Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The silence that ensued was frightening.

 Bending her neck a little, Ni Yu could clearly see the figure behind her. The expression on her face froze and her cheeks were suddenly stiff and numb.

 She didn't even feel remorseful that the sugarcoated elixir had fallen on the snow.

 Of course, it was also because she believed in the five-second rule that the elixir would still be edible if she picked it up right away.

 “Young…Young Master?!” Ni Yu spluttered.

 Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan stared at Ni Yu expressionlessly.

 He didn't scold Ni Yu though. Lu Fan had an extremely mild temper after all.

 He simply raised his eyes slightly and waved his hand. A pebble from the lakeside flew to him and floated in the air. Lu Fan lifted his finger and gently wrote on the pebble.

 Dust from the stone blew away in the wind.

 Then, Lu Fan gestured with his hand, causing the pebble to fall on the ground, crus.h.i.+ng the elixir.

 “I have been in seclusion for three months. So maybe that's why you think you can slack off.”

 “The refining manual of the Body Tempering Elixir is doc.u.mented on this pebble. Take a look. I want to see the finished product in three days,” Lu Fan spoke in a soft voice, leaning forward in his wheelchair.

 Ni Yu didn't know what to do with her hands. She looked at the crushed elixir, heart-aching at the loss of the treat.

 Was the Young Master a monster?

 Why couldn't he let an innocent elixir go?

 Hands shaking, she picked up the pebble on the ground and read the elixir recipe carved on the pebble in tiny font.

 No one else but the Young Master would carve an elixir recipe casually on a pebble.

 Ni Yu pursed her lips.

 Did she dare to refuse the Young Master?

 “Young Master… Is your seclusion over?” Ning Zhao asked, looking at Lu Fan with her bright eyes. She combed her fingers through her hair.

 Lu Fan nodded.

 “Young Master,” she said, “Jing Yue and the others have left the island to fight against enemies in each county.”

 Ning Zhao continued, “The world is facing a huge crisis.”

 “I know.”

 Lu Fan remained calm and composed, unsurprised by the news.

 Ning Zhao was puzzled for a moment, then she realized that the Young Master probably already knew about it.

 Even though the Young Master rarely left the island, he was somehow aware of everything happening in the world when he sat in the pavilion alone.

 Snow drizzled from the sky.

 White snowflakes fell into their hair.

 Naturally, the snow couldn't touch Lu Fan. An invisible energy current flowed around his body and dispelled the snow.

 Lu Fan rested his chin on one hand, a white coat draped over his shoulders.

 Then, automatically, the Thousand Blades Chair wheeled itself down the White Jade City Pavilion and moved toward Beiluo Lake.

 Ni Yu held the pebble in her hands and Ning Zhao looked after the Young Master in confusion.

 In the distance, Yi Yue also opened her eyes from cultivating and rushed to them.

 Inside the lake, the small Responsive Dragon leaped out through the ice as if it sensed Lu Fan's presence. Lu Fan petted it briefly and it disappeared into the lake.

 The Thousand Blades Chair moved slowly past the lakeside and floated above the lake like a lonely canoe.

 It's movement wrinkled the mirror surface of the lake.

 Lu Fan reached the center of the lake and slowly raised his hand.

 The lake split into halves suddenly and opened up.

 Ni Yu and the rest were dumbstruck by this scene.

 A giant golden ball rose from the bottom of the lake. Five different colors floated inside the golden ball.

 The ball emitted energy of a tremendous momentum that frightened Ning Zhao and the other people on the island.

 Even Ning Zhao, who had reached the Internal Organs Realm, didn't dare to stare directly at the golden ball.

 “What…What is that?”

 Ning Zhao was intimidated.

 Gripping the pebble, Ni Yu gulped. “Could it be…a large fried dough the Young Master made?”

 Ning Zhao didn't know how to respond.

 Above Beiluo Lake, Lu Fan's hair was blowing in the wind. He looked at the floating Plane's Origin which had the similar dimensions of a pan, then reached out his hand and put his palm on top.

