.
It was Heaven-Reaching Peak's inheritance.
Heaven-Reaching Peak had deep foundations and a lineage stretching back over ten thousand years. Many peerless figures had come from it, and there would be no shortage of places rich in Dao resonance there.
But because a Void Return mighty figure stood guard there, Han Xuanji had rarely visited. He only signed in at places on its outskirts. Although those places had Dao resonance, their level was very low, so the rewards naturally weren't very good either.
Han Xuanji's strength had now increased greatly, and he had also newly mastered the Heaven-Shrouding Technique. He felt that as long as he didn't act recklessly, even a Void Return expert wouldn't be able to detect his whereabouts.