However, it was not as easy to advance into the sixth level.

This level required him to circulate and stimulate two strands of inner energy at the same time. It was not a difficult task Chu Li since he had the ability to mult.i.task. The important part was where he should draw these two strands of inner energy from. 

He had noticed that the power produced by the Light Blade had been rather lacking when he divided his inner energy into two parts and circulated them separately before finally letting them converge at the blade. In fact, it was weaker than the fifth level. 

Clearly, there would have been some mistake in his way of performing it. These two strands of inner energy should not have come from the same source, so he needed two different types of inner energy.

Chu Li smiled after he gave it some thought. While this might be a difficult task for others, it was not that hard for him to accomplish.

Two strands of spiritual energy entered his body. He circulated one of them according to the Crescent Cryptic and the other according to the Divine Light Technique. After having formed the respective types of inner energy, he circulated these two forms of inner energy according to the Light Blade Technique's sixth level.

"Ts.h.!.+" With a low whistling sound, the small stone in his hand vanished all of a sudden and reappeared near the precipice a moment later. Then, a loud "bang" echoed as a deep hole appeared in the precipice. Its power was truly shocking. 

Chu Li went in front of the precipice to examine this deep hole.

Although the precipice had been exposed to wind and rain and was far from being as strong as a boulder, the depth of this hole and the lack of any cracks around it was a clear indication of how solid and brutal the inner force contained within this small stone had been.

This was truly the formidable power of the sixth level.

Unfortunately, he could not use it for now since he could not let anyone know that he possessed the Crescent Cryptic just yet.

As he thought of this, he activated his Light-body Technique and stimulated his Time Steps to the greatest extent. With that, he achieved incredible speed that was way faster than what he had used to travel to Gale City. 

During the evening of the next day, he returned to the thatched cottage on Small Light Peak. 

Under the setting sun, the little thatched cottage on the mountain top was covered in a rosy glow as it stood proudly in the howling wind.

Upon seeing this cottage, he could not help but feel a sense of familiarity. The scenery was still the same and nothing had changed.

As he stood in front of the cottage, he let out a long and loud whistle.

Soon, Li Ruolan came gliding over.

She was dressed in a purple gown. A white veil covered her face that revealed only a pair of beautiful bright eyes.

Upon noticing Chu Li, her eyes gleamed as she asked in surprise, "Why have you returned?"

"To ask for your help, Miss Ruolan," Chu Li replied.

"How can I help?" As Li Ruolan approached him, her purple gown fluttered in the wind and a faint fragrance wafted to his nose.

Chu Li lifted a hand and gestured for them to continue the conversation inside the cottage.

After they had entered the warm little cottage, one sat on the bed and the other sat on the stone stool in front of the bed respectively. 

"No one else has come to stay here?" Chu Li asked.

"Do you like it here?" Li Ruolan asked in return with a smile. "If you like this place, you can keep it for yourself."

Chu Li was shocked. "I can do that?"

Li Ruolan answered, "Once you've gained enough merits, you can put Small Light Peak under your name and no one else will be allowed to come here."

"What kind of merits will I have to gain?" Chu Li eagerly asked.

The amount of spiritual energy gathered at Small Light Peak made it an excellent spot for cultivation. While it could not compare with the Spirit Cranes Peak, this was still a top-notch place in comparison to other locations.

"You will have to direct this question to the Saint," Li Ruolan said and smiled. "Now, let's get on to the main point of this meeting."

"I need two types of heart techniques when performing Light Blade Technique's sixth level," Chu Li explained. "I've only learned the Divine Light Technique right now, so I'm hoping to learn another heart technique."

"You've already reached the sixth level?" Li Ruolan was taken aback.

Chu Li seemed proud of himself. "I'm capable of cultivating this technique in a short amount of time."

"You can't just focus on cultivating the heart technique." Li Ruolan hesitated before speaking again, "Accuracy is key here. If you can't even hit your target, it'll be useless no matter how powerful your flying blade is." 

Chu Li laughed and replied, "I always practiced throwing stones when I was young because I liked it. I can even hit a bird using a small stone!"

"I see…" Li Ruolan slowly nodded.

Zhao Dahe was truly lucky to have trained his accuracy since he was young. This made it much easier for him to cultivate the Light Blade Technique. All the disciples from the Holy Church of Light always had to practice shooting targets for two to four hours every day when cultivating the same technique.