 Buzz…

 A peculiar kind of wave started to surge.

 The clouds above White Jade City broke up and swirled into an upside-down funnel.

 A strange transformation began to take place.

 …

 South County.

 It was raining outside of Nanjin City.

 The pungent smell of blood permeated the air.

 The situation on the battlefield was now under control. Jing Yue wielded the Jing Heaven Sword among the Nanman Army. His white robe was still spotless somehow.

 The force of the sword affected hundreds of meters with one strike. Many Nanman soldiers were severely injured.

 Jing Yue felt that even his sword spirit was well refined for this kind of attack.

 In the distance, Hua Dongliu, the Sword Saint, was amazed by Jing Yue's technique.

 The essence of the sword cultivation borne out of flashy and complicate movements had returned to its original purity and simplicity. It was very difficult to master simple techniques like thrusting or sweeping.

 He hadn't expected Jing Yue to be able to understand that.

 Hua Dongliu easily saw through what Jing Yue was after. Jing Yue wanted to refine his sword spirit, just like Hua Dongliu's East Flowing sword spirit which had crus.h.i.+ng power, mighty and irresistible as a rus.h.i.+ng river.

 Hua Dongliu had spent thirty years developing that East Flowing sword spirit.

 Hua Dongliu flew down from the wall of the gate tower.

 He pulled and brandished the Morning Chrysanthemum sword. Countless shadows of the sword fused and struck with great strength and energy.

 Hua Dongliu landed next to Jing Yue.

 “You need to maintain a steady stream of Qi in your heart to comprehend the sword spirit. You have to understand what you want from the bottom of your heart, what your sword wants,” Hua Dongliu explained.

 He spoke with a smile, looking at Jing Yue, “The sword has its own spirit. If you understand that, you will be able to develop a sword spirit without too much trouble.”

 “The times are different now. Spirit Qi gives the sword a breath of life, so it's become easier to develop the sword spirit. You just have to put your heart into it.”

 Holding the Jing Heaven Sword aloft, Jing Yue nodded.

 He closed his eyes and tried to feel the Spirit Qi surging in his Qi Core.

 Hua Dongliu didn't say anymore. He charged at the enemy with his sword.

 They might have been commoners living in the greenwood, nevertheless, the world was not simply full of the government and the officials. The populace was an important component of society.

 How could they sit by idly and cower under the enemy's attack?

 The effectiveness of combat started to improve with the support of different groups in South County. The Nanman soldiers began to retreat frantically.

 Tang Yimo had been fighting in a frenzied manner ever since he activated the second meridian.

 He had killed most of the bizarre shamans in black robes.

 Inside the woods, a deafening sound shook the ground.

 A tall and brawny figure appeared from its dark depths.

 The sod underneath his feet nudged him forward helplessly.

 Tang Yimo's body stiffened. He sensed a great deal of pressure as this man emerged.

 “A cultivator from White Jade City?”

 Wrapped in a black robe, the man was strong and muscular, yet moved with a soft and elegant manner.

 He glanced at Jing Yue in the distance, then fixed his eyes on Tang Yimo.

 “You're cultivating a demonic technique. It's a sin to sink into Demonic Cultivation.”

 The man in black robe crossed his fingers in front of his chest like a n.o.ble gentleman.

 His demeanor seemed incongruous with his stature.

 Tang Yimo didn't waste time talking to him.

 His entire body was feverish, covered in bulging blue veins.

 He lunged forward like a raging demon. The ground under his feet dented and cracked.

 This muscular man must be the chief culprit who directed the Nanman Army and began this war. The Nanman Army would retreat as long as he killed this general.

 “How grumpy.”

 The mud and soil under the man's feet somehow s.h.i.+fted him out of reach.

 Surprisingly, Tang Yimo couldn't keep up.

 It didn't feel right.

 “I'm at the Peak Foundation Building Realm,” the man said, contemptuously. “Judging by your cultivation method, even though you have a similar combat capability with those in the Foundation Building Realm, you still rely mostly on physical strength.

 “You need to know that technique is where the real power lies.

 “As strong as your body is, what good can it be if you can't even come near me?”

 Anger raging with his eyes, Tang Yimo picked up speed.

 His skin began to bleed because he had activated the second meridian without much thought and his body hadn't adapted to the power raging underneath his skin.

 The muscular man chuckled.

 He raised his hand and waved.

 Bang!

 A giant stone pillar burst out of the ground abruptly.

 Tang Yimo punched the pillar and blasted it to pieces.

 With help from the moving ground, the muscular man slid far away and continued smiling elegantly.

 He continued to wave and twist his fingers while chanting something with his mouth.

 Spikes came out from the ground.

 This bizarre technique sent cold s.h.i.+vers down the spines of those who saw.

 Of course, Tang Yimo was not afraid. He exerted all of his strength and shattered the spikes.

 “You have a strong body. Unfortunately, there is always a limit to physical strength…”

 The muscular man smiled gracefully.

 He raised his hands, palms facing each other.

 Then he clapped his hands together.

 The broken stones from the ground suddenly flew up into the air. Everything went black in front of Tang Yimo's eyes.

 Two hemisphere-shaped piles of dirt shot up and encased Tang Yimo.

 They morphed into a sphere and fell to the ground quietly.

 Stone dust skittered off the surface of the ball.

 The muscular man smiled faintly.

 He raised his head and looked at the wall of Nanjin City.

 “The Lord of the Plane…”

 He crossed his fingers in front of his chest once more. Even though he was only a drifter, he still wanted to maintain elegance.

 Shamans in black robes appeared behind him again. Staring ahead vacantly, they had soulless expressions on their faces.

 They were puppets who only moved with knowledge of their techniques.

 Everyone was stunned to see Tang Yimo coc.o.o.ned inside a dirt sphere.

 Suddenly, Jing Yue opened his eyes.

 An invisible wave of energy was surging around his body.

 After a bit of practice, Jing Yue finally understood the true meaning of the sword spirit after that lecture from Hua Dongliu.

 “My sword spirit…is to press forward with an indomitable will!” Jing Yue muttered.

 He griped the Jing Heaven Sword hard in his hand.

 It reminded him of the time when he was practicing in Beiluo Lake, the sense of accomplishment when he saw the water was split by his thrust.

 Again, and again.

 The distance his sword could reach became longer and longer.

 Buzz…

 Jing Yue opened his eyes.

 He felt as if his entire body was replaced by an invisible blade.

 The sword spirit!

 Gripping the sword tight, Jing Yue lunged forward and thrust.

 A simple and unadorned move.

 He jabbed at the muscular man.

 The ground cracked beneath the force of the sword.

 An invisible bolt of energy spurted out five hundred meters.

 The moving ground under the muscular man's feet stopped.

 The man raised his hand and waved gently.

 Dozens of stone planks rose from the ground under the attack from Jing Yue's sword spirit.

 Bang!

 The stone planks were pierced through by the force of the sword.

 One by one, the stone planks cracked, unable to withstand the impact at all.

 The sword penetrated 52 stone planks like darts through paper.

 By the time it pa.s.sed through the last stone plank, the force was so weak that it was barely detectable. It was almost like a breeze blowing against the muscular man.

 It simply cut a strand of his hair.

 “Swordsman.”

 The muscular man squinted.

 The natives of this world were quite something.

 The young man who had the physical strength of the Internal Organs Realm and this swordsman who pierced 52 stone planks with one thrust—they both had extraordinary talents.

 They were remarkable.

 Jing Yue frowned when his first strike failed. Holding the Jing Heaven Sword aloft once more, he took out a folded handkerchief from his pocket, opened it carefully, then picked up a Gathering Qi Elixir and put it in his mouth.

 The Spirit Qi flowed through his body again.

 He raised the sword.

 He didn't succeed with one strike, so he would try a few more!

 The muscular man waved his hand.

 The shamans behind him stepped forward and started to incant.