"May I cultivate another heart technique then?" Chu Li asked.

Li Ruolan replied, "Let me discuss this with the Saint for a moment."

"Hurry up and go then." Chu Li prompted. "I need it urgently. I want to quickly master the Light Blade Technique so that I can go back there and kill Tan Hu and Meng Wu!"

Li Ruolan chuckled and nodded before turning away to leave.

… 

Chu Li sat on the stone bed as he cultivated. It felt especially quiet and peaceful sitting there as if time had come to a standstill.

He suddenly began to miss Xiao Qi and Xiao s.h.i.+. They were probably having dinner together at the residence right now. Meanwhile, he was sitting all alone here. 

He heard a knock on the door. Li Ruolan was standing outside.

As Chu Li went to open the door, a smile appeared on his face.

Dressed in a moon-white gown, Li Ruolan looked slender and elegant as she stood under the moonlight. She had already removed her white veil, so he could see her charming, fair face. "The Saint has decided to give you this heart technique. Cultivate it well." 

She took out a thin booklet from one of her sleeves and handed it to Chu Li.

Chu Li accepted the booklet and glanced over it. The three words "Great One Technique" were written in small print on the cover page.

After reading through it once in detail, he shook his head helplessly. As he stared at the densely-packed red lines on the pages, he realized that the Saint understood his unique abilities very well and knew that he was adept at cultivating complex heart techniques.

Li Ruolan pursed her lips into a smile. "The Great One Technique is very powerful. Even if you use it on its own, many other heart techniques pale in comparison with it." 

"I'm grateful to the Saint for this," Chu Li said.

Li Ruolan was still smiling as she explained, "The Saint mentioned that this heart technique goes very well with the Divine Light Technique. It can unleash the formidable power of the Light Blade Technique to the greatest extent."

Chu Li let out a sigh and muttered, "Only, it's rather difficult to cultivate."

"It won't be a problem for you," Li Ruolan responded. "The Saint said that there's hope for you to master the technique perfectly."

Chu Li laughed happily. "Really? She believes I'm capable of mastering the Light Blade Technique?"

"Yes." Li Ruolan nodded. "So far, only one person has managed to master the Light Blade Technique to perfection, and this person is the Saint. Even the bishop hasn't been able to master it completely!" 

Chu Li puffed out his chest. "Then let me be the second person to accomplish this!"

Li Ruolan rolled her eyes at him and answered, "In that case, you'll have to cultivate it diligently. I'll be leaving now. I'll bring you your meals tomorrow."

"Okay," Chu Li replied. 

"The Saint said that you're not allowed to stay here for more than three days," Li Ruolan informed. "Otherwise, it'll mean that you've given up."

"Ah… Alright then." Chu Li shook his head in resignation.

Li Ruolan chuckled and glided away gracefully.

Chu Li had already memorized the Great One Technique after he read it thoroughly. Thus, he sat on the bed to cultivate it.

He was able to cultivate it easily even though the Great One Technique's heart technique route seemed complicated.

As he quickly completed one circulatory cycle, a mild and warm strand of force was produced. After a few more circulatory cycles, the warm force became increasingly concentrated. Then, as the force traveled through his meridians, it felt unusually pleasant as though dewdrops were flowing through his body.

He came out of the cottage, picked up a small stone, and circulated the sixth level of the Light Blade Technique. Two strands of inner energy circulated separately according to the Divine Light Technique and the Great One Technique before converging in his hand, causing the small stone in his hand to vanish instantly. 

"Ts.h.!.+" There was a soft — almost inaudible — whizzing sound as the small stone became embedded in a faraway huge rock, cutting into the rock as if it was tofu. 

Chu Li secretly marveled at its incredible speed, which had been so fast that it could travel across such a distance in an instant much like the Imminent Skyline. 

He picked up another small stone. As he activated the technique, the small stone disappeared and then reappeared on a tree in the next instant. It had soundlessly embedded itself into the tree and had almost vanished completely from his view.

Unlike the previous combination of the Crescent Cryptic and the Divine Light Technique, the small stone seemed gentler and less brutal when he paired the Great One Technique with the Divine Light Technique. Still, the force it contained was no less destructive than before.