 Whistling, spikes shot toward Jing Yue one by one as they chanted.

 The disciples of the Daoist Pavilion led by Xie Yunling also roared and stepped forward into formation again.

 A giant, round formation made by Spirit Qi floated in front of him and blocked the spikes.

 On the city wall of Nanjin, a figure wearing a blue robe slowly came into view.

 Sima Qingshan was tired. He had remained in the Dragon Gate for three months to improve his strength. He wanted to be able to kill the enemy with ease, like Nie Changqing.

 Gripping the brush in his hand, he stared at the gory battlefield outside of Nanjin City.

 He raised his head and relished the cold rain dripping onto his face.

 Sima Qingshan retrieved and unfurled the unused paper he carried on his back. He flung the brush into the air and used the rain as ink.

 Spirit Qi gushed from his Qi Core.

 He painted with the rain.

 Under the city wall of Nanjin, the muscular man's view suddenly changed.

 The b.l.o.o.d.y field covered with corpses vanished.

 Instead, he could only see a misty, rainy sky. He seemed to be floating above a lake while the rain wrinkled the surface of the lake.

 He looked around frantically only to discover the exact same scene in the same color palette in all directions.

 Like he was trapped in a limitless cage.

 On top of the gate tower of Nanjin City, Sima Qingshan face cracked a bright smile even though his face was white as a sheet.

 The penurious painter drew a painting with the rain and encaged the muscular man.

 …

 North County.

 The battlefield was a tragic sight because North County didn't have powerful cultivators like Nie Changqing.

 It had been an especially fierce and arduous fight.

 Jiang Li led the army and had gained the upper hand. The North County armored hors.e.m.e.n clashed with the Xirong soldiers like ice and snow melting together.

 Lord of Xirong watched Jiang Li in his silver armor.

 “This is indeed an interesting world with plenty of gifted people… What a shame!” the Lord of Xirong exclaimed.

 He thought he should give these talents their well-deserved respect.

 He climbed down from his chariot and walked briskly toward Jiang Li like a swift shadow.

 A sense of danger made Jiang Li's blood run cold and his flesh creep.

 Like the shadow of death had enveloped him in an instant.

 Jiang Li pulled out his short sword instinctively and held it defensively in front of his chest.

 The black shadow somehow stepped on the head of Jiang Li's horse. He pointed at Jiang Li with one finger.

 Jiang Li defended himself with the short sword.

 A cracking sound.

 The short sword shattered.

 Jiang Li was thrown off the horse by a strong force. Blood spewed from his mouth.

 Two cultivators from North County rushed to block the attack.

 Chi Lian sprang toward them frantically.

 Lord of Xirong simply waved his hand.

 Bang!

 With frightening force, he tossed Chi Lian and other people away.

 Lord of Xirong walked up to Jiang Li with deliberate steps.

 “You're talented. Tell me your name so I may remember you,” the Lord of Xirong said.

 “You're not the Lord of Xirong…” Jiang Li said in a soft voice, blood streaming down from the corner of his mouth as he examined the man in front of him.

 “What I did was sinful,” the Lord of Xirong spoke hesitantly. “I couldn't face all of you. That's why I will use another man's face. It's the only way I can feel less guilty.”

 “Humph.

 “What hypocrisy!” Jiang Li sneered.

 “You don't deserve to hear my name if you don't dare to show your face,” Jiang Li said.

 The compa.s.sion on the Lord of Xirong's face vanished. He stared at Jiang Li expressionlessly and lifted a finger.

 He reached out to poke the center of Jiang Li's forehead between his eyebrows.

 Chi Lian dashed toward them, yelling hysterically from afar.

 Everything seemed to have lost its color and sound vanished from Jiang Li's ears.

 All of a sudden, a yellow baby chick flew in an arc across the sky, innocent and confused.

 It fell into Jiang Li's arms, bouncing a little from the force of its flight.

 Lord of Xirong had been interrupted by a baby chick. He was dazed for a moment.

 Eh?

 What was the meaning of this?